Stir-Fry | Curry

There is no significant difference between a traditional "stir-fry" and "curry" except that a curry tends to favor certain spices (e.g., turmeric, coriander, cumin, chili powder) and will often include coconut milk. Preparation is basically the same and is best done in a wok (but can also be done in large frying pan).

Ingredients (optional - mix & match!):

• spices: garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, chili/red pepper, other
• water (sprinkle in as desired to help prevent burning and keep pan a little moist)
• vegetable oil: olive oil, canola oil or other (used for flavor/fat - I use minimally)
• vegetables: scallions, onions, broccoli, bell peppers, daikon, kale, spinach, cabbage, avocado, tomatoes, potatoes, other
• sauce: soy sauce, braggs, vegan stir-fry sauce or make your own (e.g., peanut butter + a little water, ginger and sugar)
• coconut milk (1 can - optional - this is used to thicken the sauce)

Steps:

1. Choose vegetables and spices as desired (or take out frozen veggies) - You can cut them all first, or do it sequentially as you go.
2. First chop spices (garlic, ginger, other) and onions or scallions as needed.
3. Then add a little oil (1-2 tablespoons) + spices and onions/scallions to large wok or frying pan
4. Heat to medium-low and stir frequently (you can use higher heat, but then you need to stir more constantly)
5. Begin cutting the "hard" vegetables first (carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, potatoes, etc.)
6. After a few minutes of cooking spices, you can begin adding "hard" vegetables as they're cut.
7. Keep stirring. Add a little oil (or water) to make sure there's always a little liquid to keep things from burning.
8. Begin cutting the "soft" vegetables (e.g., spinach, cabbage, etc.).
9. After "hard" vegetables have begun to soften (10 min or so, should be the same time as you spent prepping "soft" vegetables), add soft vegetables to the mixture.
10. Keep stirring. Add a little oil (or water) to make sure there's always a little liquid to keep things from burning.
11. Open any faux-meat and prep it (cut seitan or tempeh, press and cut tofu), then add to mixture.
12. Add sauce (2 Tbsp or as desired) and coconut milk (optional) and stir thoroughly.
13. If you want the flavors to really sink into everything, you can lower the heat and cover to simmer for a while. Otherwise, you can taste test and serve whenever it's fully cooked (usually 15-20 minutes total)

Soup

Ingredients (optional - mix & match!):

• spices: basil, oregano, garlic, ginger, miso powder/paste, salt, black pepper, chili/red pepper, other
• vegetable stock (although not strictly necessary, this is recommended as it gives soup liquid most flavor)
• water (use as desired to make stock go farther or can use instead of stock with just spices for flavor)
• corn starch (used for thickening - I usually do not use)
• vegetable oil: olive oil, canola oil or other (used for flavor/fat - I usually do not use)
• vegetables: scallions, onions, broccoli, bell peppers, daikon, celery, kale, spinach, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, beets, other

Steps:

1. Choose and chop vegetables/spices as desired (or take out frozen veggies)
2. Add vegetable stock and water mixture (can use all stock for more flavor or mix half-half or use just water) to large cooking pot
3. If using potatoes, you may want to microwave them first as they take longest to cook
4. Add spices to liquid and heat to a low boil (not many bubbles)
5. Add vegetables to liquid
6. Add dash of oil (1 tablespoon or so) or corn starch (2+ tablespoons), if desired
7. Cook at low boil for an hour or so, to whenever veggies are cooked to desired consistency (e.g., carrots are soft).
8. Remove from stove to cool, then serve.

Example: Kale & Fava Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 32 fluid ounces (1 carton) Vegetable stock - 365 brand Vegetable Stock (labeled "vegan") - 365 brand available at Whole Foods (but you can use most any vegetable stock)
• Water, about 64 fluid ounces (1x the amount of vegetable stock is usually ideal, but you can water it down further if desired, just may want to add more seasoning)
• 4 cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 1 medium size Onion, chopped
• Half of one large bunch of fresh parsely (about 1/2 cup, leaves-only)
• Half of one large package of baby carrots - 32 Oz bag of Cal-Organic brand peeled baby carrots
• Most of large package of chopped kale (equivalent to leaves-only from 2 bunches of kale)
• 1 large can (20oz) of Fava Beans - Sahadi brand Foul Mudammas (Foul Mudammas = Fava Beans)
• 1 small can of water chestnuts (recommend sliced, but whole is OK, you will want to cut them)
• 2-3 Tbsp Garlic Pepper seasoning (garlic, black pepper, red pepper, salt)
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp "Good Stuff" seasoning (sage, rosemary, lovage, summer savory and some other herbs)
• 1 Tbsp Canola Oil

Steps:

1. Put all ingredients in large pot (to avoid spillage, it's best if soup mix is no more than 3/4 of pot)
2. Set burner to medium heat (can make a bit hotter or cooler, depending on how often you plan to stir it)
3. Cook for 40-60 minutes or until carrots are soft, stirring occasionally
4. Turn off heat, set aside to cool slightly (5-10 minutes), serve, enjoy!

