6 Vegan Noodle Dishes (and my return to China)
6 Vegan Noodle Dishes (and my return to China) is a post about just that. First, food. These noodles range from garlicky to peanut-based recipes. All of them are easy, healthy, kid-friendly, and delicious. You won’t be rummaging the grocery store aisles looking for unknown and hard-to-find ingredients. They are my most popular noodle dishes, especially on Pinterest and Foodgawker. Click on the name of the noodle dish below and it will bring you directly to the recipe link. 🙂
China? The Corona Virus (poorly named as I associate it with either the beer or a crown, but hey, at least it’s memorable – haven’t actually heard anyone call it COVID 19 outside of news articles)? Why would you go back? What about your family, your friends? What about your kid? And these are just some of the many questions that I am asked daily. Well, I shall answer them now for all who care to hear.
One. THE VIRUS! Seriously? It’s everywhere and most people who are infected by it have mild symptoms and manage just fine. There are two cases in my county in Oregon and loads more up North in my neighboring state of Washington.
Two. I’m going back because when I lived in Beijing, China, three and a half years ago, I was living my best life ever in comparison to those I had experienced post-college (with the exception of one year when my friends and I all moved back to Northport, NY. That was pretty dope, too). What did both of those times have in common? I had money, I had time, I had loads of friends, and I had freedom. Sounds simple enough, until you have kids, buy a house, work in a public school (or two), can’t work out, have no money, have no time, and your friends are now scattered everywhere. Adulthood totally fucking blows. At least, in my humble opinion. In Beijing, before having a kid and after, my life was still free. Expatriates (expats) are tight-knit. We all live amongst one another, travel together, and do awesome China-city activities together over the weekends. I had almost zero outgoings, saved loads of money, traveled ALL of the time (filled up my passport in less than five years), etc. Expat life was pimpin’. However, Beijing? The air was crazy bad and now that I had a kiddo, I didn’t want to raise him in the insane pollution. I also thought that I truly wanted my childhood dream. A family, with a beautiful home, a child with strong roots in a beautiful place like Oregon, a nice car, and a cushy cloud that held up this facade of warmth that I deemed to be the perfect place. The place that I used to live in via imaginary play when I was young, but this time, for real. That’s when the record skips, screeches, and goes tits up, my friends! My life here has been stained by the wretched stench of exhaustion and tribulations. If you’re reading this and your life resembles that beautiful fairytale, well, fuck you! Haha… just kidding. 😉 I either call bullshit or envy the ever-loving shit out of you. That dream was unraveling as it was being built for me. When I left for China, I was single. Life was all about me. Then came the kid. I ran with the assumption that life with a child in the US would far surpass life with a child as an expat in China. WRONG! Life as an expat in China with a child was FAR superior to my life here with a child – in almost every single way possible. Maybe not for everyone, but most certainly, for me.
Three. I have no family here. My sister recently moved to Portland but our lives are so crazy we don’t see one another all too often. Plus, my family and I have never been close. My friends? Sure, I’ll miss them, but I’ll have new and no doubt familial relationships with a great crew of expats in China.
Four. My kid? Well, he wants to be there like, yesterday. He is fully bilingual and will receive the best education money can buy – for free. We will be at the same school/campus, and he will hopefully graduate from this amazing institution. The air? We are going south, baby! Beijing is in the north and is littered with polluted air. In Shenzhen, on the border of Hong Kong, the air is clean and warm. There are beaches, palm trees, HK, and more than a shitload of activities for adults and kids alike. The city is HUGE! If you can’t tell, I’m crazy excited about this change.
Five. My blog! I can’t wait to start posting my frequent trips to Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Shanghai to see my China bestie, etc. I’ll post my favorite vegan restaurants, and my life in general, too. Of course, I’ll keep creating recipes. Being that time will be something that will once again become part of my life, I’ll actually have time to cook beautiful food and photograph, edit, and post my recipes.
Lastly, if you know me, visit me! If not, and you’re traveling to Shenzhen or China in general, message me for advice. Until then, onwards and upwards! Peace out. 😉
PS- Currently loving this song. Heard it in Sleepy Monk Coffee House in Cannon Beach and had to find out who it was! ZHU – an amazing Chinese/American musician.
Spicy Garlic Asian Noodles (Vegan)
*THE FEATURED IMAGE OF THIS POST
Creamy Peanut Thai Noodles
Sesame Soba Soy Scallion Noodles
*I NEVER TOOK PICS OF THIS AS A BLOGGER. THIS SHITTY PIC IS BOTH THE SOBA SOY NOODLES AND THE PHO BELOW. DESPITE THE FILTERED AND ANTIQUATED HIPSTOMATIC APP PIC, THEY’RE BOTH FUCKING DELICIOUS.
Best Veggie Inspired Pho Ever!
