Main Dishes

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold (Vegan)

January 9, 2013 by Erica

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!

4.8 from 4 reviews

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold (Vegan)

Hands-on time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

This fragrant vegan soup will warm you to your toes. Recommended for times when you're sick and feeling sorry for yourself.

Author: Erica

Yields: 3-4 bowls of soup

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.

Mango Green Curry with Forbidden Rice

December 26, 2012 by Erica

Hi! Happy day after Christmas! The day when the dust clears, and you are left to play with your new toys… and eat some vegetables.

Maybe you are still celebrating with your family, maybe you are back at work, or travelling, or cleaning up the chaos that is your house when everyone descends on it. I am meeting up with some college friends to catch up… crazy how you can go literally YEARS without seeing your oldest friends when you live across the country!

I am also playing with my new toy from Santa – a DSLR camera! The pictures are about to get much better around here, folks. Actually, they will probably get much worse first. Kind of like a construction project entering the demolition phase, sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. I’m going to do a lot of playing around (enlisting my dad’s help!) and then hopefully emerge with some tasty-looking photos. We’ll see! Does anyone have any tips for food photography ebooks they’ve used? I am considering buying either the one from Pinch of Yum or Spicie Foodie. Thoughts?

In the meantime, this is a recipe I came up with last week back in Salt Lake. My mom had been telling me to try forbidden rice for at least a month, and I’d been intrigued by it in the bulk bins at Whole Foods for a while… but I’ve also been too busy baking cakes.

When I finally resurfaced from my post-veganistic butter binge, I made this curry because all the bright colors of the mangoes and fresh veggies looked so beautiful with the black rice. I had actually never made a green curry before! This one turned out great, though, and I will definitely be adding green curry to my arsenal of “disguised leftover vegetables” dishes.

In that vein, some notes on the recipe: I usually don’t really care for green bell peppers, but actually loved them in here. I suspect the sweetness of the red ones might be too much with the mangoes and sweet potato? The kale was really excellent with the curry flavor, so I wouldn’t suggest skipping that. I used white-people-brand curry sauce a.k.a. Thai kitchen (because they sell it in my grocery store), so if you also have only inauthentic curry sauce lying around, rest assured that this is white people food and it will still taste good with white people curry sauce in it.

Finally, black a.k.a. forbidden rice: Have you tried it yet? You should. It is nuttier, richer, and just more flavorful than any other rice I’ve ever had. The texture (at least of the Whole Foods bulk bin stuff I bought) was very smooth. You could of course use white or brown rice here, but this is a great excuse to buy black rice if you never have before. In terms of cooking time, it seemed closer to white rice than brown rice to me. I started to cook it according to my brown rice instructions, but ended up not letting it steam as long because it was already very thoroughly cooked. I suspect you could cook it the same way you’d cook white rice. In conclusion… Google it. I haven’t yet, and that is usually a mistake.

Enjoy! Eat this while you play with your new toys.

Mango Green Curry with Forbidden Rice

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups dry forbidden rice
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp green curry
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
14-oz can light coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
½ Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 Thai chili peppers, pierced (optional)
1 small to medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
2 mangoes, peeled and chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
8 oz tofu, cubed (optional)
1 bunch kale, rinsed, stems removed, and torn into bite-sized pieces
toasted cashews for topping
green onions for topping

Instructions:

Cook rice according to package instructions.

Melt coconut oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the green curry paste and mash into the oil with the back of your spoon or spatula. Add the garlic, onion, and ginger and stir to coat. Saute for a minute or two until very fragrant.

Whisk in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in the lime juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Slurp some of the broth off the spoon. It’s in the recipe – you have to do it! Now add the Thai chilies and sweet potato, cover, and simmer until chunks of sweet potato are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the mangoes and bell peppers. Cover again and simmer for about 5 minutes. Peppers should be a bit softened but still retain some crunch.

Now toss in the tofu and kale. Cook until kale is just wilted and still bright green, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Serve with forbidden rice and sprinkle with green onions and cashews. Dig in!

Time:

40 minutes

Massaman Curry with Tofu

December 13, 2012 by Erica

Do you have a favorite takeout place?

