DDD #124 – Easy Vegan Garlic Sesame Chicken

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2018

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Click the image above to watch the video.

There is nothing easier than putting raw ingredients into a crock pot & walking away – only to return in a few hours to a home that smells yummy & food that is delicious.  But this comes together on the stove top in about 5-10 minutes.

This is the easiest fucking dish ever.  I used Beyond Meat’s vegan chicken one & Morning Star Veggie Pulled Pork the next time.

Easiest Ever Vegan Garlic Sesame Chicken (with or without Honey) for the Slow Cooker

Feeds 2 well with rice

INGREDIENTS

9 oz vegan chicken or other vegan faux meat

6 cloves garlic – minced

1 small onion – diced

1/4 cup of some dark berry jam – I used blueberry but blackberry would be great

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 TBS agave nectar

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 TBS sesame oil

1 – 2 TBS cornstarch (optional)

1 TBS dark (black) soy sauce (optional – for color)

For garnish:

Scallions, sesame seeds and/or Thai basil and cooked rice

Directions

Cook some rice.

STOVE TOP VERSION

Heat the sesame oil & cook the onions until soft.  Add the garlic & after one minute – add the remaining ingredients (the corn starch is optional).  Heat through.  Add water if it gets too thick – cornstarch if it is too watery.  Add the dark soy sauce if you want a darker color.

Garnish as you desire & serve over rice.

SLOW COOKER VERSION

Put everything EXCEPT THE CORNSTARCH the garnishes in your crock pot.  Stir it all up.  My crock pot has no settings so I assume it is just always on high.  Leave it alone for an hour or two – stirring it if you can or want to but it doesn’t need it.

Once it was all bubbly & hot, I used a slotted spoon & took the chicken out and used two forks to sorta shred it – like a pulled pork.  I whisked about 1-2 TBS cornstarch into the sauce to thicken it & then returned the shredded chick to the pot.  I let it sit a while longer but it didn’t need it.  It didn’t REALLY need the shredding or cornstarch, either, so if it looks good to you right outta the pot au naturale – go for it!

Then I garnished it & ate some over rice.  I enjoyed it.

True story.

 

DDD #67 – Vegan Glazed Ham with Garlic Roasted Persimmons

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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Click the image above to watch the video.

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I cooked the ham exactly as was outlined on the box.  It was simply to wrap it in foil & bake in at 325 degrees for 70 minutes.  I boiled & then cooled the glaze.  After 70 minutes, I removed the foil & glazed the ham.  I baked it in 5 minute increments, adding glaze each time, for another 20 minutes.  The only other directions I have to offer here is that the addition of the garlic roasted persimmons was inspired & I recommend you try it.  I just peeled them & cut them into wedges, tossed them in a bit of olive oil with some minced garlic & added salt & pepper.   I put them on the pan with the ham for the final 20 minutes the ham cooked.  If yours are not tender in that time, just continue roasting until they are.

The image above is from the ham box.

The turkey by this same company is also very good – especially cold.  They make the best wraps!

Here are the nutritional facts:

Vegan Ham Roll

Imitation ham with vegan apricot plum glaze. Made with Non-GMO Soy protein.

Ingredients:

Vegan Ham: Textured Soybean Protein (soybean protein, wheat protein, wheat starch, soybean oil), Water, Soybean Oil, Soybean Protein Isolate, Vegetable Extract (carrot extract, pea extract, phosphate, vegetable gum), Raw Cane Sugar, Modified Tapioca Starch, Sea Salt, Yeast Extracts, Maltodextrin, Enzyme, White Pepper Powder, Red Fermented Rice, Black Pepper Powder, Spices.

Vegan Glaze: Plum, Apricot, Water, Agave Syrup.

ALLERGY INFORMATION: This product contains soy and wheat, and is manufactured in a facility that also processes other items containing milk or egg.

Nutrition Facts:

Vegan Ham: Serving Size: 2.5 oz. Calories 150, Calories from Fat 80, Total Fat 9g (14% DV), Saturated Fat 1.5g (8% DV), Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg (0% DV), Sodium 360mg (15% DV), Total Carbohydrate 7g (2% DV), Dietary Fiber 1g (6% DV), Sugars less than 1g, Protein 10g. Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 4%, Iron 8%.

Vegan Glaze: Serving Size: 2.1 oz. Calories 70, Calories from Fat 0, Total Fat 0g (0% DV), Saturated Fat 0g (0% DV), Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg (0% DV), Sodium 0mg (0% DV), Total Carbohydrate 17g (6% DV), Dietary Fiber 1g (3% DV), Sugars 16g, Protein 0g. Vitamin A 6%, Vitamin C 6%, Calcium 0%, Iron 0%.

 

DDD #58 – Vegan Spicy Korean BBQ Pork Bulgogi

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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This is an easy dish that goes well over rice or served in lettuce cups.

Click the image below to watch the video.

Vegan Spicy Korean BBQ Pork Bulgogi 

Serves 4 with rice

INGREDIENTS

1 to 1 1/2 lbs vegan faux pork (I used Morning Star Steak Strips & a vegan pork belly)

1 small onion – sliced

1 small apple – peeled

2 TBS jarred minced garlic or 6-8 cloves minced

2 TBS chopped ginger

1 TBS crushed red pepper

2 TBS Gochujang (buy some here – http://amzn.to/2zdE4e8)

1 tsp black pepper

3 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos) (buy some here – http://amzn.to/2gY3S3z)

1/2 tsp sesame oil

3 TBS rice wine or mirin (buy some here – http://amzn.to/2yr3NQX)

1/2 to 1 cup slivered carrots (optional)

GARNISH – fresh mint, sliced scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and serve with cooked rice or in lettuce cups)

DIRECTIONS

In a blender or food processor, blend 3/4 of the onion (reserve 1/4), the apple, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, Gochujang, pepper, 2 TBS sugar (reserving 1 TBS), soy sauce & sesame oil.

