Cashew Chicken + Veggies (df,gf)

Happy October everyone!

I welcome October and November with open arms because, to me, these months are for relaxing. It’s right after September (which is usually pretty hectic for most people) and right before December (which is always hectic, for everyone). During these months, I plan to drink a LOT of tea, sleep in the coziest bed, turn on allll of my salt lamps in the evening (I have one in every room. Some may say aggressive, I say necessary), take bubble baths, watch scary movies, and get full use from our fireplace in our living room. Oh, and eating lots of healthy, refined sugar free and gluten free treats, which I am SO excited to experiment with for Christmas baking ♥)

I love all things October brings and I especially love cooking warming, grounding meals, like this one. When my bf and I went travelling to Asia, I ended up eating a lot of Cashew Chicken meals there. I have always loved the combo of cashews, chicken, sesame and soy sauce but I don’t love how unhealthy it usually is. Most Chinese restaurants load up their sauce with brown sugar (or white sugar), MSG, sometimes canola oil, a ton of refined salt, and so many other unhealthy ingredients. I whipped up this version without any of those and guess what? It still tastes amazing. The only thing I want to eventually swap out is the small amount of cornstarch I use. See my note below on that. 
Now, I would still consider this a comfort meal, but it is way healthier than ordering it from Chinese restaurants.

Note: I have heard you can substitute cornstarch for arrow root powder. I haven’t tried it yet but I will next time I make this and let you know how it turns out.

Second note: You don’t have to toss the chicken in cornstarch before cooking it. I do this only because it gives the chicken that ‘traditional cashew chicken’ texture. I’ve made this dish a lot and have done it both ways. You can definitely do without.

Cashew Chicken + Veggies

2 chicken breasts, boneless – diced
1 tbsp corn starch
2-3 tbsp avocado oil (or cooking oil of choice)
1/2 -1 tsp chili flakes
1 shallot or small red onion – minced
2 bell peppers (any color) – cut into smaller squares
2 heads of broccoli crowns – cut into small pieces
1 zucchini – chopped
Sauce
4 tbsp hoisin sauce (if you buy from a store, make sure the ingredients are very clean)
1-2 tbsp tamari (coconut aminos or light organic soy sauce work too)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp honey (you can add more if needed)
1.5 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp sesame oil
Small chunk of ginger – grated
1 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water – mixed together
Garnish
1/2 cup cashews – crushed or left whole
A few tbsp white sesame seeds (optional)
Sliced green onion (optional)

Directions
1. Toss chicken pieces in 1 tbsp of cornstarch until each piece is coated.
2. In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm up the avocado oil and then cook the chicken until fully cooked and browned on each side. Turn heat to low and add in the minced shallot and chili flakes and saute for a few minutes.
3. Once done, put cooked chicken and shallots in a bowl to the side.
4. Heat up a bit more avocado oil and add in peppers, broccoli and zucchini. Stir often and make sure it doesn’t burn. I add a splash of water and put a lid on to slightly ‘steam cook’ veggies. This helps speed up the cooking process just a bit. Make sure to stir often.
5. While veggies are cooking, make your sauce.
6. In a bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients. Make sure you pre-mix 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 tsp water before adding it into the other sauce ingredients.
7. Once veggies are done, turn down the heat a bit and add back in the chicken. Then, add the sauce to everything and mix until sauce is coating all veggies and chicken. The sauce will thicken up from to the cornstarch. Stir until sauce is as thick as you prefer, if it thickens too much, you can add a splash of broth to thin it out.
8. Once done, pair with rice, turmeric rice (see below), or cauliflower rice (which ever you want) and sprinkle some sesame seeds and cashews on top.

Bonus: Turmeric Rice Recipe
I usually use white jasmine rice because it pairs really well with cashew chicken.
Add 1 cup of rice and 2.5 cups of water to a pot and then turn it on to high heat. Give a stir and add in 1/2 – 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp fat of choice (I use grass-fed butter or ghee), some sea salt, pepper and a dash of garlic powder. Stir again and let rice come a boil. Then, turn down heat to simmer and cover with a lid. Cook until rice is fully done. If you’re using white jasmine rice, this wont take long so keep at eye on it and make sure it doesn’t burn!

You can also cook the rice according to the package but make sure you add in the turmeric, fat, and spices before covering with a lid.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did! We prefer ours over turmeric rice ♥
Stay warm folks, its chilly AF. #calgarywinter