Recipe: Asian Stir-Fry

Recipe: Asian Stir-Fry By Carolyn Vachani, MSN, RN, AOCN,

July 15, 2009

Stir-fry is an easy way to whip up a healthy, flavorful and versatile dish. Substitute chicken or shrimp for the beef, or use tofu and vegetable stock for a vegetarian version. A healthy meal for the whole family! Bok choy is a wonderful leafy vegetable, packed with vitamins A & C and calcium. This makes enough for 4, particularly if you serve with rice.

Ingredients

Marinande
1 Tablespoons fresh ginger (grated or sliced thin)
1 Tablespoon garlic, chopped or through a garlic press
3 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/2-3/4 pound of stir fry beef (or a steak of your choice, cut into strips, flank works well)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
6-8 ounces of mushrooms of your choice, sliced (I use a wild mushroom mix or shitake for good flavor)
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium head bok choy (yields about 2 cups uncooked)
1 cup beef both and 2 teaspoons corn starch, whisked together

Instructions

Combine marinade with beef strips in bowl, set aside to marinade at least 30 minutes.
Divide bok choy stems & leaves, slice stems into 1/4 inch strips, slice up leaves into about 1 inch strips.
In a stir-fry pan, heat 1 tsp toasted sesame oil on medium high heat. Once pan is pretty hot, add bok choy stem slices and carrots, cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 3 or 4 minutes. Dump contents of stir-fry pan into a bowl and set aside.
Add last teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to pan and allow to heat. Add bok choy leaves and cook 3 minutes or so, until they wilt. Add them to the rest of the veggies in the bowl.
Put the meat and marinade into the hot stir-fry pan. Cook about 4-5 minutes or until meat appears cooked through. Add meat to the veggie bowl.
Add beef broth mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a minute or so, until the broth begins to thicken. Add contents of veggie bowl to the broth, toss to combine and allow to heat through.
Serve hot by itself or over rice.
Some Tips
Use any combination of veggies you like (of course this will change the nutritional info). Buy a package of stir-fry veggies already cut at the market to save time.
I grate fresh ginger using a microplane. Some stores sell grated ginger in a tube, found in the herb / produce section. If you use that type, cut it in half, as it tends to be more powerful. You can always add more later.
Use low sodium beef broth if you can find it to cut down on sodium content.

Nutrition Facts

1.5 cups per serving

• Calories: 304
• Total Fat: 13 g (saturated 4g, Trans fat 0g)
• Cholesterol: 50mg
• Sodium: 705mgg
• Total carbohydrates: 12g
• Dietary fiber: 2g
• Sugars: 4g
• Protein: 34g
• Vitamin A (1352% RDA), Vitamin C (21%), Calcium (42%) and Iron (15%)