Heat this sauce in a large frying pan or a wok.  Add the faux meat.  Cook until the sauce reduces & begins to cling to the faux pork.  Add the remaining 1/4 onion, carrots (if using), remaining TBS brown sugar & a splash of water.  When the onions & carrots are soft, serve over rice or in lettuce cups.  Garnish with either cilantro, mint sprigs, some sesame seeds or scallion slices.

Buy Magic Bullet here – http://amzn.to/2z9pAKa

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Buy Rice Wine here – http://amzn.to/2yr3NQX

Buy the Greenlife Tiffany blue wok here – http://amzn.to/2zgi8Px

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Best All-Clad pans ever – http://amzn.to/2Aas6A1

DDD Ep. #18 – Vegan Spicy Szechuan Green Beans with Minced Pork

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

Reposting this recipe because I have a video to accompany it. Please – subscribe to my channel on Youtube. Www.VideoVegan.com.  Click the photo below to watch the video.

So – I came across several kinds of canned seitan (seen above) at my favorite Thai market – Bangluck.  I used the first can (on the left) in my Easy Vegan Thai Minced Pork with Holy (& Sweet) Basil – Pad Ga Prao Muu – in Lettuce Cups (below) & it was a huge success.

Today – I wanted to use one of them for my Green Beans & Minced Pork.  I looked at the calorie count of each of the two remaining cans and was surprised to see a huge calorie disparity despite the fact that the ingredients list is identical.

So – since the “roast duck” had fewer calories – I used that one.  Despite the image on the can – it looked exactly like the fried gluten one did.  I have not opened the third can yet but I suspect it is just more of the same but – somehow – with more than twice the calories – so – I likely  will feed it to my dogs & just use the others in the future.  I man – see below?  First image below is the fried pork & the second is the duck.

Same thing.  Canned seitan in water.  So – for this dish, you could use canned & drained seitan or your favorite brand of seitan  – or even a faux beef like Beyond Meat’s Beefless Crumbles (or other brand of ground beef).  The flavors in this dish are very strong & will take over the dish.  You could even use Beyond Meat’s chickenless strips.  No matter.

I served this with my newest rice discover – Thai Rice Berry (black jasmine) rice.

I saw this new rice at my favorite Thai grocery store – Bangluck.   $10 for 5 pounds – so I could not resist.  I looked it up online & found THIS:

Riceberry  Rice is the new variety of rice that has been bred in Thailand. The rice is deep purple in colour; this rich dark colour is typical of plants that yield high nutrition. Rice berry rice is cross pollination of three hardy and loved rice strains; they are:

• Thai Hom Mali Race – also known as fragrant jasmine rice, the highest quality and most sort after rice in the world, after cooking it retains its structure but takes on a soft fluffy consistency.
• Hom Nin Rice – has well known and documented antioxidant properties, but this grain can become a little chewy if it isn’t cooked through.
• Khao Dawk Mali 105 – a hardy seed which will grow in a broad range of agricultural environments.

The cross-pollination of these three rice plants has resulted in Riceberry Rice, a new and exciting rice variety. Riceberry takes on the best attributes of each of the grains that were used in its inception. The light fluffy texture and flavour from Thai jasmine rice, high in minerals and antioxidants from Hom Nin rice and hardy and high yield characteristics of Khao Dawk Mali 105.

Riceberry Rice Nutrition Profile

Riceberry rice is rich in many antioxidant that help our immune system stay healthy. It contains significant levels of:

• Beta-carotene
• Gama Oryzanol
• Vitamin E
• Folic Acid
• Tannin
• Zinc
• Fiber
• Bran Oil

These antioxidants, vitamins and minerals give riceberry rice a nutrition profile that is relatively unique. The dark purple colour it matures signifies it high nutrition content and gives it a unique appearance when served.

The rice is also extremely high in fiber and bran oil, this natural aids digestion and helps keep the stomach free from disease.

Thai Rice Glycemic Index

Riceberry rice has been graded as low-medium in the glycemic index. The abundant fiber and bran oil which it contains helps to reduce the risks of diabetes by hindering the absorption of sugars into the blood through the stomach. It also helps the pancreas function better.

– See more at: http://www.thenaturalhealthmarket.co.uk/riceberry-organic#sthash.388tjdGM.dpuf

This green bean dish is very easy.  I used fresh green beans & loads of spices.  You could use frozen green beans but I think canned ones will just become mush.

Vegan Spicy Szechuan Green Beans with Minced Pork

serves 2 with rice

INGREDIENTS

10+ oz seitan (or other faux meat)

1 lb green beans – trimmed & cut in half

1 TBS olive oil

2-3 TBS cornstarch

1-6 cloves garlic – minced (I used 6)

2 TBS brown sugar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tsp to 2 TBS crushed red pepper (according to your taste for heat)

2-3 TBS liquid amino acids (or low sodium soy sauce or tamari)

1-6 dry red chilies (VERY spicy & VERY optional) – cut in half (I used 6)

GARNISH – cooked rice, sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

Cook the rice.

Mince the faux meat & toss with the cornstarch.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan & add the rest of the ingredients – EXCEPT THE GARLIC.

Stir to combine.  If using fresh green beans – add about 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil & cover for 3-5 minutes or until the green beans are cooked to your taste.  Frozen beans won’t need this step but you can still add water if your sauce cooks off too much or the meat sticks to the pan too much.

When it all seems warmed through & the sauce is thick – toss in the garlic & stir for one minute.  Serve with rice.

DDD Ep. #17 – Vegan Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork Ribs

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

Reposting this recipe because I have a video to accompany it. Please – subscribe to my channel on Youtube. Www.VideoVegan.com.  Click the image below to watch.

One of my all-time favorite foods, since childhood, is BBQ ribs – especially of the Chinese variety.  Sticky, sweet & chewy – just delicious.  I lived above a Chinese take-out while I was in high school & smelled this shit cooking every day & never tired of it.  Even as the grease filled the air & I could feel my skin breaking out – I still craved these all the time – even if I only let myself have them on special occasions – mainly because I perceived them as extremely fattening and bad for you.

