I make stir-fry when I want a quick meal after a long day at work. Between chopping and stir-frying, I am usually serving the meal within 30 minutes. I will start the brown rice first as it takes 30 minutes to steam. You can avoid the extra carbohydrate if you are avoiding grains or have difficulty with blood sugar management. I will then cut up the meat if I choose to use meat, such as organic chicken and then the vegetables on a separate cutting boards. I have found that stir-fry is a great way for my family to consume a lot of vegetables, always a plus in my book. I even have chopsticks for the kids, adding a fun and playful aspect to eating, while developing there fine motor skills. You can find chopsticks for kids at most specialty kitchen stores or online.
Another aspect I love about stir-fry is the flexibility in the ingredients. I usually look in the fridge and see what I have. If I only have broccoli, carrots and onions, that’s what I am using for the meal. I also will use, green beans, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, celery, mushrooms and bean sprouts to name a few. Vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Vegetables do not require pounds of grain in order to yield one pound of produce, unlike meat. Therefore, vegetables are very sustainable for our environment. Studies have shown that a vegetarian diet can reduce ischemic heart disease most likely related to the reduction of animal saturated fat consumption. There is currently a large study underway of more than a half million people called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). This study will bring new data on the relationships between diet, lifestyle and environmental factors and the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. A vegetarian diet is also a form of food restriction and therefore in our overfed society with obesity rates sky rocketing, caloric reduction is a healthier option.
To reduce the caloric value, while benefiting from the dense nutrient value of vegetables, reduce the amount of higher glycemic vegetables like carrots. For my patients with diabetes, I usually recommend consuming one serving or less of higher glycemic vegetables per day. Examples of one serving of high glycemic vegetables includes one half medium potato, yam or sweet potato, or one medium carrot or beet. Adding organic chicken, wild caught salmon or tofu to the stir fry is an excellent way to get protein while further improving blood sugar status. Protein digests slower than carbohydrates and therefore will not spike blood sugars while sustaining good energy throughout the day. I recommend this for my patients with hypoglycemia as well. If weight management is an issue, I recommend a similar diet to those patients as well to reduce additional storage of carbohydrates as fat. For a vegetarian option, add cashews or tofu or both.
Servings: 4
2 medium organic chicken breasts or 1 pound of wild caught salmon or firm tofu, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 heads of broccoli, florets and stem (cut the fibrous outer part of the stem and chop the remaining for the stir-fry
4 stems celery, sliced at an angle into 1/4 inch pieces
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut at an angle into 1/4 inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
5 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup tamari or gluten free soy sauce (I will also use coconut aminos, a soy sauce alternative)
2 tablespoons grated ginger, peel removed
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- Steam brown rice or quinoa for the grain. Rinse the grain and then add 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth to one cup of grain. Rice takes 30 minutes to steam and quinoa takes 15 minutes so plan accordingly.
- Cut the chicken, fish or tofu into pieces, approximately 1 inch pieces and set aside.
- In a stir-fry or large frying pan, over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoon of olive the sesame oil . Add all the vegetables, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and pepper until carrots and celery are slightly soft yet have some crunch left to them. This takes approximately 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, place the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and meat or fish into the pan. Sauté until cooked then add to the vegetables. Sauté an additional 5 minutes to allow the chicken to absorb some of the stir-fry flavor and serve on a bed of rice or as is. If using tofu, I will add some more sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce with the olive oil and fry them in one inch slices. Tofu will break apart easily so I will flip the slice after 3 minutes so long as each side is golden brown and garlic is caramelized.
Enjoy!