Ginger Soy Vegetable Stir Fry

Growing up, vegetables almost always played a secondary or tertiary role to meat, predominately beef, and starch, usually potatoes. Even with this limited exposure, I have always been a vegetable lover when fresh vegetables are served to me. However, when I'm planning out our weekly menu, I can sometimes fall back into the habit of forgetting to include a sufficient amount of veggies in a meal or week of meals.

Robert regularly asks for me to cook more veggies, and I am just now starting to discover meals that meet his request. Of course I'm benefitted by a husband who is willing to forgo meat from time to time if the vegetarian meal I place before him is flavorful and filling. This stir fry meets both requirements. The ginger soy and low-sodium soy sauces provide the veggies with a great flavor without compromising the health benefits and the veggies and rice are more than enough for a satisfying dinner.

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Ginger Soy Vegetable Stir Fry


Ingredients
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 of a red onion cut into thick slices
3/4 cup sugar snap peas
1 package sliced mushrooms
3 green onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon ginger soy sauce
1 small can water chestnuts, drained
cooked brown rice

Instructions
In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium high heat.

 Add the squash, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, snap peas and onions.

 Saute for 9 minutes then add the garlic and green onions.

 Saute for 2 minutes more then add the water chestnuts and stir to warm through.

 Pour in low sodium soy sauce,

 and ginger soy sauce.

 Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over a bed of brown rice for a healthy vegetarian meal.

Quinoa with Mushrooms and Broccoli

In my efforts to incorporate healthier meals into our weekly meals I am working hard to find healthy substitutions for some of our favorite dishes. Over the last several years Robert and I have become big fans of risotto, but the complex carbs in the rice, and amount of cheese make it less than ideal when it comes to trying to eat great and lose weight.

A few months ago when I was googling risotto recipes for different ingredient combinations, I came across a recipe that replaced arborio rice with the grain quinoa. Not knowing what quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) was I quickly moved past the recipe. A few weeks ago Robert and I were discussing nutrition with our trainer and he mentioned that quinoa is a whole grain that's packed with protein.

So this week I decided to make quinoa with ingredients I love in risotto, mushrooms and broccoli. One of the things I love the most about this quinoa recipe is that it is much less involved than risotto, but has a similar taste and texture. If you like risotto and you're trying to eat healthier, you should try this recipe.

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Quinoa with Mushrooms and Broccoli


Ingredients
1 cup rinsed quinoa
2 cups salted water
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 package shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 head of broccoli cut into florets
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
Grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Bring the 2 cups of salted water to boil in a  medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered until the water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for 12 minutes and set aside.

While the broccoli and quinoa are cooking, heat the butter in a skillet over medium high heat.

 Add the onions and saute until browned, about 6 minutes.

 Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes more.

 Add the mushrooms and thyme and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the wine and simmer until the wine has reduced and thickened slighty, about 8 minutes.

 Add the quinoa

 and the broccoli

 and stir to combine.

Serve with shaved parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit

Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry

Robert and I are at the tail end of a wonderful vacation in Ruidoso, New Mexico. As Suzie and I have mentioned, it's been a really hot summer in Dallas, nearly breaking the record for number of days with over 100 degree temperatures. When I was presented with the opportunity to take a short vacation between clients at work, Robert and I packed up our bags and headed to the mountains to my family's cabin.

We got in Saturday night and have enjoyed days full of golf, good food and family ever since. Robert is an avid golfer and has certainly enjoyed being able to play later in the morning than he has been forced to play during the Dallas heat wave. I'm still learning to play golf, and while it's still frustrating at times, I enjoy getting to participate in a game he enjoys.

 My grandparents spend most of the summer up here in Ruidoso, so we've also been able to spend time with them as well. Mimi, my grandmother, is an excellent cook and I spent many days in my childhood standing next to her in the kitchen while she crafted our family meals or baked cookies and other sweets. Last night, she prepared this wonderful pork stir fry and let me take pictures and help as we went along.

This dish is great for several reasons. To start, it's fairly simple and easy to put together, the most time consuming part is prepping the veggies. Second, it's quite healthy and also delicious. There aren't many Asian dishes in my cooking repertoire right now so I was excited to get to add a new one! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did.

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Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients
1 package of boneless pork chops, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 package of mushrooms sliced
1/2 a yellow onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas
1 small can water chestnuts (optional)
1 12 ounce can bean sprouts
2-3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup low sodium beef broth, divided
cooked white rice

Instructions
Start by prepping the pork and vegetables.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. We used an electric skillet but a large skillet on the stove top would work as well.

Add the pork and cook for about 3 minutes, until almost cooked through.

Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1/4 cup of beef broth to the pork.

Add the onions and celery and saute for about 3 minutes.

Add the snap peas, broccoli and mushrooms and stir to combine.

Add the water chestnuts and bean sprouts.

Pour in the remaining soy sauce and beef broth and cover, cooking for about 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Serve over rice and enjoy.