BEST & BASIC STIRFRY RECIPE

Michael and I have stir fry all. the. time. It's such a great way to go through veggies, especially if they're right on the edge of getting soft & wouldn't be as good raw. We've got a basic stirfry recipe down that makes a HUGE amount of food- which means leftovers for days! This recipe is insanely basic, and you could add veggies/ginger/spice to your hearts content...but for us we have these ingredients 100% of the time in our fridge, so it's our go-to. A few things:

1. If you don't have a rice steamer, get one. Ours is $19 (get it here) and is a microwaveable rice steamer. Put in rice and water, let it go- and you get perfectly cooked rice EVERY single time. I don't know about you all, but I burn rice when I make it in a pot...or make it overly soggy. This steamer kicks butt-plus it can be used to steam veggies & make pasta. Ridic.

2. Woks. They can be a little spendy- but if you average out cost per use...man ours is about $0.10 a use. I highly recommend this guy from Nordic Ware- Made in the USA!

What you'll need:

Rice:

2 cups basmati or brown rice

4 cups water

rice steamer (or pot)

Veggie Mix:

2 cups chopped broccoli

1 red pepper

2 garlic cloves

1 large onion

(+sliced almonds to garnish)

2 Tbsp oil- veggie or olive

Sauce:

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce(low sodium or regular)

1 1/2 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce (we use this)

1 tablespoon Sriracha red chili sauce

1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch

squeeze lemon juice

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Get your rice cookin'! It should take about 16 minutes to cook 2 cups of rice. If you time it right you'll be done with your veggies and rice at the same time!

Step 2: Chop your veggies ahead of time. Make your onions and peppers bit sized and mince your garlic!

Step 3: Add your oil to your wok and bring to medium low heat. Once hot add your onions and let 'em sizzle for 3-4 minutes. Mmmm-mmmm. 

Step 4: Next add in your peppers and broccoli, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add your garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or so.

Step 5: Mix all your sauce ingredients together really well and pour over your veggies while still on the stove. Let heat up with your veggies and stir every 30 seconds or so.

Step 6: Scoop up your rice, dish out some veggies, and garnish with sliced almonds!

 (seriously. this rice cooker is the bomb)

 There it is! Easy, fast, delicious- and a great way to get your veggie servings in for the night!!

What is your easy go-to dish?

Anyone else have a good stir-fry recipe?

xo, lp

(like asian dishes? try my broccoli soy noodles or my crunchy asian cabbage salad!)

BROCCOLI SOY NOODLES

If I had to eat at a fast food type restaurant, it would hands down be Noodles & Company. I know that really doesn't qualify as fast food, but it's as close as this vegetarian will get to it! One of my favorites on their menu is the Japanese Pan Noodles, which is a sweet and spicy udon noodle dish. I tried to recreate it in this recipe and failed miserably, but it still tasted totally delicious. Obviously soy is high in sodium, so feel free to make this with low sodium soy!

What you'll need to make it happen:

2 cups broccoli, cut into bit sized pieces

1/3 cup carrots, slivered

2 tablespoons green onions, sliced in small rings

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz medium rice noodles (most packages come with two "nests" of 8 ounces each)

For the sauce:

6 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch

3 tablespoons warm water

2 teaspoons sriracha (or another chile sauce)

oil for cooking veggies, about 1 tablespoon

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to boil, and put rice noodles in. Don't break the "nest" they come in, simply let the noodles cook for a few seconds in the boiling water and push them under- they'll loosen up quickly and all fit in a large pot. Cook per instructions on package, drain, and set aside.

Step 2: If you rock at multi tasking, start cooking your veggies while the noodles cook. Begin by throwing your oil in a wok and bring to medium-high heat before adding anything.

Step 3: Throw in your carrots and cook for 1 minute, then adding your garlic & green onions, cooking for another minute. Add in your broccoli and cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until tender.

Step 4: Mix all your sauce ingredients together and add to your veggie mixture, bringing to a medium-low heat. 

Step 5: Stir for a minute, letting your sauce thicken, and toss in your noodles, stirring to coat thoroughly. 

Step 6: Serve up and enjoy!

Next time I make them I'll definitely amp up the spice factor, so if you like spicy food, add more sriracha or other chile oil!

What fast food could you live off of?

Please don't say KFC. I may judge you.

xo, lp