For as long as I can remember, I’ve talked with our kids about caring for our planet. We talk about trash that ends up in the ocean, fossil fuels that weaken our ozone layer, and polar bears who are losing their sea ice. We pick up trash in the neighborhood, bring our own Tupperware to restaurants, and have been known to pull a plastic water bottle or soda can out of a trash can and bring it home to recycle. (I know. That’s disgusting.) And more recently, those darling little environmentalists have corrected my behavior.
“Mom, turn off the car. You’re wasting gas.”
“Mom, you really shouldn’t be using that straw.”
Andrew, who is already drafting plans (very vague plans, mind you) for massive ocean clean ups, is my darling who takes these lessons to heart. In fact, I took him to Party City to buy decorations for his birthday party, and when he realized we were there to buy paper products that would end up in a landfill, he shook his head at me and told me we already had plates at home. We left the store with nothing, and I served dinner to all the guests on our regular dinner plates. Bless.
I continue to read over and over again that the best thing I can do for the planet is to cut back on meat consumption. So that’s what we’ve been doing. Not vegetarians, but we’ve consciously cut back on our meat consumption this past year and aim for 3-4 vegetarian dinners each week. Some recipes are not well received—I’m looking at you Black Bean & Quinoa Tacos—and others have quickly become regulars in the rotation. This Veggie Stir Fry is one of the favorites, and shows up in every monthly meal plan.
Note: I don’t measure the vegetables, and I use this recipe as a way to load up on veggies while also clearing out anything that needs to be used. If you only have 1 pepper, don’t run out to the store for another. If you don't like mushrooms, don’t use them. If your kids really carrots, add six instead of four.
One More Note: And while I’m at it, I don’t measure the sauce ingredients either. (And this is why I’ll never write a cook book.) I add each ingredient with a heavy hand because a good sauce makes everything better.
Serves: 4-6 Total time: About 30 minutes
The Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce or coconut amino if you’re into that stuff
3 TB honey
1 TB (minimum!) fresh ginger, minced—I actually use a microplane to grate it.
2 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tsp corn starch
The Stir Fry:
small spoonful of coconut oil
3-4 cups broccoli florets
4 large carrots, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup snow peas
2/3 cup frozen edamame shelled
1 small can of sliced water chestnuts
handful of cashews
rice for serving
Sauce: Whisk all of sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
Sauté Vegetables: In a large pan or wok, heat the coconut oil. Cook broccoli and carrot slices in oil for 5-7 minutes. Then add bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and snow peas. Sauté for another 5 minutes until softened. Add edameme and water chestnuts for last 2 minutes of cook time.
Add sauce to vegetables: Stir in the sauce with cooked vegetables, and cook for 1 minute with veggies until sauce thickens. Serve with rice and top each serving with a some cashews.
Enjoy!