DDD #147 – Vegan Hot & Dry Wuhan Noodles

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2020

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This is not a very traditional version of this dish but – given grocery stores during the Coronavirus pandemic – I just sorta winged it with what I had available.

Wuhan was the early epicenter of this virus so I Googled it & found that their traditional dish is Wuhan Hot & Dry Noodles.  They looked & sounded great so here is my humble version.  Expect a more traditional version in the near future.

Click the image below to watch the video.

Vegan Hot & Dry Wuhan Noodles

serves 2

INGREDIENTS

9 oz dry noodles

4 TBS tahini sauce

2 – 4 garlic cloves – minced

2 TBS good quality balsamic vinegar (optional)

2 TBS sesame oil

2 TBS dark (black) soy sauce (or regular)

2 TBS light (thin) soy sauce (or regular)

1 TBS sambal oelek (or hot chili oil to taste)

Pinch Chinese 5 spice

1 tsp sugar

1-2 TBS peanut butter

GARNISH – black and/or white sesame seeds, chopped scallions

DIRECTIONS

Cook the noodles.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together.

Drain the noodles & toss with the sauce – using a quantity to suit your taste.

Garnish – devour!

DDD #41 – Vegan Vietnamese Fresh Salad Rolls with Homemade Peanut Dipping Sauce

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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Click the image below to watch the video.

Vegan Vietnamese Fresh Salad Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 package clear edible rice spring roll sheets (Here on Amazon)

FILLING OPTIONS:

• 1 package vermicelli rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
• Tofu or other protein
• Basil – fresh (Thai sweet or hot basil is nice, too, if you can find it)
• Mint – fresh
• Cilantro – fresh
• Butter lettuce, washed and separated into leaves – ribs removed
• Carrots, peeled & cut into very thin matchsticks
• Cucumber, peeled and cut into very thin strips
• Avocado
• Purple cabbage
• Bell pepper strips
• Asparagus
• Mango
• Papaya
• Sprouts
• Micro greens

 Be sure you have the type of wrappers pictured below (or another brand) and not egg roll or wonton wrappers.  Those are an entirely different breed & need cooking.

Directions:

Prepare the noodles & vegetables in advance – being sure they are washed & dried.  Have a large bowl of warm water ready for dipping the spring roll wrappers.

• 1  Dip a sheet of spring roll wrapper into water very quickly, no longer than a second or two (or they will get too soggy) and lay flat on a work surface.
• 2  On one edge, lay a small handful of noodles, some basil & mint leaves, some pressed tofu, some cucumber & carrot strips, purple cabbage, avocado & some micro greens (or whatever fillings you are using) – being careful not to overstuff the wrapper.
• 3  Roll up burrito style, tucking in the sides, then continue to roll up-but not too tightly or the spring roll wrapper will tear.

You will, no doubt, need a few attempts to get one right. Be patient – it gets easier.  Be prepared to throw a bunch away or to settle for some funky shaped rolls!  They should be served fairly quickly after preparing them. Too much time in the fridge after assembly will dry them out. These can be filled with nearly anything so feel free to get creative!

You can BUY a spicy peanut sauce in a jar or can at most Asian markets or online (for example – http://www.lynmarket.com/proddetail.asp?prod=011152198903).  They are usually quite good, but, if you are feeling motivated –

Peanut Sauce Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of peanut butter – smooth or chunky
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 TBS low sodium soy sauce
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup of water
• cilantro, crushed nuts or a swirl of sriracha for garnish

Directions

1. Combine
2. Garnish with a squeeze of sriracha or nuts or cilantro

Of not in the mood to make sauce – many options are available at the store.

DDD #29 – Vegan Black Bean Brownies with Peanut Butter Swirl

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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Black bean brownies?  Am I to believe my eyes?  Yes & yes!  These babies are amazing & nobody would ever guess that they are flourless & made of canned beans.  Rich & delicious & packed with protein – even the fussiest kids will chow these babies down.

Click the image below for the video & please subscribe to my channel.

Vegan Black Bean Brownies with Peanut Butter Swirl

INGREDIENTS

1 (15 oz) can black beans – drained & rinsed

2 vegan eggs (use your favorite egg replacer)

3 TBS coconut oil

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips plus extra for topping

1/8 – 1/4 cup peanut butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients except the chocolate chips & peanut butter.

