Fried Rice Vegan Style

One of my very first entries on Vegan Miss was for vegan fried rice. I love that recipe still and it has had major success on VegWeb in the past too. I modified the recipe a bit and used brown rice instead here.

Fried Rice Vegan Style

* Prep Time: 30 minutes
* Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice 
• 1/2 block (14 oz.) firm tofu, pressed, sliced
• 2-3 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1 cup green beans, diced
• 2 cups broccolini (or broccoli), chopped
• 2 cups bell peppers, variety of colors, sliced 
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp mirin*
• 1/2 tbsp dried Thai basil (optional)
• black pepper, to taste
• sesame seeds, to garnish
• green onions, sliced, to garnish 

* Recipe:

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

1. Chop all the vegetables and get them prepared. While you are prepping, heat 1 tbsp of peanut oil in a wok over medium heat. Once hot, add the slices of tofu and cook on both sides until golden.
2. Cook the rice while you are prepping the vegetables as well.
3. Once the tofu is cooked, remove from wok and set aside. Add the remaining peanut oil, then put the onions in the wok. Once the onions start to turn translucent, add the garlic and ginger. 
4. Next, add in the carrots, green beans, broccolini (or broccoli), and bell pepper. Cook until the vegetables start to become tender. Add the mushrooms and peas. Cook through. 
5. When the vegetables are done cooking, add in the cooked brown rice and tofu. Toss and mix well. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, Thai basil, and pepper. Taste to see if the fried rice needs a little more soy sauce, vinegar, or mirin. 
6. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Note: Mirin is often used in Asian cooking. You can usually find it in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. 

Braised Tofu with Pilaf, Bok Choy, & Kabocha Sauce

I wanted to try something different with kabocha and this is what I ended up with. It is a pretty dinner and was quite tasty. This dinner is for two, but feel free to double the recipes. It was inspired by this recipe.

Braised Tofu with Pilaf, Bok Choy, & Kabocha Sauce

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients (for braised tofu):

• 2 slices firm tofu, sliced 1/2" thick, water pressed out
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock

* Ingredients (for pilaf):

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 cup edamame, shelled
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice, follow box instructions to cook

* Ingredients (for bok choy):

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 bunches baby bok choy, end trimmed
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced 
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Ingredients (for kabocha sauce):

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 cup kabocha squash, seeded, peeled, cubed
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp curry powder
• 1/8 corriander
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup vegetable broth, add more if needed

* Recipe (for braised tofu):

1. To make braised tofu, heat olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Once hot, add tofu and lemon juice.
2. Brown both sides making sure not to burn.
3. Once browned, add the salt, pepper, and stock. Cover with lid and cook, turning over occasionally, until broth dissolves.

* Recipe (for pilaf):

1. Cook the rice according to box instructions. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, add the olive oil and heat. Once hot, add the garlic, shiitake, edamame, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until browned and tender.
3. Toss in the green onions and cook for another two minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Mix vegetables with the brown rice for a pilaf.

* Recipe (for bok choy):

1. In a medium skillet, add olive oil.
2. Toss in the bok choy, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the leave begin to wilt and a fork can go through the stems.

* Recipe (for kabocha sauce):

1. In a small pot, add the olive oil and heat. Cook the onions and ginger until onions are translucent. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook until the squash is tender to a fork.
3. Puree in a blender. If the sauce is too thick, add more vegetable stock.

 * Recipe (to build dish):

1. Using a small bowl, pack the rice pilaf inside. Carefully flip over onto a plate.
2. Top rice with bok choy and braised tofu.
3. Pour sauce over the dish and around sides.

Paella

So, I got the idea of making a vegan paella one day and just sort of ran with it. This is what I came up with. I used short-grain brown rice instead of white rice for a more healthy option.

