Sunday, March 21, 2021

Veggie Fried Ramen

Eleven Mondays in and we are still on track with our household's 2021 #MeatlessMonday resolution.  And we are unexpectedly enjoying it!  This is a recipe that I have made a few times now that could easily be modified with some different protein sources if you want to add meat (chicken and shrimp would work great).  My kids are totally into Ramen at the moment - a college staple for me back in the day - but I am insistent on adding some nutritional value.  The veggies and eggs in this do the trick, and I leave out the packed seasoning in favor of some sesame oil and soy sauce to provide additional flavor.  Everyone is happy when this meatless dish pops up in the rotation!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 green onions (I have omitted this ingredient and it turned out fine!)
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 colorful peppers, diced
  • 1 cup of frozen peas
  • 6 eggs
  • 3-4 packages Ramen
  • canola oil
  • sesame oil
  • soy sauce
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Scramble eggs and cook in hot canola oil.  Move to a serving bowl.
  2. In the same pan, heat additional canola oil and cook green onions, carrots and peppers.  Add peas after a few minutes and cook until all veggies are tender and hot.  Move to the serving bowl with the eggs.
  3. Meanwhile, cook Ramen for 2 minutes in boiling water.  Drain.
  4. Move the Ramen to the same pan that was used to cook the veggies, add some sesame oil and stir fry for a minute.  Add soy sauce to taste.  Transfer to the serving bowl; stir all ingredients together.


Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 minutes, total
Source: Modifications of several stir fry recipes

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Cilantro Lime Farro and Veggie Bowl

As the New Year approached, I decided to commit to Meatless Mondays in 2021, and so far, so good.  In fact, I am kinda loving it.  To this date, I have not eaten any meat on Mondays this year.  Thankfully, I have some vegetarian friends who are helping me out with some recipe suggestions, but I am starting the figure out what works for my typically carnivorous family.  For the record, they have yet to complain and, in fact, are largely enjoying seeing what I come up with on Mondays.  Not every Monday has a meal like this one - we have had some quick meals of veggie burgers and fries, for example - but this is one of my favorites, for sure.

The first time I made this was actually last summer with some veggies from my CSA bag (this recipe also began my love affair with farro).  I have made it several times since, the most recent time being the first that I used queso fresco cheese as a topping.  As it stands, my kids like the queso fresco on this meal, but my husband and I both prefer the feta.  In my opinion, you never go wrong with roasted veggies, farro, and cheese...but add this cilantro, honey, lime drizzle and mmmmm...amazing.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 3/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 2 medium yellow squash, chopped
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 red or orange peppers, chopped
  • green onions, chopped
  • 2 cups (uncooked) pearled farro
  • 1 (15-oz.) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 3/4 cup) OR Feta cheese
  • 1 medium avocado, sliced
  • Lime wedges
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a large bowl, toss chopped veggies (zucchini, squash, red onion, peppers, green onion) with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread evenly (one layer, preferrably) on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes. rearrange veggies and bake for 10-15 minutes more.
  2. Meanwhile, cook farro as directed.  I use a pressure cooker: add 2 cups pearled farro, 4 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt to pressure cooker.  Set timer to 10 minutes.  Allow to naturally release for at least 5 minutes.
  3. While farro and veggies are cooking, mix the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.  Reserve about 1 1/2 T of the mixture.  Add cooked farro to the bowl; toss to coat.
  4. Serve farro topped with grilled veggies, beans, avocado, cheese and the reserved sauce.  Garnish with a lime, if desired.


Difficulty: easy - but a decent amount of chopping involved
Time: about 15 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of roasting