Vegetable Stir Fry

Tonight’s dinner was Asian themed. Since coming home from Disney World, I’ve been on a bit of an Asian kick. This is probably in part because it is one of the only types of food I didn’t eat while away, not to mention it is one of my favorites. Since I had sushi on Saturday (and I do not know how to make sushi), I figured a solid veggie stir fry would do the trick. An added bonus, since it’s Monday (and I try not to eat meat on Mondays) I knew I could fill it up with lots of veggies and brown rice and feel full and satisfied after. (For about an hour until I want something sweet- I will definitely be hitting up my PB cookies from yesterday)!

The prep for this made up recipe is fairly simple. I should warn you though, I am going to wing the measurements to recreate it (I am not 100% sure of the exact) but I have faith in you, you got this!

Since I went to the grocery store yesterday, I had a ton of fresh veggies to choose from. I chose about half a cup of broccoli (although I would use more next time because Asian style broccoli is BOMB), cauliflower, a handful (roughly 10) string beans, about 1/2 a small green pepper, 4 baby carrots (chopped), and a 1/4 of an red onion. I will get to the marinade later…for now, throw about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan with 1 clove of garlic (pressed and minced), along with your chopped onion.

Give it about 5 minutes on medium heat (no more than a 6 on the knob), until you smell the garlic and onion frying in the oil. When you see the garlic turning brown, its time to toss in your veggies.

While your veggies are cooking in the olive oil, garlic, and red onion mixture (don’t forget to stir it around) for about 6 minutes, you’ll notice the greens turn a deep, vibrant shade of green. While this is happening, you want to begin to prepare your marinade. I used about 5 teaspoons (or roughly 1 and 1/2 tablespoons) of low sodium soy sauce, about 1 teaspoon of hot chili sesame oil (Note: you can use regular sesame oil if you are not a fan of the spice), and a teaspoon and a 1/2 of apple cider vinegar. I also added a nice drizzle of Sriracha and a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes. Again, feel free to omit the previous two ingredients if not a fan of spicy foods. As you know, I am freakishly in love with spicy food and can’t say that I didn’t think “OMG my mouth is on fire” while devouring this dish (and I loved every second of it). I also threw in some freshly grated ginger, about a small nub, which probably equaled about an 1/8 of a teaspoon. I’m also a huge fan of ginger so may use extra next time. This is one of those marinades you will want to taste as you go. Use your palette as your guide.

Back to the cooking, once the veggies look bright and have been cooking in the garlic and oil for about 6 minutes, pour on the marinade. Cook for another 8 minutes or so, turning often to ensure the bottom/marinade doesn’t burn. Taste as you turn every couple of minutes to test the texture of your veggies. I like mine to be flavorful and soft, but with a nice fresh crunch (not too soggy).

Once the marinade and veggies are coming together, I brought a pot up to a boil and made some brown rice (again, stirring to ensure the bottom doesn’t burn). (Note: Make sure you are using “Minute Brown Rice” or it’ll take you about an hour to cook the rice.) I made about 1/2 cup of brown rice and found that I could not finish it all. (1/2 cup rice to 1/2 cup of water). Taste the rice as it cooks as well to make sure it is a texture to your liking.

Time to plate: I put the rice on the bottom of the bowl, layered with my veggies, and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top. xiăngshòu! (or enjoy, for those of you who don’t speak {Google} Chinese) 😉