Quick Easy Brown Rice Lentil Stir Fry With Peanut Butter Sauce

For the sauce: ¼ cup peanut butter 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce 2 teaspoons agave or maple syrup 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 3 tablespoons hot water

For the stir fry: 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2 teaspoons minced or grated ginger 3 green onions or scallions, white parts and tops, chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 cup broccoli florets (or stems and florets, chopped) 2 heaping cups shredded cabbage (green, purple, napa, savoy, or a mix) 1 cup grated carrot 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce Splash of unseasoned rice vinegar

3 cups cooked brown rice (to make this recipe extra quick and easy, batch cook the rice over the weekend so that it's ready to go, or you can even pick up cooked and frozen brown rice at some health food stores) 1½ cups cooked black, brown, or green lentils (1 can lentils, drained and rinsed)

Whisk together the sauce ingredients. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add 1 extra tablespoon warm water. To prepare the stir fry, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet (or wok). Add the ginger and the white parts of the green onions/scallions. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Add the garlic and cook, continuing to stir, for about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli, cabbage, and carrot. Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes, or until they’re softened but still a little crispy. Stir in the tamari and the splash of vinegar

Add the cooked rice and lentils to the skillet. Mix everything well and heat for a minute or two, or until the rice and lentils are warm. Give the mixture a quick taste and add a little vinegar or tamari as desired, keeping in mind that you’ll be adding more flavor to the dish with the peanut sauce. To serve, you can stir in the peanut sauce while the stir fry is still in the skillet, heating through, or you can divide the stir fry onto plates and have everyone top his or her stir-fry with a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Top the plates with some chopped green onion tops and enjoy

Notes Stir fry leftovers will keep for up to two days. Leftover peanut sauce can be stored separately and will keep for up to a week.