It’s a little surprising that it’s been over a year since I’ve made you a kick ass stir fry.
What’s even more surprising is how I actually LICKED my plate clean after eating a serving of this. That’s how you know it’s good, right? At least that’s how I judge my recipe development these days… plate licking.
Sorta kidding. Sorta not.
This recipe comes from my real lack of meat consumption lately. I have zero desire to eat meat and I’m not sure if it’s because every time Tony and I are together that’s pretty much all I eat. Perhaps I’m trying to make up for the lack of veggies in my diet? Who knows. Either way, this meatless stuff is damn tasty.
It’s weird how some people are like MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT. As in, that might be their only food group or something. No comprendo here because veggies basically make up most of my meals. Especially this time of the year when you can find them poppin’ fresh and flavorful from the farmer’s market.
Jeez I’m just full of adjectives today.
But seriously veggies are good for the soul and can easily be subbed in most meat-based meals… oh you know, like that delicious take-out orange chicken? Yeah, no worries I’ve got you covered because this CHICKPEA VEGGIE STIR-FRY is insane, out of control deliciousness. So insane that I wrote it in all caps.
Kill me.
Best yet, this stir-fry is easy to make. Just whisk together an insanely scrumptious sauce with flavors of orange and a hint of ginger. Saute chickpeas, a little sesame oil and those million dollar veggies. Add sauce, let simmer. Serve over a bed of that super trendy quinoa and garnish as you’d like. That’s all you need for an amazing meatless meal.
Lastly I’d like to mention that this meal is packing both protein and fiber. The small amount of sugar is all natural. And seriously I think it cost me like $8 to make this entire thing. Like I said… so much better than takeout. K love you bye.
Oh and if you make this be sure to snap a photo, post it to Instagram and use the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen so I can see your creation!
Other vegetarian dinners you might like:
Healing Lemongrass Thai Green Chickpea Curry
Vegan Slow Cooker Tikka Masala
Mom’s Ultimate Vegetarian Lentil Loaf
Vegan & Gluten Free Curry Chickpea Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Crust
Healthy Sesame-Orange Ginger Chickpea Stir-Fry
Lip-smacking delicious Sesame-Ginger Orange Chickpea Stir-Fry loaded with veggies. This is a healthier, vegetarian version of your favorite take-out! Serve over quinoa or brown rice for a full, protein-packed meal. Vegan-friendly.
Ingredients
- For the sauce:
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon honey (or agave nectar if vegan)
- 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (organic, preferred)
- zest of 1 orange
- For the stir-fry:
- 1 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, divided
- 1 - 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- Green onion, for garnish
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
- Red pepper flakes, if you like a little heat!
- Cooked Quinoa or brown rice, for serving if desired
Instructions
-
First make the sauce: Add the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, ginger, cornstarch, orange zest to a large bowl; whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside for later.
-
Next preheat a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat and add in 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. Add chickpeas, stir frequently and cook until they begin turning slightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Once chickpeas are cooked, transfer to a large bowl or plate and set aside for later. Keep the heat in the pan.
-
Add the other 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan (over medium-heat); add in onion and saute until onions become slightly translucent and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Next add in garlic and bell pepper; cook for about 3 minutes until slightly softened. Next add in the green beans and saute for 3-4 minutes. You want them to still have a little bit of crunch!
-
Pour the sauce into the pan. Stir frequently as the sauce will start to thicken up. Add in chickpeas and stir again. Reduce heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer and thicken some more, about 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately over quinoa or brown rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, green onion and a little red pepper flakes, if desired. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
To make gluten free: Please ensure that all of your ingredients are gluten free, including the cornstarch and the soy sauce.
To make vegan: Use agave nectar instead of honey (for strict vegans).
Nutrition does not include quinoa or brown rice.
Nutrition
Follow Ambitious Kitchen on social:
BlogLovin’ | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TwitterÂ
48 comments
Oh, wow! This sounds fabulous! I like how you managed to make a meat-heavy meal vegetarian AND gluten free! Pinned! I’ll definitely be trying this
I *adore* restaurant orange chicken but so rarely indulge because it leaves me feeling loaded down and lethargic. This looks super delicious and filling, yet healthy! Thanks for the recipe – I’ll be sure to let you know when I try it!
Ahh this looks so yummy! Total sucker for anything that resembles takeout and has orange flavors. I have been trying to incorporate more high protein veggie recipes since chicken or beef honestly doesn’t always appeal to me. I totally feel you on that. Whenever my boyfriend is in town I feel like all we eat is meat too so I always get bored/burnt out on it!
I’m more of the TOFU TOFU TOFU TOFU TOFU TOFU TOFU person XD this is amazing! I love black bean stir fries as well!
That’s a beautiful meal!! It’s all my favorites in one bowl!
YESSSS. To everything about this recipe. So many great flavors!
Beautiful photos! I’m a big chickpea fan, but hardly ever see it included in interesting dishes – but now I’ve found one 😀 Loving all the flavors going on here!
