SUMA: Rocket & Roses New Year Good Luck Noodles (vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

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.     

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~ 

Rocket & Roses Asparagus & Buckwheat Noodle Bowl (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Melissa Etheridge ~ I Really Like You
Marvin Gaye ~ Hitch Hike
Pearl Jam ~ Alive
K.D Lang ~ Crying
Seasick Steve ~ Started Out With Nothin
Chris Cornell ~ Flutter Girl
Halestorm ~ Here's To Us
Foo Fighter ~ Friend Of A Friend
Beethoven: Piano Trio #4 in B Flat 
Sara Sant'Ambrogio ~ Duet from Lakme
AC/DC ~ T.N.T (Live)
Inaya Day ~ Nasty Girl (Radio Edit)
Van Morrison ~ Brown Eyed Girl
Thunder ~ So Sad Today

Don't you love finding bargain bags of veggies when doing your shopping. I was lucky to find a ginormous bag of beautiful fresh asparagus recently. Beautiful in colour, plump and perfectly tipped...and reduced in price to hardly anything. Well..ok..they were a £ and some small change but worth every penny. Strange to think that a few years ago you wouldn't have seen me in the same room as a stick of the green yumminess that is the humble asparagus. 

I am still not back in my kitchen yet and I am still relying heavily on ML to cook my meals. But in the last couple of weeks I have managed to cook a veggie chilli and a couple of basic soups...with the help of my good pal Ann. But this was my first venture at flying solo again. Making a broth based veggie soup with some quick cooking noodles isn't hard work but it was for me. I enjoyed every bite of it and felt quite the sense of achievement. It has rather clean flavours and a good variety of textures. The noodles bring it all together and makes for one seriously tasty bowl of goodness. And those asparagus were extremely full of flavour. 

Tomorrow I am away to spend the day with Ann and we are tackling a Potato & French Bean Curry and a White Bean Soup. I just hope my energy levels can keep up...otherwise we will be having toast! 

Rocket & Roses Asparagus & Buckwheat Noodle Bowl

Rocket & Roses Asparagus & Buckwheat Noodle Bowl
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Rose Vegan Kitchen) 

1 onion, quartered and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, micro-grated
2" piece of ginger, micro-grated
2 tsp minced red chilli, approx 2 chillies with seeds
1/2 tbsp rapeseed oil/canola oil
1 litre veggie stock
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 small squash, peeled and sliced
12 asparagus spears, stalks separated from tips, stalks cut into 1 1/2" pieces and tips placed to one side for later
3 small yellow bell peppers, trimmed and diced
18 sugar-snap peas, topped and tailed 
large handful of baby spinach leaves
handful of Enoki mushrooms, trimmed and rinsed

4oz 100% buckwheat noodles

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and then gently saute the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli until the onion has softened. Add the ground turmeric and stir well to evenly coat the onion mix. Stir in the veggie stock and then bring the stock to a boil. 

Place the slices of squash into the stock and then layer the stalks of the asparagus on top. Bring the stock back to the boil and reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for 8 minutes. 

Add the bell pepper, sugar-snap peas and asparagus tips to the stock. Stir well but being careful not to break up the squash slices. Cook for 5 minutes more. Add the baby spinach leaves and enoki mushrooms. Simmer for a further 4 minutes. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. 

Cook the buckwheat noodles are per the packet instructions and once cooked drain well. Cool under running cold water and leave to drain until the veggies have finished cooking. Then divide the noodles between serving bowls and top with the veggies and some of the stock. Serve hot...

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is being good to you...

~Red~ 

NB: This is my creation. I have no problem with you using or sharing this recipe. I simply ask that you give credit where its due and links back to this blog posting. Many thanks...~Red~  





 

Waga's Moyashi Soba - adapted (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Chris Cornell ~ Safe & Sound
The Black Keys ~ Sister
Thunder ~ Radio
Vivaldi ~ Violin Concerto in F Minor (Winter)
Shakira ~ Octavio Dia
Carole King ~ So Far Away
Joan Jett ~ Jezebel
Billie Holiday ~ Long Gone Blues
KT Tunstall ~ Saving My Face
Adam Ant ~ Goody Two Shoes
Thunder ~ The Thing I Want
Sheryl Crow ~ Wildflower
Janiva Magness ~ I Don't Want You On My Mind
Sara Sant'Ambrogio ~ Vocalise


Now this little bowl of yumminess isn't much of a looker...I give you that. But what it lacks in colour it sure makes up for in flavours. The original recipe from Wagamama's self titled cookbook calls for even less colour. As I am a fan of eating the rainbow of vegetables I struggle when I look at a dish that is...well...brown. But I took one for the team and was very happy that I did. The comfort that eating a bowl of noodle soup brings is priceless. Buckwheat soba noodles are by far my favourite noodles and so I devoured and slurped my way through them with glee. This is a messy, messy dish but isn't that all part of the fun? 

