Thai Cashew Chicken and Broccoli on Quinoa

Apologies in advance to any of Carole's groupies who are tuning in specifically for one of her delicious posts today. Since she was sick over the weekend, we agreed to switch days so she could rest and not face unnecessary cooking. You can look forward to her return with something yummy and entertaining tomorrow.

Our Sunday Super Bowl meal didn't exactly scream traditional football fare but since I'm not a football fan, it wasn't any great loss to me. I had been scanning all sorts of festive culinary suggestions last week but none really appealed so I turned back to my Quinoa 365 and decided to give the Thai Cashew Chicken a try. Huge success... in fact, we all brainstormed at the dinner table of ways to redo it without truly redoing it and cheating in the process. Thai Cashew Beef. Thai Cashew Chicken with Asparagus or Cauliflower. Thai Cashew Pork... luckily the possibilities are endless.

Simple, simple, simple and pretty quick once the marinating was done. Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go because once the sesame oil was heated, it was fast moving. So far this cookbook hasn't disappointed in terms of flavour, but most of the recipes give a range of servings (such as "Serves 4-6") that can be misleading. I've found that they're generally on the low side and since I'm more than happy to have leftovers, I've had to increase the proportions slightly. For example, the one cup of quinoa called for here wasn't enough for the five of us. Wrote in the margin to use at least 1.5 cups next time. Worst-case scenario: we have some extra for lunch the next day and nobody in this house will complain about that.

Thai Cashew Chicken and Broccoli on Quinoa

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp minced fresh garlic

1 tsp ground ginger or 2 tsp minced fresh ginger

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

4 tsp sesame oil

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup thinly sliced onion

3/4 cup water

3 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp honey

1 cup unsalted toasted cashews

Slice the chicken into thin pieces and place in a large, sealable plastic bag. Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and ginger in a bowl and pour into the bag with the sliced chicken. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour (and up to 24 hours) to marinate.

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 6 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Place 2 tsp of the sesame oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the broccoli and onion and cover the pan. Stir frequently and add 1 tbsp of water if the saucepan appears dry. Cook until the onion is opaque and the broccoli tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Remove the chicken, reserving the marinade. Place the remaining oil and the chicken in a large saucepan on medium-high heat and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the marinade to the pan. Stir in the water, peanut butter and honey and cook for 1 minute. Toss in the broccoli, onion mixture and stir thoroughly.

Divide the quinoa among individual serving plates. Top with the chicken-broccoli mixture. Sprinkle with the cashews and serve.

Rest of the week

Feb 4 Greek Food at Tino's

Feb 5 Acted as short-order cook to finicky eaters... some had breakfast for dinners, others who were "in training" had pasta. No names necessary.

Feb 6 Thai Cashew Chicken and Broccoli on Quinoa