Then I gave up meat in the eighties & all ribs of all varieties fell forever from my diet.

Still – I craved that BBQ sauce & would have my mother send me the Ah-So Sauce (below)  – a brand not available in Los Angeles – and I would stir it into rice or dip vegetables in it.  It was not nearly as satisfying as ribs but I learned to live with it.

Chinese BBQ pork is called Char Siu.  Lee Kum Kee brand is widely available & certainly available online.  I saw this jar on a shelf & a great idea popped into my mind.  Why not make BBQ pork using Beyond Meat vegan chicken?  Why not, indeed!  Their chicken strips have a texture that can be experienced as chicken OR pork – as pork & chicken really do have a very similar quality.   And – I also decided to make the Char Siu sauce from scratch.  The ingredients are not terribly exotic & can certainly be purchased online – if your local ethnic or regular grocery stores don’t have them all.  The result was visually vibrant & the flavor is dead on.  I recommend this dish very highly!  You could also chop these “ribs” up & make a pork fried rice that would feel even the most deenerate carnivore.

I marinated the chicken overnight (in the bag) but that is totally unnecessary.  You can whip these up in ten minutes & feel all take-out Chinese-y & get your late night, OMG-I-drank-too-much experience right in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Vegan Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork Ribs

Serves 2 as an appetizer – double the marinade recipe if you like lots of BBQ sauce on your ribs

INGREDIENTS

9-12 oz vegan chicken (or seitan strips)

1/2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice

2 TBS agave nectar

2 TBS Shao Xing Chinese rice wine

1 TBS hoisin sauce

1 TBS Thai chili sauce

1 TBS dark soy sauce

2 tsp vegan oyster or mushroom-flavored sauce

2 tsp molasses

1 TBS minced garlic

1 TBS sesame oil

1 tsp red food coloring (critical for the fiery red color)

GARNISH (optional) – sliced scallions or green garlic

DIRECTIONS

Blend all the ingredients together & then add the chicken.  Marinate for a few minutes – or overnight.  I did this right in the Beyond Meat packaging.

When you are ready to cook them – heat a pan treated with cooking spray.  Add the MARINADE first & heat until it bubbles.  Add the chicken & cook, on high, turning often.  The idea is to let them get a bit blackened.  The sauce will thicken very quickly – which is why I suggesting doubling the marinade recipe if you like lots of sticky BBQ sauce.  You could even heat part of the marinade in a separate pan & pour it over your finished ribs.

Vegan Spicy Lemongrass & Ginger Beef with Purple Cabbage Fried Rice

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

Follow @celisemccarthy

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

I had a head of purple cabbage in my fridge that was the size of a basketball.   I decided to add half of it to some leftover rice to accomplish two things: not waste all the cabbage & to extend the quantity of rice with some guiltless & vibrant cabbage.  I am very happy with the result both in color & the crunch the cabbage adds to the texture.  I recommend it very highly.

Purple Cabbage Fried Rice

INGREDIENTS

(I used a tad more cabbage than rice but the ratio is up to you.)

2 cups cooked rice

2 cups chopped purple cabbage

1/2 onion – diced

1 cup grated or slivered carrots

1-5 cloves garlic – chopped

2 or more TBS fresh minced ginger

1 TBS sesame (or other) oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a large wok or saute pan.  Add the onions, & cabbage & saute until they begin to soften.  Add the carrots, rice & ginger & stir to combine & warm through.  Add the garlic and saute another minute or two.  Serve.

Vegan Spicy Lemongrass & Ginger Beef

Serves 2 very well

INGREDIENTS

3 stalks of lemongrass – cut into 3″ lengths & smashed with the handle of a knife (to bruise them & release the flavor.  The cooked lemongrass is inedible so pick around it in the finished dish.)

8+ ounces seitan (or other meat replacement like – Beyond Meat Chicken or Gardein beef or pork products)

3 dry red chilies (optional – they are quite spicy) – crumbled a bit

3 garlic cloves – chopped

2 or more cups of fresh green beans – trimmed

1 TBS sambal oelek or garlic chili paste (more for extra heat)

3 TBS vegan mushroom or oyster-favored sauce

2 TBS minced ginger

1 TBS ground anise or szechuan pepper

2 TBS dark soy sauce (it gives the seitan that dark & beefy color)

1 TBS liquid aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)

1 TBS shao xing rice wine

2 TBS brown sugar

Potential garnished: sliced red or green jalapeno peppers, basil or mint or cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a wok or large pan & add the dry red chilies – if using.  Add the lemongrass & saute a minute or two.  Add the green beans & saute on high heat until they begin to sear a bit.

Add the remaining ingredients.  Add about 1/4 cup water to aid in steaming the beans a bit & create some sauce.  Heat through – until the sauce thickens.  Serve with rice.

Vegan Sticky, Sweet & Spicy Chinese Five Spice Pork for the Slow Cooker

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

Nothing is easier than a slow cooker dish.  You could make this stove-top by simply simmering it until the sauce is as thick as you like it to be.  Not much more to say about this except that it is damned tasty & crazy easy.

Vegan Sticky, Sweet & Spicy Chinese Five Spice Pork for the Slow Cooker

Serves 2 very well when served with rice

INGREDIENTS

2 (10.5 oz) packages Gardein Porkless Bites (or other vegan pork, beef or chicken) – I threw the sauce packets away

1/4 cup Shao Xing rice wine

2 TBS minced ginger (I used the squeezable kind pictured)

2 TBS minced garlic (I used jarred)

1 TBS tomato paste or ketchup

2 TBS sesame oil

2 TBS vegan hoisin sauce

2 TBS vegan oyster or mushroom-flavored sauce

2 TBS sambal oelek (less if you do nott like a lot of spiciness)

2 TBS sweet Thai chili sauce

2 TBS dark soy sauce

1 – 3 tsp Chinese 5-spice (I used 3 but I think that was heavy-handed.  Maybe start with one & increase it as it cooks – if you think it needs more)

Cooked rice for 2

Garnish – cilantro and/or sliced hot peppers (I used red jalapenos)

DIRECTIONS

Put everything except the rice & garnish in a slow cooker & leave on high for 4 hours.  Mine was still too thin at that point – so I cooked it a bit longer with the lid off.  If you are going to leave this on low for 8 hours – maybe add a cup of water – so it doesn’t burn – and then cook off excess moisture at the end by taking the lid off.  If it gets too thick – add water.

