Chow Vegan

In chinese culture, 8 is the most luckiest number of all, making the upcoming date 8/8/08 a super-duper lucky day. To celebrate, I decided to have my first giveaway.

The prize pack will include 8 (of course) non-perishable Asian ingredients that I’ve used in recipes. Well, except for the ramen bowl, but everyone needs a break from cooking once in awhile. I’ve listed the item and the recipe in which I used said item or its fresh version:

1. Dried Soy Knots – Homestyle Vegan Cajun Chicken Fingers

2. Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms – Tofu Noodles With Peanut Sauce

3. Dried Rice Noodles – Rice Noodle Soup

4. Canned Young Green Jackfruit in Brine – BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches

5. Canned Lychees – Minty Summer Fruit Salad

6. Canned Young Green Jackfruit in Brine – Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos

7. Kung Fu Vegetarian Flavor Ramen Bowl – Kung Fu Vegetarian Flavor Ramen Review

8. Pickled Leeks – Chinese Veggie Chicken Salad

Now that you’ve seen what I’ve made with everything, here’s your chance to try it out yourself.

To enter, complete the following:

1. Subscribe to chowvegan.com via RRS reader or email.

2. Leave a comment on this post that you’ve done so and tell me which of the above items you would most like to try.

The details:

Comment must be made by midnight PST on Wednesday, August 6th; please only comment once.

Because the canned goods are on the heavy side, shipping is only to addresses within the continental United States. That and who knows what the story is for customs and sending food out of the country.

One entry will be randomly selected from the comments received and the winner will be announced on 8/8/08, making it their super-duper lucky day.

Good luck everyone!

I had no idea there was such a thing as fresh tofu noodles until I saw them at the local farmer’s market. They’re actually made by pressing firm tofu into thin sheets and slicing them into noodle-like strands.

I decided to combined the noodles with stir-fried snow peas, carrots and wood ear mushrooms, but really it would be great with any combination of veggies, cooked or raw. Toss the noodles with a no-cook peanut sauce and you’re set for a nice summertime meal.

If you’ve never heard of wood ear mushrooms, they’re a jelly fungi – dark colored mushrooms that look like ears growing on trees, hence their name. Also known as tree ear, dry black fungus, cloud ear or mook yee, they’re available dried and sometimes fresh at the Asian grocery store.

When rehydrated, the wood ear will swell to several times its size, so a little goes a long ways. The dried mushrooms will keep indefinitely in a covered jar.

Wood ear mushrooms have little flavor on their own and are used more for their crunchy texture and color. They’re thought to have a cardiovascular benefit in helping to prevent heart disease as they contain an anti-coagulant compound (blood thinner) that inhibits blood clots.

Soy Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Serves 2

1-2 tablespoons dried wood ear mushrooms
1 bag fresh soy noodles (about 8 ounces)
3 ounces snow peas
2 small carrots
1 teaspoon olive oil
Sprig of cilantro, chopped

Soak the wood ear mushrooms in water until softened about 2 hours. Drain and rinse off any dirt, then cut off any hard spots. Julienne the snow peas, carrots and wood ear mushrooms.

Heat a wok until hot, add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the vegetables and stir-fry 1 – 2 minutes. Add salt to taste and a splash of water if the wok appears to be too dry. Continue to stir-fry until the vegetables are tender crisp, about another minute or so. Set aside.

Tossed the noodles with the peanut sauce to taste. To serve, divide the noodles between two plates, top with the vegetables and garnish with cilantro.

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl, and mix until well combined and smooth.

While I’m not a big fan of heat waves, I do enjoy what else summertime brings – a bounty of fresh, delicious, sweet fruit.

Since I got all of the fruit (except the lychees) from the local farmer’s market, it doesn’t really need much more to make it any better – just a bit of lime juice and mint.

Minty Summer Fruit Salad
Serves 2

1 white peach
1 pint strawberries
6 lychees, fresh or canned
1 lime
1 tablespoon mint, minced
Agave nectar

Chill the fruit before using, wash and slice the peach and strawberries. Slice the lychees. In a mixing bowl, juice the lime. Add the mint and a drizzle of agave nectar to taste, mix well. Add the fruit to the bowl and make sure everything is well coated.

To plate, fan out the peaches. Pile the strawberries on one side, top with the lychees. Garnish with additional mint.

No Croutons Required is a monthly food blogging event hosted by Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa’s Kitchen. This month’s theme is a vegetarian soup or salad showcasing your favorite herb or one you haven’t experimented with yet.

