Name: Orange Sweet Potato Stir Fry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil); 1 inch ginger (knob grated fresh); 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced); 3 whole star anise ((or can use 1/4 teaspoon 5 spiced powder)); 1 sweet potato (large peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes); 1 potato (peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes); 8 radishes ( trimmed edges and cut in half); salt and pepper (to taste); 4 tbsp orange juice (fresh (half to cook the potatoes in and save the other half for the end of the cooking process); 1/2 cup snow peas (edges removed and strings removed and chopped to be about the same size as potatoes); 1 tsp orange zest; 1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted or nut of choice)

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Orange Sweet Potato Stir Fry has gently stir fried harvest autumn vegetables tossed with a light ginger orange sauce and topped with toasted pine nuts.

What do you make to eat when it is clean out the refrigerator day?

Inspiration for me always comes from the fresh produce and fruits in the crisper.

I was testing my dad's theory on how items, that are harvested together from the garden, go together perfectly. I think he is really on to something. I had sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, red radishes, snow peas and aromatics on the list and was well on my way to creating orange sweet potato stir fry.

Have you ever tried stir frying red baby radishes?

They turn very sweet and delicious when they hit the heat. I love the sweet tender potatoes together with the crisp the snow peas and the crunch from the toasted pine nuts. I am keenly aware of textures in recipes and all soft foods or all crunchy foods are just plain boring to me. I like to mix it up and a little and enjoy a little of both in my dishes. How about you?

Why you are going to love our recipe for Orange Sweet Potato Stir Fry

The delicately sweet and savory sauce of simple ginger, garlic, star anise, fresh orange juice, aromatics and coconut oil is all you need to enjoy a quick bowl of comforting orange sweet potato stir fry.

This delicious Chinese Stir Fry is happily gluten-free, vegan, cardiac friendly and if you swap out the regular potatoes for all sweet potatoes this recipe it is Paleo friendly as well.

We make our fair share of soups and Pantry fried rice on clean out the refrigerator day but this Orange Sweet Potato Stir Fry has it all going on as it is slightly sweet, savory, tongue numbing from the star anise and tart from the little bit of orange zest.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Food Choices

According to Chinese Medicine, ginger, garlic, star anise and pine nuts are warming foods. Oranges and radishes are cooling foods and sweet potato and regular potatoes are neutral foods. In this orange sweet potato stir fry, you have a nice balance of warming, cooling and neutral foods and this helps keep your body balanced. To learn more about how food choices affect you from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, please read our Introduction to the Five Energies of Food.

It is this time of the year with the change of seasons and wind that make people most apt to catch the cold and flu, if your body is stressed. If you keep your body balanced, keep the stress level low, sleep well and stay away from snotty little kids you have a better chance of staying healthy this fall. Take care of yourself, a gentle reminder from your friendly nurse!