Reload Stir-Fries for a Fresh Diet

Stir-fries can use an endless variety of ingredients that you can mix and match for quick and healthy meals

By Warren Hayashi, BSc. Geo

  A healthy diet has always been obtained with a balance of all of Mother Nature’s bounty, not just an endless rut of making the same dishes, time and again.  Stir-fries make an excellent choice for a fast and fun hungry-time answer to your bodily needs as they offer endless potential for unending variety.  Although an ancient art, stir-frying was invented thousands of years ago in China; stir frying has become a common everyday method for creating healthy and easily cooked cuisine around the world.  Stir-frying is user-friendly even for beginning cooks and all the cooking is done in one pan, making clean up easy.

  There are a few handy things we need to say about the technique of stir-frying that will help you make the experience a little more pleasurable.  First, for quick, smooth cooking and to maintain the texture of the vegetables, use small pieces, thinly cut, and if necessary, remove some from the pan while the remaining pieces cook.  This is because if the pan is too small or not hot enough, as the moisture is released from the cooked vegetables, the sauce could end up tasting a little watery.  If this is likely the case, consider adding the sauce at the very end of the cooking time, or removing the meat and vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and draining the pan.  Cook the sauce on its own and then pour over the stir-fry just before serving for best results.

  To perk up your appetite, try one of these healthy stir-fry combinations, but just remember substitutions are allowed, even though experimenting can have its taste failures, its fun and healthy.  Remember that the Chinese have a means to their methods; their goal is to include a protein, plus plenty of vegetables, and serve over warm grains for a complete and balanced meal.

1.

                       Chinese Greens with Beef and Toasted Almonds

1 tablespoon (15 ml) 45% less salt soya sauce or any competitors’ soya sauce brand that you wish to use

1 tablespoon (15 ml) burgundy cooking wine

1 tablespoon (5 ml) granulated sugar

1 pound (500 grams) lean beef, such as flank steak, cut into small pieces

½ cup (125 ml) 25% less sodium beef broth

2 tablespoon (30 ml) oyster sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch

2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) coarsely grated fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 cups (2 litres) mixed Chinese greens, chopped bok choy, gai lan and/or sui choi

 ½ cup (125 ml) slivered almonds, toasted

Combine soy sauce, cooking wine and sugar in large non-metallic container.  Add beef pieces and place in refrigerator to marinate, about 45 minutes or longer.  In a separate dish, combine beef broth, oyster sauce and cornstarch and set aside.  In large stir-fry pan or wok, heat oil, until water sprinkled in pan jumps off the surface and evaporates.  Add ginger and garlic and cook for about one minute, until it starts to turn color.  Add beef and cook until almost cooked through, then remove the meat from the wok and set aside.  If needed, add another tablespoon of peanut oil to the wok.  When heated to the required temperature, as mentioned earlier in this paragraph, stir-fry the Chinese greens for about 3-5 minutes or until tender crisp and bright green in color.  If necessary, complete this in small batches, removing each batch from the heat to prevent overcrowding.  Once the vegetables are all cooked, put them all back in the wok, add the beef mixture and the broth-oyster sauce mixture and stir-fry for 2-4 minutes until heated completely.  Remove from heat and serve garnished with toasted almonds over warm brown rice or the whole grain of your hearts desire.

Calories 258; Protein 21.5 grams; Carbohydrates 8 grams; Fibre 3 grams; Fat 16 grams/ per serving

Comfortably makes enough for 4 to 6 people

2.

                               Green Bean and Prawn Delight

1 cup (250 ml) 25% less sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons (30ml) burgundy cooking wine

1 tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch

2 tablespoons (30 ml) sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh ginger, coarsely chopped

1 pound (500 grams) green beans cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 (340 gram) package cooked frozen prawns

Crushed red pepper flakes, for increased taste

To make sauce:  In a small dish, combine chicken broth, cooking wine and cornstarch, then stir and mix and set aside.  In a large stir fry pan or wok, heat oil to required temperature, then add garlic and ginger and cook for about 1-3 minutes or until they change color slightly.  Add beans and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, then add onion and cook for another 2 minutes.   Add the prawns and wine mixture and cook to heat, their already cooked.  At this time if you want a little more flavour you can add the crushed red pepper to make it spicier.  Serve over the grain of your choice or even pasta for the different taste.