Paella

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small Spanish onion, sliced 
• 1 box (7 oz.) of chick'n strips*
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red pepper, sliced
• 1 package (12 oz.) vegan chorizo*
• 1 package (12 oz.) vegan shrimp*
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/4 cup dried lobster mushrooms, rehydrated, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried oyster mushrooms, rehydrated, chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 small lemon, zested
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning*
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. In a medium pot, combine vegetable stock, rice, bay leaf, saffron. Cook until rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
2. While the rice is cooking, in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. 
3. Once onions are cooked, add the chick'n strips, garlic, red pepper, chorizo, shrimps, peas, and mushrooms. Cook for another 10 minutes or so until everything looks nicely browned or tender.
4. In a blender, combine the remaining ingredients. Add to the pot and stir well. Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. When rice is done, remove bay leaf and add to the pot with paella mixture. Stir well to combine. Serve with lemon wedge if desired.

* Note: For chick'n strips, I used Gardein brand. One could also use Morningstar Farms. For vegan chorizo, I used Frieda's brand Soyrizo. The vegan shrimp I used was VegeUSA brand. Lastly, Old Bay Seasoning is a seafood seasoning that is often use. You can find it at any grocery store in the spice section. It is great for faux crab cakes. Don't worry - it's vegan! 

As a side note, you could also opt to add celery into this dish or use regular white short-grain rice. The lobster and oysters mushrooms were added to give a more seafood-y taste (plus, I love fungi). You could opt to leave them out if you like or use a fresh variety of both.

Chick'n Scallopini with Wild Mushroom Risotto

Tasty and a perfect romantic dinner. ♥

Chick'n Scallopini with Wild Mushroom Risotto

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 45 minutes
* Ingredients (for risotto):

• 1 cup white rice
• 2 cups water
• 2 5 oz. bags dried wild mushrooms, dehydrated, sliced
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon, follow directions
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 cup basil, chiffonade 
  
• salt and pepper, to taste
• vegan Parmesan, to taste* 

* Ingredients (for chick'n):

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 Gardein chick'n scallopini patties*
• 1/2 small yellow onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup pinot grigio white wine*
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
• 2 tbsp Daiya mozzarella, split between scallopini*
• 1/2 medium lemon, juiced
• basil, chopped, to top 
  

* Recipe (for risotto):

1. Dehydrate the wild mushrooms in boiling water until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove mushrooms and slice, reserving water to make broth.
3. With mushroom water, add the cube of bouillon and the amount of remaining water needed for two cups. Bring to boil.
4. In a skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and sautee onions with salt until translucent and soft.
5. Add remaining oil and cook the garlic and mushrooms, about 5 minutes.
6. Next, add the rice, parsley, rosemary, basil, vegan Parmesan, remaining salt, and pepper. Sautee until rice starts to brown, stirring constantly. Add a ladle full of broth at a time, stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed.
7. Repeat the process until all the broth has been used.

* Recipe (for chick'n):

1. Add oil to skillet and caramelize onions.
2. Next, add garlic, thyme, and scallopini. Cook through until scallopini is golden brown. Add wine to deglaze.
3. As wine is cooking down, add lemon juice. Allow the sauce to cook.
4. Remove scallopini and slice in thin strips.
5. Top with sauteed onions, wine reduction, Daiya, and bake to melt cheese at 200 degrees.
6. Remove and place atop risotto.
7. Sprinkle basil over dish.

* Note: For vegan Parmesan, I use Galaxy brand. Gardein is a great mock meat company that you can find in most groceries. Make sure your wine is vegan! Daiya is a tapioca based cheeze product that has become readily available at most health food stores. You can also find it online. 

Chick'n Katsu & Katsudon

If you have ever seen a bento box menu at a Japanese or Hawaiian restaurant, chances are you'll see katsu or tonkatsu (pork katsu). Tonkatsu is generally the more famous of the various types of katsu one can get, though there are also beef, chicken, fish, and minced meat versions. So, hey, why aren't their veggie versions?! Exactly. There is probably someone out there that makes or sells tofu katsu. I thought about trying that, but then I realized we vegans and vegetarians are mighty lucky to have the super nifty company, Gardein. "Chick'n Katsu" was born.