Serve with rice & garnish as you desire.

Vegan Black Jasmine Pork Fried Rice with Egg (Thai Rice Berry)

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

Follow Your Heart came out with a vegan egg (photo above stolen from Google).  The first time I tried it – I was put off by the fact that it is a powder you add water to & that it takes FOREVER to set & become eggy.  It seemed like a chemical rubber to me & I talked shit about it a bit.  When I decided to make a fried rice – it crossed my mind that this egg might work better as part of a larger dish – without the pressure of having to stand on its own.    So – I made it again.  I noticed that the powder even has a very faint eggy-sulfur smell – that I did not notice the first time.  And – this time – I let the pan get very hot before I added the mix.

And – this time – it came together a bit more quickly.  I added some salt to it before it set & scrambled it until it was no longer wet.  And tasted it.  And, this time, I kinda liked the result.  The visual isn’t perfect but the taste & texture were actually pretty good.  I wonder how a quiche or chilaquiles might turn out with this stuff.  I will experiment & report back.  But – if you crave breakfast eggs – I am changing my thumbs down on these to a pretty enthusiastic thumbs up.   Omelettes might be the ideal way to use this stuff – because added flavors & textures can only help.

One thing – once set – these eggs don’t break up like real egg & so – cut up – they look sorta plastic (visually – see below) and were lost & overwhelmed in this rice.  Just FYI.

As to this rice dish – it was just an excuse to make my awesome Vegan Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork Ribs – above.  Those fuckers are so convincing & delicious – I just had to make them again the very next day!  I also had a myriad of random vegetables to use up & I really wanted to experiment with the vegan egg again – so – this dish was born.  It is a pretty straight-forward stir-fry & you can add anything you want to it or lose anything from it that you don’t like or have around already.    Two notes – the egg gets sorta lost in this so it might be a waste to use them for this dish and – I stirred the chopped “pork” into the stir-fry where the heat sorta steamed their crispy, stickiness away.  In the future – I would top each plate with a portion of the ribs — on top or on the side.

Also – I made this with my newest rice discover – Thai Rice Berry (black jasmine) rice.  ANY rice will work – but I had this left over so that is what I used.

I saw this new rice at my favorite Thai grocery store – Bangluck.   $10 for 5 pounds – so I could not resist.  I looked it up online & found THIS:

Riceberry  Rice is the new variety of rice that has been bred in Thailand. The rice is deep purple in colour; this rich dark colour is typical of plants that yield high nutrition. Rice berry rice is cross pollination of three hardy and loved rice strains; they are:

• Thai Hom Mali Race – also known as fragrant jasmine rice, the highest quality and most sort after rice in the world, after cooking it retains its structure but takes on a soft fluffy consistency.
• Hom Nin Rice – has well known and documented antioxidant properties, but this grain can become a little chewy if it isn’t cooked through.
• Khao Dawk Mali 105 – a hardy seed which will grow in a broad range of agricultural environments.

The cross-pollination of these three rice plants has resulted in Riceberry Rice, a new and exciting rice variety. Riceberry takes on the best attributes of each of the grains that were used in its inception. The light fluffy texture and flavour from Thai jasmine rice, high in minerals and antioxidants from Hom Nin rice and hardy and high yield characteristics of Khao Dawk Mali 105.

Riceberry Rice Nutrition Profile

Riceberry rice is rich in many antioxidant that help our immune system stay healthy. It contains significant levels of:

• Beta-carotene
• Gama Oryzanol
• Vitamin E
• Folic Acid
• Tannin
• Zinc
• Fiber
• Bran Oil

These antioxidants, vitamins and minerals give riceberry rice a nutrition profile that is relatively unique. The dark purple colour it matures signifies it high nutrition content and gives it a unique appearance when served.

The rice is also extremely high in fiber and bran oil, this natural aids digestion and helps keep the stomach free from disease.

Thai Rice Glycemic Index

Riceberry rice has been graded as low-medium in the glycemic index. The abundant fiber and bran oil which it contains helps to reduce the risks of diabetes by hindering the absorption of sugars into the blood through the stomach. It also helps the pancreas function better.

– See more at: http://www.thenaturalhealthmarket.co.uk/riceberry-organic#sthash.388tjdGM.dpuf

Vegan Black Jasmine Pork Fried Rice with Egg (Thai Rice Berry)

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Vegan Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork Ribs

3-4 cups cooked rice

2-3 TBS olive or coconut oil

1 small onion – diced

1 large carrot – diced

1 red (or other) bell pepper – diced

1-6 chili peppers (I used 2 serrano & 4 jalapeno – but I love heat)

2 cups purple cabbage (or green or both) – chopped

1 head Swiss chard – ribs removed & chopped

4 radishes – sliced

1 cup peas

4 TBS liquid aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)

1 TBS minced ginger

1 TBS minced garlic

2 Follow Your Heart vegan eggs (optional)

GARNISH – more radish slices and/or lime wedges, sliced scallions or sliced green garlic

DIRECTIONS

Make the pork ribs & set aside.  When cool enough to handle – chop them up.

If using the eggs – make them, chop them up & set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan or wok.

Basically – just dump everything (except the rice, egg & ribs) in there & cook until the veggies are soft.  You might want to wait until it is close to done before adding the peas so that they don’t get all smooshed.  Add the rice & combine.  My photos show adding the egg & ribs to the pan but I think they would work better added to each serving when you plate the rice.

Plate the portions & top with chopped egg & pork and any garnish you prefer.

