cabbage

November 25, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 22 November, 2013: Two Mushroom Rice Noodles

double mushroom noodles vegan double mushroom noodles vegan
INGREDIENTS:

1/2 package of thin rice noodles
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups white or yellow onion, sliced
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted in water for at least 20 minutes
1 cup dried cloud ear mushrooms a.k.a. black fungus, reconstituted in water for at least 20 minutes
3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons soy sauce OR vegetarian mushroom “oyster” sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

Boil water in a medium sized pot, take off heat and add noodles.  Soak noodles for 5 minutes and drain, set aside.

Fry the onions in a pan in the oil at medium-high heat until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add cabbage and sauté until cabbage begins to wilt, about 2 minutes.  Add drained mushrooms (save water for a later use) and stir fry for about a minute.  Add noodles and soy sauce or mushroom oyster sauce to the pan and stir gently until mixed.

November 18, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 17 November, 2013: Tofu Pancit

Another veganized Pinoy (Philippines) recipe. I never tried Filipino cuisine until now — it was too meat-centric and after all I was vegetarian for 20 years before becoming vegan 3 years ago. I thought pancit was a real winner and so did my husband. It’s tasty, fresh, and comforting.

vegan tofu pancit vegan tofu pancit

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 package of thin rice noodles
Warm water, for soaking

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup extra firm tofu, sliced, patted dry, and crumbled
1.5 cup onion, chopped
1.5 cups snow peas
3/4 cup shredded or chopped carrots
1.5 cups shredded cabbage

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup strong vegetable broth or 1/2 cup vegetable broth and 1/4 cup soy sauce

Vegetarian mushroom “oyster” sauce, if you can find it, or salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Put noodles to soak in about 3 cups of warm (not hot) water.

Slice tofu and pat it dry with paper towels or a clean towel. In a large pan, bring oil to the smoking point. Quickly stir-fry tofu in oil until it is brown, about 1 minute. Take the heat down to medium. Add onions, fry until they begin to soften. Add garlic, cabbage, and snow peas. Stir fry about 3 minutes. Drain noodles and add to the pan. I use reserved water from the drained noodles to make the vegetable broth.

Add vegetable broth and carrots to the noodle pan, mix in. Keep stirring the mixture until noodles until they absorb the broth, about 3 more minutes.

Salt to taste or use mushroom oyster sauce.

November 14, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 13 November, 2013: Barbecue Tomato Fried Rice

vegan barbecue fried rice

IMG_3681

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil
1 cup vegan chorizo, veggie burger crumbles, or finely chopped vegan sausage (I used vegan chorizo)
2.5 cups cooked refrigerated rice
1 cup tomato, chopped
1.5 cups cabbage, chopped
1.5 cups green onions, chopped

2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon vegan Worchestershire (or additional soy sauce)

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare all ingredients and set them in bowls stove-side. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan or wok until smoking. Fry vegan chorizo first, stirring it quickly. Add cabbage next and toss around for 30 seconds. Add rice, tomato, and green onions, stir until everything is incorporated.

Turn off heat. Make a well in the center of the stir fry. Pour soy sauce, ketchup, and vegan Worchestershire into this well and then stir them through. Add salt to taste.

November 11, 2013 Image

Daily Vegan Lunch for 10 November, 2013: Potato Pierogi and Red Cabbage Sauté

This is a meal for very little money. A little time consuming, however, it makes 12 giant pierogies which can later be frozen for future quick meals.

pierogies vegan

Shown with homemade cashew sour cream

PIEROGI FILLING INGREDIENTS:

3 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1.5 cup onions, chopped

PIEROGI DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

3 cups flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt

CABBAGE SIDE DISH INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon oil
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cups red cabbage, sliced
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup vegetable broth

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and chop the potatoes. Boil them in water on the stove for 20 minutes or until they are fork-tender. Drain and set aside.

In the pot you cooked the potatoes in, sauté onions in 1 tablespoon oil until they are translucent on medium heat. Add the potatoes and the salt. Fork mash or use a beater to mash the potatoes. We will not be adding any plant milk as they need to be somewhat on the dry side to make a good pierogi filling.

Now make the dough. Combine 3 cups flour, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon oil, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Knead the ingredients into a dough ball. Knead for about 5 minutes, working the ball to bring out the gluten. Divide the ball in half and roll out 1 side to 1/4 inch thick.

Cut out circles in the dough using a small bowl turned upside down as your cutter. This makes a large pierogi like I made. For smaller ones, use the rim of a glass.

Stuff each pierogi with 1 heaping tablespoon potato mash. Seal the dumpling on the circular seam.

Boil the pierogi in water about 5 minutes.

CABBAGE SIDE DISH DIRECTIONS:

Peel and chop apples. In a pan, fry onions on medium high heat in 1 teaspoon oil until they are translucent. Add red cabbage and apple. Stir-fry about 2 minutes. Douse with broth and add sugar. Cover and cook 5 more minutes.

November 3, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 30 October, 2013: Shredded Vegetables and Peanut Sauce

vegan shredded vegetable stir fry and peanut sauce

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons oil

2 cups julienned bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained (buy big cans from an Asian market)
1 cup shredded carrot
1.5 cups shredded white or green cabbage or napa cabbage
1.5 cups shredded red cabbage

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Chop and/or prepare all ingredients and set them near the stove. In a large pan, bring oil to the smoking point at high heat. Add bamboo shoots, stir fry 30 seconds. Add the cabbages and toss around for about 30 seconds. Add carrots, stir. Turn the heat down to medium-high. Make a well in the center of the vegetables and add garlic. Wait 30 seconds, add peanut butter and soy sauce. Once the peanut butter begins to melt, stir everything to incorporate. Top with green onions and serve with rice.

