I have returned! After 3 1/2 fabulous days in warm, sunny Arizona, I made it back to cold, rainy, and dreary Iowa late last night. I feel like I have been playing catch-up on errands, work, cleaning, and homework all day, so I planned an easy-prep dinner to cook tonight. Enter:
Cheater Vegetable Stir-Fry
I call it “Cheater” Vegetable Stir-Fry because I used a bottled stir-fry sauce (gasp! 😉 ). This meal does not get much simpler than chopping vegetables, cooking rice, and stirring ingredients together. Trust me, you can handle it!
Servings: Approximately 5
Ingredients
water
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 sweet yellow onion, cut into half-moons
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into angled strips
1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1 inch strips
1 1/2 to 2 cups of broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 to 2 cups of cauliflower, chopped
3/4 cup of frozen, shelled edamame
1 TB sesame oil, optional
1 small can of water chestnuts, drained
1 14 oz bottle of stir-fry sauce (I used La Choy Original)
cooked brown rice, optional
light soy sauce, optional
Directions
1. In a large pan or wok, line the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of water. Heat the water over medium-high heat until very hot.
2. Turn the heat down to medium. Add garlic and onions to the pan. Cook approximately 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften.
3. Add carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and edamame to the mix. Cover and cook for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in optional sesame oil and water chestnuts. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add desired amount of stir-fry sauce (I used about 3/4 of the bottle), stir, and simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 3 minutes.
Serve your stir-fry mixture over seasoned whole brown rice (I simply add about 1-2 TB of light soy sauce to the water while boiling the rice in order to give it extra flavor).
This is an easy-prep meal that is veggie-packed and can be easily altered to incorporate your favorite vegetables!
I enjoyed my Cheater Vegetable Stir-Fry with seasoned, whole brown rice, corn, and unsweetened apple sauce. I definitely hit all of the food groups with this one!
Have you ever tried edamame?
If not, you definitely should. It is delicious!