Mix in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Grease an 8×8 baking pan.  Spread the mix in there.  Drop some peanut butter on top and – with a skewer or the tip of a knife – swirl the peanut butter.  Top with some extra chips & then bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top is dry & the edges are separated from the pan.  Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before cutting them.  Refrigerating them will facilitate cutting them up.

Serve & wow the villagers!

 

DDD #27 – Vegan Pumpkin, Peanut Butter & Rolled Oats Dog Treats

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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Reposting this recipe because it now has a video to accompany it.  Click the photo below to watch.

These are easy.  The only thing is that the dough can be really sticky.  I only used as much flour as I need to make the dough manageable without using so much it lost all tackiness.  I didn’t want flour to overwhelm the other ingredients.

These were not initially as popular as the ones I made HERE

that used egg & chicken hot dogs – but they all got devoured eventually. These ones in this recipe have a rougher, more rustic appearance than the smoother & more professional looking ones using egg – mainly because of the rolled oats.  Either way – dogs eat these things up & you can feel good about what you are feeding them.

Here are the three babies I cook these for:

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Vegan Pumpkin, Peanut Butter & Rolled Oats Dog Treats

INGREDIENTS

1 cup rice flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 heaping cup peanut butter

2 cups canned pure pumpkin

1/4 – 1/2 cup water

2 cups flour

DIRECTIONS

Blend the ingredients until you have a dough that is workable – adding water or flour as needed.  Roll it out to a desired thickness – I go about 1/3 – 1/2 inch thick & cut it up into treats.  You can cut with a knife or cookie cutter.  Bake them on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes on each side.

Cool & serve to lucky doggies!  If you don’t – your dogs might look at you like THIS!

PRINT THIS RECIPE

DDD Ep. #20 – Vegan Chicken Satay with Peanut Coconut Sauce

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

Reposting this recipe because I have a video to accompany it.  Please – subscribe to my channel on Youtube.  Www.VideoVegan.com.

This is another super-duper easy one.  The recipe for the Spicy Thai Red Curry & Coconut Cauliflower Rice (seen just above) is HERE.

I used a 12oz package of Beyond Meat chicken strips – because they are the best on the market.  If you cannot find them – use the brand available to you – preferably not breaded.

This recipe is really just for a marinade (not totally necessary) & for the peanut & coconut sauce.  You can whisk each together in bowls & heat the chicken in any pan on the stove.  So easy & REALLY delicious!

Vegan Chicken Satay with Peanut & Coconut Sauce

Depends on the amount of “chicken” you use & appetites – but 1 or 2

INGREDIENTS

for the chicken satay

Beyond Meat chicken strips (or other vegan chicken) – in the quantity you require

Cooking oil or cooking spray

for the marinade (an optional step – you can skip the marinade if you want to but it does ratchet up the flavors)

2 garlic cloves – minced

2 shallots – minced

1-2 serrano or jalapeno peppers – minced (seed them for less heat)

2 TBS Bragg’s liquid amino acids (or soy sauce or tamari)

1 TBS agave nectar (or sugar)

juice of one lime

for the peanut-coconut sauce

1 cup lite coconut milk

1/4 cup peanut butter (more – if you want a thicker sauce)

1/4 cup cilantro – chopped

1-3 serrano or jalapeno peppers – diced (seed them for less heat)

2 shallots – minced

2 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)

2 TBS Bragg’s liquid amino acids (or soy sauce or tamari)

juice of one lime

GARNISH – lime wedges & cilantro

DIRECTIONS

for the marinade

Whisk ingredients together & put the chicken in it.  Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes – or overnight.  I did this in a Ziplock bag.

for the peanut-coconut sauce

Whisk everything together.  Adjust the peanut butter to coconut ratio to suit your tastes.  I put mine in an old pickle jar so I could give it a good shake before using it.

for the chicken satay

Heat some oil or cooking spray & dump the chicken & marinade into a pan.  Heat through.

Plate the chicken & drizzle with a light bit of the peanut-coconut sauce (reserve some because there is a lot of sauce).

