kidding around

Our family loves this meal! We literally could eat it once a week (we practically do) and NEVER tire of it. It’s a great meal to feed a large crowd and even picky eaters. We love it so much that Ellie requests it every year for her birthday- actually, for her first birthday we served this meal and probably had 40 guests.

Thanks to Nathan, he wrote most of this post. Last night I had a terrible headache and he was a champ and helped me out (though I’m not sure how many of you are even needing/wanting the recipes, but I mentioned I would be posting!).

Chicken
Marinate your chicken in lemon juice (juice of one lemon) and soy sauce (1/4 cupish) for at least an hour or overnight. You can either grill the chicken or broil it…we cut our chicken into strips before cooking and don’t even bother with skewers.

Garlicky Green Beans
Pour into large skillet:
2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon of Sesame Oil

Heat skillet on high heat till the oil is very hot, almost smoking (3-5 min.)

Add 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (be ready for some serious sizzle)

Have the green beans ready because you need to add them before the garlic has burned. I let the garlic take on some toasty color, but don’t brown it all. We use the frozen FRENCH GREEN BEANS FROM TRADER JOES.

Add green beans to skillet, I usually do about 1/2 lb. at a time, it’s enough for 4 people.

Turn over the beans in the hot oil, picking up the garlic with them. Keep turning and mixing till the green beans are softening and showing some color change where they have contacted the pan. (about 2-3 minutes on high heat, it might take a bit longer if they are frozen).

Add 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce. Keep stirring until the soy sauce has concentrated and is sticking to the beans a bit. If you go too long they may get overly soft, you will find your preference.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sugar. Turn over the beans once and put them on the plate.

Coconut Rice
1 cup white rice (jasmine is our favorite)
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk or light coconut milk
just under a teaspoon of salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
Bring to a boil while stirring, put the lid on, lower heat to a low boil/simmer, simmer for 20-25 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Check to make sure the heat is not too high, or the bottom will brown.

Peanut Sauce
(measurements are approximate- develop your preference with weekly practice)
2-3 teaspons lemon juice
1-2 teaspons soy sauce
2-3 Tablespoons natural peanut butter (crunchy is best)
1-2 Tablespoons coconut milk
a grind of black pepper

optional
dash of fish sauce
dab of Thai chili sauce

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. If it is too thick add more coconut milk or water, if it’s too runny or too tart, add more peanut butter. Find your sweet spot for a balance of salty, tart and creamy texture. Make enough so that no one gets crabby. (Nice, Nathan…your speaking to Ellie and me, huh?)