B'nut Squash and Black Eyed Pea Soup

Yaaayyy!  It's almost Thanksgiving break - one more day, one more test, and one more quiz to go!

 

In the meantime, here's the soup I've been happily indulging in for the past few days.  It's lovely - I'm loving this butternut squash stuff...

 

Adapted from Manifest Vegan

 

Veggies:

• Leek
• Onion
• Carrot
• Garlic

 

Etc:

• Black eyed peas
• Unsweetened, plain almond milk
• Cumin
• Butter extract
• Home made veggie broth powder
• Seitan

 

Puree 1 roasted butternut squash with 1/2 cup-ish sundried tomatoes and enough water to make it blend.  Add to the soup and heat through.

I'm Feeling GOURMET!

Although this took 1 1/2 hours to put together, the end result was totally worth it.  Yum, I l-o-v-e fennel!  Adapted from EatingWell.

Preheat the oven to 400, and coat 3 pans with nonstick spray.  Slice up 1 fennel bulb, saving the fronds, and lay that on one pan.  Chop/slice 1 large leek and 1 small red onion, and put that on another pan.  Chop up 1 lb broccoli, and put this on the final pan.  Drizzle each pan with about 1/2 tbsp olive oil.  Then cut off the top bit of a garlic bulb and dip the exposed bits in olive oil, and place the bulb on another pan (yes a bulb, as in a head... not a clove).  Bake all of these pans for 20-35 minutes, until veggies are tender.  Broccoli will finish first, garlic last, so check these periodically.

Meanwhile, coat a large casserole dish with nonstick spray, and mix together 2/3 cup ww flour, 2/3 cup sunflower seeds, 2/3 cup oatmeal, and applesauce in the pan to form a pie crust.  Smooth the dough over the pan's bottom and sides, and bake for 12 minutes, until browned.

Blend together 1/3 cup olives, lots of parsley, and a bit of mirin to make an olive tapenade.

Chop the fennel fronds and lots of parsley with the roasted garlic.  These don't have to be very finely chopped - rough is OK.

To assemble, spread the olive tapenade over the bottom of the pie crust.  Mix together roasted veggies, chopped fennel frond mixture, 1/3 cup nooch, a bit of red wine vinegar, dried rosemary... and pour all of this in the casserole dish.  Bake for 20ish minutes, until the top is slightly browned. 

Eat and feel super fancy because this is a GOURMET dish! ;)

Corned "Beef" Stew plus Setian

Yay St. Patrick's Day!

First up, the stew is adapted from Vegan Appetite... I made the seasoning mix down at the bottom of the page, omitting the yellow mustard seeds and subbing nutmeg for the cardamom.  Then I used Vegan Dad's fabulous sausage recipe for the setian, adding in 2 tbsp of the seasoning mix, and using mirin in place of the oil; the dough was shaped into 3 large patties and wrapped in foil, then steamed for 40 minutes.  The stew was 2 chopped leeks, lots of carrots, and about 3 cups chopped green cabbage all sauteed together.  I added 3 cups tomato sauce, 2 tbsp vegetable bouillon, 5 chopped red potatoes, 1 scant cup beer, 1 tbsp caraway seeds and 1 tbsp tamari.  It was rounded off with 2 tbsp of the seasoning blend and 2 cups soaked white beans.  I added a corn starch slurry to thicken, and served it with the setian.

Super flavourful!

Leek and Lemon Pasta

Lemony Leeky Pesto Pasta

Adapted from Happy Healthy Life

Serves 10 +

12 oz. whole wheat penne pasta, cooked until al dente

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 3/4 cups sliced leeks (about 2 small leeks)
12 oz tofu

3 Tbsp mirin

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Other green veggies like broccoli, asparagus, or green beans

1 tsp Italian seasoning
Pepper, to taste

Blend together the orange juice through mirin until smooth. Set aside.
Sauté the peas, veggies, and seasoning in a bit of water until tender, about 5 minutes.

Plate the pasta, top with the pesto sauce, and surround with veggies. Good hot or cold.

Japanese Pancake...

