Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

This is one of my favorite weeknight dishes. It's healthy, with a focus on veggies and whole grains, and yet satisfying and warming... it's deliciousness might have something to do with it being smothered in a sauce that uses peanut butter as a main ingredient. Yum.

The stir fry is essentially ready in the time it takes to cook the brown rice (if you use white rice, that works, too, and it can all be done in the 15 minutes it takes to cook!) Simply get your rice going in one pot, pan fry the chicken and vegetables in another, and meanwhile whisk up the sauce. Then pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies and serve over the rice. Fresh and fast, this is another "way better than takeout" meal. I also made this dinner together with the kids I babysit for, and it was simple and fun to stir up all of the sauce ingredients and put dinner on the table together. Enjoy!

Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry in Peanut Sauce: serves 4 
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
Dash salt
1 T. olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1 t. salt
1 T. soy sauce
3-4 cups veggies of choice (broccoli, bell peppers, snow peas, and carrots are favorites)

Sauce:
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup milk
1 T. hot chili paste
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. rice vinegar
1 t. dried basil
1 t. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Set the rice over the stove to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 30-35 minutes, covered. Meanwhile, heat 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet or wok. In a bowl, toss the chicken cubes in soy sauce and salt, then cook over medium heat until golden out the outside and just cooked on the inside. Transfer to a plate. Add your veggies to the same pan and cook until tender.

While the veggies are cooking, mix the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl. Adjust seasonings and ratio of ingredients to suit your tastes. When the vegetables are just tender (still slightly crisp) add the chicken back in, the sauce, and stir fry together for 2 minutes. Serve over rice.