Vegan Green Creamy Peanut Udon Noodles
Veggie Miso Ramen Soup (Vegan)
Tadka Dal & Curried Yellow Lentils & Potatoes (Vegan)
Tadka Dal & Curried Yellow Lentils & Potatoes (Vegan) are healthy, easy, and totally delicious vegan Indian recipes. I am a lover of the lentil… big time. Lentils are super badass for protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, and folate – a vegetarian and vegan dream. Plus, they taste fucking incredible and are ridiculously versatile. I make “meatballs” with them, toss them on salads, in pasta, in bean dips, patties and more. I made the Tadka Dal for me (I like spice), and the Curried Yellow Lentils for my kiddo.
When I lived in Beijing (almost 3 years ago now – crazy!), I traveled alllll over Asia. One of the coolest things to me was the day I filled my passport and had to get pages added. However, it totally ruined the cool look of my passport. LOL. Anyway, I always felt bad for people who traveled with me. I wasn’t vegan when I lived in China, but I was a vegetarian (since the age of 8). Traveling in SE Asia meant delicious and cheap food for everyone… but me. Not to mention, vegetarianism is pretty much a foreign concept there so things like fish sauce and pastes were never revealed when asked if the dish was vegetarian. Better safe than sorry. I lived on the shittiest pizzas, pasta, and occasional toastie (basically a grilled cheese). All of my friends traveling with me got stuck eating at these awful western restaurant when we were traveling in various places of SE Asia – except in Ho Chi Mihn – there was this AWESOME coffee shop (Vietnam has incredible coffee) that served these crazy cheap, crazy delicious, tofu lemongrass baguettes. I ate one every day. That was the only “gem” I had ever come across… until I went to India. I ate the shit out of India. Breakfasts were insane! I could eat everywhere. A vegetarian’s paradise. Plus, Indian food is so flavor-packed, I never got bored. Oddly enough, it was my least favorite place in Asia that I ever traveled to – but at the same time, the best fucking food I’d ever had in Asia. I ate Tadka Dal like it was my last day on earth – and every other piece of naan, biryani, paneer, and kofta I could get down before barfing from overeating. 😉 Yes, Delhi Belly is real, very grossly real… but more than worth it. 😉
Let me know your thoughts on these recipes. Did you switch it up? Add things? I also have just been informed that my comment section hasn’t been working for about a year! WTF! Figuring this out now. One of my plugins is most likely the source. Feel free to comment on my FB page, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram accounts though! -FGG
PS- I LOVE The Beatles! This is a fitting song for the post. 😉
TADKA DAL RECIPE:
Ingredients:
1 C yellow lentils
1 small-medium yellow onion – diced
1 small tomato – diced
1 chili – diced finely (I used a green chili)
2 Tbl ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 cloves of garlic – diced
3/4 tsp chili powder (adjust according to your desired level of spice)
1 Tbl fresh ginger – thinly sliced OR 1/2 tsp of powdered ginger
1 tsp turmeric
Garam masala powder – sprinkled in a very tiny amount
2 Tbl fresh cilantro – loosely chopped
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
Salt as desired
4 C water
3 Tbl vegetable oil
Directions:
Rinse lentils very well
In a saucepan – boil water
Once boiling, add lentils, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, and fenugreek leaves
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for approximately 30 minutes – stir occasionally
Remove from heat when lentils are soft (add more water if necessary)
Put oil in a skillet on medium high
Add cumin seeds. After 1-2 minutes, add onion. After 2 more minutes, add garlic. Cook for about 8 minutes or until onions are browned.
Add ginger, chili, and tomato. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 8 minutes or until tomato is soft.
Combine the lentils with the mixture from the skillet, salt, and cilantro – mix well
Done!
Curried Yellow Lentils
Ingredients:
1 C dry yellow lentils
1/2 onion – finely diced
3 cloves garlic – minced
1 Tbl vegetable oil
1 Tbl cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 C vegetable broth
2 C water
Salt to taste
Directions:
In a pan, heat oil and add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 2-3 minutes
Add the turmeric, and cumin powder – cook for about more more minute
Add the broth and water and bring to boil – stir well
Add the lentils and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 20-30 minutes (add more water or broth if necessary)
Add salt – stir
Done!
Creamy Curried Potatoes!
Ingredients:
6 medium white potatoes – boiled
1/2 C (or more pending upon your level of creaminess) vegan mayo (I only use Vegenaise)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
Directions:
Let potatoes cool and cut potatoes in half
Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix well
Done!
*Feel free to adjust your spices according to your taste!
