Stir-Fry

Stir fry is one of my go-to meals.  I usually have the ingredients on hand, and I can throw it together quickly.  There is no real “recipe” and my stir fry is a bit different every time depending on what’s in my fridge.  Here is the one thing that is always in my stir fry:

 

 

Let’s face it, a delicious sauce made with love from fresh ingredients is the best.  But there are days when I have approximately 16.5 minutes to throw dinner together so we can get on with our busy evening.  When that is the case, a store-bought sauce will have to do.  I’ve tried other bottled sauces and we either don’t like the flavor, or they’re too runny.  This one is our favorite, and it works great as a dip for tempura vegetables as well.  (side note:  while this does contain sugar, don’t get caught up on that.  If some yummy sauce helps your kids eat a plate full of vegetables, then go for it!)

 

I also keep some of these noodles in my pantry.  They’re thin, so they boil up quickly and I can toss them in with the stir fry at the last minute.  It can help stretch a 3-serving stir fry into a 4 or 5-serving stir fry.  I also use these noodles in my Sesame Ginger Noodles. 

 

 

The vegetables (and fruits) that have made an appearance in this dish at one time or another are (in no particular order):  mushrooms, carrots, yellow onions, green onions, green/yellow/red peppers, sliced water chestnuts, zucchini, cilantro, pineapple, diced tomatoes, broccoli, and celery.  Usually I only have 3 or 4 of those on hand, and I think if you were to use too many veggies it would be kind of a mess. 

 

 

To finish off the stir fry, I have some toasted sesame seeds on the table as well as this stuff:  Chili Garlic Sauce.  I can take about 3 drops of this stuff, while Mr. Dinner’s on Me can ladle it on by the spoonful. 

 

There is not really a recipe for stir fry, so instead I’ll type up the process that I use to create my stir fry.  First I prep all my meats and vegetables.  Usually I’m using chicken, and I chop it into bite sized pieces so it’s easy for the kids to manage.  Vegetables get the same treatment.

 

I heat a large fry pan (mine’s non-stick) to medium-high heat and add a Tablespoon or so of oil.  Add the chicken pieces and cook until about half way done.  Push chicken to the side, add a little more oil if necessary and toss in your vegetables.  If you pan is not big enough, you may need to remove your chicken for this step.  I let the veggies cook for 4-5 minutes and then I add some teriyaki sauce and stir everything together.  The chicken and vegetables finish cooking in the sauce.  Depending on the vegetables you use, you may need to add a little bit of water.  At this point, I toss in my cooked noodles so they can absorb some of the flavor of the sauce.  You could also serve the stir fry over plain noodles, or leave the noodles out and serve over rice. 

 

We love this dish as leftovers too!