Where's the Beef?

http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=Ug75diEyiA0

"A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite."
- Leo Tolstoy

There was a time in my life when take-out Chinese was my primary food group. My favorite dish was one of the simplest and cheapest. Lobster Sauce. I could eat a pint of (non-seafood) lobster sauce with a quart of white rice and be very satisfied. The essence of that dish was ground meat sauteed with scallions, ginger, and garlic. I could feast on that meal every night, night after night.

Since I've become a vegan, I've not found even a close taste substitute.. .until now.

I recently came upon a vegan chopped meat product (sold in Whole Foods Markets, among other places) called MATCH meats. See:

http://www.matchmea ts.com

The MATCH meat company manufactures four vegan meat products; Ground Chicken, Italian Sausage, Ground  Beef, and Ground Pork.

Am I willing to give away my secret vegan recipe? Sure!

First, you need a quart of good stock. There are many vegan stocks to choose from and vegan bouillon cubes to add to water or enrich stocks, but I prefer to make my own. For this dish, it's really easy.

I keep gallons of quart containers of homemade veggie broth in my freezer for such an occasion. I make the veggie broth by boiling carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, tomatoes, and whatever greens I have left in the fridge from the previous week's cooking. Parsnips, turnips, garlic, cabbage, and leeks will add to the complex flavor of the broth.

Here's my secret: Take one quart of homemade veggie broth, bring to a boil, and fill a separate 1-quart container with dried Chinese mushrooms. Cover with boiling veggie broth and let seep for 30 minutes. The complex flavor is intoxicating and can be used for the lobster sauce.

Here's my recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 package of MATCH vegan Ground Pork
1 bunch of scallions, cleaned and sliced thin
1 garlic clove minced
1 Tb ginger minced
1 Tb soy sauce
1 Tb sesame oil
1 Tb peanut oil (or other oil)
1 Tb vegan oyster sauce (made from mushrooms)
1/2 cup water
5 teaspoons corn starch

METHOD

Stir-fry scallions, ginger, garlic in oil
Add vegan meat and continue to stir fry.
Add oyster and soy sauce
Mix corn starch into water until dissolved
Add stock and bring everything to a boil
When liquid boils, add corn starch mixture, constantly stirring. The sauce will thicken.
Serve immediately with brown (or white) rice

I've since cooked the ground chicken with noodles and look forward to trying the sausage with marinara sauce and the beef with red beans for chili.

Who dares to say vegan food is boring?

To contact the owner of MATCH Meats:

allison@matchmeats. com