Wine Pairings:
White – Dry riesling OR dry rose
Red- Pinot Noir
Beer Pairing:
Lager
HERE ARE SOME PICS FROM MY TRIP TO INDIA IN 2013 (DEHLI, AGRA, JAIPUR, GOA). TOO MANY “HEATHER PICS” LOL – BUT I WANTED PICS IN FRONT OF THESE AMAZING PLACES! 😉
Veggie Miso Ramen Soup (Vegan)
Hey everyone! First off, we missed our Sunday food post yesterday because our 3rd podcast (One More Sip of Whine) was being recorded and took far longer than anticipated! Was SO much fun, as always, and this means that once the editing process is done, we go live! Can’t freakin’ wait! What a crazy journey it has been from self-publishing 3 books (available on Amazon), weekly blogging (recipe development, food photography, editing) learning about podcasting, and interviewing! Was incredibly nerve wracking at first. Totally worth every fear, every effort – no doubt! Our YouTube Channel is coming soon, too! Will be live in January, 2019. So much time, so much hard work, and the most fun we’ve ever had! And as always, a HUGE shout-out to Gary Vaynerchuk for giving us SO much inspiration via his books, “Crush It!,” and “Crushing It!” If you are an entrepreneur and have no idea who Gary V. is or have never heard of these books, run to your nearest book store or hop on Amazon asap – life changing!
Veggie Miso Ramen Soup (Vegan) took me a mere 10 minutes to concoct. I LOVE ramen soup but I have a hard time finding vegetarian/vegan ramens, and often the ones that I do find are bland as fuck. No flavor. To me, food is all about flavor, all the time, and lots of it. My love for food and cooking most definitely did not come from a love of bland food. What a waste of calories! I mean, if I’m gonna eat, it better be freakin’ good & worth it, right?!
We received this amazing coconut bowl as a gift from @cocobowlsco (insta). One, thank you SO much for this! It’s literally the perfect weight, size, and shaped bowl for the perfect serving size, at least for me. Plus, reduce, reuse, recycle! FGG is crazy about their ‘waste not’ philosophy so this was truly the perfect gift for us! Two, how freakin’ cute is it? C’mon… 😉 Anyway, we wanted to use the bowl for our next post, had been craving ramen since Thanksgiving (and pizza… why? No idea), so this Veggie Miso Ramen Soup (Vegan) was destined to be! Sip, slurp, repeat. A beautiful hot mess. 😉 Noodles have never been so sultry. -FGG
*This tune has been on my mind since last week. An old friend sent me a video of the inside of our old hangout. The dive bar where we had spent an incredible amount of time. I always played this on the juke box the many times I was there. It had burned down a year or two ago and I had no idea they were resurrecting it until I had a video of the inside, looking EXACTLY the same, in my text messages. It was like a piece of history had just been unearthed! Gunthers, or Club G, as we often called it, was the haunt of haunts back in the day. I can already taste my next shitty shot of tequila the next time I’m back in Northport, NY. Cheeeerrrss to Club G, old friends, and fucking fabulous memories!
Veggie Miso Ramen Soup (Vegan) (Serves 2) (10 minutes)
Ingredients-
For the broth-
2 small packages (about 8 oz or 225 grams total) of dried ramen noodles
4 C miso broth (vegetarian)
1/2 C mushroom broth
3 Tbl of dried seaweed cut into small triangles
2 Tbl finely diced chives
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp ginger powder
Place all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, add noodles, cook for about 2 minutes or until done, then simmer. Do this while you are preparing the ingredients below.
Ingredients-
For the veggies & tofu-
1/2 C sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)
1/2 C small broccoli florets
1/2 C haricot vert (thin green beans) cut in half
1/2 C mixed yellow & red bell peppers – diced
1/2 C diced teriyaki baked tofu
3 garlic diced garlic cloves
2 Tbl soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
*Heat pan with sesame oil and soy sauce on medium. Once hot, add garlic and stir on and off for one minute
Toss in all other ingredients and cook for about 5 minutes
Toss all ingredients from pan into the broth and noodles – stir
Done!
Vegetable Gyoza Recipe – Vegan
I am officially back from my month long vacation and hiatus from all things blog! This past school year, I taught 52 classes per week, finished getting two books edited, and published a cookbook. This is on top of a bit of a roller coaster in my own life. I desperately needed time away from everything. I went to Long Island, NY (my hometown) and was a literal recluse. I only left my mom’s house for the beach (daily), the arboretum, Teddy Roosevelt’s house, my friend’s house in Queens (one time), and the city for an evening. That might sound like a lot, but remember, I was there for an entire month! I finally began working out again – thanks Jillian Michael’s for kicking my ass daily! My mom gave me a Fitbit so I’m now watching my steps, and I’m on the road to less boozing and carbs (insert the BIGGEST sigh ever here). I have a long way to go but made some progress this past month. That all being said, I’m back and ready to get to blogging twice a week! I’ve missed my cyber home and creating daily deliciousness!
