New Year's Black Eyed Peas

I made these, with the sauce adapted from WTHDAVEA.  Also, I made another batch of that yummy turnip soup (it's actually simmering right now.  I'm kind of waiting for it to finish..).  And, I THINK I have FINALLY figured out the trick for making veggie chips.  Updates tomorrow...

New Year’s Black Eyed Peas (warning: rather a high sodium content, but, I figure that’s ok because I don’t eat many packaged foods anyway…)

Simmer fresh black eyed peas until tender, which took me 45 minute.  In the meantime, blend together a shot of vanilla, brown sugar, 5 spice powder, ¼ cup each mirin and water, 1/3 cup miso paste, ¼ cup ketchup, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, garlic powder, paprika, and liquid smoke, with a bit of pepper.  Sauté a bit of red onion in a frying pan, and then add the peas and about ½ the sauce, reserving the rest for something else.  Simmer until ready to serve.

Fancy Cabbage Soup

There's really not much to say about this soup - it just has tons of cabbage, along with a lot of other soupy things like potatoes and carrots.  The chickpeas were a very nice addition, I thought, and the noodles really topped this soup off as delicious and filling.

Fancy Cabbage Soup

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan

Serves 8

1 large onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, coined
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
8 cups water
3 tbsp vegetarian chicken bullion
3 yukon gold potatoes, chopped
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp sage
2 bay leaves
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp corn starch
3 cups vegetarian mutton
2 cups spaghetti or other pasta, cooked
Parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat, and add the onion and carrots. Sauté for a couple minutes, and then add the garlic and cabbage. Sauté until the cabbage is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add through the bay leaves, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Mix together the corn starch, miso paste, and a couple tbsps water, and then add to the soup with the remaining ingredients except cheese. Heat through, and serve, topped with parmesan.

Tofu Tacos... and Tests

There was this thing at my school today where they had a whole bunch of restaurants selling food on campus, because it was some special week. I always bring my lunch, mostly because the cafeteria food is so gross and unhealthy. I could probably go ranting about it for quite a bit, but suffice it to say that one gets buckets of bread and carbs, and it’s rather difficult to rack up even one serving of veggies, let alone two. Plus most of it is loaded with oil and grease to boot. I had thought today would be a different story because professional restaurants came in, but the only vegetarian option that looked remotely healthy was Chipoltle veggie burritos. I went poking around on the internet for nutritional info, and was rather scared about what I might be consuming. And so, I decided to be cool and make my own burritos. Thus these tofu tacos, which would probably be good in a taco shell as well as a soft shell (which is my preference).

I think it takes all of five minutes to actually make these, plus whatever time you are going to spend on toppings. Which was good, because I had so many tests to study for… four out of seven classes had tests. That had to be one of the hardest days of my life. And the tacos turned out to be really, really good! They were rather salty, but the flavour was excellent, and they were just perfect. I suppose one could make large quantities of the baked tofu and freeze it. I might try that one day.

Tofu Tacos

Adapted from Vegan Dad

Serves 4

12 oz firm tofu, pressed, and cut into thin rectangles
3 tbsp Better Than Bullion Beef Flavouring
1 tbsp miso paste
1-6 tbsp warm water
Wraps

Sliced tomatoes

Alfalfa sprouts
Bell pepper
Sliced red onion
Shredded romaine lettuce
Mayo
Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 convection bake.
In a casserole dish, lay the tofu in a single layer. Mix together the bullion and miso with a bit of warm water to get the right consistency. Coat the tofu. Bake for 35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and tofu is slightly firmer than when you took it out of the package.
Layer the wrap with tofu and whatever toppings you happen to have stashed away in your house.

