When I was 14, I started going to a dietitian. During the first six months or so into my eating disorder recovery, I made the visit every other week to see her, usually equipped with my diet recall in hand.
I still remember her advice to me, and it’s something I’ve carried into my own career as a dietitian–and my own everyday life.
“Eat the rainbow,” was pretty much her mantra when it came to nutrition. Instead of filling your plate with monochromatic carbs in varying shades of brown, white, and tan, she encouraged me to eat lots of colorful fruits and veggies.
These days, I still keep those words in the back of my mind, especially when I’m thinking of things to cook, and it was definitely the inspiration behind today’s vibrant recipe.
The stir-fry here is pretty simple, using broccoli, carrots, red bell pepper, and red cabbage to create a beautiful rainbow of veggies and adding lots of fiber, vitamins, and minerals to this dish without a ton of calories.
A few highlights for the nutrition in this recipe:
- Broccoli: Packed with calcium, vitamin E, phosphorus, and vitamin K
- Carrots: Loaded with vitamin C, biotin, and potassium
- Red Bell Pepper: Rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate
- Red Cabbage: High in thiamin, folate, riboflavin, iron, and vitamins A and C
The creamy peanut sauce is what really stands out, though, bringing the flavor of this delicious dish to a whole new level. Customize the level of thickness by adjusting the amount of water to your preference.
You can serve this up with your choice of starch; Chinese noodles and brown rice are two of my personal favorite choices, but cauliflower rice would also work well if you’re following a paleo or low-carb diet.
So go ahead–break out the skillet and let’s get stir-frying!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 small carrots, diced
- 1/4 red cabbage, chopped
- 3 small heads of broccoli, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- sesame seeds (to garnish)
- 3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
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- In a small pot, mix peanut butter and water. Stir until homogeneous, then mix in remaining ingredients for peanut sauce. Add more water if needed to reach desired consistency.
- Use olive oil to coat skillet over medium heat. Add vegetables to skillet and cook 5-10 minutes, until cooked through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds on top to garnish.
- Heat peanut sauce over medium heat 1-2 minutes to warm up without bringing to a boil.
- Serve stir-fried vegetables over brown rice or Chinese noodles with peanut sauce on the side.
Make sure to add water to peanut sauce slowly to make sure you can achieve desired thickness. I like my sauce more creamy and thick, but you can add additional water if you prefer it thinner. If you accidentally add too much water, feel free to sprinkle in a bit of flour to thicken it up.
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