Monday, March 14, 2011

Bell Pepper & Basil "Stir Fry"

For many people, Mondays are insane. When you finally head home, after a barrage of emails and voice mails and meetings, nothing sounds better than a warm meal. And, for a lot of people (even people like me, who love to cook), making dinner seems like a lot more energy than it is worth. This stir fry, however, is easy. Seriously, really easy. 

 
And, in honor of national nutrition month, it is a colorful and healthy meal as well. Bell peppers, basil and a (reasonable size portion of) brown rice. To prepare myself for Monday nights, I usually do the prep work on Saturday or Sunday so all that is left to do is throw things in a pan and eat the delicious resultsAnd, you know what happens to be a great thing to munch on while you're waiting for this to cook? Sweet potato wedges, of course.
Pepper & Basil "Stir Fry"
By Alexandra Rogers


Ingredients
1 cup brown rice, cooked
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2-3 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, julienne
1/2 large Red onion, sliced into half rounds
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce


Recipe
In a large pan, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, separating into separate pieces, and stir once to coat with oil. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until onions have begin to caramelize and become tender. Do not stir often, as this interrupts the caramelization process.


Add peppers and cook for 3-5 minutes, until peppers are slightly tender and browned in spots. 


Add garlic and ginger to the pan, stir thoroughly, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and cook for 2 minutes. 


Lastly, add the fresh, torn basil leaves and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until basil is wilted and sticking to peppers and onions. 


Serves 3. Serve warm, accompanied by 1/3 cup rice. 







2 comments:

  1. Love your mise en place shot and the final product, in all its soy-sauciness, doesn't look too bad either! Such a classic dish that, when made with brown rice, I never feel bad going back in for seconds (okay, ... thirds). Have you ever experimented with oyster sauce in your stir fries? If not, I highly recommend a few dabs. Also, a good squeeze of orange, too! :) xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Miranda! And, thanks for reading and commenting.

    I have never experimented with oyster sauce, but I've added it to my grocery list now! Sounds delicious.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...