Simple Stir Fry

Other than a good ole PB&J sandwhich, there aren't many meals out there that are as easy and as fulfilling as a good stir fry. This is the 'let's clean the fridge' meal, allowing you to really try your hand at creativity. The basics for stir fry are simple:

Protein - chicken, beef, pork, tofu, shrimp, almonds etc.
Veggies - anything goes, just make sure they are all cut the same size, and that you cook them in a good order (watch for veggies that cook super fast!)
Sauce - 1/2 cup of broth (veggie, chicken, beef, even water will do in a pinch), 2 tsps cornstarch, 2 tblsp soy/tamari sauce (easily doubles if you have loads of veggies)
Carb - rice, noodles

My favourite stir fry starts with extra firm tofu. I pat it dry, cut it up, and marinate it in some tamari for about 5 minutes. While the tofu is marinating I chop all my veggies. Staples for me include celery, carrots, peppers, snap peas, zucchini, canned baby corn (that's a Brent pick!), water chestnuts, & sprouts. Some things we've tried include cucumbers (not that awesome), asparagus (works depending on your protein). Just play with the flavour combinations, you'll figure out what you like. I love adding pineapple if I'm making a beef stir fry.

Heat some olive oil in your wok or frying pan on high, and start frying up the tofu (about 4 minutes is what I prefer). Add the veggies. At this point I usually add about half a cup of water and put a lid on, toss it all up and let it steam. Watch it, the veggies don't take long to cook, and you'll know when they're ready. Save snap peas and sprouts etc. for right before you add the sauce.

For the sauce you just want to mix the ingredients, and don't worry, it will settle and need to be stirred right before adding to the pan. It will thicken when it heats in the pan.

For my carb, I like to use steam fried noodles, they take about 2 minutes in boiling water to cook, and there's just something about them that I love. That being said, if you are going to serve this with rice, try and remember to put the rice on before you start anything, cause it will stay warm, but there's nothing worse than waiting for rice to cook!

Once everything is cooked up, I prefer to mix it all in the same pan, but to each their own.

Don't forget to grab your chopsticks!