Stir Fry the Garden

Help, I'm drowning... and in the best way possible! It's summer time in the Arthur household, and that means that we are just swimming in delicious home grown veggies and herbs from the garden. While I admit, our bounty can be intimidating at times (anyone have a recipe that calls for 6 cucumbers?), mostly the beautiful food inspires random moments of creativity. Here, I will share with you one of my latest creations, a delicious little stir fry full of beautiful summer squashes, served up with a twist of aromatic Thai basil. This is more of a method than a recipe... if you have other veggies in the garden that are screaming to be eaten up, give them a try as well!

Ingredients:

2 large zucchinis

3 large green onions

1 crook neck squash

1 cup of prepared spaghetti squash

5 cloves of garlic

1 small handful green beans

1 small bell pepper

20-30 leaves Thai basil (regular basil can be substituted, but the flavor will be very different)

You could also use broccoli, cauliflower, white red or yellow onions - be creative. I would skip using tomato or cucumber for this recipe though.

2 tablespoons of vegetable or peanut oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup water, chicken, or vegetable stock

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar (don't pack it tightly when you measure)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

serve with 2 cups of cooked rice

Serves 4

Coarsely chop all of your garlic and then, cut all other veggies into bite size pieces. Next get your sauce ready by mixing all ingredients together until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Set this aside. Now heat your oil in a large nonstick frying pan, or a wok over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the garlic, green onions, and bell pepper. Stir fry for about 1 minute stirring frequently. Next add in all of the other veggies and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook everything for about 3 minutes more on high heat. Once the veggies are almost cooked through, pour your sauce over the mixture and add in the basil. Leave on the heat for another 2 minutes stirring often. Serve over jasmine or brown rice for a delicious and healthy treat! Beef, chicken, or even tofu would be a wonderful addition to this dish as well.