Recipe!! Sesame Ginger Stir-fry

This dish is fun, bright, and full of flavor. I really enjoy playing with exotic flavors and this sauce is amazing. With ginger, toasted sesame oil, vinegar, and maple syrup, it is very well-balanced; I use it for darn-near everything!  There is such a wide variety of veggies that textures are abound, and everyone in the family can eat and be pleased—even the littles will like it. It can be made with brown rice, yakisoba noodles, or eaten plain. It is vegan and without noodles, gluten-free!

Enjoy,

Tara

Ingredients:

    ¼ head of small purple cabbage

    3 dino kale leaves

    1 baby bok choy

    ½ orange bell pepper

    1 head of broccoli

    Handful of shiitake mushrooms

    ½ large zucchini

    8 oz. extra firm tofu, diced

Sesame Ginger Sauce

    3 tbsp. Tamari (or soy sauce)

    2 tbsp. rice vinegar

    3 tbsp. vegetable broth

    2 tbsp. maple syrup*

            (As an alternative, I love using apricot jam. It’s tangy, sweet and adds a whole new dimension—and always goes well with ginger!)

    2 tsp toasted sesame oil

    5 garlic cloves, minced

    2 tsp ginger, minced   

Garnish

    1 small carrot, peeled and grated

    2 oz. chopped green onion

    1 tbsp. sesame seeds

(Optional)

Koyo “Fine Udon” noodles

Directions:

1. Slice kale, cabbage, bok choy, and bell pepper into ribbons.

2. Chop broccoli, slice shiitake, dice tofu into cubes, and slice zucchini nice and thin (I used a mandolin slicer).

3. Brush a dab of olive oil onto a baking sheet. Lay a single layer of zucchini and tofu on the sheet. Preheat oven at 350°. Once the oven is ready, put the sheet in for 5 minutes, turn veggies, and replace for another 5 minutes.

• I put mine in for 10 and forgot to flip them—the zucchini is a little crispier than I wanted. Ha!

4. Whip up the sauce! Put all sauce ingredients into a bowl and whisk.

5. Heat a tbsp. or two of sauce in a large pan (or wok if you’re cooking with fire!) on medium.
• I’m not an enormous fan of bell peppers, so I like to cook mine until they’ve sweetened up.
• Throw the remaining veggies in (sans garnish), add another tbsp. or two of sauce, and cover for 10-15 minutes--until the broccoli is fork-tender but still a nice, bright green.
• The tofu and zucchini should be just out of the oven. Add those to the pan, toss with a tbsp. of sauce, and remove from heat.  

6. Top with garnish and eat!

(Pro-tip: Put the green onion buds and bok choy ends in some water, and when they start rooting, plant in soil and place in a sunny kitchen window!)