Serve with rice & garnish with extra sauce, cilantro & lime wedges.

Vegan Vegetable Pasta Salad with Spicy Asian Sesame Peanut Dressing

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

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Pasta salads.  Who doesn’t like them?  I guess – people who don’t like pasta but do such people exist?  Pasta is a universal thing – like bread.  Is there anyone that doesn’t like bread?  Anyway – lots of pasta salads are drenched in mayo-based sauces & there is no shortage of those that object to mayo.   Even those of us that love mayo are hesitant to eat a pasta salad with mayo that has been sitting out in the backyard BBQ too long.  So – why not eliminate two major objections & make a vegan pasta salad?  Nothing in it quick to spoil & nothing white & creamy to freak out the mayo-haters.

I used ingredients I happened to have so – this is a very flexible salad.  I wanted to use edamame but only had Lima beans – so fuck it.  I used Lima beans.   I had those gorgeous watermelon radishes but they were used primarily for their looks.  You could eliminate any ingredient – or add some – with no negative impact.   This is a light & clean alternative to accompany the entrees at BBQ’s which – let’s face it – tend to be meaty & heavy.

Vegan Vegetable Pasta Salad with Spicy Asian Sesame Peanut Dressing

INGREDIENTS

1 lb of pasta

6 oz edamame (or Lima beans)

1 small head of broccoli – cut into small florets

4 carrots – grated

2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange are prettiest) – grated or diced

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas – drained & rinsed

1-4 jalapenos – seeded & either grated or minced

4 radishes – grated or chopped

3 scallions – sliced

1/4 cup cilantro – chopped

1/2 cup slivered almonds

3/4 cup roasted peanuts

GARNISH – extra radish slices. cilantro, extra peanuts

for the dressing

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used chunky)

4 TBS hoisin sauce

4 TBS liquid amino acids (or low sodium soy sauce or tamari)

4 TBS rice vinegar

4 TBS agave nectar

4 TBS sriracha

1 tsp chili oil

2 TBS sesame oil

1-4 garlic cloves – minced

S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the dressing & set aside.

Cook the pasta & add the broccoli for the last minute or two that it cooks.  Drain & rinse pasta & broccoli under cold water.

Toss the salad ingredients together.

Add some dressing & toss.  Add as much as you like – which might be less than you made.  Overdressed salads get icky so add dressing incrementally until it is where you like it.

Garnish & serve.

 

Vegan Chicken Satay with Peanut & Coconut Sauce and Spicy Thai Red Curry & Coconut Cauliflower Rice

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

Follow @celisemccarthy

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

This is another super-duper easy one.  The recipe for the Spicy Thai Red Curry & Coconut Cauliflower Rice (seen just above) is HERE.

I used a 12oz package of Beyond Meat chicken strips – because they are the best on the market.  If you cannot find them – use the brand available to you – preferably not breaded.

This recipe is really just for a marinade (not totally necessary) & for the peanut & coconut sauce.  You can whisk each together in bowls & heat the chicken in any pan on the stove.  So easy & REALLY delicious!

Vegan Chicken Satay with Peanut & Coconut Sauce

Depends on the amount of “chicken” you use & appetites – but 1 or 2

INGREDIENTS

for the chicken satay

Beyond Meat chicken strips (or other vegan chicken) – in the quantity you require

Cooking oil or cooking spray

for the marinade (an optional step – you can skip the marinade if you want to but it does ratchet up the flavors)

2 garlic cloves – minced

2 shallots – minced

1-2 serrano or jalapeno peppers – minced (seed them for less heat)

2 TBS Bragg’s liquid amino acids (or soy sauce or tamari)

1 TBS agave nectar (or sugar)

juice of one lime

for the peanut-coconut sauce

1 cup lite coconut milk

1/4 cup peanut butter (more – if you want a thicker sauce)

1/4 cup cilantro – chopped

1-3 serrano or jalapeno peppers – diced (seed them for less heat)

2 shallots – minced

2 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)

2 TBS Bragg’s liquid amino acids (or soy sauce or tamari)

juice of one lime

GARNISH – lime wedges & cilantro

DIRECTIONS

for the marinade

Whisk ingredients together & put the chicken in it.  Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes – or overnight.  I did this in a Ziplock bag.

for the peanut-coconut sauce

Whisk everything together.  Adjust the peanut butter to coconut ratio to suit your tastes.  I put mine in an old pickle jar so I could give it a good shake before using it.

for the chicken satay

Heat some oil or cooking spray & dump the chicken & marinade into a pan.  Heat through.