Chick'n Katsu

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 15 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 package of Gardein chick'n scallopini, thawed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 egg replacements, preparing according to package instructions*
• 2 cups panko
• 4 lemon wedges
• tonkatsu sauce, for dipping* 

* Recipe:

1. Pour oil into deep frying pan and cover at least 1 in. thick. Heat on high.
2. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder over chick'n patties.
3. Place flour on one plate, panko on another, and egg replacer in a medium bowl.
4. Dredge chick'n in flour, then saturate entirely with egg replacer. Coat with panko completely and press to make sure chick'n is well coated.
5. Slip chick'n into oil and cook until both sides are golden brown, about 5-10 minutes.
6. Drain chick'n on paper towels once removed from pan.
7. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices about 1/2 in. thick.
8. Serve with lemon wedge and tonkatsu sauce for dipping.

* Note: For egg replacer, I swear by Ener-G for all my needs. Tonkatsu sauce is used for all sorts of katsu. It's sweet yet tangy. Kikkoman has a vegan one readily available. This recipe was modified from Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima.


Chick'n Katsudon

Katsudon is a combination of katsu and donburi. It generally involves an egg. Vegans don't eat eggs. I modified it with my own little scrambled "egg" recipe in order to compensate for this.

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 10 minutes
* Ingredients (for donburi sauce):

• 1 cup water
• 5 tbsp soy sauce or tamari*
• 5 tbsp mirin*
• 1 tsp vegan dashi*
• 1/2 tsp sugar*
• 1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

* Ingredients (for scrambled "egg"): 

• 1/2 package (14 oz.) firm tofu, pressed, smashed with fork
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder 
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast

* Ingredients (for chick'n katsudon):

• 4 chick'n katsu, sliced into 1/2 in. pieces
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced 
• 1 tbsp nori, ripped or cut into narrow strips

* Recipe (for donburi sauce):

1. Combine all ingredients in sauce pan.
2. Bring to boil and remove from heat.

* Recipe (for scrambled "egg"):

1. In a small skillet, heat the sesame oil and add the smashed tofu.
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

* Recipe (for chick'n katsudon):

1. Place serving of rice in a bowl. Add scrambled tofu, then one sliced chick'n katsu.
2. Add donburi sauce over the rice, egg, and katsu.
3. Top with scallions and nori.

* Note: One could probably use Bragg's Amino Acid in replace of soy sauce or tamari. Mirin is a sweet rice wine cooking liquid. VegWeb has a great vegan dashi recipe that one can store and use for later. I highly recommend it. Make sure your sugar is vegan. I modified this recipe from Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima.



Thinking about it, the one thing I'm not sure one could actually veganize in Japanese cooking is shabu-shabu (if you've seen Lost in Translation, you know what I'm talking about). I guess someone could try it with seitan. That would be interesting to see!

Teriyaki Tofu

Japan is on my top three list of favorite places in the world. In college, I minored in the language and studied abroad in Tokyo as well as lived with a host family in a small suburb two hours south of Tokyo (my host mother was a radio chef and they chose me specifically as a host daughter in order to cook vegan food to try something new - how lucky was I!). That being said, Japanese food is my favorite type of food. Hands down. I've been eating sushi so long, I don't even remember the first time I had it. As a little girl, my parents and I would go to the same little Japanese restaurant, Taka Sushi, just by our house in the Bay Area at least once a week, if not twice. Early on, I knew the names of various Japanese foods. The sushi chef at this restaurant (his name was Roni) would let me stand off to the side of the bar in order to watch him make sushi and explain to me about how to prepare it and the words in Japanese. I don't really miss what I chose not to eat anymore because of being vegan, but it's sure cool to take old favorites and spruce them up in a cruelty-free way. :D


Teriyaki Tofu

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients (for teriyaki sauce):

• 1 cup soy sauce or tamari*
• 1 cup brown sugar*
• 2 tbsp vegetable stock
• 1 tsp mirin*

* Ingredients (for teriyaki tofu):

• 1/2 package (14 oz.) of firm tofu, cut into 1/2 in. slices
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional to toast)
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp nori, ripped apart or cut into fine strips

* Recipe (for teriyaki sauce):

1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil in small sauce pan.
2. Simmer for 5 minutes. Be careful not to let the sauce boil over.
3. Refrigerate for up to 2 months.

