Sweet and Sour Veggies

Sweet and Sour Veggies Over Rice

When I was growing up, my mom would sometimes make a sweet and sour chicken dish including peppers and pineapple that I always really enjoyed. This was one of the first dishes I learned to cook on my own, and was also one of the first dinners that I made for Jon when we started dating.

Red and Green Peppers

As with most of my cooking, I used the original recipe primarily as inspiration. While the brown rice was cooking, I started off by chopping red and green peppers and onions.

Peppers and Pineapple Sauteing

The onions sauteed in olive oil with salt, pepper, basil, and aleppo pepper flakes. The chopped peppers went into the pan next, followed by pineapple chunks and some vegetarian “chicken”.

While the veggies all sauteed together, I mixed up the sauce with pineapple juice, apricot jam, and a healthy squirt of Sriracha sauce.

Adding the Pineapple Apricot Sauce

Once the veggies were ready, I added the sauce to the pan and let it cook down a little bit to thicken and permeate the veggies with its sweet, sour, spicy goodness. To serve, I put some brown rice in each bowl and ladled over the veggies with lots of sauce. Jon remembered that it was one of the first dishes I cooked for him but said it has gotten even better with time. And of course, I thought of my mom and how glad I am that I got her love of cooking.

A Vegan Version of a Favorite Childhood Dish