Eat More Vegetables.

So, I bought a copy of Veg News the other day (because it had a vegan bucket list and the nerdy girl from The Big Bang Theory aka Blossom had an article in it) and read a statistic that only 26% of Americans eat 3 or more servings of vegetables a day. I didn't believe it, since they are pushing their radical vegan agenda, so I consulted the USDA website, and Healthy People 2010 fact sheets. It was TRUE and that totally grossed me out. The USDA also has some interesting (though sadly predictable) breakdowns of their data by gender, SES, income, age, and BMI. Here is a link to the USDA fact sheet I read: here (warning it's a 10 page PDF).

So, here are some recipes (aka my dinner tonight) for more vegetables. Probably my favorite vegetables. Besides spinach. And snap peas. And sprouts. And carrots.

Steamed Kale

Kale always intimidated me to cook because it's so chewy/tough, and I thought only level 8 night elf vegans were allowed to be good at kale. But I love it. The Detroit Zen Center has this totally badass raw kale/quinoa/sesame salad at their illegal supper clubs. They just started selling it at the food co-op but it's like $5.49 for one large serving, so I swallowed my kale fears and decided to just go for it.

-1 bunch kale
-1 c. water
-1 T. nutritional yeast
-1 t. sesame seeds
-1 T. Balsamic vinegar
-2 T. Bragg's (or soy sauce)
-splash of lime juice
-pepper and basil to taste

Rip all the kale off the tough stalks. Discard stalks. Rinse kale thoroughly and place in metal colander, that is set in a covered pot that has about 1.5 inches of boiling water at the bottom. Steam like that for 15-20 minutes. Mixed the nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, liquids, and spices in a little bowl and let set until the kale is done steaming. Test it-- it should be tender but not soggy. Remove from ghettosteamer and let set out in the open for a minute or 2 so some of the extra moisture can escape. Dump the kale into a large mixing bowls and stir in the seasoning liquid. I added about a teaspoon of water at this point, but I have no reason why.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts (aka Bruzzel Spruzzels)
-1.5 T. earth balance
-1 t. salt
-1 t. pepper
-cayenne pepper to taste
-garlic powder to taste
-1 16 oz carton of brussel sprouts.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the little butt-end off all the sprouts, and slice them all in half. Chop the 1.5 T. of earth balance up into some small squares and put them in a pan with the sliced sprouts-- either a pyrex baking dish, a loaf pan, or a cake pan. I always include all the little leaves that come off the sprouts while you chop them because they get crispy/brown/extra tasty and I like that. Throw the unmelted butter/sprouts into the oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove, stir up (the butter should be melted), and add seasoning. Return to the oven to coo for about 30 minutes (or until brown) stiring every 10 minutes or so so they brown evenly.

Baby Portabella Mushroom Pilaf
-1 carton baby portabella mushrooms
-1 T. earth balance
-3 T. Bragg's
-1-2 t. dried basil to taste
-pepper to taste
-1/4 c. cooked brown rice (more if you like rice... I don't)
-raw cashews for garnish (photo was taking pre-cashew garnish)

Melt the earth balance in a skillet on medium heat, add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, reduce heat and add Bragg's, simmer for a little longer and add the seasoning to taste. For the last 2 minutes, stir in cooked rice. If you like rice, add more... I just don't much care for rice. I would've just ate the mushrooms except for all the extra liquid that needed soaking. Garnish with some chopped up raw cashews.

Vegan PF Chang's Orange Peel Beef Seitan aka "crappy mall Chinese Food"

Crappy mall food is one joy in life that was ripped from me in my silly decision to become vegan. BUT LO AND BEHOLD. I have made Crappy Mall Chinese Food-- specifically a rip of PF Chang's Orange Peel Beef.


