Thai Inspired Cabbage Salad with Creamy Tahini Lime Dressing...

This is one of my favorite salads. Seriously. I’ve been making it frequently over the past couple of years and though it’s super simple and easy it never fails to amaze me just how satisfied I am after eating it. This is one of those recipes that came about because a growling hunger was gnawing at my stomach at a time when my refrigerator was looking pretty sparse, so I had to make due with what I had. Sometimes that’s the best way to cook. Though it can be restrictive to cook with an empty fridge and an empty pantry, it can simultaneously be inspiring. It can provide you with the kind of freedom to be creative that you might not have otherwise. There’s always something a little magical in that.

Over the years this recipe has changed and transformed. The basic heart of it however has stayed the same. It was initially inspired by Thai flavors, - Thai cuisine being one of my favorites - and those hot lazy days of mid-summer when you don't want to do a lot of cooking anyway. Though no matter how I choose to make it these days, it always has the same six basic ingredients. Cabbage, cilantro, green onions, tahini, lime juice and soy sauce. Some days I use a little more of this, or a lot more of that. Some days I throw certain ingredients in, and leave others out, it all depends on my mood and what I have on hand, and that’s the beauty of this. It’s versatile! There are no hard and fast rules to making it, as long as you have those six basic ingredients it’s a winner every time.

I really do love the cool crisp cabbage slathered in thick rich, creamy, and nutty tahini. The sourness of the lime, the saltiness of the soy sauce, the bite of the onion, and the earthiness of the cilantro. It’s such a satisfying combination, made even better by various additions. A little sweetness from agave, or bell pepper, extra crunch from bean sprouts, a little spice from the radish. Cool and creamy avocado, or sweet mango, a hint of ginger or a hint of garlic. This version that I present to you is definitely a more jazzed up version of that original salad that I first made years ago, but it is extremely delicious. Of course it’s meant to be simple, so if you don’t have everything on the list don’t fret. In keeping with the spirit of the original work with what you have, and enjoy!

Thai Inspired Cabbage Salad with Creamy Tahini Lime Dressing 

1 Small Nappa Cabbage sliced thin
½ Head Red Cabbage sliced thin
1 Large handful bean sprouts
2 Large Carrots shredded
1 bunch green onions Sliced
1 bunch cilantro Minced
6 Red Radishes Sliced Thin
1 Cucumber Sliced thin
1 Red Bell Pepper Sliced thin
Handful of Raw or Roasted Unsalted Peanuts

Half a Mango sliced thin (Optional)
Half an Avocado sliced thin (Optional)

Creamy Tahini Lime Dressing

4 TBSP Tahini
4 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp Water (as needed)
1 Tbsp Agave
1 small piece Ginger Grated finely
1 Clove Garlic Minced
1/8 tsp Cayenne


- To make the salad slice, chop or mince all ingredients as directed and place into a large mixing bowl.

- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and taste for flavor. Adjust seasonings as needed if you want more lime, more tamari, more garlic etc.. or if you need to thin it more with a little water.

- When the dressing is to your taste pour it over the salad in the mixing bowl. Mix the salad thoroughly to combine and serve!

- Enjoy garnished with extra cilantro and peanuts if desired. Or with sliced avocado and/or sliced mango.

PS: I chose to use Tahini here in the dressing because I love it, and it's what I had on hand. However if you were interested in a more traditional Thai taste, you could easily substitute almond butter or peanut butter for the Tahini. Though it's not something I do myself i'm sure it would be just as lovely.

Maitake Udon Soup...

I’ve been wanting to post all weekend but it seems as though time keeps slipping away from me. I’ve been very busy of late, not only with school, work and other activities but with cooking as well as exploring new and interesting ethnic markets. I’ve been very inspired lately to create vegan versions of many of the Asian, and Indian dishes I used to love as an omnivore. It’s been a fun and interesting experience, because I’ve been picking dishes that I’ve never seen vegan recipes for. The world doesn’t need another vegan Sambar, or Tofu Saag. We don’t need another Pad Thai or fried rice recipe what we need are all those delicious recipes no one’s thought to veganize yet. We need the obscure ones! Or at least I do. That’s not exactly what this post is about though, that’s just an explanation for where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing.

This post is about a delicious soup inspired by my travels to a Japanese Market in Arlington Heights. The market is called Mitsuwa, and my sole purpose for going there was so I could buy Glutenous White Rice Flour to make a favorite Chinese dessert of mine. (More about that in another post) I saw the flour for sale on Amazon and almost bought it until I read the reviews. The flour cost $6 on Amazon, and every reviewer said they’d bought the same exact product at their local Asian Grocery for $1. So rather then buy the flour for a totally inflated price online and then have to wait for it to arrive I decided to track down the nearest Asian Market. Mitsuwa kept coming back with the highest reviews and so my husband and I decided to check it out one afternoon.