These pictures turned out aweful.  I guess my camera didn't like the okonomiyaki.  But I did.  This was really quite a weird dish,  mainly, I think, because I used whole wheat flour.  But it was also interesting, and a nice change from the norm.  What I thought was really funny when I was making the batter was that there was more egg that flour, and that seemed really unbalanced.  Again, the photos do not really do this dish justice, because it was quick, and good to eat.  A good dish to use up eggs, too, which I am really bad about.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza)

Serves 2

Adapted from eCurry
1 cup cabbage, finely shredded
3/4 cup finely chopped white and tender green leeks
1 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 tsp baking soda
Water
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 tsp peanut oil
2 tbsp bbq sauce
2 tbsp tamarind juice
Toasted almonds
Chopped green onions
Opt: cheese, fake meat, noodles

In a small bowl, mix together the bbq sauce, ketchup, and tamarind juice. Set aside.
Mix together the flour with the water, and add the baking soda with the salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the leeks, cabbage, and half the carrots.
Heat a large frying pan coated with nonstick spray over medium heat.  Add the oil, and then add the flour mixture and use a spatula or back of a spoon to press into a round shape. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the bottom has become solid. Spray the top with nonstick spray and then flip it over. Flatten the other side with the spatula, and then cook for 3-5 more minutes. Remove from heat and spread some of the bbq sauce mixture on it. Top with remaining carrots, almonds, green onions, and whatever else floats your boat. Cut into wedges and serve.

Another Attack on the US Government. Crazyness.

I am very, very stunned by what happened last Saturday in Tucson, Arizona.  I don't feel very politically passionate, but I think that everyone in the US is very stunned by what Loughner did.  What I find incredible is that someone would have the guts to do something as outrageous as what he did.  What is really sad is that so many people died, and it seems like that these types of attacks have been more and more frequent in the past few years.  Sometimes I get the feeling  that Americans are just reallu agitated from some reason.  But, I am nonetheless very sorry to hear about the shootings.  I think it's so cool to know, though- not to mention really inspiring- that some people tried to come to the rescue.  I read an article about how two men wrestled the attacker to theh ground, and then a womab grabbed his ammunitiuon.   Another government intern tried to help the bleeding Congresswoman Giffords.  It's so nice to hear the good side of humanity sometimes, and I just take comfort in knowign that not al people are rude and are willing to help.

A nuch more plesant topic would be cooking.  Tonight I made a risotto, which is a type of creamy Italian rice.  I can't tolerate eating very large quantities of this surff at one time, but it's really good.  This recipe for risotto has actually been my favourite of all that I have very tried, which is saying something.  Although it's not really all that easy to make, the end results are worth it ten times over.  The lemon taste is so different from normal disheds, I found that to be a nice change of pace.

Leek, Mushroom, and Lemon Risotto


Serves 6

Adapted from 330 Vegetarian Recipes for Health

2 medium leeks, washed well, cut in half, and chopped
Scant 1 lb white button mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp dry cooking sherry, plus a little extra
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 ½ cups Arborio rice/risotto rice
3 ½ - 4 cups water
1 ½ tbsp vegetarian chicken bullion
Rind and juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped parsley, plus extra sprigs for garnish

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the sherry in a large pot, and then add the garlic. Stir for a couple seconds, and then add the leeks and mushrooms. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat and set aside, saving the liquid.
Meanwhile, in a separate small kettle, add 3 ½ cups water with the bullion and bring to a light simmer.
Reheat the pot with a bit more sherry, and sauté the onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice for a couple seconds, and then add a ladleful of the water and bullion. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Continue adding liquid a ladleful at a time, until the rice is done, about 20-25 minutes. Add the reserved leeks and mushrooms with their juice, and cook until most of that liquid is absorbed. If the rice is not tender, add the extra ½ cup water. Just before serving, add the lemon juice and rind, the cheese, and parsley. Mix well, and serve with the salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.

Souffles- They're Not That Hard!

One thing I have to say about these.  Appearently they don't like the camera, because I didn't really get any good pictures of these soufflés.  And now they're all gone.  Which really stinks, because they were really good.