Mine is a Thai restaurant a few minutes away. Their curries and noodles are amazing. And almost as good as the food is the ritual of ordering takeout. I call (usually when leaving yoga) and the same guy answers the phone every time. Seriously, this guy must work 80 hours a week. I have his script down pat. I know exactly how much it’s going to cost ($12.89) and when it will be ready (10-15 minutes). I could order from there in my sleep. One time they were randomly closed on a Tuesday and my call went straight to voicemail. It really threw me for a loop. I called back at least 3 times before I could acknowledge that I wasn’t going to be able to place my routine takeout order.

This Massaman curry is actually NOT my usual Thai order (that would be drunken stirfry with tofu). But I was introduced to it recently and loved it so much that I changed my usual order the other night to this. It cost $13.49, not $12.89, so that was a sad little departure from the norm, but at least it was still ready in 10-15 minutes.

I’ve never had a Massaman curry other than the one from my favorite Thai place, so I tried to replicate the flavor of theirs as closely as possible. It’s not your typical curry in that it’s actually very mild. It’s also peanut-y, creamy, and coconut-y – yet packed with vegetables?? So many good things.

Speaking of the vegetables in this recipe, they’re just a suggestion really. The takeout I get has tofu, potatoes and carrots only, but more veggies and less tofu seemed like a good idea to me. I’ve also tried broccoli in here, but found that it didn’t reheat well. Feel free to use your favorite veggies (or just whatever you have in the fridge!).

Massaman Curry with Tofu

Hands-on time

15 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

50 mins

This vegan version of a Massaman curry is mild yet flavorful and packed with vegetables. You'll never order Thai takeout again.

Author: Erica

Yields: 6-8

Ingredients

brown rice for serving
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp Massaman curry paste
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 knob of ginger (about ¾ inch), peeled and minced or grated
2 cans light coconut milk
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp tamarind paste
1/3 cup peanut butter
juice of 1 lime
½ Tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 ½ lbs potatoes, chopped into ½ inch chunks, peels left on (I used Yukon gold)
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1-2 small zucchini, sliced into half-coins
5 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 can baby corn, drained and chopped
8 oz firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
roasted peanuts for topping

Instructions

Cook rice according to these instructions.
Heat coconut oil in a large deep pan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and mash into oil until combined and hot.
Stir onion, garlic and ginger into the curry mixture. Saute for a few minutes until very fragrant and slightly softened.
Whisk in the coconut milk. Add the brown sugar, tamarind paste, peanut butter, lime juice, and tamari and whisk to incorporate.
Add potatoes and carrots. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes (depending on the size of your potato chunks), until potatoes are tender.
Add zucchini, mushrooms, and any other veggies you might be using that need to cook for a few minutes. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Finally, stir in the tomato wedges, baby corn, and tofu. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two until tofu is heated through.
Serve over rice and top with roasted peanuts.

Notes

Adapted from The Gluten Free Vegan.

Sweet Potato Sushi Bowl

December 5, 2012 by Erica

Introducing my new favorite dinner, the sweet potato sushi bowl. That boring rice post yesterday was just a way to make sure you were prepared for this.

Make. It. Tonight. (!!!)

This weekend was officially deemed Asian Cooking Weekend in my apartment. I actually didn’t get through all the dishes I wanted to, but luckily I made this sushi bowl a priority. After we ate it, I couldn’t stop smiling. It is just SO GOOD that I couldn’t believe it had come out of my kitchen! It tastes like high-end sushi and really requires minimal effort.

So what’s in this little beauty?

Seasoned rice, roasted sweet potato, avocado, sliced veggies, seaweed, sesame seeds, and green onions, all topped with a gingery sauce. Just tell me that doesn’t look like salmon! And it’s just sweet potato, chopped up like this:

… and then marinated and roasted.

If you like sushi, seriously make this tonight. If don’t have an Asian market nearby, you are excused until tomorrow night. There are a few things in here (sesame oil, nori, and mirin) that you probably can’t find in your grocery store, but I can’t emphasize enough how worth it the extra trip will be. (Don’t skip the nori whatever you do – it’s what makes it taste like sushi!)

If you’re like me, this is also an excellent chance to use those Asian-looking dishes you bought for absolutely no reason and have been occupying shelf space ever since :)

Sweet Potato Sushi Bowl

Serves 4

Time: about 1 hour (less if rice is cooked ahead of time)

Ingredients:

For the sushi bowl:
1 ½ cups dry brown rice
1 large sweet potato
2 Tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 avocado, sliced
8 radishes, sliced
4 cups shredded napa cabbage
6-8 green onions (light and dark green parts), thinly sliced
2 4×8 in sheets nori (seaweed)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

For the sauce:
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
juice of 1 orange
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
¼ cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 tsp sesame oil

Instructions:

Cook rice according to these instructions. (This could also be done ahead of time and then reheated.)

