Vegan Spicy Lemongrass & Ginger Beef with Purple Cabbage Fried Rice

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Posted on January 6, 2017

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

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.

Spicy Vegan Szechuan Beef & Vegetable Stir-Fry

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Posted on November 7, 2016

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

Follow @celisemccarthy

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

This is really easy & does not use any ingredients that are especially exotic. I added WAY too many hot peppers & blasted my face off with this one – so – I will recommend using less spice here than I did. I used Gardein Beefless Tips that I found in the freezer section of my local Ralph’s. You can use these or any other meat replacement you prefer. The ratio of veggies is an entirely personal one. You can take my suggestions or wing it – or just go straight beef & rice. Your call. But it is easy & bursting with flavor!

Spicy Vegan Szechuan Beef & Vegetable Stir-Fry

Serves 4 with cooked rice

INGREDIENTS

Cooked rice of your choice

2 TBS coconut oil (or other cooking oil)

9 oz meatless beef – defrosted

2 cups broccoli florets

2 bell peppers – seeded & cut into strips

3 carrots – chopped

1 leek or medium onion – chopped

1 large zucchini – chopped

4 oz mushrooms – sliced

1-2 jalapenos or serranos (seeded to lessen the heat) – or to taste – diced

1-3 tsp cornstarch (optional)

for the sauce

2 TBS vegan oyster-flavored or mushroom-flavored sauce

1 TBS minced ginger

1 TBS minced garlic

2 TBS chili garlic sauce (or sambal oelek)

1 TBS liquid aminos (or tamari or soy sauce)

1 TBS dark soy sauce

1 tsp chili oil

1 TBS sesame oil

1 TBS dark berry jam (or molasses or brown sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook the rice & set aside.

Mix the sauce & pour it into the bag with the faux beef & smoosh it around to marinate.

Heat the coconut oil in a wok or large fry pan. I added the leeks & carrots & mushrooms first – because they take the longest to soften.

Add the fest of the produce. Broccoli & zucchini cook fastest – so I added them last. Once the veggies are cooked to your liking, stir in the beef & marinade. You might want to add a bit of water – but not much. If the sauce feels too thin – whisk in a tsp of cornstarch. Mine did not need it but yours might. Toss to heat through & serve with rice.

Spicy Vegan Vegetable Fried Rice with Chicken & Romaine Lettuce and 90210: The Musical

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Posted on October 5, 2016

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

Follow @celisemccarthy

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

This past weekend, I went to NYC to host 90210: The Musical. I had no idea what to expect. I did not know if the writers & cast were talented. I did not know the take they would have on the show, on my character & maybe even of me. When they invited me, I had to reconcile to laugh with everyone if I got roasted brutally. The fact is, I made fun of a lot of the aspects of the show myself – even as I was still shooting it. Plus – I like to think I am able to laugh at myself – so – fuck it! I went. And I am SO HAPPY that I did!!!

HERE is a little review that includes a short video clip.

The show is brilliant! Smart, dirty & REALLY funny. Several females roles are played by men which just adds to the hilarity. I honestly cannot recommend this show any more highly. I saw it two nights in a row & I feel like I could watch it infinitely more times. And what a surreal & amazing experience – to not only see such a large part of my professional life presented this way – but even my character – Emily Valentine. Such a singular experience. A highlight in my life. Truly.

Now – on to food. Every get overly ambitious about your intentions to eat healthier or come home from the farmer’s market with enough produce to cater a vegetarian wedding? Ever end up just sorta watching that produce wilt & decay – because you ended up eating Kraft mac & cheese three days in a row or you went out to dinner all week? SUCKS to watch all that costly food go to waste.

Well – upon my return from NYC, that is where I found myself. Looking, sadly, at a fuckton of produce that needed eating. No way to eat it all as separate courses. Most frustrating was 2-3 heads of romaine lettuce just starting to brown at the edges & along the thick spine. What to do, what to do? My freezer is already chock full of frozen leftovers from past slow cooker efforts to use less than robust produce. Then – I spotted a leftover box of rice from my favorite Thai restaurant – Torung. Aha! I would make a stir-fry! And – guess what? I decided to add LETTUCE to this stir-fry. And why the fuck not? Lettuce is a leafy green – just like spinach or bok choy. So – I used it & it worked.

This dish is – as is often the case with my recipes – the result of what I had & what I needed to use. You can customize this any way you want. Add water chestnuts or baby corn. Lose the tomatoes. Lose the serrano peppers. Add sriracha. Whateverthefuck you want. It makes a boatload so – unless you are feeding 6 people or you want to eat lots of leftovers – reduce this recipe – maybe by 50%.

Spicy Vegan Vegetable Fried Rice with Chicken & Romaine Lettuce

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 or more cups of cooked rice

Coconut (or other) oil

10 Brussels sprouts – sliced or shredded

4-6 carrots (I used heirloom and regular) – sliced

2 bell peppers (I used 5 small gypsy peppers) – diced

3 serrano peppers (or to taste) – sliced (remove seeds to reduce heat)

4 mushrooms – sliced

1 head broccoli

1 (9 oz) package Beyond Meat vegan chicken (or whatever brand you find available) – thawed & cubed

10 cherry tomatoes – halved (plus a few extra – quartered – as garnish)

7 scallions – green & white parts – sliced

1 head romaine (or other) lettuce – chopped

Fresh spinach as a bed for the rice – optional

Lime wedges as garnish (optional)

for the sauce

1/4 cup liquid aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)

3 TBS fresh ginger (or less – if you are not big on ginger) – I used a squeezable kind

1/4 chop Shao Xing wine

1 TBS chili garlic sauce

2 TBS hoisin sauce

1 TBS toasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1-2 TBS coconut (or other) oil in a wok or very large frying pan. You might need to add more oil along the way – if things dry out – but that is your call.

The rest of this can really be done any whichaway – just start with the veggies that are take longest to cook first. I started with the shredded Brussels sprouts because I like how they taste when they get sorta charred. Here is how I proceeded:

Add the Brussels sprouts & then the carrots & peppers & serranos.

I added more coconut oil, at this point. Stir.

I then literally put the entire head of broccoli in the pan & sliced it off right into the pan. Seemed less messy that way. I reserve the stems to steam for my dogs. Add the mushrooms & chicken. Combine. Add the rice.