Bottom of the Barrel Fridge Meals: Veggie Stir-Fry w/ Einkorn Cornbread

I know many of you are like, "Another meal series?"

To answer your question...

Well, yes!

Meals come in many different ways and in many different time lengths. You have the elaborate meals, quick ones, and the bottom of the barrel ones, as well (SHOUT OUT TO MY MOM FOR THE NAME OF THIS SERIES). This is a series I've wanted to do for years... And when I say years, I mean YEARS. When my mom and I were living in our old townhouse, we had those days (not many) when what we had in the fridge was truly what we had. Those were the times when creativity was at its best. Those were the times when our little family appreciated even more how God was our provider. I remember one time when looking in our light brown, wooden cabinets, I saw: green lentil lasagna sheets, chickpeas, tomato sauce or paste, nutritional yeast and some salad ingredients. Let's just say, that dinner was so delicious. We had green lentil lasagna with chickpea ricotta and a side salad. Ahh, memories!

I pray this series blesses you and yours, because sometimes when our fridge or pantry hits the bottom of the barrel, it's amazing to use your creativity to create good food with a good attitude unto Jesus!

MAIN INGREDIENTS WE ARE WORKING WITH (I made this recipe a while ago, so if everything isn't exact, you'll still get the gist):

Einkorn flour

Cornmeal

Eggs

Rice

Hodge podge of veggies (mushrooms, green onions, peas, carrots, peppers)

THE CORNBREAD: Nothing beats pairing a meal with some golden, buttery cornbread. My family likes our cornbread not too sweet and not too savory, but right in the middle. This recipe from Farmhouse on Boone is it; I know you all will LOVE IT!

Here is the link: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/cast-iron-einkorn-cornbread-with-popcorn-and-honey

THE VEGGIE STIR-FRY:

Preheat a cast-iron skillet and once hot, add some sesame oil (you can use any high heat cooking oil, but sesame oil has the unique taste that brings out Asian, Chinese foods). Once oil is hot, add some garlic. My mom and I love garlic, so add enough! Your kitchen should be smelling really good right now. Don't let your garlic get burnt, but once it gets slightly golden, add some minced ginger (remember, we're going to be adding a lot of veggies next that'll have to cook, so we want the garlic not to add burnt flavor, but maintain its natural flavor). Stir for 1 minute and then, stop, letting the oil get nicely infused. Don't be afraid to add some more oil, just the right amount. Then, add your veggies. I added a bag of mixed, frozen veggies, some mushrooms (I forgot a lot of what I put in, but using the picture above as a reference point), green peppers, and that's all. Next, add your eggs and scramble them. Pour enough soy sauce in your pan with all the veggies and eggs, following with around 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. Once the veggies are your desired texture and everything nicely incorporated, add precooked rice. My mom and I had some leftover white jasmine rice (I believe that was the kind) from our leftover stuffed pepper meal. The bits and pieces of grass-fed ground beef in the rice was such a treat! I tell ya', it's truly the simple things. At this point, turn up your heat and mix the contents in pan. You don't want mushy rice. Do a taste test and see if you need to add some more soy sauce or brown sugar. Turn off heat and top with cilantro and chopped green onions.

And... We're finished.

A real treat is adding some pickled ginger to the side. But then, I remember, this is a bottom of the barrel fridge meal, so a nice glass of water is our side!

I pray this meal blesses your family. You can make it healthier by soaking your rice to get rid of antinutrients that prevent the absorption of minerals your body needs. I like to soak my rice in a warm water and apple cider vinegar solution, mixing well. After 24 hours (change your rice about 3 times in between), cook rice how you would normally, but use less water. Another cook thing about soaking rice, is the water left over. I like to store my leftover rice water in a mason jar, leave it on the counter for a day and then, store it in the fridge to use for a hair rinse. It leaves your hair shiny!

Okay, I think that's enough! My pillow is calling my name...

If you followed this how-to meal, please let me know in the comments! Stay tuned for more amazing Bottom of the Barrel Fridge Meals meals.

God bless,

Hannah