Fried rice is my go-to meal if I’ve got a leftover rice.  It’s so easy and quick and if you always have a stash of peas in your freezer, you are halfway there.  I like this dish because it’s quick and really versatile.  Plus, who doesn’t like fried rice?  I steam whatever veggies I have and I’m ready to eat within 10 minutes.  So next time you make rice, make extra for that upcoming evening you work late or would rather not cook for 2 hours.

KimmyFriedRice

Yield:  depends on your proportions of everything, usually 4 servings.  Sorry the amounts aren’t exact, I make it different every time and you’ll probably have a different palate than I do.

Ingredients

• canola/vegetable/peanut oil (NOT olive oil, it can’t handle the heat)
• Veggies of choice (frozen peas, diced carrots, snow peas, broccoli, bok choy)
• Tofu/tempeh/seitan
• minced garlic to taste (2 cloves should do it)
• peeled, minced ginger (about 1 tsp)
• Leftover cooked rice (about 3 cups; I use short-grain brown)
• soy sauce or tamari (about 1 Tbl)
• sesame oil (about 1 tsp)
• toasted sesame seeds (garnish)
• thinly sliced scallions (3 Tbl)

Method

1. Steam fresh vegetables in a steamer until al dente or just tender.  Set aside.
2. Heat some oil (1-2 Tbl) in a skillet and saute your protein of choice until it is nice and crispy (I like to fry tofu cubes, but it’s not the healthiest option out there).  Using a slotted spoon, remove it and set aside on paper towels.
3. Now comes the quick part: heat about 1 Tbl of oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat and add garlic and ginger and saute for about 30 seconds or until the garlic starts to color.
4. Toss in all the cold rice and stir with a wooden spoon to break up any large clumps.  Your rice may stick, that’s okay, it will add a little crunch and make it that much better.  Continue stirring the rice for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat, making sure it’s all coated with the oil.
5. Add the frozen peas and cook for about a minute to defrost them.
6. Add the remaining veggies and protein and cook long enough to heat them back up.
7. Turn off the heat and add soy sauce and sesame oil.  Stir to combine and serve with a garnish of sesame seeds and scallions.  This makes excellent leftovers.

Chikn Salad Sammie with Buckwheat Sprouts

This past summer, I got to try some of Joanna’s revolutionary seitan chicken recipe at a vegan potluck.  She turned it into a chicken salad and I realized it’s been too long since I’ve had anything similar to a chicken salad.  I followed her recipe to make her seitan that calls for boiling (gasp!) seitan.  My first attempts at making seitan were using the boiling method and I usually ended up with a pile of squishy brainy like mush or a dense rubber ball.  I’ve found that flavoring the boiling water doesn’t infuse too much flavor into the seitan, so I am thankful for vital wheat gluten.  Making seitan the shortcut way with vwg is great because you can mix in herbs, spices and other flavors that make the seitan so much more than a piece of rubber (although rubbery foods do have their place).  My drama with boiling seitan is that it ends up reaching an explosive, rolling boil instead of a gentle simmer.  I have found that steaming it is my ideal method and after that is braising in the oven.  I figured I would behave and follow Joanna’s recipe, at least for the first time.

I had a hard time getting the pieces thin enough, but the flavor (and aroma) were very chickeny.  It ripped apart pretty well and I froze half of the batch for another time.  I put some in a stir fry and it held up and the rest made it into a basic chicken salad: nayonaise, apple cider vinegar, celery seed, salt & pepper, chopped carrots and celery.

I threw on some of my latest sprout sensation, buckwheat sprouts.  I was excited to find these in the bulk section of Bob’s Red Mill and gave them a few hours to soak before beginning the sprouting process.  They sprouted in about 3 days and the sprout itself has a pleasant flavor and a nice crunch.  The seed covering was a little papery and rough, but that’s just more good ole fiber.  I guess you could rinse it away if it’s too much.

I love tempeh.  I’ve loved it from the beginning with it’s mushroomy earthy taste and my intimate moments learning how to cultivate the bacteria and make it from scratch.  I love that it’s fermented and a source of B12.  I usually just saute it up and add it to stir-fries or crumble it into sauces, so I am usually hesitant to follow recipes for anything elaborate with tempeh.  Tofu needs the flavor assistance, I try to let the tempeh be.  My recent cookbook fav is Eat, Drink and Be Vegan.  Her recipes are easy, simple ingredients but lots of great taste.  It’s been a great resource since I work so much and don’t really have the time to cook for hours at a time.

