I posted a sneak peek of this dish on my Instagram saying “recipe on the blog soon,” and here I am nearly 3 weeks later pretending I just made this. How naive of me to have thought that once I was done with school, things would slow down, giving me more time to focus on this little space of mine. Now my mind is kicked into full gear with career development. I’ve been thinking a lot regarding what I’m really passionate about rather than what I’m “good” at. And I can slowly sense the transition of my approach from “I can do a little bit of this and that” (a.k.a spreading yourself too thin) to “I want to specialize in something.” Perhaps it’s the influence of my father, a businessman through and through and an embodiment of the American dream. Perhaps it’s the support of loved ones to free myself from my safety net, comfort zone, insecurities, or whatever you want to call it, and JUST GO FOR IT! Whatever it is, I’m going to continue to pray for the Lord’s guidance through this time of transition, and see what doors open up.
Now getting back to this dish… In 2014, I did all my meal prep/cooking on the weekends because I wasn’t home much during my dietetic internship, and the thought of standing over a stove after a long day didn’t sound very appealing. While cereal and PB&J sounded really amazing in the beginning, my tastebuds were not amused after awhile. Honestly, planning for meals a week in advance and staying on top of things were extremely difficult at first. But trust me, they will eventually become second nature, AND the time spent will become shorter and shorter. It’s amazing what trained hands can do. Don’t underestimate them ;). Now that I’m home in the afternoons, I have more wiggle room to cook on the fly. This lightened-up Mongolian chicken couldn’t have been simpler to make with ingredients I already had on hand. I understand sugar snap peas might not be a staple at your house, and if so, just substitute them with whatever veggies you have at your disposal. Side note – The lighting on this particular day was fantastic-o! I normally NEVER shoot at ISO of 100, but this photo came out unbelievably crisp and vibrant (You can check out my photography tips and set-up here). Naturally, I showed the pics to the Hungryman with much enthusiasm and pride, but he senselessly replied “what’s the difference between the first picture and this one?” Feeling crushed {and irritated} at his lack of attention to detail, I quickly turned the screen towards myself and said something along the lines of, “the last one is more zoomed in, obviously” (Just look at the chopsticks). And that was that. You can tell the difference, can’t you? 😉 Well, I suppose I could’ve experimented more with angles during this shoot. But then again, I did want to devour this dish as quickly as possible. While the sauce itself is quite flavorful, I like to marinate the chicken to deliver even more taste. Want to make this vegetarian? You already know what I’m going to suggest – tofu (or even cauliflower!) would be an excellent substitute ;). Hope you enjoy! And as I’d like to share more quick and easy Asian recipes, if you’ve got any suggestions, please leave a comment below!
