I'm sure you're all used to my crappy cameraphone photos by now, and I assume you like them, since no one has sent me a digital camera to replace my stolen one. I'm happy to continue posting fuzzy photos until then.
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| Rice noodles = quick & easy to cook = happy mommy |
Spicy Peanut Sauce Over Rice Noodles & Vegetables
The sauce:
1/4 c. olive or canola oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 T. evaporated cane juice crystals (look for this in the Latin or Hispanic foods section if you can't find it with the sugar)
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. Bragg's liquid aminos (you can use soy sauce, tamari or shoyu, but don't come crying to me when your blood pressure skyrockets from the sodium - use the Bragg's, okay?)
2 T. lemon juice concentrate
3 t. fresh grated ginger (use an equivalent of powdered gingered if you're a lazy mama or don't have any)
1 c. unsalted peanuts (I use blanched raw peanuts, but you can use roasted)
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1 - 1 1/2 c. water
cayenne pepper to taste
handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (again, you can use an equivalent of dried cilantro, if you must)
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; sauté until tender.
Add evaporated cane juice and stir in until melted, caramelizing the onions.
Add remaining ingredients, stirring until smoothly blended. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The vegetables:
While the sauce is simmering, stir-fry your 6-7 cups of your favorite vegetables. I used carrots, celery, green beans, wax beans, lima beans, baby corn, green pepper and garbanzo beans (protein!), because it was what I had. Fresh vegetables work great, but you can use frozen like I did - just make sure to drain off the liquids as the vegetables heat up, or else they won't "fry," but will instead "boil."
If you're not experienced in stir-frying, there are some great tips here.
The noodles:
Rice noodles are very quick-cooking. The ones I get (above) are in 16 ounce packages, though even for my brood, I usually only use half a package at a time. Boil your water and add a splash of olive or canola oil, which will help prevent the noodles from sticking. They're very starchy and sticky, those rice noodles. When your water is boiling, toss the noodles in and cook for just a very few minutes until they're tender - three to five. Don't overcook the noodles! If you do, you'll be left with a soggy mass of starch and you will cry. Yes, you will.
Drain the noodles when they're done.
The assembly:
Add your stir-fried vegetables to the noodles and mix well, then add the sauce and stir to evenly distribute it. Serve it while it's hot, with a sprig of fresh cilantro, if you fancy. Mine looked like this in the wok:
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| Spicy Peanut Sauce Over Rice Noodles & Vegetables |
Okay, so I'm a big fan of coleslaw. Really big fan. Huge, in fact.
What? What's that? Coleslaw isn't vegan?
Yes, yes it is, when you make it with vegan mayo and soy milk and evaporated cane juice. It's vegan and it's nommy. But... it doesn't really go with Spicy Peanut Sauce Over Rice Noodles & Vegetables, so I made an Asian version.
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| Asian Coleslaw |
Asian Coleslaw
1 - 16 oz. bag coleslaw mix (Or, you know, make your own if you're handy like that... I'm not, by the way.)
1 c. slivered blanched almonds
1/4 c. sesame oil
1/3 c. rice vinegar
2 T. evaporated cane juice crystals
1/2 t. black pepper
2 T. frozen apple juice concentrate
Put all ingredients (except coleslaw mix)into a blender and blend until cane juice crystals are dissolved, then pour over mix. Take the coleslaw mix out of the bag first, of course. A bowl works nicely.
