Szechuan Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

This is one of my favorite dishes when we go out for Chinese. This was particularly good because the tofu was lovely and crispy, and the veggies had a nice char on them. You can serve with rice, but we elected not to. This recipe was adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1-pound block of extra-firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon grated garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons Chinese fermented black beans paste
• 1 tablespoon chili paste or crushed red pepper

• 11/2 cups water
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons Sherry (dry or sweet)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• vegetable oil
• 2 cups fresh broccoli (cut in bite sized pieces)
• 1 cup red bell pepper, julienned

Directions

Rinse the tofu, then cut crosswise into 4 slices. Put slices between towels, put a cutting board on top, and weight it with a can or canister and let drain while making the sauce. 

For the liquid portion of the sauce, stir together the water, soy sauce, Sherry, maple syrup, vinegar, and the cornstarch until the cornstarch is evenly suspended.

 Place a thin layer of oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir-fry the seasonings until fragrant, less than a minute. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the pan, bringing it to a boil and simmer till thickened. 

Heat oil over high heat until hot but not smoking.  Fry the slices on all sides turning them only when the undersides are golden and crisp.Give the tofu one last flip on a paper towel to sop up any stray oil and reheat the sauce. 

Add broccoli and red pepper to the pan you just removed the tofu from, give it another turn of the pan of oil, and do a quick stir fry until they begin to caramelize at the edges, but are still vibrant and crisp.

Place tofu center on a serving plate, surround with the veggies and spoon some sauce over the tofu. Serve the remaining sauce in a pitcher at the table.

Serves 2 as a main dish with no starch:

Calories:  569

Carb:   45

Fat:  27

Protein:  29

Fiber:   4

Potassium:   236

 

Or 4 if served with rice (add in the nutritional info from the rice you choose):

Calories:  284

Carb:   23

Fat:  14

Protein:  14

Fiber:   2

Potassium:   118

Three Sisters Stew

This is a traditional Native American dish. Many tribes have grown these crops together throughout their history and have various legends about the three sisters. Nutritionally, this is a power packed meal, because eaten together they provide every single amino acid needed by our bodies for complete nutrition. And it is absolutely delicious! I adapted the recipe here from The Oneida Indian Nation website.

Three Sisters Stew

Ingredients1 large onion, sliced
1 TBS garlic, crushed
2 pickled jalapeno chili, finely chopped
4 cups yellow summer squash, sliced (about 1 pound)
4 cups zucchini, cut into l inch pieces (about 2 medium)
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 1 large)
3 cups green beans, cut into l inch pieces (about 1 pound)
1 can white hominy, undrained
2 16-ounce cans kidney beans, undrained
1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
14-ounces water
2 tsp cumin
2 TBS cilantro paste (available in tubes in produce section)

Directions
I like it easy, guys, chop everything up, put it in the pot, cook until squash and green beans are tender.  Delicious!

Serves 9 generously

Calories: 244
Carbs:  41g
Fat:  2g
Protein:  11g 
Fiber:  11g
Potassium:   871g

Mushroom Stew

I had some mushrooms I got on special and wanted to use before they went bad. This is what I came up with. It can be a nice, very savory light lunch, or served over baked potatoes, a very substantial dinner.

Mushroom Stew

2 med Onions chopped
8 oz Sliced Baby Portabella Mushrooms
3 med Tomatoes diced
1 cup frozen Spinach
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 Veggie Bouillon Cube (Low Sodium)
1 cup Water
1 tsp Crushed Red Chili Pepper Flakes

Directions:

put water, boullion cubes and onions in covered pan, let go until well caramelized

Add mushrooms & let cook down slightly

add spinach till warmed through

add tomatoes and garlic, cook till stewy consistency

add salt to taste & red pepper flakes


Serve alone as a light lunch, or over a baked potato for a meal. Sprinkle with feta if desired.  

Calories: 93
Carbs:  15
Fat:  3
Protein:   6
Fiber:   4
Potassium:  631

Kenyan kale and tomatoes

Delicious, savory and brothy, you can add a bit more water,and do season with salt & pepper. Serves 6 as a side dish and 3 as a meal.
adapted from Whole Foods Markets Recipes

Kenyan kale and tomatoes

6 cups - raw chopped Kale
4 med Tomatoes chopped
2 Onions chopped
1 lg Jalepeno Pepper chopped
8 pkg True Lemon - Crystallized Lemon
1 cup Water

Chop all veggies and put in pot, add water and put on lid, cook till kale is tender & it's nice and soupy.

