One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda, is an adventure series focusing on a group of pirates, headed by a young man named Luffy. Over the course of the series he meets and recruits a crew of interesting and captivating characters to join him on his quest to being the Pirate King. The series is full of laughs, action, and drama. The combination of light-heartedness and intense drama and feelings really helps draw you in as a reader. I started by watching the anime roughly six years ago, and after catching up to the anime in the simulcast within 6 months, I decided to start reading the manga because I didn't want to wait to find out what happened next. Since then I have been a devoted fan and love reading the manga every week to find out what happens next on Luffy and his friends' journey.

One Piece is not a series about food, but it does have its place in the story, especially once Sanji (the eventual cook of the crew) arrives on the crew. "Food should not be wasted" is Sanji's mantra. Due to a past tragedy where he and his mentor, Chef Zeff, almost starved to death after being shipwrecked, Sanji takes the preparation of food very seriously, and along with his dream of seeing the All-Blue (a place he heard of as a child where you can supposedly get fish and foods from all over the world in that one place naturally), he also makes it a point to use every part of the food he has at hand, and to not waste anything. This is because he understands from experience that food can help you survive, and not just that, should be delicious and nutritious.

When we first meet Sanji he is a sou chef on a restaurant at sea called the Baratie. His mentor, Zeff, is the head chef and former pirate. He has taught him all of his skills, and besides being his mentor Sanji sees him as a father figure. The first conflict in this story arc comes when a pirate named Gin shows up in the restaurant. He comes through the door with blood in his face, clearly looking beat-up, and has a bad attitude as well. His one request is for food.

The other chefs on board refuse him the food, claiming that if you can't pay you aren't a customer, and they kick him out. Sanji takes it upon himself to create a stir-fry for Gin, and brings it to him himself, much to the consternation of the rest of his coworkers (minus Zeff). Sanji's feeding of Gin kick starts the rest of the plot, and we learn more about his ideals, and Luffy eventually manages to inspire him to join the crew and pursue his dreams.

It only seemed natural that when I created a dish inspired by one of Sanji's that I would create something healthy using many of the ingredients I had on hand already. A simple fried rice satisfied that thought, and with that in mind, I set out to create a dish like what Sanji would serve to Gin (minus the fish) or to anybody on his crew.

Tofu Fried Rice

Ingredients

1 T. Coconut Oil
1 Medium Onion
1 L. Clove Garlic
1 Celery Stalk (the leaves as well), chopped
1 L. Carrot, chopped
4 Baby Bella or Button Mushrooms, sliced
1 C. Edamame, shelled
1 Pkg. Lemon Pepper Baked Tofu (or seasoned tofu/vegan protein of your choice), chopped
1 C. Corn
1 C. Green Peas
1 T. Chili Paste
1 T. Mirin
1 tsp. Coriander
1 tsp. Ginger
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
2 tsp. Parsley
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Salt (or to taste)
1-2 T. Soy Sauce (to taste)
3 C. Cooked Rice (chilled or room temperature)

Directions

1. Dice the onion and garlic

2. Put the Coconut Oil in a large skillet and heat on medium-high heat.

When the oil has melted and the pan is hot add the garlic and onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Make sure to stir, so that the garlic does not burn.

3. Dice the carrot and celery while the onion is cooking.

4. Add them to the skillet and stir to combine.

5. While they are cooking slice the mushrooms. Add to the carrot and celery.

6. Cook, stirring often to evenly cook the vegetables. While they cook, defrost the edamame and shell the beans.

7. I do not compost because I don't have the room in my apartment, but if you have a garden the shells can be used for compost if you prefer not to throw them away. Discard them as you wish and add the beans to the pan.

8. Take the tofu out of its package and cut up into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the skillet and stir to combine.

9. Add the corn and peas to the skillet and stir to combine. If you are using frozen vegetables you don't need to defrost them first. They will defrost as they cook with the rest of the vegetables.

10. Now you will add the seasonings. Using the measurements in the ingredients list above, add each seasoning. Stir to combine and cook until the vegetables are cooked. You want the carrots to be soft enough that they are not crunchy, but are not mushy.

11. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to combine.

12. After the rice is stirred in taste it and adjust the seasoning as you like. You may need to add more soy sauce. Cook until the flavors have combined, stirring often, for approximately 5 minutes.

This was a hearty main dish that served 4. Feel free to adjust the seasonings and/or add some if you like the taste of a particular spice, or if you have certain vegetables on hand at that time. This is a really easy dish to make your own, and in the spirit of Sanji, it is great to be able to use what you have on hand to make a hearty and satisfying dinner!

If you want to check out One Piece you can watch it online at Crunchyroll, and you can find the manga at most large bookstores with a comics and manga section, as well as online. The anime can be found on DVD online on Amazon, Rightstuf, and more.