Vegetable Gyoza Recipe – Vegan is an awesome recipe that stemmed from some serious disappointment. If you follow my blog, you know that I am practically the best advertisement ever for Trader Joe’s. Alas, the time has finally come when I just can’t get down with one of their meals: Thai Vegetable Gyoza. I decided I’d have a go at making my own recipe for a flavor palette better suited to me. For an even better flavor explosion, I fried these vegetable dough filled delights in tamari sauce. So freakin’ delish! Hope you love them as much as I did! Enjoy! -FGG
- 1 package gyoza/dumpling skins
- 1 C shredded white cabbage
- 1 C diced mushrooms (I used shiitake)
- 1/4 C chopped white radish
- 1 C shredded carrot
- 1 C finely diced chives or green onions
- 1 Tbl minced ginger
- 1/2 C chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbl low sodium soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- 1/4- 1/3 C water
- Cooking oil (I used canola)
- Tamari to taste
- In a pan (or wok if you have) add sesame oil and heat on medium-high
- Add the mushrooms and stir well - about 3 minutes
- Add the cabbage, radish, carrots, ginger, soy sauce, and stir well - about 3 minutes
- Add the chives or green onions - stir occasionally for 1 minute
- Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro - let sit for about 1 minute
- Drain the mixture
- Evenly distribute the mixture into the center of each gyoza skin
- To fold, I simply squeeze the top together, pinching along the way, to create a half moon
- Heat pan on high and add cooking oil and tamari
- Place the bottom of the gyoza on the bottom of the pan - leave room to turn them onto their sides
- When the bottom of the pan begins to brown, add water and cover
- Check occasionally to see the progress of the browning and using tongs, turn to brown each side
- When all liquid evaporates and the 3 sides of the gyoza are browned, they are done!
- Serve with gyoza sauce (soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili paste or red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and chives or green onions)
- Done!
- Riesling, Bourgogne, or sparkling wine
- White ale or pilsner
Vegan Green Creamy Peanut Udon Noodles
Vegan Green Creamy Peanut Udon Noodles are made with healthy and simple ingredients, but these ingredients result in a delicious peanut buttery flavor that will leave you drooling with sauce down the sides of your mouth… SO good!
I made these a few weeks ago. Didn’t get any good pics but had to post because this recipe is too good not to share! I’m never selfish when it comes to sharing food, only in other facets of my life. 😉 Anyway, my kiddo and I were ‘chefin’ it up in the kitchen, and as per usual, I was trying to avoid spillage and contamination of the sauce. Epic fail I might add. The word “no” seems to fall on ears that participate in active selective hearing or out right deafness. Sigh… However, he’s so f’ing cute that sometimes I don’t give a shit. I pretend that I do, but I really just don’t. If you’re a parent, I’m sure you understand. If I chose to engage in every battle, I’d have bald patches on my head from pulling my hair out, wine red stained teeth from self-medicating with booze, and slurred speech – not from the vino, but rather, the Xanax. Permanent battle scars. LOL. It’s like the road’s divided. Thankfully, I just decided to take the more sane route, ’cause otherwise a crystal ball would totally show “alternate Heather” looking like the hot mess I just described above. Taking the sane and wise route? I’ve always massively sucked at this. Being a parent has made me a much better human being. Haha. 😉 Okay, back to the food. It’s just crazy freakin’ delish and you should eat it now. If you need to hide vegetables from your children in pureed form like I must do, I recommend this for your kiddo as well. Happy Thursday! MWAH! -FGG
PS- Not sure how to fix this, but my recipe is not appearing properly on a phone display…
PPS- My listening recommendation for you as you’re cooking:
- 1 package of udon noodles (cooked)
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts or peanut butter
- 2 C loosely packed baby spinach
- 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/4 C water
- 1 Tbl lime juice
- 3 Tbl soy sauce (I use Braggs Aminos)
- 1 Tbl white vinegar
- 1 Tbl honey
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Place all the ingredients except the noodles in your food processor or high speed blender (I used my Vitamix), and blend until completely smooth and creamy
- Pour sauce over noodles and mix well
- Done!
- Wine- Gewurztraminer OR pinot gris
Tahini Mushroom Dumplings
Tahini Mushroom Dumplings were inspired by my love for mushrooms, missing my favorite Beijing restaurant, Din Tai Fung, and what was left lurking in my refrigerator (waste not). Mushroom & veggie dumplings are my ultimate faves. Usually, I like them steamed, however, I was in the mood for some serious crispiness. I purchased some dumpling wraps last week and was itching to throw my shrooms in them! I decided Saturday was it, dumpling making day. So, I got out my mushrooms & wraps and then realized I had no idea what I was going to cook the mushrooms in. I ended up grabbing soy, dijon, white miso paste, and tahini. Holy sh#% balls! They were amazing! I stuffed 6 dumpling wraps, fried them, and served with a soy/Goddess dressing blend. Typically, my fave is soy & wasabi, OR soy and chili oil (ahhh… Din Tai Fung days…). I was crazy regretful that I had only opted to make 6! Who knew my kiddo would come over and go to town on them, too… which is why this also turned into a Greyson photoshoot. After all, he IS my most favorite subject. 😉 Hence the obscene amount of photos in this post.
