Whole30: Thai-inspired chicken and veggies with spicy “peanut” sauce

The best white elephant gift I have ever received made this recipe possible. I am pretty sure the giver of a Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Slicer was thinking to themselves that someone was going to be stuck with an awkward sounding one-purpose kitchen item. HA. Little did they know I was not going to re-gift it or donate it to Goodwill but instead excitedly enjoy the Veggetti. Ok, excitedly enjoy might be too strong of a description and simply affirms the awkwardness surrounding the word Veggetti. But let’s be honest here. My fear of going without bread or noodles for 30 days can be slightly alleviated with the promise of pretend noodles tasting yummy in an inauthentic but delicious “Thai” chicken peanut dish.

You know how people say, “starting is the hardest part”? Well, I have a confession. Patrick and I have not (yet) started Whole30. However, we have figured out the dates that we’re going to make it work embark on this amazing adventure. It will be conveniently sandwiched in-between a couple significant events that include birthday cake and travel to a warm and sunny place where drinks by the pool might be in order. By the time we start, there will also be a few Whole30 posts up on the blog and we can conveniently use them as go-to’s when we are hangry.

I made this for Patrick the other day and he was shocked to hear that the sauce was actually sunflower butter all dressed up and masquerading as spicy “peanut” sauce. I consider that a win. He also said, “if this is Whole30 then bring it on.”

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THAI-INSPIRED CHICKEN AND VEGGIES WITH SPICY “PEANUT” SAUCE
adapted from whole fork

makes 3 dinner-sized portions

sauce:
1 date
water
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated or minced
1/4 cup sunflower butter
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup coconut aminos (if you aren’t doing Whole30 then soy sauce is ok)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon salt or more to taste
red pepper flakes to taste

stir fry:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 lb. chicken, thinly sliced breasts or thin strips will work
salt
pepper
ground cumin
curry powder
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
half of a red onion, sliced
2 medium zucchinis, spiralized
1 cup carrots, julienned or sliced
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
sesame seeds for garnish
cilantro for garnish

Make your dressing:

Put your date in a small cup and fill with water until date is completely covered. Microwave on high for one minute and set aside.

In a small to medium bowl, whisk together 1 clove of garlic, ginger, sunflower butter, lime juice, coconut aminos, sesame oil, and salt. Go back to your date, remove the pit, mash it up with a fork (remove any large pieces of date skin that don’t completely mash), and whisk into your dressing. Add red pepper flakes to taste.

Make your stir fry:

Heat a large pan to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Generously sprinkle salt, pepper, cumin, and curry powder on both sides of your chicken. Saute chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. If your chicken is cut thin enough this should be enough time; if not, it may need additional cooking time. When cooked, set your chicken aside.

In the same pan (which is now coated with delicious spices and oil), add coconut oil and sauté garlic, ginger, red onion, zucchini, carrots, and peppers together for 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat. This will soften and cook your veggies, but not to the point where they will brown (too much cook time will make them soggy).

Remove veggies from heat. Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and toss with veggies. Add your dressing to taste and garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve warn.