Vegan Spicy Szechuan Green Beans with Minced Pork

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

Follow @celisemccarthy

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

So – I came across several kinds of canned seitan (seen above) at my favorite Thai market – Bangluck.  I used the first can (on the left) in my Easy Vegan Thai Minced Pork with Holy (& Sweet) Basil – Pad Ga Prao Muu – in Lettuce Cups (below) & it was a huge success.

Today – I wanted to use one of them for my Green Beans & Minced Pork.  I looked at the calorie count of each of the two remaining cans and was surprised to see a huge calorie disparity despite the fact that the ingredients list is identical.

So – since the “roast duck” had fewer calories – I used that one.  Despite the image on the can – it looked exactly like the fried gluten one did.  I have not opened the third can yet but I suspect it is just more of the same but – somehow – with more than twice the calories – so – I likely  will feed it to my dogs & just use the others in the future.  I man – see below?  First image below is the fried pork & the second is the duck.

Same thing.  Canned seitan in water.  So – for this dish, you could use canned & drained seitan or your favorite brand of seitan  – or even a faux beef like Beyond Meat’s Beefless Crumbles (or other brand of ground beef).  The flavors in this dish are very strong & will take over the dish.  You could even use Beyond Meat’s chickenless strips.  No matter.

I served this with my newest rice discover – Thai Rice Berry (black jasmine) rice.

I saw this new rice at my favorite Thai grocery store – Bangluck.   $10 for 5 pounds – so I could not resist.  I looked it up online & found THIS:

Riceberry  Rice is the new variety of rice that has been bred in Thailand. The rice is deep purple in colour; this rich dark colour is typical of plants that yield high nutrition. Rice berry rice is cross pollination of three hardy and loved rice strains; they are:

• Thai Hom Mali Race – also known as fragrant jasmine rice, the highest quality and most sort after rice in the world, after cooking it retains its structure but takes on a soft fluffy consistency.
• Hom Nin Rice – has well known and documented antioxidant properties, but this grain can become a little chewy if it isn’t cooked through.
• Khao Dawk Mali 105 – a hardy seed which will grow in a broad range of agricultural environments.

The cross-pollination of these three rice plants has resulted in Riceberry Rice, a new and exciting rice variety. Riceberry takes on the best attributes of each of the grains that were used in its inception. The light fluffy texture and flavour from Thai jasmine rice, high in minerals and antioxidants from Hom Nin rice and hardy and high yield characteristics of Khao Dawk Mali 105.

Riceberry Rice Nutrition Profile

Riceberry rice is rich in many antioxidant that help our immune system stay healthy. It contains significant levels of:

• Beta-carotene
• Gama Oryzanol
• Vitamin E
• Folic Acid
• Tannin
• Zinc
• Fiber
• Bran Oil

These antioxidants, vitamins and minerals give riceberry rice a nutrition profile that is relatively unique. The dark purple colour it matures signifies it high nutrition content and gives it a unique appearance when served.

The rice is also extremely high in fiber and bran oil, this natural aids digestion and helps keep the stomach free from disease.

Thai Rice Glycemic Index

Riceberry rice has been graded as low-medium in the glycemic index. The abundant fiber and bran oil which it contains helps to reduce the risks of diabetes by hindering the absorption of sugars into the blood through the stomach. It also helps the pancreas function better.

– See more at: http://www.thenaturalhealthmarket.co.uk/riceberry-organic#sthash.388tjdGM.dpuf

This green bean dish is very easy.  I used fresh green beans & loads of spices.  You could use frozen green beans but I think canned ones will just become mush.

Vegan Spicy Szechuan Green Beans with Minced Pork

serves 2 with rice

INGREDIENTS

10+ oz seitan (or other faux meat)

1 lb green beans – trimmed & cut in half

1 TBS olive oil

2-3 TBS cornstarch

1-6 cloves garlic – minced (I used 6)

2 TBS brown sugar

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tsp to 2 TBS crushed red pepper (according to your taste for heat)

2-3 TBS liquid amino acids (or low sodium soy sauce or tamari)

1-6 dry red chilies (VERY spicy & VERY optional) – cut in half (I used 6)

GARNISH – cooked rice, sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

Cook the rice.

Mince the faux meat & toss with the cornstarch.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan & add the rest of the ingredients – EXCEPT THE GARLIC.

Stir to combine.  If using fresh green beans – add about 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil & cover for 3-5 minutes or until the green beans are cooked to your taste.  Frozen beans won’t need this step but you can still add water if your sauce cooks off too much or the meat sticks to the pan too much.

When it all seems warmed through & the sauce is thick – toss in the garlic & stir for one minute.  Serve with rice.

Vegan Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork Ribs

 

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

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One of my all-time favorite foods, since childhood, is BBQ ribs – especially of the Chinese variety.  Sticky, sweet & chewy – just delicious.  I lived above a Chinese take-out while I was in high school & smelled this shit cooking every day & never tired of it.  Even as the grease filled the air & I could feel my skin breaking out – I still craved these all the time – even if I only let myself have them on special occasions – mainly because I perceived them as extremely fattening and bad for you.

Then I gave up meat in the eighties & all ribs of all varieties fell forever from my diet.

Still – I craved that BBQ sauce & would have my mother send me the Ah-So Sauce (below)  – a brand not available in Los Angeles – and I would stir it into rice or dip vegetables in it.  It was not nearly as satisfying as ribs but I learned to live with it.

Chinese BBQ pork is called Char Siu.  Lee Kum Kee brand is widely available & certainly available online.  I saw this jar on a shelf & a great idea popped into my mind.  Why not make BBQ pork using Beyond Meat vegan chicken?  Why not, indeed!  Their chicken strips have a texture that can be experienced as chicken OR pork – as pork & chicken really do have a very similar quality.   And – I also decided to make the Char Siu sauce from scratch.  The ingredients are not terribly exotic & can certainly be purchased online – if your local ethnic or regular grocery stores don’t have them all.  The result was visually vibrant & the flavor is dead on.  I recommend this dish very highly!  You could also chop these “ribs” up & make a pork fried rice that would feel even the most deenerate carnivore.