Yes, they are quite time-consuming, from all the chopping of the leeks so finely.  M was positively groaning by the time she had finished (I gave her that job.  I know, I'm so nice).  And then they have to bake for half an hour too.  But it's all worth it.  Both M and I loved these- the combination of flavours and textures made this such a unique culinary experience.  I got to use my ramkins, too, which is always a plus... One thing I have to say though.  These are a little higher in fat than something I normally make, from the eggs and walnuts, but are still very healthy and good for you (and a lot healthier than the original version).

This was both M and mine's first soufflé experience, both in eating and making.  I was surprised at how well ours rised, because soufflés are notorious for not turning out right.  This was not the case for that recipe, so I would highly recommend it to anyone who has never made a soufflé before. 

Walnuts, leeks, eggs... all really poofed up, in a lovely warm ramkin...

Leek and Walnut Soufflés

Adapted from the Vegetarian Bible

Serves 4-6

3 small-ish leeks, very finely chopped
½ cup broth
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped finely
2 tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs (we used chives, basil, and rosemary)
2 tbsp vanilla yogurt
½ cup skim ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute the leeks for 3 minutes. Add the broth, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks (I used an electric mixer).
In another bowl, beat the yolks. Add the leeks and remaining ingredients, and mix well. Working quickly now before the whites deflate, add the whites to the leek mixture, and pour all of that into ramkins or a large baking dish, coating them with nonstick spray.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until nice and poofy and golden brown on top.

Another Mutton Stir Fry

I have waited so long to post this recipe, my memory of what I did is probably fairly inaccurate.  But I think it's pretty accurate- the only thing is that you might want to add more soy sauce or rice vinegar, depending on your tastes.  When I first made this, I thought it was rather bland.  Thus the reason I waited so long to post it.  M was fine the way it was, but I got an inspiration to add apricot preserves to mine in order add a bit of punch.  That worked out so well, and I fell in love with the stir fry afterwards.

I can't praise the mock meat section in the Vegetarian Market enough... it's amazing!  A-ma-zing!  They have these really authentic looking drumsticks that I would like to try next... and Wok has a recipe that I think would fit excently.  So look for that pretty soon.  In the meantime, M and I are surviving on this one.

I was totally amazed at how simple it was to put this together.  I picked the ingredients because M wasn't able to help me that night, and I wasn't eating at midnight.  And it made so much- it hardly fit into the wok at first.  I served this over udon noodles, because they are fast, but I bet it would be excellent over rice as well.

Sweet and Spicy Mutton Stir Fry

Inspired (VERY loosely) by Wok

Serves 6

1 package vegetarian mutton, thawed and broken into bite-sized pieces

1 large onion, halved and sliced

.75 lb shiitake mushrooms, chopped

.75 lb snow peas, trimmed

2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups green cabbage, shredded

1 bell pepper, chopped
1 leek, cut into rings
5 1½ inch pieces lemon grass
1 tbsp grated ginger
½ tbsp corn starch

Chili sauce, to taste

1 tbsp yellow bean paste
1 tbsp Better Than Bullion Ham Flavouring
4-5 tbsp soy sauce
4-5 tbsp rice vinegar
Sugar free apricot preserves, if you want, to taste

Mix together the corn starch through the rice vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water. Add the onion, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the shiitakes with the leeks, cook for another minute, and then stir in the ginger and lemon grass. Add the broccoli, cook for another minute, and add the cabbage, snow peas, and bell pepper. When the veggies are almost tender add the mutton and sauce. Heat through and mix thoroughly.

Remove the lemon grass stalks, and serve over udon or rice. I put the preserves on the table, where I could add as much as I wanted. M was fine the it way it was; mine needed a bit more flavour for me.

Sweet, Sour, and Smoky Duck Stir Fry

Bottled sauces have got to be one of the most useful things that are known to man.  Sometimes, I feel like I'm cheating when I just dump a boatload of sauce from a jar into a stir fry, but I figure that enough of my own elements are added too to where it's not cheating.  So that's my excuse...