I love sunny Oregon days. Especially when I have time to enjoy the outdoors and shoot some dope grub! Two for the win! Winter is coming. It’s frosty in the morning now. Last year, I missed 9 days of work due to snow days. Crazy! Portland wasn’t prepared for that kind of snow and did not have the resources to clean it up. Was insane! I cooked loads, drank loads of Pom juice mimosas, lit fire-after-fire, and played with my kiddo. Here’s to hoping for more snow days this year! I’ll make hundreds of dumplings! -FGG
- 10-12 mushrooms - diced (I used white mushrooms)
- 6 dumpling wraps
- 1 Tbl soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbl white miso paste
- 1 tsp tahini SAUCE (Trader Joe's make an awesome tahini sauce - different than their plain tahini)
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbl diced chives or green onions
- Oil for pan (I used 2 Tbl of sesame oil)
- Heat the pan on med and throw in all ingredients - mix well for about 3-5 minutes
- Remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes
- Evenly distribute mushrooms over all six dumpling wraps
- To wrap, start at one end, fold and pinch, and continue this way (hint: use a little water on the wrap where you're pinching)
- Heat pan on medium high with oil (I used 2 Tbl sesame oil), add dumplings
- Turn dumplings as they crisp. Mine cooked for about 3 minutes total
- Serve with dipping sauce!
- My favorite dipping sauce is soy mixed with chili oil and a small flick of vinegar!
- Anchor Steam
Spicy Garlic Asian Noodles (Vegan)
Spicy Garlic Asian Noodles (Vegan) are one of my go-to meals for a few simple reasons: easiness, quickness, and deliciousness! They’re perfectly spicy, garlicky, and topped with 2 of my 3 most favorite veggies! Mushrooms & broccoli (spinach being the 3rd). I love leftovers as much as the next gal but I have had SO very many Thanksgiving leftovers that I’m ready to explode… seriously. I needed something easy and totally different than my T-day menu so I whipped up an oldie but a goodie: Spicy Garlic Asian Noodles (Vegan). Also, I’m a massive lover of all things noodles – Italian or Asian. I don’t discriminate. 😉
This slurp worthy dish is smothered in garlic, hot pepper, sesame, broccoli, and shrooms for your next noodle love affair. Noodle love affairs are some of my favorite love affairs. 😉 Although, I think my belly would disagree with the sheer volume of carbs I’ve consumed over the past week. It’s obscene and my wardrobe, once again, is suffering from a lack of vitamin D, as they’ve yet to see some outside sun because, well, the carb bloat this past week has been reeeaalll. Time for some serious yoga and Jillian Michael’s over the next month. Back to business so I can slurp up delicious noodles guilt free. Anyway, enough about my belly and more about this dish. It’s simple: It’s crazy delicious. Enjoy responsibly with yoga. Namaste, friends. MWAH! 😉
- 1 packet ramen or other Asian noodle
- 5 broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup mushrooms - sliced (I used white)
- 1 small chili pepper - finely sliced OR 1 Tbl hot sauce - like Sriracha sauce OR chili paste
- 1 Tbl roughly chopped cilantro
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
- 2 Tbl soy sauce OR Braggs Aminos (I use Braggs)
- 1 Tbl rice vinegar
- 2 tsp honey or agave
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- Boil your water & start to cook noodles whilst chopping and mincing your herbs/veggies etc
- Heat a pan with sesame oil on medium
- Add garlic and stir for 1 minute
- Add mushrooms and soy and stir for 1 minute
- Add all other ingredients (including noodles) and stir for approximately 3-5 minutes more (broccoli should be cooked but still green and vibrant in color)
- Put in a bowl and garnish with sesame seeds
- Belgian style ale
5 Easy & Delicious Vegan Asian Inspired Meals
5 Easy & Delicious Vegan Asian Inspired Meals is a compilation of recipes from my blog that I totally love! Going vegan from veg-head a few months ago has been amazing for me. I have loads of energy (pumpin’ my B12’s of course) and a lot less belly bloat. I remember, many moons ago, this being the case when I was vegan for 2 years. Asian food is a fabulous foundation for vegans because there is rarely any dairy (Indian food aside and sans meat of course) involved. So many flavors and veggies to play around and experiment with. I often do ‘inspired’ meals. For example, my Mexican Sushi Rolls. I am definitely not a ‘by the book’ kind of gal. I like to mix it up and use whatever ingredients are in my fridge. When you read my recipes, I encourage you to take your own creative license with them as well.
Get some chopsticks out, prepare to make yourself a hot and saucy mess, get together with friends, chow down with the fam, drink well, chat well, eat well, and appreciate the amazing conversations and moments that come from the kitchen to the table. Life is short. A recent and heavy loss reminded me of this, and she lived a beautiful 93 years. I’ll always have our family meals… politics, humor, tales from the times etc. In many Asian cultures, food is a time to be together. Click on the light green title of the recipe below the pic for the link to the recipe, and serve up your own good times and traditions… let the memories begin!
