Ginger Peanut Sauce for stir fry and such….

 

I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since my last post! It’s not for lack of material, just lack of time. We’re having a very busy, very fun summer. This week, Abby, Nicole, and their friend, Amy, are with us and that’s been great. Ella and Hailey are always happy when their cousins are here and I’m loving being able to develop more of an adult relationship with them. I make fun of their dad (my brother) a lot, which they enjoy. Very mature of me, right?

Anyway, I’m excited for preschool to start so I can get into more of a regular groove and try to post something every week. Meanwhile, I’m doing lots of cooking and taking lots of pictures so I promise there will be lots more recipes to come…

Here’s my go-to sauce for stir fry. It also works great tossed in noodles or as a dipping sauce for chicken or shrimp satay, just make sure you bring it to a boil first and allow the cornstarch to thicken it. I’ve included a very basic stir fry recipe using chicken and veggies I had on hand. You, of course, may substitute pork, beef, shrimp, scallops, tofu, etc. for the protein and use whatever veggies you like. Serve it over rice or noodles and you have a complete, healthy meal.

 

Ginger Peanut Sauce

 
3/4 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium if you have it)
1/3 – 1/2 cup honey
1-2 TB peanut butter
1 TB sesame oil
1 TB grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 TB lime juice
1 tsp Sriracha (this is a chili sauce that will give a very nice heat, you may sub another hot sauce if you like)
1 TB cornstarch

 

Grate the ginger and garlic, squeeze the lime and combine with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until combined. You may also just use a mixing bowl and whisk, but you need to make sure your ginger and garlic are very finely grated. I also recommend mixing @ 2 tsp water into the cornstarch until it’s smooth before adding to the rest of the ingredients to prevent clumping.

 

 

Set aside and prepare stir fry…

 

 

Heat @ 2 TB peanut oil (or a light oil like canola or vegetable, olive oil may produce an undesirable flavor) in a wok or deep-sided nonstick pan until very hot, almost smoking. Start by adding the veggies and protein that take longest to cook. In this case, sliced onions, bell peppers and chicken breast (could also include carrots, celery, pork, etc.). Cook @ 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add broccoli and mushrooms (could also include snow peas, cauliflower, bok choy, shellfish, etc.) and cook another few minutes, stirring and tossing the pan. You want the chicken to be cooked, the onions translucent, and the green veggies cooked but still crisp.

 

 

Add sauce slowly, stirring as you go, until you’ve reached the desired amount (some like it light, some like it heavy) and cook until sauce is thickened and glossy. You will, most likely, have sauce left over that you can refrigerate and use again in the next week or so.

Serve immediately over rice or noodles, tossing in some chopped green onion and/or chopped cilantro for a bit of freshness at the end. I used brown basmati rice mixed with black jasmine rice and it was a lovely combo. If you haven’t tried black rice, you should. It’s rich in iron, high in fiber, full of antioxidants and has a mild, nutty flavor. Plus, it looks pretty on the plate – sort of purple after it’s cooked. Enjoy!
 
These are some of my favorite lyrics and they’ve been on my mind lately. Words to live by, I think…
 
“Up on the watershed, standing at the fork in the road
You can stand there and agonize
Till your agony’s your heaviest load.
You’ll never fly as the crow flies, get used to a country mile.
When you’re learning to face the path at your pace
Every choice is worth your while.”
 
Indigo Girls
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