Vegan Moo Shu Vegetables With Tempeh

Simple and delicious Moo Shu Veggies - great for entertaining!

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Moo Shu
Moo Shu (fill in the blank) is a popular dish in Chinese restaurants. You can order Moo Shu pork, chicken, shrimp, tofu, and vegetables. They usually are made with shredded cabbage, onions, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, and seasonings, and are served on a delicate pancake which almost always breaks apart in your hand half way through eating it. The characteristic flavor is usually dominated by the yummy plum sauce that it is served with.

Most of us wouldn't think of making this at home, probably because of the difficulty of making the pancakes. But if you take that fear away by using your favorite tortilla as a replacement, the rest of the job is pretty easy! Just stir up a few veggies, buy some plum sauce at your local market, and you're almost there.

Today's recipe uses Three Grain organic tempeh from Lightlife as the protein made from cultured soybeans plus millet, brown rice, and barley. It's a great source of iron, protein, and dietary fiber. Feel free to use other types of tempeh made from other grain combinations. For extra flavor, try using marinated tempeh in flavors such as sesame garlic, or teriyaki.

One 3 ounce serving has:
170 calories
5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat
6 g dietary fiber
16 g protein
14 g carbohydrate
10 mg sodium
15% DV of iron

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Moo Shu Vegetables with Tempeh
Vegan
[makes 6 servings]

Ingredients
4 teaspons sesame oil, divided
4 ounces organic tempeh, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 large carrot, shredded or cut into ribbons
1/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
6 tortillas
2 tablespoons plum sauce 

Cabbage, onions, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms

Directions
Heat 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Add the sliced tempeh and cook until browned, a minute or two per side.

Remove from the pan and slice into small chunks. Set aside.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Add the ginger and garlic and cook on medium-low heat, stirring continually, until fragrant, about one minute or less. Add the onion, cabbage, carrot, mushrooms, soy sauce and rice vinegar to the pan. Stirring frequently, cook on medium heat until the vegetables soften and reach the desired texture. The mixture should be pretty dry.

Stir in the browned chunks of tempeh and cook until they are warmed up. Turn off and cover until ready to serve.

Wrap the tortillas in a towel and heat for 30 seconds to one minute in the microwave or heat individually in a heated pan. 

Place each tortilla on a plate and spread 1 teaspoon of plum sauce in the center.

Place moo shu vegetables on the center of the tortilla.

Fold and enjoy!

Shiitake And Maitake Mushroom Stroganoff An Elegant Vegan And Gluten-Free Holiday Recipe

Fresh shiitake and maitake mushrooms are used for this elegant
vegan stroganoff recipe but others can be substituted.

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Mushrooms for your Health
Shiitake and maitake mushrooms are both known for their heath-promoting and disease-fighting properties. I am so fortunate to live down the street from Gourmet Mushrooms Inc, where they grow a gorgeous assortment of yummy fungi. (See my Tour of Gourmet Mushrooms back in 2011).  In October they had a great direct-to-the-public sale and I was able to walk away with almost 6 pounds of fresh shiitake and maitake mushrooms for $20. Who could resist?

Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula endodes) have been found, in animal studies, to lower cholesterol, slow or stop the growth of tumors and inhibit viruses by boosting the immune system. Their medicinal use dates back to 100 AD.

Maitake mushrooms (grifolla frondosa), also known as "hen of the woods", have been shown to modulate glucose levels (important for limiting development of type 2 diabetes). Research has also studied their ability to fight tumor grown by restricting the proliferation of blood cells that feed them.

Shiitakes, around the edges, and maitake in the middle of bowl

Besides these important health benefits, they are both delicious and make the  perfect ingredients for hearty, meat-free main course meals. This shiitake and maitake mushroom stroganoff can be made with other mushrooms if you can't find fresh shiitakes and maitakes where you live. Cremini or white button mushrooms can be substituted for the shiitakes and oyster mushrooms for the maitake.

