"Ginger" Cashew Chicken

So it seems I almost forgot to post about this one! Based off of a recipe I found using Epicurious from Bon Appetit - Ginger-Cashew Chicken. I put ginger in quotes in the title of this post because I didn't use any ginger. I made a smaller version of the recipe, using what I did have on hand (no chicken broth, no dry mustard, added mushrooms), and it made two servings. It came out pretty well - the biggest surprise was that the slight cooking of my embarrassingly old cashews made them taste quite a bit fresher! If you are sensitive to saltiness I would suggest adding less soy sauce. Here is my ingredient list:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 5 green onions (dense bottom part, used tops for second part)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 chicken breast
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 cup oyster mushrooms
   
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/8 cup wine (I used a semi-sweet rose blush, same as in this post)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup cashews
• tops of green onions
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice (cook while making the rest)

Here are most of my veggie ingredients - note that I separated out the base of the green onions from the tops

Sliced oyster mushrooms ready to go

Starting with the green onion bases

I added the mushrooms about halfway through the cooking time of the onions

Everything cooked up! Ready when chicken was just done to keep it juicy.

Here's the sauce...I thought this looked kind of cool :)

Everything - ready to eat!

On rice.



Very savory and tasty!

Simple Stir-Fry

One of my most common uses for CSA goods is stir-fry. It's easy, and you can put all kinds of veggies in it. Here is a stir-fry I made a little while ago with beef, garlic, celery, green onion, and oyster mushrooms. It serves two (or dinner for one, and leftovers for lunch!) and I cook 1/2 cup dry rice to go with it. I used about a single serving of meat (deck of cards-size).

First off, this is something I do with all skillet dishes that have garlic - I let the garlic (fresh garlic made small with garlic press) sit in the oil I am going to use on low heat. I feel like the oil absorbs the flavor this way. I suggest sesame oil for the most Asian flavor, but vegetable/canola works, too.

I suggest cutting all your veggies before you do anything. It makes everything easier. I put everything on a "prep" plate - this one was a bit small, but still good. Notice I separated the the denser part (mostly white) of the green onion from the thinner "leaf" part (green).

Cut my beef into little pieces, I like to do this so I can get a bit of beef in every bite - this was some kind of steak. It was a bit freezer burned :(

Beef cooking up in the garlic oil! I do this on medium-high heat.

When beef was just about done, I added the denser part of the green onion.

When the onions were cooked (relatively transparent), I added the mushrooms.

And, once mushrooms were a bit soft, added my celery. I add this near the end so it maintains some crunch.

Let the celery cook just a bit, then add sauces. For two servings, I add 2 tbsp. oyster sauce and 3 tbsp. soy sauce. That may be a bit salty for some, so perhaps add less soy sauce.

Finally, right before serving, I add the green part of the green onion.

Okay, so this photo obviously makes it look rather unappetizing, but I swear it's edible and at least semi-delicious, haha.

Final tip: When I save stir-fries, I put the saucy part on the bottom and the rice on top, so the rice doesn't get soggy. Heat in an appropriate container, and then turn over onto a plate and it's perfect :)