Spring Vegetable Stir-Fry

Isn’t it funny how once the weather turns nice your soup cravings instantly vanish? Okay, maybe they don’t disappear entirely. But comfort foods definitely take a back seat to fresh, crisp vegetables this time of year. I genuinely love perusing the produce section for the brightest, most beautiful spring veggies I can get my hands on. Asparagus, peas, radishes, corn, and leeks – I’ll take ‘em all!

 spring clean your diet

I recently started going to yoga (I guess it’s good for you?) and was inspired by something my teacher said during a particularly cleansing vinyasa flow. I’ll paraphrase: spring is a time when we deep clean our homes, get rid of unnecessary clutter we’ve accumulated over the winter months, and start fresh. Why shouldn’t we do the same with our bodies?

I couldn’t agree more. It’s so easy to fall into a routine of eating heavy foods over the holidays (those party snacks!) and as we try to stay warm in the months that follow. Spring is a fantastic time to reevaluate how we’re fueling our bodies and make adjustments for a cleaner, more nutritionally balanced diet. This notion, along with the gorgeous April blooms, are what inspired my recipe for a spring vegetable stir-fry.

spring vegetable stir-fry

This spring vegetable stir-fry is super colorful with the help of green asparagus and sugar snap peas, pink radishes and yellow corn, and it’s also light in flavor. I made a stir-fry sauce in my first test of this recipe, but it really weighed down the dish and muddied the beautiful colors of the veggies. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper just before serving naturally brighten the delicate flavors of the vegetables while allowing their colors to shine through. Feel free to add a glug of soy sauce or tamari if you want an extra kick of flavor before digging in!

Spring Vegetable Stir-Fry

• Author: Kate Kasbee

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Ingredients

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 leek, rinsed and diced (white part only, about 2 cups)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

½ lb. thin asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 heaping of cup radishes, sliced into bite-sized wedges

2 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob with a sharp knife

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Stir-fry noodles or rice, for serving (optional)

Soy sauce or tamari, for serving (optional)

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Instructions

If using, cook stir-fry noodles (I used thin rice noodles), rice, or quinoa according to package directions. When done, drain and rinse the noodles or fluff the rice/quinoa with a fork and set aside.

Make sure you have all of your vegetables prepped and ready to go – stir-frying is super fast-paced! Heat a wok or stainless steel pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. When hot, add the leek and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Turn heat to high and add the asparagus, sugar snap peas, radishes, and corn; cook until vegetables are brightly colored and slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve stir-fry vegetables with noodles, rice, or quinoa. Add a splash of soy sauce or tamari for additional flavor, if desired (keep in mind this will darken the color of your dish.)

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