Bob Marley ~ Natural Mystic
Shakira ~ Objection (Tango)
Royal Blood ~ Out Of The Black
Def Leppard ~ Rock Of Ages
R.E.M ~ What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
Connie Francis ~ Who's Sorry Now?
Count Basie ~ There Will Never Be Another You
Jamie Lawson ~ The Touch Of Your Hand
Madeleine Peyroux ~ River
Pearl Jam ~ Oceans
Bach: Cello Suite #3 in C
Thunder ~ Only You Can Make Me Cry
Happy New Year one and all! Are you in need of some good luck this year? Let's face it there are many people desperately in need of some right now. I start the year mindful of those poor folks who are displaced right now...for what ever reason...and naturally I hope that the good luck vibes reach out to them all the most. Personally for me it's a much needed good luck boost for my health which is...not great. But I am alive so this is not a posting that is containing any whinging..at all..nope..no way!
I look forward to the start of each new year. After a couple of weeks of indulgence and celebrations for the festive season I really crave fresh and light meals. Don't misunderstand, I'm no longer in a place where I can afford to go mad (oh ok there may have been a couple of champagne/brandy cocktails enjoyed...ahem...right!) during the holidays. But I do relax a little and enjoy such delights as vegan cheese and biscuits and I shouldn't forget my individual serving of vegan Christmas pudding and custard. I know...I am a rebel, eh? Luckily for me the foods I enjoy the most at this time of the year are navel oranges, cinnamon, russet apples and clementines.
When it came time to sit down with my notepad and get creative for my SUMA Wholefoods Blogger Network recipe...I had to start off from a very different head space than normal. My kitchen duties have all but gone recently with the exception of two days in the kitchen with my pal Ann. However today I had the help of ML and if not for that I probably wouldn't be doing this right now. A constant on my festive table is a large bowl of navel oranges, russet apples and clementines. So I sat there with the fruits tempting me as I scribbled down ideas. I had recently happened upon an article about foods that are eaten to encourage good luck. I read about long noodles for longevity, round fruits with 12 pieces to represent the upcoming year and of course the American good luck staple of black eyed beans. The symbolism behind each food made me smile and wish for a day where it was all that simple. And whilst sat staring at my lovely fruits awaiting inspiration, I suddenly realised I already had it tucked away. To create my own New Year recipe as an act of faith and belief that no matter how bad it gets...I am completing one act that will indeed help. Because the foods listed by every culture for good luck were fresh and healthy and isn't that, in some small way, an act of good luck?
I chose noodles as my starting point. I love them and am always thinking up new ways to have an excuse to eat them. For this I chose King Soba Buckwheat & Quinoa noodles and cooked them off, rinsed them in a lot of cold water and set them to one side.
I wanted this to be something more than a regular stir-fried noodle dish. So I put some of those oranges to good use and created a reduced down citrus sauce to be drizzled over the abundant mountain of noodles and vegetables. Pumpkin was my 'something more' and I pan seared the pieces in a very hot griddle to get those great black marks on each piece and also a little natural toastiness. I left them to slowly cook in the griddle pan over a reduced heat until just tender although you could also just put them on a tray in a medium oven whilst you finish cooking the other ingredients if they're not quite done. I wanted vibrancy in the choice of veggies so I finely julienned some carrots until I had a huge pile of carrot noodles. Seasonal Brussels sprouts were finely sliced and broccoli and its stalks was trimmed and cut into tiny bitesize pieces. Aducki beans were my final choice. 12 ingredients...one for each of the coming months of this new year. Some ingredients that already hold some belief that they bring good luck...plus broccoli...well why not (and I am an addict, eh?) and sprouts because there is never a meal that isn't made perfect with the addition of my beloved little green globes of loveliness, however any other greenage would do.
The results were a meal in a bowl that was light and full of flavour and textures. The comfort from the noodles, the varying crunch from the different veggies and the succulent toasted pieces of pumpkin added with the spicy citrus sauce came together in each mouthful and I swear I could feel the embers of good luck beginning to spark. For me, this is a perfect meal. Now instead of pumpkin, you could use pieces of tofu or tempeh if that is your wish, but as my New Year celebration meal I loved it just the way it was.
As always I send out thanks to Amy and all at SUMA Wholefoods for allowing me to be part of the SUMA Bloggers Network and I hope all the others in the blogger team have enjoyed creating their recipes as much as I have.
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| SUMA: Rocket & Roses New Year Good Luck Noodles |
Rocket & Roses New Year Good Luck Noodles
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen) Serves 4
1/2 pkt King Soba Buckwheat & Quinoa Noodles,
cooked as per pkt instructions, rinsed in cold water
and drained well, set to one side
Sauce:
2" sq piece of fresh ginger, micro-grated
2 tsp finely chopped chilli
3 garlic cloves, micro-grated
juice of 3 large oranges
1 1/2 tbsp tamari
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 small pumpkin, de-seeded and skinned, cut into 1.5"x1" pieces, rough sides cut away to make uniform smooth pieces
4 Imperator carrots (or other long thin carrots), julienned
12 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and finely sliced
1 med head of broccoli, stalk trimmed and cut into matchsticks, florets cut into tiny florets
1 14 oz tin of SUMA aducki beans, rinsed and drained
Heat a griddle skillet over a high heat. When smoking place the pumpkin pieces in the pan and press down with a spatula. When you have the grid marks on one side flip the pieces over to do the same on the other. Then reduce the heat and cook the pieces until just tender. (If you want very tender pieces of pumpkin you could place them on a baking sheet into a med temp oven to finish cooking) Remove from the heat and set to one side.
In a small saucepan add all the sauce ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined. Place over a med-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced down by half. Do not let it burn!
Heat a wok thoroughly and then toss in the broccoli and sprouts and stir fry until the sprout slices begin to take a slight colour. Toss in the carrot noodles and cook enough to heat them through. Throw in the aducki beans and stir fry for a further 2 minutes until the beans have warmed. Add the noodles to the wok and stir to combine.
Place the noodle and veggies onto a serving platter. Place the pumpkin pieces over the top and drizzle the sauce generously over the serving plate. Add the leftover sauce to a jug/bowl and place on the table for extra sauciness if required.
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope luck is on your side this year...
~Red~
NB: This is my creation. I have no problem with you using this recipe or sharing it. I simply ask that you give credit where its due and links back to this posting. Many thanks...~Red~
