Vegetarians' Delight

My apologies for so long without a new post.  I've been eating leftovers, and enjoyed a delicious vegan Valentine's dinner out last night at Gustorganics.  This NYC restaurant is 100% certified organic, including all of their wines and cocktails, with plenty of vegan options for me and 100% grass-fed free range meat for my carnivorous fiance.

But moving on to tonight's post.  I had a craving for Chinese, and thought I'd test out this stir-fry recipe.  Back when I first became a vegetarian (though not yet vegan), vegetarian or Buddha's delight was my go-to dish on Chinese take-out night. Later on, I worried that restaurants might add fish sauce or oyster sauce, or just stir-fry the veggies in woks that weren't completely devoted to vegetables.  Luckily, it's easy to make your own version at home. Aside from a little prep work, you can have this on the table in a snap.

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup diced oyster mushroom caps
• 1 (8-ounce) package Thai-style baked tofu (such as West Soy)
• 1/2 cup (3-inch) julienne-cut carrot
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup canned whole water chestnuts
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2/3 cup (3-inch) julienne-cut green onions
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat (or if you have a wok, now is the time to use it).  Add the ginger and garlic; stir-fry for 30 seconds.  Cut the tofu block into julienne strips and add to the pan, along with the mushrooms; stir-fry for 2 minutes.  Add the carrot, corn, and water chestnuts; stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the soy sauce and rice vinegar; cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in the green onions, the sesame oil, the black pepper, and salt.  Serve!

Serve with any other Chinese food you like, whether store-bought or homemade. I added a miso soup bowl and vegan mushroom-flavored meatballs. 

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1/2 cup), Calories 91 

Tasting Notes:
This was quite yummy, and I appreciated that the sauce was flavorful but not heavy.  However, I actually would have preferred a little bit more sauce clinging to each bite, and I would alter the ratios in the dish slightly; notably I think it could have used a little less tofu, and more mushrooms (perhaps even several varieties) and some broccoli or snow peas thrown in!  Play around with whatever veggies you like until you get the mix you prefer.

Rating:
3.5