what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?

Dinner 10/18

Stir-Fry (additional pic)
(tofu, baby corn, baby carrots, ginko nuts, jalapeno, tamari)

Jasmine Rice

Gyoza
(stuffed with shiitake mushrooms and napa cabbage)


Some nights I get tired of cutting/prepping many vegetables -- so tonight, it was whole baby corn, whole baby carrots and ginko nuts... ;)

Also, we used tofu from the "Cleveland Tofu" company -- comes packed in a round tub with a square block of tofu inside. For a "firm" tofu it's sort of delicate to work with (crumbles slightly), but it tasted great as it fried up nicely.

UPDATE:

a request for the gyoza dumplings recipe -- as best as I can rememeber this is how it goes...

Gyoza Dumplings:

3 tbs. canola oil (divided use)
1 cup of diced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup of shredded napa cabbage
1 diced shallot
1 tsp of garlic
1 tsp of ginger
tamari or soy sauce (to taste)
chinese mushroom sauce (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
gyoza wrappers


In a wok over high heat, add 1 tbs. of the canola oil and stir-fry the diced mushrooms, stirring frequently until the mushrooms are soft and have released most their water (4-6 minutes), then reduce heat and add the tamari and mushroom sauce. stir-fry for an additional minute, then remove from the wok.

Turn the heat back up to high and add an additional 1 tbs. of canola oil and stir-fry the shallots, garlic, ginger and shredded napa cabbage until wilted and it has released its water. Reduce heat and add the mushrooms back in to combine. Check for seasoning, then remove the mixture from wok and let cool.

To prepare the gyoza:

First get a small bowl of water to dip your fingers in for sealing the gyoza.

Take 1 tbs of the filling and place in the center of the gyoza wrapper. Dip your finger in the water, run it along half of the gyoza and fold it in half, sealing the edges with your finger.

There's a whole method of folding the edges over themselves to help seal the dumpling, but much depends on how hungry you are at this point versus aesthetics ;)

Wipe the wok out and add the last tbs of oil and return to high, add a single layer of gyoza and sear, flipping occasionally until golden.

Add some tamari or soy sauce, swirl around in the wok, reduce the heat to low and cover for a few minutes until steamed.


We like to dip them in ponzu or sometimes we'll just steam them and add them to soup. Either way they're delicious...