I haven’t posted any recipes in FAR too long, which is ridiculous considering I cook full meals at least five days a week (the other days we survive, woe is us, on leftovers). I regularly create and find new and delicious ones to share, and so much of what I make comes from tireless searches of magazines, cooking sites and blogs. I figure if I go out of my way to sift out the duds, perhaps someone else can benefit from my efforts.
So this post is both a recipe for you and a plea from me. See, my recent cooking endeavors have been trending toward vegetarianism. While I haven’t eaten red meat but two or three times in the last decade or so (and I enjoyed not one of those forays), I don’t think I could ever make the leap to a full-time meatless diet – what can I say, I really like fish and turkey. Instead, I compromise and cook a meat-free dinner once or twice a week. But you know what? I SUCK at finding quality, filling, vegetarian recipes that aren’t pasta-based or that don’t attempt to recreate the texture and flavor of meat with non-meat products. So when I find a good one, I keep it.
Last night, I found a good one. :) The coconut rice really makes the meal. I didn’t create this, however — it’s from the most recent RealSimple Magazine, so I’ll take no more credit than is due for flipping through pages (and for adding a few parenthetical notes).
My plea? I ask for you to share your vegetarian (and heck, vegan) recipes with me. I need them / want them / would love to share them. You can comment or email them to me and I will probably be your best friend for life and offer to feed you dinner. That is not necessarily a joke. Now, enjoy!
–Lisa Hubbard for RealSimple
Vegetable Stir-Fry With Coconut Rice
Serves 41 cup long-grain white rice
14 ounce can coconut milk (check the Mexican food section of the grocery store — it’s usually cheaper there)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha or some other hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco (I used chili garlic sauce, which I doubled)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 carrots, cut into very thin strips
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced
2 cups bean sprouts (my grocery store blows, and had no fresh bean sprouts; I used canned, which was “enh,” but better than nothing!)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped (I omitted these)Cook the rice according to the package directions, substituting the can of coconut milk for 1 cup of water. If you’re not into coconut, I feel for you, but you can just stick to regular ol’ rice.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, and Sriracha; set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and bell pepper and cook, tossing frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and bean sprouts and cook, tossing, until the vegetables are just tender, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Add the soy sauce mixture and toss to coat. Serve over the rice and sprinkle with the scallions and peanuts.
–Source: RealSimple Magazine, Vegetable Stir-Fry
Marta wanted a small orchid for her hair. Apparently that message was not properly conveyed to her florist, but golly, what she got sure was beautiful. Happy accident.
Refrain: How freaking beautiful is Marta?! Right?
The ceremony was not too short, not too long. And it alternated between unbearably touching (yeah, I cried behind my camera), and this:
Gonna just go ahead and say it: FAVORITE photo of an officiant TO DATE.
Remember the laughing I mentioned before? I wasn’t kidding.
If I had to sum the two of them up using one photo only, I might use this one:
Hello, beautiful bridal party!
I showed Marta this picture right after I took it, and her response was, “I KNEW this was the kind of sunshine you liked!” Why yes, Marta. Yes it is. :)
Okay, probably nobody cares about this but me, but.. see that photo on the left? Before everyone was introduced at the reception, they forced them all to stand in this teeny tiny hallway to wait for something (I think there was an issue setting up the sound system). Both sets of parents and the bridal party were all crammed together behind this drape and when I looked at it from inside the hall, something about it just struck me. In other news, how freaking adorable (and beautiful!) are Marta’s parents?
Okay, I take it back. I might sum up Marta + Gwaki using these photos:
I think this is my favorite first dance photo of all time. FAVORITE!
by Molly
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