Cashew Chicken & Veggie Fried Rice

The key to eating at home and not going out every night is MEAL PLANNING! Tonight we had a soccer game at 4:15, which is kind of an awkward time. It’s ending right when I would get dinner started, but is way to early for us to eat dinner. I opted for a crock pot meal with a quick side dish. Here’s the recipe:

CASHEW CHICKEN:

3 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 lb chicken breast (diced into 1 inch pieces)
1 TBSP canola oil
1/2 c. soy sauce
4 TBSP rice vinegar
4 TBSP ketchup
2 TBSP sweet chili sauce
1 TBSP brown sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 c. cashews

In a pan, add canola oil. While the oil is heating up, add cornstarch and pepper into a gallon size bag and shake. Then add the diced chicken and shake until the chicken is coated. Add chicken to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes. Put chicken in a crockpot. In a bowl mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ginger. When well mixed, pour over chicken. Add cashews. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

VEGGIE FRIED RICE

2 c. white rice
1 c. carrots (diced into 1/2 inch squares)
1 c. frozen peas
1 TBSP canola oil
6 eggs
1/4 c. soy sauce

Cook rice in a rice cooker with 2 cups rice and 3 cups water. In a large frying pan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add carrots and saute 7-10 minutes until soft but still crunchy. Add peas and saute for 2 minutes. Move carrots and peas to one side of the pan. In a bowl, mix eggs and 2 TBSP water, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper and whisk. Pour eggs into empty half of the pan. Let sit for 5 minutes. Mix eggs and veggies together. once the eggs are scrambled all the way, add cooked rice to the pan along with 1/4 c. soy sauce. Mix all of the ingredients together and serve.