Better Than Chinese Takeout (Recipes) (2024)

When I interviewed for my job at Nourish Snacks over two years ago, I remember feelingintimidatedto meet the company’s co-founder, Joy Bauer. I knew her from her gig as the TODAY Show’s nutritionist and when I found out that I’d have to put a presentation together for her and the team, I had a major freak out. Then I met Joy, and my fears melted. She was one of the sweetest, smiliest, and least intimidating people I had ever met. Over the course of my time at Nourish, she became something of a mentor to me, always encouraging me to pursue my dreams… even whenI was working for her!

Over the last year, I was lucky enough to be around to watch her write her latest book, From Junk Food to Joy Food, whichfeaturesover 100 healthy makeoversfor crave-worthy recipes like Cinnamon buns, BBQ ribs, and ice cream. It was so inspiring to see her write a book while getting up at the crack of dawn for the TODAY Show, running her website, and creating snacks for Nourish, butthe best part was thatthe she would often bring in recipes for us to taste test. They were always mouth-wateringly delicious so I wasn’t surprised when I madetwo of them fromher book and they didn’t disappoint.

My husband loves ordering Chinese takeout but neither of us love the way that it makes us feel when he does (Heavy, full, sick to our stomachs). I made Joy’s healthier versions of General Tso’s Chicken and Cold Sesame Noodles, our two favorite Chinese dishes, over the weekend and Anel said it was the best meal I had cooked in months. The funny part is, I messed up two of the ingredients in the chicken, so as you can see, the thick General Tso-type sauce, didn’t quite happen. Joy’s actual recipe has a thick, sweet (but not too sweet) sauce that tastes exactly like this classic dish. But even with my mistake, the flavors were on point.

Scroll down for both recipes and buy Joy’s book, From Junk Food to Joy Food, for even more healthified favorites.

I made a fewslight changes to her recipes- I subbed in tamari for soy sauce when it was used, honey in place of sugar, and Soba noodles for spaghetti in the second recipe.

General Joy’s Chicken (Serves 4)

260 calories per serving

Marinated Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 2 tblspns tamari
• 3 tblspns brown ricewine or dry sherry
• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pineapple juice (no sugar added)
• 3 tblspns tamari
• 1 tblspnrice wine or dry sherry
• 3 tblspns chicken broth (I used my homemade bone broth for this!)
• 1 tspn toasted sesame oil
• 3/4 tspn garlic powder
• 3/4 tspn ginger
• 1/4 tspn red pepper flakes
• 1 tblspn cornstarch or arrowroot flour (this is the ingredient that I forgot. It’s important because it thickens the sauce so don’t leave it out!)
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tblspn sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

Whisk egg, tamari, and rice wine in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and stir so the marinade evenly coats each piece.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

To make the sauce, heat the pineapple juice in a small pan until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until it reduces to about 1/4 cup and has thickened. This should take about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Mix the tamari, rice wine, chicken broth, sesame oil, spices, and cornstarch in a small bowl, Mix until there are no lumps.

Spray a large skillet with oil spray. Pour the chicken and leftover marinade into the skillet and cook on medium-high until chicken pieces are done, about 7 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan, set it aside.

Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet and cook until it thickens, about 1 minute. Add the cooked chicken to the pan and toss to coat. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring continuously until sauce thickens even more. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Cold Sesame Noodles (Serves 4)

407 calories per serving

Ingredients:

• 12-oz box Soba noodles
• 2 tspns toasted sesame oil
• 3 tblspns natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (or veggie)
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1 tblspn honey
• 1 tblspn rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tspn hot sauce (optional)
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (0ptional)
• 6 baby carrots, chopped (optional)
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
• Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain the noodles and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Toss with sesame oil.

In a smaller bowl, whisk peanut butter, broth, tamari, honey, vinegar, and hot sauce, until smooth.

Pour the peanut-butter sauceover the noodles and toss well. Add the cucumbers, carrots, and half of the scallions. Toss to combine and season with pepper. Spoon into a serving bowl and top with remaining scallions.You can serve this dish hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Pick up a copy of From Junk Food to Joy Food herefor more healthy makeovers of your favorite recipes!