Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Total Time: 30 Minutes

Submitted by: Lesley Levinski

If you often struggle with what to make for dinner,  your problem is easily solved with stir fry! The nice thing is there are no rules so you can get creative! It will never taste the same way twice as you can change up the veggies, the base, the protein, and sauces 🙂 AND…the best thing about a stir fry is that it tastes even better the next day so you can have leftovers for lunch!!

Ingredients:

Here are my favourites, but add/take out what you like!
You can half or double as needed.

• Choose your choice of protein: beef, chicken, turkey sausage, shrimp or extra firm tofu
• 1 head of broccoli – chopped, stems cleaned and included
• 4 bok choy leaves and stems
• 2 carrots – chopped in rounds
• 1 (or even 2) bell pepper(s) (red/orange/yellow/green)
• 6 Cremini mushrooms
• 1 small red Spanish onion
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 can of water chestnuts

Directions:

• Chop all vegetables to the size you like and set aside. Drain water chestnuts set aside.
• Heat pan to med-high add 1 tbsp of coconut oil then add the crushed garlic to pan.
• Add meat/tofu and cook. Set aside. Keep all liquids in pan.
• Start adding vegetables. Always add the vegetables that take the longest to soften in pan first (ie carrots, celery, onion), let soften and add rest of vegetables.
• Once almost ready re-add the meat/tofu.
• Pour ¾ of the stir fry sauce over entire mixture and blend.
• Save a little stir fry sauce to add to the bed (rice, quinoa, noodles).

Stir Fry Sauce:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free)
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
• ½ tbsp sesame oil
• 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar

Thickening sauce:

• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water

Directions for Sauce:

• Add all stir fry sauce ingredients together, stir well, and set aside. Make the thickening sauce by blending the two ingredients. Add the stir fry sauce mix to it bit by bit until all blended.
  ** When I don’t have time to make the sauce from scratch, I use a combo of 2 tbsp Bragg’s liquid soy seasoning mix, ½ tsp sesame oil and 3 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce, and 1 tbsp of water. Stir mixture well and add.

Optional Ingredients:

• kale, collards, snap peas, green beans, green onions, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, baby corn, celery, red cabbage, etc.
  If you have a spiralizer – zucchini as a base would be excellent. Spaghetti squash, quinoa, brown rice, or vermicelli noodles as a bed for the protein and veg are all healthy and deelish.

Recipe Notes: The more colour the better, try to have at least 5 colours to get all the antioxidants and phytonutrients possible!!

Happy cooking!! 🙂