Hope you're doing great ❤️

I didn't know what title to give this post 😄 It's about how to make some vegetable stir-fry to keep in the fridge and be great for making colorful, nutritious and flavorful dishes during the week, saving time and money.

In general, my time is limited, as I have many obligations and don't negotiate my necessary leisure time, so the fact that I have to take care of a new kitten has uncontrolled all the schedules at home.

The veggies had been on the counter for a long time, then in the fridge for another while... so the easiest way to prevent them from becoming waste was to cook them all and put them back in the fridge. This gives them a second wind--for them and for me, too.

The vegetables I used had been in my fridge much longer than expected--because I now have to take care of the kittens that some inconsiderate neighbor dumped in my garden six weeks ago--. They've come out of the fridge for a refreshing dip in the hot pans and have gone back in with a new look and a lot of flavor, so I could make quick, nutritious, and tasty meals during the week with the least effort.

For example, these vegetables have made my mujadara look and taste really good if you ask me.

I also added a Spanish omelet to the menu.

For us, these three simple dishes together make a well rounded and scrumptious meal.

...and this canned tuna has gone up at least two notches on the fast food level, don't you think?

Sauteed vegetables are not always the same; every cook has their personal touch, and/or vary the recipe according to the circumstances.

INGREDIENTS

What I used this time:

• All the florets from a head of broccoli (700 gr approx.)
• Half a head of cabbage (850 gr approx.)
• A quarter of a small head of purple cabbage (300 gr approx.)
• 2 big onions (750 gr. approx.)
• 1 big red bell pepper (150 gr approx.)
• 1/2 a medium size green bell pepper (70 gr approx.)
• 1 big carrot (500 gr approx.)
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• salt to taste
• enough olive oil to sautee
• freshly cracked black pepper for garnish
• Truffled olive oil to drizzle on top

THE PROCESS

Wash the cabbage well and cut it into thick julienne strips, 2-3 centimeters wide, as they will shrink during cooking. Wash and peel the carrot and cut it into julienne strips half as thick as the cabbage. Sauté in hot olive oil.

I used my old wok for this, but since it was too small for the amount of vegetables, I had to sauté them in batches.

When the borders of the cabbage juliennes began to brown, I took them out of the wok and added another little olive oil to continue sauteeing.

Onions are next. Cut them into thick julienne strips and add them to the hot pan.

Thick julienne strips are crispier than the thin ones.

Cut the red and green bell pepper and the purple cabbage into thick julienne strips, half the size of the onion. Once the onion starts to brown, which happens in about a minute, add them to the wok and mix with a paddle.

At this point, I put the lid on only for a minute to speed things up a bit and get some juice from the peppers so the flavors integrate a little bit.

So far, the onion and carrot have been waiting in a big bowl.

Add some salt and the next batch of sauteed veggies.

Once the pan is empty again, it's time for sauteeing broccoli.

Wash, drain, cut, and into the hot pan.

A litte perfume...

I added my last bit of raw sesame seeds. These have been in my fridge for almost 4 years. They're finally gone and it's time to buy more 😝 because I only have roasted sesame seeds left 😜

Once the broccoli is done, which takes only a minute, add it in the bowl and mix. Done!

Time to eat 😃

That was it for the first day of the rest of the life of these vegetables. I served them with rice and canned tuna. Not much glamour in that, but look at it.

I think it's pretty good... and the taste... Oh, yes.

The next day, I reheated the veggies x 30 secs in the hot wok.

Time for a bit of an explosive flavor.

See the amount of vegetables? Well, there was a lot more in the fridge. So far I had spent a third part. The truffled olive oil added a peppery, garlicky taste and aroma.

Sauteed vegetables are like fine jewelry to go with your most simple dishes and make them look good. One of favorites.

I must say mujadara (Lebanese rice and lentils with ground cumin and crunchy caramelized onion) is another favorite in my house and just ideal to go with sauteed vegetables. They make a full meal, and we love it.

I added a Spanish omelet (potato omelet with onion) and yogurt sauce. We were hungry. Besides, half of that omelet went into the fridge for tomorrow. Saving time but not flavor 😋

Bon appetite!

As usual, I hope you have found this post useful 😁

And what about you?

What are those time-saving dishes you love?

All text and images are my own. I have taken the pictures with my Redmi 9T cell phone. And if any GIFs here, I've used GIPHY for all them.

Thank you so much for your visit :)

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