Spicy Black Pepper Veggies

This black pepper sauce has a serious kick, so it's best served with plenty of rice to mellow out the flavor.

The Ingredients:
8 cups chopped vegetables (I used mushrooms and broccoli)

Sauce:
4 T roughly-chopped ginger
12 cloves garlic
1/2 stalk celery
2 T fermented black beans
2 T vegan oyster sauce
1 T sambal oelek (or other spicy chili paste)
2 t roughly-ground black pepper
2 T margarine
2 t cornstarch
1/4 c hot water
1 t soy sauce or liquid aminos
2/3 c low-sodium vegetable broth

The Process:

1. To make sauce, combine ginger, garlic, celery, black beans, oyster sauce, sambal oelek, and black pepper in a food processor and process until a course paste forms.
2. Heat margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add ginger mixture and cook, stirring, about 7 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into hot water.
4. Add soy sauce, broth, and cornstarch to ginger mixture and continue to cook about 5 minutes over medium-low heat.  Set aside.
5. Steam or stir-fry the vegetables, then toss with sauce and serve over rice or noodles.