it's all about compromise

My husband is someone who would happily dine on meat and bread at every meal. Don't misunderstand...I mean just meat and bread. I, on the other hand, would just as soon compose my plate of 90% veggies.

To satisfy both of our dining desires (as well as my deep-seated need to balance his diet), I often add a lot more veggies to casseroles, quiches, and sautes than one would normally include. This recipe is no exception. Most stir-fry formulas I've seen list only 1-2 cups of veggies per batch, but I doubled that, and I'm not sorry about it.

As we were eating, we ranked the veggies in order of deliciousness in this recipe. In case you were wondering, we were in complete agreement--broccoli got top honors, while edamame came in second, the peas finished third, and the peppers were apparently just there to add some color. The sum of the parts was quite tasty, and both of us left the table satisfied, which is always a good goal.

Veggie-Heavy Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry
(printable recipe)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided use
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
• 1-2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
• 1 cup snap peas, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup edamame
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup basil, julienned

Directions:
Combine egg whites and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pat the chicken pieces dry and add to bowl; toss to coat.
Combine remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ketchup, water, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pepper and peas to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add edamame and broccoli to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the veggie mixture to a plate.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add chicken mixture, allowing any excess egg white mixture to drip back into bowl. Stir-fry 6 minutes or until chicken is browned and done.
Add ketchup mixture and veggie mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; simmer 1 minute or until slightly thickened.
Sprinkle with basil; serve immediately with rice.