Broccoli Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

This recipe is a perfect example of how simple, satisfying and delicious an all-veggie meal can be. Stir-fried broccoli, red peppers and garlic get tossed in a peanut sauce and served over rice.

1 cup dried rice, rinsed

1/3 c. peanut butter

1 T. brown sugar

2 T. soy sauce, divided

1 T. rice wine vinegar

2 T. coconut, peanut or other oil with a high smoke point

1 lb. broccoli florets

1 large red bell pepper, cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. chopped peanuts

Red pepper flakes or hot chili sauce, to taste

Cook rice according to package instructions.

Make peanut sauce by combining peanut butter, brown sugar, 1 T. soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and 1/4 cup water. Set aside.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet. Add broccoli and stir continuously for 3 to 5 minutes or until the broccoli begins to turn bright green.

Add remaining 1 T. soy sauce and 1/4 cup water to the wok along with red pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil and stir fry all veggies until lightly steamed and liquid has evaporated some. 

Remove from heat and stir in peanut sauce. Divide rice and veggies among four plates and top each with 1 T. chopped peanuts. Serve with hot pepper flakes or hot chili sauce, such as Sriracha.

Red Curry with Vegetables

Add a good curry paste and coconut milk to your pantry and you'll be all set to make a delicious Thai curry any time you have a bunch of vegetables you're looking to do something different with. You can use any vegetables, but the only one I always want to be sure I include (aside from the onion) is potato. Since this is a vegetarian dish, the potato makes it more filling. And it absorbs the curry sauce, reminding me a little bit of tofu.

1 1/2 cups long-grain white or brown rice

1 T. vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1-2 T. curry paste

1 small can coconut milk

1 cup water

1 cup diced carrots

1 large white potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes

1 crown of broccoli, chopped into florets

1 red pepper, diced

salt to taste

Rinse your rice. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups salted water to a boil and add rice. Stir and cover, reducing the heat to medium so the water slowly simmers. Let cook undisturbed (do not open the lid) for 45 minutes. Check rice and remove from heat once the rice has absorbed all the liquid.

While rice is cooking, chop your vegetables. When the rice has 25 more minutes to cook, heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or with a lid. Saute onion 5 minutes or until tender but not brown. Add curry paste (amount depends on how spicy you like it) and stir until fragrant. Mix water and coconut milk and add to the pan along with carrots and potatoes (or any hearty vegetables).

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over medium to medium low. Cook covered for 8 minutes and then add broccoli and pepper (or other more tender vegetables). Cook for another 5-7 minutes or until tender. If using greens, like kale, Swiss chard or spinach, add those 2-3 minutes before you remove the skillet from the heat. Add salt to taste and serve over the rice.

Fried Rice

This recipe puts leftover rice to good use, and is great for clearing out veggies from the fridge and freezer. Leave the bacon out and make it vegetarian.

1 cup uncooked (or 2 cups cooked) long-grain rice

1/4 lb. bacon, chopped (or 2 T. canola or coconut oil)

1 cup onion, chopped

1 T. garlic, minced

2 t. fresh ginger, minced

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

2 cups shredded cabbage

3 cups other fresh, frozen or pre-cooked vegetables (peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, green beans, corn, etc.)

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 eggs

1 T. toasted sesame seed oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse rice and prepare according to package instructions. While it cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until just shy of being crisp, tossing occasionally. Remove bacon, reserving grease, and add onion, garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook two minutes and add carrots, cabbage and any other hearty fresh vegetables (broccoli, zucchini). Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften. Add remaining fresh (pepper, mushrooms), frozen or pre-cooked vegetables and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add rice and soy sauce and stir to combine. Whisk eggs with sesame seed oil andd 1/4 t. salt and add to hot pan, stirring until eggs are cooked. Return bacon to the pan and stir in. Serve hot with additional soy sauce.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Stew

Comfort food has never been so healthy! Spicy curry and sweet butternut squash make a great combo. Roast the butternut squash in advance to make this quick to prepare.

Inspired by Martha Stewart Living's Red Lentil and Squash Curry Soup.

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 T. olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

fresh ginger, minced (no more than the garlic)

1 T. curry powder

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

2 cups chopped Kale, Collards or other hearty greens

salt and pepper to taste

On a baking sheet, toss squash with 1 1/2 T. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 425 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender. Heat remaining 1 1/2 T. olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic and ginger until tender. Add curry powder and cook for one more minute, or until fragrant. Add vegetable broth and lentils. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add kale and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in roasted squash with any pan juices and cook for another minute until warmed throughout. Season with salt to taste and serve hot.

BEV NOTE: Roasty stout or porter ale

Vegetable Lo Mein

I never order lo mein at Chinese restaurants, but this is easy enough to make at home and I think tastes better than what you get at most restaurants. It does take a bit of time to make, so ordering take-out will definitely be quicker!

I've tried to minimize the amount of ingredients that I don't already have in my pantry. If there are ingredients here you don't have, either leave it out, substitute for something similar, or make the investment and just fix this lo mein a couple more times this year!

1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms (or fresh if you want to splurge)

3 eggs

1 t. sesame oil (can substitute or omit)

4 cloves garlic, minced

fresh ginger, peeled and minced, no more than the garlic (can substitute 1 t. ginger powder)

1/4 cup soy sauce (divided)

1 T. sugar

1 T. dry sherry or Chinese rice wine (substitute any sweet wine or omit)

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 small turnip, cut into matchsticks (substitute other hard vegetable or omit)

3 cups thinly sliced cabbage

3 T. canola, peanut, coconut or other oil with a high smoke point

1 lb. lo mein noodles or whole wheat spaghetti

1/4 cup stir-fry sauce

In a small saucepan, boil 3 cups of water. Remove from heat, add dried mushrooms and cover to allow mushrooms to reconstitute (at least 10 minutes). 

Whisk eggs and sesame oil and season with salt if desired. Pour egg mixture into non-stick skillet over medium heat. As eggs begin to cook, move cooked parts to the middle of the pan to allow for uncooked egg to fill in the exposed edges, making an egg cake. Put a lid on the skillet for a minute to get any liquid egg on top to cook. Transfer to a plate to cool, and then cut into strips.

Drain mushrooms (reserving the mushroom water to add to a beef or vegetable broth in the future) and squeeze the liquid from them. In a small bowl, combine mushooms, garlic, ginger, sugar, 2 T. soy sauce, and dry sherry or sweet wine. Set aside, allowing to marinate for a few minutes.

Chop cabbage, carrots and radish. Heat a large pot of salted water to cook noodles. Heat 1 T. oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.

When water boils, add noodles, cooking according to package instructions. Add mushroom mixure to hot wok and cook, stirring continually for about 3 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked and garlic and ginger are very fragrant. Remove from pan and add remaining 2 T. oil. Add cabbage, carrots and radish, stirring continually until vegetables reach desired tenderness (I like them with a little crunch still). Add a few spashes of soy sauce once vegetables begin to wilt to encourage them to steam.

Drain noodles and add to wok, along with mushroom mixture and egg strips. Stir in stir-fry sauce and toss all ingredients until well combined. Serve hot with soy sauce and Sriracha hot chili sauce.