king oyster mushrooms (soy sauce glaze, spicy garlic kale)

Vegetables. For food. Every, single, meal?

I cannot (and will not) do that but ever since last year, I did take initiative to start eating vegetarian at least once a week. In true omnivore and meat-loving fashion, I've been failing pretty bad at this but it's a work in process.

Cooking without using any type of protein poses its fair share of problems and I've enjoyed the challenge of coming up with ideas to make the dish tasty and filling. Last week, I used the king oyster mushrooms I bought at the Asian market to create my meat-free meal.

The king oysters have a great meaty texture and I glazed them with a soy sauce mixture while cooking them. Just remember not to overcook these because they turn into synthetic, rubber, chew toys once they go over. To pair with the king oysters, I decided to play off sweet & spicy by sauteeing kale with red pepper flakes. Kale's nutritious, cheap and it's really hearty - perfect for college students.

Do any of you eat vegetarian/vegan meals once a week? What kind of stuff do you guys come up with to make them filling and exciting?

King Oyster Mushrooms w/ Soy Sauce Glaze (Spicy Garlic Kale)

Original, Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 4 King Oyster Mushrooms, sliced

- 3 tablespoons soy sauce

- 1.5 tablespoons of honey

- 1 teaspoon sesame oil

- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

- 1 teaspoon grated ginger

- dash of salt and pepper

- 1 bunch of kale

- 1 large shallot, finely diced

- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim the tough ends of the kale and blanch the for about 8 minutes or until just tender. Place the kale in ice water to stop the cooking and drain. Chop kale into bite sized pieces. This can be done ahead!

2) Combine the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger and a little bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.

3) In a hot pan over medium/medium-high heat, add a neutral oil (vegetable, canola, etc.) and add the red pepper flakes, garlic and shallot until fragrant and the shallots are slightly browned. About a minute or 2.

4) Add kale and saute for a minute to warm through and combine all the flavors. Remove to a plate and set aside while we cook the mushrooms.

5) Wipe the same pan and add more neutral oil over medium/medium-high heat. Add the sliced king oyster mushrooms and fry for about 2 minutes until golden. Flip over to the other side.

6) Drizzle the glaze over the mushrooms and keep basting the sauce (in the pan) over the mushrooms to thicken the glaze. Another 2 minutes. The mushrooms will be dark and golden in color and slightly sticky from the honey in the glaze. Work in batches if you must.

7) Place kale on a plate and top with glazed mushrooms. Serve alongside rice or whatever you want.

I'm a little sick right now so there might be less posts this week. Sorry in advance!