Our Veggie Kitchen

This is a vegan replacement for many Asian fish-based broths.  It's a quick and easy broth.  Konbu gives it a nice from the sea flavor and joins with shiitake to add a lot of umami flavor.  It's perfect for any Korean broth with their love of garlic.  For Japanese or Chinese, I will subtract a couple cloves of garlic and add an inch of ginger.  Also, this broth has no added salt.  It is often the base for soups or sauces with miso, soy sauce or other high salt foods.  It is important to for these recipes to start with a low salt base.

Umami Broth
4 cups water
5 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
3 stalks green onions
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 sheet konbu (a little smaller than a nori sheet)
1 bay leaf

Optional:  1 inch ginger, only 3 cloves garlic.

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Strain through a mesh strainer.  Squeeze out the liquid in the mushrooms and discard the solids.  If you don't simmer for more than 30 minutes, there is little need to strain through cheesecloth.  If you cook it too long the konbu will start to disintegrate and make the broth more cloudy.  Add enough water to make 3 cups of broth.

3 Servings:  29 (1 g protein, 7g carbs, 1g protein)

As I said once before, I made 24 chicken-y seitan cutlets for Veganmofo this year. One of those meals was this stir fry. There is nothing terribly special about a stir fry. Use your favorite vegetables (or the ones you need to use up), combined with some tofu, tempeh or seitan. But the sauce really makes this weeknight workhorse shine. I love adding sherry and ginger to stir fries and I love lots of sauce. And this really hits the spot.

I Usually dust tofu or seitan in flour and pan fry it ahead of the veggies. When you add them back to the stir fried veggies and pour in the sauce, the flour turns the sauce into somewhat of a gravy. And I'd eat barbed wire if it's drizzled with gravy.



Stir Fry Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs ginger, grated
1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
1 tbs white sugar

When the stir fry is finished cooking, push the veggies & tofu/seitan/tempeh aside. Add the garlic & ginger to the center of the pan. Pour the sesame oil over the top and stir around the center of the pan. Then stir into the veggies. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour into the pan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir and serve.

4 Servings: 123 cal (1g fat, 20g carbs, 3g protein)

I participate in a sort of Iron Chef Competition on one of the cooking forums I visit. Last week's ingredient was mushrooms. So I went shopping with mushrooms on my mind and found a pound of Shiitake mushrooms for five bucks. They were thick and meaty and there was no way I could pass them up.

So this fried rice is the result of that discovery. Fried rice can be as simple as rice, frozen veggies and soy sauce, but I usually try to add a little extra flavor to the sauce. I usually add some combination of minced garlic, ginger and shallots, doused in sesame oil, then stir in some soy sauce, sherry and, sometimes, a little broth. I added bok choy for some crispiness and color.



Shiitake Fried Rice
1 1/2 cups white rice (5-6 cups cooked)
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 lb shiitake mushrooms, stems removed & sliced (or see note)
1 purple onion, chopped
4 ribs bok choy, chopped (leaves sliced into ribbons)
1 can baby corn, drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp sesame oil
Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tbs sherry
1/2 tbs sugar

For the rice, cook according to package directions and cool in the fridge, or use leftover rice. I frequently avoid this step and just used freshly cooked rice, but leftovers are better.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and saute just until it begins to glisten. Add the mushrooms and chopped bok choy ribs (not the leaves) and saute until the bok choy is cooked, but still crisp. Remove any thick veins from the bok choy leaves and slice into ribbons. Add the leaves and corn and stir together.

Push the veggies to the side. Add the minced garlic and ginger to the center of the pan and pour in the sesame oil. Stir in the center of pan until fragrant, then stir into the veggies. Add the rice and stir-fry for a couple minutes. Mix the sauce ingredients, then add to the rice. Remove from heat and serve.

Mushroom Note: Shiitake mushrooms are usually very expensive ($10+/lb). You can cut the cost by buying dried shiitakes and rehydrating them or by using a mixture of shiitake and button mushrooms. Try to use some, though. Shiitake mushrooms have a texture that is quite different from other mushrooms. Asian grocers are often much less expensive than other stores.

4 Servings: 451 cal (9g fat, 76g carbs, 15g protein)

This is one of my favorite stir fry sauces. It is very gingery, so if you're not a big fan, cut back on the ginger. I've cut the ginger back to 1 tbs and it is still very good, just not as potent.

This is also a great sauce for Fried Ginger Tofu



Ginger Tofu Stir Fry
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lb tofu, drained and sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 lb bok choy, leaves & stalk separated
2 carrots, sliced on the bias
1 lb broccoli florets
1 lb asparagus spears
Sauce:
2 tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
1 tbs sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs ginger, grated

Combine the sauce ingredients and whisk together.

Heat the oils in a large saute pan over medium high. When the oil is hot enough to spatter, add the tofu. Let it fry for a couple minutes, until it begins to brown. Gently turn or toss and cook until the tofu is evenly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan. Add the carrots, bok choy stalks and onion slices. Stir fry until the carrots begin to soften. Add the broccoli and asparagus. Continue to stir fry until the broccoli and asparagus begin to soften, but are not cooked through yet. Add in the tofu and roughly chopped bok choy greens. Pour in the sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens and the greens wilt.

Serve over rice or noodles.

4 Servings: 341 cal (13g fat, 37g carbs, 17g protein)

Chow Mein is easy to make and finishes in about the time it takes to cook rice. The problem is, I don't really like it with tofu or seitan and it's a little light if you just use veggies. So I took my standard Chow Mein recipe and added chickpeas. The result was interesting. The texture the chickpeas added was foreign and not at all expected in chow mein. I liked it, quite a bit actually. But I can see where someone wouldn't. But it's good without chickpeas, so if you want to replace them with tofu or a meat substitute, or even just skip them altogether, feel free.



