Sweet and Sour Chicken

 Adapted from Cooking Light magazine
Serves 4 

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  bottled minced garlic
• 1  teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/4  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2  pounds  skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4  cup  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 1  (15 1/4-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
• 1/3  cup  reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2  tablespoons  rice vinegar
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  cornstarch
• 2  teaspoons  brown sugar
• 1/4  cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup maraschino cherries, halved
• cashew nuts, crushed
• 4 cups of prepared Jasmine rice

Directions

Steam 2 cups Jasmine rice and 2 + 1/2 cup water in rice cooker while you are preparing the chicken.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, red pepper, and chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until chicken is browned. Remove chicken mixture from pan; set aside.

Add onion and bell pepper to pan, and sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Add 1 cup pineapple chunks to pan; cook 30 seconds. Reserve remaining pineapple for another use. Combine the reserved 1/2 cup juice, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, and sugar in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Return chicken mixture to pan. Stir in juice mixture; bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice.  Top sweet and sour chicken with cherries, cashews and coconut!