Udon Soup

This is a 15 minute recipe. It is hot, savory, and filling udon soup that has a lot of good flavors. I am a little squeamish with mushrooms, otherwise I would try those straw mushrooms, but I just use baby portabellas.

This recipe is good for 1 person for dinner, 2-3 as an appetizer or soup course, and takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. 

1 t sesame oil
about 6 mushrooms, sliced
2 spring onions, white parts sliced thinly, green parts sliced about 1/2" long
A few ounces of tofu, diced into 1/4" cubes 
2 C low sodium vegetable broth
1 C water
1 package udon with seasoning. Read labels to make sure your brand is vegan.  
1-2 T soy sauce, to taste.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, fry the mushrooms and the white parts of the onion in the sesame oil until the mushrooms are colored and softened. Add the green parts of the onions, the tofu, the udon noodles and the water, vegetable broth and 1/2 packet of the seasoning. Let cook until the noodles are done. Taste and season with soy sauce.

Udon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Myojo-Noodles-Mushroom-Flavor-7-22-Ounce/dp/B004H4SEPI/ref=pd_sbs_gro_1

Tofu with Broccoli

I love Chinese take-out, but it's expensive, greasy, and who knows what's in it. I've been trying to emulate take-out Chinese for a while, and this recipe gets you pretty close. To cut the fat in this recipe, fry the tofu in less oil, and do not flour it.

I use a Korean fermented bean paste in place of oyster sauce, it has a similar savory flavor, but it is vegan. You should be able to get it at any Asian market. If you can't get it, you can omit it with no consequence.

This recipe is very loosely developed from a beef broccoli recipe on Epicurious. I linked it at the bottom of the page.

Also, you'll want to serve this with some rice because it's saucy.

1/2 hour cook time

Sauce:

1 T soy sauce
1 T fermented soy bean paste
1/4 cup vegetable broth, sow sodium
2 t sugar
1 t sesame oil
1/4 cup white wine (or 2 t rice wine vinegar)
1/2 t red pepper flakes (or a pinch of ground Szechuan peppercorns if you got 'em)
1 t MSG (optional)


Tofu:

1 brick tofu, drained for at least 1/2 hour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup flour
1 t salt
1/2 cup peanut oil


Stir fry:

1 onion, julienned
1 sweet pepper, julienned
1 lb broccoli, trimmed
1 t minced garlic
1 t minced ginger
1 T corn starch


Prepare the sauce first. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Microwave for about 20 seconds so everything dissolves.

For the tofu, mix the flour and corn starch in a shallow dish. Cube the tofu and dredge in the flour. Shake off the excess powder and fry in heated peanut oil (medium heat is fine) in batches. Remove from wok when brown and sprinkle with a little salt.

If your oil is still clear, you can use it to stir fry your vegetables, if not, pour it out and start with 2 T of fresh oil. Stir fry the onions and sweet peppers for about a minute over medium-high heat, then add the garlic, ginger, and broccoli. Turn the heat down to medium, add the sauce, and cover with a lid to allow the broccoli to steam. You should stop this process when the broccoli is almost done, since it will cook about a minute longer.

Use a ladle to get about 1/2 cup of the broth out and pour it into a bowl. Mix well with the tablespoon of cornstarch and pour back into the broccoli. After about a minute, it should thicken up.

Add the tofu right before serving and serve over rice.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Stir-Fried-Beef-and-Broccoli-13212

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

This pizza is a tasty alternative to, well, any non vegan pizza. Roasting the vegetables before topping the pizza imparts a lot of sweet and meaty flavors.

I use the prepared pizza dough at Trader Joe's. It's $0.99 and turns out buttery and with a chiabatta-like texture. I'll also describe my iron skillet technique, it's my substitute for a pizza stone.

1.5 hr prep and cook time

1 onion
2 sweet red/orange peppers
10 stalks asparagus
1 tomato
1 pizza worth of prepared pizza dough, rolled out to the size of your pan
1 T minced garlic
about 1/4 olive oil
1 T salt
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
Marinara sauce (Optional for crust-dipping)


Start by roasting the vegetables. Cut all the vegetables into quarters, except for the asparagus, just trim the stalks and leave them whole. Toss with about 2 T of olive oil and about 1 t of salt, and bake in a preheated oven at 450F.

The hard part about this is that the vegetables are going to be done at different times, so you'll want to pull out the vegetables when they're done cooking. The asparagus might only take 10 minutes, but the onions may take up to an hour to get good color. I also stir and flip the vegetables to make sure there aren't any really burnt spots, but keep in mind that a little is good, and will add to the flavor of the dish.

If you want to use the iron skillet method, start heating it up on the stove over a high flame. It needs about 10 minutes to get really hot. (You'll also want to make sure that your skillet is well-seasoned to prevent sticking).

When the vegetables are done, set them aside to cool, and carefully lay your dough in the heated skillet. When I did this, my dough was too wide, so I rolled it over to create a fat crust, but this may not happen you if you plan ahead. Coat the crust of the dough generously in olive oil, and let some fall over the edges of the crust, it will creep into the side of the pan and discourage sticking.

Sprinkle the top of the pizza, including the crust with the garlic and the veggies, either diced or whole (the tomatoes will be pretty decimated by this point, so I just used them as the "sauce"). Then sprinkle some salt on the pizza, focusing on the crust. (You may want to taste how salty the roasted vegetables are before determining how much to put on top.)

Bake for about 15 minutes at 350F, or until the crust is done. Finish by topping the top of the pizza with basil, and serve with marinara sauce if desired.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

This dish is great for summer. You should put it together the day before you want to eat it so the flavors mellow and, since you put it together hot, it needs to cool completely in the fridge.

