veggie stir fry with brown sauce

this is going to be one of THOSE recipes...you know the ones.  no real measurements and lots of options. it's stir fry....no need to be precise.  the vegetables listed are what we used this time and just a guide.  use what you have on hand.  the key is the sauce.  

Forks Over Knives chinese brown sauce ingredients:

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup vegetable stock

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

2 tsp grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tsp arrowroot powder (you could probably use cornstarch)

combine all in a med. saucepan over med. heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. 

set aside....

stir fry ingredients:

(remember, these are merely suggestions)

tofu, cubed

citrus ginger spice rub (found this in the seafood dept. at Whole Foods Market)

coconut oil

sesame oil

shredded napa cabbage

shredded red cabbage

shredded carrots

snow peas

sliced mushrooms

sliced water chestnuts

bean sprouts

yellow pepper

onion

how to:

dredge tofu cubes in spice rub.  melt coconut oil in skillet and brown tofu.  set aside. (you could also marinate the tofu for a few minutes in a a little soy sauce or forgo it altogether)

add sesame oil to large skillet or wok.  add vegetables and stir fry on med-high until they are just beginning to soften, but are still bright and a little crisp.  add tofu and combine with vegetables.  add sauce a little at a time and combine with vegetables.  the sauce should enhance the taste of the vegetables, not overwhelm them.

serve over rice or noodles of choice.

susan's creamy (unless you make my mistake) kale smoothie

i've been drinking green smoothies for a long time now.  my palate has changed so much, that i can tolerate just about anything as long as i know it's good for me.  so, i've quit using recipes and usually just throw things in the blender.  the results can be iffy sometimes and i'd like to start actually enjoying the flavor of my smoothies, so i was glad when my friend, susan, posted this little dandy on facebook this morning.

yep...it's green.  

ingredients:

1 frozen banana

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (more if needed)

4 pitted medjool dates

2 cups raw kale, ribs removed

how to:

put all ingredients into blender and blend away until nice and creamy.  

a couple of notes:

make sure your dates are pitted.....oops, my bad!

in most grocery stores, you can buy kale that has already been chopped and the bitter ribs removed.  i take shortcuts wherever i can...i'm kinda like the sandra lee of vegetables.

*update*

susan informed me that this recipe came from the Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook.   gotta give credit where it's due, but i still credit susan with bringing it to my attention this morning.  

give peas a chance

actually, i don't eat a lot of peas, but it works, right?  

i'm super excited to be starting this blog at the beginning of this new journey.  to give you a little background, i've been on a health food quest for about 12 years now.  i've dabbled in and embraced just about every healthy food philosophy out there, searching for THE right one.  i've got all the equipment to prove it...dehydrator, juicer, vita-mix, grain grinder, kitchen aid, weird little gadget that turns zucchini into spaghetti like stuff...you get the picture.  health (mental, emotional and physical) has always been my primary motivation.  i just want to feel good.  i want to have energy.  i don't want to be on medication or put my kids on medication if i have any power at all to control things nutritionally...and, i believe i do.  i've seen time and again how nutrition affects our overall well-being, from mood, to brain function and clarity, to energy level and physical appearance.  as i said on facebook recently, i believe that healthcare reform begins at home, in our kitchens.  i may die tomorrow, but if i should be blessed with a long life, i want to do everything i can to ensure it is quality living. 

after recently watching the documentaries, Forks over Knives and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, (both available for instant download on netflix), i am completely convinced that a whole foods, plant-based diet is the way to go to reduce or completely eliminate the risk for many debilitating, chronic, life threatening diseases.  i encourage...no BEG...you all to watch these documentaries. maybe the findings won't nudge you in the same direction that they did me, and that's ok, but as my husband says, at least your future decisions will be informed. 

the purpose of this blog is to simply share the recipes that my family creates and enjoys as we move in this direction.  it's going to be a learning process with some major failures, i'm sure, but hopefully more successes. in my ignorance, i will undoubtedly use ingredients that many purists would scoff at, such as Morning Star Sausage Patties, Lightlife products or a couple of other similar ingredients.  but, what can i say?  they're helping us over the hump and we loved our breakfast meat. one of my long term goals is to greatly reduce or eliminate the use of these products, as well as cheese, but for now, you will see them from time to time. in general, you will see all natural, whole foods with no preservatives or artificial ingredients. i hope to go back in a few months and see some progress in my ingredient choices.

i would like this to become a community of average joes and janes who desire to eat a more whole foods, plant based diet, but who aren't quite ready to assume the label of vegetarian or vegan. if you try a recipe, whether you found it off of a website, in a book or created it yourself, and you think it's a keeper, please share it with us in the comments section or send me a message and i'll put it on the site...after i try it out, of course.

one last thing. i will apologize in advance for the way that i follow (or don't follow) recipes and the fact that i don't always give exact proportions, cooking temperatures or times.  jump out of the box with me and get creative.  ignore what your mama always told you...go ahead and play with your food. 

so let the fun begin....