As mentioned previously, you can easily adjust seasonings or the amount or type of vegetables. The one thing you don't want to do is thin the vegetable stock with too much water, or your soup will be (surprise!) too watery. For most flavor, you can use only vegetable stock (no water) - if you do that, you may need multiple packages if you are wanting a large portion (i.e., more than 2 large bolws of soup). And you need to make sure the liquid will cover the vegetables (it is OK if Kale or other leafy greens go over the top as those will cook down, but onions, carrots and most "hard" vegetables will stay the same mass, so liquid should be above them).

Pizza

For pizza, there is one crucial element, which is the dough/crust. You can sometimes find (frozen or refrigerated) a premade dough which does not contain any animal ingredients - that is my preferred method. Otherwise, you can make your own pizza dough or buy a premade crust (check ingredients) and then follow the premade crust instructions for baking. Assuming you have pizza dough, below are the instrcutions.

Ingredients (optional - mix & match!):

• spices: garlic, parsely, basil, salt, black pepper, chili/red pepper, other
• olive oil (optional - I usually do not use)
• vegetables: scallions, onions, broccoli, bell peppers, daikon, kale, spinach, cabbage, avocado, tomatoes, potatoes, other (can also use vegan pepperoni, seitan or tempeh)
• "cheese": daiya, follow your heart or other vegan substitute (or make your own tofu ricotta) - this is optional; if you prefer no cheese substitute, you may use just spices or try roasted garlic (you can roast 5-10 cloves at same time as you are warming up the oven)
• pizza sauce: you can find storemade vegan pizza sauce (similar to pasta sauce, but thicker), or you can use a little pasta sauce or some tomato paste, or omit, as desired
• dough + a few tablespoons of cornmeal

Steps:

1. Choose vegetables and spices as desired (or take out frozen veggies) - you don't need much of each vegetable - half an onion and 1-2 broccoli stalks is about enough to cover a pizza. You can cut them all first, or do it sequentially as you go.
2. Preheat oven to 450-500 degrees Farenheit (hotter is better for pizza). If you have a pizza stone, stick this in the oven while it is preheating. Pizza stone will ensure best resultst.
3. Spread thin layer of cornmeal on large cutting board (on which you will place the pizza).
4. In the air, knead the dough and stretch into a roughly round large pizza shape and then place on cutting board to mold into final pizza shape.
5. Shred the vegan cheese as desired (I usually use half a package or about 5oz).
6. Now, you can take out the pizza stone and transfer the pizza dough to the stone. If you are not using the stone, you'll want to put the pizza on a large cookie sheet.
7. Add sauce and spices to the crust, spreading with the back of a spoon as needed.
8. Sprinkle shredded vegan cheese (or roasted garlic or omit).
9. Sprinkle vegetable toppings across pizza, as desired.
10. Bake pizza for 10-15 minues (depending on temperature), checking frequently towards the end. When the crust is golden brown, you'll know it is ready.

See also vegan-pizza.com for some more specific recipes and pizza basics.

Pancakes

Pancakes are a little like baking in that chemistry is important, so you there are some necessary ingredients and proper proportions to this. The most key ingredient is EnerG Egg Replacer (which you can find online or at your local health food store).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat flour: I prefer whole-wheat flour, but you can use regular white flour, just make sure it is "all-purpose" flour.
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2-3 tablespoons sugar: I usually only use 2 tbs of sugar in the raw or maple sugar and add fruit
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 "egg" replacer: (1.5 heaping teaspoons EnerG Egg Replacer + 2 tablespoons warm water, mixed)
• 1 cup "milk" alternative: I generally use almond milk, but you can use soy or other milk alternative (note, however, that rice milk may be too watery)
• 2 tablespons vegetable oil: I recommend canola oil
• Fruit (optional): I usually include either 1 banana (mashed inside peel and then scraped in) or a handful of blueberries
• "Cookie" Spice (optional): I usually don't use anything else, but you can use a sprinkle of cinnamon or other "cookie" spice

Steps:

1. In large bowl (preferably with pouring spout), first mix all dry ingredients.
2. Then add fruit/spice (optional) and all wet ingredients (but be sure to premix the enerG egg replacer, which I usually do in a small sauce dish)
3. Stir until mixture is relatively smooth, which doesn't take long.
4. Preheat large flat frying pan, preferably a griddle or tawa (with basically no lip) to medium heat. It is very important that the pan be preheated to proper temperature to cook the pancakes properly.
5. Pour an amount of the mixture onto the hot pan in a pancake shape. Pour quickly, but smoothly in a circular motion. Sometimes, I like to do 3 small pancakes on the round pan, but it's easier to do one large one. The pancake mixture will be about 1/8 inch thick at first, but will rise as it cooks.
6. Watch the pancake and when it starts to bubble, it is ready to be flipped. It is best to use a large, flat and sturdy spatula for fipping. Just poke the edge of the spatula under the edge of the pancake to make sure it is solid and if so, you can poke around the edges until the pancake slides free of the pan, then flip it (smoothly and quickly).
7. Cooking on the other side will be about the same time (poke edges as needed to check if it is done). When done, remove to serving plate to make room for more.
8. Typically, I do not add oil, but if you're having a problem with the cooked pancake sticking to the pan, you can use a little oil (between pancakes only). Be very minimal with oil (spray like PAM might work best) as you don't want to fry the pancakes.
9. Repeat as needed for the remaining pancakes. Often, the first pancake is the "learning experience" and you will adjust your method (and the heat level) as you go.
10. When done, serve with maple syrup or agave nectar or garnish with fruit.