Carrots and Snap Peas with Ginger and Fried Basil

Remember that good old food pyramid from the USDA, stolidly pointing skyward from its foundation of pasta and white bread? Well, it's gone. In its place—a new icon and new recommendations. The upshot? 50% of your plate should be fruits and vegetables.

What a good excuse to cook more of our favorite things.

Ingredients
3-4 carrots, sliced at a diagonal and then halved
1 tsp julienned fresh ginger
10-12 smallish basil leaves
Handful sugar snap peas, ends snapped, strings unstrung, and sliced at a diagonal
Olive oil
Salt

Heat a wide nonstick pan over medium heat. When hot, add a generous glug of olive oil. Scatter the ginger into the pan, stir a few times, then sprinkle in the basil leaves and stir once again. Let fry about 10 seconds, then add the carrots and stir to combine. Let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring every minute or two (you want the bottom of the carrots to start to turn a little golden in a few places, but you don't want to wait so long before stirring that they stick to the pan). Cover for a minute if the pan if it starts to get dry.

When the carrots are just starting to get tender, add the snow peas and a pinch or two of salt and saute, stirring, for another minute or so. When carrots are desired tenderness (we like them and the snow peas still slightly crunchy), turn off the heat and serve.

Serves 2, and works very well as a quick-and-easy veggie complement to take-out sushi or Thai.