Chinese Fried Rice

I seem to be on a rice kick these days. After making the Fiesta Toss-Up last night, I was still craving some rice this evening. Since Dr. McDougall, and others, promote consumption of healthy starches such as Brown Rice, I have no guilt whatsoever :) and consume rice several times a week. What I do try to do is add loads, and I literally mean loads, of veggies to my rice dishes so as to balance out the starches with fiber and nutrition. Today, I decided to make a plant-based version of Chinese Fried Rice. 

Chinese Egg (Tofu)-Fried Rice 

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients (6 BIG servings):

1. 1.5 cups Brown Basmati Rice (dry)
2. 1 recipe Happy Herbivore Basic Tofu Scramble
3. 2 pks (12 oz) Birds Eye - Steamfresh Mixed Vegetables - Corn, Peas, Carrots, Green Beans
4. 2 pks (12 oz) Birds Eye - Steamfresh Blends - Asparagus, Gold & White Corn, Baby Carrots
5. 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
6. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
7. 4 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
8. Salt to Taste

Directions:

In a deep pan, bring 6-7 cups of water to boil and add brown rice. Simmer until tender and then drain and set aside. Prepare HH Tofu Scramble and set aside. I used black salt in my recipe to get the extra egg-like flavor. In a large skillet, thaw out veggies and allow any excess water to dry out. Then add the rice wine vinegar, ginger-garlic paste and soy sauce. Give everything a good toss and cook for a few minutes to allow the ginger-garlic paste to cook for a few minutes. Taste test the veggies at this stage. They should be saltier than you like them typically, because you will be adding a large amount of steamed rice. When the veggies start releasing the lovely aroma of Chinese food (its a mix of ginger and rice wine vinegar), add the steamed rice, give another good toss, and then add the HH Tofu Scramble and mix everything together. Turn off the stove, cover and let sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. Serve warm, with freshly cracked black pepper for a garnish. 

Chinese Egg (Tofu)-Fried Rice

My Assessment: This was a great dish. Even my 17-year old step-son, who refuses to eat "my plants" enjoyed a big bowl-full. Tony loved it too (despite the fact that he abhors tofu ... he thinks I used Ener-G Egg Replacer in this recipe). 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 448 (Fat Calories 69)
Total Fat 7.7; Cholesterol 0g; Carbohydrates 72.1g; Dietary Fiber 9.0g; Sugars 12.2g; Protein 18.7g

Asparagus & Sage Soup

I often feel like a big bowl of soup for dinner. I've been thinking of an Asparagus soup for a while. Also, I've had Sage in my herb garden all summer and I'm embarrassed to admit that I had no use for it ;) !! Except for adding large bunches of it to my vegetable scraps for my Home-made Vegetable Broth, even that was a desperate attempt to use the growing jungle!!! I guess I also never tried hard enough to find a plant-based recipe that required Sage. Today, I was determined. A quick Google search revealed this recipe at The Cooking Club. It required however, 2 tablespoons of butter, a half a cup of Parmesan cheese and chicken broth. I wasn't planning on using any of those items; so here's my plant-based version. 

Asparagus & Sage Soup

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb Asparagus, chopped coarsely
2. 1 medium Red Onion, chopped coarsely
3. 2 cups Vegetable broth
4. 3 cloves Garlic
5. 2-4 tbsp of fresh Sage leaves
6. 1/3 cup Brown Rice
7. 0.5oz Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
8. 1/3 cup Baby Spinach
9. 1/3-1/2 cup Non-Dairy Milk
10. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Add everything to a pressure cooker, and steam for 10 min. Let steam dissipate naturally, open, mix with a large spatula and puree using a stick blender, or in a regular jar blender. Add Non-Dairy Milk and mix well. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper & Enjoy!! 

(Curried) Asparagus & Broccolini Subzi

Broccolini became New Veggie #33 not too long ago. One of things I noted about this wonderful vegetable was that the stalks tasted a lot like Asparagus (New Veggie #21). This evening, I had both in the fridge and both needed to be used soon, so I decided to mix them both together. A subzi can be any mix of vegetables that are cooked with diced onions (and sometimes tomatoes) with a variety of spices. Served at every meal, subzis form the very back-bone of Indian cuisine.

Prep Time: 20-30 min

Ingredients:

1. 1 bunch of Asparagus
2. 1 bunch of Broccolini
3. 1 small Red Onion, diced
4. 1 tsp Garlic, minced
5. 1 tsp Cumin powder
6. 1 tsp Cumin seeds
7. 1 tsp Mustard seeds
8. 1 tsp Garam Masala
9. 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
10. Salt and Pepper, to taste.
11. 1/2 tsp Tamicon.

Directions:

Wash vegetables well and then separate the florets from both the asparagus and the broccolini and set aside. Dice the stalks of both vegetables. Line a non-stick skillet with water, add red onion and garlic with a sprinkle of salt and cook until onion is nicely caramelized. Then add all remaining spices, toss everything together, cover and cook until the stalks are nice and tender. Now add the florets, toss well together and re-cover. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until there is no visible water remaining in the dish. This ensures a tasty savory subzi. Any water, other than what is released upon chewing the veggies, will make the dish feel under-cooked. This is the trick to cooking subzis without any added oils or fats. Traditionally, this dish would be cooked with oils and then cooked until all visible water was evaporated and the vegetables release the absorbed oils. 

