Waterless Potato-Carrot-Broccoli-Kale with Tart Miso Dressing, Jade Pearl Rice with Seitan (No Added Fat)

I had a friend over for dinner tonight before we went to see the American Dance Festival performance. I decided to make a hearty waterless meal. This is what I did.

Ingredients

• 1/3 Head (maybe 5 leaves) of kale, leaves hand stripped from stems and roughly cut into 1" squares (stems composted)
• 2 1/2 cups of small round potatoes (I can't remember what these are called, but any potato cut into 3/4" pieces would be fine)
• 2 cups of broccoli crowns
• 2 carrots cut into 3/8" lengths
• 1/2 red onion cut into 1" x 3/8" or so strips
• 2T onion
• 1T miso (any kind; I used chickpea miso)
• 1t ginger
• 1/8 cup freshly squeezed (or not) orange juice
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/8 t (or to taste) salt
• (optional) piece of jalapeno to taste (I used about 1/2 t)
• (optional) 1/2 t black sesame seeds

Process

1. I put the kale, potato, broccoli, carrot, and red onion into a preheated (medium heat) 3 quart Saladmaster stock pan.
2. I covered the pan and continued to cook at medium heat.
3. Within a few minutes, the vapor lock started to vibrate; I then reduced the heat to low so that the vapor lock wasn't vibrating and let it cook for about 20 minutes.
4. While it was cooking, I blended the onion, miso, ginger, juice and water, salt, jalapeno, and black sesame seeds.
5. When I was ready to serve, I uncovered the pot and mixed in the miso dressing.

I also made some Jade pearl rice - I love how it comes out like creamy risotto. I first sauteed (with no added fat) a bit of onion and bell pepper, then added 1 part rice to 1 1/2 parts water, as well as a vegan bouillon cube, brought to a boil, then cooked on a low simmer, covered, for 20m. I mixed in about 3 or 4 ounces of chopped seitan. I served some cucumber slices with hemp seed.

Results

My friend enjoyed the meal. I really loved the rice - I don't think I've prepared it this way before, and have to do this for my wife and daughter when they return from their trip. The main course was good; I think this is the first time that I've cooked potatoes waterlessly, and they came out tender and quite good. The dressing really made this dish.

Ideas for the future

One thing that I like a lot about my Saladmaster cookware is that it is so easy to clean. The potato stuck just a bit, but wasn't difficult to clean. However, next time I think I'll put greens and vegetables at the bottom and put potato on top.

The main course could have used a bit of garlic (either in the dish or in the dressing). A little bit of finely chopped raw onion mixed in just before serving would have been nice. Squash could have been a good addition.