Eat the Rainbow with an Asian Veggie Stir-Fry

I enjoy a bright, flavor-packed stir-fry a couple of times per week. They're so simple to make.

I also love stir-fry because it's a chance to get creative! It can be done with just about any vegetable, which makes it the perfect dish to use up leftovers and veggie scraps from the week.

Like to cook with produce that's in season and local? Tailor the recipe to use what the locally-grown vegetables that are available right now.

Rainbow Asian Veggie Stir-Fry

By Chef Katie Mae
 
Makes 1­–2 servings | Ready in 15 minutes | Stores 1 week in fridge
 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced on a diagonal
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1½ tablespoons fresh ginger, minced (or ½ teaspoon ground)
• ¼ cup water or low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tablespoon tamari (optional)*
• ½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 head of Napa or green cabbage, sliced (about 1 lb)
• 1½ cups snow peas
• 1½ tablespoons black sesame seeds
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, diced

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large wok or sauté pan over high heat. Add the carrots, onion, bell pepper, and ginger, and cover with a lid. Let the veggies cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add water, almond butter, tamari, coconut extract, and red pepper flakes to a small bowl. Whisk to separate the nut butter, and then stir this sauce into the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered for a few minutes.
3. Mix in the cabbage, snow peas, and sesame seeds. Continue stir-frying for 2 more minutes, or until the vegetables are tender-crisp to your liking.
4. Just before serving, mix in the fresh cilantro. Garnish with extra sesame seeds.

CHEF'S NOTES

TN upgrade: At TrueNorth Health Center, we don’t use any added salt in our cooking, and also do not use tamari or soy sauce because they are very high in sodium. If used in limited quantities with a whole-food, plant-based meal, tamari could be a part of a healthy diet. However, if you’re very sensitive to salt/sodium in your food or you just know that you feel better without added salt, please leave out the tamari.