Umami Udon Noodles

As vegans we don't get a whole lot of umami in our lives. What's umami? It's one of the five basic tastes. Surely you're familiar with the sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tastes. Well, Umami is a kind of savory flavor that was first scientifically identified in 1908.  Meat and cheese are good sources of umami, as well as shiitake mushrooms, and I often find myself craving this savory type of flavor. Nutritional yeast is a source of umami, which is probably why I consume questionably monstrous large quantities of the stuff. If you want to read more about umami, you can do that here and here. Also, check out this interesting little article on umami by NPR, here, while you're at it! 

Tempeh, shiitake mushrooms, and miso combine their delicious powers for one hearty and savory udon noodle dish that's sure to cure that umami craving when it hits! 

Umami Udon Noodles  

Serves 4

• 8 oz. packaged udon noodles
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 8 oz. tempeh, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 oz. dried (or 8 oz. fresh) shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced & soaking water reserved
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste (or minced ginger)
• 1 tsp. lemon grass paste (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 cups shiitake mushroom soaking water or vegetable broth
• 3-4 Tbsp. miso (I like red)
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
• fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
• sesame seeds, for garnish

Notes: If you have an aversion to tempeh, feel free to use firm tofu, or neither!

Start by soaking the dried shiitake mushrooms in 2 cups of very hot water. I like to put a big spoon over the mushrooms to help keep the, submerged. Allow to soak for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain when ready to use but keep the soaking water for later on in the recipe. If you're using fresh mushrooms you won't need to soak them and you can just use vegetable broth or water to replace the soaking water.

In a small saucepan, cook udon noodles according to package instructions. This usually includes boiling the noodles for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. We will not use the sauce packet, it's not vegan.

In a large frying pan, heat the sesame oil. Add the onion, tempeh, and garlic. Saute for about 10-15 minutes, or until the onions have started to brown and caramelize. 

Now, add the sliced shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and lemongrass. Saute for an additional 3-5 minutes. 

Add in the soy sauce, vinegars, water/broth, and the miso. Stir well to combine, dissolving the miso and deglazing the pan.

Add the udon noodles to the pan along with the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the noodles are heated and the spinach is wilted. You can even cover it with a lid to help the spinach wilt. 

Serve hot and garnished with some fresh cilantro and sesame seeds. 

Hello umami bomb.

Toe tappin' to MGMT – Electric Feel

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Black Bean & Sweet Potato Superfood Soup

When I first tasted this soup, in my head I did my best silent Ron Burgundy voice, "Oh this stuff is gooooood." Not even on purpose! It just happened. Like that was the most appropriate and logical reaction to this soup's deliciousness that my brain could come up with! So weird. But guess what? This soup is also good for you. Like, really good for you. Black beans and sweet potato? Yes, but wait, there's purple cabbage too! If you're not a cabbage fan, I promise you that it's not even discernible. Truly. 

Did you know that purple cabbage lends the most nutritional bang for your buck? Yep. And black beans come in fourth! If you still haven't checked out NutritionFacts.org, you really should. This video on Superfood Bargains is great knowledge to have when money's tight.

This soup has a hint of sweetness and is spiced with chipotle chili powder, cumin, and turmeric. Black beans, sweet potato, and red cabbage all make a superfood star appearance dressed with cilantro and avocado.  

So get your health on while mowing down on this absolutely delicious soup. It's definitely a keeper! 

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Superfood Soup

Serves 4

• 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 purple cabbage head (4 cups), chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, chopped
• 1 15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, separated and chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/2 avocado, chopped

Notes: This soup can be as chunky or smooth as you'd like, just adjust the blended portion to your preference.

In a large soup pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the cumin, turmeric, cocoa powder, and chipotle chili powder and saute for about 30 seconds. 

Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onions have started to brown.

Add the broth, salt, pepper, cabbage, and sweet potato. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down to low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender.

Add the black beans and maple syrup. Take the bunch of cilantro and chop it in half to separate the leaves from the stems. Mince the stems and add them to the soup. Save the leaves for garnish.

Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Then, carefully place about 3/4 of the soup into a blender and blend until somewhat smooth. Add the pureed soup back into the pot and stir in the lime juice.

Serve hot and garnished with avocado and cilantro.

When I tried to put the soup away later on, I couldn't stop eating it! 

I love this song, Wild Belle – Shine

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Roasted Maple Tempeh + Rosemary Quinoa

Tempeh is pretty cool. I never ate it growing up. However, for a time I did work here (see photos at end of the post)...saweetest job there ever was, let me tell you. Anyway, the owner was a rambunctious, old vegetarian guy from Boston and on the menu we had a few tempeh sandwiches. This was my only exposure to tempeh for the greater part of my life. I think I did taste it while cooking there and I don't think I liked it very much. Even being vegan for almost a whole year now, I am only just recently starting to really to enjoy it. Well, this is my favorite way to have it now, maple roasted! The unique tempeh flavor is still detectable and compliments it's scrumptious caramelized maple crust. Together with herbed rosemary quinoa, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts, this is a new favorite in my book! 

If I had happened to have stumbled upon this dish before Thanksgiving, it would have definitely made an appearance. A sneaksy and delicious way to get non-vegan folk to eat tempeh!? Muah-ha-ha! Perfect. I guess I'll have to wait until next year though. 

I have to say, though this dish does seem to have a certain affinity for a Thanksgiving theme, what with the dried cranberries and maple and rosemary...however, I assure you that it's delicious any time of the year. Tempeh is an excellent source of vegan protein as well as probiotics and it can be found pretty much anywhere! Triple win!

Roasted Maple Tempeh + Rosemary Quinoa

Serves 4

• Quinoa:
• 1 cup dry quinoa (I used red)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary (chopped) or 1 tsp. dried
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 Tbsp. walnut oil (or olive)
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• Tempeh:
• 2 8 oz. packs of plain tempeh (16 oz. total), cubed
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage
• 2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

First, rinse and drain the dry quinoa. Place in a medium saucepan with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until all the broth is gone and the quinoa is fluffy. Check on it after about 10 minutes and give it a stir, if left too long the quinoa can stick to the bottom of the pan. Once done, fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining quinoa ingredients and mix well. Once the quinoa is done, add it to the bowl mixture and stir to combine. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F and chop the tempeh into small, bite-size cubes. 

In a large bowl, combine the remaining tempeh ingredients and then add the tempeh cubes and stir well to coat. 

Scatter the cubes on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until the maple syrup has caramelized atop the tempeh. Be sure to check that the walnuts don't get too toasty! 

Once the tempeh is done, combine with the finished quinoa and stir well.

Snuggle up and serve hot! 

Wiggling to Pharrell Williams – Happy (from Despicable Me 2)

[yumprint-recipe id='59']I was a waitress and cook at the Hatcher Pass Lodge for a few years when I came back from college in Montana. It was a great job. I had the opportunity to work in an Alaska State Park, with absolutely breathtaking views. I remember the serene drive up to the mountains, and baking fresh cookies and muffins all alone, long before any customers or other employees got there, while listening to NPR. I think it's really where I discovered my love for cooking! 

Inspired by Nutrition Stripped