Tonight’s dinner is brought to you by things that we needed to use up.

I do the majority of our grocery shopping once a week – not because of any reason other than I hate dealing with grocery stores. I usually have two stores to go to and then I have the treks to the Farmer’s Market, Reading Terminal Market, or a specialty store here and there… But wherever I go, I tend to buy enough so I don’t have to go back too soon. It’s a great system, except towards the end of the week I have to make sure I use up all of the fresh the stuff I bought.

Right now that’s kinda easy since anything can go into a pot of soup, but when the soup is made and there’s still bits and pieces of veggies that need using, a bottle of cooking sauce is the perfect little helper.

I’ve said many times that I’m not an intuitive Chinese cook, but I can take a jar of faux-Chinese sauce and doctor it up.

We had a small piece of turkey left from the other night and a small chicken breast, so I cut them both up and marinated them in a concoction of soy sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, fish sauce, rice wine, and lots of garlic.

I sliced up a celery stalk, 2 small carrots, a broccoli crown, and a red onion. Into the skillet they went, and then the marinated chicken and turkey went in. I quickly cooked it all and then added the rest of a bottle of spicy orange sauce that was hanging out in the ‘fridge, and a few tablespoons of sambal oelek. When it was hot, I added a drained can of bean sprouts – because there is no such thing as fresh bean sprouts around here.

A few sesame seeds and green onions on top, and over white rice it went.

Really simple, quick and easy, not remotely authentic, but it was tasty and filling.

Tomorrow, Victor is making homemade ravioli.