Thyme For Nutrition

Stir Fries are one of the easiest ways to eat lots of veggies.

The most common ingredients in a stir-fry are a couple of large carrots (peeled and cut diagonally), cauliflower and broccoli cut into small florets (or branches), a large onion cut into chunks, red and green peppers cut into chunks and perhaps snow peas. Top it off with bottled sauce or make your own and serve on rice.

You can vary the combination in your stir-fry so that it will be a totally different meal. Here are some ideas:

The protein part can be fish, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, tofu, nuts such as cashews. The sauce really makes a difference. There are so many varieties: sweet and sour sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey garlic sauce, peanut sauce, cherry sauce, hoisin sauce, clam sauce, black bean sauce or even your favorite hot sauce. Try different assortments of veggies. Stir-fries tend to use firmer vegetables rather than ones that get mushy when cooking. Select veggies you may never have tried before: bok choy, bamboo shoots, shredded cabbage, water chestnuts, mushroom slices (different varieties) even mini corn. Don’t be afraid to experiment!  You can always add a little topping to make it more special: dried noodles, cashew nuts, even fruit like mandarin oranges. Then serve it on or with, rice (brown or basmati), noodles (thin Asian variety, or vermicelli) or even another whole grain.
Building a stirfry with these different ideas can allow you to serve one each week without feeling repetitive. Keep the fat content down by using a non-stick pan and by spraying olive oil on it as well as using lean protein.  You will have a healthy, low fat meal.