Veggie Loaded Stir Fry

Do you ever have those days that you know you didn't eat the healthiest of lunches?  I had one of those days yesterday.  At my work, to celebrate the Mountain West Region reaching its profit goals, we had a pizza party.  Luckily, I was the one tasked to order all of the pizzas, so I was able to put in an order for a thin crust, all veggie, and light cheese pizza.  Although this was a better choice than to have a thick, hand-tossed pizza loaded with cheese and meat, it still wasn't as plant-strong as I normally have for lunch.  To make up for the white flour and cheese in my gut last night, I made myself this Veggie-Loaded Stir Fry.

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Serves: 2

Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

• approximately 1.5 to 2 lbs of raw vegetables (I used yellow onion, celery, carrots, green beans, bell pepper, broccoli, then tomatoes and green onion for topping)

• Sauce:  You can use any sauce that you prefer, but I happen to LOVE peanut sauces
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce (more to taste)
• 2 Tbsp white rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp brown rice syrup (or preferred sweetener)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (more to taste)

Instructions:

1. Wash and cut all of your veggies (I like to cut my celery and carrots at a diagonal, then thin slices for my pepper and onion)
2. In a large skillet, heat several tablespoons of water over medium-high heat until a rapid boil.  Add in the veggies and saute, adding more water as needed to keep the veggies from burning.
3. In a smaller bowl to the side, combine the ingredients for your chosen sauce.  Allow the veggies to cook until tender and add the sauce.  Heat until the sauce is bubbling and turn down the temperature to a simmer.  Allow any excess liquid to boil off.
4. Add in your choice of bean if you prefer at this time and heat for a few more minutes (I added some leftover black eyed peas.)
5. Serve by itself, or on top of brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat noodles, etc.

Amy's Notes:
I ate my stir fry by itself, but as I said above, I added in some extra black eyed peas, then topped off with fresh tomatoes and green onions.  This is a great way to still enjoy a warm dish without a grain (that is not another soup!).  For those of you doing the first 6 weeks of ETL, when it is recommended to eat 1 lb of cooked vegetables daily, this recipe will help you get there!


What is your favorite veggie to have in a stir fry?