Mushroom and Broccoli Stir Fry for Lunch

 I gave up lunch meat for Lent in 2020, which means I gave it up forevs. Pretty much. If I'm at a party and the food is a bunch of hoagies, I mean I'm going to eat one.

But for the most part, this little lady is free of processed meats. As a result, I need to get creative when I'm coming up with lunches.

My Mushroom Broccoli Stir Fry is ready in less than 15 minutes. I bought those pouches of brown rice that you just nuke in the microwave for 90 seconds. So easy.  If you don't buy your mushrooms pre-sliced, that will add some minutes to your prep, of course.

This stir fry was very filling for me, and I love the taste of it all. You totally could add chicken or beef to up the protein factor and/or if grooving as a vegetarian ain't your thang.

The quantities below made me two lunches. This lunch made me super happy.

Mushroom Broccoli Stir Fry

Makes 2 lunch servings

1 Tbsp. canola oil

Button mushrooms, sliced, 8 ounces

2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 medium onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup vegetable broth, heated in microwave a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup or bowl

2 tsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. Chinese 5 spice seasoning

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Ground black pepper to taste

Serve with brown rice, soy sauce and sirachi if desired

Add canola or clear oil to a wok or a large pan with sides over high heat. Once the oil ripples, add mushrooms and onions, stirring frequently for about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic. Cook for a minute. Add broccoli, keep stirring. Add 5-spice seasoning, black pepper and soy sauce. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. 

Whisk cornstarch into warmed vegetable broth. Add to wok. Stir some more, Let mixture come to a boil. Cover with a lid and lower heat to medium. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with brown rice and more soy sauce or sirachi if you like a little kick! Portions may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Carrot, Broccoli and Cheese Orzo

I'm literally the only human in this house who grooves on broccoli, so I cook it in ways that I love. I do try to offer it up to The Husband and The Son, but as of today it always gets the shaft.

Their loss.

This Carrot, Broccoli and Cheese Orzo recipe that I discovered on Pinterest is really very delish, and it is perfect for little ones who actually do dig a broccoli spear or two. 

It's a very comforting bowl of yum when it's chilly willy out, which it is right now in the doldrums of February. 

The recipe calls for whole wheat orzo. I just used regular orzo. In addition, I sprinkled with shredded cheddar instead of Parmesan because I just love how cheddar and broccoli work so well together. In lieu of baby carrots I used a regular carrot because I do not do baby carrots. I peeled it, natch.

I hope you love this dish as much as I do.

Carrot, Broccoli and Cheese Orzo

From www.weelicious.com

Makes 4 servings

1 small garlic clove

1 small shallot

1 cup baby carrots

1 cup broccoli florets

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or olive oil

1 cup white or whole wheat orzo

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Place shallot and garlic in food processor and pulse to chop.

Add baby carrots and broccoli florets to the food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides half way until finely chopped.

In a large stock pot, heat 2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil and saute the chopped vegetables, raw orzo and a pinch salt for 4 minutes, stirring continuously.

Add the salt, water and broth to the pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes uncovered or until the liquid starts to evaporate and the mixture thickens.

Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used white orzo, 1 medium peeled carrot in lieu of baby carrots, and shredded cheddar cheese instead of Parmesan. She also uses low-sodium broth.

Veggie Fried Rice: It's So Easy

In my little family of three, leftovers happen. So when I have a bit of cooked rice on hand, I love to whip up this Veggie Fried Rice dish as a nice lunch or light dinner. I pretty much have all the ingredients at all times - the prepper that I am. And this is so versatile. You can seriously swap out veggies with what you have or love. 

I like to make this in a large pan since a lot is happening all in the same pan. This recipe is easy to divide or double. The basic formula is to use 1 egg per 1 cup of rice. I listed the recipe with how I do it for 2 cups of rice.

Enjoy!

Veggie Fried Rice

Makes 2 to 3 servings

1 Tbsp. canola oil

2 cups leftover plain rice

2 eggs, lightly whisked

1 small onion, chopped

1 small carrot, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups broccoli florets, cut into small florets

1/4 cup frozen peas, defrosted

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

2 scallions, minced

Ground black pepper to taste

To serve: Sirachi and more soy sauce (optional)

Please note: Other veggies that work well in this are any color bell pepper, frozen corn, zucchini. 

In a large pan over high heat, add oil. Once hot, add onion, carrot and peppers. Cook and stir frequently for about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic. Cook for a minute. 

Add broccoli, cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with ginger and black pepper. Push veggies over to one side of pan. 

Add eggs to hot pan. Stirring with a spatula or a spoon to cook through. Once cooked mix into veggies. Season with soy sauce. Stir again. Add rice and peas. Stir into veggies and eggs. Place lid over mixture and lower heat to medium low so that all ingredients cook through and flavors meld together. About 5 minutes.

To serve: Top with scallions. Drizzle more soy sauce and/or sirachi, if desired.

Beef Stir Fry

Parents often say their kids won't eat anything. Fights. Hunger strikes. Terrorist negotiations. Oh yes, dinner can be a nightmare for many adults trying to just get through to bedtime with their beloved offspring.

Allow me to present a solution, dear desperate readers: Stir fry. Yes, stir fry them into a frenzy of eating and not complaining.

