Stew Fries

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This week’s recipe combines the idea of a stew, in which the ingredients simmer in broth, and the opposite idea of a stir fry, in which the items are cooked very briefly in hot oil. I chose this combination because I believe that frying is not as healthy as adding the oil after the food is cooked, even if using olive oil or another acceptable oil.

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Utensils: Cutting Board,knife, pan or wok for coooking
Prep. Time: About 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 minutes (longer if you wish)
Category VEGAN

Ingredients (Organic whenever possible)
1/2-one cup water or broth (stock)
1 garlic clove, minced
7-8 thin slices of white part of a leek
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
2 cups sliced broccoli and/or cauliflower florets
one sliced celery stalk or 1/2 cup sliced fennel bulb
one large red radish, sliced
Olive oil

Optional Ingredients
one cup sliced zucchini
one cup sliced yellow squash
one cup snow peas
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
slivered almonds
tempeh or tofu cubes
black sesame seeds

Directions
1. Pour about 1/2 cup water or broth in bottom of flat fry pan or wok.

2. Add garlic, leek, and ginger and allow to cook for about 1 minute.

3. Then add other veggies of choice, choosing longer cooking vegetables first (broccoli, cauliflower, celery or fennel) and cooking them for 3-4 minutes. (If needed, add more water to prevent sticking. Also, if using tempeh or tofu, you can add the cubes with these longer to cook veggies.)

4. Next, add quicker cooking veggies, such as radishes, snow peas, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes. (For a more stew-like look, add more broth.)

5. Add one to two tablespoons of olive oil for flavor.

6. Finally, stir in slivered almonds and toss all ingredients gently. (I sprinkled on black sesame seeds for color and crunch.)

Serve as is or with rice, quinoa, or other grain of your choice. Serves 4 to 6, depending on how many vegetables you use, whether you serve it over a grain, or if you use tempeh or tofu for added protein.

Note: I suggest you limit the number of vegetables to only 5 or 6. I used to make my dishes with a long list of veggies and found that I enjoy the dishes better when I focus on fewer veggies of varying crunchiness and color.
Also, you are free to cook the vegetables a little longer. In a stir fry the ingredients are crunchy and in a stew they are softer, so you are free to make the dish more like a stew or more like a stir fry.