RIP, grandma. You’re my woman amongst all women. I’ll carry you with me forever and always. XOXO
Mexican Vegan Sushi Rolls!
Mexican Vegan Sushi Rolls! are so incredibly healthy, easy, and delicious. I wanted to do something unique with my nori rolls so I looked at what I had to get rid of in my fridge, and this idea rolled (hehe) right into my head. I had whipped up some fire roasted hot sauce last week with my various hot peppers that are pouring out of my garden. I smothered the inside (and out) with it. Of course, using store bought hot sauce will be just as amazing. From there, I added my sushi rice, and everything else from the recipe card below…
Everyone always assumes that I don’t eat sushi because I’m veg. Sushi is an awesome veggie or vegan food! You can put absolutely anything in it. The weirder the rolls, the better. At least in my humble opinion. 😉 Carrots, cucumbers, and avocado. That is primarily the “it” veggie sushi roll. Screw that! Shove some buffalo patties, chives, and pinto beans in there! Why not use tofu or tempeh? Go Italian style with some amazing Tofurky Sun-dried tomato/basil sausages and more. Go Greek with olives, tomato, and hummus, think of throwing some kind of veggie patty or a falafel in there! There’s no end to what you can roll into your nori. Obviously, swishing it down with some hot saki is highly recommended, or even encouraged. I live near a saki factory where you can go and taste the amazing flavors that sakis have to offer. Pretty dope! If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’m in love with living in Oregon again. Five years in China and I’m extra freakin’ in love with this orgasmic place! I get asked all the time why in the world I don’t live in New York (my home state), and I have one answer: The Pacific Northwest rocks!
Mexican Vegan Sushi Rolls! should be on your list of things to make this week. In addition to some cocktails, Halloween decorations, jack-o’-laterns, and costumes of course. 😉 Eat up and enjoy!
- 4 Nori wraps
- 3/4 C cooked sushi rice
- 1 vegan buffalo chicken patty (I use Boca) cut into strips
- 1 slice vegan cheese (I used Field Roast Chao - Tomato Cayenne) cut into strips
- A handful of chives cut in half
- 8 slices of cucumber
- 8 slices of carrot
- Optional: avocado slices (recommended) & cilantro to taste
- Pinto beans to taste (I dived 3/4 of a can)
- Hot sauce for inside and out - to taste
- Optional: Everything bagel seasoning for a garnish (I used Everything But The Bagel from Trader Joe's)
- Top each sushi roll with rice (split evenly among all 4 rolls)
- Add hot sauce on each roll (to your taste)
- Add beans
- Add cheese and buffalo patty
- Add carrots and cucumbers
- If using, add avocado and cilantro now
- Add chives
- Roll them up and lightly rub with water then sprinkle with everything seasoning
- Garnish with hot sauce
- Feel free to squeeze a fresh lime over those rolls!
- Hot saki OR Hefeweizen, Witbier, American Ales
Creamy Peanut Thai Noodles
Creamy Peanut Thai Noodles is my most favorite dish this summer. It’s right up there with my Crazy Creamy Pesto! I am a massive noodle lover, no doubt about that. Peanut noodles are always my fave and I have been perfecting this recipe forever! If ever there were a perfectly creamy and healthy noodle dish, this is it. Taking one for the win!
When I was living in China there was very little I could eat at Chinese restaurants. Din Tai Fung was my ultimate favorite place on the planet. One, because I could actually eat there. Two, because of their amazing dumplings, braised tofu, aaaand noodles! I have been on an epic quest to recreate those ‘noods’. In doing so, I concocted something I like even better! Score again! I make bucket loads of sauce and freeze the rest in small sized batches so that I can just take a meal-size out of the freezer when needed.
If you eat this and aren’t a sloppy hot mess, you’ve not enjoyed them properly. I wanna see sauce all over your pretty little face dripping down the noodles and your mouth. See G-man (below) doing just that. Hands and all! Now, go get your ‘noods’ on!
… getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha, your ‘noods’ on…
- 2 C raw and unsalted peanuts
- 1/2 C nutritional yeast
- 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
- 3-4 Tbl Braggs Aminos or soy sauce
- 1 Tbl sesame oil
- 1 Tbl agave or honey
- 1 Tbl lime juice (optional)
- Sprinkling of salt if needed (I do not use)
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- Water for texture
- Noodles (asian-think ramen)
- Boil noodles
- Place all other ingredients in a strong blender/processor (I use my Vitamix) and blend
- Very slowly add water for a thinner (not too thin!) texture as you blend
- Pour amount needed over noodles and you're done!
