This yummy stir-fry is quick, easy, and uses up all those leftover veggies in your fridge!
Ingredients:
Any leftover vegetables in your fridge—i.e. squash, mushrooms, green onions, carrots, peppers, chopped into bite-size pieces.
Any protein that you like, cut into bite-size pieces—i.e. beef, shrimp, chicken, sausage links
3 Tbs. olive oil, divided into 1 and 2 Tbs.
Cooked rice
Sauce:
2 Tbs rice vinegar
2 Tbs wine (optional) red or white, whatever you have on hand
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs brown sugar
¼ cup chicken broth
1 clove garlic, diced OR 1 teaspoon powdered garlic
Slurry:
2 Tbs. cornstarch
¼ cup water
Directions:
1) Whisk sauce ingredients together into a bowl. Set aside, near the stove.
2) Make the slurry in a small bowl. Set aside, near the stove.
3) If using beef or chicken, slice into thin, bite-size piece. If using shrimp, rinse and peel. If using sausage, slice diagonally. Again, set aside.
4) Place 1 Tbs. oil in a large skillet and over medium-high heat, brown your protein. (If using shrimp, be careful not to overcook. Only cook until they begin to turn pale pink.) Remove to a plate.
5) Add remaining 2 Tbs oil, toss in your veggies, and cook until tender crisp, stirring and turning frequently.
6) Toss your protein back in and cook until protein is cooked through. If using shrimp, go immediately to next step.
7) Whisk your sauce back into shape, then pour into skillet. Stir to incorporate.
8) Whisk your slurry. Push everything in the skillet to the sides and add slurry to center of the skillet. As it begins to thicken, push everything back and stir until sauce is the consistency you desire.
9) Serve over hot, cooked rice.
Tips:
· If you think you can get away with not doing the prep work first, believe me, you will be sorry. Once you start cooking, this goes fast! So, do yourself a favor, and chop, chop, chop, mix, mix, mix first.
The sauce. The wine adds a nice flavor, but if you're a teetotaler or just don't have any on hand, just add a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth or water.
Here's the slurry.
Oops! I forgot my chicken broth. Just pretend there's a yellow box sitting there
·
Chop, chop, chop.
Wait? A cast iron skillet? Don't you need a Wok? NO! I had a wok for years, and it just took up too much space in my kitchen. I like to use my cast iron because it creates such a nice char.
I used squash, onion, and red & green bell pepper.
Look at that sauce getting nice and thick once the slurry was added.
· Use any kind of rice you like. In the photo at the top, I used leftover mushroom rice. Fried rice is great with this, or you can cheat, which I often do, and use Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. Just be sure it's ready to go because once this baby is ready, you won't want to wait!