"Thai" Stir Fry

I'll admit it: I avoided any kind of Asian food until I was well into my 20s.  Seriously.  I wasn't a call-out-for-Chinese type of girl ever...until I discovered Thai food.  It opened up a whole new world beyond the Americanized "Chinese" food I'd been exposed to previously!  I subsequently fell in love with Vietnamese food, Mongolian barbeque -- and, finally, homemade stir fry.  I discovered and adapted this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Prizewinning Recipes cookbook.  (You'll see me reference this cookbook often; I absolutely love it.)  Honestly, I'm not sure what makes it "Thai", but that's the name of the recipe, and I love it.  So, here goes:

Thai Stir Fry (serves 3-4, unless you're me and want to eat the whole thing yourself)

• 1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1/2 cup finely sliced red onion
• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 large red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup pea pods, with ends and strings snipped
• 1 cup fresh bean spouts, rinsed
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 4 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts

1.  Heat oil in a large stir fry pan or wok.  When it is hot, add ginger and garlic; stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
2.  Add vegetables and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, mixing well with ginger and garlic.  After that time, pour into a large bowl and set aside.
3.  Add chicken to stir fry pan or wok.  You may need to add a bit more oil, depending on the quality of your pan, in order to keep the chicken from burning.  Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked (no pink in the middle).
4.  Combine water, soy sauce, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; stir well.
5.  Add soy sauce mixture to chicken.  It will begin to thicken and bubble around the edges.
6.  Add vegetables back into stir fry pan/wok.  Pour in peanuts.  Mix well with sauce and stir fry again 3-4 more minutes.
7.  Serve over rice (I prefer the jasmine variety).

Notes:  You can leave the red pepper flakes out of the sauce if you don't like the spiciness.  The veggies can easily be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and kept all together in the refrigerator.  Additional toppings could include: sauted mushrooms and celery (not my favorite, but my mom loves it), sriracha sauce (if you like some fire in your stir-fry!), ground peanuts, and/or chow mein noodles.