VeganMoFo Day 4 - Ana's Amazing Vegetable Combination

Another Esselstyn recipe today. Don't worry - a McDougall recipe is coming tomorrow. :)

A simple stir-fry, with a twist:

Ana’s Amazing Vegetable Combination
Makes 6 servings

Ana, who grew up in Lithuania,on a plant-based diet, shared this unusual recipe which, as she says, "just works!" We agree. - The Esselstyns

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
vegetable broth, water or wine
4 ribs celery, chopped (1 cup)
4 carrots, chopped
15-ounce can chickpeas (1 1/2 cups), drained and rinsed
16 ounce package frozen peas, thawed under running water

1) In a non-stick saucepan, stir-fry onion in broth, water or wine until softened, then add celery and carrots.

2) Blend peas in a food processor until smooth.

3) Add chickpeas and plended pea mixture to onions. Stir, heat, and serve over brown rice or eat plain.

Note: If almost any recipe needs thickening, blended frozen peas will do the trick. They are a magic ingredient!

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
page 232
Caldwell Esselstyn, MD and Ann Crile Esselstyn

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All the chopped veggies in the pan

Chopping, chopping and more chopping. This time I got my husband into the act and had him peel the carrots. Sure, it took him longer to do one carrot than it took me to wash, peel and chop everything else, but it gave him something to do. Now that he's starting to feel human again he's bored and still depressed because there's not much he's allowed or capable of doing yet, but at least he can peel carrots. If I make this again, I'd probably just chunk the veggies and toss them into a food processor and pulse into little bits.

The onions cooked up fast enough, but the carrots a while to soften. One of the hazards of using non-stick pans - you can't go above medium-high heat so things take longer to cook.

I couldn't resist tossing in a handful of torn baby spinach when I added the garbanzos.

Grain mix in the rice cooker

Photo from Vitacost page

I bought a bag of Nature's Earthly Choice Three Continent Blend grains (quinoa, amaranth, brown rice and wild rice) and made up a batch. Nice taste and cooks up quick in my rice cooker. The sauced veggies were served over this.


Now came time to whirl up the peas and toss them in. Directions said "until smooth," but even with adding a bit of water, this is as smooth as my food processor got them, about the consistency of ice cream. They did liquify a bit when mixed with the water in the skillet.

And here's what it all looked like fully cooked, at serving:

Ann's recipe says it makes six servings, but even with my husband's poor appetite right now, the most it made was 4 - my husband and I each had a serving, our son took only a few forkfuls before deciding he didn't like it, and I put away around 2 cups of the veggie combo for lunch leftovers. All I can say is thank heaven for the grain mix adding the bulk because otherwise this would be just one serving each for the two of us. Dr. McDougall is right - starches make the meal. Without them, we would have been very hungry the rest of the night.

But how did it taste? If it wasn't for the peas it would have no taste at all. There was a hint of celery, a veg we're not too fond of to begin with, and although my organic carrots were delicious raw they lost their flavor in the cooking. The grain mix was alright, but I've had Lundburg mixes that were heavier and more flavorful - and cheaper - than this stuff.

But the final opinion on them - My husband asked I not make this ever again, and said the leftovers are mine, he'll find something else to eat for lunch. Oh, well. I have another Esselstyn stir-fry planned for Thursday's dinner. I hope that one goes over better.