I like to make a simple veggie broth out of the shiitake mushroom stems and a few other veggies. If you don't want to do that, just use whatever broth you'd like. You can even use a veggie bouillon cube (my favorite is Rapunzel) in water. But save the stems in the freezer in case you decide to use them for veggie stock later.

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Shiitake and Maitake Mushroom Stroganoff
Vegan and Gluten Free (if using gluten-free pasta)
[makes 4 to 6 servings]

INGREDIENTS
For the stroganoff
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
8 ounces fresh maitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup almond or other non-dairy milk
2 1/2 cups veggie broth* 
1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread
1/4 cup Tofutti dairy-free sour cream
1 or 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or vermouth, to taste
8 ounces pasta (for gluten free I use Garden Pagodas from Ancient Grains)
2 T chopped fresh parsley (optional)

* For the broth (if you want to make your own)
Stems from the above shiitake mushrooms
3 cups water
8 peppercorns
1 stalk celery, cut in thirds
1 thick slice of onion
1 small carrot, sliced in fourths

DIRECTIONS
Prepare the mushrooms. Wipe the shiitake mushrooms clean with a slightly damp paper towel. Gently remove their stems and set them aside for the broth. Break apart the maitakes into smaller pieces.

Prepared mushrooms

Make the broth. Combine the shiitake mushroom stems, water, peppercorns, celery, onion and carrot and bring to a boil. Lower and simmer on medium low heat, covered, for 30 minutes.

Don't throw out the shiitake stems.
Use them to make this simple veggie-mushroom broth.

Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil to prepare the pasta.

Heat the oil in a medium pot and sauté the onion on medium low heat until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. 

Add the prepared mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they release their liquids, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and thyme.

In a small cup, add cornstarch to the almond milk and stir until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

After the broth has been cooking for 30 minutes, strain 2 1/2 cups of it into the mushrooms.

Stir in Earth Balance until melted. 

Stir in the cornstarch and milk mixture and simmer until it thickens. 

Stir in the sour cream and lemon juice (or vermouth). Adjust seasoning if needed. Cover to keep warm while making the pasta. 

Thickened stroganoff with sour cream and lemon juice.

If putting on top of pasta or noodles, prepare them according to manufacturers directions.

Drain the pasta and place in a large serving dish or 4 to 6 individual bowls. Top with stroganoff and fresh parsley and serve.

This is also delicious on top of baked potatoes! Just bake 6 potatoes, place in a shallow bowl and cover with stroganoff. Top with fresh parsley and serve. 

Nutritional Information
Per serving - 4 servings: (stroganoff without pasta or potato) 177 calories, 9 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 410 mg sodium.

 To make this dish even richer and more decadent, stir in some artichoke hearts. I prefer using the frozen ones (cook first before adding) than the canned ones.

Mushroom stroganoff with artichoke hearts

Want lots more yummy vegan recipes at your fingertips? Download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen: Delicious and Easy Vegan Recipes and Seasonal Food Plan available on Amazon and iTunes -  only $9.99.

Matzo Ball Soup With Veggies And Shiitake Mushrooms Vegan And Vegetarian Options

Vegan or vegetarian matzo ball soup for Passover.
Less than 200 calories per serving!

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This Italian Girl LOVES Matzo Ball Soup
For some reason Jews and Italians seem to live in the same neighborhoods in Brooklyn. At least that was the case in Borough Park and Ocean Parkway, two of the neighborhoods I lived in as a child. I was introduced to matzo balls at an early age and have always loved them. I usually don't think about them until Passover comes around and the shelves in the local supermarkets are stocked with matzo meal which immediately triggers a pavlovian response. 

This was the case this week when I bought a big container of matzo meal. I wanted to create a vegan matzo ball for those of you who avoid all animal products. For my readers who enjoy eggs (so many of you raise happy and well cared for chickens), I'll also include a recipe that uses real eggs instead of flax eggs.

Nutritionally, the vegan matzo balls have slightly fewer calories, zero cholesterol, 16 times the omega-3 fatty acid, and more the fiber. The vegetarian matzo balls have more protein. With either one, a serving of soup with 3 matzo balls has less than 200 calories.