Her method of coating the tempeh is cornstarch is a familiar (it makes awesome fried tofu with a crispy outside and soft inside).  It was quick to make and versatile.  You can throw it on top of salads or pasta dishes or really whatever needs a protein boost.  I went really simple, on top of quinoa with steamed broccoli and smothered it in a berry BBQ sauce.  It’s basically how I ate in college, fancified.

I haven’t foraged maitake (ram’s head/sheep’s head/hen of the woods) (Grifola Frondosa) yet, but it would be a good find.  The genus, Grifola, refers to the griffin a lion body/eagle headed creature, making this mushroom the king of the land and air.  They are traditionally a symbol of God and guardian of treasures…quite a bit of pressure for a fungi.  I don’t know if they grow in the Pacific Northwest, but I do know that I love these mushrooms.  They are meaty and chewy but not too chewy.  They hold up well in a lot of applications and are just plain cute.  I like that they freeze really well from the raw state (no prep necessary), making my mushroom cravings easy to satisfy if I’m home and hungry.  Maitake are native to the Northeast and Japan (and supermarkets worldwide), but you can grow your own in your backyard using “mushroom plugs.”  Perhaps this is my next project, foraging in my pj’s.

Maitake Kale Saute

Maitake grow in the same spot year after year, usually at the base of oak trees.  Maitake is Japanese for “dancing mushroom,” referring to the forager’s excitement since a single cluster can grow up to 50 pounds or more.  I can’t even visualize that because this mushroom is not dense like portabellas can be.  One of the most exciting things that I’ve learned about this mushroom is that it’s an adaptogen, meaning that it balances out the body and increases the body’s resistance to anxiety, fatigue and stress.  It sounds like magic but adaptogens are real and amazing.  I took Ashwagandha the month before my wedding and I didn’t get overwhelmed with stress or anxiety.  I did have trouble falling asleep, though I needed less sleep.

Maitake Wonton Soup

But I digress.  Maitakes are yummy and I ate them recently in a wonton soup that rocked.  I don’t have a set recipe for this, so bear with the chatty directions.  I sauteed the maitake with a lot of garlic and a mixture of earth balance and olive oil.  Once the mushrooms started to release their juices, I added some chopped kale and sauteed that until it wilted and most of the liquid evaporated.  I kept it simple with soy sauce and black pepper for seasonings.  Then I added some sauteed mystery mushrooms to the broth for more mushroomy goodness.  I used VeganYumYum’s wonton soup broth because it’s easy and tastes great.  I simmered the wontons for about 3 minutes in a separate pot of boiling salted water and then added them to the soup.  Wonton wrappers can be deceptive since a lot of brands have eggs in the ingredients.  Read your labels, folks!  It was a satisfying lighter fall soup and I almost didn’t have any leftovers.

I may be at the end of the mofo challenge, but I hope I’m not at the end of chanterelle season. I’ve been welcoming fall by making a lot of soup lately. I found a chanterelle soup recipe online by the mycological society and have been wanting to give it a try. It takes a lot of time, so I’m glad my chanterelles can survive the fridge for a week (in a paper bag with a damp bar towel tucking them in). The soup requires me to make a mushroom stock that’s pretty rich. It broke my heart to strain out the mushrooms after the stock making, they are so precious to me. So step one took about an hour. Then following the recipe, it was at least another hour before the soup was ready. I ended up making the stock one day and the soup a few days later and it worked out fine. I used earth balance instead of butter in the recipe and soy milk instead of the cream.

The soup came out earthy and rich. I ended up using a little more flour in the roux and didn’t puree the soup. I think it could use more sauteed chanterelles in the soup and probably a little more soy milk (or soy creamer). I think cashew milk would be really tasty in it. I love chanterelles in every way that I have tried them so far. I’m sure you could use this recipe and use any kind of mushroom you have available.

I think Bob’s brand has gotten big enough that I now see it in the larger chain grocery stores. I would think it is available in small towns by now. I’m excited to report that I live near the mill. I made it there for brunch recently with friends and basked in the grainy goodness that is the mill store. Aisles of their products from grains to beans to flours. The store is bright, new-feeling and well organized. About a third of the store is a bulk section (heaven!) and the overwhelming back area consists of the 25-50 pound bags of oats, cereals and more. I contemplated getting the 25 pound bag of quinoa or vital wheat gluten but decided against it. Maybe next time I’ll feel more ambitious. I had a Chinook Book coupon for 1/2 off something and I chose the 25 pound bag of muesli. I haven’t gotten tired of eating muesli, at least not yet. I like it because it’s great for camping, so I know we’ll use it. It’s a fun store, I should go there more often. It’s located in Milwaukie, about 9 miles south of Portland. It is a dangerous place, so be careful. I don’t mean in terms of personal safety, more so in terms of impulse buying. I ended up getting some beans and millet and would have bought more if I was there any longer.

