A Fast Ethiopian Inspired Meal

Introduction

I f you want to eat a healthy diet don’t complicate your every day meals. Save the measuring and chopping for special occasions. This is a tasty everyday meal that can be prepared with a minimum of time and fuss. All you have to do is make sure you have a few key ingredients, like fresh or frozen vegetables, bagged greens, rice, lentils and spice blends on hand.

Method

• Place all the ingredients except the vegetables and Berbere in an Instant Pot or 4 quart sauce pan. Cook in the Instant Pot for 12 minutes or simmer in the stove for 25-30 minutes
• Get the vegetables of your choice ready to cook, placing them in 4 separate categories: High moisture (like peppers and onions), frozen vegetables, fresh vegetables, and fresh leafy greens.

How to Dry Saute

Pre-heat a large skillet or wok (no need to use non-stick cookware for this) on medium high. When the pan is hot add the peppers and onions and stir. The cooking will release enough moisture from the vegetables so they won’t stick.

When the onions begin to get soft add the berbere and frozen vegetables. The addition of the seasoning will cause some sticking but the extra moisture in the frozen vegetables should counter that. If too much sticking occurs add a few drops of water or stock.

Once the frozen vegetables have thawed (don’t let them get too hot or they’ll end up overcooked) add the fresh vegetables and continue to stir and add small amounts of water to prevent sticking.

The the vegetables are all hot, add the greens, turn down the heat to medium low, put a lid on the pot for just a minutes. Only long enough for the greens to wilt.

Serve the spiced vegetables over the cooked rice and lentils.