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Matzo Ball Soup with Veggies and Shiitake Mushrooms
Vegan or Vegetarian Options
[makes 6 servings]
Requires a 5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot with cover

For the soup
8 cups veggie broth*
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped onion
6 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
1 small turnip, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* Instead of veggie broth, you can use 8 cups of water and 1 whole Rapunzel Vegan Bouillon Cube with Herbs.

For the vegan matzo balls
3 tablespoons ground golden flax seeds
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water (divided)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup matzo meal (do NOT use matzo meal mix)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

For vegetarian matzo balls
3 fresh eggs from happy chickens
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup matzo meal (do NOT use matzo meal mix)
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

To make the soup, fill a 5-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot with all of the soup ingredients. Set aside.

Soup ingredients

To make the vegan matzo balls, make flax eggs in a medium bowl by mixing the ground flax seeds with 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of room temperature water. Beat until gooey, about a minute.

Flax egg

After the "eggs" are nice and gooey, stir in 1/2 cup of water and olive oil. 

(If you are making the vegetarian matzo balls, you would use 3 fresh eggs instead of making the flax eggs. First beat the eggs, then add 1/2 cup of water and olive oil.)

Add the matzo meal, baking powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley.

(If you are making the vegetarian matzo balls, notice that the amount of baking powder is reduced from 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1/2 teaspoon.)

Mix until completely combined and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the soup and veggies to a boil.

Let rest for 10 minutes while soup is coming to a boil.

Divide the matzo mixture into 18 pieces and roll them into small matzo balls. If they get sticky and hard to handle, wet your hands. 

Drop the matzo balls into the boiling soup. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Do not stir or disturb during the soup during this time, other than occasionally peeking in.

Serve while hot and enjoy!

Per serving of soup with 3 vegan matzo balls: 171 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 840 mg omega-3 and 694 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 4 g protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, and 782 mg sodium*.

Per serving of soup (using a bouillon cube) with 3 vegetarian matzo balls: 184 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 93 mg cholesterol, 58 mg omega-3 and 739 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 6 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, and 732 mg sodium*.

* Using a Rapunzel bouillon cube instead of low-sodium veggie broth.

Per serving of vegan matzo balls (3 balls): 133 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 833 mg omega-3 and 648 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 17.5 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 218 mg sodium. 

Per serving of vegetarian matzo balls (3 balls): 146 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 93 mg cholesterol, 51 mg omega-3 and 694 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 5 g protein, 16.5 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, and 168 mg sodium. 

Vegan And Gluten Free Asparagus And Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry

A simple stir fry with fresh asparagus and shiitake mushrooms.

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Asparagus
Doug and I love asparagus whether it's raw, roasted or in a simple stir fry. This week they appeared in all of our favorite grocery stores. We've already made them twice in the past few days and have more in the refrigerator!


These lovely green spears are packed with vitamins and minerals as well as protein and dietary fiber - perfect for a low calorie, high fiber diet!

A cup of asparagus has only 27 calories 
and is a very good source of:
 protein, dietary fiber, vitamin A, C, E, K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, B6, Folate, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

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Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry
Vegan, Gluten Free 
[makes 4 servings]

1 pound of fresh asparagus
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup room temperature water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 medium onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, large ones cut in half
2 cups cooked brown rice or 8 ounces cooked noodles (optional) 

Bend the bottoms of the asparagus spears until they snap off. Rinse well or soak in cold water. Drain and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.

Stir cornstarch into the water until it is completely dissolved. Mix in the lemon juice and soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat oil in a non-stick wok or large frying pan. Cook onion for a minute stirring until separated.
Add garlic, ginger and black pepper and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they soften, about 3 minutes.

Stir in asparagus and cook until they are fork tender. 

Stir the cornstarch mixture again since some of it may have settled to the bottom. Pour into the hot wok and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the vegetables.

Serve as a side dish or over cooked brown rice.

