Vegan Diaries: Vegetable Stir Fry

As I have mentioned in previous posts, during quarantine I did quite a bit of cooking and baking.  I started making this stir fry recipe and it became a huge hit with everyone.  Yes.  My meat lovers really got into the tofu!  I like that this recipe is flexible and I can add whatever vegetables that I have an abundance of in my refrigerator.   Although, I do have to admit, I'm a big fan of broccoli in this recipe.

Oh, and, if tofu isn't your thing, feel free to substitute chicken or leave it out completely.

Here's the recipe:

Vegetable Stir Fry

ingredients:

1 TBSP sunflower seed oil

8oz tofu*

ginger

1/2 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 cup broccoli florets

3/4 cup bell peppers, sliced

1/2 cup water chestnuts, drained and sliced

3/4 cup baby corn, drained

1 tsp ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

for the sauce:

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tsp cornstarch

directions:

Heat oil in small pan.  Add tofu and ginger and cook until desired consistency (I like it to be a little brown on sides).  Set aside.

In large pan, heat oil.  Add carrots and mushrooms and cook until tender.

Add broccoli, peppers, water chestnuts and 2 TBSP of water to pan.

Cook for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds.  Season vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, mix the vegetable broth and soy sauce.  Pour mixture over vegetables.

In separate small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1 TBSP cold water.  Add mixture to vegetables and bring to a boil.  Cook until sauce starts to thicken (about a minute or two).

Serve over rice.

*Make sure tofu is drained of water.  Press with paper towels to get rid of excess water.  Cut tofu into cubes.

*This recipe is great because you can add any vegetables:  Cauliflower, baby corn, snow peas, peas, green beans, etc.  Use your imagination.

Enjoy!

Vegan Diaries - Mushroom, Green Bean Stir Fry

I was looking for something different to make for dinner.  I wanted to use mushrooms and some green beans from the garden.  I came across this recipe in the book, "Vegan for Everyone."  If you ever get the chance, check this book out.  It's got some really cool recipes!

I added extra green onions and some zucchini (not home grown).  The results were quite tasty.  I served this over some rice.  My only suggestions might be to add a little more liquid.  Other than that, it's a winner!

Here's the recipe:

Mushroom Green Bean Stir Fry

ingredients:
for the sauce
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP rice vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch

stir fry
14 oz extra firm tofu, cut into 3/4" pieces, pat with paper towels
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 TBSP vegetable oil
2 scallions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP fresh ginger, grated
12 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 1"
12oz mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 TBSP toasted sesame seeds (optional)

directions:

For the sauce, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Stir Fry:
Toss tofu with cornstarch in bowl, then put in fine mesh strainer and toss gently to remove excess cornstarch.

In a skillet, heat 1 tsp oil, scallions, garlic and ginger.  Add tofu and cook, turning as needed, until crisp and browned (about 12-15 minutes).  Transfer to a paper towel to drain.

Add remaining oil to (now empty) skillet.  Add green beans and mushrooms.  Cover and cook until mushrooms release their liquid and beans are bright green and start to soften.  Uncover and cook until they are spotty brown (about 3 minutes).

Add the garlic mixture to the skillet and stir.  Add tofu and stir to combine.  Whisk the sauce and add to the skillet, stirring until sauce is thickened (about 30 seconds).

Transfer to platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.


Enjoy!

CHINESE FOOD!

I'm not sure if you remember that one from Seinfeld.  George's mother yelled that in one of the episodes when his father was talking to him, just to get George off the phone.  George would go to his parents house and eat their leftover Chinese food.  This time he goes to their house and finds out that his parent's were lying about it, just to get off the phone with him.

Made some yummy chinese food tonight.  RT made his plate and it looked really good, so I had to take a picture of it.

There's my homemade fried rice (yes, from scratch) (it's under the mound of orange chicken).  The orange chicken is Trader Joe's (can't take credit for that) and it's tasty.  And there is some asparagus.  Not sure how the asparagus goes with Chinese food, but, we had some and it had to be cooked, so I cooked it.

Looks good, doesn't it? 

It was delicious!