But, honestly.  Who cares where the sauce came from if it makes a stir fry so good, you get dreamy just thinking about it?  Not me, that's for sure.  And that's exactly the case with this dish.  It's easy (relatively), makes a ton, and the sauce is irrisistably tasty and thick.  Another good old pile o' veggies that I would love to make time and time again.  Sometimes, I think piles of veggie are good for the soul, and there is nothing more picturesque than a steaming stir fry on a night when one is completely whipped out.

The mock meat M and I selected for this recipe was called "Smoked Duck".  Weird, I know.  But it was really fun to cut up, and lended a smoky flavour (no duh) that I am so fond of.  And it smelled really good, too, when cooking.  Of course, the texture was interesting too- not quite setian, not quite tofu.  Just bliss...

Sweet, Sour, and Smoky Mock Duck Stir Fry

Serves 4-6

Inspired by Wok

2 large carrots, coined
4 leeks, coined
1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, chopped
2 cups broccoli, chopped into florets
2 cups green cabbage, shredded
1 package smoke-flavoured mock duck (good luck finding that… mine came in a long, thin package, I would guess it was just under a pound)
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
3 tbsp rice vinegar
6 tbsp sweet and sour sauce

Mix together the soy sauce through the sweet and sour sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water. Add the carrots, and sauté for a minute. Add the broccoli and leeks. After about 3 more minutes of sautéing, toss in the cabbage and basil. When that is mixed in, add the bell pepper. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until almost done, and then add the duck and sauce. Stir to coat the veggies, and continue sautéing until heated through.
Serve over brown rice, or noodles.  Sorgum noodles are in the picture; I also liked this over rice.

Cabbage: Cheap, Healthy, Healing

Ahh, the joys of being sick.  Not.  Sheesh, I felt awful when I got home that day- I think I might have had a quick surge of a fever, because for a couple hours I was shivering like nobody's buisness, and then felt like something set on fire.  And then I had to go give a short improv speech about a quote from Asher Lev.  (Which I got a 100 on.  Not to brag- my grade really needed that, though.) 

But why do you care about that?  You don't.  I just felt like typing that...  But, I think this cabbage worked miracles for me and my sickness.  Once it was finally done cooking, I dragged myself over to the table, and M dished up the noodles and cabbage.  And then I was in heaven for about half an hour.  I dunno how to describe this- how about amazing?  The steam helped my nose, and it tasted quite creamy.  Exactly the thing a sick person is craving when they want a healthy, tastey, nourishing dish. 

This is so simple to put together, too, and was a nice way to use up a leftover pile of cabbage that was lying around.  Plus, the leftovers were as good as leftovers can get, which is quite convenient. 

Oh- if you are like me, your wok does not have a lid.  I use a cookie sheet.  But whatever works for you, I say go for it!

And about grating the carrots, make sure you have a nice grater- preferably one that stands on its own, and use the large holes.  Otherwise, I think you might end up grating all night, and with really orange hands when the carrots are all gone.

Halushki with Egg Noodles

Adapted from Vegan Dad

Serves about 6

1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
1 leek, white and light green part, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, grated

1 small head of cabbage, shredded

1 tbsp basil, chopped

3 Portobello mushrooms, chopped

1 ½ cups boca crumbles
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Hungarian paprika
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp miso paste
½ tbsp corn starch
1 ½ tbsp agave nectar

salt and pepper to taste

cooked egg noodles

Mix together the soy sauce through the agave in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat a large wok over high heat with a bit of water. Add the onion and leeks, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the cabbage and carrots and stir through. When the cabbage has wilted slightly, add the sauce and cover for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. Stir in the basil, and serve over egg noodles.

An Odd Combination of Asian and Italian

If you are undecided about what ethnicity to make your stir fry, well, here's what I suggest.  The unique (and, quite frankly, easy) sauce for this one provides Italian and Asian!  Yay!..

