To pan-fry noodles, I use cooked spaghetti doused with a little sesame oil and soy sauce. I heat up a little oil (I use peanut) in the frying pan, add the noodles and cook one side at a time, like hash browns, until they’re browned on both sides. I don’t stir them, just check underneath until they’re brown, then slide them out on a plate and invert back into the pan to cook on the other side.

The sauce:

1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese sherry
1 teaspoon Chinese hot sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup garlic, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Heat, stirring regularly, until thickened.

I have recently followed Heather’s suggestion and bought several cookbooks from Amazon by Bryanna Clark Grogan. All are vegan cookbooks and there’s a low fat cookbook, a Chinese one, an Italian one, and one with 20-minute meals. While, she does use a number of unusual health food store ingredients, she has wonderful ideas as all, like cooking hash browns in a waffle iron, or stuffing bread dough with wonderful fillings (like pizza without cheese) and making turnovers that freeze well and can be served as full meals or snacks. I found them more satisfying than the pizza without melted cheese over the top. In her books she also gives suggestions for substituting many ingredients as well as brand names of mayonnaise, butter, etc. that are vegan. Here’s a link from Amazon, but you might also find these in a library:

http://us.mc356.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?.rand=371705319&uc=0

Well, good luck to you and your family. I have found cooking vegan to be the healthiest food I’ve ever made, somewhat challenging, but very satisfying. Annette

4 large sweet potatoes, washed well (do not peel)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 1/2 t. olive oil
1/2 cup green pepper, destemmed, deseeded, and diced
1/2 cup Roma tomatoes, destemmed, deseeded, and diced
2 t. garlic, minced
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 – 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed, and drained
1 – 8 oz. can tomato sauce
hot pepper sauce, to taste

Using a fork, pierce the skins of the sweet potatoes in several places. Place an oven-proof rack on a cookie sheet and place the sweet potatoes on the rack. Bake at 400 degrees for 60-75 minutes or until the sweet potatoes feel soft when gently squeezed. While the sweet potatoes are baking, prepare the black bean chili. In a medium saucepan, saute the onion in the olive oil for 3 minutes to soften. Add the green pepper and saute an additional 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings, and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add the black beans, tomato sauce, and season to taste with hot pepper sauce, stir well to combine, and simmer the chili for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, to taste. Remove the saucepan from the heat. When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and leave the sweet potatoes on the rack to cool for 5 minutes. For each serving, place one sweet potato on a plate or in a bowl, split it open, ladle some of the black bean chili over the top, and serve.

Serves 4

Mix in a blender:

2 cups soymilk
1/4 cup organic sugar
3 Tblsp. unsweetened cocoa
2 Tblsp. cornstarch

When the mixture is well blended, pour it into a medium saucepan and cook over high heat stirring the whole time until it becomes thickened. Then turn down the heat, cover it and cook 1 more minute.

Stir in:

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour into dishes and refrigerate until cool, or until you can’t stand to wait any longer! Serve.

1 package of firm tofu, drained
1 small yellow onion, chopped small
1 small green bell pepper, chopped or sliced
1 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. tumeric
2 Tbsp. parsley, minced
1 green onion, sliced in rings
small handful of grated carrot
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan for a minute, then add the yellow onion and saute on medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring. Crumble in the tofu with your fingers, add the bell pepper, salt and tumeric and continue cooking 7 minutes or so on medium high heat until any extra water from the tofu is cooked off. Turn off heat, and add the green onion, carrot and parsley. Stir and serve. Yummy!

Oven-Fried Tofu

makes 16 slices

Prepare a marinade for tofu by combining the following:

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp. crumbled sage leaves, or 1 tsp. powdered sage
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Cut 2 lbs. of reduced fat, firm or medium firm regular tofu into 1/2 inch thick slices and marinate from a few hours to a few days in the refrigerator. Turn from time to time to coat both sides.

To cook the tofu, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and coat the tofu slices in the following flour mixture:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder (opt.)
pepper to taste

Lay the slices in a single layer, not touching, on two lightly greased dark colored cookie sheets (important for browning). Bake 15 minutes. Turn and bake 15 minutes more. Use immediately or cool and store.

Tip: My Mom used falafel mix for a coating instead of the flour and they were awesome!