Tag Archives: broccoli

Asian peanut noodles with miso soup

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We were in the mood for some Asian food this week, so I decided to make this noodle stirfry with a spicy peanut sauce, along with some miso soup.

I started off the soup by simmering some water with ginger and soy sauce. While the water was getting infused with yummy flavors, I cooked the noodles and prepped the veggies. I love lots of broccoli in this dish, along with red pepper, green onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and vegetarian “chicken”. The broccoli absorbs the sauce nicely, making it something that even Jon enjoys eating!

I sautéd all the veggies together in some sesame oil. Once the veggies were done, I made the sauce in the pan with fresh ground peanut butter, sriracha sauce, and a little soy sauce, along with cooking water from the pasta to make a creamy spicy sauce. The noodles were finished when everything got mixed together.

I finished the soup by mixing in miso. Once that was dissolved, I put some chopped green onions in soup bowls and then ladled the hot, gingery, miso soup over them. The soup provided a great contrast to the spicy noodles. Yum!

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Pasta with broccoli and “chicken”

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Last night’s dinner was inspired by memories of a dish my mom used to make–pasta with broccoli and chicken.

I started off by sautéing sliced mushrooms in olive oil until they were browned and juicy. These went on a plate to hang out while I made the rest of the sauce. I started the sauce by sautéing onions, garlic, and broccoli stems in olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little allspice. Next, I added white wine to make a broth, and put the broccoli tops and vegan “chicken” in the pan to steam.

After the broccoli was bright green, I put the mushrooms back in the pan and then added a little coconut cream to make a creamy wine sauce. Once the sauce was ready, I added my favorite pasta shape, orecchiette. It made a great dinner with fond memories of mom’s home-cooked food.

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Veggie Stirfry

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I love a good veggie stir fry! I started this one by cooking some brown rice. While that was cooking, I sliced up all my veggies…green onions, ginger, water chestnuts, red pepper, green beans, and broccoli (my all-time favorite in this type of dish because it absorbs all the sauce).

I started the stir fry with the ginger, green onions, and water chestnuts in peanut oil. Next I added the red pepper, finally adding the green beans and broccoli. I poured in some sriracha sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and then covered the pan to let all the veggies steam.

To finish the sauce, I mixed in some cornstarch dissolved in water which makes the sauce cling to the vegetables. It tasted yummy and healthy served over the brown rice!

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Thai Coconut Soup

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I love this spicy and refreshing soup…it is light enough for the summer, but warm and spicy enough to also be great in the winter.

I started off with some ginger, green onions, lime zest, diced chili peppers, and sliced lemongrass sautéing in a little canola oil. Once this mixture was heated up and releasing its yummy aromas, I poured in some veggie broth and light coconut milk to make the soup base. I let this simmer together for a while to infuse the flavors together.

The soup base is so fragrant you could almost eat it on its own! But, I like soup that had more substance so next I added lots of veggies. Carrots and red pepper went in first, followed by broccoli. Sometimes I will add a veggie chicken substitute which really absorbs the flavors of the broth nicely. After the veggies are cooked, I finish the soup with some bean sprouts and a little squeeze of lime for freshness. Yum!

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Asian Peanut Pasta

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Asian Peanut Pasta

Asian Peanut Pasta

When Jon said the other day that he needed comfort food for dinner, I immediately thought of this asian peanut pasta dish. It’s inspired by a dish that one of our good friends made for us one night, and now it makes regular appearances for dinner at our home. It is warm and comforting but also feels healthy because of all the veggies.

Tempeh Sauteing in Peanut Oil

Tempeh Sauteing in Peanut Oil

I like to add protein to this dish with tempeh, which I started off by sauteing in a little bit of peanut oil. The tempeh picks up the peanut flavors from the oil and almost tastes like little soft peanuts in the finished dish.

Carrots, Broccoli, and Pepper

Carrots, Broccoli, and Pepper

While the tempeh was cooking, I got all my veggies ready. You could really add almost any type of veggies you wanted, but I went with carrots, red pepper, and broccoli. I love the way broccoli picks up all the sauce in this dish!

Veggies Sauteing!

Veggies Sauteing!

Once the tempeh was done cooking, I put it on a plate to hang out while I cooked all the veggies. After adding a little more peanut oil to the pan, the carrots went in first, followed by the pepper and finally the broccoli. With the broccoli, I added a little soy sauce and then covered the veggies to steam for a bit.

The pasta had been cooking during this – I like to use whole wheat rotini noodles for this dish. Not exactly a classic asian choice, but they work really well with the peanutty sauce. The veggies were done, so I added lots of fresh ground peanut butter, a little more soy sauce, some sriracha sauce, and cooking water from the pasta to the pan. Once the peanut butter had dissolved into the liquids, it was ready for the addition of the tempeh and the noodles. Jon said it was exactly what he was in the mood for after a crazy day at work – I’m so glad I can read his mind (or at least his stomach)!

Asian Peanut Pasta Ready to Serve

Asian Peanut Pasta Ready to Serve

Pad Thai

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Pad Thai

Pad Thai

After traveling most of this week, I was really excited for some home-cooked food on Friday night and decided to make vegan pad thai.

Carrots, Red Pepper, and Broccoli

Carrots, Red Pepper, and Broccoli

I started off by getting my veggies ready…thinly slicing some carrots and red peppers, chopping broccoli, washing bean sprouts, and dicing up some green onions and garlic.

Garlic and Green Onions Sauteing Away!

Garlic and Green Onions Sauteing Away!

While the water was heating for the rice noodles, I started sauteing the garlic and green onions in some peanut oil with red chili pepper flakes until they were softened and fragrant with peanutty spiciness. Then, I added the carrots and red peppers. After a little bit I added the broccoli with some soy sauce and lime juice, and covered the veggies to let them steam.

Pad Thai Sauce

Pad Thai Sauce

While the veggies were steaming and the noodles were boiling, I started the sauce for the pad thai. Of course it contained a good amount of lime juice (mostly out of a bottle, but a little bit fresh squeezed). I also added in some lime zest, soy sauce, sriracha sauce, and a little brown sugar for some sweetness.

Veggies Steaming Away!

Veggies Steaming Away!

At this point, everything was ready to be combined together! I mixed the noodles and bean sprouts in with the veggies, topped it with the sauce, and then mixed in some chopped green onions and peanuts.  I always think the hardest part of making this dish is getting everything mixed together and coated with the sauce, and last night was no exception! After serving, I topped it with a few more peanuts and a lime slice. It is so good to be home and back in my kitchen! :-)

Freshly Made Pad Thai

Freshly Made Pad Thai