About Me

I am a wife, work at home Mom, homeschooler to my 5 year old son, diaper-changer to my twins who will be 1 in October, Domestic Diva, Artist, & Chinese Medicine Practitioner ... who just happens to be Vegan ! I will be using the blog as much as I have time for as an outlet to vent, exclaim victory, and share family stories of events involving food. It's tough being Vegan in a Non-Vegan world ... even more tough living in Houston, Texas. Join me in sharing ideas, tips, recipes, etc. to make our lives a bit easier !

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Monday, August 31, 2009

Yummmmmy Umami

Do you ever have one of those meals that just leaves you wanting ... MORE ? ? ? You know that you have had more than a portion but yet you could easily keep eating it. Yummmmmy Umami flavor is what I am talking about. There is no recipe here ... just a little of this and a little of that. The next time we make it I will post pics but last night I was too busy EATING the food to photograph it ! :)

Homemade fried rice ... precooked rice, canola oil, stir fry veggies, sesame oil, light tamari , ginger, garlic and prepared "egg" (tofu, ground tumeric, Bragg's, & pink salt). This was a late-night convenience meal and EXACTLY what we were looking for to fill the void left by a lack of access to such establishment. LOL We had things leftover but (of course) you could use freshly made items ... the rice is best for this when it's NOT freshly made as it tends to get gummy. If you want to just throw it together as quick as possible I'd  use veggies off of the salad bar and ready-rice.

We simply started with a hot pan, the canola oil, ginger, & garlic ... then add the veggies. When they are tender and starting to brown slightly add the rice to the pan. Now you can stir in the tofu "eggs" followed by a tiny bit of sesame oil and tamari (or your favorite soy sauce) to taste.

The key to the tofu is to have it done beforehand ... crumble an extra firm tofu (refrigerated version works best here) into a dry (non-stick) pan, add tumeric until it's the color you want it, a dash of pink salt to give it a bit of sulphur flavor, and a few sprays (or drizzle) of Bragg's to add some body. A spatula with holes or a potato masher works well to break up the tofu into tiny pieces.

Of course if you don't have fresh garlic and ginger you can used ground and combine it with the oil in the pan. There is a version for everyone here ... make it all fresh ingredients & brown rice with minimal oil or closer to take-out with frozen veg, plenty of oil, white rice, & dripping with soy sauce ... or anywhere in between.

Happy Eating !

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