Stir Fries

Fast Healthy Meals Gluten Free How To's Sneaking in the Veggies Stir Fries Vegan Vegetarian

Refried Lentils with Shredded Kale, Red Pepper and Baby Onions

Did you know that lentils can work well in a refried beans style recipe? I love lentils like this. The extra oil and braising in the pan gives them lots of flavor and umami.

In this recipe I combine the refried lentils technique with some shredded kale, some red pepper and some young onions. The result is a filling, nutrient dense meal that is quick and easy to cook.

For sides, you could have a salad if you want something to lighten up the amount of lentils, or you can serve this on rice, couscous or millet.

Before we go to the recipe, I just want to touch on how I do the refrying of the lentils.

How to Make Refried Lentils

For non-sloppy, chunky textured refried lentils do the following:

After simmering the lentils, drain off any excess water and set back onto the heat. Allow any last excess moisture to steam off. Remove the pot before any discoloring on the bottom of the pot happenings. This step will only take a moment or two.
Pour a lug of oil into a wok or skillet, and bring up to heat. Add your seasoning and lentils and toss gently. Keep tossing.
You can refry the lentils for quite a few minutes, just make sure to keep turning and mixing them. This way you will get lots of nice crunchy little braised bits in your re-fried lentils.

If you like your re-fried lentils more smooth and sloppy, then you should rather opt to skip step 1 and mash your lentils before beginning to refry them.

Health Benefits of Lentils

Last thing! I just want to mention that lentils are an excellent source of nutrition. They are high in fibre, contain good amounts of vitamins and minerals, and are a good source of protein. If you do not eat much or any meat – then lentils can be a great pulse to fall back on when scratching your head for how to get protein into a meal.

Unlike most other beans and legumes, lentils are quick cooking. So even if you do not have a lot of time and forgot to cook them before hand – you can still boil them up in about 15 minutes. This is a similar cooking time to most starches.

Anyways, enough of Dr. Daniela talking – here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Refried Lentils with Shredded Kale, Red Pepper and Baby Onions

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried lentils or 2-3 cups cooked / canned lentils
4 large kale leaves
3-4 small young onions (you can also use shallots)
1 red pepper
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried and crushed cilantro seeds
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Dash of apple cider vinegar
3-4 cloves garlic

Instructions

Start of by simmering the lentils according to their packet instructions.
While the lentils are simmering, de-rib and chop the kale into shreds. Dice the red pepper and slice the onions into rounds. Peel and slice the garlic.
Once the lentils are done drain off any excess water and set back onto the heat.
Allow any last excess moisture to steam off. Remove the pot before any discoloring occurs on the bottom of the pot. This step will only take a moment or two.
Pour a generous lug of olive oil into a wok or skillet, and bring up to heat. Add the crushed cilantro seeds, some black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste, and the dried rosemary. Quickly add your lentils, and toss gently. Keep tossing. Add in some salt to taste which you are tossing.
You can re-fry the lentils for quite a few minutes, just make sure to keep turning and mixing them. This way you will get lots of nice crunchy little braised bits in your re-fried lentils.
Once the lentils are refried to your liking, spoon them out of the wok / skillet and back into the pot you cooked them in. Add a little more olive oil and the kale, pepper and onions. Stir fry this well on a highish heat. You want the kale properly cooked, otherwise it will be tough. You should see the kale reduce a lot in volume, this means that it is nearing being well cooked.
Now add your lentils back into the wok, sprinkle with a dash of apple cider vinegar and your raw chopped garlic, and stir to combine roughly.
Serve hot.

Notes

You can eat this dish plain, side it with a salad, or serve it on a bed of rice, millet or couscous.

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Cooking Hacks Fast Healthy Meals Sides & Vegetables Stir Fries Vegan Vegetarian

MSG Free Copycat Chinese Restaurant Yellow Rice

written by Daniela Klein

You know that rice that you get in non-fancy chinese takeouts? Its yellow, has the odd pea in it, maybe an egg on top, and tastes so good?

You love this rice, always order it, and at some point in your life you realize that it is probably laden with MSG. Or this is what happened to me.

Well, fortunately for my love of savory yellow rice – I had a brain wave of a cooking hack.

And this is what it consists of. You cook the rice in stock.

And you leave the msg salt in the pantry. Or in the store, depending on how much you have cleaned up your diet! (I have still have some delectable msg floating around. But it might be off. Or does MSG even go off?)

This trick is so simple, but so effective. The rice really comes out with a much more savory flavor than if it was cooked in water. The gorgeous yellow of course comes from adding the world’s newest darling superfood, turmeric. Perfect!

By the way – if any of you reading this were a part of or affected by the fires in California, we are thinking of your guys on this side of the world! The area I live in recently experienced some horrible fires, and one was creeping up pretty close to us! Nothing like California, but I have a some idea of what it must be like.

Another thing regarding fires. Recently I went to some TRE sessions. This was right after the fires, and sessions were in a town which was literally surrounded by sheet of flames, nobody could even drive away to safety because the roads were blocked. The lady who did the TRE sessions said that something like these disasters has huge long term effects on the community due to stored stress and trauma. And she said that TRE is perfect for releasing that.