If you are serving with either buckwheat or gluten free rice noodles, you may stir cooked and rinsed noodles into the wok when the sauce begins to thicken.  

Per serving (without rice or noodles): 93 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 25 mg omega-3 and 1,461 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber and 240 mg sodium.

Veggie And Soba (Buckwheat) Noodle Soup With Shiitake Mushrooms - Vegan And Gluten Free

Did you know that buckwheat noodles are gluten free?

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Buckwheat is Not Wheat!
Although "wheat" is in the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat.  Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum is not part of the cereal grain family but is from a broad leaf plant in the Polygonaceae family. Soba noodles, made from 100% buckwheat, are suitable for those on a gluten-free diet as long as they haven't been cross contaminated during processing.

I love the chewy texture of these noodles. I prefer them over Udon noodles and always have a package of them in the pantry. Soba noodles are low in fat and high in protein and contain all the essential amino acids. They also contain thiamin, folate niacin, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.

a 2 oz serving of buckwheat soba provides:
200 calories
1 g total fat
zero saturated fat and cholesterol
6 g protein
3 g dietary fiber
43 g carbohydrates

Time for Soup
It's getting cold and although one third of my diet still consists of raw fruits and vegetables, most of my diet, in the cold months, is cooked. I almost always have a pot of hot soup on the stove.
Here's a recipe that can stand alone with just the veggies, shiitake mushrooms and soba noodles but you can also add slices of tofu or the protein of your choice to make it even more hardy. 

You can make this meal using just 2 pots: a 3-quart saucepan to make the broth and a 5-quart soup pot.

Veggie and Soba Noodle Soup
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]

For the broth
Stems from 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms used in soup
8 cups water
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons gluten free, low sodium soy sauce
1 carrot, cut in large slices
1 or 2 stalks celery, cut in large slices
2 large slices of onion (top and bottom with skin)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 

For the soup
4 cups small broccoli florets
8 ounce package of buckwheat soba noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3/4 cups thinly sliced onions
1 small red bell pepper, cleaned, quartered and sliced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems reserved for broth, caps cut in half
1 1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
Strained broth from above
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
4 or more slices raw jalapeño
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Make the broth. Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and place them and all of the broth ingredients in a 3-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Set aside. 

It's easy to make your own broth. This broth makes use of the mushroom stems and the top and bottom of the onion.

While the broth simmers, prepare the vegetables and noodles. 
Place a steamer basket in a 5-quart soup pot filled with 2 inches of water. Place the broccoli in the steamer  basket and cook, covered, on high heat until fork tender. Remove the broccoli from the pot immediately so that it doesn't overcook. Set aside. 

Cut the broccoli into very small florets.
Steam briefly until fork tender and remove from heat.

Remove the steamer basket from the pot and fill the soup pot with fresh water. Boil water and cook the soba noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse them well as soba noodles can be quite starchy. Set them aside. Wipe out the soup pot with a towel to dry.

Heat the sesame oil in the soup pot and cook the onions on medium heat until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
Add the peppers, shiitake mushrooms and carrots and cook for another 4 minutes.

Cook the onions, peppers, mushrooms and carrots.

Strain the broth and pour it into the soup pot along with the slices of jalapeño. Simmer until the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt if desired.

Add the cooked broccoli and soba noodles to the soup pot and heat for several minutes until warm.

Divide into 4 soup bowls, top with fresh cilantro and serve.

Per serving: 316 calories, 5 g total fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 51 mg omega-3 and 1.6 g omega-6 fatty acids, 11 g protein, 60 g carbohydrates, 8.3 g dietary fiber and 717 mg of sodium (with the additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt - 427 mg sodium without it).

Creamy Vegan Mushroom And Artichoke Soup With Oyster, Crimini And Shiitake Mushrooms - Perfect For Holiday Menus!

This delicious, vegan, gluten free soup is thick with mushrooms and artichokes yet it's less than 250 calories per serving!

