Category Archives: stir-fry

Tempeh Stir-fry

Posted on by Chicken Marie
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Me lazy in summer. Easy dinner. Has proteins. Good for eating.

Cook pasta of choice. Drain.
Heat olive oil in separate pan. Add garlic, ginger and onion. Cook until onion is translucent. Add tempeh. Season with pepper, chilipowder and turmeric. Add broccoli and bell peppers (or whatever you want) then add Braggs liquid aminos. Stir while you fry. After about 3 minutes, turn off heat and squeeze lemon over stir fry.
Pour stir fry over pasta. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Like gourmet, but cheaper faster and easier.

Eat. Nom nom nom.

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Easy Veggie and Soba Noodle Stir Fry

Posted on by Chicken Marie
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This is something I make frequently, when I need something cheap, fast and easy. It comes together quickly, which is nice after a long day at work, and it is super delicious and cheap too. Can’t beat it. Non-vegans have no excuses. This recipe makes enough to serve 2.

1 large grated carrot

1 small chopped zucchini (or bell pepper)

several cloves of garlic, chopped (or dried granules)

about 1 inch of fresh grated ginger root (or dried granules)

1/2 small chopped onion (or dried)

spices: whatever you like. I use turmeric, black pepper, paprika, chili powder, basil

3 tbsp olive oil to coat pan, plus extra if needed

1-2 tbsp soy sauce or braggs liquid aminos

juice of one lime or lemon

1/3 to 1/2 pack of soba noodles

1 avocado

sesame seeds, finely ground seaweed, nutritional yeast to garnish (optional)

 

In a small to medium pot, fill half way with cool water and bring to boil. Add soba noodles. Cook for about 4-7 minutes. Strain. (I like to get this started, then start the stir fry.)

In a pan, warm olive oil over medium heat. If using fresh garlic/ginger/onion, add these to the pan first, and let cook until the onions start to become transparent. Add other spices while these are cooking, stirring frequently (If you are using dried spices, add the chopped zucchini then add the spices). Once the onion has started to turn transparent, add the zucchini and soy sauce. Continue to stir. When the zucchini has become slightly soft (1-2 minutes), add the carrots, lime juice, and a little extra olive oil or soy sauce if your mixture is getting dry. Turn off flame. Add noodles to stir fry. Mix.

Serve in bowls, with avocado slices on top. Add an extra dash of olive oil if needed, then sprinkle sesame seeds, a dash of paprika, and finely ground seaweed, and nutritional yeast for garnish.

I wish I had a picture of this. But I ate it. It was really yummy.

 

10 Things I Don’t Call Food

Posted on by Chicken Marie
10

So aside from the obvious, like meat and dairy, here are 10 things I don’t really eat. It’s not that I would NEVER eat these (I am vegan, not crazy), but I try to strongly limit them in my diet for good reasons, which I will explain.

1. Packaged/canned foods. If it comes out of a package from a factory, then it is not really food. Sorry. Even raw, organic, natural foods that come out of a box or bag are highly questionable. How long have they been sitting in this package? What unknown longterm effects are caused by the preservatives? Do I really know what potassium sorbate is? Packaging itself contains a number of glues, chemicals, lining, dyes and other miscellaneous additives that are too close for comfort. Of course, I will make a few exceptions. Eden Organics canned foods uses a BPA-free lining, so I will keep a can or two of beans around for quick hummus or dip. Also, if I happen to be traveling for a length of time I will bring some packaged chips, crackers or cookies, especially if I know I am headed to a not-so-vegan-friendly area. As general rules of thumb, if it has less than 5 ingredients and/or I know what each ingredient actually is, go ahead and enjoy it.

2. Tofu. Another packaged food, and a highly processed one at that. I feel it is best to eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, and tofu is about as far as you can get from that. I still eat plenty of soy products, such as edamame, roasted soynuts and tempeh. They are closer to their natural state and much more nutritious than their more processed counterparts.

3. Pasteurized foods. Many bottled “fresh” juices contain some small lettering somewhere on the back that says something to the effect of “pasteurized for your protection.” Huh? This basically means that whatever is in that packaged was blasted with heat/steam at extremely high temperatures in order to kill any harmful bacteria that may have gotten in during the packaging process. In doing so, many of the living enzymes and nutritional value of this once delicious fresh squeezed Florida orange juice (for example) have also been destroyed. What you are left with is essentially an orange drink, and this is before it is even bottled or packaged (see 1 above). What are they really protecting? Probably their asses from a law suit, because its definitely not your health.

4. Vegan “buttery” spread. WTF is that? If you have questions, read number one above. Consider replacing with some real food item, like any kind of oil. Coconut is great for baking, olive for stir frys. Use cold pressed, extra virgin and organic whenever possible. Toxins are stored in fats so this is especially important for high fat foods like oils.

5. Peanuts. This one may come as a surprise. Peanuts are actually not that good for you. They cause inflammation in the body, they are highly susceptible to cancer causing molds, and they are also known to cause arterial damage. Try some organic almond butter or tahini instead. You will feel better.