Minty Summer Fruit Salad is my entry for the event. Mint is one of my favorite herbs, but I usually add it to savory dishes (I don’t know why, it’s just how I am). The minty fruit salad is a refreshing change from my normal usage of the herb, so it’s an favorite and kinda an experiment. And now it’s my favorite experiment.

I love sushi but I’m getting a little tired of the same ol’ avocado roll, the ubiquitous cucumber roll or a variation of pretty much the same vegetables in a combination roll. I have been to a few Japanese restaurants that do have innovative veggie rolls, but those are usually the exception.

It just seems like the possibilities for creating new and interesting veggie sushi is endless and really unexplored. So I’m going to venture forward and give it a shot myself.

For this first attempt, I didn’t have any sushi rice and knew better than to try to substitute it with long grain rice. I made a hand roll instead with king oyster mushrooms in a spicy sauce, avocado, cucumber and romaine lettuce.

I was very happy and pleased with this taste combination. It’s got a nice balance between the spicy and the cool, the chewy and the crunchy.

But I do need to work on my nori toasting technique – 1. I almost burned myself waving it around a flame 2. The nori did catch on fire (it was quickly put out) and 3. Now it smells all burnt-like in the kitchen.

Despite all that, I believe it’s a successful, good start.

In the summer, I practically live on smoothies. On especially hot days, I don’t even bother with niceties such as a straw. I just chug-a-lug it for an immediate cool-down. I like to freeze the fruit I’m using so I don’t have to use ice cubes but it’s still nice and cold.

One thing about blueberries though – always make sure to brush or at least check your teeth before leaving the house. It’s not a pretty sight to be talking to someone with blueberries specks all over your mouth.

Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Makes about 16 ounces

1 banana, peeled, sliced and frozen
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
6 ounces vanilla soy yogurt
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Toss all of the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

I had some jackfruit leftover from when I made Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos. Instead of having more tacos, I made taquitos with the jackfruit. Taquito means “little taco”. They’re similar to tacos in that it’s a savory filled corn tortilla but it’s rolled up so it’s neater and easier to eat.

Baked until crispy and served with an avocado green sauce, it has a very satisfying crunch. The thin green sauce (it’s suppose to be thin) provides a creamy and refreshing contrast to the slightly spicy filling.

Jackfruit Carnitas Taquitos
Makes 5 taquitos

5 six inch corn tortillas
1 cup jackfruit carnitas filling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Soften the tortillas by microwaving for 30 seconds between wet paper towels so they’re soft and easy to roll. Spoon about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the jackfruit across a tortilla and roll tightly. Stick a toothpick in the middle to keep it closed. Repeat with each of the tortillas. Place on a oiled baking pan.

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes on each side until crispy. Remove the toothpicks and serve with Avocado Green Sauce for dipping.

Avocado Green Sauce
Makes about 1 cup

1/2 ripe Hass avocado, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients and blend until smooth. Chill for for 30 minutes to an hour if desired or serve immediately.

Another broiling heat wave to start off the work week and no cool down in sight until the weekend. Luckily, I have ice cream sandwiches to cool and comfort me. For an extra special treat, fancy it up with a fresh cherry sauce and a sprinkle of crushed pecans.

I wish I could say I made the ice cream sandwiches myself but I didn’t. I’m not doing any more than I have to in this heat. And there’s no reason to, not when there’s So Delicious ice cream sandwiches in the freezer.

They’re produced by the same people who make the Purely Decadent ice cream pints. By far, the best, non-dairy vegan ice cream I’ve tried to date and I’ve tried a lot of them.

A childhood favorite, the ice cream sandwiches are exactly as I remember them. Smooth and creamy with just the right mouth-feel, if you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t believe it’s non-dairy.

I had another can of jackfruit in the cupboard just begging to be made into something. Over the weekend, I decided to give Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos from The Urban Housewife a try.

I made a few minor changes to the recipe. I was out of the chile powder so I just left that out.

I don’t have a crock pot or slow cooker, so I cooked the jackfruit in my rice cooker on the slow setting, just like I did for the BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich. As I don’t feel comfortable just leaving the rice cooker unattended, I set it up on a morning when I knew I would be in all day.

I added all of the ingredients and set the cooker for 4 hours. I did have to add a bit of water a couple of times, since it looked like it was starting to get too dry and sticking to the bottom. But other than that, it came out great. It’s an easy recipe and the results are flavorful and a bit on the spicy side.