Plate the chicken & drizzle with a light bit of the peanut-coconut sauce (reserve some because there is a lot of sauce).

Serve with rice & garnish with extra sauce, cilantro & lime wedges.

Cold Vegan Soba Noodles & Spiralized Cucumber Noodles with Avocado & a Light Peanut Sauce

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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Ugh – I am just having a shit couple of weeks.  The details are all, individually, mainly minor annoyances, disappointments & slights but – combined – they pack a wallop.   Add this to the triple-digit heat & the fact that I have no AC & you get a very despondent girl, thick with over-indulgence, self-pity & slimy sweat.  Ugh.

So – at 7 am – I decided to get cooking – before it got too hot to do so.  My first effort was a mushroom & baby kale tofu frittata.   It looks OK there in the pan but it was, ultimately, very thin (less than half an inch deep) and would not have photographed well – so I ate some & saved the rest to add to my dogs’ dinner tonight.

Next up, I wanted to use some stale French bread I had – so I attempted 4 little vegan maple-walnut bread puddings.  They started off looking promising – no?  But, even though I cooked them for nearly an hour – they never got crusty & when I let them cool, they collapsed in their centers & looked as defeated as I feel.  I tasted one.  Tasted good but they were definitely a no-go for the blog.

By this time is was officially sizzling outside & I still wanted to make a blog entry – so – cold noodles!  These are really easy, really fast, customizable & light.  I added only 1 TBS of peanut butter to what would make 2 good-sized servings.  You can see that the noodles are not heavy with sauce – critical in weather like this.   I also added a good portion of spiralized cucumber noodles to lighten it up even more.   You can get these together in ten minutes.  I reviewed two different spiralizers in my Vegan Sweet and Spicy Spiralized Cucumber Salad with Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes post but I recommend the less expensive hand held version seen below.

Cold Vegan Soba Noodles & Spiralized Cucumber Noodles with Avocado & a Light Peanut Sauce

Serves 2 very well.

INGREDIENTS

8.8 oz soba noodles – cooked & drained & run under cold water (drizzle with sesame oil to keep them from sticking)

Sesame oil

1 hothouse cucumber – spiralized (or cut into think matchsticks)

1 TBS tamari

2 TBS rice vinegar

2 TBS ponzu sauce (or 2 TBS tamari & juice of 1/4 lemon)

1 TBS peanut butter

1 tsp sriracha for heat (optional)

GARNISH OPTIONS – sliced scallions, sliced avocado, sliced jalapeno, sliced cucumber, sliiced red cabbage, black and/or white sesame seeds, lime wedges, cilantro, basil, chili flakes

DIRECTIONS

Spiralize (or slice up) the cucumber.  Cook the noodles.  Drain & run under cold when done (drizzle with sesame oil to keep them from sticking).

Meanwhile, whisk the tamari, rice vinegar, ponzu sauce, peanut butter & sriracha (if using).

Toss everything together & garnish with your selections.  Serve.

Thai-Style Vegan Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce and Cucumber Salad

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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This can be made with faux chicken or real chicken, or beef strips or seafood (like shrimp of chunks of a meaty fish) but it is really good this vegan way.  I always use Beyond Meat (seen above) because it is the best I have found.  The chicken even shreds like real chicken.  It is pretty versatile stuff, too, and can be used in warm dishes or in cold ones – like chicken salad – as I did in my Cool Vegan Cashew & Cranberry Chicken Salad Tacos with Avocado (below)

or my Vegan Horseradish Chicken Salad with Pecans and Jalapeno Potato Salad in Baked Wonton Cups (below)

or my Vegan Chicken Salad Wraps (below).

Anyway – today, I made little satay skewers.  Skewers are not really necessary.  You can just cook the strips up on a grill pan or in a frying pan.  This satay goes really well over rice – drizzled with the sauce – for a more substantial meal.  The cucumber salad is the easiest thing EVER & really puts this recipe over the top – so I strongly encourage you to try it.

