Food for thought

Food food food: a necessity, an obsession, a social opportunity, an erotic tool, a gift.

Now that I’m a mommy providing healthy food is at the top of my mind every day. What to feed Little E???

I need a variety of options since she is determined to feed herself, and having not yet mastered the spoon (or any other formal eating utensil) it needs to be finger friendly.

With the help and inspiration from many friends I will make Fridays Foodie…

Here is a recipe paying homage to the Lunar (Chinese) New Year thanks to Hannah!
We'll be eating this tomorrow night!
(I'll probably substitute the honey for Mirin - it's actually a Japanese sauce but it comes from rice/sake and it's sweet. Little E has had walnuts with no problems so I'm not worried about giving her some of the chicken and sauce over quinoa or noodles) 

Cashew Chicken
Serves 6

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 green onions, cut-up
3 large carrots, cleaned and sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 cup cashews

In a small bowl, combine juice, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch and seasonings. In a skillet or wok, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil until it almost begins to smoke. Stir-fry vegetables for several minutes until the onions become fragrant. Remove veggies from skillet and heat another tablespoon of oil until nearly smoking and stir-fry chicken strips until browned and tender. Add cooked vegetables, cashews and sauce mix. Continue cooking until sauce bubbles and thickens. Serve over hot rice.