stir fried vegetables with peanut sauce

It's been a busy weekend (so much so that I'm catching up on my blog writing on Sunday evening - though it's typically a Saturday morning activity for me - and I have yet to make dinner tonight!).

Here's a quick recap:

Friday night's festivities were meeting up with friends at a local German pub. It was an adventure that included one of the biggest pretzels I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying - complete with brown mustard, cheese, and salami (my cleanse is officially over!).

Saturday was spent mostly in the sunshine in the backyard. My hibiscus plant has been transplanted from the pot it was inhabiting into the ground. I am the proud new owner of a tropicana lily that is past blooming this year, but is going to be breathtakingly beautiful next year. I planted some aromatic herbs in the garden to try to deter the bugs/worms that have been munching on my cruciferous veggies.

This morning was filled with a nice long run and a trip to the farmers' market. This afternoon, JR, Marika and I went into the city to enjoy Opera in the Park at Golden Gate Park. It was possibly my favorite Sunday afternoon of all time - we had a picnic of wine and cheese while listening to arias from Madame Butterfly, The Marriage of Figaro, and more. The sun was shining. It was lovely.

All of that has very little to do with the following recipe. But so it goes.

I made this dish last week out of the random veggies that I had on hand. It's been awhile since I've made peanut sauce. This was a good reminder of how delicious it is. We ate it these stir fried veggies for dinner one night, then had enough leftovers to turn it into another meal by accompanying it with carrot ginger soup on the following night. Here's what I did:

Stir Fried Vegetables with Peanut Sauce

Serves 3-4

Peanut sauce:

1/2 c. natural peanut butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. tamari (can substitute soy sauce)

3 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. agave nectar

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp. sea salt

about 4 oz. rice milk (can substitute lite coconut milk or water)

Stir fried veggies:

1 Tbsp. refined coconut oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced

2 handfuls green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 2" strips

2 tomatoes, sliced

a handful of button mushrooms, quartered

3-4 servings of brown rice

Cook rice according to directions.

Meanwhile, process peanut sauce ingredients (except rice milk) in food processor. Add rice milk 1 oz. at a time until desired consistency is reached (a little runnier than ultimately desired, as it will thicken slightly as it cooks). Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add onions, green beans, and red pepper. Stir fry for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms. Stir fry 1 minute. Turn off heat. Add tomatoes and peanut sauce. Stir until combined and heated through. Serve over rice.

One year ago: cold quinoa salad