Thai-Style Vegan Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce & Cucumber Salad

Serves 2 as an appetizer – or as a main course over rice

INGREDIENTS

9 oz vegan chicken (or whatever you are making satay from)

olive oil

for the satay marinade

2 garlic cloves – chopped fine

2 Thai bird chilis (or 2 serrano peppers, or 1 jalapeño pepper) – seeded & minced

Juice of 1 lime

2 medium shallots – minced

1 TBS soy sauce or tamari (or fish sauce – if you are not vegan)

1/4 cup cilantro – chopped (optional)

1 tsp curry powder (optional)

1 tsp turmeric (optional)

 

for the cucumber salad

1/4 cup cucumber – thinly sliced

1/4 cup shallots – thinly sliced

2 Thai bird chilis (or 2 serrano peppers, or 1 jalapeño pepper) – seeded & minced

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

 

for the peanut sauce

3/4 cup lite coconut milk

4 TBS peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1 TBS chili paste or sriracha

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp soy sauce or tamari (or fish sauce – if you are not vegan)

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp white vinegar

1/4 cup cilantro – chopped (optional)

 

GARNISH IDEAS – cooked rice, lettuce leaves, cilantro, lime wedges, chopped peanuts

 

 

DIRECTIONS

for the satay marinade

Mix the marinade ingredients & marinate the chicken in the fridge for an hour or so – or more.  Mine sat overnight in the fridge.  I just use the bag the chicken came in to marinate it.

for the cucumber salad

Mix the water, vinegar & sugar & whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Add the chili peppers, cucumber & shallots.  Stir & store in the fridge until you need it.

for the peanut sauce

Whisk or shake all the ingredients together.  Taste & add more peanut butter – if you fancy – or more chili paste.  Your call.

for the skewers

Skewer the chicken – if you have a grill pan.  It might be tough to use skewers in a frying pan.  I only stuck the skewers in an inch or so & cut them short with scissors.

Put 1-2 TBS olive oil in a frying pan or spray your grill pan with cooking spray.  Heat on high until the chicken begins to brown (turning a few times) and when the chicken is heated through (or your real meat is cooked) – serve it – either over rice or as an appetizer –  garnished with the peanut sauce & cucumber salad & any other garnish you choose.  Devour!

Vegan Garden Veggie Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles with Cucumber Sauce

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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This is an easy & satisfying dish.  It can be made healthier by just increasing the ratio of veggies to peanut noodles.  There are zillions of recipes for peanut sauce and lots of varieties available in stores so – if you have a favorite recipe or brand – go with those.

I am adding a recipe for Thai cucumber sauce because it is nice to have this as an option to drizzle on the noodles & cut through a bit of how rich the peanut sauce can be.  It is in NO WAY critical or even necessary for this dish to be a hit.

Thai Cucumber Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/8 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 cucumber – diced

1-2 red and/or green hot peppers – seeded & diced

1 small shallot – minced

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat the vinegar in a small pan & add the salt, sugar, shallots & peppers.  Heat just until the salt & sugar dissolve.  Remove from heat.  Add the cucumbers.  This is good for about a 1/2 day to a day – or until the cucumber gets unpleasantly mushy.

This recipe for peanut sauce makes quite a bit but it stores well in a jar in the fridge – really for at least a week or more.  If it gets too thick, just stir in a bit of water.

Thai Peanut Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk (I used lite)

2 oz red curry paste (skip it if you cannot find it in the store)

3/4 cup peanut butter (the more natural the better – but I used a combo of the ones seen below)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 TBS apple cider vinegar (or white or rice vinegar)

1 tsp (or more) sambal oelek (chili paste) or sriracha (optional)

Water at your discretion

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the ingredients together in a small pot.  Heat over MEDIUM until it comes to a boil – stirring the whole while.  Reduce heat to low & simmer about 5 minutes.  You might want to add water to thin it – or more peanut butter to thicken it.  Allow to cool.

