eclaire (what’s in a) name?

at some point, i know you’re all going to get sick of hearing about how busy i am with grad school. or maybe that time has already arrived, and you don’t want to hear another word about how busy i am these days?

if the latter is the case, i’ll keep this short and sweet. hopefully after midterms pass, i’ll have more time to do fun things and share them! keep your fingers crossed for me, ok?

somewhere in the middle of all the studying, though, our friend isaac drove up to seattle.

isaac and mike have been friends since elementary school, and it was fun to have a friend in town whom we’ve known longer than just a few weeks. (although new friends are great fun, too!!)

not only did i tear myself away from the books long enough to eat a few delicious meals out with them, but we also made a simple stir fry dinner at home.

and since isaac’s an amazing professional photographer, he offered to take pics as mike and i cooked. so all these gorgeous photos were taken by him. thanks, isaac!!

i honestly can’t believe i’ve been blogging this long without posting a single stir fry recipe!

i think it’s probably because i don’t usually follow a recipe for stir fry – i just throw everything in and see what happens.

but this time i measured and wrote down the recipe, so i could share it with you.

i hope you enjoy this simple stir fry. it takes less than 30 minutes to chop and saute the veggies while the rice cooks, and it’s super healthy, a little sweet, and a little spicy – perfect for a busy weeknight.

please feel free to change ingredients to match what’s in your fridge and tastes good on your tastebuds, and enjoy!

one year ago: lentil dal
two years ago: rice and bean soup

stir fry

yields 4 servings

rice

• 2c jasmine or basmati rice, rinsed
• 4c water

stir fry

• 2T oil (i like coconut, but peanut or toasted sesame or olive oil work well too)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 8oz tofu, cubed
• 2 heads broccoli, washed and chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• chopped peanuts, optional
• hoisin sauce, optional

sauce

• 1T orange zest (zest from 1 medium orange)
• 1/4c orange juice (juice from same medium orange)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2c soy sauce
• 2t honey
• 1/4t red pepper flakes
• 4-5 dashes hot sauce
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1. heat the water in a medium sauce pan
2. once it’s boiling, add the rice, turn down to low, and cook for 20 minutes
3. meanwhile, pour the oil into a large saute pan
4. add the onions and saute 2 minutes
5. add the tofu and saute 5 minutes, stirring with a flat spatula occasionally
6. while the tofu is sauteeing, whisk together the sauce
7. add the broccoli to the stir fry along with the sauce
8. cover and allow to simmer for 2-4 minutes, until broccoli is bright green
9. add the bell peppers and stir fry for another 4 minutes, until everything is hot but still crunchy
10. place the rice in a bowl and top with the stir fry
11. sprinkle with peanuts if desired, and serve with a little hoisin sauce, also if desired