Asparagus & Chicken in Peanut Sauce

I will never be a fan of the combination of chicken and peanuts. Ever. I've never thought they tasted good together, I don't know why I feel that way but I'm certain that I can't change. I've been making this recipe a lot recently, though, because a certain someone has told me it's among the best things that have come out of our kitchen. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a small red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or peanut oil, if you have it)
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breast, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup water, more if you like less chunky sauces
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces, ends trimmed

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until softened.
2. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
3. In a blender, mix together peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, ginger, lime juice, 1/2 cup water, cumin and red pepper flakes until combined.
4. Add asparagus to the skillet and stir well. Cook for a few minutes until asparagus turn bright green.
5. Add the peanut mixture and mix well. Cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes until chicken and vegetables are thoroughly coated. Serve immediately over quinoa, rice, noodles or alongside some corn.

The recipe has been adapted slightly from Lauren Kelly Nutrition. 

Grilled Chicken with Rosemary Aioli

I can't stop making this sandwich. The rosemary sauce tastes like nothing i've ever had before. (Quick tip: don't substitute the rosemary for tarragon, I tried that as an alternative one time and it was pretty gross.) MAKE THIS SANDWICH!

Ingredients

For the Chicken Club
½ pound boneless skinless chicken breast
4 slices of turkey bacon
4 slices whole wheat bread or sourdough (your choice)
Iceberg lettuce to cover two sandwiches
2 thick slices fresh tomato

For the Rosemary Aioli
1 semi-hard boiled egg (the original recipe calls for a coddled egg and I tried that and failed, but a semi-hard boiled egg tastes just as good)
1 large clove garlic crushed
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1/3 cup olive oil (or less depending on your love of olive oil)

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into two equal portions and pound each out to about ¼ inch thick. Put it aside. 
2. Boil that one egg until it's semi-hard (if the water is already boiling, I put the egg in for 7-8 minutes then take it out and put it aside).
3. Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels and set aside.
4. To prepare the aioli, place the egg, crushed garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice and rosemary in a food processor and pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly dribble in oil until the mixture resembles the consistency of mayonnaise. Use more or less oil as needed. But also, if you don't have a food processor, this can be done by hand and it's just as good (you just have to finely chop that garlic and rosemary).
5. Grill the chicken on both sides until cooked through. 
6. After you toast your bread, rub a piece of raw garlic against each piece of bread.
7. To assemble, place a piece of toast on your cutting board and smear with the aioli. Then lay a cooked chicken breast portion over the aioli and put the bacon, lettuce and tomato on top. Smear more aioli on the other piece of bread. If you can get the nice long rosemary stems, you can use them to skewer your sandwich, if not long tooth picks will work just fine.
8. If you have a slow cooker, you could also just cook the chicken in there on low for eight hours or high for four hours.

This recipe was adapted slightly from A Family Feast.