SPONSORED POST: Weeknight Dinner Solution—Impromptu Stir-fry

If you think you don’t have time to make a quick meal from scratch—think again. Stir-fry is an incredibly easy and fast way to get a fresh, healthy meal on the table. Depending on what you have available, you may not even need to make a trip to the store!

San-J has created a 3-Step Stir-fry template to help guide you. You can go all-out and make your best stir-fry ever, or you can scrounge for whatever food you have on hand. It’s completely customizable to suit your taste and budget! This quick solution works best if you make your grains ahead of time.

San-J 3-Step Stir-fry

Makes 4 servings

STEP 1

Choose 1 pound of protein. Cubed tempeh, sliced chicken breast, thin-sliced beef…whatever works for you!

STEP 2

Next, gather 4 cups of vegetables. We like bell peppers, snow peas, carrots, onions, and broccoli—just to name a few.

STEP 3

Stir-fry protein and veggies with 3/4 cup of San-J Asian Cooking Sauce. Choose from 8 certified gluten-free flavors like our new Hoisin, Thai Peanut, Teriyaki, and Szechuan. Serve with prepared rice, gluten-free grain, or rice noodles.

Need some more direction or inspiration? San-J created a full set of stir-fry recipes using this 3-Step method, like the one below.

 

ORANGE SALMON STIR-FRY

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound               Salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 Tablespoons    Grapeseed oil, or any high-heat oil such as canola or peanut oil

2 cups                   Fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup                     Canned sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 cup                     Green onions, sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces

3/4 cup                 San-J Orange Sauce

Directions

In a large frying pan or a wok, heat oil over high heat.

Add the salmon and sauté for about 2 minutes or until the salmon is lightly browned but not entirely cooked through. Add the vegetables and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Pour the San-J Orange Sauce into the pan and cook, occasionally stirring gently, for about 3-5 more minutes or until the salmon is cooked through and asparagus is crisp tender.

Serve with glass noodles.

 

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Polenta to the Rescue

The other night I felt like a contestant on the Food Network’s chef game show, “Chopped.” I wasn’t really prepared to cook dinner and was trying to cobble something together from my basket of mystery ingredients. Plus, it was 6:15 pm and everyone had to be finished eating by 7:10 pm to get to their various practices and evening classes.

I had thin sliced chicken breast, plum tomatoes and a sweet onion along with a pantry stocked with gluten-free side dishes such as quinoa, rice, cooked polenta and frozen sweet potato waffle fries. I had jars of salsa, tapenade, marinara and this Trader Joe’s red pepper spread with eggplant and garlic.

I got out every fry pan I had in my cupboards and just fired up the stove top. Into one went the thin sliced chicken breasts with a little salt and pepper. Into another went a little butter with sliced rounds of polenta. Into a third pan went a little olive oil with rough chopped sweet onion and tomatoes. Once the chicken was done, I threw it on top of the onions and tomatoes and then added half the jar of the red pepper spread and some chicken stock and let it all come together. I think I had the entire dinner prepared in seventeen minutes.

Rice is my steady standby as a side dish, but even I get sick of it after a while. I happen to love polenta fried up this way. I am not as crazy about polenta when it looks like porridge. Plus, I think it only tastes good this way if it is loaded with cream and cheese, which would not sit well in a kid’s stomach before a basketball practice. Pan frying the sliced polenta gives it a nice brown crust and I thought it would be tasty with the chicken and the sauce layered on top.

After twenty minutes, I tried to artfully plate the polenta rounds with the chicken and this beautiful red sauce with chunks of tomato and onion. I was prepared for lots of groaning and a few refusals to eat, but to my surprise I only had one kid moan and groan.

I thought for sure one would scrape all the sauce into a corner of the plate and just eat the chicken; however she just picked out the onions and ate everything else! Two ate the entire dish and the complainer had a peanut butter and jelly.

I need to restock those pantry shelves again and I am definitely going to figure out more ways to use polenta!

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