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Vegetarian bun rice noodle salad
You may wonder why I'm posting a recipe for bun, a Vietnamese salad rife with mint, basil, and lettuce, served with some sliced meat (or "meat") over a bed of rice noodles and lime sauce.
The answer is that it's really quick and easy to make, given that you have a package of rice noodles and some salad mix. I've been eating quite a bit of it over the past week and a half as I recover from a nasty bout of flu.
Bun is also easily made kosher given that you use a kosher tofu or mock meat. Vegetarian ham has the most satisfying consistency, but kosher tofu is much easier to find.
As for kosher soy sauce, Kikkoman has you covered. I recommend the green bottle (low-sodium).
Vegetarian bun (Vietnamese rice noodle salad)
1 package rice noodles (medium-thickness pancit bihon noodles work well for this, though Vietnamese bun rice noodles are best)
1/2 cup sliced vegetarian ham (or marinated tofu)
3 cups washed, dried, and torn lettuce leaves (about a head of lettuce, or one package of spring mix)
mint and basil leaves to taste (I use about half a bunch of each, usually around 20-40 leaves)
Juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 c)
about 1/4 c soy sauce
A few dashes of vegetarian fish sauce (optional)
1 T nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t sesame oil (optional)
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. After they're done cooking, rinse well under cold running water for 1 minute. They should separate easily and not stick together. Drain well.
2. While the water for the rice noodles is coming to a boil, pan-fry the vegetarian ham or tofu until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Arrange lettuce in a bowl. Toss in mint and basil leaves, then add rice noodles. Top with vegetarian ham.
4. Just before serving, mix the lime juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and optional seasonings together. Pour over the salad, toss, and serve.
Quick and easy pasta salad
When you realize that you got home just a little bit too late to make the casserole you were planning to do for a friend's surprise birthday party potluck, it's easy to just throw up your hands, give up, and pick up some snacks from Trader Joe's on your way over. Next time, just take the ingredients you were going to use in the casserole anyway and make pasta salad. It's also great for those days when you don't feel like cooking much.Here is a basic recipe for a tangy pasta salad. Feel free to modify it to suit your tastes and pantry. If you're really pressed for time, you can even use frozen vegetables, but fresh ones add much crunchier texture. Quick and easy pasta salad with sumac1 package pasta (shorter ones like fusilli, rotelle, macaroni, and penne work better than long ones)
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed
4-6 radishes, sliced
1/4 c feta cheese
Salt and pepper
Around 1/4 c olive oil
Sumac (it's a beautifully deep red Persian spice derived from a fruit, usually ground)
Juice from 1-2 lemons, oranges, or limes1. Start boiling a quart or so of water for the pasta in a 2-qt or larger pot. While you're waiting for the water to boil, prepare the vegetables and squeeze the fruit.
2. If you're using green beans, blanch them in the boiling water for about 1 minute, then remove them from the water. Bring the water back to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain well.
3. Mix the carrots, green beans, and radishes together in a large mixing bowl. Add cooked pasta. Drizzle on the olive oil, juice and toss to coat everything. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and sumac and continue tossing until well blended. Serve.
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed
4-6 radishes, sliced
1/4 c feta cheese
Salt and pepper
Around 1/4 c olive oil
Sumac (it's a beautifully deep red Persian spice derived from a fruit, usually ground)
Juice from 1-2 lemons, oranges, or limes1. Start boiling a quart or so of water for the pasta in a 2-qt or larger pot. While you're waiting for the water to boil, prepare the vegetables and squeeze the fruit.
2. If you're using green beans, blanch them in the boiling water for about 1 minute, then remove them from the water. Bring the water back to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain well.
3. Mix the carrots, green beans, and radishes together in a large mixing bowl. Add cooked pasta. Drizzle on the olive oil, juice and toss to coat everything. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and sumac and continue tossing until well blended. Serve.
Pasta with carrot ginger sauce
I've been posting a good deal of root vegetable recipes this month. Winter's high season for all sorts of starchy root vegetables that taste best when they're heated through, be it in soup, stew, casserole, mash, pie...
When the weather is this cold, there's nothing I want more than a good thick soup that warms my insides for hours.
When I was in Italy this fall, I had an amazing carrot ginger pasta at a macrobiotic restaurant. Below is my attempt to duplicate that dish. It can also be eaten as a soup.
Carrot ginger sauce (or soup)
4-6 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, plus 1 whole clove
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cups water or vegetable broth (for a thinner soup, use 4 cups)
1/4 t rosemary
1/4 t herbes de provence
salt and pepper to taste (start with 1/4 t pepper and 1 t salt)
1. Heat a 2-quart pot over medium heat. Add oil.
2. Add minced garlic (not the whole clove) and saute for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Add ginger and carrots. Cover the pot and let steam for 5 minutes, until carrots begin to soften.
4. Add water/broth and bring to a simmer. Add herbs and simmer until carrots are soft, about 15 minutes. Start cooking the pasta according to package directions.
5. Turn off the heat. Add 1 whole garlic clove and blend with an immersion blender, blender, or food processor until smooth.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta. I like to sprinkle on some gomasio for a slight sesame flavor.
Root vegetable mash
For Shabbat dinner last week, a friend made a wonderful root vegetable dish that reminded me a lot of a trick my ninang uses with her mashed potatoes. (She doesn't add anything to her mashed potatoes except tons of garlic, and they turn out just as creamy as if you'd used milk and butter.) It was beautifully simple, appropriately in season, and worked well as a side for the savory, marinated, grilled portobello caps, tofu, and eggplant. You can do this with any starchy root vegetables--turnips, parsnips, carrots, potatoes, rutabagas, beets, etc. In the case of turnips, especially, mixing them with something sweet like carrots or beets takes off their bitter edge. Root vegetable mashFor every 2 people:
1 lb root vegetables, peeled and diced
1 T olive oil
1-3 cloves garlic (optional), minced
1-2 c water or vegetable broth (less if you like a thicker mash, more if you like a thinner one)
Herbs, salt and pepper to taste (Earthy herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme work well here.)1. Heat a pot over medium to medium-high heat. When the pot is warm, add the oil.
2. If using, add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Drop in the root vegetables and stir until they develop some color.
3. Add water/broth and cover. Turn heat down to medium-low, add herbs, and let simmer until vegetables are fork tender, around 20-30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher or fork until creamy. Correct the seasoning and serve hot.
1 lb root vegetables, peeled and diced
1 T olive oil
1-3 cloves garlic (optional), minced
1-2 c water or vegetable broth (less if you like a thicker mash, more if you like a thinner one)
Herbs, salt and pepper to taste (Earthy herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme work well here.)1. Heat a pot over medium to medium-high heat. When the pot is warm, add the oil.
2. If using, add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Drop in the root vegetables and stir until they develop some color.
3. Add water/broth and cover. Turn heat down to medium-low, add herbs, and let simmer until vegetables are fork tender, around 20-30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher or fork until creamy. Correct the seasoning and serve hot.
