A few weeks ago, on the PlantStrong facebook page, someone had asked what is the one thing that makes being plant strong difficult. For me, it is sesame oil. I cannot help but drizzle a little bit in the pan as I start pretty much any meal. Today it was sauteed red pepper, onion, mushrooms and leftover broccoli and brown rice. Once it was somewhat browned (I am usually pretty hungry at this point and it is hard to wait) I added soy sauce, my favorite sesame chili paste that dear friends brought me from San Luis PotosÃ, and a dash of powdered garlic and ginger. I finished with a dollop of hummus (store bought, so probably not plant strong) that added a great lemony richness that took the place of a "protein."
I also use sesame oil for the wonderful Jennifer McCann's recipe for Perfect Pinto beans from her book, Vegan Lunchbox Around the World. Along with garlic, salt, and if I have it, a serrano pepper, she adds sesame oil and liquid smoke which creates the greatest faux bacon flavor. I make these beans a lot, including this week. Thank you to my neighbor who came over to turn the flame off when I accidentally forgot to when I left the house to give blood. I guess I shouldn't have given blood given the shortage of blood flow to the brain that I demonstrated. Did I mention that I have the universal O- and the Blood People call me all the time?
Happy eating!
