Brussels Sprouts Go Asian

Here's a different way to use fresh Brussels sprouts. It's tasty and can be served over rice or pasta as a main dish or alone as a side dish. It comes together in minutes, too!



Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
3-4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 15-ounce can baby corn, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp. mirin (sweetened rice wine)
1-2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar (or regular rice wine vinegar plus 1/2 tsp. sugar)

Spray or brush a non-stick wok or large skillet with a light coating of canola oil. Heat over medium-high heat, and add the garlic and green onions; stir and cook for one minute. Add the Brussels sprouts, turning them cut-side down. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Add the red bell pepper, mushrooms, and baby corn, and stir well. Add the water and mirin and cover tightly. Reduce the heat and cook until the Brussels sprouts are tender but not overdone, about 5 minutes. (Add a little more water if necessary.)

Remove the cover and add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Cook and stir for about one minute. Add more soy sauce or rice wine vinegar to taste and serve hot.

Some of you may notice that this week I am lightening up my menus a good bit (yes, even "fat-free" vegan food can sometimes be heavy). While I need to lighten up my meals, my husband and daughter do not, so I've been making some adjustments to the dishes I serve them. For this dish, I added a little re-hydrated TVP (textured vegetable protein) to their stir-fry and served it over buckwheat soba noodles tossed with a little soy sauce and sesame oil. I served mine over shirataki noodles that were boiled for two minutes and then tossed with 1/8 tsp. of sesame oil.
They got a little extra protein and carbohydrates while I got a meal that was very light but delicious.

(This was the main course I served with yesterday's Carrot Stick Bundles.)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free