Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry with Orange Tahini Sauce

Oh my word.  We have just finished up the first week of school.  The first week back to school is always exciting.   I love watching the kids come in with their uniform shirts tucked in securely, toting giant backpacks full of new colored pencils, notebooks, and Kleenex galore...  There's something a bit magical about a fresh start and the promise of many learning adventures.  I know, cheesy.  The first week is also COMPLETELY exhausting.  This seems to be universal among teachers.  We go conk out completely at 8:30pm when we are used to staying up to 10:30pm.  We drink endless vats of coffee and tea, and suck on throat lozenges to soothe our voices, which have forgotten how to talk so much!      

During the school year I usually plan out our dinners for the week on Sunday.  I might switch them around, but it helps me save time and energy when I get home at 4 and I know what I'm going to cook.  One of our meals this week was this stir fry.  A bit of an experiment, but so good.  I used to make stir fry using one of those bottles of thick teriyaki sauce, which tastes delicious but accounts for my allowed sugars for the whole week!  So I've been playing around with sauces for stir fry.  Hubby and I both liked this one quite a bit!

Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry with Orange Tahini Sauce

Orange Tahini Sauce:

1/4 cup Tahini

1/3 cup low sodium gluten-free soy sauce

3 Tb. fresh squeezed orange juice

1 1/2 Tb. orange zest

1 Tb. organic peanut butter (only ingredient peanuts)

1 Tb. coconut oil (can substitute olive oil or other oil)

2 Tb. plain Greek yogurt 

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp. red curry paste

1/8 tsp. stevia

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, and set aside.

Stir Fry:

2-3 chicken breasts, cubed

2 1/2 cups fresh broccoli

a handful of baby carrots, sliced into strips

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 shallots

Cook chicken in oil (I used coconut oil) until cooked on all sides.  Add a few cloves of garlic and some sliced shallots if you so desire.  Meanwhile, steam veggies for a few minutes.  Add veggies to the pan.  Cook chicken and veggies together until cooked to desired tenderness.  Finally, add the sauce and turn the heat down to low.  Heat until sauce is warmed.  Do not over heat sauce or it will become too pasty and thick.   

Serve with chopped fresh basil and lime wedges for a little Thai flair.  

These leftovers would have been so good to eat for lunch at school...if only we had had leftovers!  Though next time, I think I'd simplify the ingredients.  I don't like cooking with such a long list of ingredients, but I kept adding things to make it sweeter.  No, saltier.  No, smoother.  No, thicker...  Hmm, thinking about it now coconut milk might be good...  

Happy back-to-school if you or your kiddos are returning to the land of academics!