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When the weather ges hotter and you don´t want to spend hours cooking in the hot kitchen, stir fries are ideal. Quick , easy and very healthy, you need only use a tiny amount of oil, and the fast cooking process ensures that all the ingredients retain the maximum vitamins and flavour. Subscribe to Type-A Mom articles

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Be creative! Usually, when we think of stir fries, we think of beansprouts, carrots and peppers. But virtually any vegetables can be stir fried if you chop them finely.Onions and spring onions are a tasty addition, and the addition of summer seasonal vegetables such as peas and broad beans, or sweetcorn can add variety. Don´t let your stir fries get boring. Here are some tasty sauces which will add flavour and zest to your meals!

Sweet and sour

• Mix and equal quantity of soy sauce and ketchup together in a small bowl.
• Add one tin if pineapple chunks in juice, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and 2 tsp sugar.
• Mix 2 tsp cornflour with a little water to make a thickening paste, and add to your stir fry, stirring gradually until the sauce has thickened. Cook until the pineapple is warmed through.

Sesame and ginger

• Dry fry a couple of spoons of sesame seeds in a pan.
• Make a sauce from the juice of 2 lemons, the grated zest of 1 lemon and a small chunk of finely grated root ginger.
• Add 1 tsp of brown sugar and 2tsp cornflour to the mix and stir to make a paste.
• Add to your stir fry and mix until sauce has thickened.
• Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the dish just before serving.

Orange and honey sauce

• Take the meat of your choice and marinade in this sauce for at least an hour before cooking. Chicken, turkey and duck are all very good with this.
• Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce with 1 clove of crushed garlic and 1 tbsp honey plus the zest and juice of one large orange.Pour over your meat or fish and leave to marinade, preferably overnight.
• Add the fish or meat to the pan,with your stir fry vegetable selection and stir until cooked through. At the end of the cooking time, pour over any remaining marinade, warm through and serve.

All of these recipes can be used for vegetable stir fries, so you don´t lose out on flavour even if you choose not to add meat or fish to the dishes. Happy cooking!