This post is about a method rather than a recipe. I received an email yesterday from a new vegan asking me what type of things we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I thought I would make certain to include those details for a week to be helpful. Last night’s dinner was so fast and simple it wasn’t something that requires a recipe. I used the veggies I had on hand which included: onion, garlic, ginger, celery, carrot, snow peas, asparagus, red bell pepper, maitake mushrooms and cilantro.
Stir fry is something I make often because it is quick and easy, except for the brown rice. If you have a pressure cooker it can be used to make quick work of the brown rice. I find 16 – 17 minutes seems to be perfect for rice in my cooker on high. Otherwise you need 45 minutes for the brown rice.
I call this dish a stir fry but it isn’t really since I don’t use oil in the dish. I quickly sauté the veggies in water, rice wine vinegar or mirin until they are hot. The cooking process is finished in less than 5 minutes since I want the veggies to be as lightly cooked as possible. Start with the harder (or stronger) veggies like onions and carrot and add the more tender ones at the end. I stir a little black bean and garlic sauce into the veggies and maybe a little liquid aminos (if it needs it) and top with cashews. Dinner in 20 minutes (assuming you have a pressure cooker). If you don’t own a pressure cooker you can always cook a large batch of brown rice and store it in the refrigerator or freezer and reheat it in a steamer or your microwave.
My hubby took the leftover for lunch today with a baby spinach and chickpea salad like I had yesterday for breakfast. I also packed him a small bag of trail mix with walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds, dried blueberries and slivered almonds.
Unrelated note:
I need to run for now. However, I will be back later. I hope you are all having a wonderful day.
Mmmm, stir fry looks fantastic. I need to remember to add cashews to mine. I never think to and love it when they're in there.
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteI think the cashews are Dan's favorite part of this dish. He always wants them in there. And .... since I don't use oil I guess we can justify it by telling ourselves we need a little fat to absorb the fat soluble vitamins in the dish. At least that is my story and I am sticking to it. ;-)
Alicia
My goodness you take care of that man!
ReplyDeleteSV,
ReplyDeleteHe is pretty special to me. I'd like to keep him around as long as possible. ;-) He spoils me just as much.
Alicia
I recently tried freezing cooked brown rice (I thought I heard it worked well), but it didn't work for me at all. The texture completely changed. Does it stay in good shape for you? Or is it just for convenience sake?
ReplyDeleteJenn,
ReplyDeleteFreezing rice works for me in a pinch. When I am making a batch to freeze I undercook it by 5 minutes and then reheat the thawed rice by steaming. I line my steamer with cheesecloth and then put the rice in it for 5 minutes. But I do agree that it is better when you make it fresh. When I use my pressure cooker it is almost as quick as reheating the frozen rice so I tend to do that most often.
Sorry for the wordy answer. If I didn't answer your specific question let me know.
Alicia
Do you ever make a black bean sauce...? I've wanted to on several occasions, but then I find that it calls for fermented black beans, which I can't find.
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteI have made black bean sauce before. I found the fermented black bean paste at the Asian market. Let me know if it would help to know the brand. Also if you are interested I will make some sauce soon and post the recipe.
Alicia
Your stir fry looks and sounds easy, healthy and delicious! We have stir-fry (whatever I have on hand) at least twice a week here with calrose rice (too bad my family doesn't like brown rice so I always cook brown rice for myself and keep it in the fridge). I love the idea of saute veggie with water instead of oil, I will try that next time.
ReplyDeleteOraphan,
ReplyDeleteIf you normally use oil to saute the veggies I would suggest you start with less and slowly reduce it. That is what I did for us and it was an easy transition. Changing all at once may be too much for your guys. ;-)
Have you tried mixing white and brown rice for your guys? That was what I did here. You start the brown rice 20 minutes before adding the white to the pan. I started with 50/50 and increased the brown over time until it was 100%. I hope that helps.
talk to you later,
Alicia
Thank you for the great tips about mixing rice, Alicia! I will give it a try very soon and let you how it goes:)
ReplyDeleteOraphan,
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome! I hope it works for your boys so you can switch them over to brown rice. Wouldn't life be easier if men wanted to eat healthy on their own?
hope you have a great weekend,
Alicia