Everybody's rainbow talkin' these days, and I have to admit I say "Double complete rainbow!" at least once every 48 hours.  (If you haven't heard of the Rainbow Guy yet, watch the video at the bottom of the post.)  Now I'm shamelessly stealing one of his most charming phrases for the title of a stir-fry of three proteins and three colors of vegetables.  It might be cheesy, but it's exactly what I said when I was deciding what to add to the three proteins we'd purchased (catfish, shrimp, and chicken) and standard stir-fry sauce-building trinity of garlic, ginger, and scallion: "...and then if I have red bell peppers, carrots, and green onions, it'll be...it'll be like a triple complete rainbow!"  And you know what came next:  "All across your plate!"

Here is my favorite stir-fry recipe, which has served me well over the last 10 years as a quick, adaptable, relatively cheap meal.  It will give you leftovers that you can stretch over several days by adding little bits of veggies, broth, ginger, garlic--whatever you think will freshen it up.  It's not necessarily New Orleans, but it is definitely me, and it's begging for you to use your own local champions of the vegetable patch.  Plus, even in New Orleans, everybody needs a good stir-fry now and then.

The original recipe is here.  My version differs slightly in sauce ingredient amounts and more notably in method.  Use whatever combination of proteins and vegetables you like--but do try to keep the tri-color thing going, at least for a little while.

Jen's Favorite Stir-Fry

for marinade

• 1 1/2 pounds of protein (in any combination): boneless, skinless chicken (breast or thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces); shrimp (peeled, deveined); catfish (or other firm-fleshed fish, cut into 2" pieces); lean steak or pork (cut into bite-sized pieces); or extra-firm tofu (sliced, well-drained, and cut into 2" pieces)
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sake or mirin (rice wine)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

for sauce

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 Tablespoons minced scallions (note: don't add these first three things to the liquid ingredients; keep them separate)
• 1/2 cup broth or stock (chicken, vegetable, beef, etc.)
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sake or mirin
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (hot chili sauce)

to complete stir-fry

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, cut into thin matchsticks

• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 cup sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted, your choice)
• a few scallion slices and peanuts to sprinkle over the top
• hot cooked rice or noodles for serving

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients and protein in a medium bowl. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. (If using tofu, you can let it marinate up to a day for more flavor. Stir it very carefully).
2. Meanwhile, get everything else ready:  Mince the garlic, ginger, and scallion for the sauce and set aside.  In a smallish bowl, combine the broth, sugar, and the remaining sauce ingredients and stir with a whisk or fork to break up the cornstarch.  Set the sauce aside.
3. Cut up the vegetables for the stir-fry and have them ready to rock! It's gonna go fast and all your hands will be busy.
4. Take protein and marinade out of the fridge and let the chill come off of it for about 5 minutes.
5. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat.  Add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil and let it get hot.  Add the protein and marinade and stir-fry for about 4 minutes, until just slightly undercooked (this time may vary depending on the thickness of your protein pieces and the type of protein it is, but I find that even with shrimp it takes about 4 minutes).  Remove the protein and juices to a bowl and set aside for a few minutes.
6. Heat the remaining Tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium-high heat.  Add the bell pepper and carrot (or whatever your hardest vegetables are) and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, till slightly tender.  Add the water chestnuts, scallions, and peanuts, and stir-fry for a minute or so.
7. Add the garlic, ginger and scallions and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the broth-sauce mixture to the pan and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.  Return your protein and its juices to the pan and stir everything together for a minute or two.  The sauce will start to thicken up, so you may need to reduce the heat slightly to keep it from getting too sticky.
8. Serve over hot cooked rice or noodles, sprinkled with a few peanuts and scallions.

Makes 5 to 6 servings.  Leftovers are friends of the rainbow.