As a meal (1/2 of recipe):
Calories:  193
Fat:   2
Carbs:   41
Protein:   10
Fiber:  9
Potassium:   1640

Italian Seitan 'Sausage', Peppers, and Potatoes

This recipe has some ROCKING protein and potassium numbers, and is really tasty and filling! Enjoy

Ingredients:
1 - Seitan cutlet, sliced (see previous recipe)
2 c - mixed bell peppers, chopped (red, green, yellow & red)
1 - lg onion chopped
12 - grape tomatoes
1 - chopped baked potato
1 c - frozen spinach

Directions:
Spray pan with cooking spray, sautee onions & peppers till softened

Add spinach, sliced seitan and crushed red pepper to taste

Add chopped potato and tomatoes and cook till tomatoes pop

Calories- 623

Carbs- 73

Fat- 7

Protein- 51

Fiber- 14

Potassium- 1982

Really Great Seitan

http://www.theppk.com/2009/11/homemade-seitan/ Really great flavorful seitan recipe. I did change it from adding veggie broth to the dough to just water, it's too salty otherwise. Only takes 10 minutes to make, then 5 minutes to cook. The original makes 3 pieces, I tripled it here so you can freeze it. This is one of the very best seitan recipes I've ever tried, and the texture is good, too, with the advice given on cooking.

Ingredients:
Patties:
3 c - Vital Wheat Gluten
9 T - Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1.5 c - Water
1/4 c - Bragg - Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
6 T - Lemon juice
3 T - Oil - Olive
6 cloves crushed or grated Garlic

Simmering Broth: (not included in calories because it's not enough impact on recipe)
For the simmering broth:
4 cups vegetable broth (after experimenting, I've found that Knorr's veggie stock makes this a knockout!)
4 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Fill a stock pot with the water, broth and soy sauce, cover and bring to a boil.

In the mean time, in a large bowl mix together gluten and yeast.  In a smaller bowl mix together broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Pour the wet into the dry and combine with a wooden spoon until most of the moisture has absorbed and partially clumped up with the dry ingredients. Use your hands and knead for about 3 minutes, until it’s an elastic dough. Roll out into a log, and cut equal portions with a serrated knife. Flatten each piece with your palm on the counter, this makes a beautifully shaped patty! Let rest until the broth has come to a full boil.

Once boiling, lower the heat to a rolling simmer. Add the gluten pieces and partially cover pot so that steam can escape. Let simmer for 45 minutes, turning occasionally. Turn the heat off and take the lid off, let sit for 15 minutes. If you make a HUGE batch and freeze, like I do, boil for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Remove from broth and place in a strainer until it is cool enough to handle.

This is also awesome if you put it in your food processor and grind to make your own 'crumbles', more flavorful and a fraction of the price. It comes out to about $1.15/#!

Calories	-	252										Carbs	- 14     Fat	- 6        Protein	- 39     Fiber	- 3       Potassium - 234

Dreena's Three-Bean Curry Tomato Soup Review

I've been waiting to try this recipe from Dreena's Vegan Blog all week, it was just a matter of cooking up the chick peas, which is a bit time consuming, but well worth it. It was a lovely, rich spicy, brothy, soothing treat. It had lots of lovely texture and a lovely exotic spicy quality. Don't skip the spice combination, you'll be delightfully surprised. It is quite savory, don't let the "sweet spices" throw you. This will fill you up body and soul, and is especially good if you're sniffling like I am!

Three-Bean Curry Tomato Soup
This soup is a must for curry enthusiasts! It’s straight-forward to make, and combines three kinds of healthful beans with vivid curry seasonings (without too much heat!). Serve with a cooked grain or some whole-grain bread for a complete meal.
Recipe from Vive le Vegan!


1/2 tbsp olive oil (or other oil of choice)
1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped onion
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 - 1 1⁄2 tbsp mild curry powder or paste (or more for extra heat)
1⁄2 tsp ground ginger (or 1/2 tbsp fresh)
1 tsp ground fennel
1⁄2 tsp ground cardamom (don't skip! adds beautiful flavor!)
1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup dry red lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
3 - 3 1⁄2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1/2 - 1 tsp pure maple syrup or other sweetener

In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the celery, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper, and stir through. Add the mustard seeds, curry paste, ginger, fennel, cardamom, and cinnamon. Stir through, cover, and let cook for 6-8 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir through and increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. For a thinner consistency, add a little extra water. Remove bay leaves, and season to taste with additional sea salt and black pepper.  *Soup even better the next day! :)

Makes 8 or more servings.