Healthy, Easy Wok Stir Frys

"Gourmet Goodness with the Wok Star"
My cooking demo setup at Whole Foods Market, Pinecrest today.
It's not hard to do a beautiful setup:
I 'borrowed' gorgeous yellow & purple orchids.
Eye popping colorful, fresh veggies.

It's always thrilling to show healthy, easy Wok Stir Frys and today, I got the chance to do just that! It was great to see more kids shopping with their parents and were lured by the delicious smells from my wok cooking. Parents were constantly surprised their kids wanted to taste my veggies since they won't eat them at home. They're even more surprised to find with just a dash of tamari and sherry, veggies can taste so GOOD.

A mom was so excited to tell me that EVERYTHING I used in the dish had NO GLUTEN! Her son had many allergies and she was looking for new ways to make his dinners more palatable and she found the ticket. I had another lady write down all the veggies I used so she could replicate the exact stir fry for her husband. When I explained that there were no rules and you could combine any veggies, she said she didn't want to take any chances because her husband was a very picky eater. She ran around the store and bought the exact same veggies and seasonings I used and was so proud to show them to me.

Many smart moms are bringing their college bound teenagers to my cooking class. They've realized they don't want them to go out to eat every night. It's expensive and probably doesn't involve healthy choices. I must track down numerous articles where college kids take turns to cook on campus instead of clubbing and is the new trend.

I've not finished reading this article: Produce by "Prescription" Seeks to Address Childhood Obesity but I know many kids who stop by my demos really enjoyed my veggies! Flavor is of utmost importance to kids but they also love veggies that are colorful, crispy and crunchy!

Aromatics included scallions, ginger, garlic.
Kick it up with Fresh shitake mushrooms.

Purple curly kale, Shanghai Bok Choy, Nappa cabbageDifferent textures: eggplant, daikon, carrots, red bell, napa, bok choy.

Chopped veggies ready to go straight into wok. Daikon, red bell, eggplant, purple curly kale.

Whenever I do these demos, I simply use all leftover ingredients for that evening's dinner.
I had some cooked red quinoa and firm toufu (Leasa brand) which is my fav, less watery, so you can really crisp it up when you stir fry it. Cubed toufu and marinaded with Stubbs BBQ sauce, such a time saver. It's spicy and tangy, just hits all the right notes.

Stir fry of purple curly kale, turnip, carrots, scallions.

Dinner was ready in minutes. So, when you run out of meal ideas, just remember that you can make a quick dinner with just ONE veggie, a protein like toufu and red quinoa. It doesn't have to be a big production.
Get your kids to help by cutting up the veggies, cubing the toufu, marinading. They love participating in the act of cooking and let them do the stir frying. Believe it or not, they really enjoy putting the dinner on the table if you let them. I know I was always fascinated watching our 'amah' cook when I was growing up in Hong Kong. Little did I know that I would be showing others how to cook in a wok!

Healthy and Delicious Snack Tip

Here's a delicious and healthy snack that Ralph and I always have about an hour prior to going to bed. I always have a platter with a variety of fresh fruit so it's easy to make dessert.

When fruits are in season and in abundance, go get some! Recently strawberries were $4 or 5 pints! I freeze some and have fresh with oatmeal for breakfast cooked in my wok. We cook nearly everything in my cast iron wok which sits conveniently on my portable butane gas stove right on top of my electric coil. We never put ours away because if you don't see it, you won't use it.


We call it our "mini-meal", I have low sugar, inherited from my mom who has diabetes and my brother passed away from it. Over the years, I have donated a lot of WokStar cooking class certificates to the local Diabetes Research Institute and also invited many of the staff to attend. I hope they will be able to spread the word that having diabetes does not have to be doom and gloom. There are many quick, healthy, delicious foods we can eat. My doctor is pleased that my "diet" is so good that I don't need to be on drugs. I wrote a whole page about Health and Diet on my website.

I have to keep topped up but not with just fruit because it's all sugar. So, I was surprised and disappointed to see at local fundraising festivals, the Junior Diabetes booth was selling CANDY or cakes and said so. With childhood obesity such a huge problem, I am flabberghasted to read constantly in the papers chefs teaching kids how to bake cookies and cakes.

What works for me is balancing fruit with protein, otherwise you have a sugar high and deep dip. If I don't have this, I'm "starving" in the middle of the night and my tummy growls so loud, it wakes me up.

I add protein powder (Wholefoods brand is cheapest) and / or textured protein (bulk section at Wholefoods), then top with dollop of Cabot's Greek Style yogurt (has live active cultures, good for building up immune system, available at Publix and most supermarkets). I just discovered Cabot and love this, it's very creamy like double cream in England. Also, I feel like I'm supporting the dairy farmers in Vermont, cause it's owned by them, so show your support and try it.


Not done yet, add liberal sprinkling of ground flax seed (I grind myself, otherwise it's indigestible) which is good fiber, hit of granola (get bulk at Wholefoods, much cheaper than packaged), a few toasted almonds (I toast our own from Costco) for crunch, sometimes also add quinoa flakes and viola. We look forward to this every night.