Paneer Tofu and Peas Stir Fry

I have no clue whatsoever why this recipe caught my eye- I guess it just looked appealing.  I had such a kitchen-y day today, because I also had to do the cooking for my greek competition (which I think we won, too!)  I won’t be posting any of the recipes, because they were pretty gross.  The tizaki that I made was a hit, though, but I hate cucumber.  So there.  This is another easy stir fry that deserves five gold stars.  One really weird thing, though.  No soy sauce!  I’m dead serious.  It is Indian, but still.  Actually, there are a lot of other flavours that take its place, so there’s no lack of flavour, or sauce for that matter.  One really depressing thing though.  A Greek recipe had called for lemon juice, and I only had one lemon on hand, and so did this recipe.  I juiced it, and then, unknowingly M threw away the leftover juice.  And so there was

Paneer Tofu and Peas

Adapted from Vegan Dad

Serves about 4

½ tbsp peanut or other frying oil

26 oz tofu, pressed and cubed
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp plain (or almond, or vanilla) yogurt
1 tsp miso paste

Heat a non-stick frying pan (or wok) over medium heat with the oil. Whisk together wet ingredients in a small bowl, making sure miso dissolves. Add tofu to frying pan and fry for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is pretty much done and you are ready to stop and move on to the next step.

Add the wet mixture and cook for a couple seconds, and then remove to a separate bowl.

1 large-ish sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 large onion, halved and sliced
1" piece of ginger, grated
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp garam masala
½ tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
4 cups frozen peas

28 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh tomatoes, here used 14.5 oz canned and 2 fresh)

1 cup milk

2 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potato, and cook until tender-firm, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water. Sauté the onion for a couple minutes, and then add the ginger. Sauté for about 5 more minutes, and then add the cilantro and seasonings, and cook for 2 more minutes, mixing the spices thoroughly. Add the peas, tomatoes, and potato and cook for five minutes. Add remaining ingredients and tofu, and cook for about 10 more minutes, until heated through and bubbling slightly.

Serve over rice.

Sweet and Salty Five-Spice Tofu Stir Fry

There'e nothing to warm the soul like a giant pile of veggies covering a small nest of noodles, and that's exactly what so many of my stir frys turn out to be.  This is just another one of those, only this is my first stir fry with five spice tofu.  It's really good stuff- I love the texture.  Although, for some reason this dish tasted quite salty, and I think the tofu was the culprit.

It all stemmed from an extra bundle of asparagus that was lying around, and really needed to be used up.  I also got an insiration to add edammame, which is something that rarely happens, and the concoction turned out rather tasty.  Not to mention the ingredients were easy to prep. 

Honestly, now I know what sleep deprivation feels like.  I've got two major tests tomorrow, and that's so not cool.  I don't know how so many of my buddies are living off of only a couple hours' sleep every night, but they are.  I suppose it's because they don't cook!

Sweet and Salty Five-Spice Tofu Stir Fry


Serves 4 - 6

Adapted from 101 Vegetarian Cookbooks

Zest and juice of one lime

¼ cup hoisin sauce

2 tbsp miso paste

¼ cup soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
Chili sauce, to taste

Sea salt, to taste

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 carrots, coined

1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 package oyster mushrooms, large pieces chopped
2 cusp red cabbage, shredded
1 cup edammame
2 packs 5 spice tofu, chopped

2-3 heads baby bok choy, cut into ribbons

2 handfuls fresh basil, slivered
Toasted cashews

Mix together the lime through the salt in a small bowl.
Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water. Add the cauliflower and carrots. After 2 minutes add the ginger, asparagus, and garlic. After another 2 minutes or so toss in onions and mushrooms. When that is heated through add the cabbage. When the veggies are almost tender add the edammame, tofu, bok choy, and sauce, and cook until bok choy is wilted. Stir in the basil.
Serve over noodles of some sort… topped with cashews.

One Good Orange Recipe... and One Not So Good

It's most certainly season for most of the orange foods out there.  This post I will focus on two of the veggies- sweet potatoes, and pumkins.  Although, I do have to say, oranges are beginning to tastes really good, too!  Currently I really can't be pressed to think of any other orange foods, but whatever.  Carrots!  There, thought of one. 

Life is getting really hectic.  I nearly broke my record of not having opened a soup can for over a year now because we have been running so utterly dry on leftovers.  Which is quite a pitty, and I have no clue whawt I will be doing in this next week as far as food goes.  It's a darn hard life!  Why can't I just skip english or something and go home and cook instead?  Much better use of time than reading AE Poe.  Seriously.  I really, really hate Poe right now.  It's Halloween time, so I think my English teacher is trying to get us into the mood for that.  Which is great and all, but not when I just want to go to sleep, and I am left wading through lakes of words that I can't understand half of.

