Last-Minute Stir Fry

Last night, my brewing buddy Abel came over for dinner. This is all well and good, but I hadn't planned on it. The chicken I was marinading wouldn't be enough for two people. To stretch out the meat and make a fulfilling meal, I decided to toss the meat with some vegetable and seasoning and make stir fry. This was extremely last-minute; I just about exhausted my supply of fresh vegetables and I did every bit of planning as I went along. It came out pretty great, so I thought I'd share.

I told myself I wouldn't say this, but... it was... Stir-Friday (Archer, anyone?).

Ingredients:

   - 1 lb chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces (optional)

   - Marinade for chicken (something Italian or garlicy)

   - 3 tbsp+ olive oil

   - 1 medium onion, halved and sliced

   - 1 carrot, skinned and sliced thin

   - 1-2 crowns of broccoli, separated into florets

   - 2 cloves garlic, minced

   - 1/3 head red cabbage, sliced

   - 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

   - 1 tsp sugar

   - 2 tsp butter

   - Salt and pepper to taste.

   - Something starchy 1/2 lb of pasta or noodles, or 1 cup rice.

Instructions:

1. Marinade the chicken for as long as you can, at least an hour.
2. Over medium-high heat in a large wok or stir-fry pan, brown the chicken in 2 tbsp olive oil and set aside (A chef's pan is great - mine has fast become my favorite cookware).
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. In the same pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and the onions. Saute for 5 minutes or until they begin to caramelize. Stir occasionally.
4. Add the carrots and saute for about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the broccoli and garlic, then saute for about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the red cabbage and saute until it just starts to wilt, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Put the chicken back in the pot. Add the vinegar, sugar, and butter. Stir thoroughly so that everything gets nicely coated. You may need to add another tablespoon or three of olive oil so that everything gets nicely coated. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vinegar stops smelling so acrid. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve over your carbohydrate of choice. I had penne on hand that I felt like using, but I would have preferred brown rice. Mix some mostly cooked noodles into the pan if you're feeling crazy.

The nice thing about this meal is that there's very little actual "prep" work to speak of. It's very easy to do all of the washing, peeling, and cutting as you go along. When I started cooking the onion, I then peeled/sliced the carrot and added it immediately. Then I washed and cut the broccoli, etc. There's about a half hour of very active cooking, but none of it is actually difficult. Just stir every once and a while and things will be fine. Every ingredient in this is forgiving.

You know, there's really not much that's unhealthy in this, especially if you do go for a complex carbohydrate like brown rice. I mostly added the butter and sugar because they'd improve the mouth-feel of the little bit of sauciness the food has. There's not enough to have a big impact on the healthiness of the food, but you could cut them out of the recipe without changing much of the taste. It'd be great with or without the meat as well.

Final Verdict:

Taste: 4/5

Ease: 3.5/5

Health: 4/5 - 5/5