Mitsuwa is amazing! If you live in the area you need to check it out! They have almost everything you could possibly need or want. to make delicious Japanese food at home. They have everything from oodles of noodles, to fresh produce, to exotic mushrooms, dozens of varieties of rice and seaweed, sauces, condiments, snacks, desserts, they even have a bakery, and a food court. There isn’t much vegan in the food court or the bakery but there are a couple of dairy free pastries, and some delicious veggie maki! Initially I went into Mitsuwa with the intention of buying 2 items, and ended up coming home with a bulging bag of goodies. With amazing products being sold for a fraction of the price I pay at my local grocery or health food store how could I resist? After all would you rather pay $4.99 for 10 sheets of Nori or $4.99 for 30? $4.99 for 12 oz of dried udon or $6.99 for 2 pounds of dried Udon? It was an easy choice for me, but I digress.

There were three purchases in particular that I knew I’d have to use immediately. Fresh Maitake mushrooms - which I’ve never seen before, if I see Maitake mushrooms at all, they are always dried. - Fresh Udon Noodles - something I haven’t seen since I lived in Vancouver, Fresh udon is commonly sold lots of places in Vancouver, so going to a speciality Asian market isn’t exactly required. - and a vegetable called Tokyo Negi which is sort of a Japanese Green onion. I’d never tasted it, seen it, or even heard of it before so I knew I had to get it. Since I’d never cooked with any of these three ingredients before I felt the safest thing to do was soup. In fact I’d made a delicious rice noodle soup the week before and still had a hankering for something with a similar flavor.

So after surveying my pantry and jotting down a few ideas, I took my maitake mushrooms, my udon and my Tokyo Negi and set to work. The finished product was outstanding! It definitely exceeded my expectations. While I can’t claim that there’s anything at all ‘traditional’ about this dish, it does remind me of a lot of the udon soups I used to eat in Japanese restaurants and Asian markets when I lived in Vancouver.

The Negi lent a wonderful flavor to the soup as did the maitake mushrooms. I’d never eaten maitake mushrooms and so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they were wonderful. The real showstopper however was the Udon. It has been a long, long time since I ate fresh udon, and the last time I did I wasn’t exactly an adventurous eater. I thought they looked like worms or brains and they unnerved me a little, so I wasn’t all that thrilled with them. Now I’ve been shown the error of my ways. Fresh udon are where it’s at yo! They are a must! They’re fat, and soft, and squishy yet chewy. They’re delicate and almost buttery. They are perfection, and far more complex both in flavor and texture than the dried variety. If you can find them you must try them, and when you make this soup I highly suggest you have both a spoon and a pair of chopsticks handy. A spoon to ladle up the broth and the smaller veggies. Chopsticks for the udon. Since they’re so long, fat and slippery they don’t exactly sit still on a spoon, chopsticks are a much more practical utensil, and they certainly imbue an air of authenticity to the meal.

Maitake Udon Soup 

1 tsp Sesame Oil
8 Cloves Garlic Minced
1 Thumb sized piece of Ginger Grated
1 Thumb Sized Piece Kombu
2 Tokyo Negi
1 lb Fresh Wide Udon Noodles
5oz Fresh Maitake Mushrooms chopped
2 C Green or Napa Cabbage Shredded
6 C Water + 2 vegan “Chicken” style Bouillon Cubes
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce or Coconut Amino's
1-2 Tbsp Lime Juice
2-4 Tbsp Mirin (to taste)
Sprinkle of Umeboshi Vinegar to taste
½ bunch of Cilantro finely minced.

- Heat oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and ginger and saute for 3-5 minutes until fragrant.

- Add in Maitake mushrooms and saute 2 minutes.

- Combine water and Bouillon in a measuring cup, then add to the pot along with the Komband stir to combine.

- Add the Udon Noodles and bring to a boil. Let boil for five minutes then add Tokyo Negi and reduce heat to a low boil/simmer.

- Cook for 10 minutes then add the sliced cabbage. Cook for 5 minutes then stir in the soy sauce, umeboshi vinegar, lime juice and mirin. Stir to combine and simmer 2 minutes. Taste for flavor and adjust seasoning as needed.

- Remove the Kombu from the pot and discard. Turn off the heat and add in the cilantro. Divide amongst bowls and serve garnished with more cilantro.

*** Note - If you can’t find fresh udon you can use dried udon or soba noodles. Though fresh are really worth looking for if you have a good Asian market by you. If you can’t find Tokyo Negi then use about 5 green onions instead. ***


*** Note - Soy-Free if using Coconut Amino’s instead of soy sauce or Tamari*** 

Vegan Mofo #14 - Terry’s Ginger Shiitake Soup with Cabbage and Edamame...