6. Nightshade foods: eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, tobacco. I am not a smoker, so that last one is not difficult for me, but the others are found in abundance in some of my favorite foods (like, all Thai food!). A few years back, I was experiencing a lot of joint pain and itchy skin. My physical therapist mentioned that I should stay away from foods that cause inflammation and incorporate more foods that are soothing an reduce inflammation. After doing some research, I found out that the same foods that were irritating my joints were the same ones irritating my skin. I have pretty much cut these all out completely (with the exception of the occasional tomato) and have noticed a significant difference both inside my body and out. There are other common foods in the nightshade family, but these contain higher levels of toxic alkaloids than others.

7. Alcohol. Most people do not know that many alcohols contain some derivative of milk, blood, bone, or some other part of an animal. Besides that, it will make you fat, ugly and dumb, and it will also kill you. But, if you like to enjoy a drink, have some organic wine or beer, preferably from a small, local brewery or vintner, not a giant corporate whore, and make sure it contains no animal by-products.

8. Leftovers. What?!?!? I know. Spaghetti tastes the best the next day. But the older food gets, the more bacteria and unwelcome visitors grow in the food. Notice if you get a runny or stuffy nose after eating leftovers. You probably do. In general, food more than three hours old has started to decay, and therefore lose nutritional value. Of course, for the sake of practicality sometimes leftovers are necessary (and friggin’ delicious), but try to limit them as much as possible, and when cooking or preparing meals, try to make only as much food as you are going to eat at that sitting.

9. Refined sugar, salt, flour, rice. Use the whole, brown, natural stuff. In their natural states, these foods contain lots of essential vitamins and minerals. Once upon a time, not that long ago, someone or a few someones discovered that food  was fluffier and looked more appealing when it was whiter in color, and also that by refining it they could reduce spoilage and thereby increase the shelf life of these foods and their profit margins. The funny thing is, is that after the refining process is complete, manufacturers add synthetic versions of the essential nutrients they just stripped away to the refined foods, now making them “enriched” (or in the case of salt, iodized). Manufacturers have gotten tricky though, and if you pay attention you will notice things like “sugar in the raw” (not raw at all!!) and “enriched wheat flour” (still refined!). Use things instead like turbinado sugar, sea salt, whole wheat flour and brown rice.

10. Overcooked or microwaved foods. I’ve said it a million times already, but in case you missed it, too much heat is not good for your food. Cooking or steaming vegetables should not take more than about 2 to 3 minutes. Watch your broccoli next time you cook it. It will start to turn a very bright green, and then if you keep cooking it, the brightness of the green will begin to fade. That moment when it is bright green and delicious looking, that is when it is ready to eat. If the bright green has faded, you went too far. As for microwaves, I know the subject is controversial, but I just don’t trust them. Besides, anything that needs to be microwaved is probably packaged (see number 1) or leftovers (see number 8), and you already know how I feel about that.

Sources:

Mostly my brain and my experiences, but if you need verification of these things, here are some online resources.

1. http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/03/your-bpa-questions-answered.html

2. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-things-to-know-about-tofu/

3. http://www.energydrinktruth.com/pasteurization.html

4. http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/processedfoods.htm

5. http://www.herbalist.com/wiki.details/458/category/12/start/0/

6. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62

7. http://beeradvocate.com/articles/279

8. http://vegancampus.com/2007/09/17/the-ayurvedic-view-on-energy-foods-grains-vegetables-and-fruits/

9. http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lsalt.htm

10. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2595/does-microwaving-kill-nutrients-in-food-is-microwaving-safe

Wok Fly Vegetables (Vegetable Stir Fry with Tempeh)

Posted on by Chicken Marie
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Stir-fry (also known as wok fly, inspired by one of my favorite restaurants) is one of those cheap, fast and easy meals for after work or working out or working up an appetite. It is consistently delicious… and with a million ways to sauce it up, it never gets boring.

Boil 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed.

1/2 package tempeh, chopped (I have not tried making this myself… yet!)
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, chopped
1 shit ton of garlic, finely minced (about 6 to 8 cloves… I love garlic)
shredded ginger root, a piece 3/4 the size of a thumb
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons wakame flakes, soaked in water 3-5 minutes, then drained
Seasonings and spices: Bragg’s liquid aminos, turmeric, pepper, paprika, chili powder, parsley, basil, extra ginger/garlic/onion (or if you don’t have fresh available) to your preferred taste
1 lime or lemon
1 avocado
sesame seeds to garnish

Heat a large saucepan over a medium flame. Cover bottom of pan with olive oil. When oil is warm, add onions and garlic. When the onions start to become translucent, add the tempeh. Add spices, a generous sprinkle to cover the dish works for me. Stir. Add the zucchini, and give it a good squirt (1 to 2 seconds) of Bragg’s. Stir. When most of the liquid has been absorbed add another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil. Give it another good stir, and again when most of the liquid has been absorbed, add the juice of one lime or lemon. Stir, again til most of the liquid has been absorbed, then turn off heat. At this point, the quinoa should be done or about done. Let the quinoa stand for a few minutes, then fluff with a fork.

To serve, layer quinoa, grated carrots, wakame, cooked veggies with tempeh, and sliced avocado. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Add another squirt of Bragg’s if you want, or just dig in. Serves 2.

For variations, vary the amount or kinds of vegetables (bok choy, celery, mung bean sprouts, broccoli etc.), sub more veggies instead of tempeh, or serve with rice or soba noodles for a more asian inspired meal. Vary the sauce by adding teriyaki, peanut butter, curry or whatever you like. Yum!