The stock is savoury and packed out with the flavours of the noodles and garlic/Braggs/sesame oil mix. I made some simple substitutions to make it suitable for my tastes and dietary requirements. I reduced the amount of veggie oil used and also the sesame oil. I swapped out using cane sugar for a scant amount of agave syrup instead. Those who are a regular readers will know that I have issues with mushrooms...so I subbed the slugs mushrooms for mange tout. My final change was using Braggs instead of soy sauce or tamari. 

For the original recipe I suggest you take a look at Waga's The Wagamama Cookbook. There are many great veggie recipes between the covers and easily  converted to vegan and gluten-free lifestyle. 

I love the Wagamamas days...and tonight I have leftovers to enjoy...

Waga's Moyashi Soba - adapted

Waga's Moyashi Soba   Serves 2
(Adapted from The Wagamama Cookbook/Arnold)

180g/6oz dried soba noodles
1 litre/1 3/4 pints low sodium veggie stock
1 tsp veggie oil 
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 large courgettes, cut on the diagonal into 5mm thick slices
2 small leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
15 mangetout, trimmed, cut into thirds
14 sugarsnap peas, trimmed and sliced
125g/4.5 oz marinated tofu pieces, finely diced
1/2 tsp agave syrup
2 tbsp Braggs liquid animos
1/2 tsp sesame oil
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

Cook the noodles as per packet instructions. Drain immediately and refresh under cold running water. Divide between two bowls. Bring veggie stock to a boil and ladle over the noodles. 

Meanwhile, heat a wok over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until completely hot and almost smoking and add the veggie oil. Stir fry the garlic for 5 seconds then add all the veggies and tofu, reserving a few pieces of spring onion for a garnish. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the agave and Braggs then drizzle over the sesame oil. Divide between the bowls and top with the reserved spring onion. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is glowing...

~Red~

NB: This recipe is not my creation and therefore take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the adapted recipe from the folks at Wagamama's. I thank them for sharing such great recipes. ~R~  

Waga's Rice Noodle Salad - adapted. (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Les Paul & Friends American Made & World Played album

Last November during a weekend away in London I had my first...and second..ahem...Wagamamas experience. I was taken with the wide open lay out of the restaurants and the peaceful vibes that you soaked up whilst waiting for your food. The staff were very helpful and great individuals and made the time spent there even more enjoyable. There was even a crazy food intolerance friendly meal for ML! I had plenty of choice and devoured every mouthful of food and every sip of green tea...did you know the green tea is free at Wagamama's..nope, me neither but it was a lovely surprise. The only thing that I wasn't happy about was the fact that they aren't, by any stretch of the imagination, a veggie or vegan restaurant but they are incredibly veggie friendly. I can dream of a vegan Waga's in the future. 

After my trip ML found a used copy of Wagamama's Ways With Noodles cookbook. I know, I'm still a cookbook addict. And in my typical style I sat with it and page marked all the recipes I wanted to make and veganise. Today's recipe being the first attempt. And I was delighted with the results...

The adaptions I made were as follows...I replaced the soy sauce with Braggs and used a brown sugar/stevia blend to cut the sugar suggested and swapped out frozen garden peas for edamame beans, only because I didn't have peas in my freezer that day. I chose to use brown rice vermicelli noodles and I used vegan fish sauce and for that recipe simply click the link on the list of ingredients below. I didn't feel the need to season with more salt and therefore omitted that step and didn't sprinkle with the roasted peanuts..to keep the fats as low as possible. Although I am sure I missed a treat leaving them out..ah well.

The salad had such great textures with the soft noodles and crunchy veggies. The salad dressing was sharp, savoury and citrusy. Like I said before it was a delight to eat and I was smiling the entire time I munched my way through it. 

Waga's Rice Noodle Salad - adapted

Waga's Rice Noodle Salad - adapted       Serves 2
(Recipe adapted from Wagamama Ways With Noodles)

50g rice noodles (I used vermicelli)
25g frozen edamame beans
2 spring onions, finely sliced
6 radishes, finely sliced
5 cm cucumber, seeded and cut into quarter moons
small handful of beansprouts
1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
small handful mangetout, finely sliced
2 tsp vegan fish sauce 
1 tsp soft brown sugar (I used a brown sugar/stevia blend)
1 tsp Braggs liquid animos
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper to season (I omitted)
roasted chopped peanuts (I omitted)

Cook the noodles as per the package instructions, drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain well.

Cook the edamame beans as per the package instructions, drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain well. When cold toss them into a large salad bowl along with the other prepared vegetables and noodles. 