1 package WestSoy Seitan
Sri Rocha Hot Sauce to taste (I used about 1 t.)
3 T. Bragg's (or any soy sauce)
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. flour
1 c. oil for frying

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix the seitan with the hot sauce, Bragg's, and garlic. Use a fork to separate any big pieces. Toss them in flour, dump them in the hot oil (dip the corner of one piece in to see if it starts to bubble to be sure that the oil is hot enough). Deep fry for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a metal strainer, and set on paper towel to cool/crisp up.

1 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 c. mushrooms (any kind), chopped
1 c. frozen peas
1-2 t. chili garlic sauce (to taste)
any brand of "mandarin orange sauce" from the grocery store (avoid the "marinade" with soy sauce in it)
1/2 c. plain tomato sauce (secret ingredient)
3 T. Bragg's
1 T. oil

1 package of spaghetti, soba, or udon noodles (or rice)

Saute the garlic in the oil, add the onions and reduce heat. Saute until translucent. Add the vegetables in the order that you normally stir fry vegetables (carrots, then peas, mushrooms last). Add the Bragg's and the chili garlic sauce and let the stew for a few minutes. Mix in the orange sauce and the tomato sauce and the cooked noodles. At the VERY LAST COUPLE MINUTES add in the fried seitan. If you add it to early, it'll get soggy.

SO GOOD!

Thanksgiving 2010

Tempeh and Wild Mushroom Fricassee 
This is from an article the New York Times ran this year, but I'm having trouble finding the exact link. This is pretty much the recipe. It's super easy and so delicious and healthy and something like 320 calories in a whole cup sized serving. Not that anyone I know cares about that.
12 oz (1.5 packages) of tempeh
2 c. button mushrooms, chopped
2 c. crimini mushrooms, chopped
2 c. shitake mushrooms, chopped
2 portobella caps, degilled and chopped
2 large leeks, chopped finely
20 cloves of garlic, minced (seriously 20)
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. flour
1/4 c. white wine
12 oz (1 can) veg broth
salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley to taste
2 T. oil

It helps if you chop up all the veggies first, because things get moving pretty fast once you start cooking stuff, and it helps to have everything ready to add all at once. Chop the tempeh into small cubes and cook in the oil in a dutch oven until browned evenly. Medium-high heat is desirable. Once the tempeh is browned, pour in the white wine and the soy sauce and stir it up with the tempeh til everything boils off. Remove tempeh from pan and set aside. Put the sliced leeks, all the mushrooms, and the garlic in the dutch oven and simmer for a little, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour, then the seasonings, and finally the veg broth. Cover and let everything simmer in there for a little while, when it's nearly done, add back in the tempeh and simmer for about 5 minutes uncovered until some of the liquid evaporates/thickens. Make it the night before and reheat it about 20 minutes before it's time to eat.


Family Recipe Vegan Stuffing
1/2 a log of the "gimme lean" fake sausage, cooked and chopped up small
1/2 a loaf of stale white store brand bread, ripped into pieces
1/2 c. celery, sliced very thin
2 small yellow onions, sliced thin
2-3 T. earth balance stick
1 c. veg broth
salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley to taste

Sautee the onion in the butter on medium heat until translucent. Add in the celery and sautee for 5 more minutes. Add in the fake sausage, the bread and the seasonings. Slowly stir in the veg broth, using more or less based on the staleness of the bread. This is best as a "drier" stuffing. Reduce heat to low, so nothing burns to the bottoms and cook for about 10 minutes stirring frequently/constantly.

Creamed Spinach
1/2 a package of frozen chopped spinach
1/3 a tub of tofutti better than creame cheese
1 T. earth balance
1-2 T. plain unflavored almond milk
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper to taste

Thaw the spinach in a skillet with the earth balance over low-medium heat. Use a plate to cover the skillet so it defrosts more quickly.  Add the cream cheese and the seasonings. Slowly add the milk until the desired consistency is reached. I love the kick the cayenne gives it.

I also made my "usual" roasted garlic mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, both can be found in the way beginning of this blog with the tvp meatloaf. I also made a pecan pie which turned out really soupy and not that good, so I'm not posting it here. But thanksgiving was awesome this year.