The Veggie Drawer - Pt. I

Our box of veggies arrives on Thursday morning so to make sure I'll have room for the new goodies, I have to make sure we've used all the veggies from the previous week.  (Occasionally, this actually does happen.  One week we were out of veggies by Monday!)

I have two "go to" meals guaranteed to a) please the hubby and son; and b) use up most anything I find in the veggie drawer.

Use Up #1 - Stir Fry

It's quick, it's easy and no matter how busy my day has been, no matter if I've remembered to set out a protein to include (a chicken breast, a pork chop, a steak) I can always pull this meal together in roughly 30 minutes.

• Step 1 - Rice.  I don't generally go for those "single use" gadgets.  Who's got the room?  But my rice cooker is one of my prized possessions.  Not "the house is on fire and I can only save one thing" kind of deal because the fact is, these things are pretty darn cheap.  Yes, you can buy the jumbotron "I'm thinking of opening an Asian restaurant" or "I'd really like to be able to steam an entire chicken" type deals at Costco, but seriously, I bet you can pick one of these up for less than $10 at Bed, Bath & Beyond (though you might need a coupon for that - and why would anyone buy anything there WITHOUT a coupon?). 
• Step 2 - Veggies.  I have a large glass bowl and it holds the perfect amount of vegetables that will fit in my fry pan.  I set out my cutting board, my large knife and head to the VD (veggie drawer) to pull out anything I find there.  I like to go for color, if it's available (carrots, red pepper, etc.) but if green's all I got, greens is what we eat.  Anything goes - especially anything "old or tired," "dribs and drabs" (those little bits of things that didn't get used in last week's meals), anything I didn't find another use for.  I also pull out containers of any leftover vegetables from previous dinners.  It all works (you just might need to add it in a different order since it's already cooked).  Seriously - the list of what won't work is WAY SHORTER than what will.  We've certainly got our favorite veggies (carrots, peppers, onions, celery, baby bok choy, broccoli, green onions & snap peas) but I've used green or red cabbage (just shred it), bagged coleslaw mix (BEFORE it becomes coleslaw!), mushrooms, corn (leftover - kernels removed from cob) or any leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard).
• Step 3 - Protein.  Not exactly necessary, you can make this meal totally vegetarian if you choose.  We like protein so I'll either find something "new" from the freezer (chicken breast, pork chop, beef steak) or "recycled" (leftover BBQ chicken or flank steak is great!) or you can stray entirely off the reservation (try a kielbasa - just slice it up thinly).  If you've forgotten to plan ahead and set something out, no worries.  The meat will actually slice easier if it's frozen and since you'll be slicing it thinly, it will cook just fine.  We're not big on tofu around here, but I know others are and they tell me it's great too.
• Step 4 - Sauce.  We used to have on hand a large bottle of Yoshida's Teriyaki sauce but since I'm trying to wean us off of chemical-ladened food (thank you Jenny!), I'm always on the look out for a good stir fry sauce recipe.  I think I've finally honed in on one that is our favorite (it's a variation of one I found at www.allrecipes.com - that is an amazing site!  Be sure to read at least some of the reviews because you'll get some great ideas/tips there as well!)

Terri's Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

• 1 packet chicken or beef broth (see previous posting or you can use a bouillon cube or granules but you'll be adding quite a bit of salt here)
• 1 cup hot water (or if you're adding canned fruit, use the drained juice instead.  If you're using "stock in a box" then just use 1 cup instead).
• 2 Tbls cornstarch
• 1/3 Cup Tamari sauce (I like this instead of soy because it's both sweeter and less salty)
• 1 tsp minced garlic (~1 clove)
• 1 tsp grated ginger*
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• Step 5 - Putting it all together.

• I start the rice cooking first (because it's going to take the longest).
• Veggie prep:  Anything raw is going in my "veggie bowl" and the leftover (previously cooked veggies) are going to be set aside.  Since we like to cook together, Gerry is in charge of the "protein prep" (which just amounts to thinly slicing the meat).
• Once the raw veggies are ready, I heat up my REALLY LARGE frying pan (I suppose I could use a wok but I've got a great pan that works just fine).  I get it "screaming hot" (as Rachael would say) and add just a bit of canola (1 or at most 2 tsp) to give the veggies someplace to start.  (I tried just using the non-stick pan but at this heat it leaves a residue that requires a bit of scrubbing and since I'm not the one usually doing the final dishes of the night, I like to keep my dishwasher happy!)  Then I dump the veggies from the bowl into the pan, spread them out and (this is important) LEAVE THEM ALONE for 2-3 minutes before stirring.  I like them to develop a bit of color (carmelize, if you will) and this can't happen unless they get a chance to maintain some extended direct contact with the heat.  Truly - resist the urge to keep stirring them (easier said than done I know!)
• While the veggies are cooking, I mix up the sauce. 
• Once veggies are done, toss any "leftover" veggies into the bowl first (so they will be at the bottom and get warmed up) and then remove veggies from frying pan into this bowl as well.
• Let the pan come back up to temp and add just a little more canola oil.  If I'm using raw meat, add it in a single layer and again LEAVE IT ALONE for 2-3 minutes before flipping it over to cook the other side.  (Otherwise, the meat will essentially "poach" giving you a bit more liquid to deal with.  If this happens, no worries.  Just add a bit more cornstarch to your sauce mix.)
• I generally reduce the heat a bit now (everything should be cooked).  If you're using leftover meat, this is where it would get added.  Also, we like cashews so I generally (if I remember) toss in a handful here (peanuts would also work).
• Time to add the sauce and let it thicken a bit (should take ~2 minutes) and then re-introduce the veggies, toss it all together and serve (we like it over crunchy noodles and rice).

Two additional tips:

1. I thought I was "mixing things up" by occasionally switching out the white rice with brown rice, but my daughter Jenny taught me that this is also great over pasta.  (I especially like that our Costco now has whole wheat spaghetti - looks a bit like yakisoba noodles.)
2. *Ginger - I now buy the 3 lb. bag of ginger at our local restaurant supply store (ours is called Cash & Carry but you probably have something similar).  I bring it home and trim the entire bag (I could do the "scrape it with the back of a spoon" treatment but it takes too long for me.  I just square it up with my knife.)  Then I pop it into a ziploc and toss it in the freezer.  Not only does this mean that I have ginger on hand all the time (I don't know what the freezer-life is since we've never had it around long enough to figure that out), but also freezing it means that it is MUCH EASIER to grate.

Well since this is Wednesday, I'm off to the freezer to see what's our protein for tonight!

~later, tw