I’ve been in a bit of food rut here lately. I know, hard to believe with a food blog and all…but weekly menus have been hard. Normally, I have a laundry list of way too many recipes. Lately, nothing has enticed me so I resorted back to some of my favorite flavors.
Last night, Kristen and I made quite the menu. It was a ladies night in with food, wine, music, and comfy clothes. It was just what we needed in this wintery Michigan weather after a long week.
The salad we made had bold flavors: salami, pepperocini peppers, olives…
The potatoes we made had GOBS of apple cider vinegar in them.
The chicken was slathered in dijon mustard as its “glue” for the breading.
Dessert was a sweet & tart lemon flavor.
So many flavors. So much to enjoy. To say it was inspiring for dishes to make is probably an understatement.
The favorite flavor in this recipe: lemongrass.
A very fragrant and sweet lemony flavor that is used heavily in Thai cooking, lemongrass brings a light and fresh flare to this meal. A one-pot meal that comes together quickly is my kind of meal. The lemongrass really is the star in this one.
…and the cashews. I love that crunch!
Stir-Fried Lemongrass Chicken from Cooking Light
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp low-sodium chicken stock
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp lower-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
2 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 Tbsp fresh lemongrass, sliced peeled
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup (~3) shallots, sliced
8 oz haricots verts, trimmed
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1/3 cup unsalted cashews
1 Thai chile or serrano pepper, thinly sliced
Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients.
Heat a large wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add lemongrass and garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a small bowl.
Add bell pepper, shallots, and haricots verts to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; add to lemongrass mixture.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken in a single layer; cook 2 minutes or until browned.
Add cashews and chile to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in stock mixture and vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until sauce begins to thicken. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings (~1 cup each)
Nutrition Information (per serving): 297 calories; 13.3 g. fat; 55 mg. cholesterol; 473 mg. sodium; 15.5 g. carbohydrate; 1.8 g. fiber; 29.3 g. protein
Result: I loved the flavors in this – and don’t fear the fish sauce…it’s what ties together all of the flavors perfectly. This is a quick meal and paired great with some boiled rice noodles. I would’ve never thought to put haricots vert in stir fry, but yum!
[/print_this]Weekly Menu: January 26th – 31st
- Saturday: Mustard-Herb Panko Crusted Chicken Breasts
- Sunday: Greek-Style Potato Skins
- Monday: Grilled Portobello and Goat Cheese-Pesto Sandwiches
- Tuesday: Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
- Wednesday: work late/leftovers
- Thursday: Salmon Cakes
This weekend has been super relaxing and just what I needed 🙂
Be well,
I’ve never used lemongrass; the chicken sounds really good!
And you weekly menus sounds great, too.
I love lemongrass too, not that I can find it pretty easily – love the citrus notes. Hooray for good food, great friends and comfy clothes!!
Yum! I bookmarked this in last month’s Cooking Light – glad to hear it was just as good as it looks!
This looks wonderful! I’ve never used lemongrass… I don’t even know what it looks like! I have most of the non-fresh ingredients for this on hand, though, so maybe I’ll have to try it!