sarah's sustainable life

don’t we all love chinese food? what fond memories of endless buffets of exotic flavors we bid farewell to when we took the vegan plunge. well, not today! this dinner of sizzling hoisin-glazed stir-fry wrapped in cool lettuce leaves will make you wonder why you ever paid someone else for chinese food!

serves four
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4cup rice vinegar
2cloves garlic, mashed or pressed
few drops of sriracha hot sauce (optional)
3T sesame or peanut oil
1package chicken style seitan, drained & sliced
2large carrots, julienned
1red bell pepper, juilenned
1 white onion, sliced into thin half moons
8large leaves red lettuce, for wrapping
2-4cups steamed white rice*

whisk together the hoisin, vinegar, garlic, and sriracha (if using); set aside. heat a large skillet or wok to high. coat with oil, then very quickly stir-fry seiten, carrot, bell pepper, and onion (in that order). when veg has achieved desired doneness (i like a little char on mine), pour over with the hoisin glaze and cook about one minute more. remove to a serving dish. serve immediately, providing 2lettuce wraps per person and a good scoop of rice on the side.

*because it is quicker, and always perfectly steamed, i spring for rice from my local chinese takeout. i am a starch nut, so i love just plain rice, but you can serve with soy sauce or extra hoisin for a garnish.

not quite pad thai, this dish is hearty and full of peanutty flavor. it also highlights one of my favorite products, which you will hear used a lot in my quick recipes, Helen’s Kitchen tofu steaks. you should be able to find them in the gluten free section of your supermarket’s freezer.

serves 4-6
3/4cup natural peanut butter
2 1/2T fresh lime juice
1Tagave nectar
1/4cup soy sauce
1/2cup veg broth
2tsp sriracha sauce
1bag (7oz) rice stick noodles
1box Helen’s Kitchen Chik’n gardensteaks
3T peanut or sesame oil
2cups julienned thai veggies (bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage, etc.)
1/4cup each chopped peanuts and chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges, for garnish

in a blender, whiz together the first six ingredients to make a smooth sauce. prepare rice stick noodles according to package directions, then drain and set aside. heat 2T oil in a wok or large, deep skillet to medium high. add tofu steaks, searing and cooking until golden brown; remove from pan and cut into small squares or triangles. add remaining oil to hot pan and, quickly, stir fry veg, then add back in tofu and noodles, stir-frying for a few minutes. top with sauce and stir-fry a few minutes more. distribute onto four plates and top each with about a tablespoon each of the chopped peanuts and cilantro. make sure each plate gets a lime wedge to squeeze!

my dear friend, yebroxy, introduced me to all i know about lebanese culture. i don’t know if it is a typical trait there, but she is also a bit of a self-proclaimed health nut (luv you, roxy!!). this dinner is inspired by the many creative dishes she would bring to work for us all to try.

serves four
1large loaf whole wheat lavash
1recipe sarah’s garlic hummus
1/2medium fennel bulb
1/2small sweet onion
1recipe jenan’s spinach salad
good quality olive oil

preheat oven to 375. (if not using leftovers, whiz together the hummus while the oven is heating.) place lavash on the middle rack of the oven for just a few minutes to crisp up. remove from the oven and spread over evenly with the hummus. place lavash back into the oven for about 5-8 minutes, until the bread is brown and crispy and the hummus is piping hot. meanwhile, using a mandolin slicer, slice the onion and fennel bulb as thinly as possible. this would also be a good time to assemble the spinach salad. when the lavash “pizza” is removed from the oven, sprinkle it over evenly with the fennel and onion, then drizzle with the olive oil. use a pizza cutter to slice it into four squares and serve each with a nice pile of spinach salad.

i spent about four months teaching english to a large group of mexican migrant workers on the porch of the warehouse where they lived in belhaven, north carolina. on their last evening in the US, they threw a big party – what did they serve? TOSTADAS! (and pastel) i love this easy, beautiful dish because it is a nutritious meal in one that represents the food of the people.

serves 4
1/2cup canola oil
8small corn tortillas
2-16oz can vegetarian refried beans (casa fiesta brand is AWESOME!)
2-513g packages chicken style seiten, drained and shredded
6roma tomatoes, quarterd
2cloves garlic
1/4 of a small onion
2T fresh cilantro
1tsp cumin
pinch dry oregano
sea salt to taste
1head dark green lettuce, shredded
2large avocados, sliced

preheat oven to 300. put beans in a small saucepan and heat over low, stirring occasionally. heat the oil well in a deep skillet (to about 375degrees); a few at a time, fry the corn tortillas on each side, just until crisp. transfer to a sheet pan and place in the oven to keep hot. in a food processor, place all veg, spices, and seasoning. pulse to make a chunky sauce. drain most of the oil from the skillet, keeping just enough to barely cover the bottom. gently stir-fry the seiten for just a few minutes, then pour in the tomato salsa and turn the heat to medium. allow the seiten to stew in the sauce for about 10minutes, then assemble the tostadas. on each plate, place 2crispy corn tortillas. spread with a thin layer of beans and sprinkle with lettuce generously. cover with a good scoop of the seiten in salsa and a few slices of avocado.

