Recipe: Peanut Sesame Stir Fry

Relationships with partner/family/friends, working full time, commitments to several evening groups, upkeep on a house and yard, and several hobbies keep me busy and on the go all the time. To feed us, I had come to rely on "prepared" food - you know, things that come out of boxes, bags and cans. Sure, I also served lots of veggies and fruit with those meals, but it was a quicker (and lazier) way to cook. With the H-man's cancer diagnosis, we decided to permanently alter our lifestyle and our eating habits in a major way. The transition to vegetarianism, so far, has been one of experimentation to find meals we really like without feeling deprived.

One of our favorites was a (packaged) thai peanut dish that unfortunately, contained a lot of sugar. Since that is one of the main components we eliminated from our diets, I looked for a healthier alternative. While I am now cooking mostly from scratch, there are still times when I need a "quickie" dish, and I found one that seems like a better alternative. Yes, there is still a bit of sugar in it, but only about 1/3 of the original brand, and since we eat smaller servings than the package calls for, it is even less. So here is my version of:

PEANUT SESAME STIR FRY

Ingredients
1 box Annie Chun's Peanut Sesame Asian Meal Starter
1 TBS olive oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8-oz. package fresh sliced mushrooms (or 1 can mushrooms, rinsed and drained)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 to 2 bunches green onions (scallions), green and white parts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions

1. Chop all vegetables in preparation.


2. Bring about 3 quarts water to boil. Add noodles and boil about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.


3. While noodles boil, heat saute pan on medium (never hotter!). When the pan is hot, add oils. When the oils start to "shimmer", add the garlic, peppers and mushrooms. Stir fry for a 2-3 minutes, then add the scallions and stir fry another minute or two. (Scallions will get very limp and almost "disappear" if cooked too long - we like ours firmer).


4. Add the cooked, drained noodles and the sauce packet to vegetables and stir until well mixed and sauce is heated through.


5. Add about half the peanuts and mix well.


6. Serve, topping with remaining peanuts.