Chow Vegan

I’ve been enjoying various snack foods while watching the Beijing Olympics, one of which is Dandy’s Onion-Garlic Flavored Chips. They’re similar to the shrimp chips that are served with some Chinese dishes but without the shrimp flavor.

When I was a kid, my mom used to get shrimp chips as a box of colorful, dehydrated, semi-transparent hard pieces. When fried, the pieces get bigger and all puffed up. Dandy’s chips come right out of the bag already puffed.

The onion-garlic flavored chips are available at the Asian grocery store, but in the Asian section of some regular supermarkets I’ve only seen the shrimp flavored ones. The company is based right here in the San Francisco Bay Area, which I did not know. Fancy that, a local company.

With cantaloupes in peak season, I thought now would be a perfect time to try this melon carpaccio recipe from Gourmet. But as usual, I made a couple of changes.

I didn’t use the tarragon called for in the recipe. I had mistakenly bought sage instead of tarragon (this is what happens when I don’t make a shopping list). So the tarragon got left out and I knew better than to throw the sage leaves on there. I did add thinly julienne veggie bbq pork, for more of a savory contrast to the sweetness of the cantaloupe. It’s so good and so easy to make.

The secret is in the selection of a nice ripe cantaloupe. I employ the smell test. Give the cantaloupe a good sniff, if it’s ripe it should smell very sweet and very aromatic and you’ll know it’ll be very tasty.

A huge thank you to everyone who entered the Lucky 8/8/08 Giveaway! It was fun reading your comments about which items you were most interested in.

Not surprising, the most popular items were the soy knots and jackfruit, followed by the pickled leeks and wood ear mushrooms. A couple of people were interested in the Kung-Fu ramen bowls and bringing up the rear was the lychees and rice noodles.

Now, the moment you all have been waiting for…

The winner is #4 Jennifer! Congratulations, it’s your super-duper lucky day!

Thanks again to everyone for playing, I hope to have more giveaways in the future.

It’s been unusually cool here lately, I’m not complaining as I prefer the cool to the broiling hot. And it’s much more pleasant to be cooking in the kitchen when I’m not sweating all over the place.

So I feel like having something a little heartier but still somewhat light. On the menu is fettuccine alfredo - fettuccine noodles in a rich, creamy white sauce tossed with fresh vegetables.

Next time though, I think I’ll use regular organic fettuccine instead of the whole wheat. It just tasted a little too “wheaty” for me. Whole wheat spaghetti is fine, you don’t notice any difference but for fettuccine it’s a bit much, at least it was for me.

Vegetable Fettuccine Alfredo
Serves 2

8 ounces whole wheat fettuccine
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup asparagus
3 ounces crimini mushrooms
Handful of cherry tomatoes

Bring a large pot of water to boil, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Heat a saute pan or wok, when hot add the olive oil, the garlic and then the broccoli, asparagus and mushrooms, cook until desired tenderness. Set aside. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and set aside.

Creamy White Sauce
1 12-ounce package silken tofu
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1/4 cup vegan sour cream
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup strong vegetable broth

Mash the tofu in a bowl, combine the rest of the sauce ingredients except the broth. Blend, adding just enough broth to make it smooth and creamy. Transfer to a sauce pan and heat over low heat, do not boil.

To plate, add desired amount of sauce to the pasta and vegetables, mix well and divide between plates. Alternatively, place pasta/vegetables on plates and spoon sauce over the top. I like mine premixed.

I finally managed to tear myself away from the wonderful strawberries and peaches that I’ve been eating lately to focus on some of the other summer fruits that abound. Next up, is watermelon. Instead of the usual wedges, I made a refreshing, two-toned chilled watermelon soup.

I got the red watermelon at the local farmer’s market. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the yellow ones and had to get that at the grocery store. It wasn’t quite as sweet as I expected, but I’m hoping to find it at the farmer’s market to try as it’s supposed to be sweeter than the red.

Red and Yellow Watermelon Soup
Serves 2

4 cups ripe red watermelon, seeded and cut into pieces
4 cups ripe yellow watermelon, seeded and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Agave nectar to taste
Salt to taste
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

In a bowl, combine the red watermelon, half of the lime juice and the agave nectar and salt to taste. Blend until smooth, place in a covered container to chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Keeping it totally separate, do the same for the yellow watermelon.

To serve, hold one container in each hand and pour at the same time so that there’s one color on each side. To make a fancy decoration, use a toothpick to swirl a bit of one color into the other. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve.

Lucky 8/8/08 Giveaway!
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway here, only a few more days until it closes on August 6, 2008.

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.