Broccoli and Brussels Sprout Stirfry

Vegan Mofo - half way there!

This is one of my go-to meals at the moment, because it's incredibly easy. I've been pretty busy lately, and as of tonight I'll have an old workmate of mine visiting for a few days, so I imagine that meals like this will be pretty commonplace. I hope she likes vegetables a lot, otherwise she'll be mighty hungry... ;)

These gorgeous little gems are the star of the show. I know that everyone is obsessed with roasting them, but honestly, if you knew how long my oven takes to preheat, you'd all be posting recipes for sauteed and stir-fried brussels sprouts. Or maybe you're just not as hungry as I am? That's also possible. So, when you're in dire need of dinner, grab a couple of veg, a couple of spices, and some soya sauce, and there you have it. I don't even bother cooking rice, half the time. This is healthy food for lazy people. Aka, meals designed for me. :)

Broccoli and Brussels Sprout Stirfry
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
400g brussels sprouts, quartered

oil

soy sauce, to taste (I use a few tablespoons - depends how much you love your salt!)

1 thai birdseye chilli, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1x 2cm piece ginger, finely chopped

Sautee chilli, garlic and ginger in a small splash of oil, until fragrant.
Add the vegetables, and stir fry over high heat, until the brussels sprouts are looking a little burnished.
Add the soysauce, tasting for salt as needed.
Eat while still hot, with rice, if you're more patient than I am.

Stir-fry Veg with Mung Bean Noodles

Hello, easiest dinner ever. It's nice to be looking at you again, especially seeing as how I've neglected this blog lately. I'll see if I can make a few posts today, in order to wade through the backlog of photos in my "eats" folder - it's a poor habit to be in, I know. I've just been a little run off my feet lately, but it should settle down soon. In the meantime, I'm procrastinating by salivating over photos of things that I've cooked lately. Small wonder everyone thinks I'm strange! ;)

So, this was among the many "easy" meals I've cooked lately. Easy in that it's even easier than usual, and it made short work of a) my hunger, and b) the leftover dregs of vegetables that were inhabiting my fridge. I think that a dish like this tends to be pretty invincible - the only way you can do it any harm is if you walk off and forget about it, in which case your vegetables would be overcooked, or worse, burnt. Thankfully, it smells good enough to keep you in the kitchen, and the vegetables only take a few minutes to cook.

This is so shamefully easy that I don't know why I'm going to bother to type out my rough-estimate of a recipe. I'm not a measurer; I just throw things in according to what looks, feels, and smells right. Everyone has their own taste, and everyone uses different ingredients (seeing as I'm pretty doubtful that you, too, shop at the Dom Markt), so just adjust the soy and chilli to taste. I decided to use mung bean noodles because I couldn't be bothered waiting for rice to cook. Ok, other reasons include the great chewy texture and the light, sweet flavour that soaks up the soy and siracha. Rice thread noodles would work just as well.

Stir-fried Vegetables with Bean Thread Noodles

100g mung bean vermicelli-style noodles*

1 tbsp finely chopped / crushed garlic
1/2 small head broccoli

1 large zucchini

250g button mushrooms

250g brussels sprouts

3 tbsp siracha

3 tbsp soy sauce

Slice the vegetables into small, evenly-sized pieces.

In a bowl, soak the bean thread noodles in boiling water. They usually only take a couple of minutes, so cook your vegetables while you wait. The noodles are ready when they're completely transparent, with no trace of the original white colour.

Heat a little oil (I used about a tablespoon) in your wok and sautee the garlic for a few seconds. Add the vegetables, stirring constantly, and cook on a high heat for a few minutes, or until the greens are bright.

Add the noodles to the vegtables, mixing in to incorporate. Using chopsticks to cook is much better than a wooden spoon, when you're dealing with noodles.

Add the soy sauce and siracha, mixing thoroughly so that the vegtables and noodles are completely coated. Cook for a moment longer, until any residual soy has evaporated, and eat immediately.

* Shameless guesswork on my part with the mung bean noodles. I didn't have a full packet, is all that I can tell you.