Vegetable Stirfry

This was one of the quickest and easiest recipes I can share!  I literally looked around in my fridge to see what I had and what I could make.  I saw two nice portabello mushrooms that needed to be cooked.  I also saw some tofu, snap peas, brussel sprouts, bok choy, ginger, etc.  Now, I realize these aren't the most common ingredients to have in your fridge, but I stock up on lots of different greens for my weekly juicing.  If you're an avid juicer like me, you'll be able to decide whether to cook those ingredients should you need it, or you can just throw it in the juicer as the life of the ingredient is nearing an end. 

With all of that being said, I started off with olive oil, soy sauce, and lemon juice and coated the bottom of my pan pretty generously with those three ingredients.  I placed the portobello mushrooms in the mixture and added the snap peas and some jalapenos.  The jalapenos are optional, depending on personal preference on the spice.  

While those ingredients were starting to cook, I cut up some plain tofu for the protein (you can substitute meat, chicken or shrimp for the tofu if you wanted).  The tofu was cut in cubes and tossed in with the rest.  I find that tofu is a very interesting ingredient, as it will just soak up the flavors of everything and can become quite tasty when added to other ingredients. 

From there, I cut the brussel sprouts in half and tossed in a few, the heads of just a few asparagus spears, I had baby bok choy, so they weren't too chunky, I grated some fresh ginger, cut up about 10 mint leaves in to thin strips, added some garlic powder and ginger powder.  I placed the lid on the pot, and I just let it cook down and let the flavors merge for about 20 minutes. 

The finished product was absolutely delicious.  We thoroughly enjoyed it and had enough for lunch the next day.  I tend to make enough food where it will last us for 2 meals to make it easier for us. 

My best tip for any aspiring cooks out there is not to get so stuck on using exact ingredients.  My dish is always evolving.  I'm always sampling, making sure the flavors taste right.  Don't be afraid to add something if you feel like something is missing.  Don't worry if you don't have the same veggies used in a particular recipe.  Cooking is not like baking where precise ingredients are needed.  It's about using your senses of smell, sight and taste and really testing and shifting.  My best use for other recipes is getting an idea of different flavor combinations and expanding my own horizons!