First - Assemble your zero point vegetables...
What I have assembled here is broccoli, red, green, yellow peppers, celery and...
Fennel. You may know it as Anise. All I know is I LOVE it! I love it so much I tried to grow it in my garden last year. It doesn't grow so well on PEI, and all I ended up with were these little tiny baby Fennels that had a lot of peppery kick to them. But this big boy I got from the local SuperStore where the price has gone up from $1.29 each back in March 2007 to $2.49 now-a-days. Holy crap. Here are the things I love about Fennel, though: it's a great base for a soup; it tastes amazing in a salad and, when you add it to a stir-fry, well, it gives your veggies a crisp and clean (and slightly black licorice-smelling) taste. I highly recommend it.
Okay, so chop your veggies into bite-size pieces, like so:
Oh, and because I love Buzz and he loves these, I also include a batch of these...
even though they smell (and taste) like dirt even after you cook them.
Okay, then while we have the knife out, let's chop some Italian parsley and a couple of cloves of garlic, like so...
Before we put the knife away, we'll slice two seasoned chicken breasts into bite-size pieces...
And then throw 'em into the frying pan and saute until golden. Meanwhile, get the citrus ready...
Once the chicken is sauteed, add the zest and juice of an orange, a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice and a healthy dose of the secret ingredient...
That's orange blossom water. Heaven in a bottle. A few drops will do the trick - it adds a floral bouquet to the dish, causing you to ask...what the hell is that? That, folks is orange blossom water. Pick it up at your local international food store.
Meanwhile, pre-heat a saute skillet for your veggies and throw those babies onto the fire!
Okay, so before we continue, let's recap exactly where we are. So far we've chopped a variety of healthy vegetables and sauteed sliced chicken until golden brown. We've added some citrus in the form of orange zest, juice and the secret ingredient, orange blossom water. Next up, we stir fried our vegetables and now...now... it's time for some heat.
Add a heaping dose of your favourite Thai Chili Sauce. Any brand will do. In our house we like:
Oh, you didn't see the brand? Let me give you a better look:
Still can't see the brand? How about this shot?
That's right folks. In our house when we make chicken stir fry we use "Cock Brand" Thai chili sauce. Now, I'm a marketer from waaaaayyyyy back in my career but I just cannot conjure up a scenario where I would be choosing my brand name for anything short of a condom or naughty sex toy where the word "Cock" just makes so much sense to me. But the people at Cock Brand? They want to make sure you know their sauce is Cock Sauce...look at the lid on the bottle for crying out loud!!
Oh, I laugh 'til I cry every time I make stir-fry.
Okay, back to the recipe - throw a heaping serving of chili sauce into the skillet - then add the vegetables and toss to combine. Meanwhile, get the table set. A pretty setting, complete with napkin rings...
And plate that chicken & veg up. Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top to finish.
Before sitting down to dinner, remind the big dog it's your dinner and not his...
Notice the difference in serving sizes between mine & Buzz's plates?
Recipe:
Assorted vegetables, chopped (broccoli, peppers, celery, fennel, smelly bean sprouts)
Italian Parsley, two cloves garlic, minced
Juice & zest of one orange
2 tbsp orange blossom water
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp Thai chili sauce (sweet)
Method:
Chop vegetables & slice chicken into bite-size pieces. In separate pans saute chicken and vegetables. Once chicken is browned add citrus, orange blossom water and chili sauce and cover to cook five minutes. Add sauteed vegetables and toss to combine. Serve over bed of couscous, brown rice or whole wheat pasta.
