Vegan corned beef and cabbage with Harvard beets

What do you do for a fast meal in the summer when you want to feel well nourished and yet don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen over a hot stove? I like to make my own concoction that I call vegan corned beef and cabbage. I use Lightlife's Smart Deli Pepperoni Style, which I can usually find at the Whole Foods at 91st & Metcalf. I have no recollection of what corned beef tasted like when I was still eating meat almost 25 years ago, so this product works just fine for me. I don't have to pretend that it's something else. It is what it is, and I enjoy it for what it is, a healthy, flavorful vegan source of protein.

To make the vegan corned beef and cabbage, I put 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil in my wok and add half a head of coarsely sliced cabbage. Then I add the entire package of vegan pepperoni and a little salt and pepper. I sautee the cabbage and vegan pepperoni till the cabbage is heated through and somewhat wilted.

I bought the cabbage at the Downtown Overland Park Farmers Market on Saturday, where I also bought the beets and learned how to prepare them correctly. Debbie from Samyn Farm in Mound City, Kansas, was right about just boiling the beets till the tops slough off and the peelings just slide off. I diced the $2 mess (not a derogatory term when discussing fresh produce) of beets, used just two cups for this recipe, and packaged the rest of the diced beets in four freezer bags, with 2 cups of diced beets in each bag. I have never tried freezing cooked beets. I'll let you know how it turns out. Stay tuned.