Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry

After determining that stir fry is one thing my girls like to eat for dinner, I've been trying out some new variations.  I love coconut curry and was tempted to put some green curry paste in this dish but I didn't want to push the envelope with them too much.  We have two kinds of basil growing in our garden - the larger leaf, sweeter Italian basil and the narrower leaf, cinnamony Thai basil which was perfect here.  You can thinly slice, roughly chop or leave the basil leaves whole (I did the latter), depending on your preference.  I also chopped the Serrano chiles in larger pieces so I could pick them out of the girls' portions.

Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry (2-3 servings)

1/2 cup coconut milk (not lite)
2 T soy sauce
1.5 T rice wine vinegar
1 T lime juice
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 T olive oil
2 serrano chiles, diced (or Thai chiles if you can find them)
1 large shallot, sliced (or 1/2 cup chopped white onion)
2 T fresh ginger root, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into half inch chunks
3 green onions, chopped
1-2 cups fresh basil leaves (Thai basil if possible)

Mix together the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.

In a skillet or wok, heat oil over medium high heat.  Stir in the chiles, shallot, ginger, and garlic and cook until lightly browned.  Mix in chicken strips and cook about 3 minutes or until browned.  Stir in the coconut milk sauce.  Continue cooking until the sauce is reduced and thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in the green onions and basil.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

With 1/2 cup of jasmine rice:  506 cal/serving (36 g protein)

China Food for Dinner

I've been enjoying being home on maternity leave to take care of tiny baby, Big & Middle.  Don't get me wrong - I have a great job with a fantastic schedule for a mom - but who wouldn't love hanging out with these girls more??

One thing that's been nice about being home is getting to spend more time in the kitchen and getting our family back on track with healthy eating habits.  Those efforts aren't always appreciated by my kids. After many nights of complaining about the dinner I've made, I finally asked Big what she liked to eat besides cheeseburgers and mac & cheese.  She said "cereal."  Then thought about it for a few minutes and said "peanut butter and jelly."  I told her that we needed to come up with some meals that had meat and protein in them that we could all eat for dinner.  She replied, "Well, you know I like China food."  It's true - my girls love to go to Chinese food (mostly Americanized versions like PF Changs or Pei Wei) and I sometimes buy the bags of PF Changs stir fry in the freezer section when they have a babysitter.  

I adapted a recipe for broccoli beef to use chicken.  Personally, I'd like it spicier (we added Sriracha and red pepper flakes at the table), but it was finally a meal everyone would eat!  If you have picky eaters, I hope you have luck with this one as well.  A bonus is that you can get it on the table super fast - especially if you buy chicken and broccoli that are already cut up.  

Chinese Chicken Stir Fry (4 servings)

3 teaspoons of cornstarch 

6 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger (peeled)

2 garlic clove minced

2 green onions, chopped

1 tsp chili oil

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

About 2 cups broccoli florets

1.5 lb of chicken breast tenders or strips (our grocery store sells "stir fry strips" of raw chicken)

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (and then I cut the strips in half) 

Dissolve the cornstarch into 6 Tablespoons of water. In a separate small bowl, combine the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onion, chili oil, and sesame oil and set aside. Drizzle a little vegetable oil in a wok or heavy skillet and heat it over high heat. Add the broccoli and stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until softened. Remove from pan.  

Cook the chicken until it's just done (in 2 batches if necessary).  Add the red bell pepper and stir fry until the red bell pepper is a little soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add the broccoli, the sauce, and the cornstarch to the pan. Stir fry until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes.

Broccoli Beef Stir Fry

I don't do a lot of stir fry at home but when I do, I always think, "I should do this more." Tonight, dinner was ready, from start to finish, in 15 minutes. I like the combination of flavors in the stir fry sauce that I've come up with and I've learned from reading lots of other recipes, that cornstarch is key in getting a thicker sauce. If you need a little extra incentive to buy the chili oil and toasted sesame oil, you can also make this soba noodle salad.

You could substitute the broccoli with another green vegetable (zucchini, asparagus) and add some steamed shelled edamame at the end for some extra protein. I also think that chicken would work fine, just make sure it's done all the way through before you add the sauce and vegetables to the pan. My daughter gobbled up her steak but needed a little encouragement with the broccoli. I served it over quinoa but steamed rice would be a perfect accompaniment as well.

Broccoli Beef Stir Fry (2 or 3 servings)

2 teaspoons of cornstarch
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger (peeled)
1 garlic clove minced
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 tsp chili oil
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
About 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 lb of steak, sliced into thin strips (I used a London Broil cut, flank steak would work well)
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (and then I cut the strips in half)

Dissolve the cornstarch into 3 Tablespoons of water. In a separate small bowl, combine the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onion, chili oil, and sesame oil and set aside. Drizzle a little vegetable oil in a wok or heavy skillet and heat it over high heat. Add the broccoli and stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until softened. Remove from pan.

Brown the beef in two separate batches, just so the outsides are nice and browned but it's still red in the middle. When the second batch is browned, add the first batch back to the pan with the red bell pepper and stir fry until the red bell pepper is a little soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add the broccoli, the sauce, and the cornstarch to the pan. Stir fry until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes.

Sonia's Stir-Fry

Up next: My sister-in-law Sonia. I learned a lot about food and yeast when she was doing the Candida diet this past year - and a lot about perseverance! We share a love of cooking and I'm excited to try this - the combination of coconut milk and red curry sounds great.

Don’t be alarmed that one would follow a recipe for a meal as simple as a stir-fry. When I was on the Candida cleanse diet (for 7 long months) we all got really tired of rice, veggies, and meat “for meat” each night. But you might be surprised at all of the different ways to approach a stir-fry. I was inspired by Food and Wine’s May 2009 issue that presented a variety ways to cook veggies and meat in a fry pan prior to tossing it onto a plate full of white or brown rice. The following is a great stir-fry recipe that compliments a Candida cleanse diet (God forbid any of Bec’s foodie readers ever have to do that) and it proves that you do not have to have sugar or gluten or yeast or broth or mushrooms to enjoy a tasty stir-fry.

Thai Chicken, Zucchini and Tomato Curry Stir-Fry 4 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts sliced ½ inch thick
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 onion sliced ¼ inch thick
2 zucchini cut into 2 by ½ inch sticks
1 ½ cups of cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk (I ended up using about 1 tablespoon more, and the real stuff is better than the LIGHT)
2 tablespoon water
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ cup chopped cilantro
rice for serving
optional garnish: cashew pieces

1. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until just white throughout, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Add the onion and stir-fry over moderately high heat for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and cherry tomatoes and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the curry paste, coconut milk, water, lime zest and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and stir for another minute or two. Sir in the cilantro. Transfer to bowls and serve with rice.
WINE: Strawberry-scented rose: 2008 Domaine du Bagnol. Or in our household, a chilled glass of white Charles Shaw does the job.

Don’t be scared off by the curry either… it is mild enough for those who can’t handle spicy food (however, I make it spicier). I like to add cashew pieces for garnish (they also sweeten it a little). And because you don’t use soy sauce, this recipe is also low in sodium. My husband douses his with table salt (I try not to be offended).