Ever had a hard time getting into a routine? I’m in one of those periods right now. I’m still catching up from being sick, and every time I turn around something else needs attention. I’m looking for quick cooking recipes right now.
While searching my Pinterest recipe inspiration board this week, I came across a recipe I’d pinned ages ago for a green bean recipe from Food.com. The spicing seemed better suited to snap peas, so I went for it! This has heat, so cut back on the crushed red pepper if you prefer a milder flavor.
You may have noticed I haven’t posted a lot lately. I mentioned in my last post that I had been ill. At that point, I thought I was better. That is, until I completely lost my voice on Tuesday. I’ve spent most of this week laying low and letting my husband cook. Tonight, however, we had run out of recipes. I am also better (hopefully for good), so I decided to stir fry all the veggies we had last from our last box. We got a new box today, so I need to get cracking!
My pictures are getting a little better! My grocery list for this dish consisted of chicken and “something from the Asian foods section.” (I had all the vegetables from our box.) I ended up with a Zesty Orange Ginger sauce. It is yummy and will get used again.
While researching sugar snap pea recipes, I discovered this recipe from Eating Well for Five-Spice Shrimp & Vegetable Packets. I LOVE Chinese Five-Spice powder! This recipe also uses crushed red pepper flakes for the marinade, so it is a little hot. Since the dish is cooked in foil packets, this would be a fun foil dinner for camping, too!
(Sorry about this picture, it was underexposed and required a lot of Photoshop.)
This recipe called for bell pepper. I had yellow carrots from our harvest box, so I used them instead. I also substituted chicken, as I had some on hand.
1¼ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in thin strips
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
¾ pound sugar snap peas, string removed
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups cooked brown rice
Instructions
Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add chicken, toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tear 4 two foot sheets of wide aluminum foil, fold in half crosswise. Spray each sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from marinade, reserving the marinade. Divide chicken equally between the 4 foil sheets, placing chicken on the center of each square. Top with the carrots, snap peas, and corn; dividing each vegetable evenly on the center of each foil.
Individually drugstore wrap each portion. Place on the oven rack and bake for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. (Open a packet carefully to check, watch out for steam!)
While foil packets are baking, pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil for 3-5 minutes, until it thickens.
Serve the chicken and vegetables over rice, topped with some of the thickened marinade.
Snap peas and snow peas are my favorite stir fry vegetables. I wish we could grow them all summer, but the hot weather limits us to just a few weeks of fresh peas.
This stir fry is fresh and crisp, with just a little heat. I had never considered using balsamic vinegar in Oriental cooking, until I saw this recipe from Taste of Home. The combination of the vinegar and the crushed red pepper flakes is really good!
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in wok or skillet. Stir fry chicken in oil until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
Add remaining tablespoon olive oil. Add snap peas, carrots, onion, and garlic. Stir fry until tender crisp, about 5 minutes.
Add chicken back into pan.
Combine vinegar, soy, ginger, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil. Pour over all. Stir fry for another 2 minutes, until everything is coated and heated through.
Spring must be here, because snap peas are in our boxes. We have such a limited season for spring veggies. It will probably be even shorter this year, since we are already having 70+ degree weather.
This side dish was inspired by an Epicurious recipe for Orzo and Herbed Sugar Snap Peas. I enjoy the nutty flavor of quinoa, so I used it instead. That, plus the addition of dried mushrooms, required a change in method as well.
1 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed, cut in ½ inch pieces
1 cup uncooked quinoa
4 ounces dried shitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Place steamer basket with peas in pot. Steam peas for 2 minutes. Remove steamer from broth, place peas in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain.
Add quinoa and mushrooms to the boiling broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Remove from heat.
Add vinegar to the quinoa, stir until thoroughly combined. Add the peas and toss.