Lentil, Quinoa, and Vegetable Stir-fry

+

The sauce to this is so simple and healthy. Fresh ginger, orange, and garlic. So good! I added some orange in here for flavor, but also for added Vitamin C for iron absorption. The ginger was so fragrant while cutting, yum..

Different colored lentils cook at different times. Make sure to check out the proper cooking time on the package or bulk bin.

You can use whatever quantity/variety of vegetables you’d like. Feel free to use red/yellow/green bell peppers instead of orange, asparagus instead of broccoli, add in kale, spinach, beets, whatever go crazy! Variety is key though, as different colors will help you get the different vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup uncooked lentils

3 portobello mushrooms

3-4 large carrots

1 orange bell pepper

1 head of broccoli

1/2 large navel orange

1-3 tbsp oil of choice

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped/minced

pepper/red pepper flakes to taste

Alrighty then, cook the quinoa and lentils according to package. Lentils took approx. 40 min and quinoa about half that.

Make sure to wash all of your vegetables well. Cook to your preference..bake, stir-fry, steam, boil etc.

I chose to boil the carrots and broccoli in water, as it softens them up quickly. If you’d like to do this then get a large pot, fill it with water and get it to a boil. Add in the brocc./carrots and cook for a few minutes (about 4-7 minutes) or when you are happy with their texture.

In a large pan, combine the oil, garlic, ginger, and stir-fry for a minute or two and then add in the orange and then the rest of your vegetables. Add in preferable pepper/red pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat, until the vegetables and spices are cooked. Then lower the heat.

Now, add in the lentils

 Proceed to adding in the quinoa.

Top with fresh avocado.

Prices:

1 large head of Broccoli: $1.67

Orange Bell Pepper: $1.55

Fresh Ginger Root: $0.20

Avocado: $1.33

Carrots (2 lb bag): $1.50

Orange: $0.83

Lentils (2.72 lbs): $2.69

Portobellos (organic, pack of three): $2.50

Quinoa : $3.99/lb

Now keep in mind I didn’t even use all of this for my recipe (a lot left over!), so it’s even cheaper per serving! I calculated that this entire recipe came out to $7.50. That’s about $1.85-$2.50 per serving (3-4 servings). Majority of the expenses came from the organic portobellos and orange bell pepper, which you can definitely sub to make cheaper. I hope you try this meal or even make your own creation.