How Many Veggies...

As the weather gets warm, in theory at least, all sorts of things start to happen in the produce aisle. All these amazing colors start to spring up (no pun intended): sweet corn, peas still in their pods, the greenest of green beans, shiny red peppers- well, just too many beautiful veggies to count! The mission: get as many fresh vegetables as possible into one meal.

Stir-fry is one of my go-to dishes. It’s so easy, so healthy, and best of all, so tasty! I throw whatever I have on hand into it, so it always send up a little different, but each time, just as delicious. I searched high and low, but could not find my favorite teriyaki sauces anywhere, so I had to make do with an imposter brand. Andrew and I have a long-running debate on which is the best…Bad news Andrew, no one can beat Mr. Yoshida’s special blend. This strange brand wasn’t quite up to snuff, so I had to add some chili powder, a dash of Worcestershire, and garlic to improve it.

The trick in making stir-fry is to brown the meat before you add all the veggies. Since the meat takes much less time to cook than the veggies, throw the meat (I chose skirt steak for tonight’s dish) in a hot pan first to sear the it, then transfer the meat to a holding dish and set aside. Cook the vegetables in the same pan the meat was in, soaking up all the yummy flavors. Cover, stirring the mixture from time to time to keep it from sticking.  When the veggies get a little tender, add the meat back in, pour on a generous amount of sauce, and simmer until cooked through.

No Hawaiian girl worth her salt would serve this without a big pot of rice! I always add a dash of salt while the rice is cooking for flavor. This meal is complete for me, but Andrew, for some strange reason, believes that stir fry is served with tortillas. Never mind that they are from a completely different culture, on a completely different continent. It’s something he picked up from Mongolian Grill restaurants that serve their veggie/meat/sauce combos with warm flour tortillas. Now I have never been to Mongolia, I don’t think I have even met a Mongolian person, but I am reasonably sure that their national dishes do include stir-fry from a buffet line with tortillas on the side… But whatever culture it comes from, they may have a good idea there. Delicious teriyaki steak wraps!