The Betty Crocker Project: Vegan Chicken & Cashew Dinner

Editing a book is a deceptively slow process. Its the kind of thing that seems to go fast and is pretty easy till you realize youve actually gone through several pages and you dont even remember what youve just read. Ive heard of similar things happening to truck drivers with great mix tapes on long highways in Kansas. Its not unlike what happens when you start watching Battlestar Galactica or Sons of Anarchy. Except in those cases, youre so amped up, the blur comes from an overdose of awesome.Ive been living lately in this kind of state. I love our book and I think you will too but I hate that Im a terrible typist*. I find whole sections of the day disappear in a blur of shortening this and formatting that and then more website stuff and more emails. I take breaks to tweet and post updates on our Facebook page but Ive lately come to find an even more sincere appreciation for Bettys Quick and Easy Recipes. In Bettys recipe, she makes the dish more "healthy" by deceasing the number of cashews (fat) but we went another route. We took out the birds and added vegetables and a lot more ginger. Its a fast and flavorful dinner that made our home smell lovely.No matter what youre busy with right now or what level of chef you are... you can make this. You can do it! Now lets high five and go make some dinner...Vegan Chicken & Cashew Dinner 2 Cups of Your Favorite Vegan Chicken (defrosted - we used Gardein) 2 Cups Brown Rice1 Cup Raw Cashews2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil 2 Cups Raw Broccoli Florets2 Cups Raw Sugar Snap Pea Pods2 Cup Better Than Bouillon - Vegetable Broth 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes4 teaspoons Ginger Paste1 Can Sliced Water Chestnuts (drained) 4 Tablespoons Braggs Liquid Amino Acids1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar2 Tablespoons Whole Wheat Flour1 Clove Garlic (minced) 3 Green Onions (diced) Make your Brown Rice either in a rice cooker or following the instructions on your package. Steam your Broccoli and Pea Pods either using an electric or bamboo steamer until tender. Then move to a large bowl. Heat your Sesame Oil in a large wok on a high. Once your Oil is hot, toss in your Vegan Chicken and cook while mixing. Once your Vegan Chicken begins to brown, toss in your Cashews and continue to cook while mixing to make sure everything browns evenly. Once your mix is completely cooked, toss it the bowl with the steamed vegetables and set aside. In the same hot wok, toss in the remaining ingredients except Whole Wheat Flour and Green Onions and blend gently with a whisk. As your sauce begins to bubble, whisk in the Whole Wheat Flour a little bit at a time to thicken the sauce without getting lumps. Once your sauce is smooth, reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer for no more than minute while whisking it a few times. Then toss in the Vegetables, Vegan Chicken and Cashews and mix them in using a large spoon. To serve, pour the Vegan Chicken and Cashews over the Brown Rice and sprinkle some Green Onions over the top. Done and done. More High Fives.* But Im a nice person - so it balances out.