The Betty Crocker Project : Sesame Teriyaki Beef-less Skewers

One would think that resigning from your job would make life simpler. That afternoons would open up and every day would be like Saturday. This isn't the case. I mean at least not for me. Probably not for anyone who has projects they care about and talented friends who are making the world amazing.

My dear friend Marisa Miller Wolfson is one of those talented and dedicated activists for animals I'm talking about. She's the Esprit Créatif behind Vegucated, a feature-length documentary that follows three meat-loving New Yorkers while they adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. It hasn't just been a hit within our little animal loving community either. At this year's Toronto Independent Film Festival, Vegucated got a standing ovation and took home the award for Best Documentary. Tomorrow night is the NYC Premiere! This event promises to be the vegan event of the year in a city full of some pretty amazing vegans, and is the first of ten stops on The Let's Get America Vegucated! Autumn 2011 Tour. If you don't have your tickets yet, there is still time--but not a lot, so no more lollygagging. And who knows, maybe tomorrow night you'll spot a Shannon or two.

Living in an exciting city with beautiful, accomplished people can make it hard to have lots of time to cook. So I've been burning through a lot of Betty's 20 minutes or less type of recipes. This one is pretty much my favorite thus far, and goes great with some brown rice or on a split baguette. It's also a little fancier than it would seem considering how easy it is.

Even the most novice vegans and chefs are going to love this one. Start your ovens!

Sesame Teriyaki Beef-less Skewers

• 2 Packages Gardein Beef-less Tips (defrosted)
• 1 1/2 Cups Whole Mushrooms (we used Baby Portabellas leftover from another recipe) 
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (sliced)
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (sliced)
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper (sliced) 
• 1 Cup Teriyaki Sauce (not marniade or glaze) 
• 3-4 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Tablespoon Braggs
• 1/2 teaspoon Ginger Paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Orange Juice
• 2 Dashes Liquid Smoke
• 1/4 Cup Raw Sesame Seeds

Heat oven to 400.

Put your Gardein and Mushrooms in a shallow dish. In another bowl, mix Braggs, Liquid Smoke and Sesame Oil with a whisk and then pour over the Gardein. Let marniade for 10 minutes.

Thread the Gardein, Mushrooms, and Peppers onto skewers alternately and keep them slightly spaced. Place the skewers across the top of a baking dish so that the skewers are raised. It should look like this. (sorry to link to a photo of a meat dish but it shows what I'm talking about and I keep forgetting to take a photo)

Then mix Teriyaki Sauce, Ginger and Orange Juice into the marinade and blend with a whisk till smooth. Brush your new Teriyaki Sauce over your skewers. Flip the skewers a few times and brush them repeatedly. You want to make sure there is an even and thick amount of sauce on all the ingredients on the skewers and that you get sauce into your Mushroom caps. Then gently slide your ingredients closer to each other. You don't have to crowd them but you want them touching.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Half way through baking, pull out your skewers and brush them with the Teriyaki Sauce again and flip them. Pull your skewers out when your vegetables are tender and your Gardein is browned.

While your skewers cool, sprinkle them with Sesame Seeds. Take remaining Teriyaki sauce and put in ramekin on the side for dipping or drizzle over the top when you serve... either way... Enjoy! 

PS - More baked good tomorrow...