Day Before CSA Pick Up Stir-fry

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It's the day before CSA pick up and you look in your fridge and realize you still have a smattering of produce from last week (any maybe even a bok choy from two weeks ago).  This is a good time to whip together a spontaneous, no-recipe-needed, fridge-cleanin' stir fry!  Since I said there is no need for a recipe, let me just give you a few guidelines I like to follow when making a stir fry.  

First off, just about any vegetable can be thrown into a stir fry and either taste delicious or be hidden amongst the deliciousness that is this dish.  Radishes, kohlrabi, cabbage, no problem!  

Secondly, I like to have something in the onion family, a few roots, and some leaves.  It's all the better if you've got some tasty cilantro or parsley hanging around.  You can add the vegetable mix to either noodles, rice, or some other grain.  There are many kinds of sauce you can make and add in and I've added a couple of types towards the bottom of this page.

  • Take a wok or large frying pan out and add a slosh of olive oil and set at medium heat.  
  • Add onion family first (scallions, onion, garlic, leeks, garlic scapes) and let sizzle.  Cook for a bit until the onions/scallions/leeks are translucent or start to soften.
  • Then add any root-ish veggies (radishes, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, turnips) that you sliced up all cute and cook for a bit until they feel tender.
  • Stems!  If you've got some bok choy, chard, or beets throw those stems in before the greens so they cook down a bit.  These only take 3-5 minutes to cook.  Don't use kale stems!  They will make your dish no bueno.
  • Follow with some leafy greens.  This could be bok choy, chard, kale, collards, turnip greens, radish greens, or some salad mix.  If I use salad mix, I like to add it right at the end and just have it wilt a teensy bit.  Cook all other greens until they brighten up and wilt.
  • Remove from heat and add sauce.  Mix around.  Serve over rice, noodles, or your choice of grain.

Peanut Sauce

  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (we prefer chunky)
  • 1 T. honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • If using salted peanut butter no salt is needed.  If unsalted, add 1 t. salt.
  • 1-2 T. lemon juice
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • red pepper flakes to spice things up, if you're into that kinda thing

Put ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Soy Sauce Sauce

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 T. rice vinegar
  • 1 t. sesame oil (I've omitted that and used olive oil instead)
  • pinch of hot pepper flakes
  • 1 t. grated ginger
  • a touch of honey

Put ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth.