I think I may be on a bit of a cashew streak. So if you don't like cashews, I apologize...also, who are you? Apparently there's a whole tribe of people hating on ginger, too. Oh, the horror! Vegan Yack Attack is one of said people. It's okay, Jackie, I forgive you and your ginger detestation. Anyways, this is one ginger, curry, and turmeric laden dish that's brimming with healthy goodness. With the addition of quinoa and cabbage, is there a healthier dish out there?
Ginger and turmeric are both super anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powerhouses. For nutritional information on them click those links. And of course we all know that cabbage is super nutritious. It's in the cruciferous family of vegetables and is one of the best overall cancer fighting veggies. You could read the article "Antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of common vegetables: A comparative study" from the Journal of Food Chemistry (yes, there's a journal for that). Or, you could just watch this very informative video. Go watch! And learn.
Yep, paired up with protein rich quinoa, this makes one super healthy dish! Quinoa is a vegan source of complete protein which means it has an adequate proportion of all nine of the essential amino acids. Basically, eat your quinoa folks. It's better than eating parts of a cow.
This is one badass dish and look how cheerful the turmeric makes it. Ooooo. Aaahhh.
Bring the quinoa and water together to a boil in a large saucepan. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
Heat the oil in a super large frying pan or wok (the biggest you have!), then add the cashews, ginger, and cumin seeds. Saute for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile slice up the cabbage and add it to to pan. This can be done in parts, if needed. The cabbage will shrink down though, I promise you. Also, my German's going well. Have you been to Duolingo yet? What! No? Do it, do it now. Put down the Candy Crush/Fruit Ninja/Angry Birds and go learn a language.
Add in the remaining ingredients also and stir well to combine. Allow the cabbage to cook for about 10-15 or until just tender.
Add the cooked quinoa to the cabbage mixture and stir well to combine. Serve hot!
I don't have too much to say today, except that yesterday we nearly reached 3,000 visits! Whaaa? Yes. People, that's like half of my town just perusing Produce On Parade...it's so weird to think about.
Anyways, not wasting anytime, let us move along to this delicious pasta dish. Tart and tangy lemon combines with luscious cashews to make one smooth, thick and creamy sauce for penne pasta that pairs with sauteed carrots and wilted kale. Hold up. Cashews? As a sauce base?! Oh the veganity! I know, I know...if you're not vegan, a cashew-based sauce may seem a bit odd. However, rest assured that you don't have to be vegan to enjoy this hearty dish. It's a tastier, healthier, friendlier, and downright jazzier alternative to a boring alfredo dish.
Place the raw cashews in a small bowl and fill with water to cover the cashews. Microwave for 2 minutes and let sit until ready for use. Drain and rinse before use. Place all the sauce ingredients in a blender followed by the drained and rinsed cashews and whirl on high until smooth.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside. While the water boils, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and continue to saute for another few minutes.
Now, add the sauce and saute another 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Don't worry, I know the sauce seems thin but it will thicken up as it cooks. Next, add the kale and allow to cook a couple more minutes, until the kale has just wilted.
Add the cooked pasta into the sauce and veggie mixture and stir well to combine. Serve hot with plenty of fresh parsley atop.
I thought I'd share this wonderful quote. It really sums up how I feel quite perfectly. I'm ever changing and always surprising myself, but one thing that stays true is that I really have always tried to better myself (some things more than others...knitting...yea, it's not meant to be).
There are lots of little things we can do to help make ourselves healthier and happier and the world a more peaceful place. They don't have to be big changes. Sometimes the littlest changes turn around to be the most profound influences.
I bet you're wondering why I gathered you all here today. It's for the Creamy Coconut Curry Peanut + Noodle recipe, obvs. Drenched in a creamy coconut curry peanut sauce, sauteed veggies pair with low-calorie noodles to make a perfect Thai inspired noodle dish. Oh yes. But first, a little business. If you haven't noticed (and seriously why would you?), the widget plugin for my subscribers lost about 25+ of my near and dear subscribers! I am not sure if this means that the number is just off or if these poor fellows aren't getting the new post emails. It's all very distressing.
I've contacted the plugin company and apparently many other users are having the same issue as me. Sad. So, if you happen to think you are one of these forsaken followers, let me first tell you that I truly treasure you. The plugin company is sorting it out and hopefully it should be fixed. Please let me know if you are not getting the posts in your email! I can work around this (I've been watching a lot of the BCCs Sherlock Holmes...Benedict Cumberbatch...am I right? Yes. Omg.), and get you my daily ramblings. Never fear my dear people.