Chickpea Chow Mein
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, or bok choy, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 cups small button mushrooms, left whole (or larger ones halved)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 can baby corn or water chestnuts
1 can chickpeas
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs cornstarch

Melt margarine in a saute pan, then add the onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Saute until the onions have softened. Add the frozen peas, baby corn and chickpeas. Whisk together the garlic powder, cornstarch, soy sauce and vegetable broth. Pour into the veggie mixture and heat to a boil. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and the carrots and celery are crisp-tender.

4 Servings: 290 cal (10g fat, 42g carbs, 10g protein)

Veganmofo ends today, and this is my twentieth post for the month. I made it, sigh! I used to make this dish with chicken when I wanted an Asian dish that looked really nice. I used fried tofu and, once again, made something that looks and tastes great. Toast the almonds yourself and you'll have nailed three of the five senses. I served it over rice with miso/noodle soup.



Almond Tofu Stir Fry
1/3 cup whole almonds
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lb tofu, drained & cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs ginger, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbs sherry
1 lb bok choy
2 medium carrots

These steps can all be done concurrently.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 5 or 5 minutes.
• Toss the tofu cubes with the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes, set aside for about 15 minutes.
• Remove the Bok Choy greens from the stalks. Roughly chop the greens and dice the stalks. Peel the carrots and thinly slice them on the diagonal.

Heat vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium-high (I don't use a wok, but you could). Toss the tofu mixture with cornstarch. Add the tofu to the pan and fry, turning the tofu as each side browns. When the tofu is finished, remove and set aside. Whisk the broth, soy sauce and sherry into the bowl with the cornstarch mixture that didn't cling to the tofu and set aside.

Add the sesame oil to the pan, along with the bok choy stalks and carrots. Stir fry until the veggies are crisp-tender, just a couple of minutes. Stir in the greens and cook until they begin to wilt. Add the tofu and liquid (whisk a gain for good measure) and cook, just until the sauce thickens. Sever over rice.

4 Servings: 237 cal (17g fat, 10g carbs, 11g protein)

I used to make lo mein by tossing the noodles with the veggies, as best I could, then tossing them again and pretending that the veggies didn't separate from the noodles EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH THE PAN.

It was a pet peeve.

After too much needless fretting, I discovered a solution. Cut the veggies into matchsticks so they are noodle-like. This means you have to focus on veggies that you can matchstick, but that leaves plenty to chose from. I've included onions, carrots, shredded cabbage, and broccoli. Cut the florets small and they don't clump too bad. If my neurotic brain can deal with it, I'm sure you'll be fine. The other advantage is, now you can cook everything at once and you've got a start-to-finish meal in under 20 minutes.



Vegetable Lo Mein
12 oz soba noodles (watch for eggs)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, cut into matchsticks
2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup beef flavored vegetable broth
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs dry sherry

While the pasta water is coming to a boil, heat oil in a separate pan. Saute garlic and ginger for about a minute, then toss with the other vegetables. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are done.

When the pasta water is boiling, add the soba noodles. Cook just until they soften. Drain. If the vegetables are close proceed with the recipe, otherwise plunge into cold water and reserve until needed. When the vegetables are nearly done, add the broth, soy sauce, sherry and noodles. Bring to a boil and simmer until the noodles are finished cooking.

4 servings: 527 cal (7g fat, 107g carbs, 20g protein)

This was quick, easy and really good. I came home for lunch and put the tofu between 2 saucers and topped it with a can of beans. The tofu was ready to cut when I got home and everything came together while the rice cooked, including the stir fried veggies (pre cut) and miso soup.



Teriyaki Tofu
1 lb firm tofu, drained
3 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs canola or peanut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 recipe teriyaki sauce (follows)

Place cubed tofu and flour together in a resealable plastic bag. Seal and shake. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add coated tofu and brown, turning only when sides are browned.

When browned on all sides, pour in the teriyaki sauce. It will quickly bubble and thicken. Stir to combine and transfer to plates or platter. Serve with veggies or rice, or just hunkered over the sink.

Note: I make a full batch of sauce and use the other half on stir-fried veggies in a separate pan.

Teriyaki Sauce
1 tbs cornstarch
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated or minced
1/4 tsp pepper

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine and whisk together all ingredients. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles. Alternately, whisk all ingredients glass bowl and microwave until bubbly, about 5 mintues.

4 Servings: 217 cal (11g fat, 21g carbs, 8g protein)

I've been hard at work this week, just not much to post. I'm working on converting some of my omni favorites. I made two batches of Italian Sausage; one was very good and one wasn't. I made my first iteration of Tex-Mex Enchilada Sauce that doesn't begin with a cup of lard. And I made Ginger Tofu.

This was my all time favorite pork dish. Big cubes, breadded and fried and smothered in a goey ginger sauce. I had General Tso's Tofu at a restaurant last week and it got me reminescing. In retrospect, this was always meant to be a sauce served with tofu. Who'd-a-thunk!



Ginger Tofu
1 lb tofu, drained and sliced into large cubes
3 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3/4 cups vegetable broth
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs dry sherry
1-2 green onions, whites sliced thin, green part chopped on a bias
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sugar
1 tbs ginger, grated

Place cubed tofu in a resealable bag with cornstarch. Toss to combine and shake off excess cornstarch. Heat oils in a saute pan on medium-high. Add tofu and brown, turning cubes as they brown. When the tofu is browned, remove from a pan.

Combine remaining ingredients and pour into the sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook until it begins to thicken. Stir in the tofu and cook down until the sauce begins to cling to the tofu.

4 Servings: 214 cal (12g fat, 15g carbs, 9g protein)