Syruped and ready to eat

I know Bob’s products and I like them. Some things tend to be pricey, but now that I live in Oregon, I’m supporting the local economy. I can use that excuse to justify my vital wheat gluten. But brunch! That is the whole point of the post. I was excited to find out they have a completely separate menu for vegetarians and vegans. No more skimming through 3 pages to find the one vegan option. A whole menu to peruse. I usually find it overwhelming when there’s a vegetarian menu because it’s too many options for me. I’ve gotten used to having 2, maybe 3 veggie options on a menu while eating out and more than that is a wonderful thing, but does overwhelm me. I can’t decide easily because I want to try it all. I ordered the vegan flapjacks with maple syrup and sausage. It was a lot of food and I was full pretty quickly. The flapjacks tasted like the flour was a whole grain mix, not just your typical fluffy AP flour pancakes. They tasted earthy, but I think that is to be expected from a mill. I enjoyed them and wished I had a double shot of the maple syrup because the flapjacks soaked up the syrup easily. It was nice to have a little container of Earth Balance to spread on it. The veggie sausage was average, not amazing but not crap. I never was into real sausage back in the day, so I’m not crazy over the vegan versions either. I’d rather have a seitan dog or have it cooked any other way than a patty. I find it kind of boring.

Biscuits & Gravy

My husband is a biscuits and gravy addict. So far my favorite recipe is from VWAV. Hands down it’s the best out there. But when we’re not home and eating out, the brunch food of choice for him is always biscuits and gravy. It’s listed on the menu as vegetarian, so it’s not vegan. The biscuits have buttermilk and butter in them and the gravy has milk in it. It would be nice if they could offer it as vegan, because those ingredients are NOT hard to substitute. Especially if they are already offering Earth Balance as the butter to go with the flapjacks. But don’t feel like you are missing out, they are not amazing biscuits and gravy. The gravy tasted like it was mostly flour based and the biscuits were really sweet, I’m not sure why. I’m sure they’d start offering it vegan if people filled out comment cards and they thought there was a need for it. I filled out mine, we’ll see what happens. Demand does affect supply.

Overall, it was a great visit and I’d go there again. I’d like to try their vegan French toast or the tofu scramble next time. It felt like a fun field trip with no chaperones. Eat, sample and enjoy the bulk section. Sounds like a good morning to me.

I have 3 posts left to fill my quota for Vegan MoFo. This has been a busy month for me in many regards, but I’ve been trucking along in the blog posts. It’s been hard to blog this often, but it’s been good for me to stop procrastinating and blog. Today we have the crumb-topped brownie recipe from My Sweet Vegan. I love brownies. I love chocolate (a newly developed love. I must admit I scoffed at chocolate the first 20 or so years of my life. I didn’t get the hype until I started eating better quality dark chocolate. Dagoba changed my life). Brownies may be the one perfect dessert out there. I’m not a big cake or pie fan (but my mom’s apple crisp will win every time. and strawberry rhubarb pie..) Fruit desserts aside, when it comes to decadence, I want brownies. Nothing fancy, just dense, chewy goodness. I’ve had my fair share of cakey, crumbly brownies but it doesn’t distract me from finding the perfect brownie out there. I have yet to find it. To me the ideal brownie is not too dense, not too cakey and fatty and rich and chocolaty.

I was intrigued with Hannah’s recipe for brownies because she puts a chocolate crumb layer on top (like coffee cake topping). It’s an amazing addition to the standard brownie. More sugar, more chocolaty goodness. I ended up making a few changes because of what was in my pantry. I used raspberry coconut yogurt instead of cherry soy and pumpkinseed milk instead of soy creamer. I used matcha instead of coffee powder. The flavor of the matcha didn’t come through, but the yogurt flavor did. I didn’t mind it, it was a good balance to the chocolate intensity. These brownies are dense and fudgy. I ended up baking them longer than called for because it never completely set. I’m not sure if that’s how it’s supposed to be, because my end result looks a lot like the picture in her book. They are awesome brownies, but perhaps a little too dense for me. Regardless of my picky nature, they didn’t last long in my house.

