Sweet teriyaki stir fry & cumin lentils

I was struggling with what to make for dinner last night. Come Wednesday we’ve usually gone through all of our favourite foods, done most of our baking/cooking, and are ready for the next grocery run on Friday & Saturday.  I had leftover elk (from the elk and egg pizzas we had earlier in the week – the combination of these two proteins sounds odd but I assure you the pizza was fabulous), a can of lentils, 1/2 a block of smoked tofu… and then suddenly I remembered an old cumin lentils dish that I’d retired a year ago when I discovered I was sensitive to legumes.

The story: While visiting Vancouver over 3 years ago a friend of mine had made me cumin lentils and toast (when I ate gluten). The recipe contained a bunch of spicy extras like cayenne, chili powder, chilis, pepper, none of it sat well with me. When I got home I ended up making my own variation of cumin lentils and it quickly became a part of my weekly rotation.

Don’t you just love when you’re reminded of a dish you enjoyed immensely in the past and then find out that you have all the ingredients in the house to enjoy it right that second? Purely satisfying. So, off I went.

I was in the mood for something sweet to go along with my lentils, so I whipped together a sweet teriyaki sauce that was so delicious. I was even caught licking the spoon after it’d been dunked in the sauce jar. Do not fret, I didn’t reuse the spoon!

Since there’s a legumes hater in the family I used the leftover elk in replace of lentils and made cumin elk & cumin lentils. I still can’t get over how someone could hate legumes as much as Kevin does. Believe me, I will keep trying to press the issue. I’m determined.

Sweet teriyaki stir fry & cumin lentils

For those of us out there that don’t enjoy the consistency of regular tofu (I being one of them), smoked tofu is a great alternative. It can be used in sandwiches, a topping for salads or (my favourite) eaten by itself in long strips.

Ingredients

Rice

• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 2.5 cups water

Sweet Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/4 cup 2 tbsp braggs
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 Tbsp pineapple juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (raw)
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 tsp white vinegar apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp onion powder

Vegetable Toppings

• 1 red onion, chopped
• 6 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 head broccoli florets, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Cumin Lentils

• 1 can lentils
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 package Soya nova smoked tofu, chopped
• 2 tbsp braggs

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package directions
2. In a 500mL Mason Jar combine all teriyaki sauce ingredients and set aside (will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days
3. For the vegetable toppings: place onion and mushrooms in dry cast iron pan, cook for 2 minute
4. Add oil, until melted
5. Add remaining vegetables and cover for 2 minutes
6. Meanwhile, place lentils, cumin, tofu and braggs in cast iron pan, cook on medium-low for 5 minutes
7. Add teriyaki sauce to the vegetable mixture and cook uncovered for 1 minute

Final product

Serve stir-fry on bed of rice with lentils to the side. Drizzle sauce from pan (or jar) for extra flavor.

Tagged as: freezable, lentils, rice, rice bowl, tofu