I'm a bit sick of the usual Pad Thai recipe. It's not that it isn't tasty. It is. However, it's always nice trying something new. So here are a few things I threw in: 3-4 minced coriander stems and leaves. 3 minced lemon-grass stems (that leave a wonderful aroma on your fingertips). 0.5 cup chopped garlic. a few chopped shallots (you can also use one half of a small onion). A little sweet chilli sauce. 3 tbsp. nam-pla (thai fish sauce) for saltiness. 1 tbsp. sugar. 4 tbsp. tamarind sauce. 5 tbsp. lime juice. 0.5 cup crushed peanuts. 1 small chilli pepper, thinly sliced. 0.5 big red pepper shreds. 300 g. chinese sprout. A few mushrooms cut in quarters. 50-100 g. sliced chicken breast (or pork, or beef). 1 can of coconut milk (at least 60%). 1 pack of thai rice noodles (300-330 g.). 0.5 cup canola oil. Soak the noodles in hot water for about 15 minutes, and then soak them in the coconut milk. Heat the wok, add half of the oil, and fry the onion and garlic. Then add the peppers and the noodles, and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes. Take the content of the wok out to a large bowl. Add the rest of the oil to the wok, and stir fry the vegetables, lemon-grass, sprout, coriander and chicken. After one minute, start adding the sugar and the "liquids" - nam pla, tamarind, lime juice and the sweet chilli sauce (it's also possible to marinate the chicken in the sweet chilli sauce, to add a nice glaze to it). Stir fry everything until the chicken is done. Then add the noodles from the bowl to the wok, and stir fry for another couple of minutes, until everything is ready and hot. Add the peanuts and serve in deep personal bowls. It's a refreshing (thanks to the lemon-grass and lime), creamy (thanks to the coconut milk) and light (you can also try using cream, but what's thai about that?) dish. Most important, it's very easy to make. Bon appetit!

Cashew Chicken POINTS® Value: 7 Servings: 4 Prep Time: 30 min Cooking Time: 30 min Level of Difficulty: Easy Course: Main Meals Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 tablespoon cornstarch Coarse salt and ground pepper 4 teaspoons vegetable oil, such as safflower 6 cloves garlic, minced 8 scallions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 ounces cashews Instructions: 1. In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. 3. Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet along with the garlic and white parts of scallions. Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. 4. Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews. Serve immediately over brown rice, if desired. Recipe found in Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart. Note: Yum! I used significantly more pepper than was suggested (I used a full teaspoon) which added a nice bit of spicy. DBF usually only like deep fried Chinese food and even he liked it! The recipe originally called for 4oz of cashews, which I cut in half because the points were astronomical on that. Even 2oz was high in points, and I think I will leave them out completely next time. The extra bit of crunch was nice, but not worth the points.