I came into an abundance of arugula recently and thought I’d make a pesto from it. I threw in a little leftover basil to maintain that “pesto” taste, but I think it turned out to be a fun alternative to the traditional pesto. It’s not overly intense, so feel free to modify to your own tastebuds. This recipe made over a cup of pesto, so feel free to freeze it in ice cube trays for that upcoming lazy day. The secret ingredient is the vegan parmesan from Veganomicon, which is amazing. Thanks, Isa! I refuse to buy vegan parm, it’s too expensive. Now I can make it on my own and it’s really tasty sprinkled on top of most everything.

Arugula, also called rocket is a great green. It can tolerate the weather in the Pacific NW and grows really well. I love it in salads and on pizzas because it has a peppery edge and crunch to it. I think my first experience with arugula was at the Pink Door in Seattle, where they served it as a happy hour pizza without sauce, just olive oil, cracked black pepper and garlic. The arugula was just barely wilted and it was heaven. Sadly, their happy hour is now lame and not worth going to anymore. So grow some arugula and enjoy the many health benefits. It’s considered a cruciferous vegetable, so we’ve got the antioxidants and anti-cancer angle as well as vitamin a, c, folic acid and calcium. If that’s too healthy for you, wikipedia tells me an island in Italy makes a sweet, peppery liquor from it called rucolino. Maybe when I have a crop of arugula ready for harvest, I’ll figure out how to make rucolino and serve it alongside the pesto.

Arugula Pesto
Yield: I think 1.5 cups

Ingredients
3 cups arugula, tough stems removed
1/2 cup basil (fresh, of course)
1/2 cup walnuts, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts, toasted (I did equal amounts, you can play around)
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp kelp granules (or use more salt)
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil (not the crappy stuff or you pesto will taste like it)
1/4 cup Almesan (V’con)

Method
1. In a food processor (or blender), pulse arugula, basil, nuts, garlic, kelp and salt until it’s good and chopped.
2. With the machine running, pour in the minimum of olive oil. Take breaks to scrape down the sides. Taste the pesto and add more oil/salt to your liking. If it’s starting to taste oily but is not of pesto texture, add some water to the mix to thin it out.

The end. Eat, enjoy, freeze what’s left.

I would never have thought it possible. A vegan omelette. What a silly concept, but in reality it’s amazing. Groundbreaking.I’ve always thought tofu scrambles to be o.k. Tofu can never become an egg, there’s just something noticeable about the taste and texture. I’d prefer granola anyways.

But this recipe over at FatFreeVegan is awesome. Taste, texture, almost creepy. I have a smaller skillet (about 6″) and it’s cast-iron. I think a non-stick would do a much better job. My omelette didn’t fold as easily because of my pan shape and material and found that her recipe made 2 omelettes in my pan. Regardless, it presented well and tasted great. I made the batter and held it for a few days in my fridge and it still cooked up great after sitting. You can’t really do that with eggs (health code violation). So I’m excited to find yet another example in life where eggs aren’t needed, necessary or missed.  In the picture, I ate it with arugula and broccoli. I’ll have to try one with some of my foraged goods!

Taking a break from mushrooms, let’s look at this luscious tart I made recently. It was really easy to make and very tasty. For the crust, I veganized a recipe off epicurious and it was amazing. It’s a cornmeal crust with rosemary and I made it in my food processor. Instead of butter I used Earth Balance. I par-baked the crust for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees (or until it gets a nice golden color).

During the baking of the crust, I made the cashew cream filling from My Sweet Vegan, which is simple and easy (food processor!) and very rich. I found it to be too thick and I added more water to thin it out to more of a custard consistency. I really like the maple syrup in it, it gave it a nice dimension. I tossed some fresh, local figs in this fruit concentrate sweetener I have from Mystic Lake Dairy. It’s great stuff and deserves it’s own post one day. Once the crust was baked and cooled, I spread the filling in it and arranged the figs on top. Then I baked it at 350 degrees for another 20 minutes to soften the figs and brown the crust. I loved the rosemary in the crust and the texture the cornmeal gave it, along with the sweetness of maple syrup and richness of cashews and of course, the figs. I adore figs. I didn’t know you could even eat or procure fresh figs until I moved to the west coast. Figs used to be a thing of dried round packages at holiday times, which are tasty but are nothing compared to the fresh thing. There’s just something about figs I adore. Luckily they grow well here and I plan to have my own tree one day. Currently my favorite fig variety is the Adriatic. It tastes like fig jam and it’s amazing.