Today I come to you with something so near and dear to my heart. More than anything, it is a celebration of my friend Emilie’s success, a.k.a. her new book, The Clever Cookbook. If you do not know her, she is the genius (in the form of amazing recipes, writing and photographs) behind one of my favorite food blogs, The Clever Carrot.
I have been following Emilie for almost three years now. As it usually happens, I clicked on one of her recipes on Pinterest because I wanted a closer look at her photography. Next thing you know, an hour and a half went by, and I was still on theclevercarrot.com. Reading through her blog, I quickly realized that this girl can cook. But beyond that, I loved that she cared about what and how she cooked food. As a mother of two young boys, Emilie knows how hard it can be to put dinner on the table. That is why she uses her classically trained chef background to share everyday, comfort food style recipes on her blog. Though I am not a mom, through her writing, it is easy to relate to her challenges, and I can appreciate the solutions she offers in her recipes.
In September of last year, when we learned that we would be moving to the Philly area, I knew I wanted to meet her. So I reached out to her for a meet up. Quite frankly, after living on a small island for almost four years with no foodie friends, I was desperate for a foodie girlfriend like her. But I was also a little nervous.
If you think about it, I was asking her to have a blind date with me. Less than an hour after I sent the e-mail, she responded saying that she would love to meet. Just before the holidays, we met for lunch in New York City. It felt like we have been friends for many years. In addition to talking about our personal stories, we discussed blogging, recipe creating and writing a cookbook.
At the time, she had just submitted her cookbook for the final approval. You can imagine how excited and happy I was for her when she e-mailed me in mid-January to let me know that she was holding the book in her hands.
Two weeks later, I received a copy in the mail. I have been cooking from it ever since. The Clever Cookbook will be out today. It is a cookbook full of recipes that provide you with time-saving tips & tricks and get-ahead strategies to have dinner on the table for your family with everyday ingredients from your pantry.
Each recipe is written in ordinary language and with the care of a mom who wants to make sure her kids succeed. The only prerequisite to cooking from Emilie’s book is to know how to read. As she told me during lunch, she thought about those busy moms like herself, who are juggling through life and trying to feed their families with wholesome, healthy and delicious food.
And the book is all that: comfort food-like and everyday recipes with her clever and magical touch that you can easily make in your very own kitchen.
After cooking several recipes from the Clever Cookbook, I decided to share this one for three reasons.
About this Quick Stir-Fry Chicken with Roasted Broccoli:
First, you can make it in less than 30 minutes.
Second, it is a perfect recipe for a family of four. If you have some cooked rice (or noodles) in your fridge, simply top it off with this chicken and broccoli, garnish it with chopped scallions, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
And voila, you have dinner ready. Lastly, this Asian-Style chicken dish is made with Emilie’s Master Stir-Fry Sauce. This sauce is not only easy to make but also, it is versatile. You can whisk it all together in less than 5 minutes, keep it in a jar in your fridge, and use it for stir-frying veggies or any of your favorite cuts of meat.
Finally, Emilie is generously letting me give a copy of her book to one of my lucky readers. For a chance to win, leave a comment below telling me the name of your favorite go-to weeknight dish before February 29th, 2016 at 12:00 pm EST. THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! The winner is Amy.
I will announce the winner via e-mail and here on this blog post. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Good luck everyone!
Quick Chicken Stir Fry with Roasted Broccoli
Ingredients
For the Master Stir-Fry Sauce
- 1/3 cup (78 ml) soy sauce (as a gluten-free option you can use tamari)
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml)honey
- 3 teaspoons (3 grams) cornstarch
For the dish:
- 2 heads of broccoli rinsed and cut into small florets
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 5-6 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced (alternatively, you can use chicken breasts)
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 2-3 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds as garnish
- Handful of peanuts chopped (optional)
- 4 cups of white rice brown rice, or noodles – to serve
Instructions
To make the master
- Stir fry sauce: Mix soy sauce, chicken stock, honey, and cornstarch in a jar. Close it with the lid and shake until completely mixed. Set aside. *1
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add broccoli florets to the baking sheet.
- Drizzle them with 2-tablepoons olive oil and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper.
- Using your clean hands (or 2 spoons), gently toss them to makes sure that each floret is coated with oil.
- Let it roast for 13-15 minutes or they are golden brown. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, place a wok (or a 10-inch cast iron skillet) on medium high heat. Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
- When the pan and oil are sizzling hot, add in the chicken and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Give the stir-fry sauce a quick shake and pour it into the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- When the sauce is glossy and the chicken is fully cooked through, remove it from the heat.
To assemble
- Place a cup of cooked white or brown rice (or cooked noodles), 4-5 roasted broccoli florets, and stir-fry chicken in each bowl.
- Garnish them with chopped scallions, cilantro, black sesame seeds, and if preferred, chopped peanuts.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @foolproofliving on Instagram and hashtag it #foolproofeatsAdapted (with minor changes) from Emilie Raffa’s: The Clever Cookbook.