Anyway, now that I am done ranting, on to those lovely sweet potatoes. Oh, just by the way, sweet potatoes have more fiber that white.  I thought that was rather interesting.  The potatoes are really easy to make, and require minimal hands-on time.  And they are rather good too- a nice thing to whip up, and a reaccuring theme in my lunches this week.  Make sure to use fresh sage, because that makes all the difference in the dish.

And the pumpkin salad was rather interesting, to say the least.  If you like pumpkin, than I think this is an excellent dish that would catch your heart instantly.  If not, like I found out was true for me, then I will keep experimenting with different veggies.  It's a really great base, I just didn't like the pumpkin.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad Recipe

Adapted from 101 Vegetarian Cookbooks
Makes 6-8 servings

2 pie pumpkins

fine grain sea salt

15 shallots, peeled

1 ½ cups wild rice

1/4 cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup mirin

2 tbsp miso paste

2 tbsp rice vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 cm lengths

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the pumpkins into quarters-ish and put them on a baking sheet. On another baking sheet put the shallots and carrots. Roast both for about 45 minutes, until tender.

For the rice, boil 1 ½ cups water. Add the rice, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until all the water is gone.

For the dressing, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
When the veggies are done roasting, allow pumpkin to cool, cut off the peel, chop, and add to dressing with the shallots, carrots, and rice. Mix well.

Ricotta Cheese Sweet Potatoes
Serves 6

Adapted from All Recipes

3 medium sweet potatoes
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Wash the potatoes, poke holes in them, and microwave until tender. Allow to cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, sauté the shallots until tender, about 5 minutes. Combine with remaining ingredients. When the potatoes are cool, cut open and remove pulp, taking care not to break the skins. Mash the pulp with the ricotta mixture, and refill the potatoes. Heat through either in the oven or microwave.

Indian Mutton Stir Fry

For a while now, I have had my eye on some of the cutest food that has ever come to the Asian Market.  Peewee potatoes.  I think they are absolutely adorable!  So, of course, I knew I was eventually going to make something with them, but have never gotten around to thinking of the mini taters at the right moment.  Until this recipe! 

This one started out as another one in my lovely cookbook Wok, and I added more veggies, as usual.  This one is more Inidan in flavour, as appossed to Chinese-feeling.  And I was rather surprised at the amount of spices that it called for- most of which I didn't have the real version of.  It called for things such as cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick, so I just used the ground version.  Some days I wish I had a motar and pestle, because that would be really cool...

Honestly, I have been so busy lately that I can't seem to find much time for blogging anymore, and it seems like I just do all my posting on the weekends... Stupid chemistry is really getting to me and my GPA. 

But back to this stir fry.  The potatoes went just perfectly in it- they were done just right, and kind of popped in your mouth.  The sauce, which is yogurt based, is rather different from your conventional stir fry sauce, and it was a lot thicker than others that I have had.  The first few times I ate this, I had it over rice, but that ran out, so I also had it over sorgum noodles (which are really similar to soba noodles), and that was surprisingly good.

Indian Mutton Stir Fry

Serves 4-6

Adapted from Wok

1 tsp tumeric
Salt, to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
Nutmeg, to taste
2 tbsp miso paste

1 1/2 tbsp Better Than Bullion Beef Flavouring

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 large onion, chopped
4 small or 2 large carrots, coined
1 inch piece ginger, grated
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 red bell pepper,  chopped
3 cups green cabbage, shredded
12 oz fingerling potatoes, cut in half and boiled just until tender

1 can straw mushrooms, drained (these were actually kind of a weird addition- if you can think of anything else to add, go for it.  Maybe green beans?  Peas?)

1 generous cup edammame

1 package vegetarian mutton, thawed and broken into bite-sized pieces
2/3 (6 oz) fat free plain or vanilla yogurt (I used vanilla- Target brand!!)

Mix together the tumeric through nutmeg in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl mix together the miso through rice vinegar, stirring until miso and bullion is dissolved. 

Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water.  Add the carrots and onion, and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger, stir throughly, and add bell pepper and cabbage.  Stir fry for another minute or so, and then add the mushrooms, edammame, and potatoes.  Cook until heated through, and add the sauce and mutton.  Heat through again, and stir in all the spices and yogurt.  Serve over brown rice.