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Holiday Menu
It's about time to start thinking about holiday menus again. If you love the rich taste and texture of mushrooms and artichokes, this may be the one to serve at your next special dinner! 
I used crimini, oyster and fresh shitake mushrooms in this but other mushrooms will do. I think Maitake, royal trumpet or just about any of the mushrooms I found during my tour of Gourmet Mushrooms in Sebastopol would do nicely!  

In this soup, I use crimini, oyster and fresh shiitake mushrooms but others will do nicely!

Cream Soup Without the Cream
I use several techniques to get rid of cream in my creamy soups. Sometimes I blend in silken soft tofu, sometimes I blend in potatoes. I've even sprinkled in a few tablespoons of instant mashed potatoes. But today I just cooked in small diced Yukon gold potatoes (without blending) and finished the soup with So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer. The result is a rich, thick, creamy soup with no cholesterol and very few calories. (I used the French Vanilla version of this creamer the other day in my Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream post. I love this product, although I do use it sparingly. It's especially good in chai tea.)

Folding in small diced potatoes to the mushroom mixture.
Cooking potatoes in a soup is a natural way to thicken it.

This rich creamer has zero fat and only 10 calories per tablespoon.  A perfect replacement for half and half.

Creamy Vegan Mushroom and Artichoke Soup
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 5 servings]


2 tablespoons Earth Balance vegan margarine
4 ounce shallot, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/3 pound crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/3 oyster mushrooms, cleaned and torn into large pieces
1/3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/2" cubes
14 ounce can water packed artichoke hearts, rinsed & quartered
1/2 cup So Delicious Original coconut milk creamer
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Additional freshly ground black pepper


Heat Earth Balance in a 5 quart Dutch oven and cook shallots for several minutes until soft. 
Stir in garlic, thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and mushrooms and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
Mix in potatoes and then stir in vegetable stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 10 minutes or until potatoes begin to soften and the soup starts to thicken.
Stir in artichokes and cook another 15 minutes, partially covered.
Stir in creamer, heat thoroughly.
Serve topped with chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.


Per serving: 214 calories, 4.4 g fat, 1.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 32.2 g carbohydrates, 5.7 g dietary fiber and 526 mg sodium.

Spicy Vegan Quinoa With Asparagus And Shiitake Mushrooms - Low In Calories And Perfect For Weight Loss!

Spicy and delicious but only 250 calories a serving!

The Secret to Good Quinoa
For years I wasn't a big fan of quinoa. Whenever I tried to make it, it came out bitter and I disliked the consistency. I finally found out that to make good quinoa, it must first be soaked and then rinsed really, really well. Evidently there is an outer coating of saponin which gives it the bitter taste. Once I finally prepared it properly, I fell in love with this grain-like edible seed. 

Soaking and rinsing quinoa removes the bitter coating

Shiitake Mushrooms
This is truly a "Food For Long Life" as shiitake mushrooms were used medicinally by the Chinese for thousands of years and were a symbol of longevity! They are also a very good source of iron, an important nutrient for vegans. 
Fresh shiitakes are much easier to find these days and are so much better than the dried ones. Don't be put off by the price, they are pretty light. Also, don't throw away those stems you just paid lots of money for. They make an excellent mushroom or veggie stock. I pop them in a baggie and throw them in the freezer until I'm ready to make stock.

Fresh shiitake mushrooms are better than dried 

Carefully remove the stems and use them to make veggie or mushroom stock

Use your Favorite Veggies Too
This recipe calls for asparagus and red bell peppers but you can also add other veggies too. This weekend I made a double batch for a vegan potluck and besides the mushrooms, asparagus and bell peppers, I also added snow peas. They were a nice addition and gave it some extra crunch.

Sauté vegetables in the order of their required cooking times

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Spicy Vegan Quinoa with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms
[Makes 4 servings]

1 cup quinoa, 
2 cups water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, (or to taste)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
½ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
4 scallions, diagonally sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 pound asparagus, bottoms trimmed, diagonally sliced in ½” pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Soak quinoa for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water for 3 to 4 minutes. Place quinoa in water in a 1½ quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a non-stick Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-low heat and sauté ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 minute. 

