Thai Curried Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu

This dish is just easy comfort food in a bowl. Noodles, tofu, and broccoli swimming in a curried coconut broth with a squeeze of lime. What's not to like about that? Did I mention you can make it in about 20 minutes? Yeah. That's right. My work is done here.

Thai Curried Noodles with Broccoli and Tofu

From Vegetarian Times

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons red or yellow Thai curry paste
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 15-oz can light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 1 package firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 5-6 oz dry fettuccine
• 5 cups broccoli florets
• Lime wedges

Heat oil in medium pot over medium-high heat. Saute shallots in oil 2 minutes. Add curry paste, curry powder, and turmeric; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, broth, and brown sugar, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in tofu and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions. Add broccoli to pot for last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain, and add to tofu-curry mixture. Mix well and serve with lime wedges.

Veggie Pad Thai

Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody! There's nothing like celebrating a Mexican holiday with some Thai food, am I right? (Okay, that makes no sense, but it's not like Cinco de Mayo is a real Mexican holiday anyway, so whatever.)

This is a really easy recipe for pad thai you can make at home. It's not exactly an authentic pad thai recipe, as it skips all of those hard-to-find ingredients (tamarind paste, anyone?). But it tastes pretty similar and is delicious in its own right.

Veggie Pad Thai
Adapted from Everyday Food

• 8 ounces dried rice noodles
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
• 3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Vegetables (optional), such as zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, etc., chopped
• Fresh cilantro
• Chopped roasted, salted peanuts

Cook or soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, and soy sauce.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with a rubber spatula, until eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to a plate.

If adding vegetables, add them to the skillet along with 2 additional teaspoons oil. Cook until tender. Add noodles and soy sauce mixture to skillet; cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently. Serve noodles topped with scallion greens, cilantro, and peanuts.

Variations: Vegans can omit the eggs. Just cook the vegetables with the scallion whites and garlic.

Uighur Noodles with Peppers and Sweet Potatoes

Between yesterday's post and today's, I think I've really got a good colorful meals thing going on. This one's a quick and easy weeknight meal -- I find that Asian noodle dishes are really good for that (and for some reason I always end up making them on Thursdays, when I'm starting to run out of steam for the week). For those of you who don't read the news, Uighurs are a minority ethnic group living in northwestern China. Their cuisine is very different from most Chinese cooking and uses an interesting mix of spices that sometimes resembles a blend of Indian and Middle Eastern flavors. Try it!

Uighur Noodles with Peppers and Sweet Potatoes
From Vegetarian Times

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
• 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 8-oz package dried udon noodles, cooked and set aside, or 12-oz package precooked udon noodles
• Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Place sweet potato cubes in microwave-safe bowl, and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Microwave on high power 4 minutes.

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell peppers, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, and Aleppo pepper, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and 1 cup water. Cover, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. Uncover and cook 10 to 12 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in noodles, and season with salt if needed. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Fried Udon Noodles

Sometimes I make a dish fairly frequently (in other words, more than twice -- I don't usually repeat things) but forget to blog about it the first few go-rounds. Then I'm making it for, like, the third or fourth time, and I'm shocked that I haven't put it up on the blog yet. This is one of those. There's not a lot of description needed. It's just a really easy and yummy noodle dish from my homegirl Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Life. Perfect for a weeknight, especially when you're craving something comfort food-y. Great with baked tofu, whether you make it yourself while you cook the noodles or happen to have some pre-made on hand.

Fried Udon Noodles
Paraphrased from The Kind Life

• 8 oz package dry udon noodles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 head of green cabbage, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• Baked tofu, for serving (optional) (if making yourself, see instructions in this recipe)

Cook the udon noodles in boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the sliced cabbage and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Add a little water if the cabbage starts to stick or burn. Remove to a plate. Heat the other tablespoon of oil and add the sliced onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add a little water and scrape up the paprika to make a thick creamy sauce coating the onions. Add the cabbage back to the pan, along with the noodles. Toss to combine, adjust salt and pepper if needed, and serve (with baked tofu if desired).

Miso Udon Stir-Fry with Greens and Beans

Over here at the ol' blog this week I'll be cooking my way through one of my new cookbooks, Appetite for Reduction (also the source of the chickpea piccata recipe in my last post). Like I mentioned, this book is full of healthy vegan recipes that are just right for the new year. If your resolution, like everyone else's, is to lose weight, these could be some great dishes to try.

