I promise I will post my Toddler and Baby meals tomorrow! But today I thought I would post an adult approved meal that also happens to be vegan. I am not vegan. I do eat vegan as often as I can however. I think it is very important to make any kind of effort not only for the animals but mostly for our health and the environment. A personal goal of mine would be to transition fully however it is very difficult with a chef husband who cooks amazing, wines and dines me and always has some amazing food event to take me to. I also am not going to lie and there are still certain meats and cheeses that I just really love. I am Italian after all. However I do try to make the effort to eat vegan a few times a week and that makes my guilt not as loud. This recipe I found from Erin Ireland. She is one of my favourite vegan influencers that I follow. She is from Vancouver and the recipes she always posts make it look so easy to be vegan always. If you get the chance go give her a follow on Instagram. This is a variation of the recipe that she got from Lord Byron’s Kitchen. It’s based off his recipe but I also put my own little spin on it. Anyway I have made it several times for myself and the kids and we all love it. My meat eating husband even loves it so you know it’s good.

You will need:

Gardein meatless grounds ( or any type of meatless grounds doesn’t need to be Gardein but I prefer there’s)
1/2 a bag
Broccoli
1 head chopped
Basmati rice
4 cups cooked
Soy sauce
1/4 cup
Sesame oil
2 tablespoons
Brown sugar
2 tablespoons
Ginger
2 inch piece grated
Garlic
2 cloves chopped finely
Onion
1/4 chopped finely
Sriracha
A couple good squirts

In a pan with sesame oil sautée as many chopped up onions to your liking. I do a quarter of chopped up fine red onion. I also add to the onions, 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped up. Then I add the broccoli and I usually cut the broccoli small enough so that my toddler doesn’t need to struggle to eat it. While that is cooking I make the sauce. In a bowl I mix 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, freshly grated ginger and garlic (I usually just eyeball it to my liking) and if the kids aren’t eating it I will add sriracha or chili flakes. I stir the sauce with a fork. Once the sauce is finished I add the meatless grounds. Since it’s not actual meat it doesn’t take much to cook it so I sauté that for a couple minutes before I add the sauce. Once the sauce is added it all cooks up quite quickly so I just stir it around a few times and its good to go.

Whenever I cook rice I always use my rice cooker. It’s so much easier and I don’t have to worry about under or overcooking the rice, especially with brown rice. It also allows me to prep for my dinners ahead of time and make leftover rice that we can eat for the rest of the week. My boys love to eat rice. I cooked 2 cups of basmati rice in the rice cooker this morning while the boys were eating breakfast. This made about 4 cups of cooked rice. I then put in the fridge for later.

After everything is all cooked I set up our plates and microwaved the rice. Then add the Korean “beef” and broccoli mixture. At this point you can add sesame seeds and chopped green onions to the top for a more refined look and extra flavour. I never have either of these ingredients so mine always goes without but I am sure is just as good. I also add sriracha on to mine. And voila! A perfect, hearty, comforting and most importantly vegan meal to share with your family. I always have leftovers as well. Enjoy!

I buy these Gardein meatless grounds from any grocery store. Safeway, Sobeys, Superstore, Walmart.

Finished product! Add sesame seeds and green onions for more texture and flavour.