"stir-fry" news and stories

Looking for an unusual weeknight dinner? Check out this beef stir fry from KitchenDaily expert Marcus Samuelsson -- it's known as "tibs" in Ethiopia. It's relatively easy to make, since everything is cooked in one pan. Red onions, cardamom, ginger and other aromatics give this dish intense flavor. In Ethiopia, this dish would be eaten with injera bread, but if it's not available in your area, he suggests using sourdough. He places a few slices at the bottom of a bowl, then tops it with the stir fry.

Remember the overly-salty, kind of dry stir-fries you made in college? With these tips you can create delicious Asian-style stir-fries anytime.

• Almonds add a nutty crunch to conventional stir-fry.
• Does the New Year have you straightening out your finances? Learn how to dine well without breaking the bank.
• Executive housekeeper for the Willkie Farr & Gallagher law firm, Feli Orinion, has been serving up traditional Filipino food (and coffee) to employees for the past 13 years.
• Good Eats: The Early Years by Alton Brown is "one part Mr. Wizard, one part Julia Child-and one part Monty Python."

Here's a great, easy way to use tempeh, whether you're a tentative tempeh virgin or a seasoned tempeh veteran. (A reminder for the newbies: tempeh is made from fermented soybeans, and I swear, it's really quite good).

I whip this up a lot when I'm in a hurry and am in desperate need of protein. Just heat a little olive oil in a skillet and toss in cubed tempeh, mushrooms, red bell peppers, spinach, or whatever else you happen to have on hand. Sprinkle it with seasonings (I use some random herb and spice blend), and fry for about eight minutes, or until the tempeh gets brown.

Hint: tempeh tends to be an oil hog, and it soaks it up really quickly. To alleviate this, I usually add in some veggie stock and water, which works just as well as the oil and doesn't add any unwanted fat.

If you don't like the taste of straight tempeh, you can simply marinate it in balsamic vinegar, barbecue sauce, or soy sauce beforehand, or grill it instead of frying, which gives it an edge. Then, toss some shredded soy cheese and chunky salsa on top, wrap it in a tortilla (I use chile-flavored), and devour.

Want some additional ideas about how to feature tempeh in your meals? Check out the gallery.

So, it's summertime, the season of beaches, parades, and oh-my-God humidity, here in Boston anyway. And accordingly, we often don't eat certain foods during the summer. The ones that make us hot or are too difficult to prepare during the hot days or meals that will have the oven on all day. Sort of like winter, when our ice cream consumption goes down.

Here are the eight foods I stop eating during the summer months. They usually make a comeback in late September.

1. Soup. How can I eat a bowl of hot soup when it's 90 degrees out? It seems really perverse to swallow a really hot liquid in that weather (even if soup if "lighter" fare that could be better for the summer, like salad).