Dinner doesn’t get more colorful than this Spicy Orange-Sesame Stir-Fry! Bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, red peppers, carrots, and edamame get a boost of favor from a spicy orange-sesame sauce and are then sprinkled with black sesame seeds.
I tell my health coaching clients to get at least four colors onto their plates at every meal, with green being the main color. Without getting too sciency about it (because I don’t have a sciency brain), the nutrients in fruit and vegetables lie in their color, and therefore eating lots of colors ensures that we’re getting lots of nutrients. Pretty simple, huh? Unfortunately, most of the plates across America of full of varying shades of beige and brown. It’s not as difficult as it sounds to get lots of color into your meal.
Some days I find my meals have more than 4 colors (such as the stir-fry recipe below which actually has 7!). Choose red onions (which are actually purple) instead of white, throw some purple cabbage onto your salad, add some shredded carrot to your stir-fry. By the way, white and black count, so why not start your meal with some garlic and add some black olives to the finished dish? Get creative with it and have some fun!
Spicy Orange-Sesame Stir-Fry
Ingredients
For the Stir-Fry
- 8 ounces udon noodles
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 small red onion diced
- 2 cups shittake mushrooms sliced (about 10 medium sized mushrooms)
- red bell pepper diced
- 2 medium carrots shredded
- 1 cup edamame fresh or frozen and thawed
- 5 cups baby bok choy chopped (about 5 medium-sized heads)
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- For the Sauce Stir-Fry Sauce
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons garlic chili sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
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Cook the udon noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes rinse with cold water and set aside.
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In a large pan or wok, cook the onion over medium heat until they begin to get translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add the mushrooms and peppers and cook for about 5 more minutes, until peppers are soft.
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While the mushrooms and peppers are cooking, whisk the sauce ingredients together in small bowl.
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Add the carrots and edamame and cook for a minute or two, then add the bok choy. Cook for a few more minutes, until the leaves start to wilt.
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Add the sauce to the pan, and mix everything together to coat. Let cook for a few more minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken, then add the noodles and toss to coat. The noodles will soak up some of the sauce.
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Remove the pan from the heat. Divide among four plates and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
I love the bright colours of this dish. It looks fantastic. Thanks for the great ideas.
what a gorgeous salad! i love all the colors and textures! the sauce sounds delish too!
what beautiful photos!