I picked up Brady from the vet yesterday and was none too pleased to be stuffed back into his cat carrier, but upon his release back home he was happy as a clam! I was sent home with two weeks worth of antibiotics and hopefully it will be smooth sailing after that. Definitely do not like that I will be leaving town again soon, but he will have a good cat-sitter who has been given advanced approval to take him to the vet at the first sign of any new flare-ups. But for now, hooray happy kitty! Totally enjoyed reading on the couch with him snuggled up next to me again last night.

Now that all is well let’s talk about dinner. I am guilty of being subscribed to several cooking magazines, yet rarely do I cook from them. I will fold over pages and drool over everything in sight but for some reason I easily forget even the most tantalizing images. I have this problem with many of the amazing cookbooks I own as well. Although while we are at it, I probably only ever make a fraction of the number of recipes I bookmark online. Alas.

Thankfully for me, I managed to make this stir-fry from a recent issue of Cooking Light. This meal satisfies the taste buds with all the great flavors going on. A spicy basil sauce coats the chicken which is served with sautéed snow peas and peppers and brown rice with sesame seeds. But if you are looking to cut back on time, you can use instant brown rice and some steamed vegetables instead. The chicken holds the spotlight anyway.

One year ago: Buttermilk Ranch Mac & Cheese

SPICY BASIL CHICKEN

Serves 4

Ingredients:

CHICKEN

2 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

6 (4-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Tbsp fish sauce (I used additional soy sauce instead)

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

1-1/4 tsp chile sauce with garlic

1 tsp water

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup sliced basil leaves

VEGETABLES

2 tsp dark sesame oil, divided

2-1/2 cups fresh snow peas, trimmed

1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

RICE

1 cup uncooked brown rice

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. For the chicken, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken to pan; cook 13 minutes or until chicken is done.
2. Meanwhile, heat another large skillet over medium-high heat for the vegetables. Add 1 teaspoon sesame oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add snow peas and bell pepper to pan; sauté for 4 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Drizzle vegetable mixture with remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and toss well to combine. Set aside.
3. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting fat. Stir in juice and salt. Sprinkle with seeds. Set aside.
4. Combine fish sauce and the next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add fish sauce mixture to pan with the chicken, and cook for 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring to coat chicken. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and stir with rice and sautéed vegetables.

Source: Cooking Light, April 2012