- Freeze extra sauce
5 Minute Tofu & Broccoli
5 Minute Tofu & Broccoli is exactly what I need in my life right now! I have been lagging in posting on my blog because I am preparing for 3 concerts in less than two weeks, in addition to preparing to move after 5 crazy and awesome years in Beijing! There are barely enough minutes in the day to keep up with my main priorities! Finding nannies, apartments/houses, buying a car, sorting through insurance (after 5 years of having none), cell phone plans, and the fact that we don’t own so much as a fork anymore! Coming abroad to China, you are given amazing housing that is fully furnished. I had shed my entire life of belongings when I left the US. It’s more than exciting to be purchasing, planning, and preparing for the future, but dang! It’s busy to the extreme! I am, however, EXTREMELY excited even though this is quite bittersweet. There have been tears shed for the smallest of things because I know I’ll never be doing them, or doing them this way, again.
5 Minute Tofu & Broccoli was not meant to be a blog post. I literally had zero time, looked in my fridge (or scrounged around more accurately), threw stuff in a pan, created as I went, and voila. Done in 5 minutes! I was so stinkin’ pleased with myself and the bowl of food looked quite “pretty” that I decided to snap a few shots. This is why you will not see the process making in this post. I had no intention of posting or picture taking until it was all done! To add to this, my amazing friend, Lindsay, had just showed me how to use the basics of Lightroom. Once upon a time, I had attempted to teach myself Photoshop. Once and only once. Honestly, I got so incredibly frustrated by this program that I refused to try it again and almost cried. This seriously happened. In the future, when I actually have back that little thing we like to call “time,” I fully plan on revisiting the horror with a clearer and more driven head, however, until then, if not always, Lightroom is far more intuitive and most definitely did not bring me to the verge of tears. If you are a Beijinger, and even if you’re not, check out my friend’s amazing blog! She offers fabulous packages for family shots etc around Beijing. My best Beijing friend, Alana, who you’ve all heard about just got some great pics from her. I threw this 5 Minute Tofu & Broccoli picture into Lightroom so Lindsay could show me some basics. Fabulous program! Unfortunately, had to throw it in Photoshop to do one small thing that Lightroom does not do and it saved like this… blurry and discolored! Didn’t even remotely attempt to fix it, as I was not going down that rabbit hole again! Like I said, for future days with more time and perhaps a glass (at least) of wine.
Tofu, broccoli, tumeric, onion, garlic, Braggs Amino Acids (or soy sauce!), ginger powder, red pepper flakes, s & p, topped with some Goddess dressing, and done. Like I said, 5 minutes to awesomeness doused in a bowl of health. Simple living for stressful times does not have to mean abandoning your health & tummy happiness. Eat merry & be happy!
- 1 brick firm or extra firm tofu - Very well drained! - Sliced into squares
- 1 small head of broccoli - florets
- 1/4 cup diced onion (optional)
- garlic powder to taste (if you have more time or have pre-minced, throw in 2-3 cloves real garlic)
- tumeric - pinch or two
- red pepper flakes - to taste
- Braggs Amino Acids OR soy sauce - at least 3 Tbl
- s & p to taste (if using soy sauce, limit your salt or do not add)
- Goddess dressing - to taste
- Sesame oil (or whatever you've got!) for pan
- Heat oil in pan
- Add onions - cook for 1 minute
- Turn heat up (fairly high)
- Add pressed tofu, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, tumeric, and s & p -press down on tofu. Flip after 2-3 minutes.
- Throw in the broccoli and Braggs or soy for the last minute. Toss well
- Remove from heat, let cool for a minute or two, and top with Goddess dressing
- Feel free to add anything you'd like or remove anything from this dish. It's delicious but you can also use this as a guideline to healthy & quick cooking dishes that would be similar. Use what's in your fridge!
- White wine pairing - Gewurztraminer
- Red wine pairing - Sangiovese
Best Veggie Inspired Pho Ever!
As promised, here is my follow-up recipe that is in the picture below with the Sesame Noodles. Also, I’d like to mention that I am desperately trying to get all of my ancient photos into my recipes so that I can solely move forward with proper food photography. If you’ve read my “About Me” you’d know that in order to get this blog up and running I needed to use crappy iPhone and other crappy photos from well before I’d ever owned an amazing camera and had thoughts of food blogging or food photography. Bear with me! Soon enough I’ll be able to only post my newest and ‘best-est’ photos for you. Until then, you’re stuck with this.
Onwards, this dish was served in addition to my Sesame Soba Soy Scallion Noodles for hubbies bday. I had absolutely no idea how this was going to turn out but thankfully, it was amazing! Full of flavor, pretty, and instantly popular. After a few bday beers let’s just say we were indeed slurping it up, however, not slurping gracefully. It reminded me of my teenage years when my mother told me to never order pasta on a date. Not because one should never do that, but because I, specifically, should never do that. Thanks for the advice, mom! I think you just may have been right. With that in mind, slurp sloppily and enjoy!