I always make stir fry’s but never publish them because I am too inpatient and have to dig into the meal right away! This looks gorgeous and I am jealous I do not have a bowl right now!
I so need this right now!
This looks so great! I’m right there with you.. no need for meat in my stir fry’s, just gimme allllll the veggies!
Coming from a vegetarian household.. this stir fry is definitely perfect for me to make. Yum!
Not surprised you licked your plate clean- That is the kind of stir fry that would warrant it AND there’s chickpeas too- So unique!
Plate lickin’ good, eh? I make stir fry so frequently I forget that a tiny bit of extra effort (like this orange-ginger sauce) can go a really long way to elevate the meal. Awesome!
Heck to the yes, girl! Doing this paleo diet has forced me to eat a ton of veg and opened my eyes to so much more than carbs. I love my meat and veggies but a full-on veggie meal has been my meal a lot of nights because they’re actually more filling than people think! I would probably lick my plate too if I had this stir-fry in front of me!!
loove this!! looks absolutely scrumptious 🙂
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
This is a delicious looking meal YUM!!!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I’m already looking forward to the leftovers I packed for lunch tomorrow. Thanks as always for another great recipe!
I made this to bring to work for lunch this week and it is delicious! I do like a little heat, so I added some sriracha to the sauce and a bit of of red pepper flakes. SO good. I’m eating it over brown rice. I’ll definitely be making this again!
This sounds delicious and looks beautiful! I’m going to have to get the few ingredients my kitchen is lacking and make a batch this week. 😀 I love anything with chickpeas.
Made it, loved it (minus 1T honey, next time 0… OJ sweet enough). Will put it in my quick meal file! Thanks! I’m alway looking for more good tasting veggie recipes.
Make these…fantastic!
Had this for dinner last night, it was soooo good!!! My fiance said it was his favorite vegetarian meal that I have made thus far. Will make again and again.
I’ve just written a post about this amazing recipe and a few others for this week after overeating during Christmas! Thank you so much, it’s amazing
http://areadingcat.com/2016/12/28/a-week-to-rebalance-yourself/
Thank you!! This recipe is amazing!!! Everyone loved it!!
So great to hear!! I love this one too 🙂
Very yum. Made first time as written – excellent – and second time around, roasted the chickpeas beforehand til crispy (likely roasted the nutrition right out, but so decadent!), tripled the ginger, and used some still-slightly-crunchy, steamed broccoli. Will definitely be making again, thanks!
Delicious! I’ll have to try roasting my chickpeas beforehand!
I hate to be the only one with a less than stellar review. I found it to be a lot of work to end up tasting like the original green beans and bell peppers. Only differences were 2/3 cup fresh squeezed OJ and Ginger spice since I had no fresh Ginger. It did look great but not worth all the work for so little taste.
Sorry to hear that, Susan! The prep for this should be fairly simple – mixing up the sauce and cooking up the veggies in a pan. The orange juice, honey, ginger & soy sauce creates a flavorful sauce, too – I would maybe double check your measurements if it didn’t end up being flavorful!
Delicious and very flavorful– be sure to use the fresh ginger(I doubled it)… used snap peas instead of green beans (since green beans aren’t available in my country now) and added some baby corn as well. Colorful, easy and delicious. Thank you!
Perfect! This one’s perfect for customizing. Glad you liked it!
I think it is delicious. It took me a little time because I have the cheakpeas boil in water for a while since they were not canned, but I have to say that they final result is delicious. One more recipe for my recipe board! thank you!
So glad you liked it! One of my favorite weeknight dinners.
I absolutely love your recipe! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2019 for people who are trying to make more meat-free meals (everyone has to start somewhere). I would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
I made this stirfry last night…. SO GOOD. 5 stars! I marinaded chicken and tofu in the sauce for 30 mins before and reserved some for topping. Delish!
Perfect! Glad you loved this one 🙂
Sodium content for this recipe. Thank you!
perfect vegan-friendly orange stir fry — just use maple syrup instead of honey!
Very delicious!
Definitely recommend leaving vegetables on longer if you want them cooked all the way.
Feel super good after eating & very healthy option!
Glad you enjoyed! The size of your chopped veggies will also determine how cooked they are 🙂
I really enjoyed this! I used snow peas instead of green beans because I had them. I didn’t mark this five star because I tasted the orange plenty, but not the sesame so much.
Perfect! The sauce will definitely have more of an orange flavor as you’re only using a bit of sesame oil (which, even toasted, is fairly mild). Glad you enjoyed!
This is delicious! I used a yellow bell pepper instead of red. Also, I was too lazy to squeeze OJ by hand, so I just used Simply Orange. Still delicious. Thanks, Monique, for another great recipe!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
My favorite meal for meatless nights! So tasty, satisfying, and filling!
Absolutely! Glad you love this one!
Delicious concept! I love spice so I ramped up the flavor by making 1.5x the sauce, adding another veggie, a Thai chili, and extra ginger. Flavors were incredible, and so quick and simple to prepare!
Great ideas! So happy it came out delicious 🙂