Sunday Supper, Episode 1: Vegetarian citrus stir-fry with cashews and tofu

Stir-fry is a favorite in our house, despite the fact I've been too lazy to season the wok I bought in October. Nine times out ten, I make the same version, with tofu, veggies (pea pods, bell peppers, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, baby corn), pineapple and bottled sweet and sour sauce. It's delicious, but the packaged sauce is loaded with sugar.

This evening, I decided to forgo the sticky, neon pink sweet and sour and make something from scratch. AllRecipes.com had a delicious-sounding recipe for Citrus Veggie Stir-Fry that I adapted to our tastes, budget and pantry contents. My version is below, but I give full credit to the creator, Dorothy Swanson. It's a very straight-forward meal with most of the labor concentrated in the chopping phases. Timing can be an issue with stir-fry, particularly when it comes to the rice. Ideally, you will finish the rice and stir-fry at the same time, but I have yet to make that happen. It wasn't comfortable to hang around a hot stove on an 80 degree/90 percent humidity Florida night, but the results were well worth sweating it out:



Ingredients:
-1 Tbs. cornstarch
-1 cup orange juice
-2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/8 teaspoon sweet chili sauce (instead of hot pepper sauce, which is unnaturally expensive at Whole Foods)
-1 cup thinly sliced carrot (I used the "carrot chips" from Publix)
-1 cup sliced red pepper (leftover from dinner a few nights previous)
-1 cup sliced yellow pepper (Super expensive at Whole Foods. Boo.)
-1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (instead of canola, which I seldom use)
-2 cups frozen snow pea pods
-1/2 cup chopped pineapple
-1/2 cup coarsely chopped salted cashews (cheapest option was the bulk nut section at Whole Foods)
-1/2 cup chopped green onion
-2 cups cooked Thai Jasmine Rice
-1 package extra firm tofu

Directions:
Drain the tofu, pat it dry and cut into one-inch squares. Heat the olive oil in a pan (or ideally, a wok) and drop the tofu in, watching for the sizzle. Let it cook on all sides until brown. Mix the first five ingredients together and set aside; or, pour a small amount into the pan with the tofu to start imparting a bit of flavor. Chop all the veggies and the pineapple. Start the rice, according to directions.
Once the tofu is starting to brown, add the carrots and bell peppers and stir(fry) everything together. In about ten minutes, add the pea pods. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes and add the onions and pineapple, simmer for another five minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil, cook an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from heat; serve atop rice and cover with cashews.

Tips:
The important thing is to stir frequently, so that the flavors mesh and everything cooks evenly. That said, give it a little space; you don't want to Mother Hen the mixture to death. This was more tart than my usual stir-fry, and the ginger added a savory edge. It was nice to eat homemade stir-fry without the (sometimes) chemically after-taste of bottled sauce (not that I'm done forever with the neon La Choy variety). This will make enough for four servings; cook extra rice for leftovers.

Recommended pairings:
A chilled white wine (I had Rockbridge County white table wine), fresh fruit (mango, pineapple, banana, strawberry with non-fat, plain yogurt) for dessert and "Manhattan Murder Mystery."
Enjoy.