Spicy Chicken and Tofu Veggie Stir-Fry, and a Mini-Rant

Uggggh, I wrote this up last week and never got around to posting it. >.<

Sorry, readers!

Mini-Rant!

Can we, in the food world, stop labeling everything that might have a mere smidgen of vegetable, fruit, or whole grain in it as "healthy"?

People are deceived by the word healthy.  They take it to mean that the food item is nutritious, or--the even bigger fallacy--that the food is now magically light and will help them lose weight.

Your choco-vanilla-caramel-glazed-pound-cake-with-3-sticks-of-butter-and-half-a-pound-of-sugar may have an apple or a zucchini in it, but, please, people, don't play coy.  It's not "healthy".  Sure, there might be a few more vitamins added, or some fiber, but COME ON.  It's still 400+ calories a slice and loaded with carbs and fats (which, no, are not inherently bad, but I digress).

When your pie or crumble contains a few hefty cups of sugar, it's no longer light, no matter how much fruit you put in it or how many antioxidants are in those berries.

I feel like people get duped by all the hefty mislabeling of food already--can we not contribute?  Let's just call a spade a spade and stop trying to fool ourselves that a buttery, sugary dessert can be eaten in large quantities with no consequences to our health and waistline.

The secret is not throwing a healthy food item into your baked goods--the secret is self-control and moderation.

/Mini-Rant

On with food!

It's stir-fry week.  Why?  I have a lot of random veggies, cheaper meats, and don't want to spend much time cooking.

Stir-fries are fantastic because it's so easy to use whatever meat or vegetables you have on hand.  And it's quick and a lot of food for very little money!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. chicken breast, in bite-sized pieces (I only had 1 chicken breast, so I also used about 300 g. firm tofu)
2-inch knob of ginger, cut into matchsticks
1 T. cornstarch
2 eggs, whisked

1/2 lb. bacon (I used a bit less...about 5 slices), chopped

1 small head of broccoli florets, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch of scallions, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 T. chili-garlic paste, such as Sambal Oelek
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce

Instructions:

Toss chicken, tofu (if using), ginger, cornstarch, and eggs in a bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the chili paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar.  Set aside.

Chop all vegetables, set aside.

Chop bacon.  Yup, set aside.

A secret of stir-fries: Place everything in order before you cook!  

Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat (woks are really better for this).  Toss in the bacon and cook for 4-5 minutes, until well-browned and fat has rendered out.

Add the chicken mixture.  Cook until browned and mostly cooked-through.  ALWAYS STIRRING.

Add the peppers and scallions.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the broccoli, and cook for another few minutes.  ALWAYS STIRRING.

Add the sauce.  Turn the heat down to medium-high heat (closer to medium, really), bring to a simmer, stir frequently, and cook until the vegetables are cooked and the sauce thickens up.

Remove from heat and serve, over rice if desired!  I didn't have rice, so I cooked up some quinoa in chicken broth, water, and a bit of soy sauce.

Enjoy!