I am so happy that spring has arrived! The fresh air and cool breeze is what Iv'e been missing during the long, chilly winter. This stir fry is filled with a variety of vegetables, making this dish pleasantly splendid. When I fix up a storm in my kitchen, I am always reminded that I need to first choose what foods I will combine together. It might sound cheesy, but I smell and taste a spice and vegetable and whatever I feel goes together like salt and pepper. Sometimes three or more flavors are in my mouth at once as I let my tongue be the judge. I usually ask my mom if she likes the combination I chose and I will give her a little sample. If you are ever creating your own recipes in the kitchen, this technique I use is so beneficial that it can tremendously help make your recipes taste better too. If you are thinking about putting an ingredient in your recipe and it clashes with a seasoning or food, you can save your recipes life by testing the combinations before you add it into a dish.
Most of you reading this probably know I am a beginner blogger, so if you try out my recipes and you have any suggestions, I would love to here from you. I have been blogging consistently for around 6 months now and it's a great passion of mine; any advice or feedback for anything would be great. Basically my mom and I are taste testers for my food, and sometimes my brothers try my desserts and tell me what they think. Most of my family members are scarred of my food because some are green and look alive because it's raw. I was probably the same way a long time ago, but wholesome and green foods aren't that bad, because you first start feeling wonderful inside your body and your taste buds are enhanced like never before. It would be like I walked in shadows and dim light for so long and then was suddenly introduced by the rays of sun soaring out to me. It was different, but exciting at the same time. I was then discovering that foods truly heal everyone, anyone; they can heal YOU!
Since every food has its own super power, today I am going to start something new beginning with this post. I am going to pick out a food that starts with the letter "A" and work my way down the alphabet and talk about what the food does for you. I began to wonder if there was any foods that started with the letter w, y, and z, and there is! Walnuts could be for W, yams for Y, and Zucchinis for Z. Fun, right? I don't know how long I will name a food for each letter of the alphabet, but maybe forever! As long as I don't run out of ideas I will be good. Someday if I stumble across a word that I can't find a name for it maybe you guys can help me out.
Food Letter of the Day: A
The first letter in the alphabet is "A", and of coarse the most common food beginning with this letter would be an apple.
The saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" has some truth to it. Did you now that this fruit can prevent diseases ranging from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Apples are a great source of antioxidants, and notably the highest amount is contained in its skin. That's no surprise, because most red fruits are known to be high in antioxidants. Fascinatingly, apples can even naturally whiten your teeth, because when you eat them it produces saliva in your mouth and reduces the levels of bacteria. In one of my books (Foods That Heal,) it states that apples contain 50% more vitamin C than oranges. Also, one apple is packed with 5 grams of soluble fiber, making an apple a good eliminative food.
Ingredients:
- 14 green beans
- 6-7 thick asparagus (or 11-12 small ones) + 1/2 tbsp macadamia oil
- 2 cup of yellow squash (sliced and cut in half)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 + 3/4 cup cauliflower florets
- 3-4 tbsps fresh dill
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2-1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup onions (diced) + a small amount of macadamia oil for drizzling
- 2 cups cooked quinoa or brown rice
- 1 1/2 tbsps macadamia oil
Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa first if you haven't already so you can instantly eat it with the vegetables.
2. Preheat the oven at 300F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a knife, split the thick asparagus in half from the center, or if you have small asparagus you don't have to bother. Chop each of the asparagus into around two inch pieces. (It doesn't have to be perfect). In a bowl, combine the 1/2 tbsp of oil with the asparagus. When the oven is done preheating, place the asparagus pieces onto the baking sheet and cook them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
3. Heat a small pan on a stove top unit at temperature 7. If you haven't diced the onion, go ahead and do that till you get a half of a cup. When the pan is hot, pour the 1/2 cup of onions inside and drizzle a small amount of macadamia oil on top and frequently stir for 1 minute. Turn down the heat to 6 and continue to frequently stir the onions for 4 minutes and remove the pan from the unit and place them on a plate.
4. Cut the green beans in half and chop the red bell pepper into cubes. With all of the other veggies, cut them to get the desired amount if you haven't already. Heat up two large pans on temperature 7. When each unit is heated up enough, place the bell pepper and cauliflower in one pan and the squash and green beans in the other. For each pan, pour in 3/4 tbsp macadamia oil. Stir each pan of vegetables frequently on temperature 7 for 2 minutes and turn down the heat to 4 and cook them for 2-4 minutes.
5. Break the fresh dill into small pieces. Pour the vegetables into the 2 cup of cooked quinoa and add the onion, asparagus, and all the rest of the ingredients. Adjust the flavor according to what you like.
- This stir fry makes 3 large servings
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