Calories: 216; Protein 20 grams; Carbohydrates 15 grams; Fibre 4.8 grams; Fat 8.5 grams/per serving

Comfortably provides for 4 hungry people

3.

                                        Tofu Teriyaki Stir-Fry Surprise

3 tablespoons (45 ml) sesame oil, divided

1 (350 gram) package, firm tofu, cut into cubes or 4 slabs

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh ginger, minced

½ head cabbage, chopped finely

4 large carrots, peeled, sliced julienne style

1 onion, sliced thinly

½ cup (125 ml) Teriyaki Cooking Sauce, divided

2 cups (500 ml) bean sprouts

In large wok or stir-fry pan, heat half the oil until hot.  Add tofu and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side until golden and slightly crisp, then remove from heat and set aside, but keep it warm.  In the same pan, heat remaining oil, add garlic and ginger and cook for about 1-2 minutes.  Add cabbage, carrots and onion, stir-fry over high heat for about 5-8 minutes.  During the last minute of the cooking time, add half the teriyaki sauce and mix to coast vegetables.  If using, add bean sprouts and toss quickly before removing from heat, the bean sprouts don’t need much cooking time.  You can heat remaining teriyaki sauce if you wish.  Serve vegetable mixture on a plate accompanied by rice, top vegetables with tofu pieces or cubes and drizzle with the warmed teriyaki sauce.

Calories: 110; Protein 17.2 grams; Carbohydrates 23 grams; Fibre 7.5 grams; Fat 15.2 grams/ per serving

Comfortably feeds up to 4 people

4.

                            Chinese Chicken Cashew Nut Stir-Fry

¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce

¼ cup (60 ml) low sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons (45 ml) Thai Cooling Sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons (45 ml) sesame oil

1 cup (250ml) cashews, unsalted

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into small, thin, pieces

1 each red, green and yellow bell peppers, seeded, diced

2 red chillies, whole (or more for extra spicy)

15 fresh basil leaves

To make sauce:  Combine fish sauce, chicken broth, Thai cooking sauce and garlic and set aside.  Heat sesame oil in wok or large stir-fry pan, and then add cashew nuts and stir-fry for abut 3-4 minutes, until golden.  Remove nuts from oil and set aside.  Add chicken cubes to stir-fry pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes until they start to brown and are almost done.  Add bell peppers and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.  Add sauce and red chillies and cook to heat through.  Remember, just before removing from heat to serve, stir in the fresh basil and then serve the whole dish over brown rice or your warm grain of choice.

Calories: 462; Protein 34.5 grams; Carbohydrates 18.5 grams; Fibre 2.7 grams; Fat 28 grams/per serving

Will feed up to 4 hungry people

5.

                                        Tasty Sweet and Sour Pork Stir-Fry

¼ cup (60 ml) ketchup

2 tablespoons (30 ml) while vinegar

2 tablespoons (10 ml) 45% less salt soya sauce

2 tablespoons (10 ml) packed brown sugar

1 (14 fluid ounces/398 ml) tin pineapple chunks (drain and reserve 3 tablespoons/45 ml of juice)

1 tablespoon (5 ml) cornstarch

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound (500 grams) pork sirloin or lean cut, cut into thin strips

1 each red, yellow, and green bell peppers, seeded, diced

1 tablespoon (5 ml) crushed red pepper flakes

To make sauce:  Combine ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch in small bowl, mix well to dissolve sugar and then set aside.  Heat oil in wok or large stir-fry pan, add the garlic and pork, and then cook until almost completely done, about 4-6 minutes.  Add pineapple chunks and bell peppers and cook to just tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes.  Pour in sauce and cook until heated through.  To make your stir-fry spicier, sprinkle red pepper over the top, if desired.  Serve immediately over rice or grain of your choice, for best taste results.

Calories: 321; Protein 29 grams; Carbohydrates 28 grams; Fibre 3.6 grams; Fat 11 grams/ per serving

Will comfortably feed 4 hungry people