Hot day, cold noodles

I’m obsessed with noodles. I can eat anything over noodles. Serve me noodles, I will be happy. Here is a recipe for my favorite cold noodles inspired by spring rolls!

Cold rice noodles with vegetables topped with Tofurkey Plant Based Thai Basil Chick’n

Finely shred vegetables with a mandolin or vegetable shaver (recommended for carrots for long, noodle-y strips)

1/3 cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup shredded red bell pepper
1/3 cup finely sliced cucumber
1/2 cup shredded red and green cabbage
2 finely sliced jalapenos
3 chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro and mint
Add all of these vegetables into a large bowl and keep cold until noodles are ready for mixing

3 minced garlic cloves
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
Mix the sauce and set aside

Boil a large pot of water. Once boiling, grab a large handful of rice noodles (whatever are your favorite!) and add to the boiling water. Mix, and immediately turn off the heat while keeping the pot on the burner. Keep mixing the noodles (I like to use tongs to help separate) for about 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodles. Remove the pot, pour the noodles into a strainer, and rinse the noodles in cold water to stop the cooking process. Add the noodles to the bowl of cold vegetables. Pour the sauce over the mixture. Add salt! Mix aggressively using tongs to get all of the noodles and veggies integrated into the sauce. Top with anything you desire and enjoy!

My favorite toppings for this dish:
Tofurkey Plant-Based Thai Basil Chick’n
Chopped roasted peanuts
Avocado
Fried tofu

Not much beats having a nice treat after a long hot day. After a big bowl of cold noodles, I made myself a red plum upside-down cake with cold vanilla ice cream. Take care of yourselves and eat well.

June 5, 2021

White Bean Soup (vegan)

Posted by By Leah Constantine

Posted in Food blogs

Add several tablespoons (4-5 tbsps or as much as you prefer to cook with) of good olive oil in a large pot on medium heat
Add to the warm oil
½ white onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
½ shallot, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
When the vegetables are soft, add seasoning
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
½ tablespoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute
Then add
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 large potato, peeled and cut into ¼ inch bite-sized pieces
3 16oz cans small white beans, drained and rinsed
4.5 cups of vegetable broth
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork
Turn off heat and use an emulsifier to emulsify a small bit of the soup, or measure out 1 cup of the soup contents and blend and stir back into the soup. This thickens the texture and adds creaminess.

I recommend serving this with vegan or regular freshly grated parmesan, toasted and oiled sourdough with garlic confit, vegan biscuits, or just your tried-and-true favorite soup side.

January 31, 2021

Green Taco Soup (vegan+)

Posted by By Leah Constantine

Posted in Food blogs

No sentimental pish posh here. This recipe makes good food.

Vegan+ This is made according to a vegan diet and can easily be expanded to a vegetarian or meat diet.

I recommend serving this soup with crispy tortilla strips, raw jalapeno slices, and avocado. You can also add radishes, cheese, or serve with black quinoa for an extra filling punch.

Vegan green taco soup with raw avocado, jalapeños, black qionoa, and fresh tortilla chips.

½ white onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 large jalapeño chopped (or small if you want less heat)
sauté in vegetable oil until soft (about 5 minutes)
1 cup thinly shredded napa cabbage
sauté with the other veggies until soft and bright green (about 3 minutes)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
lightly salt and pepper
mix until combined and fragrant (a few seconds)
juice of 1 lime
2 cups veggie broth
2 cups (16 oz) of salsa verde (homemade or store-bought)*
mix and bring heat to medium, simmer for 5 minutes
(optional) while waiting for simmer, sauté a package of vegetarian/vegan protein to get a bit crispy: I prefer the lightly seasoned plant based Tofurky chick’n
reduce the heat of soup mixture to medium-low
add the optional vegan protein
½ can (8 oz) of small white beans (drained and rinsed)
½ cup of diced green bell pepper
cook for 10 minutes then remove from heat before serving

For crispy tortilla strips
heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan at medium-low
slice up soft corn tortillas any way you like and add to the hot oil
mix and flip the slices occasionally to prevent them from sticking together and to get all sides of the tortilla crisp (2 to 3 minutes)
remove strips when crispy and lightly golden and set on a paper towel to draw out excess oil
add the cooked strips to a bowl and season lightly with salt, pepper, chili powder, and lime juice

*Use a salsa you really like because this is where a lot of the soup’s flavor and heat comes from. I use Nuevo Tex-Mex Salpica salsa verde because the thickness is just right for soup and has the perfect medium heat.