I marinated the chicken overnight (in the bag) but that is totally unnecessary.  You can whip these up in ten minutes & feel all take-out Chinese-y & get your late night, OMG-I-drank-too-much experience right in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Vegan Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork Ribs

Serves 2 as an appetizer – double the marinade recipe if you like lots of BBQ sauce on your ribs

INGREDIENTS

9-12 oz vegan chicken (or seitan strips)

1/2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice

2 TBS agave nectar

2 TBS Shao Xing Chinese rice wine

1 TBS hoisin sauce

1 TBS Thai chili sauce

1 TBS dark soy sauce

2 tsp vegan oyster or mushroom-flavored sauce

2 tsp molasses

1 TBS minced garlic

1 TBS sesame oil

1 tsp red food coloring (critical for the fiery red color)

GARNISH (optional) – sliced scallions or green garlic

DIRECTIONS

Blend all the ingredients together & then add the chicken.  Marinate for a few minutes – or overnight.  I did this right in the Beyond Meat packaging.

When you are ready to cook them – heat a pan treated with cooking spray.  Add the MARINADE first & heat until it bubbles.  Add the chicken & cook, on high, turning often.  The idea is to let them get a bit blackened.  The sauce will thicken very quickly – which is why I suggesting doubling the marinade recipe if you like lots of sticky BBQ sauce.  You could even heat part of the marinade in a separate pan & pour it over your finished ribs.

Easy Vegan Thai Minced Pork with Holy (& Sweet) Basil – Pad Ga Prao Muu – in Lettuce Cups

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

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I live very close to the area in LA called Thai Town (Hollywood Blvd – essentially – east of Western).  It is an incredible resource for Thai & other Asian ingredients – like canned jackfruit, every manner of noodle & rice & some exotic spices.  The other day, at my favorite Thai market, Bangluck, I spotted these guys here:

Vegetarian pork, duck & generic meat – in cans – for just over a dollar each.  The photos are not so appetizing but I could not resist trying them.  For whatever reason – I got two cans of the pork & decided to try them out today in this Thai dish.  Apparently, authentic Pad Ga Prao Muu uses only the Thai Holy (or hot) basil but I dd not have enough of that so I added some sweet Thai basil.  Here is how they look (holy/hot basil on top & Thai/sweet basil below with the purple flowers:

The holy basil has serrated edges & the sweet basil does not.  They really do smell & taste very different but, I think, only a true aficionado of Thai food would know or care about the difference.  I used both & I was very pleased with the result.

Even more exciting – the canned pork!  Seitan, really.  Here are the details:

Drained, it did not smell or taste funky.  AT ALL.  And even kinda looks like pork.  Any seitan would work for this recipe – stuff from your health food store or Whole Foods or homemade.  I posted some recipes with a recipe for seitan HERE.  The advantage o this canned stuff is shelf-life and COST!  It is so cheap & easy!  If you don’t have Asian grocers near you, the canned stuff is available online HERE.  I will report on the other two cans of stuff when I think of what to do with them.

As to this dish – crazy easy & outrageously delicious.  I like my food genuinely spicy so – if you do not – be sure to adjust the hot elements to suit your taste.

The seitan pork, though?  Totally convincing!  I think you could serve this dish to a meat eater & they would not question it.  You might want to call it chicken, if you have a real skeptic on your hands, because pork tends to be chewier than chicken but – whatever you decide – this will look like meat & taste like meat.  This recipe is killer!  And once your ingredients are prepped – it takes about 10 minutes.  EASY!

Easy Vegan Thai Minced Pork with Holy (& Sweet) Basil – Pad Ga Prao Muu – in Lettuce Cups

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

20 oz (or so) seitan (or enough for 2 portions)

2 TBS coconut or olive oil

2 packed cups fresh Holy/hot and/or Thai/sweet basil

1-10 cloves garlic – chopped

2 shallots (or one small onion) – diced

4 red scallions (OPTIONAL!  I only used these because I had them) – sliced (bottoms only)

1 red bell pepper – seeded & sliced

1 cup carrots – matchsticks or sliced

1-10 red/green Thai chilies – split (I used 10 & this was very spicy)

1 serrano chili – diced (very optional)

2-3 TBS vegetarian oyster or mushroom sauce

3 TBS liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 tsp dark soy sauce (optional)

1 tsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) OR 2 tsp brown sugar

Lettuce leaves for cups (I used romaine but butter lettuce is nice, too)

GARNISH – lime wedges, cooked rice

DIRECTIONS

Prep everything because this comes together fast.  Whisk the liquid ingredients (oyster sauce, soy sauces) together.

Heat the oil in a large pan.  Add the shallots, chilies, scallions (if using), red bell, and carrots.  Saute until the peppers & carrots soften (maybe 5 minutes).

Add the seitan & heat through.  Add the garlic & saute one minute.  Add the liquids & combine.  Stir in the basil & once it wilts – you are ready to serve.

Serve in lettuce cups or with rice & garnish with lime wedges.

Vegan Blackberry Jam-Sriracha BBQ Pulled Chicken & Jackfruit Tacos

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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So – a while back, I made that Pulled Vegan Chicken & Jackfruit with Blackberry Jam-Sriracha BBQ Sauce you see above.  The recipe made a lot of the stuff, so I posted a pasta & a pizza recipe using the leftovers – seen below.

This is simply another idea for a way to reinvent the leftovers.  The recipe for the pulled chicken & jackfruit is HERE.  Then – you just make tacos the way you normally would – or load the taco the way you would load a pulled chicken sandwich – with pickles or coleslaw.  But – look at that vegan chicken & jackfruit!  Pretty convincing visually & it does not disappoint in the flavor department, either.  I promise.  Even the texture seems authentic.

Vegan Blackberry Jam-Sriracha BBQ Pulled Chicken & Jackfruit Tacos

INGREDIENTS

Pulled chicken & jackfruit

corn tortillas

tomato

avocado

cilantro

lime wedges

and anything else you wanna put on these guys

DIRECTIONS

Make the pulled chicken & jackfruit.

