Spicy Orange Run Through the Garden "Duck"

The other day I spent a lot of time and money on fabulous vegetables for a dish I wanted to make from an excellent cookbook. After all was said and done, the sauce overpowered the lovely vegetables and left me wanting more of the natural veggie goodness to shine through. To me, the veggies often times should be the star of the dish. That is the premise of how this recipe came into being.

Vegan "Duck"

I had this intriguing can of vegetarian Peking "duck" sitting in my pantry for some time now. I bought it a while back at Lee Lee market in Chandler to send to a fellow PPK-er for a swap and then decided to go all Southwest with the box. It needed to find a use. I thought about creating something out of my normal box...which I guess is silly because I don't find I have much of a normal box these days. I don't tend to make fruity or sweet sauces, so I thought I should do that today. Our oranges are so wonderful right now, I headed to the back yard to get one. Here is what came out of the brainstorm.

Spicy Orange Run Through the Garden "Duck"

Makes 4 servings

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (canola)
1 can vegetarian peking duck cubed (can sub chicken or beef seitan cubed)
1 large carrot, sliced into thin discs
1 tablespoon mirin
2 cloves garlic minced
1 head broccoli crowns, cut into bite sized pieces
2 heads baby bok choy, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 very large portobello mushroom sliced into 1" chunks
4 oz pkg soba noodles cooked and cooled

For Sauce
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon mellow miso
1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium shoyu or soy sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce

1 tablespoons black sesame seeds for garnish.

Make sure to prep and chop all of your veggies before starting to cook. It's stir fry, so it will go fast. Whisk sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Heat oil in a wok or very large saute pan over medium high heat. Toss in diced "duck" and carrots. Saute for about 3 minutes until "duck" starts to brown and carrots are slightly soft. Deglaze pan with mirin. Add garlic, broccoli and bok choy and saute for about 2 minutes. Add red peppers and portobello mushrooms and saute for about 5 more minutes, until all vegetables are al dente. You don't want them to be overcooked or mushy. Add sauce and stir until it is well incorporated. Add soba noodles and heat for about 2 more minutes until heated through. Garnish with black sesame seeds and serve.

Vegan MOFO - Day 16 - "Turkey" Surprise

Thanksgiving for my sister's family was spent for years at her in laws in San Diego. Grandma G spent hours and probably even days prepping for the feast. Of course, there was always some leftover turkey. After a few days you knew you were going to get tired of turkey sandwiches.

As was the yearly tradition, the day after Thanksgiving, no one wanted her to spend a lot of time in the kitchen...especially her. I'm not sure when this fun packet of yum was conceived, but both of my sister's girls always raved about Grandma's turkey surprise when they were little. I had the opportunity to finally try one when I was invited for the feast. They are a sinful little treat.

The original version was made with a filling of cream cheese, broccoli, and of course, turkey. The filling was then encased in crescent rolls that come in the cardboard can. In this remake the turkey is replaced by chicken style seitan, the cream cheese by toffutti brand non-hydrogenated cream cheese, and the crescents with vegan puff pastry.*

"Turkey" Surprise

4 servings

2 - 8 x 8 sheets of vegan puff pastry thawed and quartered
1 - 8 oz tub of toffutti non-hydrogenated cream cheese
1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 head broccoli crowns, chopped small (Approx 2 cups)
6 oz chicken seitan, chopped to approx 1/4 inch pieces (or leftover thanksgiving vegan roast)

Preheat oven to 350.

With mixer, blend onion powder and garlic powder into cream cheese in medium sized mixing bowl. Saute broccoli and seitan in about 1 tablespoon of liquid (cooking liquid from seitan or vegetable broth is perfect) until broccoli just turns bright green. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (this is very important, see note below). Stir into cream cheese until completely blended. Divide filling evenly over 4 of the squares of puff pastry. Top with other four squares. Pinch to close. Place two of the pouches each on a cookie sheet. Bake for 28 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

**Note**

To avoid sticking issues with the puff pastry, do not let it get too warm.