Vegan Sweet and Sour

Thu, Jul 23, 2015

I’m not much of a cook, but I’ve been trying to re-create a few of my favorite comfort foods since we started eating vegan two years ago.

I’d really been craving Sweet and Sour Chicken when I realized I could make Sweet and Sour with just the vegetables and pineapple and leave out the meat.

As we’ve been trying to eliminate oil from our diet, I didn’t want to stir-fry. Instead, I steamed the vegetables in apple juice. When they were done, I added the pineapple chunks. And for the sweet and sour sauce I used Kikkoman Preservative Free Sweet & Sour Sauce.

(Whether he intended it, or not, I always go back to Jeff Novick when I use something that’s got too much sugar, salt, or fillers.)

Cue Jeff: It’s a condiment!

However, when the bottle of sweet and sour sauce was gone, I began looking for a recipe that might make a suitable substitute for the commercial sauce.

The sauce recipe I came up with is based on the Sweet and Sour Vegetables Sauce from The New McDougall Cookbook by John A. McDougall, M.D., and Mary McDougall. The main change I made with their recipe was to cook the sauce separately, rather than with the vegetables. This way, you’re not overloading on the sauce in one meal and should have enough left over for several meals' worth of the “Base” (see below).

Rebecca’s Vegan Sweet and Sour

Ingredients for Base

• 2 cups pre-sliced carrots (1/2 of 1 lb. bag)
• 1/2 onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup pineapple chunks (1/2 of 1 lb. can)

Ingredients for Sauce

• 2-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (drained from 1 lb. can of pineapple)

Start the base

• Place apple juice, sliced carrots, and onion wedges into saucepan.

• Cover and cook on Low for 15 minutes.

While base is cooking, start the sauce

• Make a paste of the soy sauce, water, and cornstarch and heat in a small saucepan over Low heat.

• Stir in the brown sugar and apple cider vinegar.

• Add pineapple juice and continue stirring over Med/Low heat until bubbly.

Finish the base

• Stir green bell pepper pieces into base and continue cooking on Low for about 5 more minutes.

• Take saucepan off the heat.

• Stir in the pineapple chunks.

Serve vegetables and sauce over brown rice.

Store leftover sauce in the refrigerator in a tightly covered jar.

— Rebecca