What I love most about stir-fries is that usually you just mix up a quick sauce, toss some cut-up veggies into a hot pan and go. Dinner is ready in a flash.
The secret to making the process easier is to cut up your veggies ahead of time. You can even use frozen vegetables that someone else cut for you!
I’ve included a few of my Chinese take-out favorites, and they are all veganed-up, of course: Pepper Portabella, Szechuan Eggplant and more. Just say “no” to takeout, and make it yourself in the time it would take to drive there and back.
• gluten-free option* • soy-free option**
This dish is half roasted and half stir-fried. The cauliflower gets lightly tossed with brown rice flour and roasted while you make the slightly sweet orange ginger sauce. Then you heat the sauce, add the cooked cauliflower and watch your sauce thicken up fast.
½ cup (79 g) brown rice flour
2 tablespoons (15 g) tapioca starch (or 4 tablespoons [32 g] cornstarch)
2 tablespoons (12 g) nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon salt
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 cup (237 ml) orange juice
¼ cup (60 ml) white wine
3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce (*use gluten-free soy sauce or **coconut aminos)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons (42 g) agave nectar
1 heaping tablespoon (8 g) fresh grated ginger (or 1 to 2 teaspoons ground)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Cooked brown rice, for serving
Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast and salt, then mix well.
Rinse the cauliflower florets in water, then toss in the flour mixture. Arrange in one layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can easily pierce the thick part of the stem with a fork.
While the cauliflower is cooking, mix all the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup. Heat a large sauté pan, add the sauce and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until heated.
Add the cauliflower and toss. This will thicken up the sauce. Take off the heat when it’s just a little thinner than you like it. It will continue to thicken while you’re serving it. Serve over steamed brown rice.
Per serving without rice: Calories 208.1, protein 7.2 g, total fat 1.0 g, carbohydrates 43.0 g, sodium 724.1 mg, fiber 5.3 g
• gluten-free option* • soy-free option** • oil-free option***
This is my favorite Chinese take-out dish. The broccoli makes it virtuous, but the spicy garlic sauce is what keeps me coming back for more. It’s easier than you think to make at home, and you can make it as spicy as you like!
FOR THE SAUCE
½ cup (118 g) vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce (*use gluten-free or **use coconut aminos instead)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) agave nectar or maple syrup
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil (***use tahini or leave out)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) olive oil or vegetable oil (***sauté in water instead)
6 cups broccoli florets (or 1 [1 pound/454 g] bag frozen)
2 teaspoons (6.3 g) cornstarch
Rice, to serve
Mix the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the broccoli florets and sauté until they start to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Mix in all but 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the sauce. Then stir the cornstarch into the leftover sauce until there are no lumps; add to pan. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve over rice.
Per serving with oil, without rice: Calories 136.3, protein 4.6 g, total fat 7.3 g, carbohydrates 16.6 g, sodium 604.5 mg, fiber 4.1 g
TIP: If you like yours extra-saucy, make a double batch of the sauce. Also try making this with thin Japanese eggplant cut into strips or even with a mix of veggies and tofu cubes.
• gluten-free option* • soy-free option** • oil-free option***
Stir-fries are just the thing for a speedy dinner. This one comes together quickly even though there’s a little chopping involved. You can make your life very easy by chopping the veggies the night before or in the morning and keeping them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.
FOR THE SAUCE
½ cup (118 g) vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce (*use gluten-free or **use coconut aminos instead)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) olive oil or vegetable oil (***sauté in water instead)
3 cups (110 g) julienned onion (about 1 large onion)
4 cups (296 g) julienned bell pepper (about 4 small bell peppers)
5 cups (430 g) sliced portabella (ribs removed, then sliced lengthwise in thick slices, then into ½ inch [⅓ cm] pieces)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Rice, to serve (optional)
Mix the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté until they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for 3 more minutes.
Add the portabellas and cook until they shrink and start to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Mix in all but 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the sauce.
Stir the cornstarch into the leftover sauce until there are no lumps, then add to the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve over rice.
Per serving with oil, without rice: Calories 153.8, protein 6.0 g, total fat 4.1 g, carbohydrates 27.3 g, sodium 581.7 mg, fiber 5.5 g
• gluten-free option* • soy-free option** • oil-free option***
I’m a picky eggplant eater. I love it when it’s cooked through, but when it’s the least bit crunchy you can count me out. This was the first dish that really got me hooked on eggplant. It has a hearty texture and a rich flavor, cooked down and covered in a fragrant spicy hot sauce that takes no time to throw together.
FOR THE SAUCE
½ cup (118 g) vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce (*use gluten-free or **use coconut aminos instead)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) agave nectar or maple syrup
2 teaspoons (4 g) grated ginger
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon (10-15 ml) chili garlic sauce or sriracha, to taste
1 teaspoon sesame oil (***use tahini or leave out)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) olive oil or vegetable oil (***sauté in water instead)
6 cups (492 g) eggplant chunks (about 1 large eggplant)
2 teaspoons (6.3 g) cornstarch
Rice, to serve
Mix the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the eggplant and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Its bright white color will turn brownish and then semitranslucent.
Mix in all but 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the sauce. Then stir the cornstarch into the leftover sauce until there are no lumps and add it to the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
Serve over rice.
Per serving with oil, less rice: Calories 102.7, protein 1.9 g, total fat 4.7 g, carbohydrates 14.7 g, sodium 630.2 mg, fiber 3.2 g
• gluten-free option* • soy-free option** • no oil added
Ann Oliverio, author of Crave, Eat, Heal, makes a healthier version of fried rice. By cooking it at home, you can tweak it to your own tastes and add the veggies you have on hand. All you need to start with is some cold leftover rice, so be sure to make extra next time you cook up a batch.
4 cups (780 g) cooked cold brown rice
1 cup (237 ml) vegetable broth or water, as needed
1 small onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cups (268 g) asparagus, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
1 tablespoon (8.5 g) garlic, minced
1 tablespoon (6 g) fresh grated ginger
2 cups (504 g) baked tofu, cut into ½-inch (1.3-cm) pieces
¼ cup (60 ml) dry sherry, optional
4 tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce (*use gluten-free or **coconut aminos)
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup (4 g) chopped cilantro
4 scallions, chopped
¼ cup (36 g) chopped roasted peanuts, for serving
Quartered limes, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving
Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Splash ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable broth into it and add the onion and bell pepper. Lower heat a little and stir, adding more broth as needed. Cook for about 5 minutes, letting the broth cook off so that the vegetables brown a little. Remove them to a bowl or plate and set aside.
Add ¼ cup (60 ml) broth to the pan, then add the asparagus pieces, cooking just until they turn bright green. Add them to the veggie mixture you have set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of broth to the pan and the garlic and ginger, stirring only for about half a minute or so. Add the rice a bit at a time, breaking up any clumps. Stir and add broth as needed to keep from scorching.
Once you have all of the rice in the pan, stir until it starts sticking a bit. Now add the tofu and cooked veggies along with the sherry. Cook for about 1 minute.
Add the soy sauce, salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add the scallions. Divide rice among four big bowls and top with cilantro, peanuts and limes.
Per serving with peanuts: Calories 538.9, protein 30.1 g, total fat 13.1 g, carbohydrates 76.0 g, sodium 1810.5 mg, fiber 10.7 g
TIP: No sherry? Try rice wine vinegar instead.
