Basmati Rice with Adzuki Beans, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Veggies

This was a very humble, yet tasty meal. You might notice that there are fewer local veggies in this dish than normal, and this is because we were trying to use up some of the veggies in our freezer to make room for all the sauce I plan on making in the coming weeks (this only ended up using the edamame in our freezer, but we did make a little more room). I don't know if I've mentioned before, but we really like basmati rice, we use it more over the winter for stir-fries 'cause frozen veggies are easier to come by than fresh ones (unless you don't mind food that travels thousands of miles, which we try to avoid). Has anyone ever noticed that basmati smells a little like popcorn when it cooks?

I'm a little behind in my food posting as, well, I've been blabbering about other things, but I am going to hunker down and get caught up this week.

We made enough of this yummy meal that I could make a lunch out of it at work. I added some sriracha hot sauce to my dish 'cause that's how I roll.

Just a reminder of the produce legend:
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden















Basmati Rice with Adzuki Beans, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Veggies
1 cup adzuki beans, cooked
2 cups brown Basmati rice, cooked
2 large carrots, peeled, and sliced
1/2 cup edamame, cooked
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and minced **
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, finely minced *
1/4 yellow onion, minced **
2 tbsp sesame oil
1" ginger, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced *
2-3 tbsp shoyu
1 tbsp seasoned brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp organic sugar

Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the carrots, edamame, bell pepper, mushrooms and onion. Cook until the veggies begin to brown.

Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of water in a small sauce pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook for about 5-8 minutes. Add the shoyu, brown rice vinegar, and sugar. Stir well.

Add the rice and adzuki beans to the skillet with the veggies to heat. Pour the sauce over the mixture and enjoy!

'Til next time.