Vegetable Stir-fry - Meatless Monday

This vegetable stir fry is a blend of colorful veggies cooked in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce that is two quick steps to make.  You won’t heat up the kitchen too much and you can enjoy fresh veggies.   You can use this as a side dish or serve over rice for a complete meal.  Remember to cut the veggies about the same size so you can insure even cooking.

Vegetable Stir-fry

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 3/4 cup bell peppers sliced, I used red and yellow
• 1 cup snow peas trimmed
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts drained and sliced
• 3/4 cup baby corn drained and sliced
• 2 teaspoons garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger minced
• salt and pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup vegetable broth can also use water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey (try an herb-infused honey for a richer flavor)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook for 4-6 minutes or until tender.  Add the broccoli, bell peppers, snow peas, water chestnuts, baby corn and 2 tablespoons of water to the pan. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and water has mostly cooked off.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.

In a bowl, whisk together the vegetable broth, soy sauce and honey. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the vegetables and cook for 30 seconds.

In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water.  Add the cornstarch and bring to a boil; cook for 1 more minute or until sauce has just started to thicken. Serve immediately, over rice if desired.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018, or Recipe2019 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2020 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Feb 2020 - Footbal Tailgate Favorites (AppFeb)

March 2020 - Kabobs (KabobMar)

April 2020 - Brunch (BrunchApr) more in 2021 also

May 2020 - Non-Traditional Pizza (PizzaMay)

June 2020 - Stir Fry Dishes (StirJun)

July 2020 - Salads with no lettuce (SaladJul)

August 2020 - Pickled things (PickleAug)

September 2020 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2020 - Squash Soups (SquashOct)

November 2020 - Pumpkin (again) (PumpNov)

December 2020 - Turkey Recipes (TurkDec)

Spicy Chicken Stir-fry - recipe theme

I just cannot get into cooking all of sudden.  The thought of cooking and eating is unappealing.  I get that way when it gets hot sometimes.  I drink ginger ale with bitters and water and find myself wanting pasta salad and egg salad to eat.  This recipe is tasty served cold. So I tried it and it worked for me to get a bit more protein.

Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

4 oz. pasta, your choice; spaghetti, angel hair, fettuccine all good choices

12 oz. lean ground chicken

1/8 tsp. each salt and pepper

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 cup thawed frozen peas

1 cup lower sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup basil leaves, finely chopped

1/8 tsp. salt

Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Cook pasta as label directs.

Heat 12-in. skillet on high until very hot. Coat ground chicken with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring. Add garlic, crushed with press, and crushed red pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring. Add thawed frozen peas; chicken broth; basil leaves, finely chopped; cooked pasta; and 1/8 tsp. salt. Toss to combine.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018, or Recipe2019 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2020 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Feb 2020 - Footbal Tailgate Favorites (AppFeb)

March 2020 - Kabobs (KabobMar)

April 2020 - Brunch (BrunchApr) more in 2021 also

May 2020 - Non-Traditional Pizza (PizzaMay)

June 2020 - Stir Fry Dishes (StirJun)

July 2020 - Salads with no lettuce (SaladJul)

August 2020 - Pickled things (PickleAug)

September 2020 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2020 - Squash Soups (SquashOct)

November 2020 - Pumpkin (again) (PumpNov)

December 2020 - Turkey Recipes (TurkDec)

Vegetable Stir-fry to start the monthly recipe theme

I cleaned my desk and as fate would have it misplaced (filed) the folder of stir-fry recipes I had collected for this month.  It took me until yesterday, while I was fighting with my scanner, to find them.  

So the first in the set for June is a vegetable stir-fry using in nice firm tofu.  I like stir fry in the summer because it is fast and tasty.  You can pre-cut the veggies and then when you want to cook you just toss everything into a skillet or wok.  We have a real wok and an electric wok.  I find pros and cons with each.  A real wok will get much hotter, but the electric keeps the heat even and is great if you need to wait a bit after cooking to serve because you can keep it on warm.  My husband, on the other hand does all his stir-fry in a skillet.  He likes the handle and the ease of use on the stove.

Later in the month I will share some stir-fry sauces and some techniques.  But for now a simple stir and eat using tofu and broccoli as the main ingredients.

Vegetable Stir-fry (serves 2)

1⁄2 cup cubed tofu* processed with calcium sulfate
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 cup broccoli florets
4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped Chinese cabbage or bok choy 
1 cup shredded kale 

2 tablespoons tamari - a Japanese sauce made from fermented soybeans. It has a thicker consistency and a more balanced flavor than Chinese soy sauce, making it a good choice for a dipping sauce. It's also vegan and gluten-free. (if you can't find it, just use soy sauce)
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds 

*Or substitute a 3-ounce serving of chicken (sliced and sautéed)

Directions:

Sauté tofu or chicken in 1 tablespoon oil until golden. Remove from pan. In the same pan with remaining oil, sauté garlic, ginger, broccoli, and mushrooms until mushrooms are soft and florets turn bright green. Return tofu to pan and add cabbage and kale. Stir in tamari and simmer 1 to 2 minutes. Top with roasted sesame seeds and serve immediately over brown rice or rice noodles, if you wish.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018, or Recipe2019 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2020 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Feb 2020 - Footbal Tailgate Favorites (AppFeb)

March 2020 - Kabobs (KabobMar)

April 2020 - Brunch (BrunchApr) more in 2021 also

May 2020 - Non-Traditional Pizza (PizzaMay)

June 2020 - Stir Fry Dishes (StirJun)

July 2020 - Salads with no lettuce (SaladJul)

August 2020 - Pickled things (PickleAug)

September 2020 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2020 - Squash Soups (SquashOct)

November 2020 - Pumpkin (again) (PumpNov)

December 2020 - Turkey Recipes (TurkDec)