We all like to eat a healthy diet. Several years ago, I joined a national weight-loss plan and took off quite a few excess pounds. I learned how to make better food choices and how to cook healthier meals. We drastically reduced our consumption of red meat and began eating more chicken, turkey, and fish. Stir-fries became one of our favorite dishes.
Summertime is here and fresh vegetables abound! Zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and peppers are at our local farmer’s markets in abundance. My chef’s knife virtually flies through the fresh, crisp produce I pull from my fridge as I dice and chop the bounty for another meal. Yum, Stir-fry! Again! And again. And again.
OK, after awhile, even our favorites were getting boring. As I looked for new recipes, it seemed every new technique or recipe added more calories that we weren’t willing to accept. Roll in panko crumbs and sauté in butter? Huh-uh. Dip in egg batter and deep fry? Nope. Top with a slab of cheese? I don’t think so. Drown in hollandaise or a cream sauce? Not in this house!
About the time I thought we were destined to eat healthy but boring veggies for the rest of our lives, I dug through my cupboards in search of inspiration and I discovered sauces. Sauces! They had been sitting in the back of my pantry for years, so I figured it must be time to use them. I opened up a completely new world of flavors. I started reading recipes from other lands and found many of the secrets are in their spices and sauces.
Now our veggie stir-fries are spiced up with a variety of new flavors. I use Hoisin sauce and rice wine vinegar and sprinkle in diced peanuts. Or I add cumin and chili powder with a few crushed tortilla chips. Or teriyaki sauce, water chestnuts, and bean sprouts. Or curry powder with the other three C’s: cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom. Try a big dollop of spicy horseradish mustard or a healthy pour of Thai sweet chili sauce. Sweet and smoky BBQ sauce adds an entirely new dimension to vegetables.
So open up your cupboards, dig through the back of your fridge, and search your pantry with a flashlight to discover what’s hiding. Dig out those long-forgotten sauces and vinegars and start spicing up your veggies. There’s a lot of summer (and a lot of zucchini) left!