Vegan Garden Veggie Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles

Serves 2 well

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb pasta noodles

Olive oil

Your selection of veggies – in both variety & quantity.  I used:

1/2 cup chopped purple cabbage

1/2 red bell pepper – seeded & sliced

5-6 baby squash – mixed variety – cut up

1 carrot – chopped

3/4 cup edamame

1 cup broccoli florets – cut small

1 hot red pepper – seeded & diced

4 small sweet peppers in different colors – seeded & cut into matchsticks

2 scallions – as garnish

1 handful cashews – some reserved for garnish – or use peanuts

Chili paste – as spicy garnish

 

DIRECTIONS

Prep your veggies.

Heat 2 or so TBS olive oil in a large saute pan over med-high heat.  Saute the vegetables until tender.  Remove from heat.

Cook the pasta as directed.  Reserve about 1 cup of hot pasta water & then drain the noodles.  Stir in a small amount of the peanut sauce.  Start light with it & add more to taste.  I don’t like the noodles heavy with sauce – but you might.  If it gets too thick – add some pasta water.  Once the noodles seem dressed to your liking – add them to the veggie pot & heat through.

Serve this goodness up on plates & garnish with cashews & scallions.  Maybe add a dollop of chili paste or drizzle some cucumber sauce over the noodles.  Experiment!  Enjoy!

 

 

Easy One-Pot Vegan Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles (Gluten-Free)

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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Hey!  Have you heard?  I wrote a really funny & dirty novel!  www.BathingBook.com.   Check out the reviews on Amazon!  Why not buy a copy?

I’m kinda obsessed with the concept of the one-pot meal.  Martha Stewart, it seems, is responsible for bringing the idea to the masses.  I already posted my One-Pan Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomatoes & Cauliflower (Vegan) & several folks tried it & reported the same success & delight that I did.

I made this Thai peanut version last night just using things I had around.  Two of the things I had around were tamarind paste & keffir lime leaves.

I realize that very few of you will have these handy & that most of you couldn’t find them for sale near you.  NEVER FEAR!  I will offer substitution ideas for these ingredients.

I would like to have included sliced red bell pepper to this for color but I had none.  I will suggest them in the recipe.  I used purple cabbage because I had it & it added nice color.  Some raw cabbage as a garnish adds a nice texture to the very soft noodles.

One thing that was different with this recipe than my last effort was that nowhere near all the stock got incorporated into the dish.   I am not sure if that was because I used gluten-free brown rice pasta rather than traditional starchy pasta or what but it wasn’t a problem that a colander couldn’t remedy.

If you make this with traditional pasta, you might not need to drain the final result – or maybe you will.  Let me know – ok?

Beyond that – this dish is as simple as chopping the ingredients, tossing them all in a pan & boiling it for the time suggested on your pasta.  Drain it – if necessary – and then devour the deliciousness!

Easy One-Pot Vegan Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles (Gluten-Free)

Serves 4 easily as a main course

INGREDIENTS

1 pound dry pasta of your choice (gluten-free if you desire)

4 cups vegetable stock (I use water & bouillon cubes)

6 cloves garlic – sliced thin

1 cup peas

1 red bell pepper – sliced thin

2 jalapenos – seeded & diced

6 keffir lime leaves – sliced (or a tsp of grated lime zest)

1 cup carrots – grated (and extra for garnish)

1 cup purple cabbage – sliced or chopped (and extra for garnish)

1 TBS tamarind paste (or 1/4 cup orange juice mixed with 2 tablespoons lime juice & a few shakes of vegan (or other) Worcestershire sauce)

1 TBS sambal oelek (or sriracha or other chili paste or 1 TBS of crushed red pepper)

1 TBS toasted (or regular) sesame oil

1 TBS soy sauce

1 TBS fish sauce (or – if vegan – a 2nd TBS soy sauce)

1 TBS minced fresh ginger (I used jarred)

3 TBS peanut butter

Garnish: fresh chopped cilantro and/or sliced purple cabbage and/or grated carrots and/or chopped peanuts and/or chopped cashews and/or fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS

Put everything except the garnish in a pot big enough to hold the pasta flat.  Bring to a boil & cook uncovered for the time suggested on the pasta box.  Stir every few minutes to prevent sticking.

If it is soupy when the pasta is done – simply drain quickly in a colander.  Beware, though!  The gravy-like sauce is thick & hot as molten lava.  Do not burn yourself!