* Recipe (for teriyaki tofu):

1. Press tofu of any water before starting.
2. Bring oil in frying pan to hot heat.
3. Put the flour on a plate and dredge each side of the tofu completely in it.
4. Add the tofu to the frying pan and fry each side to a golden brown color.
5. In a new frying pan, put the tofu in there and add the teriyaki sauce. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduse and let simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn tofu over periodically in order to coat each side.
6. Remove from pan and serve on top of hot rice. Top with sesame seeds, scallions, and nori.

* Note: One could probably use Bragg's Amino Acid in replace of soy sauce or tamari. Make sure your sugar is vegan. Mirin is a sweet rice wine cooking liquid. I modified this recipe from Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima.

Chinese New Year: Buddha's Delight & Jiaozi Dumplings

Chinese New Year starts on Thursday, Feb. 3rd. This year is the year of the rabbit. For more information about the year of the rabbit, check out this website. Actually, I was born the year of rabbit! 

Buddha's Delight

* Prep Time: 30 minutes

* Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 6 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp Shao Hsing rice wine*
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 medium pack fried bean curd, sliced*
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup white onion, sliced
• 1 (14 oz.) can stir-fry mix (water chestnuts, bamboo shoots. straw mushrooms, baby corn, etc.)
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• sesame oil, for frying
• white rice, cooked according to box instructions

* Recipe:  

1. Combine the first four ingredients and let tofu marinade in them for at least half an hour.
2. Steam the broccoli so that they are soft.
3. In a wok, heat some sesame oil and add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Once onions are translucent, add remaining vegetables and salt.
4. In a bowl, combine the vegetable broth with cornstarch.
5. Add the marinated tofu, mix, then add the vegetable broth mixture.
6. Cook until all vegetables are tender.
7. Top over white rice.

* Note: Shao Hsing is a Chinese cooking wine. You can find it at Asian grocery stores. If you can not find it, you can use sherry cooking wine instead. The same goes for the fried bean curd. If you can not find it, use regular tofu instead.

Jiaozi Dumplings

* Prep Time: 20 minutes

* Cook Time: 10 minutes

* Ingredients (for dumplings):  

• 1/2 package (4 oz.) Upton's Naturals ground beef style seitan, crumbled and cooked*
• 1/3 cup napa cabbage, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1/8 cup water chestnuts, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 package (16 oz.) wonton wrapper*
• water, to close wontons

* Ingredients (for sauce):

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp chili oil
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp green onions, sliced

* Recipe:  

1. Cook the seitan according to package instructions.
2. In a large pot, boil water.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
4. Fill the wonton wrappers with a teaspoon of the filling. Using your fingers, wet the wonton wrapper along the edges.
5. Fold wonton and pinch to close.
6. Place 7-8 dumplings in the boiling water and boil for about 3-5 minutes.
7. While dumplings are boiling, combine the sauce ingredient in a small bowl. Mix to dissolve the sugar.

* Note: Upton's Naturals is a local Chicago seitan company. They sell their faux meats here in Chicagoland. You could use other seitan-style meat crumbles such as Boca Ground Crumbles,Gimme Lean Sausage by Lightlife, or Yves Meatless Ground Round Original. Make sure your wonton wrappers are vegan. Many of them contain egg. I have a dumpling press, which is why my dumplings look so perfect in the picture. Same water around the edges applies when you use this too.

For all recipes, make sure the sugar is vegan. For more information about vegan sugar, please see this website.

During Chinese New Year, children receive small red envelopes usually filled with money. Also, Mandarin oranges are considered a sign of abundance and good fortune. They are often given to people as well.

Dishes Men Like: Caesar Salad & Chick'n Divan

More recipes inspired by "Dishes Men Like". It is made by Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce and every single recipe contains their sauce! Clearly, men love these dishes. This is the rest of the dinner I made which composed of the previous blog entry (shrimp canapes and crab bisque), Caesar salad, and Chick'n Divan.
 