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.

Peel sweet potato and slice into pieces 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (see photo above). Toss in a ziploc bag with 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Lay flat and let marinate 5-10 minutes, turning once or twice to get the soy sauce all over. Spread out on the baking sheet, pouring any soy sauce left in the ziploc over top, and bake for 15 minutes, until tender.

While the sweet potato is roasting, blend or whisk together all sauce ingredients. (I used an immersion blender.)

Toast sheets of nori at 350 degrees for a few minutes, until fragrant. (I like to do this in my toaster oven, but you could also do it just before or after the sweet potato.) Chop or crumble into small pieces. Still at 350, toast sesame seeds for several minutes until golden brown and fragrant.

When rice is done, mix it with about half the sauce, a quarter of the nori, and a quarter of the green onions.

In bowls, layer the rice and napa cabbage and arrange the avocado, radishes, and sweet potato on top. Top with additional nori, green onions, sesame seeds and sauce.

Enjoy with green tea!

Tastes best on the first day made.

Vegan Pizza with Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers & Caramelized Onions

November 30, 2012 by Erica

It's Friday, and that means Pizza Night! Whenever I ask Nate what he wants for dinner this week, he says pizza. You'd think by now I'd get the hint and just make a pizza every week... but for some reason I keep asking. Maybe this time he'll request my favorite tahini kale rice bowl? No dice. Well, making a pizza every once in a while seems like the least I can do for the man who's forced to be my Vegan Guinea Pig the rest of the time. (I am still trying to dig my way out of the hole that a certain Hippie Bowl got me into a few months back.)

vegan pizza with mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and caramelized onions

So here is a pizza for Nate. If you're not vegan, by all means add some parmesan or goat cheese. (I put goat cheese on Nate's half, and a little bit just miiiiiight have rolled onto a few of my slices.) Even with no cheese, this pizza has great flavor! Use my whole grain pizza dough or your favorite crust. You could even use pesto and this mushroom mixture on pasta or a sandwich. It's hard to go wrong!

P.S. I'm kinda wimping out with the pesto here. I have a favorite vegan pesto that I make... but it deserves so much more than an out-of-season mention in a post that's really about pizza and features nighttime iPhone photos. I plan on featuring it in the spring! In the meantime, you can use your favorite pesto recipe, or (because I know many people who read this blog aren't vegan) use some store bought stuff.

Have a great weekend and stay warm!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Vegan Pizza with Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers & Caramelized Onions

Hands-on time

5 mins

Cook time

55 mins

Total time

1 hour

Yields 2 10-inch pizzas or 1 extra-large pizza

Author: Coffee & Quinoa

Yields: 6

Ingredients

1 recipe of my multi-grain pizza dough (link above) or 2 store-bought pizza doughs
olive oil
1 sweet onion, quartered and sliced
20 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms (I used 2 10-oz. pre-sliced bags)
2 red bell peppers
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
cornmeal
1/3 cup pesto (homemade or store bought)
parmesan or goat cheese (optional)

Instructions

First, roast your red peppers (or buy roasted red peppers in a jar and skip this step). Cut each pepper into 2-4 pieces and remove the stem, seeds and membrane. Place them, skin up, on a baking sheet and broil until skin is black and charred all over. This will take 6-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them after the first few minutes, and rotate the baking sheet partway through if your broiler has hot spots. Once the skins are charred all over, remove them from the oven, place them in a plastic bag, seal it, and let them steam for at least 20 minutes. Then remove from plastic bag and peel the skin off each piece with your fingers. It's OK to leave some charred bits. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Preheat oven to 425.
Next, caramelize onions. Add a little bit of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Saute the onions for about 25 minutes. They should have some good color to them. At this point, add the sliced mushrooms. Continue sauteing another 5-7 minutes, until mushrooms are softening. Add balsamic vinegar and peppers and stir. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle cornmeal on 2 pizza pans or an 11x17 baking sheet. Roll your pizza dough out to fit whichever pan you've chosen.
If your pesto is not oily, brush a bit of olive oil over the crust. Then spread pesto out evenly. Top with mushroom mixture. Add cheese if you desire.
Put pizzas in the oven for 12 minutes, until crust is done and cheese, if using, is melted.
Slice and enjoy!

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