Chicken and Cashew Stir Fry

With a delicious sauce, this stir fry makes the most of a small amount of chicken, with vegetables, to create a fabulous meal. The recipe is very economical to make and makes sure we have a good amount of vegetables and adds a great deal of variety possible in ingredients.

The sauce is delicious and can be used with other stir fries. As the French say, La sauce, c’est tout!

The cashews add a great flavor, crunchy and flavorful, as do the green onions. I grow the green onions in my garden from the roots of the ones purchased at the store. See below for the easy tip. The green onions grow quickly so this is a fun activity with kids.

Foodie Lit

“All right, Bad Love Crew, we are headed to Kortenberg for a rendezvous with the destiny of time travel.” Thus was the beginning of the mission of this talented, boisterous gang to rescue victims of the Holocaust.

There is much that we must suspend disbelief for in Bad Love Strikes. There is of course time travel. Yet more than that is the age of the main characters—teenagers. These teenagers develop a plot to outwit the Nazis; to fly military planes; already have historical knowledge of WWII and the Holocaust; have the skills to play roles far beyond most teenagers’ skills. Yet I found myself rooting for them to succeed.

Review and Recipe

Chicken and Cashew Stir Fry

Sauce

6 medium garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/3 cup water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Stir Fry

3/4 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

1/2 each of a red, green pepper and yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 green onions, white and green parts cut into 1-inch pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a single layer, place cashews on baking sheet. Toast in the oven about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together water, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.
Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
In a wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Stir-fry until bell peppers are cooked, about 3 minutes. Place in colander. This drains the excess oil. Add half of the chicken and stir-fry until cooked, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander over a bowl. Add rest of chicken and repeat.
Add remaining oil to wok and add bell peppers.
Pour sauce mixture into wok and cook, stirring until sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Spoon chicken mixture into wok. Stir to coat with sauce. Mix in green onions and cashews. Add bell peppers. Mix gently. Serve over rice or rice noodles.

Expandthetable suggestions

Vegan: Use cubed tofu in place of chicken

Beef: Use beef in place of chicken

Add other veggies: 1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced thinly; 1-2 Japanese eggplant, sliced thinly into 2” length pieces; matchstick cut carrots; French style green beans; 1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite size pieces.

Growing your own green onions

Green onions purchased at the store can be planted in your garden! This is a fun project with your kids at home as the green onions grow quickly and you can start using them in salads, for garnish or in this stir fry recipe. All the green onions you see in my garden wer from cuttings I rooted and planted.

Cut off the roots and white tips so you have about 1-1 1/2”.
Root in a small glass or cup for 3-5 days or until the roots and tops grow.
If the weather is warm, loosen the soil in your garden or in a 5” pot or larger in a sunny spot in your home.
Water daily for a few days and the green onions will start growing!