The Light and Tasty Team asked us to cook in a pan today. The recipe I immediately thought of proposing is the pan-fry of mixed vegetables with soybean sprouts, a recipe I have repeated for years, always a little different from the previous one, but that never gets old.
Sprouts were, for me, a real discovery in days gone by. I had bought them by chance, just to try them, at a time (we’re talking almost thirty years ago) when they were very hard to find in shops; they were almost nonexistent in supermarkets. I remember when they started to be sold at the greengrocer and I thought I’d won, only to discover shortly after that they had been withdrawn from sale because they were little requested… in short, I was basically the only one buying them. 🤭
That’s why at some point I started producing them at home (but that’s another recipe I’ve had to tell you about for years. I’ll get to it, I promise!).
In recent years things have changed: the alternative foods section of every supermarket is definitely better stocked than it was two or three decades ago. Although the variety of sprouts available isn’t very wide – you can practically only find mung bean (green soybean) sprouts and sometimes alfalfa – that’s fine. Mej ad gnint, as that guy used to say. 😊
Sprouts are very nutritious, rich in plant proteins, vitamins and minerals. They are an ingredient that should not be missing in vegetarian cooking and even more so in vegan cooking, but also in light cooking because they are low-calorie and have zero cholesterol. 😉
Raw, on their own or added to salads, they are delicious, but they can also be used as a second course, thanks to their protein content, by sautéing them together with vegetables. And if you add potatoes it can become a complete, quick and filling dish (it solved many of my lunches when I was dieting!).
There are many possible variations: simply change the vegetables, the spices or the herbs to obtain a different pan-fry of vegetables and sprouts each time. Today I have photos of three different recipes to show you, but I’ve tried many combinations; in the method I will list the ingredients of some of them.
I recommend experimenting with your favorite combinations!
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👇 Another 3 ideas with mixed vegetables:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Wellness
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- mixed vegetables
- mung bean sprouts (mung bean)
- extra virgin olive oil
- curry (or other spices as desired)
- fresh ginger
- chili pepper (optional)
Tools
- Pan non-stick with lid
Steps
Some possible combinations of vegetables I have tried, all suitable to pair with soybean sprouts:
– peppers and leeks
– peppers, onion and red radicchio
– mushrooms and red radicchio
– peppers, potatoes and Tropea spring onion
– celery, onion and escarole
– carrots, zucchini and onion
Wash the vegetables and cut them into pieces or slice them.
Wash the sprouts.
Sauté the vegetables in a pan with a little oil (and chili pepper if desired).
Cook the vegetables, preferably with the lid on (to avoid cooking them in water and therefore preserve the flavors).
Halfway through cooking add the curry.
When the vegetables are ready, add the sprouts.
Stir-fry briefly to let the flavors meld. Sprouts only need a couple of minutes to cook.
Finish with a grating of fresh ginger.
Serve immediately. 😊
👉 Soybean sprouts are rich in properties: minerals such as iron, potassium – and low sodium content -, phosphorus and vitamins such as C, K, PP, B1, B2, B5, B6 and folic acid. These properties can be lost during cooking, so it is preferable to cook them as briefly as possible.
👉 I usually use curry but you can use any preferred spices. In the pan-fry with potatoes (first and last photo) I used turmeric and hot paprika.
👉 If you’re in a hurry I suggest speeding up this already quick recipe by pre-cooking the vegetables (and potatoes, if applicable) in the microwave. 😉
The recipes (all cooked in a pan) from my colleagues in the Light and Tasty Team:
Carla: Tasty chicken rolls
Daniela: My pan-fried eggplant parmigiana
Elena: Sicilian-style pan-fried prawns
Milena: Fusilli with peppers and zucchini cooked raw in a pan
Serena: Broccoli and potatoes in a pan
Salt-free tips
The pan-fry of vegetables and sprouts is a low-sodium dish perfect because it combines pan cooking, which allows vegetables not to lose their flavor, with the use of spices, the ultimate flavor enhancers. 😉
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually; the palate needs to get used to it slowly and shouldn’t notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili, black pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use pungent vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granulate and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water; prefer cooking methods that do not disperse flavors (griddle, parcel, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid placing the salt shaker on the table!
▫ Allow yourself an occasional indulgence. It’s good for the mood and helps perseverance.
If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes and season them according to your habits.
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