Tag Archives: asian

May 10, 2013

Massaged Kale and Veggie Salad with Toasted Ramen

This was originally supposed to be a soba noodle salad.

The other day at work, I got really fixated on making one. I just knew it would be perfect with the various leftover veggies lurking in my crisper. I wouldn’t even have to go to the store! Major success.

Then I got home and found we had no soba noodles. Major failure.

Massaged Kale Salad with Veggies and Toasted Ramen

So I went to the grocery store. AND THEY ALSO HAD NO SOBA NOODLES.

What. The. Hell.

So back home I went, dug wayyyy to the back of my (very deep) cabinet, and pulled out some ramen noodles. Cha-ching! Salads with ramen noodles are totally a thing. I know because my mom and grandma make one, and that makes them official. And also delicious. A few minutes later, I was digging into this!

Massaged Kale and Veggie Salad with Toasted Ramen

So now that I’ve taken you on the little journey of how this salad came to be, let me tell you about it! Ramen noodles, obviously. Toasted to crunchy perfection! And I officially massaged my kale for the second time ever, woo hoo! Getting to be a pro at this. Then some crunchy and colorful veggies to really make you feel like you got your nutrients for the day.

And the dressing I had actually made for the roasted carrot and chickpea salad last week, but didn’t end up using it. I regretted the soy sauce as soon as I added it – it wasn’t at all what I was going for with the carrots and chickpeas. But it was perfect with these veggies! And that, my friends, is how I came to post two salads with miso dressing on consecutive weeks.

Fascinating, I know.

Anyway, this salad was so crunchy, flavorful, and fun. I know you’ll love it!

Massaged Kale Salad with Veggies and Toasted Ramen

And finally, because I’m so happy it’s Friday, here’s what’s in store for the weekend: Tonight is a costume party (lifeguard/surfer themed – not sure what I’m wearing!), and tomorrow night is a wedding. I’m excited to kick off the 2013 wedding season (and thankful that this one involves no travel)! I’m also looking forward to the wedding because it’s my excuse to get my first pedicure since September, if you can believe that. I’ve been au naturale in the toe department all winter!

Anyway, in between parties and pedicures, I’m running a 5K race on Saturday morning. We’ll see how that goes! It’s my first race of the season and the first 5K road race I’ve run in a LONG time. (I did a 5K last summer, but it was a trail race – this should be easier!) I’ve been running 3 to 4 miles, 3 times a week, but no speed workouts or anything. If I can run the whole thing at about an 8:15 pace, I’ll be pretty happy. Wish me luck!

Massaged Kale and Veggie Salad with Toasted Ramen

5.0 from 2 reviews

Massaged Kale and Veggie Salad with Toasted Ramen

Hands-on time

15 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

18 mins

Author: Erica

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

For the dressing:

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp white miso paste
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup water

For the salad:

1 bunch curly kale, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded red cabbage
3-4 green onions, sliced
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
2 3-oz packets ramen noodles, flavoring packet discarded
1 avocado, sliced
sesame seeds

Instructions

Prepare the dressing by blending all ingredients together.
In a large salad bowl, pour half of the dressing over the kale. With your hands, toss the kale leaves and massage the dressing into them for about 30 seconds. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Break up the ramen noodles into chunks. Preheat a toaster oven or regular oven to 350. Spread crumbled ramen on a baking sheet and toast until golden, several minutes.
Toss veggies (pepper through edamame) with kale. Top with toasted ramen, avocado, and sesame seeds and serve alongside extra dressing. (You may have some dressing leftover.)
Enjoy!

Notes

Dressing adapted from Food52.

11 Comments

Filed under Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as asian, avocado, bell pepper, dressing, edamame, ginger, green stuff, kale, pantry, salad, vegan, vegetarian

April 10, 2013

Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl with Roasted Cauliflower

Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl

Good morning and happy Wednesday!

I wouldn’t be so chipper (I feel morning chipperness is generally uncalled-for), but just look at all these colors. Food like this makes me happy to be alive.

(If you’re still half asleep and don’t feel like eating sushi yet… I apologize. I kind of have a thing for colorful food.)

Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl

In case you missed it, this is Pantry Week here at Coffee & Quinoa: a week of me attempting to simultaneously clean out my cabinets and teach myself to put a meal together without a trip to the store.

This dish is a random weeknight creation that truly belongs in my pantry series. Pawing through the fridge after work one night, I found some leftover veggies and cooked spelt, plus some cauliflower with only a few more days of life left in it. For some reason my sweet potato sushi bowl came to mind. I decided to go for it, but was pretty doubtful as I whipped up the dressing… an Asian dish with cauliflower and spelt, really?

But I was pleasantly surprised – very much so! In fact, I may even like this version better than the original. The colors and textures are just so much fun, and the sushi-inspired flavors in the dressing and nori tie even the most random ingredients together. This is the meal that I think may have actually converted me to the “winging it” school of cooking.

Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl

So, obviously, this recipe is pretty loose. I’ve since experimented with it, using different grains, beans, veggies and even fruits. I like this combination of flavors and textures best, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Just make sure to include a raw veggie with a little crunch, and definitely keep the nori and the dressing to make it taste like a sushi bowl. Half the fun of this recipe is getting creative and rescuing a few veggies from the abyss of your crisper.

Enjoy!

Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl

5.0 from 3 reviews

Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl with Roasted Cauliflower

Hands-on time

5 mins

Cook time

55 mins

Total time

1 hour

This sushi-inspired vegan bowl is perfect for using up leftover vegetables and grains.

Author: Erica

Serves: 2

Ingredients

For the sushi bowl:

1/2 cup uncooked spelt
2 cups chopped cauliflower
1 tsp olive oil
sprinkle of salt and pepper
3/4 cup frozen edamame, thawed
1 large carrot, grated
1 cup shredded red cabbage

For the dressing:

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
juice of half an orange
3 Tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp Japanese rice vinegar

To top:

1 4×8 sheet of nori, lightly toasted and crumbled or chopped
sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

To cook the spelt: Bring spelt and 1 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Reduce heat and simmer until spelt grains are tender but still chewy, about 50-55 minutes. This can be done ahead of time.
To roast the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 400. Toss cauliflower with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spread on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until starting to brown, stirring once halfway through.
While the cauliflower roasts, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Make the dressing by blending all ingredients together. (I use my immersion blender.)
Once spelt and cauliflower are done, assemble the sushi bowls. Mix half of the dressing with the spelt. Scoop spelt into bowls and arrange cauliflower and other vegetables on top. Pour remaining dressing over the bowls and sprinkle with nori and sesame seeds.
Serve! This dish also tastes good cold or at room temperature.

Notes

Adapted from my Sweet Potato Sushi Bowl.

14 Comments

Filed under Grains, Rice Bowl, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as asian, cabbage, cauliflower, edamame, pantry, spelt, vegan, vegetarian, whole grain

January 9, 2013

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold (Vegan)

I guess I forgot to knock on wood last week when I said that I had a cold, but wasn’t going to stay home from work.

On Friday morning, I woke up coughing and sneezing all over everything. Gross.

I thought I was done with colds this winter, after fighting one off just before the holidays, but it turns out that was wroooong. And based on my recollection of getting sick right around the Bachelor premier 2 years ago, apparently I get sick at this time every year.

It doesn’t help that it’s been absolutely freezing in Salt Lake for the past week – highs in the teens. Who wouldn’t get sick?

So on Friday morning, instead of going into work, I cuddled up on the couch with my laptop, a box of tissues and a cup of tea.

Tea is good… but soup is better.

Luckily, I also had the ingredients to make this soup.

Soup fixes everything. So I made it and proceeded to eat it for lunch and dinner all weekend.

What is it about soup that makes me feel so much better – nature or nurture? It must be both… warm fragrant broth to warm you up from the inside out and clear the sinuses, plus the recollection of exactly the same sensation every time you’ve been sick since childhood.

Mmmmm… yep, nothing better to cheer you up when you’re sick than hot, noodley soup.

So can I recommend that you make this immediately? If it’s cold where you live, if you’re coming down the the sniffles, if your boyfriend or roommate or co-worker just sneezed… take action and cook up a big pot of (vegan!) soup. And don’t forget the sriracha… or tissues!

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold (Vegan)

Serves 3-4

Adapted from Eat Live Run

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 a jalapeno, seeds removed and thinly sliced
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (preferably one without tomatoes, such as Whole Foods 365 Organic)
3 green onions plus extra for serving, sliced
3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
3 baby bok choy, chopped
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into very thin coins
7 oz extra-firm tofu, cubed
5 oz soba noodles
chopped cilantro, for serving
sriracha sauce, for serving

Instructions:

In a large pot, heat sesame oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add jalapeno, vegetable broth, and green onions. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.

While broth is simmering, cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. (These are cooked separately to keep your nice broth from getting murky!)

Strain broth into a large bowl. (This step is optional, but I prefer to remove the solids.) Once strained, pour broth back into pot. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, vegetables, and tofu, and simmer until veggies are heated through, 1-2 minutes. Add soba noodles and heat for 1 more minute, until both noodles and broth are hot.

Remove soup from heat and ladle into bowls. Serve alongside sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and sriracha.

Note: This soup is best eaten immediately, as it won’t reheat well once the vegetables and noodles have been added. If you’re planning to have leftovers, I recommend saving half the broth just after straining and before adding anything else. For leftovers, you can assemble the bowl of soup just before reheating, which will prevent mushy veggies and noodles.

Time:

30 minutes