Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry

How can you take a favourtie weeknight staple and turn it into something with a fresh new twist?

Easy! I'll show you how with this new recipe.

And yes... we're talking chicken today. It's one of the most common protein sources of a clean eating diet and for weight lifters alike (if you're a meat eater). It's lean and provides important proteins for muscle growth while being relativley low in caloric content when compared to others. I know it can get pretty boring eating chicken breast so often. When that happens to me I either go for a vegan option and/or come up with a new tasty way to cook chicken using fresh herbs and spices as my main source of flavour.

This is a fresh new way to take on your weeknight chicken dinner. It's got all the tasty flavours of Chinese take-out and it's way easier to make than you might think! It's also way healthier and faster!

Szechuan cusine is typically spicy and hot, however that's not always the case. This recipe has a nice zip of heat to it thanks to the chili paste and fresh ginger. You can always tone it down a notch if you'd like a little less heat. For example, instead of 2 teaspoons of chili paste you can cut that back to 1, or a 1/2 teaspoon if you really like things mild or don't like heat. Whatever you prefer!

This is such an easy and quick chicken dish to make on a weeknight.

Served overtop of a steaming hot bowl of quinoa for a complete meal. Clean eating at it's best!

Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry

Cook Time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 1/2 cup fat-free no salt added chicken broth
• 1 tablespoons low sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 - 2 teaspoons chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 cup sliced snow peas
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced vertically
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup unsalted peanut halves (optional)

Instructions

Set oven to 175˚F and place 4 bowls or plates to warm.

In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons sesame oil, chicken broth, tamari, rice vinegar, chili paste, and arrowroot powder. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil; swirl to coat the pan. Add chicken and stir-fry for 2 - 4 minutes, until no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the pan; swirl. Add red + yellow bell peppers and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); stir-fry 3 minutes. Add broth mixture, stir, and cook 30 seconds until thick. Return chicken to the pan; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is done.

Spoon 1/2 cup cooked quinoa into each of the 4 separate warmed bowls. Divide the stir fry mix between the bowls (about 1 cup) and garnish with sliced green onions, and peanuts.

Note

Feel free to cut back on the chili paste if you prefer less heat. Instead of a full 2 teaspoons try 1/2 - 1 teaspoon. You can also cut the ginger down to 1/2 tablespoon for less heat as well. Just remember if your cutting down on either ingredient that they both add to the overall flavour of the dish.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I've started writing this post a few times already...I had intended to get this up last week but then life got in the way. Le Sigh. That's alright though because I made healthy sweet potato fries and had enough leftovers for todays lunch! Yum!

Sweet potatoes are one of favourite foods to roast + bake in the oven. I love that slight crisp layer it gets on the outside and the sweet creamy inside. They're such a versatile veggie. They have more fibre and are slightly lower on the glycemic index than white potatoes. That means that your blood sugar stays more stable after eating them. And when you master your blood sugar you feel full of energy and crush those cravings for unhealthy processed foods. From a carbohydrate perspective they both have about 15 grams of carbs per 1/2 cup. Perfect for fuelling your body

I have sweet potatoes in my diet at least a few times a week.

Of course there are many ways you can cook them and even more ways to top them. There's savory and sweet, lunch or dinner, and even breakfast!

My current flavour obsession while roasting any kind of potato right now is roasted garlic powder. The stuff is like gold. It makes everything better. Plus because it's roasted it's it doesn't have that pungent garlic smell. Instead it's mellowed out flavourful. It would be delicious with no matter what you pair it with.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

by Jennifer Trennum

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Keywords: bake roast appetizer side snack gluten-free nut-free sugar-free vegan vegetarian sweet potato herbs

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Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into thick matchsticks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp roasted garlic powder
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• pinch of salt and black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425˚F.

Toss the sweet potato slices with olive oil, roasted garlic powder, chopped rosemary, paprika, and a pinch of sea salt and pepper in a large bowl, to fully coat.

Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake until the undersides are browned, about 10-15 minutes. Flip the fries over and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp and browned, but not burnt.

Notes:

The recipe can be cut in half however, the potatoes may need less time cooking as there are less fries on the baking sheet, therefore they could cook faster.

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