I warm my corn tortillas on the burners of my stove – then I just pile filling into them.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Pulled Vegan Chicken & Jackfruit with Blackberry Jam-Sriracha BBQ Sauce

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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So, last week, I made Vegan Pulled Chicken with Jackfruit in a Sriracha and Blackberry Jam BBQ Sauce for the Slow Cooker – seen above.  It was delicious but I made a fuckton of it & needed to find more creative ways to use it.  Here is the first of three ways I used the leftover pulled BBQ chicken – on pasta!  The only real recipe here is the actual pulled chicken & jackfruit.  Beyond that – it is your favorite pasta & favorite pasta sauce.  I used these curly noodles & Rao’s Arrabbiata – THE BEST sauce in a jar ever.

Pasta with Vegan Pulled Chicken & Jackfruit with Blackberry Jam-Sriracha BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Vegan Pulled Chicken with Jackfruit in a Sriracha and Blackberry Jam BBQ Sauce for the Slow Cooker

Cooked Pasta

Pasta sauce

Garnish – micro arugula, basil, red bell peppers diced

DIRECTIONS

Make the pasta.  Warm the sauce & warm the BBQ.

Distribute onto plates.

Eat.

Vegan Pulled Chicken with Jackfruit in a Sriracha and Blackberry Jam BBQ Sauce for the Slow Cooker

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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That above is jackfruit.  It is a staple in Southeast Asian diets.  It is a giant fruit that grows to 100 pounds.  If you want to read more about it – I went into some detail in my Vegan Jackfruit Spicy Szechuan Dan Dan Noodles post.  Those are the noodles – below.

I bought this jackfruit in cans for $1.39 at my favorite Thai market – Bangluck – but I hear most Asian markets carry it.  Just be sure to buy UNRIPE or young jackfruit in water or brine.  Ripe jackfruit in syrup – it seems – tastes like Juicy Fruit gum & would be awful in this dish.

I made this in the slow cooker using a combination of jackfruit & Beyond Meat vegan chicken strips.

Both the jackfruit (above) & chicken will require that you shred it using two forks to achieve the pulled chicken visual.  It is easy once they are warmed & soft.  Just fish them out of the BBQ sauce & shred them on a cutting board.

Vegan Pulled Chicken with Jackfruit in a Sriracha and Blackberry Jam BBQ Sauce for the Slow Cooker

This makes a lot but I will post 4 recipes using it over the next few days

INGREDIENTS

2 (20 oz) cans of young jackfruit

9 oz vegan chicken

4 garlic cloves – chopped

2 TBS cider vinegar

2 TBS Dijon mustard

1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari

2/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup blackberry (or other dark berry) jam or preserves

3 TBS sriracha

1 TBS molasses

2 TBS vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 (12 oz) bottle of dark (or other) beer (optional)

2 tsp smoked paprika

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 TBS onion powder

1 TBS garlic powder

1 TBS chili powder

DIRECTIONS

Put everything in the slow cooker & leave on high for 5 hours.

At some point – you need to use two forks & shred the chicken & jackfruit.

Serve as you would serve any pulled chicken.

Chipotle Gouda and Guinness (Stout) Mac and Cheese with Vegan Pulled Chicken (or Pork) in Homemade Chipotle Apricot BBQ Sauce

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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Macaroni & cheese.  Who doesn’t love it?  It can be customized so many ways and, even better, can be prepared in advance & baked in the last half hour so – if you are hosting a party – you can actually enjoy it, too, and not slave in the kitchen while the guests swill your liquor together.

I hosted a little birthday thingy recently & made three, count’m – THREE – different kinds of mac & cheese.  I made the one posted here and I made a Mint & Zucchini Mac & Cheese & a Smoked Gouda & Truffle Oil Mac & Cheese with Crispy Panko – seen below – respectively.

I made this pulled chicken version with Beyond Meat vegan chicken.

You could use any fake (or real) meat.  I also made a homemade BBQ sauce (which is VERY easy) but your favorite jarred variety will do.

I used chipotle gouda.  Only 8 oz.  LOTS of other cheese, though, so the chipotle part was a tad overwhelmed but the chipotle BBQ sauce more than made up for it.  If you love chipotle, maybe add a chopped chipotle pepper or two into the cheese mix of double or triple the quantity of chipotle gouda?  These kinds of dishes have lots of wiggle room so do not get all anal about this shit.  Mix it up & trust.  It is fucking cheese & pasta.  Who is gonna complain?

I used a combination of various pastas in my three dishes.  The kind you use is up to you.

My dish was inspired by this photo – but the recipe is mine.  The list of ingredients in the BBQ sauce is long but the instructions are short – so do not be intimidated.

Homemade Chipotle Apricot BBQ Sauce

Makes WAY more than you need for just the mac & cheese recipe – so keep leftovers jarred in the fridge

INGREDIENTS

1 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 onion – diced

7 garlic cloves – minced

1 4 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo – minced

3/4 cup apricot jam or preserves

1 cup tomato sauce (I used a spicy homemade pasta sauce I had around but jarred/canned is fine)

1 cup ketchup

A few shakes hot sauce ( I love Crystal)

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1-3 TBS sriracha (or other hot sauce)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 TBS Dijon

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp celery salt (optional)

1 tsp ground pepper

1-3 DROPS Liquid Smoke (optional – but if you use it – GO LIGHT because this stuff gets gross fast)

2 TBS cornstarch (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a pan & saute the onions.

Once they are soft, add everything else & bring to a boil – then lower heat & simmer for 15 minutes or so.  You could puree this in a blender if you liked – but I did not.  I then left mine in a crock pot for a few hours but a few minutes stove top is great.  If you want it thicker – stir in some cornstarch at the end.  I did not do this.

Set aside.  See?  easy!

 

OK – one thing – because I made this mac & cheese for a party, I cooked it in a large casserole pan but the ramekin images were taken the next day – when I reheated the leftovers.

This is not burned on top.  You are seeing the BBQ sauce & vegan chicken.  Mmmmmmm!