I think that's what makes this such a unique dish, at least to me.  I ususally end up with a combination with soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar, with a couple other things.  But not this one.  Well, I couldn't resist adding some soy sauce, as the original recipe called for oil, and something needed to form the sauce.  And I find miso paste adds such a deep and rich flavour to dishes.  But the combination was perfect.  And, for some really odd reason, I was drawn to the broccoli in the dish.  Don't ask why, because I have no clue.  Maybe I'm just going crazy, but that, along with the spinach, was just extra good. 

And the beans were different.  Never had a stir fry with beans before, but they seemed to be just the thing in here.  M and I are still working on our huge quantity of beans... I am so determined to finish them off.  In a year, hopefully (knock on wood).

Italian-Asian Udon Stir Fry

Inspired by VeganYumYum
Serves 4

Udon Noodles, to serve

1 bunch spinach, stems removed

3 cups broccoli or broccolini

1-2 tsp chili sauce (to taste)

Black Pepper

Salt

1 leek, tough green part of the stems removed, chopped
1 package oyster mushrooms, large ones chopped
1 onion, sliced thick
1 large carrot, coined
1 red bell pepper, sliced
½ cup dried white beans soaked and cooked, or 1 can or beans
1 tbsp Italian Herbs
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp miso paste
½ tbsp corn starch
Cashews and fresh basil leaves, for topping

Mix together the chili sauce, pepper, salt, Italian herbs, vinegar, soy sauce, miso, and corn starch, and stir until corn starch and miso dissolve.
Heat a wok over high heat. Add the onion and carrots, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the leek and broccoli, and after 2 more minutes add the mushrooms and bell pepper. When they are almost tender add the spinach, and let wilt. Add the beans and sauce, and heat through.
Serve over udon, topped off with cashews and basil leaves.

A Heavy and (Of Course) Delish Stir Fry

Another one of those lovely clean-out-the fridge recipes.  I don't know who doesn't love those... I sure do.  Anyway, I was very pleasently surprised to see how good this one turned out.  So much better than I though it would.  And it took so much less time that I had predicted, too, which is always nice.  I know, this isn't the prettiest stir fry, but who cares when it is something that you just want to gobble up at lightning speed? 

Anyway, I really think straw mushrooms are growing on me.  And the balance of the bean sauce in the sauce (that sounds kind of weird) was perfect, so yay for this recipe.  The tofu knots are always something that both M and I really enjoy, and so are the walnuts, which I have just recently discovered as another nuts possibility for stir fries.  Hehe, I got to use another one of my monster onions in this recipe, too.  I love those babies!  They are awesome, and totally outdo any onions that you could ever find. 

Black Bean Sauce Stir Fry

Serves 4-6

Adapted from CookShareEat.com


• 6 oz soba noodles, or any other kind of noodle, cooked
• Veggie broth, as needed
• 3-4 Tbsp black bean garlic sauce (I just happened to have just over 3, so I usedit up…)
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• Chili sauce, to taste
• 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 monster onion, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 heads baby bok choy, chopped
• 1 large portabella mushroom, chopped
• 3 cups shiitake mushrooms, cut into large pieces
• 1 can straw mushrooms
• 1 leek, tough green stems removed, chopped
• 1 large carrot
• ½ package dried bean curd knots (75 grams), soaked
• 4 green onions, sliced into ½ inch pieces
• Walnuts


1. In a small bowl, combine black bean sauce, soy sauce, mirin, nectar, chili sauce, and corn starch. Set aside for later.
2. Heat a wok coated with nonstick spray over high heat. Add the onion, and sauté for a minute, then add the carrot and leek, adding broth as needed. Cook for another minute, until heated up again. Then add Portobello and shiitakes, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until almost almost tender. Add the green onions, and cook for another minute. Add the bok choy, cook for another minute, and then add the sauce, bean curd skin, and straw mushrooms. Cook until it’s done to your liking.
3. You can either stir in the noodles, or serve them separately. Top with walnuts.

