Choose Your Own Flavors - Stir Fry!

Stir-fry is a wonderful way to use up any veggies and proteins you've got hanging around in your fridge.  You can use basic flavors to make something really delicious.  You can easily make the same sauce and choose different proteins and veggies, or use the same ones with a different sauce.

The secret to a good stir-fry is high heat!  You'll spend the most time prepping your veggies and cooking will be done in a flash.

This version is a ginger garlic stir-fry with peppers, asparagus and chicken.  This feeds 2 hungry people!

You should organize your veggies into 4 groups, depending on how long they take to cook. 
Here's how it goes:
carrots, cauliflower, onions, or peppers (first batch)
asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or butternut squash (second batch)
cabbage, celery, chard, fennel, mushrooms, peas, sugar snap peas, summer squash, or zucchini (third batch)
scallions, fresh herbs, tender greens, or tomatoes (fourth batch) 
 
For the protein:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into even sized chunks
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I try to use low sodium)
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar (or you can use white wine, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc)

Mix together and set aside.

Cut your veggies and separate according to the groups above.  For this, I used 1 large red pepper, maybe 10 asparagus spears and 1/2 cup of edamame.

Extra flavorings:
2 tablespoons chopped scallions , white part only
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2-4 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil

For the Sauce:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce (light preferred)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar (or you can use white wine, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc)
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
2 scallions , minced (just use the remaining greens from the extra flavorings)
2 Tablespoons low sodium chicken broth

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

Heat your pan over high heat.  Add 1 Tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering.  Add your protein and cook until done.  For chicken, this is usually about 3 minutes. Remove the protein and set aside.  Add 1 teaspoon oil and add first batch of veggies.  Cook until tender, but still crisp.  Add second batch of veggies and cook until tender, but crisp.  Follow with as many batches as needed.  You may add 1 teaspoon more of oil, if needed.   Once your veggies are ready, make a clear spot in the center of the pan and add the extra flavorings.  Cook for 10 seconds and then mix with the veggies and cook another 20 seconds.  Return the protein to the pan.  Add the sauce and stir-fry to coat for about 1 minute.  Serve over rice, quinoa or couscous.

And you're done!  Sounds complicated, but I promise, it's not.  This recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated.