Stir Fry

I like to call this "poor man's stir fry", since all I only had broccoli and carrots in the fridge. But, it turned out really well. Both of these veggies are strong enough to hold up well through the cooking process, and their flavor blends well with the soy sauce. This was a good quick cold weather meal. I'm made versions of this before, and will probably keep making versions of this in the future.

Recipe: Serves 2-3

2 carrots, washed and julienne cut
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 C. cooked brown rice (I had instant on hand).

-Start cooking your rice as package/bag directs

-Cut all veggies. Combine broccoli and carrots.

-Heat olive oil, soy sauce and brown sugar over medium high heat in a large skillet

-Add onion, garlic and ginger and red pepper flakes. Saute until onions are tender, stir often to not burn the garlic.

-Add the carrots and broccoli. Continue to stir fry for about 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked. Serve warm over rice.

-Enjoy!!!

Pineapple Chicken Stir-fry

This is a newer recipe and one of my favorites! I saw a not so similar version on Better Crocker's website that was a cold turkey salad with pineapple and cauliflower. Everything was cooked using the stir fry method, then chilled and covered in a vinaigrette. Though I love cauliflower, I didn't think it had much of a place along side pineapple.

I will absolutely make this dinner again. It's tasty, pretty, easy, and healthy! Greg helped me prep the veggies and stir everything so nothing burned. Of course, he also helped eating a serving or two. Another great thing about this meal is that it re-heats wonderfully! The zucchini ends up a little overdone after you re-heat it, but the flavor is still great, especially that of the chicken. The next time I make this, I want to add some green onion to the soy sauce mixture, I think that would add a nice layer of flavor.

There isn't really a set recipe I follow for this, more of a technique. These measurements are all guesstimates.

Recipe:

3 Chicken breasts, sliced against the grain, each slice about 1/4 inch thick.
1-2 Zucchini, cut into slices, again about 1/4 inch thick.
1/2 Pineapple, cut into 1/2 inch -1 inch pieces
3-4 Carrots, julienne cut
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 C. Soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp dry ginger or 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 smashed garlic clove
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you want it spicy!)
1 tbs brown sugar

Mix the soy sauce with ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and brown sugar, set aside.
Cut the veggies, set aside
Cut the chicken, set aside

Add about 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet or wok, set to (high) medium high. Once to temp add the veggies and pineapple and half of the soy sauce mixture. Stir frequently. Once they are cooked about half way pour them (and the sauce) back into a large bowl, cover and set aside.

Add the chicken and the remaining soy sauce. Stir frequently. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add the veggies back in and stir. Enjoy!!!