Pho and Mock Beef

Around two months ago, I tried this seitan beef recipe from Vegan Dad's blog to use in a stir fry and a salad.  It was really quite tasty, and had a great texture and flavour.  I modified it a bit, cutting out the oil, and I dry-fried them instead of using oil.  It was so wierd how they almost smelled like real beef when they were cooking!  I never would have guessed that something like that was possible with non-meat ingredients.  Incredible recipe, Vegan Dad!  Only, the first time I made them, the pieces seemed pathetically small after frying, so I researched setian a bit more (it was my first time working with the stuff).  It seems that most recipies call for boiling the setian in broth, so I decided to try that.  It was quite... cool.. to see how much bigger the pieces got,  and how much of the water they absorbed.  So, if you are unframiliar with setian and are more than slightly dismayed when you see how small the pieces are, never fear.  Just boil it!

And now about the Pho.  When I was visiting my aunt and uncle, my aunt highly recommended trying this soup.  She told me that it was Vietnamese, and was usually made with beef, but it could be made vegetarian.  Well, of course I had to eventually give it a shot, and yesterday was the day.  I thought there were quite a few interesting ingredients in the few recipes that I looked at, and the one I finally settled on looked like it was authentic enough, without having to chase all over for ingredients in bags that neither M nor I can read.  The one thing, though, that we couldn't find at that certain store was anise, which made me really mad because I had seen it before.  Murphy's law, I guess. 

But the soup was quite fun to make, and rather easy too for the amount that it made.  I used official pho noodles, of course, which seemed rather bland until I added chili garlic sauce to my serving of the soup- M thought they tasted just fine as is.  The broth was rather interesting I though, especially with the cinnamon stick and the five spice powder.  It was sweet, but it fit just right with the soup.  Most certainly, it was not a heavy broth at all, and very clear.  And the veggies were, of course, great, as was the beef..!  This is a very unique soup, and unlike anything that I have ever had before.  I really should try more of this Vietnamese stuff... you know?

Mock Beef

Adapted from Vegan Dad

Makes enough for two recipes, I guess

1/4 cup TVP (textured vegetable protien)

2 tbsp vegetarian stir fry sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp bbq sauce sauce

1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce, or something similar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tbsp water (if needed)

Mix all the wet ingredients with the TVP and let sit for five minutes or so.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until everything hold together, adding water as needed.  Roll the dough into several long snakes, as thin as possible, and cut into pieces.  Keep in mind that they will double in size when boiled.
Heat a large frying pan coated with nonstick spray over medium heat.  Saute the beef for 5 minutes or so, until browned. 
Boil a large pot of broth, and then add the beef and let simmer for about an hour.  Remove from broth.  They can be frozen, but I don't know how long- atleast a couple weeks, probably.
The broth can still be used later, it tastes really good!

Vegetarian Pho

Serves 6-8

Adapted from Gastronomy

• 7 oz flat rice noodles
• 1 1 inch piece ginger
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 8 cups water
• 1 ½ tablespoons Chinese five spice
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 ½ tbsp sugar
• 1/2 recipe mock beef
• 1 leek, top tough part removed
• 1 onion, chopped rather large
• 1 ½ cups bean sprouts
• 8 oz. mushrooms (any variety, but something with a heavy flavor would work best like king oyster or shiitake)
• Extra soy sauce
• Chili garlic sauce
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• Limes, cilantro, and/or basil, to serve

Cook the rice noodles in boiling water for 1 1/2 minutes, remove from heat, and let soak for 45 minutes or more, until they stop expanding.
Bring the 8 cups water to a boil in a large soup pot.  Add the ginger, cinnamon, bullion, five spice powder, soy sauce, and sugar.  Stir to dissolve the bullion cubes, and simmer for atleast 45 minutes, the longer the better.  When ready to use, remove ginger and cinnamon.
Heat a wok over high heat.  Add a few tablespoons of water, and saute the onion and leeks for 5 minutes, adding water as needed.  Add the mushrooms, saute for 2 more minutes, then add the bean sprouts and pepper.  Cook until all veggies are tender, about 3 more minutes.  Then add the beef, and stir.
To serve, place some noodles in the bottom of a large bowl.  Top with the veggie mixture, and then ladle the broth over everything.  Add extra soy sauce and chili garlic sauce to taste, and garnish with basil, limes, and/or cilantro.