Chow Vegan

Vegetarian Pho From Ani’s Raw Food Asia

August 14, 2011 By chow 14 Comments

Another cookbook recently landed in my kitchen for review, Ani’s Raw Food Asia by Ani Phyo. While excited, I admit I also had doubts. I’m most familiar with Chinese food and it’s usually cooked (some dishes are even cooked a couple of different ways before it’s finally served), there’s not much that’s uncooked. But if anybody can pull off Asian raw food, it’s Ani.

The nicely designed cookbook is jam packed with Asian-American fusion raw food and drink recipes, along with cooking and lifestyle tips. The style of writing is light and conversational in tone, resulting in an easy and inspirational read.

As soon as I saw the recipe for vegetarian pho, I knew what I was going to try first. What a delight! The flavors are spot-on, satisfying savory – you don’t even notice it’s raw. Served at room temperature, it’s perfect for those super hot days.

The recipe calls for kelp noodles which I’ve never tried before. Made from a sea vegetable, kelp noodles are rich in minerals, fat-free, gluten-free, low in carbs and only 6 calories per serving. They’re clear and surprisingly crisp. Straight out of the fridge, the neutral-tasting noodles are crunchy. Left to warm to room temperature, the noodles become softer.

Vegetarian Pho with Vegetables and Hoisin Sauce
Makes 4 servings

Marinade
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
1/4 cup Nama Shoyu or Bragg Liquid Aminos

Broth
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
4 cups filtered water

Noodles
4 cups kelp noodles (about 1 pound of noodles)

Vegetables
1/2 cup shredded napa cabbage
1/2 cup tender greens like mustard, Bibb, red leaf, mache, or spinach
1/3 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

Garnish
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 fresh red or green chile pepper, sliced
1 batch Hoisin Sauce

Marinate onion and mushrooms by tossing in a bowl with Nama Shoyu. Set aside for 20 minutes to marinate and soften.

Make broth by placing ginger, garlic, bay leaf, and 1 cup water in blender. Blend smooth. Add remaining water and the onion marinade mixture. Pulse lightly to mix.

Place noodles into four serving bowls. Put vegetables on top of noodles in each bowl. Pour broth into each bowl.

Place vegetable garnish onto one plate. Serve as a side along with Hoisin Sauce.

Hoisin Sauce
Makes 1/2 cup

1/4 cup Nama Shoyu
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 to 3 tablespoons yacon syrup, to taste
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch cayenne powder, to taste

Place all ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk until mixed well.

Will keep a week or longer in the fridge.

Disclosure: I received the book free of charge from the publisher to review. The opinions and experience with the book expressed herein are my own. There was no pay to say.

This post also contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

Peachy Vietnamese Summer Rolls

August 6, 2011 By chow 11 Comments

At most supermarkets, peaches and nectarines are labeled either yellow or white. But at the farmers market, local vendor Kashiwase Farms has all sorts of different peaches and nectarines. Practically from A to Z – Aortic Rose, Honey Royale, Snow King, White Lady, Zee Lady, to name just a few – I never even knew there was so many varieties.

My latest favorite is the Honey Kist nectarine – sweet with a bit of a mango taste. Combined with the flavors of fresh basil, mint and cilantro, crisp bean sprouts, baby romaine lettuce and served with a spicy dipping sauce, it’s a taste of summer in a roll.

Peachy Vietnamese Summer Rolls
Makes 4 rolls

Filling
1 medium Honey Kist yellow nectarine, or other variety, chopped
2 heads baby romaine lettuce, shredded
1 small carrot, julienned
1 green onion, thinly chopped
Handful of fresh bean sprouts
Fresh mint, chiffonade
Fresh basil, chiffonade
Fresh cilantro, chopped

4 eight inch round rice paper sheets
Hoisin sauce
Chili garlic sauce

Fill a large bowl with cold water and dip one rice paper sheet into the water for a minute or so until soft. Place the rice paper sheet on a flat work surface.

In the center, spread a bit of each of the filling ingredients, adding more or less of each item as desired. Fold in the sides of the rice paper sheet over the filling and firmly roll up. Gently press the seam to seal. Place seam side down on a serving plate. If you’re making more than a few rolls, cover with a damp towel to keep from drying out while you’re working.

For the dipping sauce, combine a spoonful of the hoisin sauce with a bit of the chili garlic sauce to desired spiciness. Thin with a little water if the sauce appears to be too thick.

Slice each roll in half and serve with the dipping sauce.

Trader Joe’s Vegan Food Smackdown

July 31, 2011 By chow 21 Comments

Since I only shop at Trader Joe’s occasionally, I was delighted to see some new (at least new to me) vegan food. While they’ve always had vegan items, there’s many more options now. So what’s the best of the various vegan offerings? Time for a little Trader Joe’s vegan food smackdown!

First up is the cookie round, Soft-Baked Snickerdoodles ($2.99) vs Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies ($3.99). The snickerdoodles just edges out the chocolate chip cookie, so soft and chewy with a bit of a cinnamon taste. The chocolate chip cookies were good too with plenty of chocolate chips and bits of walnut, but not quite as soft and chewy.

Next, is the Asian frozen food entree round, Vegetable Panang Curry with Jasmine Rice ($2.99) vs True Thai Vegetable Pad Thai ($1.99). The curry had a nice spicy flavor, plenty of sauce and veggies ranging from zucchini to kale to baby corn, all for 590 calories.

The pad thai had a tad less calories, weighing in at 520. It also had a spicy flavor. The veggies, mostly bean sprouts and chives, were on the bottom with the noodles on top, which seems to help prevent overcooking of the veggies. It was also very light on the tofu, only a few small pieces were included.

It wasn’t too bad but the vegetable curry was definitely the better of the two. Both entrees also were fairly high in fat and sodium – probably something to get only once in awhile.

Continuing on with Asian food, up next is the frozen dumpling round, Thai Vegetable Gyoza ($3.79) vs Cucumber Wonton Rolls ($2.69). I didn’t care for the cucumber wontons and so, there’s no photo (I couldn’t bring myself to buy another bag of it). I guess I’m just not used to having a cucumber filling in wontons. The gyoza on the other hand are quite tasty.

The filling is nicely seasoned with a gingery and chive taste. The wrapper is the chewier, thicker potsticker variety. It comes already lightly browned on the bottom, just steam or pan-fry to heat up.

Onto the savory snack round, Crunchy Curls ($2.69) vs Baked Onion Rings ($1.99). I struggled with this round as I liked them both, so I’m going to have to call it a draw. You really can’t go wrong with either one.

Made out of lentils and potatoes, the curls are nice and crunchy. It doesn’t really taste like lentils at all, it’s kinda like Pringles but in a thicker, curly form. 130 calories in a serving of 31 curls with 4 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein. Fun to dip in hummus too.

The Baked Onion Rings are basically the vegan equivalent of Funyuns but with fewer ingredients and no artificial colors or flavors or preservatives. They’re crisp with just a bit of sweetness. Nutritionally, they don’t stack up as well as the lentil curls, 150 calories in a serving of 14 pieces with less than 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein.

Lest you think I only stock up on sweet treats, snacks and frozen dinners, I do like Trader Joe’s tofu, tempeh, fresh bread, olive oil, tortillas, soy yogurt, nuts…