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I used to buy frozen “stir-fry” vegetables all the time. I loved those flavors, especially the Italian-style seasoned mixes. Recently, while thinking about what to make for lunch, I noticed I had a bunch of different fresh vegetables in the fridge, so I decided to whip up something on my own…
Vegetables sautéed in olive oil taste amazing. The carrots taste almost like candy—sweet and delightful. The veggies stay slightly crisp but not hard, and their flavors are wonderfully intense. You can use whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand. Just remember: start by cooking the hardest vegetables first.
Ingredients:
1 large carrot
1 small zucchini
1 bell pepper (any color)
1 small can of corn
Herbs of your choice (Provence herbs, Italian blend, etc.)
Olive oil + a splash of sunflower or canola oil*
Salt
Instructions:
Peel the carrot and slice it into rounds. Wash the zucchini and cut it into half-moons. Wash the bell pepper, remove seeds and white parts, and slice into strips. Drain the corn.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and half a tablespoon of sunflower or canola oil in a large pan. Add the carrot and cook until slightly tender on the outside.
Add the bell pepper and zucchini. Sauté briefly, then cover the pan to let the vegetables soften a bit. Season with salt and herbs.
Add the corn and heat everything through once more.
*When cooking at higher temperatures, olive oil and butter can burn and produce unhealthy compounds. Adding a bit of another oil helps prevent this. For quick sautéing or gentle cooking, this isn’t a big risk—but I preferred adding a little oil when frying the carrot, which doesn’t release much moisture and can heat up over time.