Tonight I made this yummy stir-fry with udon noodles, veggies (broccoli and chard), azuki beans, and savory miso broth. I thought it was great just as it was, but you if you wanted to, you could definitely turn up the heat with some Sriracha hot sauce.

Miso Udon Stir-Fry with Greens and Beans

From Appetite for Reduction

• 1 pound broccoli, stems sliced thinly, tops cut into florets
• 8-ounce package udon noodles
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, coarse stems removed, chopped roughly
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• One 16-oz can azuki beans, drained and rinsed (can substitute black beans)
• 1/3 cup miso
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Prepare a pot of salted water for cooking the noodles. Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. First, saute the broccoli with a bit of nonstick cooking spray and a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes. Cover the pan and flip once or twice. The broccoli should be browned in some spots. Add a splash of water at the end, then cover for another minute. The pan should be steaming. Remove the broccoli from the pan and set aside.

At this point, the water should be boiling. Use a mug to remove 1/2 cup of water; you can use that to mix into your miso in a few steps. Then cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain when ready.

Now we'll put everything together. Preheat the large pan again, over medium heat. Saute the garlic in the oil for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the chard, green onion, and salt, and saute for about 5 minutes, until wilted. Add the beans and let heat through.

In the meantime, in a mug or a measuring cup, mix together the miso and warm pasta water until relatively smooth.

Add the drained noodles to the pan, along with the miso mixture and broccoli. Saute for about 2 minutes, making sure everything is nice and coated. Taste for salt. To serve, top with sesame seeds and scallions (and Sriracha, optional).

Roasted Autumn Vegetable and Noodle Toss

Dinner tonight was the kind of meal where I mess up tons of stuff, yet everything ends up turning out great anyway. But seriously, I screwed up repeatedly. I realized too late that I had no foil for wrapping the garlic; I threw it in the oven anyway, and it made little difference (well, maybe it got a little charred, but so what?). Then the garlic wouldn't mash into the fine paste I wanted, but the fact that there were big chunks of roasted garlic in the sauce was kind of awesome. And I forgot to reserve the pasta cooking water until it was almost too late.

But ultimately, this ended up being one of those really great dinners that's filling, has an intriguing blend of spices, and is actually really healthy on top of it all. I guess you could call that fool-proof.

I promise there are lots of veggies in here - they just all fell to the bottom!

Roasted Autumn Vegetable and Noodle Toss

• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• One small head of garlic, top sliced off, wrapped in foil
• 12 oz uncooked egg noodles
• 1/2 cup sour cream (reduced-fat if you prefer)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and place onions, carrots, and squash on it. Drizzle vegetables lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a big pinch of salt. Roast the vegetables along with the foil-wrapped garlic for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. In a large saucepan, stir together sour cream, broth, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne and reserved cooking water. When vegetables are done, remove garlic from the foil and squeeze the flesh out of the skin into a small bowl. Mash garlic and whisk into sauce. Stir in roasted vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add noodles and toss with sauce. Season to taste and serve.

Soba Noodles with Spinach

I know I've done a good job with dinner when we've finished eating and Joe looks down at his plate sadly and says, "I'm sad that this is gone." This Japanese-inspired soba noodle dish was one of those dinners.

I've actually never made soba noodles at home before, but it was easy and yummy as can be. Soba noodles, like quinoa, are great for vegetarians because buckwheat (the main ingredient) contains all eight essential amino acids. Yay complete proteins! The recipe does include a bunch of Asian ingredients that you might not have in your pantry, but I definitely recommend stocking up on them anyway -- then you'll have them on hand to whip up delicious boyfriend-approved meals at the drop of a hat.

 Soba Noodles with Spinach

• 8 ounces uncooked soba noodles
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 cup scallions, sliced
• 8 cups leaf spinach (one big bag)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

 Cook noodles according to package directions (do not overcook, or noodles will be gummy). Drain and place in a large bowl. While noodles are still warm, add vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and scallions; toss well to coat. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil. When oil is hot, add garlic; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach to pan; cover and cook until spinach wilts, about 3 to 5 minutes. Toss spinach with noodle mixture and serve.

Variations: Vegans could substitute brown rice syrup for the honey. This noodle dish would be great with a side of Asian-marinated grilled tofu (here's a sample marinade recipe from Epicurious).