Veggie Stir Fry

I adapted this super easy recipe from one we already make, which is fried rice. When I make fried rice, I usually start by making rice pilaf with rice, onions, garlic, and chicken broth. Then for the "fried" part, there was usually chopped chicken, lots of veggies, and eggs.

For this version, I made plain rice with veggie broth. Then I used the same process, without adding chicken or eggs.

There are a couple tricks to making fried rice, or authentic Chinese stir fry (authentic meaning, like you would get at a Chinese fast food joint).

The first trick is to use a wok. You can use a large, non-stick skillet, but the veggies tend to steam in it instead of fry, so there is a lot more moisture.

The second trick is just using a bit of sesame oil with regular veggie oil, and also some ginger. I keep a jar of minced ginger in the fridge because it comes in handy. You can also keep fresh ginger in the freezer and grate it when needed.

In this stir fry, I had red and green bell peppers, a head of cauliflower, a couple stalks of celery, two carrots, mushrooms and two jalapenos.

You can pretty much put in there whatever you like. I usually use broccoli and scallions, but I wanted to use cauliflower instead this time just for something different. I also usually have a yellow onion in there, but this time I didn't because I used up all the onions. ("You used up all the onions, on PURPOSE!")

Before you start the stir fry, you have to par-boil the cauliflower. You basically boil it for a few minutes and then immediately drain it and rinse it with cold water to stop it from cooking. This process guarantees it will be cooked and tender, but not mutilated baby food.

Once everything is chopped, diced, sliced, and ready to go, you heat up the wok on medium-high heat. Add some canola oil and a little bit of sesame oil (not too much, because it can quickly overpower all other flavors). Start by sauteing the garlic and ginger to flavor the oil a bit, but don't let them burn! Then you add all the other ingredients and just stir fry until they are the desired consistency.

You finish this off by flavoring it with some soy sauce, to your desired flavor. I usually just squirt the bottle into the pan until I think it's enough, but I kind of like a lot. You probably will want to add it little by little until it's flavored the way you like.

Now it's the best part... plating this beautiful concoction.

Make it all comfy cozy on top of a fluffy bed of rice, top it off with a little soy sauce (yes, more, because I like it, okay!), and then chow down!

Fettuccine with Low-Fat Cream Sauce

I'm following through on my promise to share recipes that we try, along with pictures and the results (did I promise that?). Anyway, today we tried a recipe called Fettuccine with Low Fat Cream Sauce with Summer Vegetables and Herbs de Provence. We got it from a gal called Emily Webber.com.

Let me start by saying it sounds fancy, with the "herbs de provence", but that is basically just a blend of dried herbs: savory, marjoram, basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. We didn't have rosemary or savory, so I just left those out.

The cream sauce consists of raw cashews* that are soaked in water for 4 hours, diced yellow squash, herbs de provence, salt, pepper, and some water.

I know, weird, right? I had some reservations, but you don't know until you try, so I tried. It's blended it up until it's the consistency of cream.

When I tasted the cream, it was surprisingly good! With the cashews it had a savory, nutty flavor, but with the herbs, and the subtle flavor of the squash, it had a nice balance.

The "Summer Vegetables" are carrot, baby spinach, cremini mushrooms, yellow or orange bell pepper, broccoli florets (I used some frozen chopped broccoli, because I didn't feel like "choppin' brocco-lay" {SNL reference}), yellow squash, zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes (we did not use tomatoes because we don't like tomatoes in cream sauce).

So after sauteing the veggies together, you add the cream sauce and heat it through. Then toss in the pasta and spinach and that's it. Not too taxing for me, since I don't like "slaving" in the kitchen all day. Here's the finished product:

Looks good, huh? And you know what? It was! Oh, I forgot to mention that we used penne instead of fettuccine because I thought I already had fettuccine on hand, but I didn't, and all I had was spaghetti, rotini, and penne. This dish was creamy, savory, hearty, and delicious. It's definitely a keeper!


* Tip: the term "raw" when referring to cashews is a misnomer, since cashews cannot be eaten raw out of the shell. There is a toxic resin that is under the shell, and in order to separate the nut from the shell without getting any of the toxic resin on the nut, it has to be steam-heated, until the shell opens and the nut comes out. So, in essence, the nut is cooked. I didn't know that until I was trying to figure out if I'd be able to find raw cashews at the store or not. For this recipe, I bought a can of whole cashews, unsalted.

Going Green

.... as in veggie. Yep, I never thought it would happen, but we have decided to change our diet to a mostly plant-based diet. Let me clarify.

This does not mean we're Vegan, although there is nothing wrong with being Vegan. I actually think it's a very good lifestyle to follow (to a point). I just don't want to create confusion, or to ruffle any feathers of those who are truly Vegan by claiming to be Vegan and not being truly Vegan.

Confused? Of course you are. When I say mostly plant-based diet, I mean that for the most part we are following a Vegan diet, but are not sticking to some of the ideals that most Vegans follow. We will still eat meat, occasionally. Some call this being Flexitarian, so maybe that's what we are. I choose not to label ourselves.

I also don't want to give the impression that we are changing our diet to save animals. It's a noble concept and I do feel that factory farming can be absolutely disgusting and atrocious. But I also believe that God has told us that we can eat meat if we want to, so I see no problem with it. In fact, I think meat tastes good.

We came to the decision to change our diet (finally) after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives. We had already considered the idea of going veggie before, but could not find the motivation to really commit. This documentary changed our perspective on food and gave us the motivation to change.

We started this right before Christmas and have continued. Honestly, it has been easier than I thought it would be. We are already used to cooking foods from scratch and trying a wide variety of recipes. We can whip up a batch of fried rice that is better than most restaurants! The hardest part about it is finding options for lunch, and eating out. But overall we have been doing great, feeling great, and losing weight.

So I will be writing about some of the recipes we try, how they turn out, sharing pictures, and hopefully encouraging others to give it a try.