RT made his famous Egg Drop Soup

It's won many awards

he added mushrooms to it and it was outstanding!

mushrooms aren't normally in it, we just had some and he thought he would toss them in

I should say, he thoroughly planned this out

Here are the recipes:

Fried Rice

3 cups water

1 1/2 teasoons salt

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice

4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

3 eggs

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided (I used olive oil)

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

8 ounces cooked pork, cut into thin strips

8 ounces cooked shrimp, shelled, deveined and coarsely chopped

8 green onions, finely chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Cook rice, according to instructions.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok (or large pan).  Beat eggs and pepper in small bowl.  Pour 1/3 of egg mixture into wok(pan).  Tilt wok slightly so egg covers bottom.  Cook over medium heat until eggs are set, 1-2 minutes.  Remove from wok.  Roll up omelet and cut into thin strips.  Continue process until all eggs are cooked.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in wok over medium heat.  Add ginger and stir fry for 1 minute.  Add rice; cook and stir for 5 minutes.  Stir in eggs, bacon, pork, shrimp, onions and soy sauce.  Cook and stir until heated through.  Serves 6-8.

*I have substituted chicken for one or both of the pork/shrimp and it tastes good.  This time I used 2 cups of rice (this meal goes fast in our family, last time I didn't get to eat)

Egg Drop Soup

2 Tablespoons of cornstarch

6 cups chicken broth

2 Tablespoons of soy sauce

3 Tablespoons of vinegar (I believe he used rice vinegar this time)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 scallion, minced

3 eggs, beaten

In large saucepan, mix cornstarch with small amount of chicken broth.  Add remaining broth and other ingredients, except eggs.  Bring to a boil and simmer until clear, stirring occaisionally.  Gradually stir in eggs, season to taste, and serve at once.  Makes about 1 1/2 quarts (can add corn, peas, carrots or mushrooms while cooking)

Let me know if you make them and how they turn out!

2020 - A Year in Review

 It's time to take a look back at all of the scary things that happened this year.

Here are some of the highlights of 2020 on Scary Journey:

I confessed (once again) my addiction to Corn Nuts (they are so good!)

They play a lot of country music where I work

How certain songs get stuck in our head, like Da Ya Think I'm Sexy

How I use other names when placing orders

My dislike of our plastic plates

My Uncle and the tiles 

My birthday present this year (hint:  the computer has been moved)

Alex joined the Army National Guard

We entered a pandemic together

We survived the quarantine with a little count down

My family are napkin snobs

Added painter to my resume

We had to wear masks

Mask making became a career, for some people

I made a quarantine song list

We became bagel hoarders

My Clock Died during quarantine

I celebrate two easters

Bella finished 8th grade

I was able to buy a new clock online

Someone plays bagpipes in our neighborhood

We started celebrating weird National Days

Our bedroom clock is 17 minutes ahead (so we can do math in the middle of the night)

I'm secretly dating Elon Musk

I read all negative reviews on products first

I challenged you to a writing challenge

I started a career in mulch throwing 

I entertained you with some Karen stories

I increased my number of viewers on Netflix (shh!!  don't tell the kids!)

I survived 88 days in quarantine (and didn't kill anyone!)

Bella loves all music (just like me)

We learned new sayings like, Stay Safe and Social Distancing

My kids and spiders

My kids weird reaction with new things

Curly moved in with us

I got my big break and became a Walmart greeter

I created a playlist inspired by the songs they play at work.

My Girl Scout Troop received their Silver Award

I bought a new purse!

Finally able to have a date night and we can't eat out (Thanks a lot, Governor!)

I was a Target Employee for Halloween

We survived a never ending Presidential election (umm, is it over yet?)

I have a huge stockpile of Band Aids

My dislike of Election Signs

We found out that the common cold and flu have been cured

We learned a little about RT this year:

The effects of Cherry Juice 

The effects Coconut water has on him (or others)

How attached he became to his Sunflowers

The launch of his fence making business

His decision to go barefoot

His wallet issues

RT's obsession with ice cubes and ice cube making

And, we learned a lot about My Weird Dog:

Pippen made a new "friend" (the term used by the other dog owner)

Pippen got a new dog bed.  It took him 2 weeks  awhile to get used to it, but, he loves it now.

Pippen and I are a lot alike when it comes to new things

His Mommy clinginess

His weird eating habits

His future as a weather dog

He eats bird seed

We made some stuff:

Everything Bagel Seasoning

Angel Hair Pasta with Puttanesca 

Vegetarian Avgolemono Soup 

Soft Ginger Cookies

Soft Pretzels

Beer Batter Cheese Bread

Sugar Cookie Cake

Easy Artisan Bread

Chicken Tacos

Roasted Eggplant Hummus 

Vegetable Stir Fry

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 

Delicious Crusty Bread 

Halloween Candy Dessert

Baked Falafel 

Pfeffernusse Cookies

And, sadly, we had a huge loss this year.  Miss you, Mom!

