Vegan miso ramen with brown rice + buckwheat noodles and mushrooms

veganramenWell, already on day five of doing my plant based cleanse and I feel really good and am down 4lbs! The one problem I have is that after reading “Eat to live” I found the recipes pretty blah….of course I like to expand on the basics and trying to feed my family the same thing I eat, I had to innovate. So today’s recipe is based on things my fam already loves, while sticking to Dr. Furhman’s advice. I went to the Vietnamese market by my house and found all kinds of great stuff! If you do your homework, you can find amazing and healthy Eastern products on the cheap. Asian cookery is a good one to look on when one is pondering a vegan lifestyle, as they don’t really eat any dairy, and they seem to have vegetarian products really dialed. Like in the China study, eating plant based is necessity in some regions, and a side effect is great health plus Asian cultures been doing it a lot longer than Western diet experts were preaching it, that is for sure. Plus going to the Asian market is fun, the kids love it, and it’s almost like travelling to another place, depending on how deep routed the community is, that your store is located, mine happens to be awesome, like “I don’t know what this is” awesome. Try it and this, I think you’ll like em!
You will need
1 package or four bundles buckwheat noodles, mine had brown rice added, never had em’ thought I’d try them. If you aren’t familiar with these noodles google it, they are loaded with health benefits.
4 Tbsp. Miso paste, I used Japanese Nagano, and it is a blend of both white and red.
8 cups of water
1 Tbsp. Soy sauce
4 large shitake mushroom
½ lb. firm tofu, sliced
1 bunch enoki mushrooms, if you can’t find these use a different variety, these are just super cool, and can be added on top without cooking
4 green onions, sliced thin
1 cup shelled edamame, I get mine at Trader Joe’s already cooked and shelled.
Optional stuff: Sesame seed, nori, carrots shredded, or use anything you like to add on top. All my toppings were vegan of course.
broth
Method:
First things first, I did not use dashi stock which is traditional in miso soup, it’s totally delish, but it contains bonito, which is dried tuna flakes, so I left it out to maintain vegan status. I first cooked my noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes, rinsed with cold water and set aside. Next, in a medium pot, I put my water with the soy, shitake mushrooms, and white parts of onions, bring to a boil reduce to medium, add tofu and cook 10 minutes. After researching I learned that miso should never be boiled, it will reduce its nutritional power, I never knew this, so make sure if you have anything that needs to be boiled to add that first. Add your miso, making sure that it all gets dissolved. In four bowls, divide noodles evenly, take mushrooms out of broth and slice, add those to bowls, add tofu, and other toppings of choice, with a bit of prep this is an incredible meal, which can be done in 30 minutes or less! Domo arigato Mr. roboto!

15 minute Pad Thai


Faster then picking up take out.
Faster then picking up take out.

Have you ever ordered Pad Thai and ended up with a clumpy, soggy, orange mess? I have. This isn’t always the case but I have tried many a bad pad if you know what i’m sayin. There is the most amazing Thai cart downtown and they make great food on the cheap, we are talking $5 for fresh made, authentic food. I can’t always make it down there so I have started experimenting with my own version. Using and utilizing what is best of the season and using a stir fry technique it all comes together fast and with a little practice quite easily. Get familiar with your local Asian market, talk to the shop keep, get to know the products, research and then you can make a fast and easy meal for you and your family that is restaurant quality, without the extra salt, and expense
Fresh rice sticks, you will need a couple of handfuls for 4 portions
Fresh rice sticks, you will need a couple of handfuls for 4 portions

For the sake of ease, this is a sauce I found at the market by my house its real good and you can control the amount.
For the sake of ease, this is a sauce I found at the market by my house its real good and you can control the amount.

Wild caught shrimp
Wild caught shrimp
Tofu, is an option if you like it, you can sear it, fry it, or leave it plain
Tofu, is an option if you like it, you can sear it, fry it, or leave it plain
In a medium hot wok, add a few tablespoons canola or peanut oil, add fresh rice sticks and stir fry till golden
rice sticks getting browned in wok first
rice sticks getting browned in wok first
add a few tablespoons of the sauce or to your preference, stir it around and add just enough water to make noodles tender. Add 1/2 cup of green onions, I also added one green garlic since it is in season and I am a big fan. Remove noodles and put onto serving plate, in the wok add shrimp and cook till pink and firm (not to long or they will be bubble gum), you can also heat your tofu at this time. Add those to the noodles, sprinkle with mung bean sprouts, and peanuts (I used cashews, cuz i’m makin it mine), cilantro, and a squeeze or three of lime. Like it spicy? Sciracha will be your ticket to heat! Here again this is just a guideline you can add what you like to meet your diet needs or preferences. You can freeze the rice sticks and keep the sauce in the fridge and keep some things on hand and make this fast,fresh and easy!IMG_4534