Also, when roasting vegetables, I do a lot at a time and jar up what I don't need. They're a good addition to pastas, and I also use the same stuff to top my roasted vegetable pizza.

1 hour cook time, 12 hours rest time

1 onion
2 sweet red/orange peppers
10 stalks asparagus
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed.
1 lb pasta: I like fusilli because the ridges hold onto the sauce, but any short pasta will work in a pinch.
1/2 cup olive oil + extra for drizzling
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t minced garlic
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 t sugar

Start by roasting the vegetables. Cut all the vegetables into quarters, except for the asparagus, just trim the stalks and leave them whole. Toss with about 2 T of olive oil and about 1 t of salt, and bake in a preheated oven at 450F.

The hard part about this is that the vegetables are going to be done at different times, so you'll want to pull out the vegetables when they're done cooking. The asparagus might only take 10 minutes, but the onions may take up to an hour to get good color. I also stir and flip the vegetables to make sure there aren't any really burnt spots, but keep in mind that a little is good, and will add to the flavor of the dish.

While the veggies are roasting, cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions, drain when finished.

For the dressing, combing the 1/2 cup olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar and whisk with a fork.

When the roasted vegetables are done, dice them and add them to the pasta along with the dressing and the frozen peas. Mix well, adjust for salt, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Gnocchi with Vegetable Sauce

This is a delicious tomato based sauce that is studded with zucchini and mushrooms. I found that it is better in this type of recipe, where the tomatoes are prevalent, to use good quality canned tomatoes. If you have some tomatoes that are on the way out, you can quickly blanch, peel, seed and chop, and add them in. I also like to nearly caramelize the onions because it adds a lot of sweetness and complexity to the sauce.

In this recipe, like many others, vegetables can be switched out for others to fit what you have on hand or want to use up.

Also, on a vegan note, the whole wheat gnocchi (with sweet potato!) from Trader Joe's are vegan, and the white potato ones typically contain egg.


45 minutes cook time

1 T olive oil
2 small or 1 large onion, small dice
1 t salt + more for seasoning later
1 zucchini, split in half lengthwise, and cut into 1/2 in pieces
1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 t freshly ground pepper
1.5 T balsamic vinegar or 3/4 cup red wine (I prefer wine, but I don't always have it on hand)
1 T minced garlic
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2T low sodium vegetable bouillon
1 t sugar
1 t dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 t dried oregano or 1 T of fresh oregano, chopped
1 package gnocchi, cooked


Start with a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the tablespoon of olive oil, and the teaspoon of salt, and saute the onions for 15-20 minutes, until well colored.

Add the zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, and pepper. Cook and stir until colored, but not completely done.

After about 5 minutes, add the remaining ingredients, except the gnocchi. Cover and cook for about a half hour. Adjust later for salt.

When the sauce is done, add the gnocchi and stir.

It will be a bit at a stew consistency which I like for gnocchi. (You could cook uncovered if you want to serve on top of another type of pasta, or want a thicker sauce.) I serve this in a shallow bowl with plenty of bread for the excess sauce.

Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Tofu

This is a Thai coconut curry. It's sweet and spicy and highlighted with lime and basil. The vegetables are interchangeable with whatever sounds delicious or what you have on hand. The finished product can be served over rice or a pita (I like the thin, Lebanese version).

There is a bit of fat in this recipe but can be cut by using light coconut milk and reducing the peanut oil when frying the tofu. Also, I prefer to use peanut oil when frying tofu because of the higher smoke point, but if you go low and slow, you could get away with olive oil.

45 minutes cooking time

1 brick firm or extra firm tofu, drained for at least 30 minutes, cubed into bite size squares
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 T curry powder
2 t cayenne powder (can be omitted or reduced, and sometimes I'll replace with a habenero if I have it.)
1 red or orange or yellow bell pepper, large dice
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thinly at a bias
1 can baby corn, drained
4 cooked red potatoes, large dice
1 can coconut milk (regular or light is fine)
3 T low sodium vegetable bouillon
1 small lime
2 T soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
salt, to taste
1/2 cup roughly chopped basil

1. Fry tofu at medium high heat in peanut until all sides are browned. About 10 minutes total. Fry all vegetables for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add spices and cook for about a minute on medium heat to bring out the flavor. Avoid burning the spices.

3. Add the coconut milk, sugar, juice from lime, soy sauce, and vegetable bouillon and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add water if too thick for taste, and add salt and more brown sugar to taste. Allow to cook until vegetables are done.

4. Right before serving, add basil and stir.

Enjoy!

Vegan Crock Pot Black Beans

This recipe creates a flavorful, filling, and inexpensive meal or side dish. For the skeleton version of this recipe, all you really need are the beans and some water. And hopefully some salt.

But here is my general method:

15 minutes prep, 4-8 hours in crock pot

1 lb black beans
1 large or 2 small onions, diced
1 large bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 14 or 28 oz can tomatoes, with juice
1-2 jalapenos or habaneros, seeded or unseeded (depending on how hot you want 'em.)
2 T minced garlic, or 1t garlic powder
1 T cumin
1/2 T dried oregano
1/2 T paprika
1 t pepper
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable 'better than bouillon' (this stuff is a staple in my kitchen) or 3 T other low sodium bouillon.
2 t kosher salt

Place all ingredients into a crock pot. Stir, and then add enough water to cover 1/2 inch and stir again. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low overnight. Monitor occasionally for water levels to avoid burning. Taste and adjust for salt.

Refried beans are easy, too: blend with immersion blender and heat in saucepan on medium until heated through and at the correct consistency. Also, black bean soup could be made by adding extra broth.