Whoa- Five Spice Tofu!!

Earlier this week, a friend of mine recommended that I try the five spice tofu that the Asian market sells.  I had had my eye on it for quite a while now, and so, I ended up searching up a recipe to use it.  Oddly, I couldn't really find anything using premade tofu except this one that looked remotely appealing to me, so this is what I ended up basing my recipe off of. 

For some reason, lunch stir frys never seem to turn out really good.  This one was certainly the exception to that rule.  Both M and I agreed- we would certainly make this dish again.  The sauce was especially delish and special.  I think it was the yellow bean paste that added the unique flavour that I find so hard to put words to.  The veggies were really nice this time around too, and they seem to fit very well with the sauce.  And the tofu is really different, too.  If you have never tried pressed tofu, I highly recommend it.   It's kind of firm, and feels a little like tofu, only with more substance.  I thought they looked almost like pieces of mushroom, not tofu, because of the colour.  M said it looked like cheese with that plasitc on the outside.  Whatever.  It was so good, and such a nice change from normal tofu.  Now that I think about it, I really haven't been eating much tofu at all recently.  Have I moved beyond tofu?  Impossible!  There's just so much to explore in the vegetarian frozen section of the Asian market, it's incredible. 

Five Spice Tofu and Yellow Bean Paste Sauce Stir Fry

Serves 4

Inspired by Passionate Eater

2 cups green beans, chopped into 1 inch lengths

4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 tsp yellow bean paste

2 tbsp miso paste

3 tbsp soy sauce

Chili sauce, to taste

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp agave nectar

½ tbsp corn starch

1 package 5 spice tofu, cubed

1 very large carrot, coined

2 baby bok choy, chopped into ribbons

Mix together the bean paste through the corn starch. Set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water. Add the carrot, and cook for a minute. Add the green beans, and after another minute or so add the garlic. When the veggies are almost tender, add the tofu and heat through. Add the sauce, then the bok choy, and cook until all veggies are done to your liking.

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.

Hodgepodge Salad

I honestly have no clue how this salad came to be.  I am pretty sure, though, that you could call it something that is a clean-out-the-fridge sort of dish.  It sort of ended up as something to use up all the odds and ends that were lying around, bugging me.  The original thing that got this salad started is called Salad Nicoise from Allrecipes.

And, obviously I got a bit carried away with throwing in everything that came to mind.  But the end results were really good- although M liked it a bit more than me.  I think the one thing that did not belong was the eggs, but other than that, it's a great salad at any temperature, very filling for you, and very emptying for the fridge.

Hodgepodge Salad

Adapted from Salad Nicoise and French Cafe Summer Salad

Serves 6

• 1/2 pound new potatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 10 green olives, sliced
• 2 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon capers
• ½ cup dried pink beans, cooked
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound fresh green beans - rinsed, trimmed and blanched
• 4 cups baby spinach, stems removed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp miso paste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
In a large bowl mix the basil through the spinach. Add the potatoes.
In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients and add to the big mixture. Serve, or chill until ready to serve.

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.

More Udon- with Walnuts!

I think M's favorite kind of noodle is udon.  I really, really do.  I can't say that myself, becauce I love all kinds of noodles, really, but udons are great!  I love their texture, and their thickness makes them seem so luxurious and rich.  The miso- based sauce in this recipe seemed to really do the trick for the veggies, and both M and I loved the walnuts.  The mixture of veggies is really quite vibrant- I love the look of this stir fry too- very photogenic!

We had never actually had walnuts on a stir fry before, but when I saw this recipe, I was inspired to take some of it's basic elements, change the veggies, and came up with this recipe. 

I added a little hot sauce to my bowl, but I just wanted a little heat tonight.  The noodles don't really need it, but it was an excellent addition, I thought. 

I created this recipe with veggies enough for 3 servings, because that is the amount on udon that needed to be used up.  Just increase the sauce a bit, and add a few more veggies, and this could easily become a four serving dish.

Ooooh!  I had a little project of placemats going on, and M and I finally finished them this morning.  On one side, they are neon yellow with flowers, and on the other they are black with big colourful circles.  I will try to post a picture soon.  They are quite nice, and they look great.  It's cool to be able to say they are homemade! 

