Lightweight Eats

We make a lot of stirfries. They are delicious, easy and we live less than a mile from Chinatown (i.e. lots of cheap Asian produce at our local farmer's market).

Dan and I also both love rice.

Recently, these beautiful Thai peppers showed up at the market, reminding us both of a version of Szechuan broccoli that we'd had at a restaurant.

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So I googled Szechuan broccoli and the third recipe on the list is from Mama Pea at Peas and Thank You, one of the few blogs I read religiously. Not only that, but we had all of the ingredients on hand except maple syrup.

Dan made a double batch of the recipe, with extra ginger, and substituting sweet soy sauce (a sticky, molasses-y version of soy sauce) for the maple syrup. I imagine honey, molasses, brown sugar syrup or even corn syrup would work.

We added our whole peppers in lieu of red pepper flakes and fished them out before serving. The spice mellowed a lot in the fridge overnight.

 We used at least half of it as indicated in Mama Pea's recipe--over broiled broccoli.

The rest, we stuck in a jar and stashed in the fridge. The following day, inspiration struck, and we made this beauty. (Ok, doesn't look as delicious as it tasted. iPads aren't great for speed photo taking.)



Delicious! If you've ever made a stirfry, you don't really need a recipe. Cook the tofu as desired (we sauteed it in sesame oil and seeds until warmed and a bit brown), and set aside. Cook the veggies, chinese broccoli first, adding the bell pepper once the leaves have wilted. Combine veggies and tofu in the same pan, and add the sauce. Once everything is combined and warm, serve it over rice (or any grain of your choice).

Note: if you can't find chinese broccoli, save your broccoli stems from another night and use them with spinach, kale or any other leafy green.