- 8 oz rice noodles - cooked
- 1/2 C shitake mushrooms - loosely diced
- 1 small head of broccoli - loosely chopped
- 1/4 edamame beans - (optional)
- Large handful of cilantro
- Large handful of basil - chopped very loosely
- 1/4 C soy sauce or Braggs Amino Acids
- 4 C vegetable broth
- 1 onion - diced
- 2 Tbl sesame oil
- 2 red chilis - seeded
- 2 pieces or 1/4 inch piece of ginger - chopped
- 1 lime - juiced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic - minced
- 3 stalks lemongrass - diced
- 4 scallions - diced
- 1/2 C bean sprouts
- 1 Tbl peppercorns
- 1 Tbl toasted black sesame seeds
- Add 3-4 cups water, vegetable broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, chilis, ginger, garlic, lime juice, lemon grass, peppercorns into a pot. Bring to boil for 15 minutes and then simmer for 15-20 minutes more.
- Stain the broth when done to remove everything but the actual broth itself.
- Add noodles, broccoli, mushrooms, bean sprouts, basil, and edamame. Stir.
- Separate into individual bowls and smother in cilantro, scallions, and sesame seeds.
- Done!
- Serves 2 large bowls or 4 average sized bowls.
Sesame Soba Soy Scallion Noodles
Try saying that one five times in a row! Unlike the challenging title, this dish is so easy to make and absolutely scrumptious! It was amazing how long I had been living in China before I started to get my feet wet with basic Chinese or other Asian dishes. I had been tooling around with udon noodles and this incredible and common chili sauce here but that was about it. This noodle dish is refreshing, simple, and most likely something a bit different than your day-to-day noodle nom-noms. Usually, noodle for me equals Italian food. However, both this dish and the recipe that will be posted afterwards are indeed Asian inspired. I made them both last year when I decided to spoil the crap out of my husband for his entire birthday weekend. I literally cooked him crazy awesome and sometimes crazy involved meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 3 days in a row. I know, I know, how insane or insanely nice of me, right? Well, selfishly, as this is my hobby, it was a fantastic opportunity for me to concoct some creations I’d had brewing in my brain for some time. I loved every second of it! Enjoy!
Sesame Soba Soy Scallion Noodles/Best Veggie Inspired Pho ever!
- Soba noodles (9 oz)
- 1-2 Tbl sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup mushrooms (I prefer Shitake) - halved
- 1 small cucumber - juilienned
- Lime wedges
- 2 cups scallions - diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic - minced
- Handful of cilantro - chopped
- 2 Tbl fresh ginger - minced
- 1 Tsp pickled chili with garlic sauce (optional)
- 3-4 Tbl sesame oil
- 1 1/2 - 2 tsp chili oil (optional but highly recommended)
- 2 Tbl honey or agave nectar
- 4-6 Tbl soy sauce or Braggs Amino Acids
- 2 Tbl rice wine vinegar
- Mix sesame & soy sauce in bowl
- Cook noodles
- Mix sauce, sesame seeds, cucumbers, mushrooms, and noodles in bowl - mix well
- Serve cold and garnish top with sesame seeds and a sprinkle of green onion. Put 1-2 lime wedges in each bowl to be squeezed on top.
- Add peanut sauce to make this a sesame/peanut noodle dish! Just remove the chili option.
- This serves between 2-4 people.
Hummus & Veggie “Sushi” Rolls
- 4 nori seaweed wraps
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 C hummus
- 1/2 a carrot julienned
- 1/2 a cucumber julienned
- 1/4 red pepper julienned
- 1/4 yellow pepper julienned
- 1 stalk green onion julienned
- 2 Tbl cilantro
- Smear hummus on all 4 wraps
- Either smash or use slices of avocado on top of the hummus
- Layer your veggies, green onion, and cilantro and roll them up
- Cut each roll into 6 or 7 pieces
Asian Inspired Black Rice Bowl with Sesame and Orange Marinated Tofu
- 2 1/2 C dried black rice
- 2 slices of lime
- 4 heads of bok choy
- 1 small carrot sliced thin
- 4 shitake mushrooms
- 4 Tbl cilantro
- 2 slices of orange
- 1/2 cup edamame de-shelled
- 1 pomegranate- remove seeds to use for dish
- 1/2 pckg extra firm tofu
- 2 oranges diced
- 1 lime-squeezed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 Tbl sesame paste or tahini
- 1/2 C soy sauce
- 2 Tbl cilantro
- 1 stalk green onion- diced loosely
- 1/4 c water
- Put all the ingredients of marinade in a blender and blend until smooth
- Cook tofu slices and put in marinade. Sit and refrigerate for approx 2 hours.
- Cook rice and then add marinade to rice when cooked (to taste)
- Steam edamame and bok choy
- Cook shitakes and edamame in marinade (to taste) and the add to rice
- Add carrot slices to side of bowl
- Garnish with cilantro, sliced orange & lime (one per bowl), and pomegranate seeds
- You don't have to let the tofu sit in marinade if you don't have time. Also, I often use Dr. Braggs Liquid Amino instead of soy sauce.
