MaryLee's Healthy Food and Easy Cooking - Vegetable Stir Fry

Once again Hello,

I mentioned before that I wanted to eat healthier and lose weight but not give up on foods I love so I looked at my eating habits and portion sizes and found that was the answer to having control of my weight.

I love cooking and am always amazed when I hear people say they just are too exhausted when they get home from work or school to prepare a meal so they either order in or buy ready made meals. I just do not understand this because I find it takes just as much effort and time to order in a meal than to make a simple healthy meal. I like to control what I eat so I prefer making my meals.

Cooking does not have to be an effort nor does it have to be challenging. Keep it simple to start with and you will find it can be really enjoyable. Once you feel comfortable cooking then you can start making more challenging meals.

Here is a simple easy to prepare meal that you can do for lunch or dinner. A vegetable stir fry but if you wish to add meat then it is simple to do.

Preferably a wok but a skillet or frying pan will do.

1 Onion cut into rings then cut rings in half.
1 Carrot julienne or cut into strips about 3 inches long
1 Bell pepper any colour you prefer cut into strips
1 Chilli pepper cut into strips (optional)
1 Courgette or Zucchini cut into strips about 3 inches long
Fresh ginger cut into strips again no longer than 3 inches
2 Clove Garlic cut into thin strips
Hand full of pine nuts or sunflower seeds
2 tbsp (tablespoon) of soy sauce
1 tbsp light oil or olive oil

Heat pan and put the pine nuts or seeds in shake them around till they are slightly toasted. Remove and put to side till later.

Add 1 tbsp light oil or olive oil into pan, when heated add the onion and stir till softened then add the garlic and ginger, continue to stir about 2 minutes then add the remaining vegetables. Continue to stir them around till they cook to the tenderness you prefer at this point add the soy sauce and mix. Add the nuts and seeds and mix one more time.

There you have it a simple stir fry that is so easy to do. Now I some times use balsamic vinegar rather than soy sauce just for a difference or try lemon juice, there is no right or wrong way, it’s just experimenting with flavours. Season with fresh chopped herbs of your choice.

If you wish to add meat then cut it into strips and add after the onions as meat will take slightly longer to cook then the vegetables. If you are using fresh prawns then add at the end as these do not take long to cook. They are cooked when they turn pink. You can also add tofu but brown it first like you did with the nuts and then add at the end.