Drain, serve & garnish at will.  Tell your friends on Facebook how awesome you are!

Reese’s Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting & Salted Caramel and Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache, Raspberries & Cream

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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OK, kiddies, it was my friend Alyse’s birthday this week & I hosted a little dinner for her.  And I made CUPCAKES!  I seldom eat dessert foods myself – mainly because I prefer to get my sugar from a wine glass – so I have posted precious few dessert recipes.   But a birthday certainly called for a dessert item so I seized the opportunity.  Please know, I am not part of this whole cupcake craze but cupcakes really are a superior choice for birthdays (in my opinion) as they are a reasonable serving size & you can kinda mix up the flavors a bit more than one can with a cake.  And they travel easily.

For these guys, I had a huge, industrial-sized box of brownie mix:

Then I went to store & bought everything I could think of that I might want to use for brownies including eggs & powdered sugar & cream cheese & pudding & jimmies & sprinkles & raspberries & marshmallows & marshmallow fluff & Reese’s Cups & two kinds of frosting etc etc.   Then I realized I was only feeding four people so there was no need to make 4372 cupcakes.  After some consideration, I elected to make the cupcakes from the brownie mix – and chose to top some with peanut butter frosting & drizzle caramel sauce on them & salt them.  Others – I filled with a marshmallow fluff center & a raspberry inside & atop the chocolate ganache frosting.   Unfortunately – the one cupcake I cut into for the photos had an anemic amount of cream – or maybe the cream was inserted off-center so it is hiding in the photo.

But know – I sent the bulk of these cupcakes home with my friend Rose for her teenage sons & I saw a photo she took of one & the center was creamy, indeed.   Here is that photo:

All I know is, I injected a bunch of cream in them & then they settled – leaving a gap in their volcano openings – so I rammed a raspberry inside each of them.  Indelicate but delicious!

Reese’s Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting & Salted Caramel

INGREDIENTS

Brownie mix (be sure to have the eggs & oil you need as per the box)

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (I used full-sized)

Caramel sauce (from the ice cream aisle)

Course salt

Peanuts – for garnish

For the peanut butter frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used chunky)

1/2 cup butter (or lard or shortening)

2 TBS milk

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

Make the brownie mix as per box.

For the frosting – blend all but the powdered sugar ( I did this in my food processor).  Then I added the sugar.  Start with 2 cups & test for sweetness.  Add more – if you think it should be sweeter.

To assemble, I lined a cupcake pan with liners, put a tiny dollop of brownie batter to just cover the bottoms, put a Reese’s Cup in each & then topped with more brownie batter.  Bake them according to box instructions.  Then, frost them with the peanut butter frosting.  Drizzle the caramel on them, lightly salt them & top with a peanut.  Put them on the ground and roll around on them naked.

Or serve them to your friends.  Your call.

Brownie Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache, Raspberries & Cream

INGREDIENTS

Brownie mix (be sure to have the eggs & oil you need as per the box)

Raspberries

7 ounce jar of marshmallow fluff

4 TBS butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp water

1/4 tsp salt

For the ganache

1 cup chocolate chips (dark chocolate is nicer but I used semi-sweet milk chocolate)

3/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Make the brownie mix as per box.  Bake them as directed.

To make the cream filling, dissolve the salt in 1 tsp hot water.  Blend the fluff, butter, powdered sugar, salted water, and vanilla.  I did this in my food processor.  I then put this in a Ziplock bag & cut a corner out.  I used this as a make-shift pastry bag.  A real pastry bag would be great, too.

When the brownies are done & cooled a bit, use a paring knife & create little cavities in their centers.

Squeeze some cream filling into each.  Fill to the top & let rest a bit.  If the cream settles – either add more cream or shove a raspberry in there like the killer on Twin Peaks used to shove a tiny letter under the fingernail of his/her victims (remember that?).

Over low heat, melt the chocolate chips.  A double boiler is best for this but I was lazy.  I melted them a bit & then just added the heavy cream & whisked it all together.

Dip the cupcakes into the ganache & then top with another raspberry.  Voila!

These are also good to roll around on nude but that can get awkward at a birthday party.  Maybe just stick them all on a tray & serve them the traditional way.