Miso Walnut Udon Noodles

Serves 3

Inspired by  Gardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/23/udon-noodles-miso-walnutottolenghi

½ large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, coined
3 green onions
3 cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 cup snap peas, trimmed
1 generous cup broccoli, cut into florets
6 oz tofu, pressed and cubed
Salt
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp miso paste
3 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp agave nectar
Water or broth, as needed
3 servings fresh udon noodles, cooked
Walnuts, for topping

Mix together the miso, mirin, soy sauce, and agave. Set aside

Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add a bit of water, and add the carrot and shiitakes, adding more water as needed to prevent sticking. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the broccoli and peas along with the ginger and garlic. Stir fry for 2 more minutes. Then add the green onions and bell pepper. Cook until veggies are almost finished, then add the sauce and tofu. Heat through, add the udon, and stir until the sauce has coated everything. Serve, topped with walnuts.

Tofu Another Way- on the Grill

Quite a while ago I got a cookbook from the library called The Food of Vietnam.  I have heard multiple people praise Vietnamese cuisine, and wanted to know exactly what defines this popular cooking catagory.  To my dismay, there were only a couple of vegetarian dishes in the whole book, but there were several that looked like it would be easy to adapt, replacing the meat with tofu or something. 

Apparently, the Vietnamese are really big on fish sauce too, and I have heard that soy sauce makes a good substitute.  Also, I have used vegetarian stir fry sauce in place of fish sauce several times as well.  I think one of my favourite parts of Vietnamese cooking, along with so many other peoples', is the noodles.  Who doesn't love noodles?  The come in so many variteties, and in so many shapes.  It's fun to see what's out there!  Another highlight is the spring rolls, and the use of abundance of fresh herbs.  I do have to say, basil has got to be one of the best herbs out there.  And the basil plant in the garden is still going strong.  For now...

This certain recipe was originally called Grilled Pork with Rice Noodles.  Well, at first I was planning to turn it into Grilled Tofu with Rice Noodles.  Then, I kind of went wild with the changes.  I amped up the marinade, as tofu is more bland than pork, and decided to toss in some veggies for good measure.  And then I ended up dropping the noodles, atleast for this round, out of sheer lazyness. 

What I think is the most interesting thing about the dish is the "garnishes" you are supposed to serve with it.  The recipe called for cucumber (which I hate), bean sprouts, fresh herbs like basil and cilantro, pickled veggies like cucumber and radishes, rice noodles (duh), and peanut dipping sauce.  I decided that carrots would be a good sub for the cucumber, and I was puzzled about how to make the peanut dipping sauce because it called for chicken liver.  What really made me mad, though, was that when M and I looked for the pickles, we couldn't find a single vegetarian one!  They either had squid paste, or fish sauce, or something weird like that.  Grr.

In this round of the kabobs, I used button mushrooms and onion along with the tofu, and served with bean sprouts, fresh basil leaves, and ketchup and bbq sauce for dipping sauces.  So, I think it's safe to say that this dish is not vietnamese, but tastes good all the same- M agreed!  Honestly, I love kabobs.  They are fun to make, fun to eat, and fun to say.  And look so pretty, too.
Oh, funny thing about the ketchup/bbq sauce.  M and I used it to stick the basil leaves to the tofu and veggies.  It works!

Tofu and Veggie Kabobs

Serves 4

Inspired by The Food of Vietnam

1 lb tofu, pressed and cut into sizable chuncks
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp miso paste
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
3 tbsp bbq sauce
5 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rive vinegar
Pinch of dried chili flakes

Grilling veggies, like mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion

Fresh herbs like basil and cilantro
Bean sprouts
Dipping sauce
Pickled veggies
Carrots
Rice noodles

Mix together the first set of ingredients minus the tofu, and then add the tofu and the other grilling veggies.  Marinade for 1-2 hours.
Preheat the grill for medium high.  Skewer the tofu and veggies on kabob sticks, and grill for about 10 minutes on foil coated with non-stick spray, until, well, they are grilled.
Serve on a plate with the rest of the ingredients as garnishes.

