vegan

Tofu & Veggie Stir-Fry

Gillian

Tofu is one of the most maligned and misunderstood foods. Common complaints include: “The texture is weird,” and “It doesn’t taste like anything” and “This isn’t meat, you know.” If you’ve only had sad vegetarian stir-frys with mushy, slimy tofu bits, I get why you’re not a huge fan.

But I love a perfect tofu bite that’s crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. The best – as is true of pretty much all foods – is when it’s battered and deep-fried and covered in sauce. I’ll happily order that dish in a restaurant, but it’s a bit aggressive for everyday cooking.

This recipe uses quick pan-fried tofu (using The Kitchn’s technique), tons of fresh vegetables, a modest bundle of rice noodles and just enough sauce to tie it all together. The veggies are flexible – you could easily swap in snap peas, mushrooms, baby corn, cabbage, squash; the more, the merrier. So go on and get excited about that tofu.

Tofu & Veggie Stir-Fry | Traveling To Taste

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Tofu & Veggie Stir-Fry

Serving Size: 3-4

Ingredients

  • Stir-Fry
  • 1 12-ounce (340 g) package extra-firm tofu
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
  • 2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 small heads broccoli, cut into florets
  • 2 red peppers, sliced
  • 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
  • 1 cup green beans, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-inch (2.5 cm) knob ginger, peeled and minced
  • 4 ounces (115 g) rice noodles
  • Finely chopped green onions or cilantro (optional)

  • Sauce
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) water
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey or agave
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch
  • Splash of sriracha

Instructions

  1. First, remove excess water from the tofu. Take tofu out of its packaging. Line a plate with a few paper towels, and place the tofu on top. Add another layer of paper towels and a second plate. Place something heavy, like a cast iron skillet or a book, on top of the plate to weigh it down. Leave it for at least 10 minutes.
  2. Cut the tofu into small pieces, and blot excess moisture with a paper towel. Place pieces in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cornstarch; mix well.
  3. Whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.
  4. Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse under cold water, then drain. Coat with a splash of oil to prevent sticking.
  5. Heat oil in a wok or large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu in a single layer. Cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
  6. Add onion, broccoli, peppers, carrots and green beans to the pan. Cook veggies, stirring often and adding more oil if necessary, until they are tender-crisp, 7-10 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and the sauce the last few minutes of cooking; it will thicken slightly.
  7. When the veggies are cooked, mix in tofu and noodles until warmed through. Serve with a garnish of green onions or cilantro.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2018/03/23/tofu-veggie-stir-fry/

Easy Veggie Ramen

Gillian

All I want, all winter long, is a big bowl of body-warming, soul-soothing soup. And usually I want it instantly, with next-to-zero work on my part. Ramen is the magical concoction that satisfies both of these desires.

I make it a little differently every time, depending on what veggies and toppings we have in the house. It is delicious in its simplest form – broth and noodles – but I love it even more when we have greens, mushrooms, sprouts, soft-boiled eggs and other fixins to add for flavor and texture.

Feeling a little chilly and also a little lazy? Go fix yourself a steaming bowl of broth, noodles and veggies. You deserve it.

Easy Veggie Ramen Recipe

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Veggie Ramen

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

    Soup
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-inch piece of ginger, minced
  • 3 T. white miso paste
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • Soy sauce to taste
  • Sriracha or other hot sauce to taste
  • 1 T. mirin, white wine or vermouth (optional)
  • 1 tsp. 5-star spice (optional)
  • About 8 oz / 227 g dried ramen noodles
    • Veggies
  • Dried shitake mushrooms
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard or spinach
    • Toppings (optional)
  • Bean sprouts
  • Green onions, diced
  • Cilantro, chopped
  • Sesame oil
  • Sesame seeds
  • 4 soft-boiled eggs

Instructions

  1. Soak mushrooms in warm water until they soften (20-30 minutes); rinse and drain. Slice mushrooms.
  2. Heat sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook garlic and ginger for 2 minutes, then add miso and cook for another minute. Add broth, a splash of soy sauce and Sriracha, 5-star spice (optional) and mirin (optional).
  3. Stir in mushrooms. Bring the broth to a simmer and season to taste.
  4. While broth is heating, boil water in a separate pot and cook noodles until al dente. Drain and rinse with warm water; set aside.
  5. Add greens to the broth and cook for a few minutes until wilted.
  6. Put a serving of noodles in each bowl, ladle soup over the top, and garnish with toppings.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2017/02/01/easy-veggie-ramen/

Spiced Couscous Salad Recipe

Gillian

We’ve been on a grain-based salad kick for a while, combining couscous, bulgar, farro or whatever we have in the cupboard with vegetables, nuts, legumes, herbs and spices for new combos. I think this started because:

  1. Green salads can get pretty grim during the winter months.
  2. Whenever we serve simple salads to guests, no one eats it and we end up with a neverending bowl of wilting lettuce in our fridge.

