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
by Molly
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