So…in all the craziness of the last couple of months, I’ve pushed talking about some pretty big goings on in my family’s life to the back burner but now it’s smack-in-the-face kind of here and it feels weird not to be sharing it all with you.

Guys, we are moving! Next week actually. Yup, that’s right, despite all the odds we somehow managed to sell our house (still waiting to close, though that’s happening pretty soon too) and have found a new place to set up shop, at least temporarily. I will intensely miss my beautiful kitchen but it’s high time to downsize and have some new adventures…which at this point will be pretty much limited to the adventure of figuring out how to cook on the electric burner stove in my new kitchen (I’ve only ever had gas) but at least it’ll keep me busy and distracted for a while.😘

How this news elegantly segues to Spring Veggie Stir-fry, I have not the foggiest, so I’m just going to forge ahead. Last week when we were all craving Chinese and that wasn’t possible, I decided to whip this up and WOW! It was just so, so delicious and right for now, you know what I mean? Light and fresh and springy!

It makes you feel good and that’s because it’s filled with stuff that’s good for you! Guys, this one is just loaded with all different sorts of vegetables.

Here I used asparagus, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, onion, garlic, scallions and snow peas, but of course you could use any combo of veggies you like or have on hand, a real plus in these shopping-challenged times.

The other thing that makes this stir-fry out-of-this-world special is the brown sauce, which you can even make weeks ahead and keep in the fridge so it’s ready to whip out whenever the stir-fry urge hits! It too is super flexible. Say you don’t have mirin in your pantry (which you should—it lasts forever) you can just sub in rice vinegar and a little extra sugar to counter the acidity—stuff like that (I noted some easy subs in the recipe below). It comes together in just minutes and adds worlds of flavor and depth to the dish and soaks so pleasingly into the rice which is optional but not really!

So much, color and flavor and crunch!

You’re gonna love every healthy bite!

Anyhoo, now you’re all up to date with what’s going on with me and my crew. It might get a little spotty around here for the next week or so but I promise to do my best and keep the food coming as soon as I unpack and settle in. Have a great and safe weekend everyone!!xoxo

Spring Veggie Stir-Fry

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 35-40 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the sauce

1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Mirin (sub in rice vinegar and add a little extra sugar if you don’t have it on hand)
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons sesame oil
¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons tamari (or just use more soy sauce)
Pinch or two of black pepper

For the stir-fry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4-5 scallions, sliced, divided into white and green parts
1 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed, stalks sliced into 2 inch pieces on the diagonal
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices
1/2 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
¼ cup water, plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
1 large onion, roughly chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, dried well and sliced
2 cups snow pea pods, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Rice for serving (optional)

The Recipe

1. To make the sauce: place all the sauce ingredients in a large mason jar, seal and shake well. This recipe makes more than you will need. You can store in the fridge for several weeks and use for future stir-fries.

2. To make the stir-fry: Stir together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water and set aside. Assemble all your veggies near the stove. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet or wok (if you have one). When oil is shimmering, add the minced garlic and white parts of the scallions. Let cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add in the asparagus, carrots and green beans. Stir to coat with the oil. Add ¼ cup water and cover the skillet. Let veggies cook for about 5-6 minutes to soften.

3. When they’re almost fork tender, add in the onion and mushrooms. Cook for several minutes, stirring often, until onions begin to soften and the liquid that the mushrooms give off has mostly evaporated.

4. Add in the snowpeas and stir, for a minute or two, until they turn bright green. Now add in about 1 cup of the sauce. Stir well and let it come to a boil. Stir the cornstarch mixture again to make sure it’s incorporated and add in to the veggies. Stir well to coat. Let cook for a couple of minutes. Taste and add more sauce if you like. Stir in the green parts of the scallions and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Note: This is just a mishmash of all the stir-fry recipes I’ve made over the years. Feel free to change in or out any veggies you like or have on hand, just remember if it’s a tough veggie, like broccoli, you want to add them at the beginning of the cooking process (with the water) so that they will be cooked all the way through.