Roasted Potato (& Asparagus) Salad

I must be back in my Quick & Easy meal mood, cause tonight's dinner literally required 5 minutes of prep time, 15 minutes in the oven and on the table in 2 minutes. I got a bottle of Salsa Verde at the store this past weekend and was itching to eat it. But I knew I didn't just want to have tortilla chips with it. Also, earlier today, Happy Herbivore polled folks on Facebook about which kind of baked potato they liked, Sweet or White? .... that got me thinking of baked potatoes. I, of course, like both kinds :) but must have been in the mood for white as I requested T to pick up a sack of roasting white potatoes from the store on his way home. Unfortunately, I get home well after 6 pm, and couldn't possible afford a whole hour of potato roasting time in the oven (I personally don't like Microwave roasted potatoes). So my only option was to cut 'em open and roast little pieces. & here's what I concocted.... Roasted Potato Salad, with and without Roasted Asparagus.

Prep Time: 5 min of preparation, 15-20 min in the oven, and 2 min to bring it all together.  

Ingredients: 

1. 3 Russet potatoes, cut into 2-3" wedges, skin on.
2. 1 small Red Onion, diced finely
3. 1 large tomato, diced finely
4. 2-3 springs of Cilantro leaves
5. 15-20 stalks of Asparagus (New Veggie #21)
6. 4-6 tbsp Salsa Verde
7. Salt, and freshly cracked Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Soak potatoes in a large bowl of cold water and scrub skins well with a vegetable scrubbing brush. Make sure that there are no blemishes or dirt spots on the potatoes. Remove if any are visible on the outside. Pat dry and cut into wedges, with the skin on. Check again for any deep dirt filled crevices, or blemishes and remove. Spread wedges skin side down on a cookie sheet on a SILPAT mat.    If you don't have a Silpat, you can use parchment paper instead, or spray the cookie sheet with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and roast potato wedges at 350F for about 15-20 minutes until a pin inserted into the thickest part of a wedge slides in smoothly. 

Version 1: In a large salad bowl, toss all the remaining ingredients together (with the exception of Asparagus). As soon as the potatoes are done, drop them into the salad bowl and toss everything together. 

Version 1: Roasted Potato Salad

Version 2: On a second ungreased baking sheet, with or without parchment paper, spread out asparagus in a single layer, and roast at 350F as well. Once the asparagus starts to wilt, remove, sprinkle with a dusting of sea salt, and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the stalks into 2-3" pieces and as soon as the potatoes are done, toss everything together. 

My Assessment: While this salad tasted great while the potatoes were still warm from the oven, I think it will taste as good even when cold. This would be a great, make-ahead, addition to a back yard party in the summer. The Salsa verde, the tomatoes and fresh onions gave it a lovely fresh taste and potatoes gave it the starchy bulk. I really liked this salad and will most definitely make it again! 

Veggie Fact of the Day

Asparagus is a member of the lily family of plants. The edible part is basically the shoot of the plant, and the sooner its harvested, the more tender it is. Once the shoots get too long, or start to leaf and/or flower, in my opinion, they become too woody to eat. I'm not sure if those parts are eaten by anyone. 

The most common variety of asparagus is the green variety pictured here, but white asparagus is also available, although it is more common in Europe than in the US. Interesting fact about asparagus - it was a favorite of King Louis XIV. 

Nutritionally, asparagus is indeed fit for a king. Its one of the richest plant sources of Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid). It is also a great source of potassium, low on sodium and is a rich in Vitamins A, C, B1 (Thiamin) and B6 (Pyroxidine).

Broiled Asparagus w Oyster Sauce

.. continuing from my previous post, I was looking for a super-quick meal this evening. So I made Stir-Fried Oyster Mushrooms & Snow Peas and paired those up with New Veggie #21 - Asparagus. It's early Spring here in Ohio and fresh asparagus is everywhere. I got a nice bunch of super thin tender stalks at the store yesterday and was looking forward to it all day today. 

Prep Time: 8 min

Ingredients:

1. A clean non-stick cookie sheet 
2. 1 bunch Asparagus
3. 1 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce*
4. Salt, to taste. 

Directions: 

Spread asparagus in a single layer on a clean non-stick cookie sheet. Broil on high for 5-7 minutes until done. I like mine when it is just beginning to wilt and has a few brown spots beginning to show on the stalks. Remove cookie sheet from the oven, sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a deep serving dish and drip the oyster sauce over the top. The heat from the asparagus makes the sauce thinner so that a little bit goes a long way. Give the asparagus a quick toss in the watery sauce before serving yourself. 

Nik's Reaction: Even before I could ask him if he wanted to have any, he saw my plate and immediately said "Mom, can I have some bean-beans (green beans)?" 

My Assessment: I've had asparagus gazillions of times before. However, this was the first time I cooked it in a couple of years. At restaurants, I always order asparagus as a side if they have it on their menu.  Tonight, I really liked the fact that the stalks were super tender, it was broiled just right and I loved the flavor imparted by Oyster sauce. My dinner plate tonight was phenomenal!! 

* Oyster Sauce: In case you haven't figured it out yet .. I'm on an Oyster sauce kick right now. I hadn't had it for a while and then last week in San Francisco I had Broccoli in Oyster Sauce. While the version I ate at this Chinese restaurant was not vegetarian, it was amazingly flavorful and it reminded me of how much just a table spoon of this condiment can do for veggies. So what the heck is Oyster sauce?? 

Real Oyster Sauce is made by boiling oysters in water and condensing the extract until it is thick paste. This version has absolutely no additives, not even salt. As can be expected it is quite exorbitantly priced and is hardly ever used expect probably in gourmet restaurants. The version that is more routinely in Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine can also be found in grocery stores. Regular Oyster Sauce is a dark brown sauce made with water, sugar, and salt, thickened with cornstarch and flavored with oyster extract. This version is also sometimes darkened with caramel. Vegetarian Oyster Sauce, the kind I use, is typically prepared from oyster and/or shiitake mushrooms and imparts a flavor similar to the Non-Vegetarian version and is superbly inexpensive for the joy it provides :)