She cooks too!?

I know, shocking, right? This blog is going to feature something besides baking. I found this recipe for Thai Chicken with Cashews on Annie's Eats a few months ago.

Lately, I've been craving our favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Place. I absolutely love their Cashew Chicken. On Sunday, when I asked Matt what he wanted to eat, he told me he didn't really care. That left me and my google reader. I scrolled through, found this recipe, and never looked back.

When I served this, I didn't even have to ask how it was. Matt had a bite and immediately said "this is good", with a serious look on his face, I could just tell he loved it. I had my first bite soon after and knew exactly what he was talking about, this dish is awesome. It tastes exactly like the cashew chicken I get at Thai Place. If you like Thai Food, this is a must. You need to try it ASAP! We will definitely be making this often.

Thai Chicken with Cashews
Source: Annie's Eats

please excuse my crappy picture! This dark-by-7:30 thing is killing my pictures. I need to build a light box.

AM Edit: so besides the fact the lighting in that pic is awful, I didn't realize how bad the pic actually is. Apparently the glass err... bottle of wine I had with dinner impaired my judgement a bit more than a I thought.

Ingredients:

1 bunch scallions
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (or 1 ½ tsp. dried)
¼ tsp. roasted red pepper flakes
¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ tbsp. soy sauce
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. sugar
½ cup salted roasted whole cashews
cooked white or brown rice for serving

Directions:

Chop scallions, separating white and green parts. Pat chicken dry, then cut into ¾ -inch pieces and toss with salt and pepper. Heat a wok or 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over moderately high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately. Add oil, swirling to coat, then stir-fry chicken until golden in places and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add bell pepper, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and scallion whites to wok and stir-fry until peppers are just tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

Stir together broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and sugar, then stir the mixture into the vegetables in the wok. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cashews, scallion greens and chicken along with any juices accumulated on plate. Serve with rice

Thai-Style

Never in a million years would I have ever thought I'd make a Thai-Style dish. That is, until we went to Jamaica and I tried a few new things. This meal took about 30 minutes to make and both M and I loved it!

Chicken with Pasta and Peanut Sauce

6oz dried fettuccine or linguine
2 cups fresh pea pods, tips trimmed, or one 6 ounce package frozen pea pods
1 cup cooked turkey or chicken strips
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh pineapple or one 8 oz can pineapple chunks, drained
¼ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon reduced–sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice or lemon juice
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, halve the pea pods diagonally. Place pea pods and chicken in a large colander. Pour hot cooking liquid from pasta over pea pods and chicken in colander, drain well. Return the pasta, pea pods, and turkey to the hot pan. Add the pineapple.

2) Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan stir chicken broth into peanut butter. Heath and stir with a whisk until peanut butter melts. Sir in soy sauce. Lemon juice, red pepper, and garlic; heat through.

3) Add sauce to the pasta mixture. Gently stir to coat pasta with sauce.