When you want to beat the heat and use up your abundance of
zucchini and yellow squash, stir fry just might be the answer.  It takes little time so you don’t have to
heat up your kitchen for long. And this particular stir fry is an all veggie
version which makes it perfect for using up your garden goodies.

Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of the page for
more creative and delicious ways to use up your summer squash.

The original version came from my mother in law who took out
the mushrooms.  I added them back because
I think it gives the dish a meatier taste and adds texture.  I like to have a sauce with my stir fry but
you can omit that.  In this recipe I’ve
chosen to serve the stir fry over pasta a la lo mein style, but of course you
can have rice or just eat it bare.

To season the stir fry I chose a little red pepper flake,
some fresh ground ginger (my new go to spice) and garlic, and of course a
splash of bottle stir fry sauce.

To make Summer Squash and Red Pepper Stir here’s what you’ll need:

1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 red pepper
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms
green onions for garnish
2 large cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 -2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons stir fry sauce or tamari
a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, to taste
Rice or noodles

Heat a wok to very, very hot.  Add the first 5 ingredients and stir fry, but only until veggies are tender crisp.
Season with salt, pepper, garlic and ginger. Continue to stir fry until fragrant.
Add the sauce and continue to cook briefly until thickened.
Serve over rice or noodles.

<TIP> Stir fry goes fast so have all your ingredients
chopped and ready to go. That way the veggies will be tender crisp and there
won’t be any possibility of forgetting something. 

<TIP> Be sure to have your pan as hot as you can get
it so as you add ingredients it won’t lose heat.

 <TIP> Keep it moving. As you add your ingredients be
sure to keep tossing them in the pan. This will insure even cooking.

Stir fry is one of those versatile dishes I love to
make.  You can make it so many ways – all
veggie, with tofu, with just about any kind of meat. Plus you can experiment
with sauces and flavorings.