Combine the vegan fish sauce, sugar and Braggs together in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime zest and juice, ginger and garlic and the sesame oil. Stir well to combine. Pour over the noodle salad and toss well. Season with salt and pepper (Reds notes: I omitted this as I felt it was seasoned enough for my personal tastes folks) Spoon the salad into bowls and sprinkle over the coriander leaves and the roasted peanuts. Serve..

Enjoy! 

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my recipe. It is the adapted recipe from Wagamama's Ways With Noodles cookbook. I take no credit for its creation whatsoever. It is the hard work and creation of the folks at Wagamama's and theirs alone. I do thank them for a great cookbook. ~R~

 


  

Rocket & Roses Black Noodle Stir Fry with Cashew Drizzle (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Transvision Vamp ~ Baby I Don't Care
Bob Marley ~ Trenchtown Rock 
Dave Matthews Band ~ Recently
Sandi Thom ~ I'm A Human Being
Xtina ~ Underappreciated
The Pretty Reckless ~ Heaven Knows
The Rolling Stones ~ The Last Time
Toyah ~ Now I'm Running
QOTSA ~ God Is On The Radio
Norah Jones ~ What Am I To You?
Them Crooked Vultures ~ Spinning In Daffodils
Bruce Springsteen ~ Rosalita 
Foo Fighters ~ Monkey Wrench
Republica ~ Drop Dead Gorgeous

This strikingly beautiful bowl of goodness was the runner up recipe for my Suma post. I selected the King Soba Black Noodles as part of my shopping basket. Funny things as I admit I chose them for the novelty of having black noodles but when cooked they turn purple! Good to know for future reference. lol. Apparently the black rice used to make them, goes purple so therefore so does the noodle. And to be honest I kinda liked the fact I had a bowl of purple noodles just as much as if they had been black. Small things...I know! lol. I am becoming a huge fan of King Soba's gluten-free noodles as I use their buckwheat noodles practically every day but it will nice to have an alternative. 

For the stir fry I wanted to keep the veggies simple and to cook them off quickly. I wanted a creamy sauce to go with them instead of the usual oil/soy dressing. Of course my thoughts drifted straight to the humble cashew nut and with the help of a minimal soaking and my trusty mini blender I soon had a fully flavoured creamy drizzle for the veggies and noodles.

The noodles are similar to the buckwheat variety in as much as they are substantial enough to feel satisfied after eating them but they don't sit heavy in your tum. They held together well and mixed well with the veggies which were perfectly tender/crisp. The cashew drizzle distributed evenly through the mix and held on to the noodles perfectly. The many textures and differing layers of flavour made this dish so good. I hope you give it a try...many thanks to Suma for providing the noodles.

Rocket & Roses Black Noodle Stir Fry with Cashew Drizzle

Rocket & Roses Black Noodle Stir Fry with Cashew Drizzle    Serves 2
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)

1 batch of King Soba Black Noodles (V & GF), cooked to packet instructions, cooled
1 cup of mooli/diakon, peeled and then fine juliennes to creat noodles

1 tsp sunflower oil
1 cup of carrot noodles 
5 purple spring onions, trimmed and left whole
1 head of baby pak choy, trimmed and rinsed well
4 baby sweetcorn, rinsed and sliced in half
1 small courgette, trimmed and cut into half moons
8 sugar snap peas, trimmed and left whole
1 hot red chilli, sliced seeds left in
1" piece of fresh ginger, micro grated
handful of coriander leaves, chopped

Cashew Drizzle:

1/2 cup cashews pieces
juice of half a large lime or 1 small
1 thick slice of jalapeno red chilli (jarred variety not fresh)
1/2 tbsp Braggs or soy sauce/tamari
2 tbsp filtered water
2 tsp sesame oil 

Soak the cashews in enough water to cover them. Leave to one side for at least 30 minutes. Rinse your cooked noodles under fresh cold water to make sure they don't stick together. Add the mooli noodles (raw) into the bowl with the black noodles and toss them together to evenly distribute.

Heat the sunflower oil in a wok and then stir fry the veggies until cooked to your preference. Approx 5 minutes. 

Drain the soaked cashews and add then to a blender and blitz down to a paste. Add the lime juice, chilli, Braggs, water and sesame oil. You will have a thin drizzle...pour into small jug and set to one side. 

When the veggies are cooked turn off the heat but toss the noodles into the mix. When all the ingredients are evenly mixed and the noodles are warmed through serve with a drizzle of the sauce over the top. Using as little or as much as you want of the drizzle. 

Enjoy! 

Holiday Post Card of The Day...

ML & I escaped for a couple of hours and took the scenic route to Windermere...as always it was breathtaking

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Thursday has been a great one...