If anyone wants to talk about TRE give me a shout. It involved no talking, just some special exercises, and releases the largest muscle in the body called the soas, which is where we store stress, tension and trauma. It’s actually quite mind blowing the effects it can have – I for one am hooked! If you want to read about my TRE experience, have a look at this post. Which also just happens to have a shakshuka recipe along with it. : )

MSG Free Yellow Rice Recipe

MSG Free Copycat Chinese Restaurant Yellow Rice

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Ingredients

Rice of your choice (for a super healthy option you can use brown or wild rice)
1 teaspoon tumeric (you can use 2 teaspoons if you are cooking a large portion of rice, say for 4-5 people)
Enough stock to cook the rice in according to the packet instructions
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
Coconut oil for frying the rice
Salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions

Mix you desired quantity of rice together with the tumeric, dry in a pot.
Add in enough stock to equal what the packet instruction in your rice call for in water.
Set the pot on the stove and cook according to packet instructions.
Once the rice is cooked, place some coconut oil in a wok and bring to heat.
Add the rice and peas and toss for about 3 minutes or until the peas are cooked (they do not take long)
While you are tossing the rice, you can add in salt and and white pepper to taste. You can also omit the salt, and use soya sauce instead if desired.
Serve!

MSG Free Yellow Rice Recipe

Notes

If desired, you can fry an egg to place a top each portion. As this is not a hard and fast chinese flavored side, you can pair it with just about anything you like.

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CHinese restaurant msg free yellow rice recipe

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Fast Healthy Meals Stir Fries

Long Chive Asian Noodles

written by Daniela Klein

This is a bit of crazy idea I came up with. I love making an Asian stir fries with noodles! And I love chives. And one day when the chives in my Mom’s garden were at perfection, I hit on this simple recipe. The base of it is simply noodles, and chives. And a bit of spinach – because spinach is so good for you. I leave the chives mostly uncut, so that they can be almost noodle like themselves. : )

Stir fries are so easy to make, and if you use just a few ingredients rather than the whole fridge (like I often do), they are even easier!

I do not use proper Asian rice noodles, purely for the fact the I can’t find them at the store. And if I could, they would probably be such a silly price (for noodles) that I would have to take a loan to do my shopping. Truly the shops are pathetic here!

Long Chive Asian Noodles Recipe

I am fervently hoping for the day (in this place! i know this is old news in the rest of the world) where I can just order all of my groceries online. It will come, and the thought is so exciting. But for now…. sigh. The area where we live has experienced a sudden popularity, and what used to be just a summer holiday spot, which goes to sleep in all other times of the year, is turning into quite a busy place! I do not think that the store’s have quite caught onto this yet – because half the time they have run out of stock of a third of what is on the shopping list.

#foodblogging/recipedevelpmentnightmare

Long Chive Asian Noodles Recipe

But then I guess, I have to have something to complain about right. Otherwise I would have to complain about the beautiful lakes, and mountains and beaches! ; )

Before we get to the recipe, here is a quick rundown on how I make this dish. Just so you can see how easy it is!

I cook a pot of spaghetti to al dente. Drain and rinse. Heat a wok, add spaghetti, chives, spinach and flavorings, toss – serve. Yes please!

Again, got the Troll’s stamp of approval on this one. And he said that is was not just because of the spaghetti : p.

Long Chive Asian Noodles Recipe

Long Chive Asian Noodles

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Ingredients

1/2 packet spaghetti
6 cups of water
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups whole chives
2 cup baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce
5-6 tablespoons of soya sauce
White pepper
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon powdered coriander
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

First up, boil up a saucepan of water for the pasta. Add the pasta, oil and salt.
Simmer the spaghetti until it is al dente.
Pour the water out of the pot, and replace with cold.
Wash the spaghetti, and then drain it in a colander. Washing the spaghetti takes the surface / excess starch off of it, which will keep it from becoming sticky or mushy in the stirfry.
Top and tail you chives and chop your baby spinach roughly. You can even leave the spinach whole of you like,
Heat up a wok or large skillet with a generous amount of coconut oil.
Add the chives and spinach, and toss for a few moments.
Add the spaghetti and combine it with the chives and spinach.
Now add all of your flavorings.
Continue to toss for a few minutes until the chives and spinach is just right.
Feel free to add more soya sauce of it is not salty enough. I have not included an amount for the white pepper, as I like to make it quite spicy – but not everyone wants such a peppery noodle. So just go slowly and adjust until you like the spiciness.
Serve immediately.

This makes quite a lot of stir fry. Stir fry leftovers I find are not usually that great, even warmed up. If you do have any leftovers and are not sure what to do with them – you can try making my for lunch! Or supper. It is so quick and fun to make.

Notes

I have not had any mushrooms for some time as we have been waiting for rain to make the mushrooms pop up in the horse field, but if you have some mushrooms I think they would make a great addition to this stir fry!

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Fast Healthy Meals Gluten Free Stir Fries Vegan

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

written by Daniela Klein

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.

Wild Rice, Zata and Lentil Stir Fry Recipe

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, Zata and Lentil Stir Fry Recipe

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

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.
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.
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).
Also add in the garlic and red chilli, chopped rochet and apple cider vinegar.
Stir fry lightly all together for a few minutes.
Add additional salt is desired.
Serve topped with the fresh chives!

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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Za’atar, Lentil & Rocket Stir Fry Recipe

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