Caesar Salad
 

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 5 minutes
* Ingredients (for salad):  

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 bunch endive (preferably curly), chopped
• handful of cherry tomatoes, split down the middle
• handful croutons

* Ingredients (for dressing):

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan cheese*
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise*

* Recipe: 

1. Combine the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and Parmesan in a medium bowl. Once mixed, add the mayonnaise until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mixed together the lettuce, endive and tomatoes.
3. Place the lettuce mixture in a serving bowl, top with croutons, then add the dressing. Sprinkle with more vegan Parmesan!

* Note: I used Galaxy brand vegan Parmesan cheese topping. For vegan mayonnaise, I used Vegenaise. 
 

Chick'n Divan with Buttered Rice 

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes

* Ingredients (for chick'n divan):  

• 1 bunch of asparagus, ends chopped off
• 1 can (16 oz.) cream of mushroom soup*
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
• 1 package vegan chicken, defrosted and sliced*
• 1/2 cup heavy soy cream, whipped*
• 3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise*

* Ingredients (for buttered rice):

• 2 cups white rice, cooked
• 1 tbsp soy butter*
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe (for chick'n divan): 

1. Cook asparagus in boiling salt water until tender, then drain. Place the asparagus in a large baking dish.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Combine soup, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, and pour 1/2 mixture over asparagus.
4. Top the asparagus with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
5. Defrost the vegan chicken and slice into 1/2 in. pieces.
6. Top the asparagus with the chicken and pour remaining soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with another 1/3 cup of cheese.
7. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.
8. While baking, combine the whipped cream with mayonnaise.
9. When chicken is done baking, spread the mayonnaise mixture over the chicken and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cheese.
10. Broil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

* Recipe (for buttered rice):

1. Cook the rice according to box instructions.
2. While still hot, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

* Note: The cream of mushroom soup I used was Imagine brand. The vegan chicken was Vegetarian Plus brand. For the soy whipping cream, Soyatoo was used. Vegan mayonnaise brand was Vegenaise. Earth Balance was the soy butter used.

The recipes above were fantastic! I hope you all enjoy them. I'm looking forward to modifying and creating more vegan versions of these retro dishes in the future.

Vegan Fried Rice

A while back, I repaid a friend for helping me build most of my apartment's furniture by cooking him some yum veg Asian food. I made Nasu Dengaku (nasu is "eggplant" in Japanese). Using this excellent recipe from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen blog, it turned out most tasty!

Nasu Dengaku

Along with this eggplant dish, I made a vegan fried rice with random veggies I had at hand.

Vegan Fried Rice

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes









 
* Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons soy butter (add more to taste)
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/2 of medium red onion - chopped
• 1 cup of green beans - chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots - chopped
• 1/2 cup of white mushroom - sliced*
• 1/3rd cup of bell pepper - red/yellow/green/orange (optional)
• 1/3rd cup of peas (optional)
• 1/3rd block of firm tofu - cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (add more to taste)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1-2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• several dashes of sea salt
• several dashes of black pepper
• dash of basil (ground)
• 2 cups of pre-cooked rice - white or brown*

* Recipe:

1. Add soy butter to wok and allow to melt.
2. Next, add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Place all vegetables into wok, mix well with onion, garlic, and soy butter. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. Add pre-cooked rice (use whatever method you normally do to cook rice) to wok and mix well with vegetables.
5. Put soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and spices in pot and mix well with rice and vegetables.
6. Allow to cook for a several minutes, mixing every so often.

* Notes: Feel free to use shiitake mushrooms instead of white button mushrooms. For this recipe, I used white rice.


Tonight, after some oishii (tasty) sushi, a buddy and I went over to Wicker Park and had some crazy lab science-like vegan ice cream with vanilla tea. iCream Cafe makes the ice cream and sorbet from scratch right in front of you! Not only is it neat to watch, it is very vegan-friendly. They have soy ice cream for a base (or you could choose sorbet), add a flavor (we did mint), then add a topping (ours was oreo & sprinkles).


Check it out for a tasty treat!


Ratings...
Nasu Dengaku: 5/5


For Halloween, I was a 1940s sailor pin-up girl. In the next couple posts, I will post a tutorial on how to do the vintage 'do I was sporting.


'Ta for now!