this one is difficult because quick is the antithesis of french food. (which is why it always tastes so good!) until i find a vegan “beef burgandy” that measures up to the one i had in paris, this will satisfy my craving for french flavors just fine.

serves four
2lbs fresh hericot vert (french green beans)
2T each fresh lemon juice & extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup each agave nectar & dijon mustard
sea salt
2tubes Pillsbury reduced-fat crescent rolls
1cup Vegan Gourmet jack cheese, shredded
2packages Smart Deli baked ham style soy slices

preheat oven to 375 and set hericot vert to steam lightly. whisk together the agave, mustard, lemon juice, oil and salt to taste; set aside. on eight of the crescent rolls (one package), arrange 2T grated “cheese” and a few slices of the “ham” evenly. use the remaining eight to cover and seal, making little pocket sandwiches. bake in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. meanwhile, dress the steamed (but still crunchy!) green beans with the agave dijon sauce. each plate should get 2 croissants and a nice scoop of beans.

for those of you who have been reading my site for the almost two years i have been writing – thanks!! – i wanted to let you know that i am getting ready to change a little something. i have decided to use the free recipe friday format to do a short series called quick international dinners! trying to go where creativity has led, i felt the need from readers i have talked to for whole meal recipes that are quick, nutritious, and exciting. and so this is what i hope to bring you through this new series. every meal will be fairly quick (most 30minutes or less to prepare), healthy, profiling an exiting international cuisine that your family may not be overly familiar with (no more meatloaf and potato night!), and 100% vegan. i will be including brand names in many cases, because a dinner stops being quick when you have to take 30minutes at the supermarket to inspect labels for shellfish or milk ingredients. it begins tomorrow and ends whenever i feel like it – because i can!!:) i hope you stay tuned, enjoy the easy possibilities, and expand your family’s dinner repertoire.

note of caution: many of these recipes are not terribly “outside-the-box”, because that’s not the way that i work (for example, quick thai dinner is simply my quick answer to pad thai). i want every person to be able to feel that international cuisine is within their reach in their own kitchen, and so have foregone most of the complicated instructions and obscure ingredients that are so often called for in more creative cooking.

as the past few weeks have reminded me, there are times in life when you just need a brownie. i am sharing with you today what i make when i want to eat junk and not feel like junk. i hope you enjoy it as much as my family does- and i guarantee, no one will EVER know these are vegan and fairly healthy!!

1cup organic, unbleached all-purpose flour
1cup evaporated cane juice
1/3cup dutch process cocoa powder
1T ground flax meal
1/4tsp baking soda
pinch each salt & cinnamon
1/4cup canola oil
1/2cup coffee, brewed and cooled
1tsp real vanilla

preheat oven to 350. whisk together dry ingredients. combine wet ingredients in a blender and pulse together, then gently mix into the dry. spread into a lightly greased, square baking dish. bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, depending on how “done” you like your brownies.

these savory muffins are so easy, i just couldn’t give them up when i gave up animal products. SO, i veganized them!!;) but they remind me of when i first got married and was just learning to cook; pretty much all recipes had to be this simple. throwback breakfast muffins will leave you plenty of time to spend with your family on a saturday morning!

1/2 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds
1 3/4cups heart healthy bisquick
1cup unsweetened soymilk
1/2tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup smart deli ham flavored slices, chopped finely

preheat oven to 400. combine all ingredients. mix well and use an ice cream scoop to fill 9 greased muffin tins half full. bake 12-15minutes, until baked through. enjoy hot with some fruit and coffee.

i kind of cheated on this one. asparagus really doesn’t come into season until the spring, and should only be eaten at its peak; BUT, my sister called this week and asked for a good dairy-free asparagus recipe. SO, here you are;roasted sesame asparagus! a great way to introduce skeptics to the amazingly nutritious veggie.

1lb fresh thin asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
1/3cup Bragg ginger sesame vinaigrette
pinch sea salt

preheat oven and stone pan to 375. bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop asparagus in for about a minute. strain out and rinse with cool water. (you have just blanched the asparagus – hooray!) place the prepared asparagus into a large plastic ziptop bag and pour in vinaigrette. toss to coat. pour out onto prepared baking stone and sprinkle with just a little salt. bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until asparagus just begins to brown. serve hot.

*calcium, iron, vitamins A&C, fiber, what doesn’t this veggie do? i have long considered it should be among those counted as super foods!

i know, it’s winter, but it still feels like fall in south texas! this is one of my favorites all year round, but is particularly delicious and practical when apples are in season. today’s recipe: autumn bake!

1 carrot, 1 tart apple, and one sweet apple, all grated
1/2cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/4cup molasses
2T agave nectar
1tsp lemon juice
2T canola oil
pinch each of salt and cinnamon

preheat oven to 350. mix carrot, apples, and coconut in a lightly oiled baking dish. whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over veg/fruit, tossing lightly to coat well. bake in preheated oven for about 30minutes. delicious!!