Martin Grim, CH
It’s a scenario most of us are familiar with: you’ve recently made the decision to take control of your health, eliminate food allergens and junk food from the diet; maybe you’ve even decided to take that next step in your weight management and have cut out carbs from your diet. As you take stock of what you can eat, you can’t help but wonder “what IS there left for me to eat?” Thankfully, it’s a lot easier than you may think to combine all sorts of vegetables in very tasty and satisfying ways.
One of the easiest ways to make a nutrient-dense meal is by taking advantage of the Stir-Fry. Simple to make, relatively inexpensive, very healthy and nutritious; stir-fries are variable according to your tastes, and can be made with or without meat and/or animal products. Here is a recipe I’m fond of, originally found at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/vegetable-stir-fry-recipe/index.html, I modified the recipe according to my own tastes. The addition of meat or other vegetables can be easily incorporated into the meal, as well as substitutions for some of the vegetables (as I did if you compare the following with the recipe in the web link provided above).
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Coconut oil
1 red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned
1 yellow Bell Pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned
1/2 cup thinly sliced Red Onion
1 cup half-moon sliced Yellow Squash
1 cup small Broccoli florets
1 baby Eggplant, cut into chunks
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 cups sliced Kale
1 cup fresh Mung Bean sprouts
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Snow Peas
2 tablespoons Sesame oil
Directions
Start by preparing and cutting all the vegetables and measuring your ingredients so that they are ready to go. Once you begin stir-frying, it goes very quickly.
In a wok or large skillet, heat Coconut oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add the Peppers and Onion while stirring constantly. While continuing to stir, add successively the Squash, Broccoli, Eggplant, and Garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the Kale, Sprouts, Pepper, and salt and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes more.
Stir in Snow Peas and Sesame oil and remove from heat. Serve immediately.
Stir-fry can be eaten at any meal, and may be tailored to that meal; for example, a Sausage, Potato, Mushroom, Onion and Spinach stir-fry is an excellent way to start the morning.