Confetti Soba Salad

All that I can really say about the creation of this salad is that I found two really good recipes, and kind of mashed them together, and then ended up throwing a few more ingredients in the sauce to end up with a delicious and satisfying salad.  Another great recipe for a summer's day, but I am sure it could quickly become a fantastic stir fry as well. 

The story begins with, as usual, my hunt for recipes.  I found a website with a post called Cold Noodle Salads for Hot Days on The Kitchn, and was quickly attracted by the lovely pictures and tantelizing ingredients.  I was wavering between two salads, one called Bun Chay and the other Soba Noodles with Wilted Bok Choy, so I decided to combine the ingredients, kind of, and throw in a few ideas of my own. 
The results were fantastic, and M agreed.  This is kind of like the Otsu, but more in look than in taste.  It has more of a darker flavour, and is not quite as springy.  Still, the boatload of veggies make this an excellent dish, and add lots of colour- thus the name.  Enjoy!

Soba Confetti Salad


Serves 6-8

Inspired by Soba Noodles with Wilted Bok Choy and Bun Chay

1 very large or two small carrots, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
3 baby bok choy, stems and leaves separated and both cut into thin slices.
4 oz soba noodles
6 scallions, cut into ½ inch or so slices
1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
1 cup green cabbage, shredded
1 cup bean sprouts
8 oz tofu
2 tbsp agave nectar
3 tbsp mirin
5 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
¾ tsp Chinese hot mustard powder
Fresh herbs like basil
Cashews

Cook the soba noodles according to the package. It should be about 8 minutes, if you can’t read it! Drain, cut the noodles into smaller pieces (this makes life a lot easier, but if you insist on not doing this, then be my guest), and put in a large bowl.
Heat a pot over medium-high heat (I used the same kettle). Add the bok choy leaves and sauté, adding water as needed, for about 3 minutes, until wilted. Remove to the bowl.
Heat the pot one more time, and add the peanut oil and tofu, and fry for 15 minutes or so, until the tofu becomes lightly browned and firm. Add to the bowl as well.
Add the carrots, scallions, cabbage, and bean sprouts to the bowl.
In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients except the herbs and cashews until the miso is dissolved. Add to the noodle mixture, and stir to coat. Chill (or just leave it out) until ready to serve. Serve at any temperature, topped with herbs and cashews.

Just to say this again, this would probably make a great stir fry too. Just chuck the veggies in a wok!

Dan Dan Noodles

I have never heard of Dan Dan Noodles- until now, obviously.  I think I just liked the name- that's why I decided to make these.  Plus I had some leftover noodles to use.  Not to mention, I was very excited about using the black mushrooms that I had picked up a while back at a Super H Mart (same place I got the 5 spice powder).  And Target was still having their lovely sale on the Morning Star crumbles; all lights were green!  M loves cashews, too, and I knew that she would enjoy this noodle dish so much. 

I also made a simple chickpea, cabbage, and pasta soup yesterday, mainly to use up the beans.  It turned out alright, but nothing spectacular.  I have posted a picture anyhoo, just because I love my camera.
I guess I was kind of on a pasta run yesterday- pasta in my soup, Dan Dan noodles, and I made the Vegetarian Hot Pot again to go with it because that would use up the rest of the noodles.  But I certianly didn't mind one bit!

A little about Dan Dan noodles: Appearently they are noodles in a spicy sauce with a few veggies and pork.  They are Chinese Sichuan cuisine... but whatever, they taste good!  I really have no clue how authentic this recipe is, but I'd call it tasty.

Dan Dan Noodles

Adapted from Vegan-Food.net

4 servings

Ingredients

• 3.5 oz medium rice noodles
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light miso
• 1/2 tbsp chili garlic paste
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp veggie broth
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 dried Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes and chopped large
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup vegetarian hamburger crumbles
• 3 T cashews
• Chopped green onions, for garnish

Preparation

1. Boil the noodles in a large pot of water for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat, and allow to sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour+, until they stop expanding and are soft.
2. Mix together the soy sauce through the water in a small cup, and set aside.
3. Heat a wok coated with nonstick spray over high heat. Saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic in the broth until the onions soften. Add the crumbles and sauce, and heat through. Add the noodles, and continue cooking until heated through (again).
4. Remove from heat and add cashews and green onions for garnish.