Emilie @ The Clever Carrot
This touched my heart, you have absolutely no idea. Thank you for translating such a simple recipe into a beautiful work of art. Really, this is just stunning! I’ve been eagerly awaiting this post (as you know) and it’s not only a visual treat, but your words- the eloquent flow of your writing awakens the senses. I’m going to have to toughen up a bit, as I’m holding back a tear! You are a wonderful friend, Ice. You know that. And this was an incredible honor. xo
PS- Now, come back to NY so we can go eat!
Aysegul Sanford
This note makes me so happy Emilie. Thank you so much for your lovely words. I wish you all the success with your cookbook.
<3
PS: we need to think about where we are going next 😉
Steph
I like shakshuka
Aysegul Sanford
Oh me too :))
Denise M
We do a lot of taco/burrito bowls. Easy to prep, and everyone can customize their own
Aysegul Sanford
Oh we love tacos too! 😉
Caitlin
My go to is any sort of quick stir fry with a protein and veggie!
Aysegul Sanford
Aaaand this recipe is exactly that.. 🙂
Pang
Wow!!!! What wonderful photos & lovely writing, Ice!!!! You make me want to check out her blog & her book, and I definitely will. This post is fantastic, and you know this recipe is right up my alley. LOVE LOVE LOVE
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Pang. You should. And you are right, this recipe is so your style. :))
when are you coming back?
Jamie
Spaghetti and meatballs made from scratch :).
Aysegul Sanford
Oh I LOVE spaghetti & meatballs. <3
Pila
Getting hungry just looking at the pictures. My go-to meal is turkey tacos.
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Pila! 🙂
karen
My go-to meal is polenta with some kind of roasted or sauteed veggies, sometimes topped with an egg
Aysegul Sanford
Oh YES! I love polenta. Have you tried millet polenta yet? It is so SO good. 😉
Deji-Ann
A quick and easy weeknight meals are chicken Parmesan or Chicken Alfredo and Orange chicken on Friday nights! My family loves, loves, loves them!!
Aysegul Sanford
I am sure they do Deji-Ann. May we come over for dinner sometime? <3
Meghan Jackson
My two go to weeknight meals are chicken thighs with white beans and tomatoes (takes an hour to cook, but 5 minutes to prep) and fish tacos (super quick cooking strips of Mahi sauteed and served with avocado, tomatoes and lettuce on tortillas)
Aysegul Sanford
Meghan,
The chicken thighs with white beans sound so good!
Thank you for stopping by!
Daniele K
Our quick meal doesn’t really have a name, just pasta with sausage or other leftover protein and whatever veggies on hand tossed with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Hope you are settling in well.
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four
Mmm this looks incredible! I love that you can whip this up and toss it onto leftover rice or noodles. Emilie’s book sounds wonderful, I will definitely check it out! I’m waiting for the day your book comes out too, Aysegul! 😉 XO
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Beeta.. This book is amazing. No French recipes in there, but I know you’d like it.
Oh about my book.. Hopefully soon. Thank you for your kind words my friend. <3
Daniele K
I often find myself making a quick pasta or soup with leftover roasted veggies and proteins. I hope you and Dwight are doing well.
Aysegul Sanford
Hey Daniele.. Yes we are doing well.
Quick pasta and soup sounds easy yet delicious.
Please give my regards to Mark.
Amy
Emilie’s book looks lovely! I just requested that our library purchase it. Hopefully they buy a whole bunch of copies 🙂
Our weeknight go-to recipes can be anything from a quick batch of beans and rice to something slightly more planned out like roast salmon, meatloaf or split pea soup. I’ve got the crockpot full of your slow cooked beef brisket tacos right now, and it smells wonderful!
Aysegul Sanford
This book is simply a gem. You will love it.
The beans & rice and salmon sounds great. In the coming months I am planning to share more seafood recipes here on the blog and salmon is on top of my list. <3
PS: I wish I had a pot of that beef brisket right now 😉
Wimsey Cherrington
Favorite weeknight go-to meal:
Sous Vide Chicken with Lemon Crystals
Easy to make, versatile, make extra so have leftovers that I can do lots with. Love it!
Libby
My favorite go to meal is homemade mac & cheese.
Emily
What a beautiful write-up and review of Emilie’s new book, Aysegul! She is blessed to have you for a friend. I enjoyed reading about how you two met and became friends. Someday I would love to meet you all in person too. Weekday meals like this are my lifesaver and my kids are completely happy with stir-fries just like this one!
Aysegul Sanford
She truly is a sweetheart. And her book is a gem. Thank you so much for your kind words Emily.
Louise | Cygnet Kitchen
So glad to have discovered Emilie’s gorgeous blog here, Aysegul! Will definitely check out her book as this looks like the perfect midweek recipe! x
Aysegul Sanford
Yes, she is amazing. Her book, just like her blog, is full of recipes that are handy for any homecook.
I am glad to hear that you liked it. <3