Spicy Eggplant and Green Snap Beans Stir Fry

In between sewing and cruising the interwebs, I do have to feed myself.  Today I decided to try a veggie stir fry for lunch.  It turned out so well, that I thought I would share it with you guys.  This is by no means a traditional stir fry, however, it did make for quite a tasty lunch.  I got all of the produce from Bountiful Baskets, an awesome food co-op thats run by volunteers and makes local area in-season produce affordable and easy to get.  You get a variety of things, and you don't know what you'll get until you get there.  This is how I acquired the seemingly odd variety of ingredients in this meal.  Again, my recipes are more... guidelines.  I'll tell you what and how much I used, but experimenting with cooking is half of the fun!  So, on to the dish:

Spicy Eggplant and Green Snap Beans Stir Fry
Feeds 1 as a main dish, 2-3 as a side


1/2 medium eggplant (125g)
a generous handfull of green snap beans (100g)
1/4 of a medium yellow onion (50g)
1 medium jalapeno pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 lime (or one key lime)
cilantro to taste

That bottle is my "healthy" soy sauce with kelp.  Its actually really good, and not overly salty.  I wish I could tell you more, like what the brand name is, but most of the bottle is in Korean.

Preparation:


1. Chop the veggies.  I sliced the eggplant into 1/4 in sections, and then cut the sections into 1/8ths.  I minced the garlic, snapped the beans into 2 inch pieces and cut the onion into small sections.  I cut the jalapeno into thinish slices.  Hint: Don't want too much heat from the pepper?  Cut out the seeds to eliminate some of the spiciness.


2. Prepare the pan/wok.  I used a teflon pan, so I try to keep the oil to a minimum.  I sprayed the pan once around with canola cooking oil, then added and spread the sesame oil.  If you aren't using a non stick pan, you may need more oil.


3. Start the cooking.  I turned my stove up to high and added the garlic.  I usually give it about a minute or so to heat up.


4. Cooking.  I added the green snap beans first since they take the longest to cook.    Stirring constantly is a must, even in a nonstick pan.  I gave them a few minutes, then added the onions and eggplant.  As soon as I had given them a good stir, I squeezed the lime over the pan, and added the soy sauce.  I let them cook for another 3-4 minutes while stirring.


5.  The finishing touches.  I added the jalapeno and cilantro last.  If you want a milder jalapeno, you should add it earlier, as the heat of the pan will temper the spiciness.  If you add them at the end, make sure they get enough time to cook and allow their flavor to blend with everything else.  At the very end, right before you turn off the stove is when the cilantro should be added.  It gets just enough heat to release the flavor without dulling it.


And voila!  A delicious, spicy eggplant and green snap bean stir fry!