October 21, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 21 October, 2013: Rustic Bread Soup

Many people don’t realize most bread, including sourdough, is vegan. It’s a combination of yeast, flour, sugar and salt. Unless there’s an egg wash or a butter top, bread is as vegan as it gets.

This dish reminds me of pre-made frozen white bread dumplings my mom used to make with gravy. Like most meat dishes, it was a heavy, greasy dish. This version brings me back to all of the good things about that dish with none of the grease or heavy fat that used to stick to everything.

vegan rustic bread soup
INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil
1.5 cups chopped onion

1.5 cups chopped celery
1.5 cups chopped carrot
1.5 cups chopped peeled potatoes
2 cups chopped red cabbage or other cabbage (I just really like red cabbage this time of year as you can probably tell)
6 cups vegetable broth (I used water, 2 broth cubes, and a pinch of salt)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 cups pureed tomatoes (I used some late garden tomatoes puréed in the blender)
1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1-2 slices of bread per bowl, I used a crusty homestyle bread from a bakery

DIRECTIONS:

Sauté onion and cabbage in oil in the bottom of a large stockpot on medium high until translucent. Add cumin and paprika and saute 30 more seconds. Add celery, carrot, potatoes, and broth. Cook until carrots and potatoes are fork tender. Add pureed tomatoes, basil, and garlic and cook 10 – 15 more minutes. To serve, place 1-2 slices of bread in the bottom of the bowl and ladle soup over it like this:

IMG_3539

October 21, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 18 October, 2013: Black Rice, Tofu, and Red Cabbage

IMG_3528

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cooked black rice
1/2 avocado (about 1 cup) peeled, pitted, and chunked
1 cup peeled, chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

2 teaspoons oil
1.5 cups firm tofu
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:

Slice tofu and pat the slices dry with a clean towel or paper towels. In a small pan, bring oil near to smoking (medium-high). Cut tofu into cubes and sprinkle them with cumin and garlic salt. Fry the tofu in the hot oil until slightly brown on all sides.

Combine black rice, avocado, cucumber, onion, red cabbage, additional 1/2 teaspoon cumin, vinegar, and sugar (optional) in a medium sized bowl. Add cooked tofu and toss to combine all ingredients.

October 14, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 6 October, 2013: Red Cabbage and Sweet Pepper Soba

vegan bell pepper and red cabbage soba and peanut sauce

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups cooked soba noodles, drained
1.5 cups sweet bell pepper, sliced
1.5 cups sliced red cabbage
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce or water
2 cloves minced garlic

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-cook soba noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a large pan on medium-high heat, briefly sauté sweet bell pepper and cabbage. Make a well in the center and add the peanut butter, soy sauce or water, and garlic. Once the peanut butter starts to melt, about 30 seconds, stir it into a slurry with the soy sauce and minced garlic. Turn off the heat. Add the noodles and stir everything in the pan to combine. You probably will NOT need to add salt as soba noodles are salty to begin with.

October 4, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 29 September, 2013: Apple and Red Cabbage Spring Rolls

These were outstanding.

apple red cabbage spring rolls

IMG_3464

INGREDIENTS:

8 rice spring roll skins a.k.a. bahn trang
1 apple, sliced
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1 cup sweet bell pepper, sliced (I used an orangey-yellow one)
2 green onions, minced, about 3/4 cup

Water

PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon chili sauce or 1 teaspoon Sriacha
2 teaspoons agave nectar or 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:

Make the dipping sauce by mixing together all peanut sauce ingredients and whisking with a fork until well blended. I cheated and microwaved the sauce for 30 seconds so I didn’t have to fork whip it as long. Set the sauce aside.

Chop and lay the veggies out on a cutting board or plate. Fill another plate shallowly with lukewarm water. Lay a spring roll round into the water. Once it absorbs a little water (about 15 seconds) flip it over and let it soak about 15 more seconds. Lay the softened spring roll paper on a cutting board and fill it with about 3/4 cup worth of various ingredients, do not overstuff. Roll it up burrito-style, tucking in the ends. Let it sit on the cutting board so it can seal while you make the other rolls.

Cut rolls in half to serve.

July 29, 2013

Daily Vegan Lunch for 25 July, 2013: Kim Chi Fried Rice

Kim Chi Fried Rice

IMG_3170

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cabbage, shredded or chopped
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups cooked long grain rice, refrigerated 24 hours
1.5 cups chopped green onion
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon gochujang (Spicy Korean miso available in most Asian groceries)
1/4 cup soy sauce or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare all ingredients, including rice, and set them to the side of the stove so they are ready to go. Turn heat as high as it will go. Put oil in a large pan (not non-stick as the Teflon stuff becomes unstable and poisonous at high temps) until the oil smokes. Add cabbage to the pan — BE CAREFUL! The oil can spatter because it’s very hot. Stir for 30 seconds until it wilts and add refrigerated rice. You really have to use chilled rice because otherwise the rice turns gummy, sticky, and nasty. Stir the rice which will brown quickly, about 1 minute. Add green onion, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, and gochujang at once. Stir for one minute more to incorporate the gochujang and coat all the rice. Done!