Preparing a Healthy Stir-Fry Dinner

One way to get more cooking done in less time is to mult-task. The night after our Roast Chicken Dinner, while I'm preparing a colorful stir-fry, I'll also cook up some chicken stock.using the bones and veggies that were refrigerated from last night's dinner. I add enough water to cover the bones, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the broth simmer while I make the stir-fry.

As the kids eat yogurt and a banana for a snack, I set to work:

• I take thawed chicken breasts, pork chops or (beef) flank steak from the fridge and put together a marinade with 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp. chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and a dash of hot sauce. The marinated meat goes back in the fridge until cooking time.
• I grab 2-1/2 cups of frozen pre-cut vegetables and spread them on a cookie sheet to thaw slightly before cooking.
• My son helps me measure two cups of brown Basmati rice, 4 cups cold water, 1 teaspoon toasted whole cumin seed and 1 teaspoon iodized salt into the rice cooker. (You can also prepare the rice in a medium sauce pan.) After adding these ingredients I give the meat a quick turn in the marinade and let it sit another few minutes. Next I start searing the meat on medium-high heat with a combination of Canola oil and toasted sesame oil.
• When the meat has browned all over I place it on a cutting board while I stir-fry the vegetables using the same (unwashed) pan with a bit more oil for the veggie saute. The rice cooker clicks off and I stir the vegetables before leaving them to cook. The rice will stay at the “keep warm” setting until my husband arrives home, so I throw a teaspoon each of ginger and garlic into the cooking vegetables. A dash of soy sauce and chicken stock, a spoon of Hoisin sauce, and a dash of rice wine vinegar follow, and I let the vegetables simmer a few minutes longer.
• I slice the meat and then toss the strips in with the vegetables to coat them with the flavors of the sauce. Dinner is ready!
• Once the chicken stock is done simmering I strain the stock, toss the bones and veggies and chill the flavorful liquid before refrigerating it for tomorrow's soup.