Chipotle Gouda and Guinness (Stout) Mac and Cheese with Vegan Pulled Chicken (or Pork)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups BBQ sauce (recipe above)

1 lb dry pasta – cooked & drained & cooled under running water

9 oz vegan chicken or pork (or real meat)

2 cups milk (I used almond)

4 TBS butter

4 TBS flour

pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 12 oz Guinness (or other stout)

8 oz chipotle gouda

3 cups grated cheddar

2 cups grated pepper jack – divided

4 oz cream cheese

S&P to taste

1-2 cups panko or other breadcrumbs

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook & cool the pasta.

Heat up 1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce (reserve 1/2 cup to drizzle over the top later) & drop the vegan chicken in there.  Bring to a boil & the lower heat & simmer while you do the next things.  When you can, however, use two forks & shred the chicken in the BBQ sauce.

Warm the milk.

In another pan, melt the butter over med-high heat & then add the flour.  Whisk constantly & it should bet thick pretty fast.  Heat it until it starts to turn a golden sandy color.  Then, add the milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking the whole time, until all the milk is incorporated & it is sorta thick – but still pourable.    Now add the beer the same way.  It could get frothy & bubble over so be careful.  It won’t get thick again once you add the beer.  Once it is all incorporated – add all the other ingredients – EXCEPT the BBQ chicken – and be sure to reserve one cup of pepper jack to top the dish.

Spray a casserole pan with cooking spray & put the mac & cheese in.  If it seems too dry, stir in some milk.  I didn’t have to with this recipe.  Top with panko (and I spray them with cooking spray).  The one on the left is the one for this recipe.

Bake for about 25 minutes & then top it with the BBQ chicken & the reserved pepper jack.  Bake another ten minutes or so – or until the cheese is melted.

Drizzle with reserved BBQ sauce, if you desire.

Let it rest 5 minutes or so & serve that shit up!

Vegan Vietnamese Spicy Caramel Beef Bowl

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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This is a dish traditionally prepared with pork.  You might think that a faux chicken would be a closer thing to pork that faux beef and you would probably be correct.  But – I have been using faux chicken a lot lately & decided to mix it up a bit.  If you make this dish – any faux meat would be fine & a faux chicken would certainly be prettier to photograph.

I was going to use this Trader Joe’s stuff –

but then I remembered I had this stuff in the fridge & opted instead to try it.

I thought the cube-style rather than a strip-style beef would be better for this dish.  But, Gardein proved underwhelming, yet again.  My complaint with the Gardein products is that the bulk of them are “breaded” or have some kind of bready texture on the outside & that even these beef cubes, while not bready, proved to have a fragile consistency that would never hold up in a stew or something.  And the texture is NOTHING like meat when you chew it.  It just sort of crumbles.  So – my suggestion is, if you are going to make any of the faux beef things I post, use the Trader Joe’s stuff instead.  Beyond Meat makes a faux beef, apparently, but my local grocery store doesn’t carry it so the jury is still out on that version.

I am posting a beef bowl serving suggesting here but you needn’t get all the stuff for that if it sounds like a pain in the ass.  Just serve this shit over rice & scarf it down.

Oh – and I apologize for the photos.  Dark beef items are really hard to make look pretty.  Do not be thrown, however – because this is far yummier than it looks!

 

Vegan Vietnamese Spicy Caramel Beef Bowl

Serves 2 with rice

INGREDIENTS

8 oz or so of faux meat

Cornstarch

S&P

1-2 TBS toasted sesame oil

1/2 onion or 1 large shallot – minced

1 TBS ginger – minced (I use jarred)

4 garlic cloves – minced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup vegetable stock

1 TBS soy sauce

2 tsp cornstarch (additional)

2 tsp rice vinegar

1-3 tsp crushed red pepper (to taste)

1/2 red bell pepper – seeded & cut into strips

1-2 red or green jalapenos (or other hot peppers – to taste)

1/4 cup toasted peanuts (I planned to use cashews but forgot to)

Cilantro – chopped – as garnish

Cooked rice

Sesame seeds – as garnish (optional)

For a bowl

Napa cabbage

Red Cabbage

Scallions

Lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

Make some rice.

If doing the bowl version – chop up some Napa cabbage & some red cabbage & some scallions & cilantro & set aside.

Toss the meat in enough cornstarch (and some S&P) to lightly coat it.  Set aside.

Whisk the stock, soy sauce, 2 tsp cornstarch, rice vinegar & crushed red pepper together.  Set aside.

Prep the onion or shallot, the garlic, ginger & jalapeno (or other pepper) and set aside.

Slice the other veggies & have them on hand.

Spread the brown sugar on the bottom of a dry pan over medium heat – and leave it undisturbed until it melts.  Then stir it with a wooden spoon until it caramelizes.  Be VERY careful not to burn it.

Take the spoon out of the pan & VERY CAREFULLY add the stock mixture to the pan.  Be very careful not to burn yourself.  That molten sugar isn’t fucking around.  The caramel will instantly harden so stir again with a wooden spoon over moderate heat until it melts again & the sauce begins to thicken.  Set aside on lowest possible heat.

Heat the sesame oil over med-high heat & fry the meat up.  I used a lid to press it against the heat.  When it is browned on all sides, put in in a bowl & set aside.

If you need a little more oil in the pan add it & saute the red or green jalapeno & the onion (or shallot) for a few minutes or until tender.

Add the ginger to the pan with the onion & jalapeno.  My ginger was jarred & wet & spattered everywhere so be careful.  Saute this about a minute & then add the garlic for about 30 seconds.

Now – a tricky part.  Add the stock to the saute pan.  It will likely splatter a bit so do this carefully and at arm’s reach.  Bring to a boil & then reduce to a simmer.  Add the slices of red pepper & the faux beef & heat through.

Now – either serve this over rice with some scallions & cilantro or create a beef bowl by layering rice & then meat & then the chopped raw veggie – and maybe some toasted nuts & sesame seeds on top – squeeze a bit of lime & go to town!