Vegan Stir-Fried Vegetables with Mushroom Sauce, Tofu, and Ginger (Using ChatGPT to minimize food waste)

Vegan Confession #1: My eyes are bigger than my stomach when I shop for groceries

Vegan Confession #2: I am REALLY BAD at using up all my fresh produce before it turns into a slimy mass of goo in the fridge.

Enter ChatGPT.

Being the total nerd I am, I turned to my shiny new AI toy to see if it could help. 

I'll show you how the conversation with ChatGPT played out - then I'll include the final recipe at the bottom. Here's what I asked ChatGPT to do:

Create a vegan recipe that uses some or all of the following: white mushrooms, carrots, red bell peppers, celery, red cabbage, cauliflower, vegetable broth

ChatGPT quickly spat out a recipe.

For soup.

It's June.

No thanks.

I eloquently revised my request:

not soup

It obliged:

Apologies for the misunderstanding. Here's a vegan recipe that does not involve making a soup: Vegan Stir-Fried Vegetables with Mushroom Sauce. 

A new recipe followed. I felt a little bad that it apologized. I mean, I didn't tell it I didn't want soup.

This looked good, but I realized it was lacking something. I asked CHat GPT to add protein.

Absolutely! Adding tofu is a great way to incorporate protein into your vegan stir-fried vegetables. Here's an updated version of the recipe that includes tofu....

ChatGPT obliged. Then I realized I had a tube of ginger paste I needed to use up.

Could I add ginger?

To which it replied:

Absolutely! Adding ginger can add a delightful flavor to the stir-fried vegetables. Here's an updated version of the recipe that includes ginger:

Vegan Stir-Fried Vegetables with Mushroom Sauce, Tofu, and Ginger

Ingredients:

2 cups white mushrooms, sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 cup cauliflower florets

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 block of firm tofu, cubed

Cooked rice or noodles for serving

Instructions:

Press the tofu to remove excess moisture. Slice the tofu into cubes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup (or agave nectar), cornstarch, and vegetable broth. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the minced garlic and grated or minced ginger, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add the mushrooms, carrots, red bell pepper, celery, and cauliflower to the skillet. Stir-fry for about 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are slightly tender.

Add the red cabbage to the skillet and continue stir-frying for another 2-3 minutes.

Pour the mushroom sauce mixture over the vegetables and stir well to coat. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Add the cooked tofu to the skillet and toss to combine with the vegetables and sauce. Cook for an additional minute to heat the tofu.

Drizzle the sesame oil over the stir-fried vegetables, tofu, and ginger, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the skillet from heat. Serve the stir-fried vegetables, tofu, and ginger over cooked rice or noodles.

Adding ginger will infuse the dish with a fragrant and slightly spicy flavor. It complements the other ingredients well and adds a nice touch to the overall taste. Enjoy!

This was a winner - and I told it so:

This was delicious. Great job!

ChatGPT:

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! It's always rewarding to know that the dish turned out delicious. If you have any more questions or need assistance with anything else, feel free to ask. Happy cooking!

I should say that I did add some salt at the table. Other than that, it was a mad success. I used up my excess inventory from the fridge, and squeezed 4 meals out of this one recipe.

Let me know if you try it!