Okay, back to the good stuff. Peanut noodles aren't exactly on the lower end of the calorie scheme. I mean look at this dish. It certainly looks like it's loaded with carbs. Yes, well...it's a little deceptive. Nothing's ever what it seems, Dr. Watson.
Have you tried those refrigerated low calorie noodles? There are many brands, but I think the majority are made from tofu. They were all the rage a few years ago when they were generally discovered by the dieting mass public. I like them. Enough. I mean, I'm certainly not going to replace them with real pasta. Heaven forbid. Actually, I'm not all that big on pasta to begin with. Have you noticed? Maybe not.
Anyways, this is the perfect dish to use those noodles. They have almost an udon noodle type of feel to them. I do, however, love me some udon noodles. This peanut noodle dish has full-fat coconut milk along with peanut butter, so using the tofu noodles is a good way to cut back on some calories, plus they just plain work in this dish! Tofu noodles and spaghetti sauce? Not so much.
This recipe probably isn't low-calorie...it's just...lower-than-it-could-be-calorie...
Before we get started, however, allow me to rant about lite coconut milk. The cans of coconut milk up here in The Last Frontier are over $3.50 a can. That shit's expensive! Yes, I have tried to make my own, a story for another day. Anyways, if you're buying the lite version of canned coconut milk as opposed to the full-fat one...or regular as I call it, then you're just buying at most, really expensive water.
So, what to do if a recipe calls for lite or you simply don't want all that full-fat coconutty goodness (gasp!)? No, problem. I just use 1/4 the amount called for, but use the regular. Then, add the remainder of what's called for in water. Freeze the leftover regular coconut milk. It's really that simple. That's what I do and it saves me some bucks. You can continue to do whatever you want, but I thought it was necessary to expose the coconut milk catastrophe for what it is. Katie Holmes has closed the coconut case! Wait...Katie Holmes, no, that's already taken. Nevermind.
A final word about the tofu noodles. They smell...err...very fishy before you boil them. No! Don't smell them! Gahh. Anyways, be sure to rinse them very well before you boil them. I'm not making this stuff up. Once they are parboiled, they are fine.
2 packages Tofu Shirataki Noodles (or any noodles), drained and rinsed well
1/2 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
1 medium carrot, matchsticked
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
--For the Sauce--
2 Tbsp. canned full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (nut free - sunflower seed butter or mashed avocado)
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. fresh curry paste
1/2 tsp. ground curry powder
1/2 tsp. fresh chili paste
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drain and rinse the tofu noodles. When the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and boil for about 3 minutes. Drain and pat the noodles dry. Set aside until ready to use. If using different noodles, then cook according to package.
While the water comes to a boil, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan and add all the prepared veggies. Saute for a good 10 minutes, or until the carrots just being to soften over medium heat. Then remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then turn to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles and veggies are done cooking.
Add the sauce and the noodles to the the sauteed vegetables and cook over low heat for a minute or two, just enough to heat thoroughly.
Serve hot and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if you like!
This dish was super easy and quick to make, but of course I had the always eager and cutest kitchen helpers ever. Todd's doing the whole mustache thing right now. Bailey...well...yea, I don't know.
Creamy Coconut Curry Peanut + Noodles
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Katie - Produce On Parade
Serves: 2
Drenched in a creamy coconut curry peanut sauce, sauteed veggies pair with low-calorie noodles to make a perfect Thai inspired noodle dish.
Ingredients
--Noodles + Veggies--
2 packages Tofu Shirataki Noodles (or any noodles), drained and rinsed well
1/2 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
1 medium carrot, matchsticked
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
--For the Sauce--
2 Tbsp. canned full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. fresh curry paste
1/2 tsp. ground curry powder
1/2 tsp. fresh chili paste
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drain and rinse the tofu noodles. When the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and boil for about 3 minutes. Drain and pat the noodles dry. Set aside until ready to use. If using different noodles, then cook according to package.
While the water comes to a boil, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan and add all the prepared veggies. Saute for a good 10 minutes, or until the carrots just being to soften over medium heat. Then remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then turn to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles and veggies are done cooking.
Add the sauce and the noodles to the the sauteed vegetables and cook over low heat for a minute or two, just enough to heat thoroughly.
Serve hot and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if you like!
3.2.1255
For fun, what am I listening to? Kimbra – Good Intent It's very Sherlocky to me, and I'm in that type of mood. Shifty eyes.
Meanwhile slice up the cabbage and add it to to pan. This can be done in parts, if needed. The cabbage will shrink down though, I promise you. Also, my German's going well. Have you been to Duolingo yet? What! No? Do it, do it now. Put down the Candy Crush/Fruit Ninja/Angry Birds and go learn a language. 
For fun, what am I listening to? Rachael Yamagata – Be Be Your Love
