Thai stir fry March 13, 2011

I’ve been missing the CSA and all of our fresh vegetables, so I finally broke down and hit the produce section at Whole Foods. I absolutely love the bok choy & fresh broccoli in this stir fry. It’s a reminder that spring, and all the fresh veggies that come with it, is on the way.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch of bok choy (about 1 lb.), washed and chopped
• 1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 bunch of broccoli (about 1 1/2 lbs.), cut into florets
• 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 3 Tbsp. dry sherry (or white wine)

SAUCE

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tsp. honey
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup brown sugar (to taste)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• dash of hot chili oil to taste (can also use chili sauce, cayenne pepper or a red chili pepper)

Prepare chicken by removing any excess skin and cutting into one-inch chunks. Add olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, minced garlic, kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper (I don’t measure, just add enough to coat the chicken). Stir to coat chicken. Refrigerate. (Up to a few hours is ideal, but 20 minutes is fine.)

To make the sauce, add chicken broth, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and brown sugar to a pot at medium heat. When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to med-low or low. Add garlic and cornstarch. Stir until sauce thickens slightly. Add the dash of hot chili oil (or something to add a little heat). Do a taste test to make sure it’s the right balance of sweet and salty and adjust accordingly. Turn off the heat.

Heat olive oil in a saute pan at medium-high heat. Add the chicken, flipping it after a few minutes on one side. Cook through. You might need to reduce the heat once it’s browned on both sides. Add the minced ginger, cook for 1 minute. Add carrots, bok choy, pepper, and broccoli. Cook for a few minutes, then add stir fry sauce and mix everything. Add the sherry or white wine, stir and cover for a few minutes until broccoli starts to soften.  Once it’s done, remove from heat. Serve with brown rice and chopped cashews.

Notes: You could also add onions and mushrooms to this stir fry. I use chili oil to add a little heat to the sauce because that’s what I had on hand. This summer when the hot peppers are in season, I might try adding one of those. Also, the next time I make it to the Asian market I’m going to buy fish sauce to substitute for the soy sauce.  I like my sauce on the sweeter side (why I add the brown sugar), but you can skip the brown sugar and only use honey.

Sweet potato and white bean soup with walnut pesto March 2, 2011

Adapted from Cooking Light.  The pesto was amazing. I spread it on whole wheat sourdough toast and dipped it in the soup. Next time I make this I might try adding a little sausage. Thanks, Chelsea, for sharing the recipe!

SOUP

• 1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped shallot
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4  cups  chicken broth
• 2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
• 4  cups  chopped Swiss chard (about 1 bunch)
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1  (19-ounce) can white beans (Navy, cannellini, great northern), rinsed and drained
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice

PESTO

• 3/4  cup  grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley
• 6  Tbsp.  chopped walnuts
• 3  garlic cloves, peeled
• extra virgin olive oil

Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add shallots and onion;  cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Add sweet potatoes; cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chard, pepper, salt, and beans; cook 3 minutes or until chard wilts. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the pesto, combine cheese, parsley, walnuts, and garlic in a food processor. Process until slightly blended. Pour in olive oil while continuing to process until pesto reaches desired consistency, scraping sides of bowl.  Ladle soup into bowls. Top each bowl with a generous serving of pesto.

Note: The pesto recipe makes enough for tomorrow night’s pasta.