It's been 9 long  scary  frightening  wonderful years here on A Scary Journey.  Thanks for sticking around.  Let's hope 2021 is a little better!  Happy New Year everyone!

Cheers!

Veganuary

 We are halfway through Veganuary and I thought I would check in and see how everyone is doing on their journey.  If you haven't tried the vegan diet, now is a great time to test it out.  There are plenty of easy vegan dishes for you to make and most restaurants are willing to make an entree vegan upon request.

Oh, you don't want to be inconvenienced. 

You are worried about what you will eat for the day.  

You don't care about the health benefits of a plant-based diet.  

Well, while you complain, consider these facts:  Going vegan for just one day saves

40 pounds of grain*

1100 gallons of water**

30 square feet of forest

1 animal

20 pounds of CO2

*That grain can feed hungry populations around the world

**equivalent to four months' worth of showers

I'll make it easy for you to get started.  Here is a list of vegan recipes here on the blog.  Pick out a few and plan your day so you will know what you can eat.  

Appetizers:

Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Avocado Jalapeño hummus

Red Lentil Tomato Soup

Roasted Cauliflower

Tuscan Soup

Entrees:

Black Beans, Cuban Style  add rice to make as a meal

Black Beans and Spanish Rice
Black Bean Tortilla Pie
Broccoli Salad
Cajun Tofu, Sweet Potato, Cilantro Rice Bowl
Cauliflower Fried Rice, Vegan

Chick Pea Salad Sandwiches
Chick Pea Tikka Masala

Collard Greens with Beans

Crispy Tofu 

Dolmades Vegetarian

Eggplant Patties
Fakes (Greek Lentil Soup)

Falafel, Baked 

Green Beans (Greek Style)

Jambalaya, Vegan

Manicotti

Meatballs, Vegan

Mexican Quinoa Bake

Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
Pad Thai, Vegan

Poblanos, Roasted and Stuffed

Roasted Vegetables and Pesto Penne Pasta
Putanesca Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta

Tabbouleh

Vegetable Stir Fry 
Vegetarian Chili
Vegetarian Hoppin John

And, of course, dessert:

Black Bean Brownies (Vegan)
Black Bean Protein Bites

Brownies, Vegan

Brownies, Vegan 2 

Chocolate Chip Blondies, Vegan

Energy Bites

I hope you give vegan a try, even if it's just for one day.  

If you decide to try vegan for a day, let me know how it went in the comments below.

Crispy Tofu

 I read a twitter post that said they wanted to start a blog posting recipes.  In the paragraphs before each recipe they would carefully describe in detail how they carried out a murder. 

No plans of murder here.  Sorry.

Although, I could see that happening if they took the last of these tofu bites!  These bites are best served warm.  Toss them in a buddha bowl, with some veggie stir fry, in a salad or eat them alone with some sauce (barbeque or ranch).   They can be refrigerated.  They can be reheated in the oven (or a toaster oven).  You can spice these up by adjusting the seasoning.

Here's the recipe:

Crispy Tofu

ingredients:

14oz tofu, extra firm

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 TBSP soy sauce

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs or flax eggs*

1 cup bread crumbs*

1.5 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder 

1/2 tsp cayenne

directions:

Oven 400*F.

Slice tofu on long side in five slices.  Press each slice to remove liquid.  Once most of liquid is drained, slice tofu into cubes.

In a bowl, mix broth and soy sauce.  Marinate tofu in mixture for at least 20 minutes (or up to 24 hours).

You will need three bowls.  One with bread crumbs and spices, one with the eggs and the third with flour.

Coat the tofu in flour, then place in egg mixture then into the bread crumbs and place on baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Flip the tofu over and bake for another 15 minutes.  The bites are ready when they are crispy and golden brown.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*to make a flax egg take 1 TBSP ground flax and mix with 3 TBSP cold water.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before using.

*I use oats as my bread crumbs.  Take 1 cup of oats and put them in the food processor until powdery.

*these would be fun to try with a cajun spice on them

If you make the Crispy Tofu bites, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Enjoy!