Five-Spice Turkey Stir Fry

We had this for lunch today. I have to admit that the main reason I wanted to try this one is to use up more of the 5-spice powder it calls for, which I have used only once so far and paid like $9 for or something ridonkulous like that. But it ended up being a good recipe, Steve really liked it. It's from the BH&G 365 Last Minute Meals. I must say I am loving how fast these recipes are coming together, they are not kidding when they say "last minute."

Five-Spice Turkey Stir Fry
1 4.4 oz pkg beef lo-mein noodle mix (if you can find this, you rock. I ended up using Lipton Asian Sides Teriyaki Noodles, which was still lo-mein but a different flavor. It was still OK)
12 oz turkey breast tenderloin, cut into thin bite-size strips
1/4 tsp five-spice powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 of a 16 oz pkg frozen stir fry vegetables
2 tbsp chopped peanuts (I left these out because my whole family is basically anti-nut, except me...)

Prepare noodle mix according to pkg directions; set aside. In a small bowl toss together turkey strips, five-spice powder, salt, and pepper; set aside. Pour 1 tbsp of the oil into a wok (hello? does anybody actually have a wok? I think my dad has one in the shed from his brief foray into Chinese cooking...remember "Wok with Yan?") or large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Carefully add frozen vegetables to skillet; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Remove vegetables from skillet. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to hot skillet. Add turkey mixture; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink. Return vegetables to skillet. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. To serve, divide noodle mixture among 4 dinner plates (unless you have picky children. In that case, make them PB & J and divide the noodle mixture among 2 dinner plates, leaving some in the pot for leftovers). Top with turkey mixture; sprinkle with peanuts (if using).

So I think Steve was so excited to have a meal with vegetables! The mix I got was something like Asian Stir Fry Vegetables (the Great Value brand). It had broccoli, sugar snap peas, summer squash, and carrots. You can guess what I ate out of that. Anyway he really really liked this, had seconds, and told me he loved me so much (all positive signs of a good meal). I thought it was pretty good too. And having it with turkey was a nice change, since we seem to have chicken so much. And I bought turkey breasts at Wal-mart, didn't get specifically "tenderloin" but they were still really moist, and got 1.2 lbs for just under $4. I thought that was pretty reasonable. It's a keeper (how can it not be with Steve's reaction?).

An interesting side note: Typing recipes gives you a really good handle on using the semi-colon (;). Did you notice how many times it was used in this recipe? The cookbook author used the semi-colon a lot; they must have done well in English in high school. See?