Vegan Mofo #14 - Terry’s Ginger Shiitake Soup with Cabbage and Edamame

The Book - "Clean Start"
The Author - Terry Walters
The Recipe - Ginger Shiitake Soup with Cabbage and Edamame
Page # 98
Difficulty - Easy
Duration -30 minutes advanced prep, roughly 20 minutes cooking time

I grew up a mushroom hater. All my life I despised and avoided these little fungi. I wouldn’t eat them in anything, I wouldn’t eat any dish that contained them. I absolutely hated them, and I’m not exactly sure why. I think it’s mostly a texture thing, but also I find mushrooms to have kind of a dirty and/or fishy taste. Then I went vegan and realized that so many great vegan dishes contain mushrooms. Also upon going vegan I decided to make it a point to not exclude any of the foods in the plant kingdom. So I started slowly conditioning myself to eat and like mushrooms. It took many months but now I’m actually quite fond of portobelo and cremini mushrooms though they have to be cooked just right. Many of the people I know love Shiitake mushrooms, and I’ve tried them again and again but I have to say, the Shiitake Mushroom is not my favorite of the fungi family.

So when I first happened upon this soup in Terry Walters excellent book "Clean Start" I was initially very skeptical. There were just too many shiitake mushrooms! However the picture looked beautiful, so beautiful I could almost taste those edamame beans! I love edamame by the way and am always eager to try any dish that contain them. One night I was really in the mood for a hot, brothy Asian inspired soup, and so going against my natural instincts when it comes to mushrooms I decided to give this soup a try anyhow.

Surprisingly - despite the horrendous odor that omits from the soaking mushrooms during your prep time, the shiitake flavor is not overpowering. In fact it was just enough for me, however since it is a bit mild if you do really like shiitake’s you might want to consider adding a few more. I did make a few changes to the soup, adding in more cabbage then was required, one extra carrot and about a half tsp or so more minced ginger. I also took Walters suggestion and added in some noodles just to give the soup a little more heft. Although I didn’t have the soba on hand that she suggested I used rice noodles and it worked out perfectly.

I have had nothing but good fortune with Terry Walters "Clean Start" so far, and I know I’ll definitely be making this soup again. It’s so flavorful, and filling yet doesn’t bog you down. I find it to be a very healing and soothing sort of soup. The perfect thing to whip up on a cold fall or winter day when you’re feeling a little under the weather. Or if you’ve spent a little too much time out in the cold. The perfect soup to make on a weeknight when you haven’t got a lot of time. If you prep the mushrooms and make the broth in advance you can have dinner on the table in 20 minutes which frees you up to be able to do so much.

Enjoy this soup with some soothing music with hot cup of tea and a good book and a cozy blanket waiting nearby. Even if you think you hate mushrooms particularly shiitake’s you might be surprised at just how comforting and delicious this soup is!

Chinese Inspired Broccolini Soup...

You know that delicious soup you always get in Bad Chinese restaurants? The one that usually comes complimentary with the meal. It’s got that rich salty broth that goes down so smooth it’s almost like drinking a glass of oil. It comes served in delicate cup sized bowls, with wide spoons that have short handles. It’s got all those beautiful uniform slivers of julienne vegetables swimming around in liquid MSG. All except those big honkin’ broccoli florets. Whole and intact with a texture that’s soft yet crunchy. Yeah, you know the soup I’m talking about. Well, the other day that’s what I was craving. I mean really, really craving! All I could think about was broccoli cooked to perfection and bathed in a mouth-watering salty broth. Which is odd since it’s been ages since I’ve eaten bad Chinese and even longer since I’ve given that particular soup a moments thought.

The tastebuds want what they want I suppose, so I finally broke down and decided to try my hand at re-creating a healthy vegan version of that soup. The only problem was that A) aside from a few essentials like Broth, cabbage, broccoli, green onion and carrots I had no idea what else went into that kind of soup - as I said it’s been ages.- and B) I didn’t have any broccoli!

But do you think I let that stop me? Of course not. I had a pound of broccolini which I decided was just as good if not better then broccoli, and the freedom of imagination to do whatever else I pleased. So armed with nothing but my patchy memories I entered the kitchen to work a little magic, and magic is definitely what happened. Now while I can’t say that this soup is in anyway authentic, nor can I say that it tastes exactly like the salty Chinese soup of my childhood memories I can say that this soup is delicious and oil-free. More importantly it has the two main components for such a soup, broccoli, and salty flavor. Which in the end I guess was all I was really looking for. To me this is the perfect soup to eat on a cold fall or winter day when all you want to do is cuddle up in a blanket and read a book. The perfect soup to eat when you’re feeling a little under the weather. Hot, nourishing, and super simple and quick to make. Depending on the deftness of your knife skills you could have a big pot made in about 30 minutes. Who doesn’t love that?

