Wild Rice, Za’atar, Lentil & Rocket Stir Fry

Aren’t stir frys just the best?? To my mind stir fries and soups are the easiest dishes to pack with nutrition and flavor.

Now this stir fry recipe I particulary love because of the za’atar! Wild rice, herbs and lentils are all awesome as well – but za’atar! ahhhh.

Za’atar is a moroccan spice which contains herbs, sesame seeds, sumac and loads of flavor! It brings a savory smokyyy taste.

The other ingredient that I am excited about is the rocket! I used it like spinach – as in I cooked it along with the other ingredients instead of adding in at the end – and it is good. Slightly spicy! However in the advent that you do not have any rocket to spare you can swop this out for the same amount of spinach.

Oh! And lastly, while it is savory and satisfying, it is also so quick and easy to make. There is one component that takes time, and that is the lentils. Because I cook a lot with lentils, I usually soak a whole packet overnight, cook them all the next day, use a little for what I am making that night – and freeze the rest.

If you are not a legume crazy person who just keep tubs of lentils in the freezer, then you will either have to put the lentils in to soak a couple hours beforehand (better even the day before), or cook them for up to an hour.

BUT! If none if this fits your time frame, you can also use canned lentils, or omit them completely. I really like what they add to the wild rice, but if you do not even really enjoy lentils (if so I am honoured that you are reading this recipe in spite!) you can of course just use more rice.

Meals like this just make me so happy to cook. Full of nutrients, flavor and practically fail safe. : )

Wild Rice, Za'atar, Lentil & Rocket Stir Fry

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Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry wild rice
• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup of brown lentils dry or 2 cups of lentils cooked
• 3 cups of water for lentils if using raw
• 1/2 cup olive oil - use less if you are interested in a low fat meal, but otherwise I recommend it
• 5 flat tablespoons za'atar
• 1 tablespoon extra sesame seeds
• 2 cups of chopped rocket / arugula
• 2 Chopper fresh red chillies
• 1 Chopped sprig of fresh chives
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. The first thing to do is soak and cook your lentils. The packet will probably have instructions, but what I usually do is soak for as long as possible, then cook in double the volume of water for about 15 -20 minutes. For this recipe you can undercook your lentils a little as they will cook further in the stirfry.
2. Next up put the rice on to boil. I do 1 cup of rice to 3 cups of water, and cook until the water has disappeared, about 20 minutes.
3. Now heat up a skillet or pan and add the olive oil, za’atar and extra sesame seeds. Stir around for a moment and then add the rice and lentils. (They should be about roughly equal in quantity, 2 cups cooked rice and 1 cups cooked lentils, but it does not have to be exact).
4. Also add in the garlic and red chilli, chopped rochet and apple cider vinegar.
5. Stir fry lightly all together for a few minutes.
6. Add additional salt is desired.
7. Serve topped with the fresh chives!

Wild Rice, Za’atar, Lentil & Rocket Stir Fry was last modified: July 29th, 2017 by Daniela Klein

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Notes

You can decrease the amount of olive oil if desired. I used 1/2 cup because both the lentils and the rice are 'dry' and the generous addition of olive oil serves to flavor up th the whole stirfry.

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