Vegan Dinner Miso Soup

Last week, we woke up to rain. And it rained and rained until about 10am when the temperature dropped and the winds started and it began to snow sideways.

It was a perfect storm for Miso Soup.

Typical miso soup is light — really nothing more than an appetizer. With this recipe I sought out a miso soup that was filling. Something you could have as a meal when you’re snowed in. Traditional miso soup usually has a few bites of tofu, and pieces of wakame. We added: shiitake mushrooms, rice noodles, and TOPPINGS! (Fried garlic chips, green onions, chili crunch sauce, toasted sesame oil). All in all it makes a more filling soup with out losing the miso-y quality. Despite the add ins, this soup is still vegan (some add bonito flakes to miso soup, I opted for dried mushrooms).

I know warm weather is on it’s way — but until then, I’ll be souping. :)

Vegan Dinner Miso Soup

Published March 19, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the broth (dash):

2 sheets kombu (About 5 inches x 3 inches each)

6 dried shiitake mushrooms

7 cups water 

For the soup:

1/3 cup white miso paste

1 tablespoon ginger juice

2 tablespoons dried wakame, plus about 2 cups of water for rehydrating

1-2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

14 ounce package extra firm tofu, drained and diced into bite-sized pieces

To serve:

Rice noodles, cooked according to package (I used vermicelli)

1/2 cup sliced green onions, white and dark green parts removed

Chili crunch sauce (affiliate link)

Fried garlic chips (I use avocado oil rather than canola)

Toasted sesame oil

Optional (not vegan - makes the meal heartier): Soft boiled eggs

Directions:

1. Make broth: heat 7 cups of water in a large soup pot with kombu and dried mushrooms. Once the water comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. Allow kombu and mushrooms for roughly 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, hydrate wakame in a small bowl. When wakame is completely softened, strain out excess water. Then, roughly chop wakame into bite-sized pieces.
3. After broth has soaked, use a slotted spoon to remove kombu and mushrooms.
4. Place miso in a small to medium sized bowl. Ladel roughly 1 cup of broth in the bowl with the miso, and whisk until no clumps remain (this makes it easier to mix into the full pot of broth). Pour miso mixture into soup pot.
5. Add tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and wakame to the pot, and place back on stove over low heat. Heat until the soup is just barely simmering.
6. Divide rice noodles amongst serving bowls, and label soup over top. Top to taste with: sliced green onions, toasted sesame oil, chili crunch sauce, and fried garlic (and eggs, halved, if using).

Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce

Last week, I told you all that I bought The Food of Morocco, and have been on a Moroccan food kick. The kick continues today… with this Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce. This blog post is really about the sauce, which you could use over fish, grilled meat, or roasted veggies (and don’t stop there). Or, eggplant.

It struck me, while I was adding all of the ingredients for this Charmoula to the blender, that it’s just like so many other herb-based sauces found around the world. It combines oil with an acid (lemon juice), garlic, salt, and pepper, and heaps of herbs. The process reminded me of making a South American Chimichurri, or the garlicky dipping oil used in Ecuador, or even pesto.

It is not so much their similarity that surprises me, but the idea that diverse people, strung out across the world, all arrived at a similar solution to saucing food. I’m not a historian, though a quick look at the Wiki history of Chimichurri sauce suggests it was brought over by Spanish immigrants. Were all of these sauces another way of making the flavors immigrants were familiar with in a new environment, with new ingredients? Perhaps. (I, by the way, adored this essay on how immigrants assimilate through food).

Roasted Eggplant with Charmoula Sauce

Published March 12, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the charmoula:

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Juice from 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon ground paprika

Dash cayenne

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup packed cilantro leaves

1/3 cup packed parsley leaves

For the eggplant:

2 eggplants

1/2-1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

For serving: 1/4 cup tahini

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Slice stem from eggplant and then cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Spread out on a baking sheet (or two) in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt, and allow eggplant to sit for 5-10 minutes. The salt with help reduce bitterness.
3. Brush eggplant with olive oil. Flip eggplant and brush the second side. Place in oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until eggplant is soft all the way through, and is golden/brown on the edges.
4. While eggplant cooks, combine all ingredients for charmoula in a food processor or blender, and pulse until a sauce forms. I like my sauce to still have some texture to it, so I stop before everything is puréed, but this is just my preference.
5. Serve: place roasted eggplant on a plate, and drizzle with several spoonfuls of charmoula and several spoonfuls of tahini. Eat warm.
6. Note: you will likely have leftover charmoula, which can be used as a sauce for fish, or grilled meats and vegetables.

Crunchy Cabbage & Peanut Slaw

As readers of my monthly newsletter know, I was that girl that brought a salad to a Super Bowl watching party. Yes. (But also, someone should be that person. The salad is always gone at the end of the night--or halfway through the night - and everyone is always glad to at least have a little freshness on their plates between tasting different dips and chips). 

Where this crunchy cabbage peanut slaw began: I am a pack-my-own lunch kinda gal, but some days getting out of the office just to walk around is really the best medicine. It was a day like that when I wandered to Natural Grocers (a few blocks away), and picked up a prepared salad -- I was craving fresh veggies. The gulp of fresh air was nice, but the salad was dry and pretty boring. It was the idea of the salad that inspired me though: a simple cabbage slaw with a peanut dressing. 

So I went home and dreamed up a better version, which is still a simple salad but it calls for a LOT of zesty peanut dressing -- a dressing far zestier and more addicting than the original. (So addicting in fact, that it also makes a very good dip for crudités).

You'll notice right away that this dressing calls for a semi-long list of ingredients. They are (almost) all shelf-stable pantry staples, and despite the list of ingredients the magic of this sauce is in how it's made: plop everything in the blender and go. That's it. This is where I tell you: do not fear that list of ingredients, embrace it. It is worth it. And by the time you've checked to see if you have everything you need, you're only 30 seconds away from finishing the dressing. 

Crunchy Cabbage & Peanut Slaw

Published February 19, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the peanut dressing (yields about 1 cup):

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons water to thin dressing, as needed

For the slaw:

3-4 cups finely shredded green cabbage

4-5 green onions, white and dark green parts removed

1/4 cup minced cilantro

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Optional additional add-ins we also love: 1 cup chopped bok choy, 1/2 cup chopped sugar snap peas, 1/4 cup minced Thai basil

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients for the dressing, aside from the water, in a blender and purée until smooth. Then, add water as needed to thin dressing as needed (based on preferences).
2. Sliced green onions and add to a salad bowl with cabbage and cilantro. Toss to combine. Top with sesame seeds and peanuts.
3. Drizzle with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup peanut sauce, or to taste.