Chinese Inspired Broccolini Soup

1 Small Yellow Onion - Quartered and sliced into thin quarter moons
10-15 cloves garlic crushed or pressed (or very finely minced)
2 Tbsp Ginger Root Grated
1 lb Broccolini (or broccoli)
4-6 C Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
3 Carrots grated
2 C Napa Cabbage sliced thin
1 Bunch Green Onions sliced (Green & White Parts)
2 Tbsp Red Miso Dissolved in 1/4 C Water (or to taste)
2-4 Tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce (or to taste)
½ tsp Japanese 7 Spice Blend (or to taste)

- Add your Onion, Garlic and Ginger to a medium sized soup pot with about a 1/4 C of vegetable broth. Saute on high until onions are soft and translucent and garlic and ginger are fragrent. Roughly 7-10 minutes.

- While onions are sauteeing slice the stems of your broccolini into small rounds. Leaving the broccolini florets intact. Unless you want more bite sized pieces as I did, then you can slice the florets as well. Add the stems ( but NOT the florets) into the pot along with the onions as they’re sauteeing.

- Add the vegetable broth to the pot and bring to a boil.

- Once boiling reduce heat to medium or medium-low and add Cabbage, carrots, Green onion, Broccolini Florets, Japanese 7 Spice, Soy Sauce, and Miso. Stir to combine then cover and let simmer over medium for 5-10 minutes.

- Because carrots, napa cabbage and green onions are sliced or grated so finely they will cook in no time at all. If you have decided to slice up your broccolini florets they too will cook fast, and so the cooking time will be close to five minutes. If you’ve left the broccolini florets large and intact they could take 10 minutes or slightly longer to get to that nice soft crunch stage. So just keep an eye on it.

- When Broccolini is at your level of tenderness, taste soup for flavor, adjust as needed and serve hot, maybe with a nice side salad.

*** Note - Japanese 7 Spice is a seasoning blend made up of ground Orange Peel, Black, White and Toasted Sesame, Ginger, Nori, Cayenne, and Szechuan Peppercorns. It’s got a hint of citrus from the orange, a bit of heat form the pepper, and a touch of salt from the Nori. It’s a really wonderful combination of flavor that I think really adds something to this soup. However if you don’t have it you can always improvise by creating your own 7 spice blend. But generally Asian Markets, speciality spice stores, or specialty grocers should have it. For those in the Chicagoland area I get mine at The Spice House.***
*** Note - Gluten-Free if using Wheat-Free Tamari Soy Sauce***

Cashew Salad with Tamarind Dressing...

Over the past week and a half I’ve been kept very busy, and so I’m afraid I’ve been a bit neglectful here. There are always articles in the back of my mind begging to be written, always recipes I’m eager to test out, it just so happens that these past few days I haven’t had much time to sit down and do any of it. My birthday was on the 1^st of the month, and my husband and I spent the week celebrating as we always do for one another’s birthdays. Movies, dinners out, hanging with friends, going for evening strolls and the like. On the actual day we went out of town for a bit of hiking and then spent the afternoon-early evening exploring Galena, IL, a lovely old historical town. Full of kooky shops and lovely scenic views perfect for photographing. Then of course there was work, and then we had a BBQ for the 4^th and then yesterday we spent the entire day at the zoo. An activity I felt extremely conflicted about (more about this In a post to come) though I had a good time. On top of all of that craziness I’ve just recently purchased a stack of new (to me) cookbooks that I’m rather eager to try out, so suffice to say I haven’t been creating many recipes of my own over the past week and a half. Hopefully by the start of next week I’ll be back on track, but in the meantime I did make this delicious Cashew Salad with Tamarind Dressing from a book called Easy Vegan: Simple Recipes for Healthy Eating. So far everything I’ve made from this book has indeed been easy, and so far everything has been tasty as well.

What I really love about this salad is it’s mixture of flavors and textures. You have the wonderful roasted cashews paired with nappa cabbage, and carrot, crisp green onions, and cucumber and the pleasantly sweet mango. The recipe actually calls for dried mango but since I didn’t have any I just used fresh, and I think it worked out beautifully. The dressing was a wonderful blend of sweet and tangy with an interesting yet hard to describe accent from the Szechuan peppercorns. Some would argue that the Szechuan peppercorns aren’t necessary, that it’s just a fancy hard to find ingredient for no reason, but I’m willing to argue that these peppercorns do add a subtle layer to the salad that would be otherwise missed if one were to just use regular black peppercorns. Of course if you don’t care either way about pepper or could care less about subtlety you can always opt out or use regular pepper instead and I’m confident the salad would be wonderful anyway.

So definitely check out this book, for this as well as many other great recipes. I don’t normally buy, like, or even give a second glance to books with titles like "easy...." or "Simple...." that are compilations of recipes with no ‘known’ author, but this book surprised me. It’s definitely worth your pennies.