Veggie Miso Udon Soup

Confession time...I've been perusing the rescue shelter website again. I know, I know. Don't judge! I'm trying to talk Todd into getting an older, smaller dog. He's seven years old and his name is Oreo and he's been there since July 31st! So sad. Plus, Bailey needs a friend. Cross your fingers that he'll come home with us soon! I have a feeling that soon after this post goes up, I'll be in trouble...heh heh.  Anyways, besides stalking the rescue site, I've been craving some udon soup. Big time. There's this place in the mall in Anchorage (yes, we only have one mall...okay that's a lie, but it is the mall) called Souper Bowl and they have the most wonderful udon soup and sometimes, a few times a year, I get a crazy-cracked-out-craving for it! So, I decided it was finally time to try to recreate it. I think I did a damn good job, too.

This soup could not be easier, and it's "udon" healthy...udon...uber...get it? Oh nevermind. It's packed with steamed veggies, cubed silken tofu and a healthy dose of miso. Udon noodles are my favorite noodle. I don't really know what it is exactly about them  but I just love 'em! I could not wait to make this soup and once it was done, I couldn't stop eating it! It was an extra exciting day in addition to this soup, because Todd got me a surprise gift! See the bottom of the post to see what!

Veggie Miso Udon Soup 

Inspired by Souper Bowl and No Whey No Cow

Serves 6-8

• --For The Broth--
• 1o cups water
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. erythritol (or sugar)
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste (or finely minced ginger)
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 4 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1 sheet of Nori seaweed, chopped
• 1/2 cup miso paste (I prefer red)
• --Goodies--
• 1 head of broccoli florets, chopped
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 2 8 oz. packages of udon noodles (sauce packet tossed, eww)
• 1 12 oz. package silken tofu, cubed
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach

First, steam the chopped broccoli and carrots so they are just tender. Once done, set aside for use later. 

In a large soup pot, bring the water along with all the broth ingredients, excluding the miso paste, to a boil. Once boiling, turn to a simmer and once it stops boiling, add in the miso paste. Whisk well to incorporate. 

Now, add in the udon noodles and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, or until they have separated. Add in the cubed tofu and stir gently to combine. 

Serve in a giant normal-person, reasonable-sized soup bowl and add in the spinach, steamed broccoli, and carrots. Allow a few minutes for the spinach to wilt and then eat up!

Holy closeup! Helllllo spinach.

How did I get those macro photos? With a macro lens of course! Todd bought me one and Lightroom, as well! Hurray! We He has a 20mm wide angle as well as a 50mm 1.4.

Oh, it's Oreo! Look at him, he really needs some love! He must have put this on the blog...what a clever little guy.

On repeat, Wild Child – Someone Else

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Kale and Red Potato Soup with Grain Sausage

Yikes, it's getting a little cray cray up here in Alaska! There's all sorts of wind and rain and just straight up craziness. I guess the weather experts are calling it a storm. Listening to the news, you'd think we'd better build a bomb shelter with all this talk of emergency preparedness. I'm sorry lady news anchor, but I'm not stalking up on two gallons of water per day for potential emergencies. I'm just not. Who has that kind of space? It's crazy. I have a water filter in my backpack and a lake that's a three minute walk from my house. Who doesn't have a water filter anyway?! People, that shit's important. I feel like having a way to source potable water is much more along the lines of good emergency preparedness than just having gallon jugs of water around.

What if it's the zombie apocalypse!? Are you really going to go running through the woods from zombies with gallons of water? No. However, our water filter weighs like 5 oz. and is about the size of my hand, so...also, it's already in my backpack! I guess the moral of this post is to go buy a water filter? I don't know. 

Whoa, no. This post is about this soup! Sorry, I guess I got a little off track there. Anyways, needless to say that today is just kind of a soup type of day. And what goes better with stormy weather than soup? Not much. Also, soup is kind of my main man when I don't feel like cooking. Hello beautiful.

This Kale and Red Potato Soup with Grain Sausage is so savory and delicious. There's something about a potato and sausage soup that just wraps you up in rustic comfort! It's perfect for these chilly stormy nights. 

