Vegan and Vegetarian

I love Chinese food but unfortunately the more fast/convenient Chinese food places tend to be high in sodium without fresh vegetables.  This recipe is also based off of my mom’s Chinese food recipes.  What I love about this dish is that it is hearty, delicious, and affordable!  I am all about the sauces and I love this garlic sauce!

Servings: 4

Eggplant stir-fry

• 1 eggplant chopped however you prefer but I like to chop them up in 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 bag of dried shiitake mushrooms (you can find these in the international aisle of Jewel or Mariano’s/Asian grocery stores) – soak the mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes, drain the mushrooms, then chop them
• 1 can of baby corn (optional) drained
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 green onion chopped
• 1.5 tbsp of chopped ginger
• 1 package of seitan (you can use tofu as well but it will be more laborious)- drain and then fry in a pan with a little olive oil, once it’s brown, add a little Tamari sauce to it (about 1 tbsp)
• 1 poblano pepper chopped – I think these are the crunchiest type of pepper
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/4 c of Tamari or soy sauce
• 1/4 c of Mushroom oyster sauce (vegan version of oyster sauce)
• 1 tbsp of rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1 tbsp of red pepper paste (optional if you like spicy food)
• 2 c of veggie stock
• 1/2 c of water
• 2 tbsp of corn starch

Kimchi Fried Rice: Fried rice typically is made with eggs but you can just subtract the eggs.

• 1 c of Jasmine rice (can be found at Jewel/Mariano’s, but can be bought in bulk at an Asian grocery store or Garden Fresh)
• 2 c of water
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
• 1 tbsp of ginger chopped finely
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 green onions
• 1/2 c of kimchi
• 1/2 c of Tamari or soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp of sesame oil

Directions: 

• Chop up all of your vegetables.
• In a wok or large frying pan, pour the olive oil into the pan on medium heat – add in one piece of eggplant and when it starts sizzling, add in the rest of the eggplant. It should sauté for about 5 minutes, be sure to turn it over halfway through cooking.
• In a separate frying pan while the eggplant is sautéing, sauté the seitan and once it’s brown you can add in a little Tamari or soy sauce.
• Add in the mushrooms and pepper to the frying pan.  It should sauté for about 3 minutes till tender.
• Add in the ginger, garlic, and about half of the green onion. After a minute of sautéing, stir in the tamari/soy sauce, the rice vinegar, and the mushroom oyster sauce.
• Everything should be sizzling loudly at this point, keep stirring the veggies, then add in 2 cups of veggie broth.  On the side,  put water in a little mug and stir in the corn starch till it forms a consistent paste – shouldn’t be too thick or too watery.
• Wait till vegetables and veggie broth come to a boil, then put the vegetables to one side of the pan, then stir in the cornstarch mix with a whisk at a lower heat.
• Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes on extremely low heat and cover.  Stir occasionally and add in the red pepper paste, if needed.
• Once a nice thick brown sauce has formed, add in the seitan and the leftover green onions.
• While the eggplant stir-fry is simmering, start making the rice.  Boil 2 c of water with a little salt.  Once the water is boiling, add in the Jasmine rice, let it simmer for 20 minutes on low with a lid.
• In a separate frying pan, add in the olive oil – on medium heat.
• Once the oil is warm, add in the ginger, garlic, and kimchi, sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add in the soy sauce, then add in the rice.
• Once the rice is sautéed and stirred in, add the sesame oil and stir in.  Serve with the eggplant stir-fry and enjoy!