Here are my two favorite things about this recipe: 1) It's perfect for when you have been too busy (or otherwise distracted) to make much of a dinner plan, because you can pretty much just use whatever you have in your fridge/pantry and make it work, and 2) You can throw the whole thing together in one skillet, which makes for quick and easy clean-up (never disappointing, even for those of us who like to be in the kitchen.)
Ingredients:
1-2 pounds protein, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used lean pork)
3-4 cups fresh veggies, cut whatever way you like (I used 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized chunks; 1 large onion, cut into strips; and a big bag of sweet peppers, cut into strips) Other excellent additions would be snow peas, broccoli, baby corn, carrots, zucchini, squash, green beans, etc. Honestly, I would have liked mine better with something green in it, but green veggies don't last very long around here, so I didn't have any.
olive oil, for coating pan
4 cloves garlic, finely minced (I just use my garlic press and press it right into the skillet)
1 knob of ginger, about the size of the tip of your thumb, freshly grated
salt and pepper
3/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed if you can)
1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
basil for garnish
Instructions:
1. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in your prepped veggies just long enough to get the tiniest bit of color on them, only about 2 minutes. You don't want them to cook down too much. You just want to add a bit of flavor. When they are still crisp but have some color, remove from the pan and set aside.
2. While veggies are cooking, stir together in small bowl the orange juice, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, coconut sugar and corn starch. Have ready to deglaze pan quickly.
3. Add a bit more oil if needed, and add protein to pan. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until nicely seared and almost cooked through. Add garlic and ginger and stir until nice and fragrant and beginning to brown. Don't burn the garlic! This can happen quickly, so have your sauce mixture ready.
4. Pour sauce mixture into pan to deglaze. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to free up all of that flavor. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken.
5. Add veggies back into the pan and stir or toss to coat well. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes until sauce is desired consistency and all ingredients are warmed through.
6. Garnish with basil and/or a few splashes of Sriracha to serve.