Thai this one on

Two recipes to share- both of which turned out pretty good.

The first is actually more of a method than anything. A whole wheat tortilla topped with smashed sweet potatoes seasoned with a little cumin, black beans, a little salsa & cheese- baked until cheese melted- yum. Spice it up with some chipotle or a couple of shakes of hot sauce- I love the spicy sweet combo. Black beans and sweet potatoes are best friends.

The next one- Thai Chicken Saute from Cooking Light. This one's been marked for a long time- but gave it a go last night.

Thai Chicken Sauté

Use less hot sauce for milder flavor.

1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag rice
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 cup sliced onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 tablespoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 lime wedges

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Keep warm.

Toss chicken with cornstarch and fish sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to pan; sauté 1 minute. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute or until done. Stir in coconut milk, Sriracha, sugar, and juice; cook 45 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro. Serve chicken mixture over rice with lime wedges.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture, 1/2 cup rice, and 1 lime wedge)CALORIES 403 (24% from fat); FAT 10.8g (sat 3.1g,mono 4.3g,poly 2.4g); IRON 2.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 108mg; CALCIUM 32mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.4g; SODIUM 650mg; PROTEIN 42.6g; FIBER 0.5g Cooking Light, MARCH 2007

My changes- I made brown rice instead of the boil in the bag- (and by the way- those freezer steamer bags of rice are great in a pinch) and steamed some broccoli as a side. I used less than a pound of chicken and added more veggies, namely a sliced red pepper and carrots. I love adding more veggies- just love the extra color that it gives the dish. I was skeptical of sprinkling the fish sauce on the chicken- but it worked out well- oh, and I sprinkled the chicken with some Penzeys Bangkok seasoning & used sweet chili sauce, because that's what I had, and omitted the sugar. But, it came together very quick, in about the same amount of time it would take Thai Flavors to deliver- seriously! I do cook my veggies for a bit longer- I don't like them so crunchy.

And of course, I remember after I threw away the rest of the coconut milk that you can freeze the leftover milk. Next time, I'll remember! Enjoy!