Beer Sauce Stir Fry

The beer sauce on this Stir Fry is incredibly versatile.  Beer sauced broccoli is a favorite in our house; the sauce is a quick and easy vegan dinner idea that can be used for stir fry and pasta dishes alike.  You can put it over nearly any vegetable you want, but I find that it goes best with cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, rapini, and greens of all kinds – kale, collars, chard, cabbage), and mushrooms.  It is amazing with mushrooms!

This is also a sneaky vegan recipe.  As in, it wasn’t designed to be vegan, but it just so happens to be.  A delicious, plant based dish to please any skeptical omnivore (especially one who likes beer!).

The amounts in this recipe are designed to feed a family of four with leftovers (to put in thermoses for lunches the next day!).

Ingredients

Vegetables of your choice.
1 large Onion
2 cups diced mushrooms (or more, if you like!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
1/4 cup vegetable broth (or substitute 2 tbsp high heat oil like avacado, palm, or grapeseed)
1 – 2 tbsp sesame oil (optional, for Asian style stir fries)
***
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
2 12oz bottles of beer (3 cups)
3 tsp vegetable or mushroom bouillon granules (OR substitute 2 tbsp BBQ sauce OR 2 tbsp soy sauce or liquid aminos OR replace 1/3 of the beer with vegetable broth)
1 1/2 tsp dried Thyme (3 tsp fresh)
1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
4 tsp maple syrup (or brown sugar)
4 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)

Directions

1.  Dice the onion and mince the garlic.  Set aside for at least 5 minutes.

2.  Put your rice or noodles on to boil (or in the pressure cooker, etc.) or prepare you potatoes.  Bake tofu (if desired).  This is an excellent topper to this dish.

3.  Stir together all sauce ingredients and set aside.

4.  Heat the vegetable broth in a large wok or skillet to sautée the vegetables.  Add the garlic and the toughest vegetables (onions, broccoli, cauliflower, halved brussels sprouts, kale, chard, or collard stems, etc.).  Stir fry over high heat for 3 – 4 minutes.  Keep just enough broth (or oil) in the pan to keep the vegetables from sticking.

5.  Add the mushrooms and any other fast cooking vegetables (chard, greens off the stem, bok choy, asparagus) and stir fry for another 2-4 minutes, until all the vegetables are just softened.

6.  Move all the vegetables to a serving dish (or get a separate saucepan).  If you’re making an asian-style dish, drizzle the sesame oil over the veggies.

7.  Stir sauce mix well and add it to the pan.  Cook on high heat, stirring continuously, until thickened and bubbly.  Stir in vegetables (and optional tofu) until well and evenly coated.

8.  Serve over rice (for asian style), noodles (for european style), or potatoes (for US style).

Let me know if you try it!