Thai Chicken Stir Fry with Basil, Lime and Coconut Milk

Thai Chicken with Basil

Sweet Basil, Coconut Milk and Spicy Peppers Make this dish!


Once again it's Sunday afternoon and we have lots of fresh basil on hand from Trader Joe's.  I am a big believer in fresh ingredients  I am going to make a Thai dish inspired by the basil.  I truly enjoy cooking in a wok, have owned one since college days and prefer spicy stir fry dishes so the stars are aligned for a great dish on a great night. 

Wok Tips-Here are a few things about wok cooking I've learned over the years.  First, it's fundamental to prep all ingredients ahead.  Do all grating, chopping, slicing, marinating etc,  prior to heating the wok.  If you don't have a wok, a good saute pan with high sides will do.  After slicing and dicing, stage all ingredients in the order that they will be used right next to the stove making the task of " stir frying" that much easier.  A good bamboo spoon and a wok style spatula go a long way when quickly turning ingredients in the pan.

We serve this over rice but vermicelli pasta is fine.  Either way, it's best to have lots of sauce!


Ingredients
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts- thinly sliced
1 Can Unsweetened Coconut Milk
Juice of two fresh limes
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Red Chili Flakes

2 Heaping Tbsp Coconut Oil (Trader Joe's Organic is Great)

3 Tbsp Grated Ginger
6 Cloves Garlic Minced
2 Cups Thinly Sliced Green Beans
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Carrots
2 Serrano Chili Peppers-  Sliced Thinly on the Bias--or not if you don't like spicy
3 Mexican Green Onions
2 Cups Shredded Fresh Basil


Directions


In a medium mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce,coconut milk and lime juice.
Heat wok wok to high  and stir in Heaping Tbsp. Coconut oil.
Quickly add  half the grated ginger and minced garlic along with half the red pepper flakes. The key here is to flavor the oil prior to adding the chicken- cook for one minute

Turn Chicken Constanly!

Add sliced chicken turning constantly until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
Add one more Big Tbsp. of Coconut oil
When coconut oil is hot add the remaining garlic, ginger and chili flakes
Add veggies other than basil and turn veggies constantly for about 2-3 mins.
Add already cooked chicken and turn for 2-3 more minutes
Add shredded Basil
Add Liquid Mixture and turn for another 2-3 minutes
Serve over fresh rice and enjoy!

Buon Appetito (kŏr hâi jà-rern aa-hăan!)

Cherie's Week Night Turkey Tostadas and Kicked Up Refried Beans

Tasty Tostadas

Okay,  for us and many busy Americans, it's simply not possible to cook like a gourmet every night of the week.  Cherie is one of the best week night improv cooks on the planet and we look forward to coming home for dinner, especially for her incredibly tasty tostadas.  Cherie is out volunteering with our youngest, Tara, at the local Ronald Mc Donald House, preparing dinner for those in residence and I am doing a rare "fill in" on a week night.

As you can see, I came home to the largest Post It Note I have ever seen with directions on how to prepare this family favorite. A good low-fat option with just the right amount of spice to awaken your Monday night palate.

I am truly grateful for the 30 plus years Cherie and I have been together and equally grateful for all the fun times we have spent and still spend together in our kitchen with family and friends.  Emeril Lagasse, one of my heroes, has a great line for great food: "food of love" and we are naturally inclined to prepare our own version of the "food of love" as often as possible.  The true test of any dish is how quickly my kids ask for it when they come home from camp, college or a long stay away from the house.  Without fail, Meg and Patrick ask for these within a day or two. This is truly a "food of love" in Murph's Kitchen.

Turkey Tostadas

Ingredients
2 lbs Ground Turkey
1 Medium Onion Finely Chopped
Olive Oil
2 Cloves Pressed Garlic
1 1/2 tspn Ground Cumin
2 tspn Red Chili Powder
1 15 oz. Can Tomato Sauce
Sea Salt 
Pepper

Corn Tortillas
Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
2 Chopped Avocados
2 Chopped Medium Tomatoes
Finely Chopped Red Onion


On the Side
Salsa-Sour Cream-Wish Bone Italian Dressing-Shredded Mexican Cheese


Lightly coat the bottom of a 12 inch saute pan with olive oil and heat slowly over medium heat.
Finely chop onion and add to pan
Season liberally with sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Press two cloves of garlic over the onions
Once the onions have cooked, break up the ground turkey into small chunks and add to pan
Turn pan to medium high and work the turkey almost constantly breaking into fine bite size chunks
When turkey is lightly browned, add the cumin and red chili.

Keep stirring and breaking up the meat.
Add tomato sauce and stir
Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes covered
Remove cover and cook another 5 minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce a bit.
Meanwhile...shred your lettuce, chop your red onion and tomatoes and cube your avocado and set out in small bowls to be served with tostada turkey meat.


Tip: I learned how to shred lettuce from Elizabeth, a very sweet young Mexican woman who came to help us after Tara was born.  Break the stem off and shred from the bottom with a long knife...much easier than shredding from the top of the head.

Turn oven  on 350 and add your corn tortilla shells for about 2-3 minutes per side just to make them crunchy.  You can also buy the pre-made tortilla shells but remember, their deep fried.


Tonight we are serving these with New Mexico's finest salsa; El Pinto sent to me from one of my favorite friends in NM, Mr. Matt Keller.

Cherie's Improv Refried Beans
One Can Rosarita No Fat Zesty Salsa Refried Beans
2 Tbsp Light Sour Cream
2 Tbsp Salsa
Water

Tasty Refrieds and Tangy Salsa

Lightly coat the bottom of a small sauce pan with water and place on burner over low heat
Add beans and stir
Add Salsa, then sour cream and stir thoroughly
Cook over medium or low heat until turkey mixture is done
Continuing stirring frequently and feel free to turn to super low when done.
When everything is ready place the crispy tortillas on a large plate and cover with refried beans, Add a big spoon of turkey tostada mixture
Cover with shredded lettuce, onions tomatoes, avocados cheese sour cream, salsa and anything else your little heart desires including your favorite Italian Dressing; ours is Wishbone.


Buon Apetito,


Murph


Post Script by Cherie


Having grown up here in Tucson, I learned at a young age how to absolutely love Mexican food!  I could eat it every night!   My mom, was from Illinois, and moved here as a newlywed and had many friends and neighbors who introduced her to easy and delicious Mexican food recipes.  Tostadas, tacos, chimichangas,  burritos, refried beans in lots of things were staples in our kitchen.  And our favorite cottage cheese and salsa dip continues to be a part of our regular happy hour fare!  My mom always made these  tostadas with ground beef which works quite well, but when my middle daughter at age 12 announced one day she would never eat red meat again (read an article about Mad Cow Disease!), I began to substitute beef with turkey in many recipes.  We have seldom changed back to using beef even though Meg is now out in the world and making her own tostadas!  Anyway, they are wonderful with turkey or ground beef and even shredded chicken is awesome.  Another note...its fun to see the imagination that everyone uses when making their plate!  In addition to the corn tortillas, I usually have some flour ones available and some prefer to opt for a burro made out of all of the above, instead of a tostada!  You can also have tortilla chips handy-it easily converts to a light taco salad with those on the side!!
Enjoy - "con mucho gusto"!