Kale and Red Potato Soup with Grain Sausage

Inspired by Skinny Taste

Serves 6-8

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 (6 oz. total) vegan sausage links (I used Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Grain Sausage)
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, sliced thinly
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups water
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 4 medium red potatoes, unpeeled and diced
• 1 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• sprinkling of red pepper flakes
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1-2 bunches of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• fresh thyme, for garnish (optional)

--A Few Notes-- 

I like a lot of kale in my soup so I use two bunches, but feel free to use only one.  I like to split the liquid in half and use 5 cups water and 5 cups broth, but you can certainly use 10 cups of vegetable broth if you wish.

In a large soup pot, heat 1 tsp. of olive oil. Add the sausage links whole and allow them to brown for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Once browned, remove from the pot and set aside for later.

Add 1 tsp. more of olive oil and heat. Saute the diced onion and sliced carrots for about 5 minutes or until the onions have started to turn translucent. Now, add in the minced garlic and saute for a couple more minutes.

Slice the sausage now that it has cooled. Add in the remaining ingredients to the pot, including the sausage but not yet the kale. Bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, de-stem and chop the kale. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, covered. 

Now, uncover, add the chopped kale, and allow to cook over high heat for about 5 more minutes, or until the kale has reached your desired texture. 

I like mine to still have a little bit of sustenance but if you like to boil it into submission that's okay with me, if you like it that way. I have been accused of liking my kale a bit tough.

Serve hot and topped with fresh thyme!

I think this is a very appropriate song for today with regards to our windstorm, snowbird – The North Wind Doth Blow

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Thai Coconut Soup

I thought about calling this soup "Bastardized Vegan Tom Kha Gai", but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It was way, way too delicious for mockery. 

Did I want kaffir lime leaves and galangal and serrano chilies in this soup? Of course I did. Do we have any of these things in Alaska? Sure, probably. Do we have them in Wasilla, Alaska? No. This is the home of Sarah Palin after all. I called both grocery stores. To the credit of Carrs, they did tell me that they had lemon leaves, however, when I got to there the last package was gone. Also, a different produce man than the one I had talked to one the phone told me that they actually were lime leaves, not lemon leaves. So, who knows what the heck was going on really...

M point is, if you live in a rural and/or uncultured (a joke...kind of) place such as Wasilla, Alaska then this is the soup for you. Or, if you don't want to make a special trip to the Asian market, you should be able to find all of the following ingredients at your regular grocery store.

To improvise without these classic Tom Kha Gai ingredients, I added lime juice in place of the kaffir lime leaves, used ginger instead of galangal (I'm sorry but drastic times call for drastic measures) and I used fresh ground chili paste in place of the serrano chilies. So there you have it. An unbelievably creamy, Thai inspired coconut soup with tofu and mushrooms that is just as tasty as the vegnaized classic!

Thai Coconut Soup

Inspired by Cooking and Me

Serves 4-6

• 2 14 oz. blocks of silken tofu, pressed and diced
• 4 lemongrass stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and chunked
• 8 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced (or whatever mushrooms you like)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground chili paste
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 15 oz. cans of canned full-fat coconut milk (not lite!)
• 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 

To start, press the tofu blocks. To do this easily, just wrap each block in two layered paper towels, then place within a doubled-over dish towel and place a cutting board or something similar on top. Then place something heavy on top of that. I used a box of watercolor painting supplies. Allow the tofu to press until ready to use. 

To prepare the lemongrass, cut off the top and bottom two inches of the stalks until the middle portion is about about the length of your hand. Now chop the stalks  into about 1/2-1 inch pieces. You want them long enough so you won't accidentally eat them. They are very woody. You don't want to eat them, trust me. 

Bring the vegetable stock in a large soup pot to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile, peel (I use the edge of a spoon) and chop the ginger into big enough pieces that you won't accidentally eat it. Big hunks of ginger (uncrystallized) are just not that appetizing.  Peel and slice the shallots thinly. Slice the mushrooms if needed.

Add the lemongrass, ginger, shallots, chili paste, and brown sugar to the broth and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile dice the tofu into bite sized pieces. Add in the mushrooms, tofu, soy sauce and coconut milk to the broth and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat or until the mushrooms become tender. Careful not to allow it boil, sometimes that can curdle the coconut milk. Once done cooking, remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.

Serve hot and topped with fresh cilantro. Careful not to eat the lemongrass and ginger chunks at the bottom of the bowl!

This soup is perfect for a chilly Autumn night in! And for fun, what am I listening to? Bright Eyes – Shell Games

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