Organic Basil, Thyme and Dill When I Want

I don't know if it is the age (I'm getting old) or if it is my new surroundings, but ever since I moved out to Colorado, I am looking at things with new eyes. Two that are of a organic eater who cares a lot more about the environment. I have stopped using plastic bags, except for the bags to separately hold my fruits and vegetables in my reusable bags. I have always preferred to make may own meals from fresh meats and vegetables but now it is as is I want nothing to do with mass produced products and such... Oh, and maybe it's the trip I took to the local landfill? I will leave this for another post as I feel gathering some statistics will add weight to my post about the quantity of household and commercial refuse that end up in there. Ok, last one, is because I am starting to watch Cosmos? All these scientific and environmental eye openers that I am exposing myself to could be the culprit here.

Back to the subject

I am not over the top as yet, but I find myself shaking my head just thinking about where I am at today mentally, and where I was a year ago as it relates to the environment and more natural produce.  All of that to say that I ended up buying some organic seeds, those listed in the subject line, along with tomatoes and peppers. I really want to have more but I have to go through this testing phase first. I planted them two weeks ago and this past weekend, I was quite the happy teenager type girl wearing pink on pink (I was actually wearing pink on pink) as I examined the pots and saw little tiny leaves and stems popping up. It's the small things in life for me. I cannot wait to see more stems and be able to pick my herbs straight from my make shift garden to my wonderful food making space. Here are some pictures, you can share in my excitement. Oh and by the way, I got these seeds on Amazon, 200-500 per pack,  some vegetable soil from Lowe's for six dollars and the party got started. Give them some water and sunlight everyday and you too will have Organic Basil, Thyme and Dill when you want.

You can barely see them but they are there. Just run and grab your bifocal glasses

BNW~

Delicious Thai Basil Chicken Stir-Fry

Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry

Delicious Thai Basil Stir Fry

Ingredients

2lbs of Chicken Breast- Sliced and chopped into bite sized chunks

½ Red Bell Pepper- Chopped

½ Green Bell Pepper- Chopped

½ Jalapeno - Chopped

3 Stalks of Scallion- Chopped

1 Onion- Chopped

1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

1 tbsp. Sesame Oil

2 Tbsps. Vegetable Oil

1 tbsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 tbsp. Paprika

Salt to taste

Thai Basil Sauce (Recipe below )

Method

Season chicken with paprika, salt and cayenne and let marinate for at least an hour. Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan for 4 minutes; it really does add a nice flavor when toasted.  Remove from pan and set aside. Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil and fry the chicken for 3 minutes on each side (top and bottom) and set aside. Add chopped vegetables to the same pan and as soon as the onion gets translucent, add the chicken, stir and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sauce, salt and toasted sesame seed, cover the pan and allow them to get happy for approximately 3-5 minutes. Do not leave the kitchen because the sauce may thicken quickly and you know what comes next……. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve over rice or noodles and enjoy your delicious stir fry dish.

Recipe for the Thai Basil Sauce

1 handful of basil leaves- Sweet basil is perfect (Finely Chopped)

1 packet of Powdered Chicken Bouillon

1 cup of water

1 Tbsp of Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp of Honey

1-2 tsps of Cornstarch or 2-4 tsp of Flour

2 Tbsp of Fish Sauce

Hot Chili Sauce- Available at all Asian Markets

Mix water, bouillon, fish sauce and chopped basil in a large pan to warm for about 5 minutes (you can also use a food processor or blender to process the mixture until the basil leaves turn into tiny particles). When warm, add honey, sugar and chili sauce and stir. Once it starts to boil, add the cornstarch, using 1 tsp at a time to thicken the sauce. If you use both teaspoons of cornstarch and it gets too thick, you can always add some water to get to your desired consistency. This is good for one dish.

Enjoy your delish feast tonight!

BNW~