Tofu and Lemongrass Noodle Soup

8 oz. dried rice noodles
3 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves removed and cut into large pieces (you will remove these at the end)
4 c faux chicken stock
1 thumb-size piece ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick pieces
1 package firm tofu, cubed
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
2 carrots, sliced
3 TBL soy sauce
1/2 can coconut milk
3-4 kaffir lime leaves (available in frozen packets at Asian/Chinese food stores)
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Siracha

Dunk noodles in a pot of boiling water and turn off the heat. Allow the noodles to soften while you prepare the soup.

Place stock in a soup pot together with lemongrass, ginger, whole lime leaves, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer while you chop up and add the remaining vegetables. Simmer until vegetables have softened but are still bright in color (about 5 minutes).

Reduce heat to minimum and add the coconut milk, stirring to dissolve. Finally, add the tofu, gently stirring so it doesn’t fall apart.

Add the soy sauce and Siracha. Check rice noodles to make sure they have softened enough to eat. Drain the noodles and portion out into bowls.

Adapted from: http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/veggilemongsoup.htm

Queen Vermicelli:

Thai Coconut Soup

It’s cold again here, and we’re taking a night off from tacos. This is a delicious recipe, adapted from The Little Ferraro Kitchen. On the side, we had a salad with peanut-ginger dressing and then an awesome vegan cherry pie. Full disclosure, the pie is not homemade.

1.5 c mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small (Roma) tomato, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 full stalk lemongrass, cut into pieces and halved lengthwise
1 piece dried kombu or other sea vegetable
1 TBL Siracha
4 faux chicken stock
1 half can (full-fat) coconut milk (or 1 can light)
1/2 block firm tofu, cut into 1-inch pieces and lightly pan fried
2-3 green onions, sliced
1 lime, sliced
cilantro

Heat oil in a dutch oven and cook ginger, garlic, bell pepper, and tomato for 5-6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 3-4 more minutes. Add lemon grass, stock, Siracha, kombu, and tofu. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Stir in green onions and coconut milk. Serve with fresh squeezed lime and cilantro.

Green curry with sprouted bean rice

For the rice: cook 1 cup rice with 1/2 cup fresh sprouted peas and lentils. We buy a mixture at the grocery store and usually eat them on salads, but it turns out they are great cooked, too.

For the curry: Toast in a dry pan 1 tsp cumin seeds and 3 TBL unsweetened coconut. Add the spices to a blender, and combine with 1 onion, 4 garlics, 1/2 cup cilantro, 2 TBL galangal (we bought this in a jar), 1 tsp 5-spice powder, 1 tsp cayenne, 2 TBL lemon juice, 1/4 cup vinegar, 12 Thai chilies, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp, and 1 tsp ketchup.  Set aside. Fry tofu with a little oil until browned. Add approximately 2/3 bag of frozen broccoli, 1/2 bag frozen peas, 3 chopped carrots, and 2 chopped celery stalks to to the tofu. Add the curry mixture and stir well. Add 1 can light coconut milk and cook on medium-low, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Do not boil, or over cook the sauce.

Serve with rice and steamed chard!

Hot and spicy updates

We’re testing recipes, and it’s going really well. Sorry, we can’t share any recipes, but we’ve included a tasty photo.

Tonight we also made Thai Red Curry Soup via Show Me Vegan.

Thai Red Curry Soup
Adapted from Bon Appetit and Show Me Vegan

1/2 TBL olive oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 portobella caps, chopped

2 heaping TBLvegan red curry paste

1.5 c. Yukon potatoes, diced

1 c.  green beans

1 can unsweetened light coconut milk

2.5 c. vegetable broth

1 Tablespoon tamari

1 TBL dried basil (fresh would be so good…)

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Sriracha sauce

1 lime wedge

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute bell pepper for about 5 minutes. Add red curry paste. Stir to distribute curry paste, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, potatoes, and green beans and saute about 1 minute more. Add coconut milk, broth, tamari, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, covered. Stir in basil before serving. Garnish with Sriracha and lime juice.