A super simple yet healthy and delicious shiitake stir fry with red peppers, spinach and a splash of gluten-free tamari, a hint of spice, ginger and garlic. As an added bonus this is ready in 20 minutes!
I love talking about food.
Surprise surprise, right?
But seriously, if you want to keep the conversation flowing for hours upon hours, just bring up the topic of food.
With my cousin S, we seem to talk at length about various diets, him following a paleo bulletproof diet, and me being more of a believer in veggie heavy meals but there never seems to be a shortage of topcis. Which type of detox juice is the best? How tough on the digestive system is raw kale?
With my grandmother I used to exchange cooking ideas. We would gab on the phone about various recipes, who was cooking what for dinner, how it came out, and what’s next on the recipe agenda.
with my mom we do the same. I share my new favorite recipe ideas and she does the same. Naturally no two recipes made by different people ever come out the same, so there’s always a unique spin on things even when these recipe exchanges occur.
This shiitake stir fry recipe is the result of the latest cooking related chats.
My mom enthusiastically described her latest kitchen creation, as a quick, light and hearty side dish, a perfect accompaniment to any meal, or even a stand alone entree in an of itself. I love chatting with my mom about recipes and swapping ideas. It can be so fun, and a great way to try different types of dishes. She loves to focus on meals ready in 30 minutes, as her time is limited after working all day, so she’s always coming up with new easy to make quick meal ideas.
Once she shared this recipe idea with me I got to work immediately.
First off, shiitake mushrooms are the best. One of my favorite mushrooms by far. They’re hearty and meaty which might be an odd way of describing a veggie but it’s really the best way to communicate the flavor. If you’re eating only veggies sometimes everything tastes a bit light, making it difficult for carnivores especially to believe you could really get “full” off of just veggies.
Well throw some shiitakes into the mix the you won’t be feeling that way.
They add some real substance to a veggie heavy dish. Shiitakes overall I find to be super hearty mushrooms – they’re almost meaty. When you’re eating plant based they’re perfect, because they’re both filling and have that nice hearty texture that provides real substance in a dish.
Then you’ve got the crunch of those crispy vibrant red peppers and the softness from the lightly wilted spinach.
For additional flavor this vegan shiitake stir fry gets it’s pop from the pan fried chopped garlic, ginger and chili peppers.
Drizzle with a bit of gluten free tamari for a finishing touch and your vegan and gluten-free side dish is ready within minutes.
This vegan shiitake stir fry would also be delicious as a full meal if served over brown rice or quinoa. It works either way.
If you try this vegan shiitake stir fry please let me know what you think in the comments below!
A super simple yet healthy and delicious vegan shiitake stir fry with red pepper and spinach, with a splash of gluten-free tamari and a hint of spice, ginger and garlic
- 7 ounces shiitake mushrooms stems removed, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 inch piece of ginger chopped
- 1 small red bird's eye chili pepper seeded and diced
- 1/2 to 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- 4 to 6 ounces spinach
- 2 teaspoon gluten free tamari
- sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds as garnish optional
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Heat pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add shiitake mushrooms and pan fry until cooked through and lightly browned. Add ginger, garlic and chili peppers and cook until aromatic.
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Add red peppers and cook until lightly cooked but still crunchy, a couple minutes.
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Add spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Add gluten free tamari and stir to coat.
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Optional - garnish with sesame seeds.
Claire says
I have to say this recipe was pretty disappointing. We added balsamic vinegar to make it pop a bit more but it didn’t do much good. It needs another level of flavor to it.
Vicky says
So sorry to hear that Claire. I’d made this dish a few times, as has my mom and we always like it. Adding more garlic, ginger or tamari to the dish could help. Also making sure that the shiitakes are pan seared until almost crispy on one side also helps add more flavor.
James says
Some other ideas would be to make sure the spinach is fully wilted as this can be a bit bland. But I think trying to sear the mushrooms and peppers a bit more is definitely going to help. Also it can depend a bit on how much salt/sugar you’ve had recently. Sometimes the tastebuds take a while to reset and fully enjoy plant-based foods.
Vicky says
Thanks for sharing!
Nancy says
Fresh food. I know my family will love this!
Santiago says
The final result was so great. I had dinner with my aunt, and we cooked the recipe together. She was so happy that the recipe turned out to be so soft and enjoyable for her. We bought our shiitakes from burmaspice. Thank you for this gift for her, she sends her regards.
Vicky says
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe : ))