Simple Stir Fry

I came home after a long day of work, put brown rice in the rice cooker, and sat down for a rest.

Then I put together this simple stir fry to go with the rice. We also had some cole slaw I'd made in the early morning before work and refrigerated. It was a simple, healthy and tasty meal.

As I wrote down the recipe, I realized it sounds long and complicated. It's really just two simple sauces, pre-cooked broccoli and tofu, and a few vegetables. Once you get into the swing of it, it's an easy recipe to pull together in under 20 minutes.

Simple Stir Fry
3 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp brown rice vinegar
1/2 tsp crushed red chile flakes
3 tbsp arrowroot powder
4 cups broccoli (florets and stems in 1 inch pieces)
14-16oz firm tofu, cut in 1/2 inch dice
2 tsp roasted sesame oil
1 tbsp organic canola oil
1 leek
3 large red radishes (3/4 cup diced)
8 large cloves garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
6 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Whisk together tamari, maple syrup, vinegar, chile flakes and 1 1/4 cups water. Set aside.

Separately, stir the arrowroot into 1/4 cup water. (Arrowroot is an easily digested starch that comes from roots. You could use organic corn starch in place of it, but that's less easily digested.)

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, and cook the broccoli and tofu for 3 minutes until the broccoli is tender crisp. Drain and dump in an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Then drain and set aside.

Cut the root and dark greens off the leek. Cut it in half and wash out all the dirt. Slice crosswise into thin slices. Remove the stems from the mushrooms (reserve for vegetable stock) and slice the caps thinly.

Heat sesame and canola oils over medium-high heat. Add the leek, radishes, garlic and ginger. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring, until fragrant - about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened - just a few minutes.

Add the tamari sauce, turn heat to high, cover and cook until bubbling, about 2 minutes. Then add arrowroot mixture (stir it first to reconstitute), stirring until the sauce is glossy, under 1 minute. Add the cherry tomatoes and reserved broccoli and tofu. Stir fry until heated through, 3-4 minutes. Serve hot over brown rice.