10 minute Super Carrot stir fry- Wholefood, Plant based.
Stir-fry is the simplest and satisfying form of cooking for me on most weekday evenings. This stress free yet striking recipe is designed to give good dose of protein, greens, fiber and vitamins, in a delicious, super easy dish. Carrots are year round vegetable, fridge staples which make a good starting point/ base for this dish. The ingredients that make this stir fry ‘super’ are edamame, and greens. Bring in the edamame, which pack 9 g protein, 6 g fiber in 1/2 cup, while adding crunch and color, in addition to many phytonutrients. Edamame are the power packed , unprocessed form of soy beans that have long list of health benefits, especially hormonal regulation, anti cancer properties.
I try to not let a day go by without the daily dose of greens, because they are the most nutrient dense vegetables in the nature. So, here I used leaves from Moringa, which is truly referred to as the new Kale. A simple addition of these leaves will give you more calcium +protein than cow’s milk, more Vit A than carrots, more Vit C than oranges (compared at 100g) . Apart from being rich in iron, these leaves are shown to have numerous proven benefits in animal studies, such as being anti inflammatory and anti cancerous. (10-grams of moringa powder offers 150 milligrams of calcium, 2 mg of iron). Lately, there is emerging scientific evidence that Moringa extract works well for diabetes and blood pressure control too. (Caution- Despite excellent health benefits, moringa leaves should be avoided in early pregnancy, as some studies show elevated risk of abortion. Also, if you have any allergic reaction to it, especially the packaged powders, please avoid) .If you don’t have access to moringa leaves, try to add other greens. The goal is to get the perfect combo of bean and greens incorporated into the dish. So, if you have no way to obtain moringa, go with kale or spinach or a blend of various greens.
Then find your zone of spice and flavor, I added just ginger, jalapeno and cumin. But, feel free to experiment with other spices. With in 10 minutes, this bright nourishing dish will beat your dinner preparation blues when you are on time crunch.
10 minute Super Carrot Stirfry- whole food, plant based.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1/4 red onion chopped finely
- 1 jalapeno or small green chili sliced finely
- 1 cup frozen edamame- steamed in microwave can substitute with fresh peas or even any cooked beans
- 4 carrots – grated or pulse in a blender
- 1/2 tsp ginger – grated or finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin powder – optional
- 1 cup moringa leaves / or 1 Tbsp moringa powder can substitute with any greens
- finely chopped cilantro to garnish optional
- 1/4 cup plant based milk – I used oat milk
- salt to taste
Instructions
- The quickest way, I use to grate carrot is by just cutting the carrot into 1 inch rounds and putting them in the blender, to pulse for 30 sec. You can get your frozen edamame ready to go, but putting them in a bowl of water just enough to submerge them and microwave for 2 minutes. Drain the water and have the edamame ready.
- In a sauté pan, on medium heat once hot add few tablespoons water or broth. Then add grated ginger. Once you smell the aroma of ginger, add chopped red onions and jalapeno.Sauté them for about 2 min. Then add the edamame. Mix well. Add the grated carrot and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Get your greens ready. I love to use moringa leaves, which you just have to pull from the stem and no chopping required. If you are using any other greens like kale or spinach, chop before adding to the pan. Then add cumin powder and salt. The greens will wilt and the carrot will start to soften. Then add plant based milk. Mix well. Cover for 4-5 min and let it cook. Take the lid off, and let the extra moisture evaporate, before transferring the stir fry into a serving bowl.
- Enjoy warm with rice or quinoa or any flat bread.