HARVEST VEGETABLES, Vegan, Dieters' Delight

A tasty carousel of mostly low-carb summer/autumn vegetables... 

Pan-fry of Harvest Veg: tasty, colourful, many textured -- a vegan's dream
'I'd eat this at any time and I'm no dieter!'

The ingredients of this wonderful dying-summer dish were chosen specifically to meet the demands of a no/low carb eating plan, hence it is full of low-starch veg and is pretty low-cal, too.  It's the perfect dish for harvest time. 

Tasters loved the combination of textures and colours as well as the multi-layered flavours.  One thing that wasn't added but would be welcome was bean sprouts.

No worries about calories or carbs?  Add carrots, fresh corn, potatoes and peas.   

As with stir-fries, the work is in the preparation.  Then it's like an assembly line -- some of the veg are braised, some flash-fried -- before coming together swiftly in a delicious melange.   

In keeping with the low-carb theme, the natural juices of the veg and flavourings are the only 'sauce'.  Thicken the sauce with a 1-1 slurry of cornflour, water, soy sauce and sherry but it will raise calories. 

Cost: depends on choices; say £2.50'ish

Feeds: 2-3 with a side of rice or noodles.

67 used a large coffee mug as a measure

Ingred:

   1/2 mug small cauliflower florets
   1/2 mug tenderstem broccoli, stems peeled & trimmed

   1/2 mug thickly sliced mushrooms; chestnuts preferred but any will do
   juice 1/2 lemon 
   1 mug thickly sliced courgettes, cut on the slant

   2 mugs slightly packed fresh spinach, washed & stems removed (or not if you don't like fiddling with stems)  
   1/2 mug halved baby tomatoes, lightly sprayed with olive oil & lightly salted
  
   light vegetable oil (groundnut/peanut is good)

   1 tsp reduced salt soy sauce
   1 1/2 tsp sherry 
   water or stock
    finely grated zest of half a lemon
   1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (opt)
   1/2 tsp grated fresh garlic (opt)

Method:

1. Get all the vegetables ready before you start; if using non-organic veg, soak in a solution of 9 parts water to 1 part vinegar 20 mins, drain & rinse 
2. Place a large, deep frying pan (which has a lid) onto high heat
3. When the pan is smoking hot, add 3-4 tbsp water and cauliflower florets; cover; turn heat down slightly & cook, shaking the pan, 2 mins. 
4. Add broccoli spears; check water level, 1-2 more tbsp may be needed; return lid; cook 2 more mins, shaking pan.  The vegetables should not be fully cooked; they should show some resistance when a knife is poked into the stem.
5. Pour the veg and any liquid into a dish; set aside 
6. Wipe pan with paper towel; return heat to high; add a thin layer of oil; place courgette slices in one layer in pan (you may need to do this twice if the pan isn't large enough)
7. Turn down heat to med-high; leave 1-2 mins or until courgettes are golden underneath; turn over; brown another 2 mins; remove to a platter, in one layer if poss  
8. Add a tiny bit more oil to the pan; toss in mushrooms; leave a minute or so for one side to brown then toss until all are nearly cooked; add lemon juice; toss again; remove to a separate dish with any liquid; set aside a few mushrooms for garnish
9. Return pan to med-high heat
10. Mix soy sauce, sherry, lemon zest, liquid from vegetables and ginger or garlic if using; set aside
11. Put all the vegetables except the spinach, tomatoes & courgette back into into the pan; mix.  
12. Pour over the sauce; stir briskly (thicker gravy: mix 1 generous teaspoon corn or rice flour with 1-2 generous teaspoons cold water to form a paste; add to sauce) 
13. Insert handfuls of spinach into the veg mix, especially around outer edges
14. Cover with lid; cook a minute or so
15. Layer the courgettes on top, then the tomatoes; scatter over mushrooms  replace lid, cook 1 more min or until veg are done to your liking
16. Serve on its own as a meal or with rice, noodles or a baked potato

Comments:

'I would eat this at any time and I'm no dieter!' Facebook taster

'Who says vegans eat boring food??' Dieting carnivore

Tips:

• Add any other veg but dense veg need to be part-braised like the cauliflower and broccoli
• For extra heat, add a finely sliced chilli, seeds and membrane removed
• Make this a meal with balanced amino acids by adding cooked meat or tofu

                  More vegetarian on Nav Bar:Recipes II...

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.