A Learning Process: Stir Fry

My first post is already in shambles. I have no photos to show for my brilliant "So Sweet, Yet Hot Orangey Stir-Fry". Yep. I made a stir fry to inaugurate this blog the proper way. Stir Fry was taken from the latin Stirfryus; to fry while stirring. Basically, I thought I would start out simple and build from there. Not to say that this dish tasted simple, by any means. I just wanted something that I knew would be successful and near fool-proof. And it was... until I ate it before I got a picture of it. At least I know how to amp up my post for the next go-round.

On to the goods. "So Sweet, Yet Hot Orangey Stir-Fry"

My inspiration for this meal was the plethora of veggies in my fridge. I had a couple beautiful sweet red peppers, a zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, and onions. I even decided to try out the canned bamboo shoots that had been sitting in my pantry for quite some time. Basically, you can cook these things together and add some seasoning, and you've got yourself a meal. I decided to kick it up a notch by making a different sauce.

So Sweet, Yet Hot Orangey Stir Fry Sauce
Juice of 1 orange
4 T. Honey (personal preference)
2 Crushed red pepper flakes packets left over from last week's pizza order
1 T. Vegetarian vegetable bouillon ("Better than Bouillon" brand)
3 T. Soy sauce
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 c. Diced onion
Lots of Black pepper
Cooking Spray

Stir Fry
1 pkg. Extra firm tofu cut into cubes
1/2 c. Diced onion
Whatever other veggies catch your eye and look fresh

Start with a hot wok and a couple squirts of the cooking spray to saute the onion and garlic. Then add the rest of the ingredients in no particular order. I would recommend stirring the vegetable bouillon a lot to make sure that the clumps go away. Heat for about 3 minutes on medium to make sure the flavors have a chance to make each other's acquaintance. Place the sauce in a dish and set to the side.

With the residue of sauce still left in the wok, turn up the heat to high and brown the tofu. Add veggies next. I usually start with the hardest ones first and let those get going before I add things like squash or zucchini (ie; broccoli before the bamboo shoots). That way you make sure that everything has a chance to get tender. Once the veggies look like they are near ready, go ahead and stir in the sauce. Once mixed, you are finished!

Et voila! A magnificent dish... especially served over brown rice and eaten with chop sticks.

Vegetable Paella

1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 cups long-grain white rice
4 cups vegetable stock
1 large pinch saffron
1 medium carrot, sliced
2 medium celery sticks, sliced
8 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
10 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

**A note on veggies in this dish: Use these veggies and amounts as a guideline. Red bell peppers, any delicious greens, artichoke hearts, cashews, peanuts or garbanzo beans would be great in this dish. I used far less "veggie" than this recipe suggests and it was delicious.

1. In a large saucepan, cook the onion over a medium heat, stirring until translucent. Stir in the rice and cook for a few more minutes. Add the vegetable stock and saffron, bring to a boil, reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a separate pan, steam the carrot and celery until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the celery and carrot, reserving the water. (I think this step it stupid. Either throw them in with the rice or with the roasted veggies. They don't need separate steaming)
3. In a large bowl, toss the carrot, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer vegetables to a lightly greased baking sheet and place in the oven at 450*F (230*C). Roast the vegetables until they are brown on the edges. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 400*F (205*C).
4. Meanwhile, in the same pan you steamed the carrot and celery, steam the peas until they are just tender. (If you use frozen, this step is unneccessary)
5. Toss the roasted vegetables with the rice. Stir in the peas. Transfer mixture to a greased casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Serve