Vegan Teens - Cheering them On!!

As most of my blog readers may know, while I am vegan, my 'Sprouts' are technically not. They willingly and happily eat the vegan meals I prepare here at home, but lacto-ovo vegetarian when out and about (at their Dad's, school, friends, etc...). I didn't go vegan until my oldest two were teenagers, so I'm happy and quite proud that they've met me half-way on this adventure.

They much prefer what I make at home anyway, but I also realize they're old enough to cook and buy their own food. And while I'm clear about my reasons and ethics, I have always let them make their own choices about what they eat. Yes, my kitchen does occasionally see a fried egg or dairy ice cream, but I'm OK with it; In the end, they love my cooking (and even share it with friends) - there are much bigger battles with teenagers anyway, choose them carefully!

Well, after that wordy preface, I actually have an exciting announcement: My Middle Sprout has decided to take a summer-long "Vegan Challenge" with two of her friends and co-workers! Granted, she has a tremendous advantage when it comes to familiarity and availability of vegan foods. But I'm excited about the opportunity for her AND her friends and wish them all kinds of success!!

Naturally, I'm secretly hoping it lasts longer than "just for the summer" but realize that anything at all, even "attempting", is cause for celebration and goes a long way towards helping animals, the planet AND their personal health. And much as I'd LOVE to jump in, planning, shopping and cooking for all of them each and every meal of the summer, I'm letting them find their own way. They're incredibly smart kids - I think they can do this!

That said, I have a request:
One of my daughter's soon-to-be-vegan friends, Tanner, is blogging about the whole experience and I'm hoping you, my blogger friends and followers, can "follow" his blog and offer (gentle, helpful, non-vegan-police-type) advice. I know he'd appreciate it, and he has amusing teen-age insights and perspective that are honest and often quite funny. Totally worth reading.
OK - his blog is here: O Butter Where Art Thou and you can "follow" with the link on the right hand side of his page.

I'll leave you with a re-posting of one of my Sprout's most requested dishes and one of my busy-night go-tos. Good stuff chilled like a salad, for a hot summer afternoon - which we're actually starting to see here - FINALLY!!

Quick and Easy Peanut Noodles
(original post here )

1/2 cup vegetable or veggie-chicken-style broth
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger root (substituting dry ground ginger will NOT work well here)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter (creamy, chunky, plain, natural style, whatever)
1 1/2 tablespoons brown rice syrup, honey, maple syrup or agave nectar (or corn syrup works in a pinch)
1 - 2 teaspoons hot chili paste (like Schiracha - from an Asian market or well-stocked supermarket) or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 cloves garlic, pressed thru garlic press
1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice or red wine vinegar

8 ounces noodles of your choice: Udon noodles, Buckwheat Soba noodles, thin vermicelli noodles or rice sticks (like for Pad Thai), plain ol' unseasoned Ramen noodles or whole wheat spaghetti!!

Toppings/Garnishes:
-- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
-- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts or cashews
-- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

First cook the noodles according to package directions for whatever type of noodles you have.
Drain and set aside, covered, to keep warm.

Meanwhile, (or while noodles are cooking if you can do two things at once) combine broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, syrup, chili paste, lime juice and garlic in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring until peanut butter melts and is heated through. Add noodles, and toss to coat. Serve warm, or cold as a salad.

Garnish with toppings: green onions, cilantro and peanuts. It's these garnishes that REALLY make this dish special!

At this point you can add whatever optional ingredients sound good, depending on who is making the dish:
-- Lightly stir-fried veggies of your choice
-- coarsely chopped fresh spinach
-- fresh bean sprouts
-- fresh basil leaves
-- fresh cucumber or carrots
-- toasted sesame seeds or almonds
-- chick peas/garbanzos
-- crispy cubes of tofu - we get these ready-made at the Asian Market. Flash-fried an even brown using a whole lot less oil than when I try it.

Super Easy Tofu And Broccoli Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

This is about as basic a meal as we get around here. Easy, simple, my kids love it and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand.

Of course, use whatever veggies you like, broccoli just took over as the vegetable of choice when my Sprouts were younger; sometimes dinner wasn't worth forcing them to take another bite of dreaded carrots, mushrooms or squash.

Now, thankfully, they like pretty much everything, but they still ask for this combo fairly often.

Serve it with rice, noodles, miso soup or pot stickers.

Super Easy, Super Simple Tofu And Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

• 1 tub or package water-packed firm tofu, well-drained (I wrap in paper towels and press for about 1/2 hr. if I think about it)
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• peanut oil
  
• soy sauce
  ~~~
• large bunch fresh broccoli, broken into med-small flowers (or the large frozen pieces work fine here too. Use straight from the package.)
  ~~~
• Peanut Sauce (To make it SUPER easy on yourself? Don't tell anyone, but the jarred stuff from Trader Joe's or The Ginger People works well here, OR use the recipe below if you prefer)
• Sesame seeds

PREPARE THE TOFU:
Cut tofu into small cubes, about the size of a sugar cube, sprinkle lightly with soy sauce. Stick in a ziploc bag with the cornstarch and toss until coated, remove from bag, shaking off any excess.

