It’s Back to School time! This year, it’s a little bittersweet for our family because it’s the first time in about 23 years that neither of the two kids are going back to school in Fall. The last kiddo graduated in May with her Nursing Degree. Nonetheless, the days are still getting shorter, the leaves are turning vibrant shades of orange and red, and we’re starting to think about tuning up our snow blower. (This is Wisconsin after all– snow can happen at any point now! Yes, I know it was 93 degrees today…)
Back to School time means that our schedules are much busier than they were during the summer. This week’s #SundaySupper theme features fast meals that you can pull together in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. There is absolutely no reason why your family has to grab fast food this school year. Our wonderful team of bloggers has pulled together some mouth-watering menus that will surely keep your palate satisfied for quite some time.
In our house, we would often turn to our local Chinese restaurant when time was short. Instead of picking up the phone and bringing home the familiar take-out boxes, why not pull together an amazing MSG-free stir fry in less time than it takes for delivery to arrive. In fact, when I made this for my family, our son even commented to me, “are you sure that you made this? I think you just ordered take out and slipped it on a plate.”
What’s great about this recipe is that you can really do whatever you want with it. You can use any kind of protein such as chicken, beef, pork, or tofu. You can use any kind of vegetable, too. I really love this time of year because the Farmer’s Market is full of delicious produce to choose from– just look at these beautiful colors!
The magic of this dish is in the stir fry sauce and glaze. I even had some Sriracha sauce on had that I put on top of my portion. Feel free to experiment with your stir fry, but this is how I made mine:
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
- 3 Tbsp sesame seed oil (divided)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red pepper, julienned
- 1 green pepper, julienned
- 1 can of baby corn, ears cut in half
- 5 shiitake mushrooms, cut into small strips
- 1/2 cup of green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 large carrot, sliced into very thin coins
- 1/4 soy sauce
- 1/4 chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
In a wok or stir fry pan on medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp of the sesame seed oil and when hot, add the chicken strips. Lightly season with salt and pepper. While the chicken is cooking, quickly dice/mince/julienne/chop all the vegetables as directed. (If you are serving over rice, you should think about starting the rice at this point)
Cook the chicken until it is done and just starting to turn brown. Remove chicken from the pan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 1 minute on medium-high and add 1 more Tbsp of the sesame seed oil. Add all the remaining vegetables to the pan. While the vegetables are cooking, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, chicken broth, rice wine vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds and the remaining 1 Tbsp of sesame seed oil. Stir. When the mixture is prepared, add it to the vegetables. Continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. In another small bowl, make the glaze by combining the water and corn starch. Immediately before serving, add the corn starch mixture to the stir fry pan and stir to coat all the chicken and vegetables. Any remaining sauce will immediately thicken and coat the stir fry. Serve over rice.
If you like this, make sure to check out the rest of these awesome recipes that can all be made in 30 minutes or less. I’m continually blown away by the talent and creativity of the #SundaySupper bloggers. If you stop by, leave a comment. I’m sure they’d love to know you were there!Greek Dogs by Supper For a Steal
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad by Magnolia Days
Double Duty Fajita Chicken: Nachos Supreme and Enchiladas by Doggie at the Dinner Table
Zucchini, Corn and Bacon Crepes by Vintage Kitchen
Oregon Shrimp Quesadillas by Pescetarian Journal
Korean omelet rice by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
Lemon Dillled Salmon Croquette Burgers by Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
Gluten Free Pepper Steak with Rice by No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
Crispy Ravioli in Cherry Tomato Sauce by Shockingly Delicious
BLT Soup by Meal Planning Magic
Korean Pan-Fried Fish by Kimchi Mom
Stove top mac ‘n cheese by Gotta Get Baked
Deconstructed Enchiladas by In the Kitchen with KP
Croque Monsieurs by Juanita’s Cocina
Summer Squash and Mushroom Quesadillas by Chocolate Moosey
Seared Lamb on a bed of Mashed potatoes with Artichoke Hearts by Cooking Underwriter
Garlicky Pasta with Swiss Chard and Beans by Webicurean
Baked Spanish Tortilla by Happy Baking Days
Grilled Chicken Caesar Pizza by In the Kitchen with Audrey
Chicken Pasta with Spinach and Beans by The Lemon Bowl
Tomato Pie by My Catholic Kitchen
Shredded Chicken in Peanut Sauce Tacos w/ Corn & Zucchini Sauté by GirliChef
Tomatillo Chicken Stew by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Pollo a la Crema by La Cocina de Leslie
Baked Tilapia Fish Tacos by Home Cooking Memories
Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with a Yogurt Dill sauce and a Greek Salad by Noshing with the Nolands
Wagon Wheel Pasta with Pancetta & Peas by Chelsea’s Culinary Indulgence
Lemon & Dill Shrimp Pasta w/ Oven Roast Corn by Mama, Mommy, Mom
Ricotta – Tofu Tomato Toasts by Yummy Smells
One Pot Spicy Asian Chicken and Rice by Hezzi D
Turkey Italian Brown Rice Casserole by Momma’s Meals
Flatbread Pizza with Cilantro Garlic Sauce by Mom’s Test Kitchen
Cashew Chicken Stir-fry by Diabetic Foodie
Chicken Bacon Avocado Quesadillas by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
Roasted Butternut Lo Mein by The Meltaways
Potluck Casserole with Cornbread Stuffing by Cindy’s Recipes & Writings
Jerk Chicken Chili by Mrs. Mama Hen
Loaded Chicken and Steak Stuffed Potatoes by Big Bears Wife
Steamed Tofu Serve with Fried Mix Vegetables by My Trials in the Kitchen
Pasta with sausage and cherry tomatoes by Tora’s Real Food
Chicken Ravioli with Peas and Bacon by Daddy Knows Less
Quick N Easy Thai Coconut Shrimp Stir Fry by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Whole Wheat Pizza with Hummus & Fresh Greens by Family Spice
Speedy ‘n Spicy Shrimp Pasta by The Weekend Gourmet
End of Summer Grilled Peach and Chicken Salad by Sustainable Dad
Teriyaki Tuna Bowl by Family Foodie
Weeknight Stir Fry by From Fast Food to Fresh Food
Baked Egg with Mushrooms and Bacon by Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again
Taco Bake by Daily Dish Recipes
Fried Rice and Black Beans by Mama’s Blissful Bites
Chicken with Broccoli, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Bow Ties by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Pasta in Tomato sauce and turkey meatballs by Basic & Delicious
Pasta Primavera by Midlife Road Trip
Tots Your Tots Will Love by The Hand that Rocks the Ladle
You can also join us on Twitter throughout the day on Sunday. We’ll be meeting up at 6:00 p.m. CST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about Back to School Meals and ways to make meal time easier!
All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us through TweetChat or TweetDeck. We’ll be sharing great recipes and tips all afternoon, and we’ll be talking all things Back to School Meals during our chat.
We’d also love to feature your Back to School Recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers. Won’t you join us?