My son is now 8. While he is very open to trying new foods and in general digs dinner time, there certainly are nights where he doesn't even want to eat dinner. But honestly, doesn't that happen to all of us, no matter what our age? There are times I do not want to eat. There are times my husband doesn't want to eat. So if my little guy just doesn't have an appetite, I get it. There's no need to argue. Some nights,he may just want a snack and there are a few nights that he is not grooving on what the main dish is. Even in these instances there is usually something that he will gnaw on at my table: Salad, bread, rice. He'll live. That's the point.

One of the many hits in my house with kiddo is stir-fry. Yes, I bust out my wok, and he is totally like, "Mom, let's DO THIS!" He even houses the hot and sour soup I occasionally make to go with stir fry dins. Yay!

Here is a steak and mixed veggie stir fry I make when my husband travels. My husband would love it, too, but he tries to avoid red meat, so I whip it up when he's on the road. My son has yet to taste the broccoli but one day, people. One day....

I served this with white rice, but of course you could do brown rice. And I think it would be really nice with ramen noodles, too. You can mix and match whatever veg your heart desires. My mix has bell peppers, broccoli, carrots and onions. I top it all with scallions as part of a grand finale sitch.

The five spice Chinese seasoning is easily found in any grocery store in your spice aisle. McCormick makes one.

Beef and Mixed Veggie Stir Fry
Makes 4-5 gigantic portions

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into strips
1 small red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 small green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 carrot, peeled and slicked into matchsticks
1 small onion, sliced
12-14 broccoli florets
2 cups beef broth, warmed in a microwave safe measuring cup or in a small pot on the stove
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. Chinese 5-spice seasoning
3-4 Tbsp. soy sauce
Fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp. clear vegetable oil
For serving: Chopped scallions, soy sauce to taste, sirachi if desired

In a wok or large rimmed frying pan over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil. Once hot, add steak. Stir frequently so that all the meat browns. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Using tongs, remove cooked steak to a dish.

Add all of the vegetables to the wok. Stir frequently so that all of the vegetables fry quickly. Add the meat back to the wok. Season with Chinese 5-spice seasoning, soy sauce, and black pepper. Stir again.

Whisk the cornstarch into the warmed broth. Slowly add broth mixture to wok.

Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cover with lid for a few minutes to cook through.

Top with chopped scallions and more soy sauce, to taste. For spiciness, drizzle with sirachi

Serve with three cups cooked rice. I like basmati.

Game Day Eats

Turkey burgers are ready to be served.

World Series Game 1.

Phillies beat down Yankies, natch.

To help my main man Mark stay calm, I feed him my magical Spicy Turkey Burgers and Broccoli Soup.

Broccoli is known to help those with high blood pressure. My calm-on-the-outside but bursting-with-emotion-on-the-inside husband totally has the high blood pressure.

And, my medical guess is it goes sky high during these World Series games. For a person who LOVES baseball with all of his being, I don’t comprehend the anxiety he feels at every waking moment during the post season. But, I guess his jaw clenching, pursed brow and nervous energy are all part of his passion.

I of course, with glass of wine in hand, declare to the husband the Phillies are totally going to kick New York’s ass minutes before the first pitch is thrown. This boastful moment, I assure you, was most likely interspersed with various words not suitable for publication because I am part-trucker. But at least, I got the husband to crack a smile. Even Utley’s two homeruns and Lee's behind-the-back catch didn’t soothe Mark’s nerves.

Now, for those of you who are haters of broccoli and would rather eat the beef burger as opposed to a leaner turkey burger: All I’m saying is give the menu a chance.

My husband is no fan of broccoli. No sir.

But he totally loves the broccoli soup. He houses it. Which is awesome because it’s pretty much just a big bowl of pureed vegetables. There is some butter and a teeny bit of half-half in the mix, but whatevs. The soup is uber yummy.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a health nut who's all anti-this and against that. If you want butter, eat some damn butter.

My turkey burgers are way spicy. That’s how we roll here. Fresh jalapeno and hot sauce are a big part of my burger. And, I top it with pepper jack cheese. But you certainly can cut back on the hot factor if you can’t handle it. The burger is loaded up with fresh red bell pepper, garlic, parsley and thyme so that it has lots of taste. You don’t need ketchup to jazz up this burger.

It’s definitely not boring.

Just like the World Series.

Go Phils!

Broccoli Soup is on the table.

Broccoli Soup
Broccoli florets from 4 to 5 big stalks, chopped
Two carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
4 cups chicken broth, I like Swanson
1 cup water
¼ half-and-half
Salt and pepper
Grated cheddar cheese, to serve

The vegetables cook up.

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add broccoli, carrots and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender, add flour. Stir and cook for a minute.

Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes. Add half and half. Stir.

Pureeing soup is easy with

an immersion blender. You can

use a standard blender if that's what you have.

To puree: Place an immersion blender into the pot until the mixture is smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can ladle the mixture into a standard blender and pulse until smooth.

To serve, top with fresh black pepper and your favorite grated cheddar cheese.

Spicy Turkey Burgers
(Makes four)

1 pound ground turkey
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
½ small red pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
2 to 3 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 crusty Kaiser rolls
Olive oil

Mix the first nine ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. You can do this several hours ahead and cover with plastic wrap.

Form four burgers by dividing the meat mixture and shaping into round patties. Brush each burger with olive oil.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place burgers on hot pan and cook for 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Once both sides are cooked, place a piece of cheese on each burger for the last minute of cooking.

Serve on rolls.