Curried Veggie Stir Fry with Farro

It has been a LONG time since I've had a chance to cook. So, naturally, I waited until our kitchen ceiling got ripped out to get down to biz over the stove. If there's a secret ingredient in this stuff, it's drywall. Use sparingly. 

Aside from the day job, I work weekends behind the bar at a sushi restaurant. I can eat all the brown rice my face can hold at a time, which still hasn't gotten old. And with microwaveable brown rice available pretty much everywhere, it's a staple in my diet. But I picked up some Trader Joe's 10-minute farro while I was shopping the other day and decided to give it a whirl. It's got a ton of nutrients, and anything that takes 10 minutes to cook is a friend of mine. 

I got a heap of asparagus from a farm near by parents' beach house in Lewes, sliced mushrooms, a whole (chopped/sliced/mangled) onion and some string beans that I nuked in the micro a few minutes before using. I don't have exact measurements for everything, but I started with what was in the yellow bowl and doubled it (meathead was hungry). What happened next was veddy, veddy good my friend. 

I tossed two tablespoons of coconut oil into the wok on medium heat, then tossed the salted, peppered and currie powdered (a heart-friendy dash of the first, healthy doses of the others) veggies in to cook, stirring constantly. Meanwhile, I had the farro boiling in a medium pot on high. I used water, but next time I'll try veggie stock for a little added flavor. 

I pretty much hung out over the stove for ten minutes watching these items come together, and all it took was a little stirring. Ok, a lot of stirring. Ya'll know I don't have the best cookware (RIP, shitty chili pot), so I kept an eye on everything just to make sure nothing stuck or burned. Also, and this is no joke, to make sure no ceiling dust ignited by the stove and destroyed us all. 

After all was said and done, it was as easy as bowl, farro, veggies on top and THEN, sprinkled with sliced almonds. Bomb. Sliced, slivered, chopped, whatever...nuts are a great topping for a stir fry.

Here's a halfway decent summary, though the beauty of stirfries is that no recipe is required. Take whatcha got, toss it in a pan with oil and and spices and you're golden.

Mushrooms, red onion, string beans and asparagus, all sliced to your liking

Salt, pepper and curry powder to taste

Two tablespoons coconut oil

One bag TJ's 10-Minute Farro

Water or veggie broth

Sidenote: Farro is better than rice in terms of its utility-player grain status. Unlike rice, which hardens into a big mess of sad once it's in the fridge, farro retains its texture and flavor. I sprinkled some on a salad the next day and was not unhappy about it. 

Enjoy!