I like these heartier salads because they have endless variations, and they are a blank canvas for all the spices we have been collecting. I made this one for our last EatWith event and loved the contrast of the different textures and flavors (I think the cinnamon is a must).

spices

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Spiced Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Cashews & Veggies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Large bowl to feed a crowd

Spiced Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Cashews & Veggies

Ingredients

  • 1 large box couscous (about 500 g or 17 oz.)
  • 2 cans chickpeas
  • 2 cucumbers, roughly chopped
  • 2 red peppers, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups cashews
  • 2 cups raisins
  • Spices (for example: cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper)
  • Olive oil
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook couscous according to package directions in a large pot (a 2:1 water-to-couscous ratio is a good rule of thumb). Let cool.
  2. Mix in chickpeas, cucumbers, peppers, cashews, lemon juice and a healthy glug of olive oil.
  3. Add spices, a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the flavor you desire. Mix in fresh cilantro.
  4. Transfer to a large bowl and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2015/02/24/spiced-couscous-salad-recipe/

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Garbanzo, Bulgar & Veggie Fritters With Mint Tzatziki

Garbanzo, Bulgar & Veggie Fritters With Mint Tzatziki

Gillian

I have a tendency to cook as though I am feeding the entire Duggar family instead of two normal-ish adults. As a result, we often have leftover grains and beans to get creative with.

This week, we had a ton of extra bulgar and a bag of dried garbanzo beans begging to be used, so I cooked up some tasty (and shockingly vegan, minus the tzatziki sauce, which I do think is a necessity) fritters.

The great thing about this kind of fritter is that you can adapt it to fit whatever you have on hand. We’ve been eating a lot of bulgar lately (quick cooking instructions: 2:1 ratio of broth or water to bulgar; boil liquid, add to bulgar, cover and let sit for 30 minutes), but you could easily substitute couscous or rice. We also happened to have chard and peppers, but you could use zucchini, carrots, spinach, whatever your little heart desires.

Of course I made twice the amount in the recipe below, so I did not actually cut down on the leftover count. You get a fritter! And you get a fritter! Fritters for everyone! I think tomorrow I’m going to add poached eggs to them and call that brunch…

mint-tzatziki-sauce
Easy mint tzatziki sauce
swiss-chard-peppers
Sautéed chard and peppers
chickpea-veggie-mix
Garbanzo and veggie mixture
chickpea-chard-fritter-in-pan
Delicious fried goodness

 

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Garbanzo, Bulgar & Veggie Fritters With Mint Tzatziki

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Garbanzo, Bulgar & Veggie Fritters With Mint Tzatziki

Ingredients

  • Fritters:
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (about 1 can)
  • 1 small bunch Swiss chard, tough parts discarded and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked bulgar (or couscous, brown rice, etc.)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Flour
  • Olive oil
  • Spices and herbs to taste (salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, mint, cayenne, etc.)

  • Mint Tzatziki Sauce:
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 T. vinegar
  • Small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped (or a few T. of dried mint)
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Make the tzatziki by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate while you make the fritters.
  2. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan. Sauté onion, pepper and Swiss chard until onions are soft and chard is wilted. Drain excess liquid using a strainer, and set aside.
  3. Add garbanzo beans, lemon juice and garlic to a food processor and combine until it forms a rough paste. Add chard mix and spices and blend until mostly smooth.
  4. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and add bulgar, adjusting spices if necessary.
  5. Heat a thin layer of olive oil to medium-high heat in a frying pan. Form small patties from the mixture, and coat in flour.
  6. Fry patties in oil until crispy and brown on each side, a few minutes per side. Serve with tzatziki sauce, salad and bread.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2014/10/24/garbanzo-bulgar-veggie-fritters-with-mint-tzatziki/