Weekdays can be hectic; why not “bulk up” on making enough side dishes to last your family at least a couple of meals? Here’s a lean, mean, and green stir-fry that can easily be morphed into other dishes by subbing in different veggies of your choosing. Use red bell pepper strips, thinly sliced carrots, or whatever is calling out to you at the time. It all works!
Here, I combined 5 cups each (yes, that’s ten cups total) of sugar snap peas and broccoli florets. Make sure you trim and slice up the broccoli stalks too – they’re my favorite part of this cruciferous veggie, and ultra-tender. This lasted P and I a couple days (we bring lunch to work too, so extra is always a good thing). I love sugar snap peas because they add a nice crunch to stir-fries, are minimal in calories, and are a great source of vitamin C. Of course, let’s not forget about broccoli – it’s one of those super-nutritious vegetables that in one cup, supplies you more than 200% of your daily needs for vitamin C and is an excellent source of fiber, folate, and vitamins A and K. And the list goes on – expect a very good amount of potassium (great in curbing high blood pressure) and omega-3 fatty acids.
Lean, Mean, and Green Stir-Fry
serves about 6
1 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, chopped fine
5 cloves garlic, minced fine
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger root
5 cups sugar snap peas
5 cups small broccoli florets and stalks (stalks should be peeled and sliced)
1 1/2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin (rice wine)
1/2 tsp brown sugar
Freshly grated black pepper
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, shallot, and ginger, sauteing for about 1 minute. Add the snap peas and broccoli florets, stirring all ingredients in the pan. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar until combined. Season with black pepper to taste. Saute all ingredients for about 5-7 minutes, until slightly tender. Turn off the heat; add sesame seeds and sesame oil; toss to combine. Serve atop brown rice, pasta, or other whole grains.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): 119 calories; 4.6 grams fat (0.65 grams saturated, 0.8 grams polyunsaturated, 2.7 grams monounsturated) ; 15.3 grams carohydrates; 6 grams protein; 5.8 grams fiber
10 Cups of Greens!!! Impressive! We’ve been roasted a lot of our broccoli and cauliflower these days. I love the caramelized flavor it leaves on the veggies
haha, yep, 10 cups, but of course, it cooks down and becomes less than that. And I agree, roasting brings out the natural sweetness in veggies. Here’s an old cauliflower post I wrote way back:
http://nutritiontokitchen.com/2009/01/08/roasted-cauliflower-with-sun-dried-tomatoes/
I love that you added mirin in this recipe.
Mmm…love sauteed broccoli! My husband loves that it picks up the flavors its cooked in so well. Definitely good to prepare in advance for the week — I always recommend that to my clients!
Nice seasonigs here!
I love broccoli and it’s one of the veggies that my son will go out of his way to eat. Right now, I am planning my Spring/Summer garden and snap peas are most definitely on the menu. Sometimes I eat them right off the vine….so it may be a challenge for me to get them into the kitchen!!
Only you can photograph broccoli so beautifully. I love broccoli, wish my babies did. Perhaps this recipe will do the trick. And, even better that I can make ahead for a few days!!
Thank you so much, Lauren!