Eat your vegetables! Stir fry dinners hit the spot

BY EMILY DICESARE

Ithink all parents are constantly trying to get our families (and ourselves) to eat more vegetables. A stir fry is a great way to incorporate veggies into a fast and easy dinner. I often struggle with replicating a tasty sauce or keeping the vegetables from getting too mushy. Keeping everything bite-sized means everyone can see what they are eating, and the quick cooking time in the recipe below means vegetables stay tender. The recipe is delicious and fast-—cooks in about twenty minutes—perfect for a busy weeknight.

Kung Pao Chicken and Veggies

Serves 5–6

INGREDIENTS

Salt and pepper

If you have a picky eater, they may just eat the rice or the chicken. It’s ok, just keep trying—they WILL eat a vegetable one day. You can easily substitute any vegetables that your family likes or whatever you have on hand. One time I added a can of water chestnuts for extra crunch! The chicken can also be swapped out for shrimp, beef, or tofu or chickpeas to make it vegetarian. Try it out—I think this will become a family favorite!

About 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized chunks

3–4 tablespoons olive oil

2/3 cup roasted cashews or peanuts

1 red bell pepper chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 medium zucchini chopped into bite sized pieces

2–3 cups broccoli florets

Sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/4–1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper chili flakes—more or less depending on heat preference

Cornstarch slurry

2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder

2–3 tablespoons water plus more as needed to thin out consistency of sauce

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken, salt, and pepper. Cook chicken about 2–3 minutes on each side, until browned.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, honey, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, and red pepper chili flakes. Pour over chicken.

3. Add your vegetables to the chicken. Continue cooking until the vegetables are almost fork tender. (Add the broccoli and peppers a few minutes before the zucchini as they take longer to cook.)

4. Add the sauce and continue cooking until vegetables are tender.

5. Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.

6. Add the cornstarch slurry to the wok and cook a few additional minutes until the sauce has thickened up.

7. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and serve over rice or quinoa. For more heat, top with siracha, sambal olek, or your favorite chili paste.