Fry in a shallow layer of peanut oil: To fry - Heat oil in pan (I like a non-stick, but use what you like) add 1 layer of tofu cubes without overcrowding, let sit in hot oil for a few minutes to develop a 'crust' and then turn carefully. Do a couple more turns, waiting a couple minutes in between sides, until crisp and very slightly browned (light tannish). Remove to a paper-toel to drain. This process is MUCH easier than it sounds. Repeat until all tofu is browned.

PREPARE BROCCOLI: Wipe excess oil from pan. Add brocolli and quickly stir-fry with a few dops oil and soy sauce until bright green and tender crisp (or to your liking).

Add tofu back to pan with broccoli, and carefully add peanut sauce to your preference (we prefer a light coating, some people like it swimming in sauce). Stir carefully to heat thru, another minute or two and serve, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

~~~~~~~~~~
PEANUT SAUCE

• 1/3 cup peanut butter, any type, softened
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• juice from 2 limes (or 3 Tbsp rice, or cider vinegar)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, shredded fine (I use a microplane)
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1+ clove garlic, pressed
• 1/8 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
• salt to taste

Mix together. If too thick, add water or apple juice to thin to your preference. This can also be whizzed up in your food processer.

Teen-Tested (and approved) Easy Peanut Noodles

One of my teen's favorite recipes, because it's quick, easy, filling and doesn't have a lot of "weird, leafy vegetables" in it. (Note that I have added some suggestions for vegetables at the end.) Not that they don't like veggies, some days however, they just want to stir together something easy and quick.

It's a heck of a lot better than Cup-A-Noodles too!

Just be aware that my girls like stuff medium-spicy, adjust spices as you prefer.

Easy Peanut Noodles

1/2 cup vegetable or veggie-chicken-style broth

1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger root (substituting dry ground ginger will NOT work well here)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons peanut butter (creamy, chunky, plain, natural style, whatever)

1 1/2 tablespoons brown rice syrup, honey, maple syrup or agave necter (or corn syrup works in a pinch)

1 - 2 teaspoons hot chile paste (like Schiracha - from an asian market or well-stocked supermarket) or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

3 cloves garlic, pressed thru garlic press

1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice or red wine vinegar

8 ounces noodles of your choice: Udon noodles, Buckwheat Soba noodles, thin vermicelli noodles or rice sticks (like for Pad Thai), plain ol' unseasoned Ramen noodles or whole wheat spaghetti!!

Toppings/Garnishes:

-- 1/4 cup chopped green onions

-- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts or cashews

-- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

First cook the noodles according to package directions for whatever type of noodles you have.

Drain and set aside, covered, to keep warm.

Meanwhile, (or while noodles are cooking if you can do two things at once) combine broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, syrup, chili paste, lime juice and garlic in a small saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring until peanut butter melts and is heated through. Add noodles, and toss to coat.

Garnish with toppings: green onions, cilantro and peanuts. It's these garnishes that REALLY make this dish special!

At this point you can add whatever optional ingredients sound good, depending on who is making the dish:
-- Lightly stir-fried veggies of your choice
-- coarsely chopped fresh spinich
-- fresh bean sprouts
-- toasted sesame seeds or almonds
-- chick peas/garbanzos
-- crispy cubes of tofu (see picture - we get these ready-made at the Asian Market. Flash-fried an even brown using a whole lot less oil than when I try it. Yum!)

I love this recipe because it's so versatile - you can make it many different ways, depending on what ingredients you have on hand and it's all good.

My older Sprouts make this with no written recipe, each adding variations that suit them, my youngest gets in these moods where she begs for it almost every day after school. And hey, it can be a "snack" OR a whole meal, your call.

Sometimes we do the stuff just "plain" and other times, we (well, mostly I) add LOTS of lightly sauteed veggies according to what's in the fridge that day - red pepper strips, carrots, green beans, bean sprouts, red onion and/or brocolli. When the girls cook, it's usually some pea pods, carrots and fried tofu cubes.

Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce

One of my kids' favorite ways to eat tofu, and quite possibly the quickest "tofu" dinner I can make. SOOO easy!

Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce

peanut or coconut oil
1 package extra firm tofu, drained between paper towels if you do that sort of thing (I don't bother).
2 Tb. cornstarch
salt and pepper (optional)

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
**1 - 2 Tbsp. coconut milk
3 tablespoons water
2 Tb. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce (or to taste)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced (or pressed thru a garlic press)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)


Heat shallow layer of oil in nonstick skillet.
To prepare tofu: slice into 1/2 inch thick slices, set on paper towels to absorb some moisture. Cut slices into squares and then in triangles (or leave in squares - my kids just like them triangle shaped - it all tastes the same though).
Put cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper IF desired. Dip in cornstarch, shake excess off, put in hot pan.
Fry until golden brown, turn and fry on other side, remove, drain on paper towels.

For sauce: In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, coconut milk, water, lime juice, soy sauce, hot sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic. Heat over low heat if you want it warmed - I usually serve it cold. Mix in the cilantro just before serving.


Pour sauce over tofu - also YUMMY over veggies, noodles or rice!

And yes - I totally copped out and served this with a generic Asian-blend frozen veggie mix from Trader Joes, tonight - hey, it was still good.

**I freeze leftover coconut milk in ice cube trays and then pop out the cubes into a large ziploc baggie so I can throw a little into sauce and curries when needed, without using an entire can.