QUICK & HEALTHY 30 MINUTE MEAL: VEGAN CHICKEN AND VEGGIES IN PEANUT SAUCE

This week’s recipe from our resident vegan is a saucy, peanut stir fry with farm fresh veggies and vegan chicken—ready in 30 minutes or less.

I have had the pleasure of eating Thai food with a peanut sauce and loved it. Last night, I felt like creating a dish of my own and it was so good, I just have to share it.

Vegan Chicken and Vegetables in Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

3 carrots, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 stalks of celery chopped into bite sized pieces

1 red pepper chopped into bite sized pieces

8 or 9 small mushrooms cleaned and quartered

1 small onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced

3 T. avocado oil

1 lb of vegan chicken free strips

Sauce

¾ cup peanut butter

3 T. Soy sauce

2 T. Lemon juice

2 T. Rice vinegar

2 T. Maple Syrup

½ to ¾ cup water

2 T. toasted sesame oil

1 T. chili pepper flakes (optional)

Unsalted peanuts for garnish

Directions:

Heat the avocado oil in a heavy pot over medium low heat. Gently cook garlic, onion and mushrooms until onions become clear. Add carrots, pepper and celery stirring often for 5-6 minutes. Add the chicken free strips, remove from heat and cover pot. (Veggies and “tricken” strips will continue to cook in the steam.)

In a separate small saucepan, mix all ingredients for sauce using a whisk and heat until boiling. Sauce should be about the consistency of a thick cheese sauce so add water ¼ cup at a time. Add the additional water if needed. Once ready, stir it into the “tricken” vegetable mix and heat until everything is hot. Serve over rice or noodles and garnish with peanuts. Feeds 4.

You can use different vegetables with this if desired ie: broccoli, spinach cauliflower, zucchini or any others you prefer. Also, the vegan chicken can be substituted with a firm tofu or tempeh.