Food in a Flash

That bag of broccoli stalk slaw at Trader Joe's always sang to our philosophy of Nutrition + Non-Food Waste; the oft discarded lower half of the vegetable is staffed with nutrients and antioxidants. Trouble is we didn't love it tossed in the manner of coleslaw with either mayo or a sweet vinaigrette. Then we hit upon the idea of stir-frying the shredded stalks for a couple of minutes over super-high heat and thus our rendition of moo shoo veggies was born - heat 3 T. of vegetable oil in a wok or very large non-stick skillet over a high flame until screaming hot. Throw in 2-3 torn dried red chilies and cook for 15 seconds or until they darken. Add 1 minced clove of garlic and some shredded and peeled ginger root. In a pinch feel free to substitute dried ginger powder. IMMEDIATELY add a few chopped scallions (both white and green parts) or 1 slivered onion. Stir fast and add the package of broccoli stalk slaw. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring almost constantly, before adding 1 T. each of soy sauce, oyster sauce and brown sugar. Stir well, cook for another minute and serve hot or warm with rice. If you don't have oyster sauce handy just double the amount of soy sauce.

Too tired for words? Let alone cooking? Place chicken thighs (with skin, bone-in) on a baking sheets and sprinkle bravely with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle a full teaspoon each of za'atar over each and drizzle all with olive oil. Bake at 425 degrees until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Broil for 2 minutes before serving to crisp skin.