Sesame chicken and broccoli stir-fry

Making stir-fry is one of my favorite quick weeknight dinners and as the weather warms I find myself making them more and more. The weather here has been surprisingly hot already so I've been spending as little time in the kitchen as possible. For this dish, I wanted to make something like sesame chicken (one of my favorite Chinese take-out dishes), but without deep frying. Plus, I wanted to incorporate some vegetables into the dish, especially some broccoli for my broccoli-loving husband. The results were a lightly and tasty stir-fry full of sesame flavor.

So it's getting close to another summer and we find ourselves still in an apartment. We thought for sure we'd be in a house by now, but life hasn't worked out that way... Apartment living in the summer can be really rough.... especially uppers where it gets extra hot. There's no escape for eating or cooking outside. Luckily, we are able to have a small container garden and we put that in last weekend. We planted a bunch of herbs (sweet basil, Thai basil, chives, tarragon, oregano, lavender, mint, etc.), lettuces, and tomatoes. Hopefully we'll be in a house by the end of the year! It's tough for two outdoorsy people who grew up in a rural area to be without any land.

  
Sesame chicken and broccoli stir-fry
4 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chili sauce
3 teaspoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted, plus more for garnish
about 1 lb. chicken breast, sliced into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch
coconut oil
about 2 cups broccoli florets
3 scallions, sliced on the bias, greens and whites separated
1 small-medium red pepper, thinly sliced
white or Basmati rice, cooked to package directions

Whisk together the sesame oil, tamari/soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, chili sauce, and sesame seeds until well-combined. Taste and adjust if needed to get a good flavor combination. Set aside.

Toss the chicken and cornstarch together to coat. Let sit for about 10 minutes and then dust off extra cornstarch. In the meantime, blanch the broccoli in salted boiling water for about 3-4 minutes - just until it's al dente and bright green. Drain well.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a wok or large skillet. When hot, add the chicken. Toss and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli, scallion whites, and red pepper. Toss and cook, stirring often, until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the sauce, toss well, and cook for another minute until the sauce is hot.

Serve over cooked rice and top with reserved scallion greens and extra sesame seeds.

What was I cooking one year ago?: steamed artichokes with creamy lemon and chive sauce
Two years ago?: eggs, bacon, and asparagus with roasted yellow pepper sauce 
Three?: pear-ginger crisp