Add peppers and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the peppers and mushrooms begin to soften. 

Add asparagus and cook another 3 minutes until fork tender.

Add soy sauce and lemon juice and mix together well.

Mix in quinoa and serve immediately.

Per serving: 252.9 calories, 6.0 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 13.3 g protein, 46.1 g carbohydrates and 8.7 g dietary fiber. 

Vegan Thai Garden Stir Fry With Rice Noodles - Penseys' Bangkok Blend

Stir fry onions, peppers, shitake and zucchini with garlic and ginger.

Add cabbage to other veggies and toss frequently.

Fast growing Chinese Kaboko cabbage from my garden.

Penseys' Bangkok Blend for Thai style cooking.

Soak rice noodles in hot water, rinse and add to stir fry.

Tonight's Dinner brought to you by Mother Earth!

It was one of those evenings when I was trying to use up the last of the zucchini from my summer garden and an enormous head of Chinese cabbage from my new winter garden. I just planted 6 starts of Kaboko Chinese cabbage about 4 weeks prior and already had these huge heads ready to eat. So I took out my non-stick electric wok and cooked up all the veggies I had in the house along with some fresh shitake mushrooms and rice noodles.

Health Benefits of Cabbage

There have been hundreds of studies that have linked cabbage to cancer prevention. This cruciferous vegetable provides this benefit due to its high content of antioxidants and glucosinolates. Cabbage also can lower cholesterol. Many of these studies show maximum benefit when the cabbage is steamed or sautéed only for a brief period of time. In this recipe, the cabbage is added towards the end and cooked for only a few minutes so it should provide the maximum health benefits.

Bangkok Blend

Did you ever purchase an interesting spice and forget to use it? I went crazy with a Penseys catalog a while back and bought dozens of spices. Some of them made it to the back shelf and were forgotten. Bangkok blend unfortunately, was one of them. When I decided to make this stir fry I was looking around for spices to use and rediscovered it. Bangkok blend is a mixture of sweet peppers, garlic, ginger, black pepper, galangal, hot peppers, lemon grass, basil and cilantro. It's nice and spicy and is wonderful in this stir fry. I use 1 tablespoon in this recipe for medium heat. For a less spicy dish, you can reduce it to 2 teaspoons and if you want to bring tears to your eyes, you can use 4 or more teaspoons.

How to make Rice Noodles

In case I'm not the only one who ignores instructions clearly written on a package, I thought I'd point out that rice noodles are never boiled. To cook them properly, you boil water, remove it from the heat, immerse the rice noodles in the hot water for the specified time, drain and serve. The first time I cooked rice noodles, I assumed you boiled them like spaghetti. I'm Italian. How else would you do it? After watching the rice noodles disintegrate before my eyes, I decided to read the package.

***

Thai Garden Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

[serves 4]

1 tablespoon Penseys' Bangkok Blend (or other Thai seasoning)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon unrefined sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

2 cups thinly sliced zucchini

2 cups fresh shitake mushrooms, cut in half or thirds

1 head Chinese cabbage, 1 inch slices (about 10 cups)

7 ounces of dry rice noodles

This dish is best cooked in a non stick wok.

Mix Bangkok blend and cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly mix in soy sauce and water and set aside.

Boil water for noodles. Remove it from the heat. Soak noodles while making the stir fry which will take about 8 or 9 minutes. Make sure noodles remain firm, rinse and set aside.

Heat oil and quickly stir in ginger and garlic until fragrant (no more than 10 seconds).

Add onions, peppers, zucchini and shitake mushrooms and toss frequently for 5 minutes until the veggies just begin to soften.

Add cabbage to the wok and toss frequently until the cabbage and all veggies are crisp tender, about 4 minutes.

Stir up cornstarch mixture and mix into the stir fry until it thickens.

Carefully mix in the rice noodles and serve immediately.

Per serving: 304 calories, 4.4 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 9.8 g protein, 58.8 g carbohydrates and 5.0 g fiber.

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