Spicy Thai peanut stir fry

There, short and sweet little title. That picture is the stir fry still in the wok, there isn't much plating to be done with a stir fry, and eating it piping hot is a lot of why it's so great.

This is a pretty simple recipe, partly because I was fortunate to find some store bought sauces that I approved of (ingredients detailed below). But, before we get into the tasty details, let's see what flavors of nutrition our participants bring to the party.

Broccoli Stems, while not as phytonutrient rich as their florets (you can generally tell where a plant has its nutrients most heavily invested by where its colors are most intense), are definitely worth eating. Found throughout the entire broccoli plant are chemical compounds called Indoles (warning: that article even made my nerdy brain hurt a little) which have been linked to reduced risk of several different types of cancer.

This particular compound has piqued my interest as of late, so you'll see more recipes with cruciferous vegetables as soon as I can come up with some clever ideas to make them taste good (no offense to them, but they can be tricky).

On to the Zucchini! Not only is this versatile veggie rich in Vitamin C, B6, Riboflavin (B2), Folate (B9) and several minerals including Potassium and Manganese, but I heard on NPR recently (sorry I don't have a source for you to look at) that it's been linked to reducing the risk of endometriosis, which I unfortunately have a very strong family history of.

Peanuts, which are actually a legume and not a nut, are very high in Vitamin E, every B vitamin except B12 and many minerals.

Went a tad heavy on the science there. Let's deglaze this post with the ingredient list. This will make two perfect portions:

1/2 cup of stir fry noodles (whatever you like, egg noodles, wheat noodles, etc.)

1 Tbsp. of sesame oil

1/2 of a medium zucchini

1/8 of a red onion

1 clove of garlic

1 large broccoli stem

2 cremini mushroom caps

1 chicken breast

1/4 cup of Thai peanut sauce (Read the ingredients! Mine had [in order] tamari soy sauce, peanuts, organic sugar, water, apple cider vinegar, sake, honey, rice vinegar, garlic powder, salt, spices, lemon concentrate, canola oil and xanthan gum [a little bit won't kill you]. Couldn't do much better if I made it myself. Avoid any products with preservatives, things you don't understand or can't pronounce, and anything with high fructose corn syrup)

A few dashes of chile pepper sauce (Again, read the label. Mine had red chiles, water, sugar, garlic, vinegar and salt. Nothing wrong with that! Adjust the amount based on how spicy you like it)

To taste salt, pepper, whatever else you'd like.

I thought about a squirt of lime juice on the tail end of this endeavor, but I decided against it at the last minute. You can add some fresh peanuts or some crunchy rice things for some texture.

A great stir fry is a lot about mise en place, which basically means having everything prepped, organized and ready to cook. So, mince your garlic, dice your onion, chop your zucchini, thinly slice your broccoli stem and mushrooms, boil off and drain your noodles and thinly slice your chicken breast.

Got that? I'll wait.

Okay, now get your wok going on medium heat, add the sesame oil. Ready? Because the stir fry train doesn't stop once it gets going. Add your chicken, season it, cook it through. Remove it to a clean bowl (you don't want it to overcook, that's why we're taking it out).

Now, add the onion, sweat it for a minute, stiring consistantly. Add the garlic, keep tossing. Add your zucchini, depending on how thick you chopped this, you may want to cook this for up to 5 minutes to get it tender. Add a little of the peanut sauce here, dash of the chile sauce. Add your broccoli stems next, add a little more sauce, cook for a couple minutes. Add your mushrooms next, little more sauce, cook for a minute or two. Next, add the noodles, stir them into the veggies, add a little more sauce, cook for a minute. Finally, add the chicken, the rest of the sauce, stir well.

Now taste it. Does it need more spice? More salt? More pepper? Don't trust your sauce to do all the work for you.

Taste good? Great? So amazing that even your husband who has a known dislike of peanut sauces and had no faith in this recipe before the moment it hit his tongue praises it highly and asks for seconds? Ha! In your face!

Tomorrow, we're grilling up a Deutschland classic. Should be impressivo.