The Green Elephant in Your Home

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The Green Elephant in Your Home

The Green Elephant in Your Home

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A variation of Robin Robertson's recipe from Vegan Fire & Spice called, “Slivered Seitan and Vegetable Stir-Fry" - this recipe is versatile and can be tweaked to accommodate the ingredients in your fridge. This recipe will make you feel like you're eating at The Green Elephant in Portland, Maine. It's always delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp agave nectar (or any natural sweetener, such as light brown sugar)
  • 1/4 cup shoyu (tamari or soy sauce)
  • 1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tbsp hoison sauce
  • 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil (canola, safflower, or coconut oil are also great choices)
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced or minced
  • 1 head broccoli, lightly steamed (to steam place a broccoli in a covered pan over medium heat with a small amount of water. Steam just a couple minutes, broccoli turns bright green)
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 (8 oz.) package of tempeh, cut into 1-inch slices
  • 2 baby bok choy, sliced lengthwise or diced up if you choose

Instructions

  1. In a small sauce pan, poach the tempeh in a pan of simmer water for 30 minutes. Pat the tempeh dry and set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, combine the water vinegar, agave, shoyu, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, and hoison sauce, and bring to a boil, stirring until well mixed.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer until the sauce is thickened and translucent. Set aside.
  5. In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and stir fry for a couple minutes.
  6. Add the broccoli and tempeh and stir-fry until crisp and tender, about 3-5 minutes.
  7. Add the sauce mixture and stir to coat the veggies.
  8. Add the bok choy and stir-fry for a couple more minutes, until the veggies are all coated and the bok choy is wilted.
  9. Serve with brown rice or Jade Pearl Rice, for a nice alternative to plain old brown rice.

Notes

For spice add 1/2 tsp of hot red pepper flakes to the sauce. Try mixing up your veggies with bell pepper, asparagus, kale, brussel sprouts... or whatever is in season! Or in your fridge.