Vegan Chicken Patty on a Bun with Seasoned Broccoli, Beet Salad, Edamame

I'm going to be attempting to cook for one over the next couple of weeks, and so far, I've done better than I thought, but certainly have still made enough for at least two.  I keep saying that my mum is to blame because she would always cook enough to feed an army when I was growing up, and it's hard to cook small amounts when you're used to seeing that.  But, I did make something amazingly delicious today that really hit the spot.  One of my coworkers made this dish that was super simple, but super flavorful and I have tried to make it a few times, but I always overcook the broccoli and that completely changes how the dish tastes.  Broccoli, by the way, is my favorite vegetable.  I have been thinking about that a lot lately.  It's really a difficult thing to do to choose my favorite vegetable because I pretty much love everything out there.  But, there's just something about the versatility of broccoli and I love how the florets soak up all the juices and are so flavorful.  Yum!

So today I was going through the fridge, trying to picture what I could make, and after eating a slice of lasagna for breakfast- yes lasagna!, I was looking for something that would feed only one.  There was broccoli and some leftover boiled beets, then I remembered I had purchased these veg chicken patties, and just decided to go with it and throw it all together, and was very happy with the results.

Vegan Chicken Patty on a Bun with Seasoned Broccoli, Beet Salad & Edamame:



Vegan Chicken Patty on a Bun with Seasoned Broccoli, Beet Salad & Edamame

 Serves 2

Beet Salad:
2 medium beets, cooked, quartered and sliced thin
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced

1.  Place the cooked beets in a medium bowl (they do not have to be warm- the salad is really good cold too), and add the vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Season to taste.  Mix until all the ingredients are well coated.  Sprinkle the top evenly with the raw chopped garlic.

Seasoned Broccoli:

1/2 head broccoli, stems peeled and chopped & florets separated
1 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2" ginger, peeled and small chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons shoyu/tamari
1/4 teaspoon  red pepper flakes
sea salt and black pepper to taste

1.  Bring a medium sized pot filled with water to a boil.  Drop in the broccoli and cook just until bright green and still crisp, about 1 minute.  Drain thoroughly. 
2.  Heat a wok over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil and allow to heat.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.  Add the drained broccoli and saute until the garlic and ginger are cooked, about 1-2 minutes. 
3.  Sprinkle the red pepper flakes over top, followed by the sea salt and black pepper.  Stir to coat.  Add in the shoyu/tamari and stir until all the broccoli is coated.  Serve hot - so simple and delicious.  Could also add julienned red peppers in the second step when adding the garlic and ginger to the work for some extra flavor.

I just sprinkled sea salt over the edamame, and served the no-chicken patty with veganaise, red onions and tomatoes on the bun.

Enjoy!

-K