Sweet and Sour Spring Stir Fry

Right about the middle of May, I start getting antsy to see fresh, local asparagus popping up at newly opened farmer’s markets where I live.

You see, we spend about 5 months buried under piles of snow. And where I come from, there is just something about the weather, and just the right soil conditions that produces the *best* asparagus crop. It’s so great that Michigan is known nationwide as the top asparagus producer!

One of my favorite ways to use the abundance of asparagus we see every spring is stir frying them. They turn tender and sweet, and the green just pops on your plate!

In this method, I use just a simple peeler to make long strands from thicker stalks of asparagus. Those thick stalks are usually picked over at the markets – thinner asparagus spears roast better and tend to be sweeter. But thick spears peel beautifully, and when you stir fry them the right way, they turn out just as sweet and the texture is perfect.

I decided to use my sweet and sour sauce for this stir fry since citrus is available this time of year pretty much everywhere, and the flavor and color is amazing with the asparagus! Using the simplest of juicers and a few other ingredients into a sauce pan and you will never need another take out Chinese dinner again!

Sweet and Sour Spring Stir Fry

• 1 ½ – 2 cups cooked chicken from your weekly crockpotted chicken
• 1 small onion, sliced long
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch asparagus, tough ends cut and discarded, stalks peeled, and tops chopped
• 1 cup of juice from oranges (Will take about 4-5 oranges. I just have a simple hand juicer – nothing fancy needed!)
• 2 TB organic ketchup (watch ingredients – no HFCS)
• ¼ cup organic vinegar (rice vinegar or white wine vinegar work best)
• ¼ cup coconut aminos
• 1 TB honey
• ¼ cup water
• Pinches of red pepper flakes to taste (I use about ¼ tsp – if you like heat double that)
• • 3 tsp arrowroot, tapioca, or organic corn starch mixed in a couple TB water to thicken (if using corn starch please be sure it is organic to ensure no GMO’s)
• Cooked long grain white rice to serve over (if you are grain free this is so delicious just plain or you could serve over a baked potato)

1. In a medium sauce pan bring the juice, ketchup, vinegar, coconut aminos, honey, and red pepper flakes to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
2. While the sauce is simmering, sauté your onion and carrots with a few big pinches of sea salt in about 3 or 4 TB of butter or coconut oil for about 7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
4. Add the asparagus and cook until tender. I add a lid to the pan to speed up the cook time a bit and keep it from drying out.
5. When the sauce has simmered about 10 or so minutes, add the arrowroot to the sauce and bring up the heat to thicken – keep stirring.
6. Add the sauce and chicken to the pan with the veggies and combine and heat through.
7. Serve over the cooked rice if you wish.

Tips:

1. Chop the veggies the night before. This really comes together super fast at dinnertime when everything is all ready to go!
2. The sauce freezes WELL. I very often will double or triple the batch and freeze so I can have a super fast dinner come together. I did this right before I had my babies so I could have quick dinners! If you see oranges go on sale, go for it!

About Renee Kohley

has written 1 posts in this blog.

Renee is a wife and mama of 3 busy bees under 5 years old. She is passionate about raising the next generation of kids with a better understanding of how food affects their bodies. She is committed to teaching others that simple, real food can make positive changes in health and can be done on a (very) tight budget, all while making the kids smile. Renee blogs at Raising Generation Nourished.

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