Chicken Stir-Fry with Mango and Peanut Sauce

Chicken Stir-fry with Mango and Peanut Sauce

This recipe is healthy, colorful and delicious! I really enjoyed the different flavors, salty, sweet, crunchy, and little bit spicy! I clipped this recipe from the Washington Post newspaper in Bonnie Benwick's column. She adapted it from Quick Cook Family Meals, by Emma Jane Frost. We ate this over brown rice.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• Water
• 2 medium carrots(or a handful of baby carrots)
• 6-7 scallions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups sugar snap peas
• 1 Champagne mango( I bought a "regular" mango at Safeway)
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves( about 1 1/2 lbs total)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 T canola oil
• 3 T chunky peanut butter
• 2 T soy sauce

Steps:

• Boil a kettle of water
• Peel and trim carrots, then cut into 3-inch long thickish batons. Cut the white and light green parts of the scallions crosswise into thin slices. String/trim the peas. Peel the mango, then cut the flesh into strips or bite-size chunks. 
• Trim all visible fat from chicken, then cut the meat into bite size pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Swirl to coat.
• Once oil is quite hot, add the chicken. Stir-fry for about 6 minutes; the chicken should lose it's raw look. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the carrots and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until they just start to soften. Add the scallions and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the peas and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the mango and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
• In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce and 2/3 cup of the just boiled water to form a sauce.
• Return to the wok or skillet to the stove over medium heat. Pour in the sauce, then return the chicken to the wok or skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, being careful to not let the sauce get too thick. If it does seem so, add a few tablespoons of just boiled water to achieve the desired consistency.
• Divide among plates and serve right away.

Tips:

Remember to prep all ingredients ahead of time before heating up the wok or skillet. 

Line up the ingredients in an assembly line fashion.

I added "heat" with a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper as well as minced garlic.

Gluten Free in the Big Easy!

St. Charles streetcar,  New Orleans,  LA

Is it possible to dine gluten-free in New Orleans? I hoped so, when heading with my family on vacation last week. This city, known for Mardi Gras, Bourbon St. and more recently, the devastating flooding following Hurricane Katrina, has a special place in my heart....or should I say BELLY!

Many years ago, I worked at Charity Hospital as a travelling nurse. Young, fresh-faced and most of all, a Yankee, N'awlins was a culture shock for me. I did not know how to cook,  had never heard of crawfish, but I did enjoy a good meal. Of course, back then, I ate lots of gluten. Cafe du Monde beignets, seafood gumbo and fried oysters. Gluten, gluten, gluten! 

So, before leaving for our trip, I gingerly googled "gluten free New Orleans", hoping I could still enjoy the taste of New Orleans. Muriels, near Jackson Square in the French Quarter, offers a GF menu, so I made dinner reservations for our first night in town. Muriels, though pricey, was the ultimate welcome mat for me, my "normal" eating husband and vegetarian daughter. I had the shrimp remoulade for an appetizer, the yummy fish special for my main course and creme brulee for dessert. It was a scrumptious start to our vacation!

Redfish Grill, was my husband's choice for our second night. Located conveniently in the French Quarter, this place also accommodated me very nicely. The waitress  seemed very familiar with my restrictions, although she did plop down some bread in front of me! Once again, I enjoyed their fish special and it was one of the tastiest meals I had.

We chose Jagar-haus, a German restaurant, on our third night. The waitress was not familiar with gluten free dining, but was very helpful checking with the chef to make sure the food I ordered was safe. I had a refreshing strawberry mojito, followed by a "big salad". After indulging the past 2 nights, this lighter meal tasted just right. I also had dessert here....an ice cream/berry/whipped cream extravaganza that was completely gluten free...except for the chocolate wafer "straw" stuck in the side! Luckily, my observant daughter noticed this and my husband was able to remove it so I didn't have to return this beautiful creation!

On our final day, I insisted we have lunch at one of my favorite places, The Gumbo Shop. I fell in love with gumbo at this restaurant on my first trip to New Orleans, and wanted my hubby and daughter to experience it here. I had resigned myself to having another tossed salad, but the waitress immediately pointed out that I could have the jambalaya as well as a few other entrees! She even brought out their cookbook to go over the ingredients to further reassure me. The jambalaya was to die for....I savored every bite and have been dreaming of it ever since. I also had dessert~ vanilla ice cream topped with a praline sauce! Again, gluten-free!

alligator

So, yes, it is possible to dine gluten free in New Orleans. No, you cannot enjoy the beignets or partake in much of the fried seafood, but I did not ever feel deprived. I was able to indulge (a lot) and not worry about getting sick! This was a great vacation and if you go, check out the swamp tour! It was the highlight of our trip!