Chow Vegan

Red and Yellow Watermelon Soup

August 3, 2008 By chow 18 Comments

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.

Lucky 8/8/08 Giveaway

July 30, 2008 By chow 33 Comments

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!

Tofu Noodles With Peanut Sauce

July 27, 2008 By chow 6 Comments

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.