~Red~

NB: This is my creation and I have no problem with you using the recipe or sharing it as long as you give credit where it's due as I always try too..Many thanks. Namaste ~R~








 





  

D.K's Stir Fried Noodles with Broccoli (vegan & gluten free)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

No Sinners ~ Boo Hoo Hoo Album 

Big news folks...R & R HQ is now officially on the market. I am one step closer to escaping Helltown. Woo! And on other news one of my all time favour rock bands, Thunder, are going back into the studio to record a new album...Woo-woo! Oh isn't that a cocktail? lol It is also one of my favourite people in the worlds birthday so Happy Birthday Ann and much love from all at R & R HQ...I hope your day is as splendid as you are. 

Broccoli and noodles...two of my favourite foods and what a happy woman I was when I originally found this recipe. I found it between the covers of Donna Klein's The Chinese Vegan Kitchen...I bought the book last year and took it away with me when we went to stay in Cornwall on holiday. There were many recipes I couldn't try because I couldn't find or source a bottle of veggie oyster sauce. And now I have..I am nestled back between those cookbook covers and making up for lost time. 

I had to make a couple of changes with the ingredients but the recipe below is Klein's recipe as she meant it to be made. My changes were using buckwheat noodles in place of the udon noodles...omitting rice wine vinegar and rice wine and using apple cyder vinegar in a smaller amount. I also used Braggs instead of soy sauce. These simple changes were simply a matter of my own personal needs...gluten-free and vinegar-free. Oddly I can have apple cyder vinegar...who knew..lol.  

It gave me the opportunity to break out my newly delivered belated birthday present. A transportable little set of cutlery. A stainless steel set of screw together chop sticks, fork and spoon. And the surprise was that the handle of the spoon and fork have a smiley little face...lol. I know little things...lol There is a photo after the recipe...I know you want to see them.

The noodles and broccoli were perfectly cooked and the sauce had a great savoury flavour and the chilli flakes gave it a perfect heat. I will be making this...many times...yum..

Stir Fried Noodles with Broccoli

Stir Fried Noodles with Broccoli    Serves 4
(Recipe from The Chinese Vegan Kitchen/Klein) 

12 oz Udon or Buckwheat noodles 
8 oz fresh broccoli florets, cut into bitesize pieces
2 tbsp peanut oil (I used 1/2 tbsp)
4 scallions, white and green parts, separated, thinly sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red chilli flakes, or to taste 
2 tbsp veggie oyster sauce or mushroom soy sauce
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, dry sherry, sake or dry white wine
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

In a large stockpot, cook the noodles and noodles in boiling salted water according to the package instructions until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain well in a colander. 

In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat the peanut-oil over medium-high heat. Add the white parts of the scallions, garlic, and red chilli pepper flakes, cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar, sesame oil, salt and black pepper. Cook, tossing and stirring often, until heated through and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the scallion greens and toss well to combine. Serve at once. 

Enjoy! 

Smilely Happy Birthday cutlery...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that your week has started well...and there has been plenty of laughter.

~Red~

NB: This recipe is not mine and therefore I take no credit for them whatsoever. It is the hard work and creation of Donna Klein and hers alone. But thank you for a great cookbook ~R~

Rocket & Roses Sesame Soba Noodle Bowl

Rocket & Roses Play List:

Stevie Nicks & Dave Grohl ~ You Can't Fix This
Don Henley ~ All She Wants To Do Is Dance
The Thompson Twins ~ You Take Me Up
Anna Nalick ~ Breathe (Acoustic)
Foo Fighters ~ Gimme Stitches 
Half Moon Run ~ Need It 
Dead Sara ~ Weatherman 
Eddie Vedder ~ Waving Palms 
Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow ~ Picture 
Gin Wigmore ~ Devil In Me
Foo Fighters ~ Drive Me Wild 
The Pretty Reckless ~ Light Me Up
Gretchen Wilson ~ Her Strut
Garbage ~ I'm Only Happy When It Rains
 

Sometimes I forget about lunch...I know, I know..I shouldn't but I get immersed in work and/or getting through the day and it slips my mind. Even more shocking on the days where I am actually in the kitchen recipe testing and reviewing foods/books. My own lunch seems to slip me by but today I was all ready..lol. My Mum was here for her usual Wednesday afternoon visit and as she sat in the kitchen with me, she told me about all the events of her weekly art class and updated me on her own personal pieces she's working on. I love to hear her talk about her art and I was busy putting the finishing touches to two recipes I had been working on and once that was all finished and put away, I got busy making this delicious noodle bowl. 

I love this type of meal...an awaiting bowl, a single serving of soba/buckwheat noodles and a heap of veggies waiting to be prepped. I am in my happy place here. Although at the moment I am abstaining from fermented products so using my usual soy/tamari, rice vinegar and miso was out. Damn! Yes, I know right? So I had to go back to the flavour square one as it were. I started the dish by grating ginger and garlic together and then prepped the veggies listed below. I boiled 2 cups of water and then added that to the pan of veggies and then added noodles and allowed it simmer. Now for me I would happily eat this without the need for a sauce or dressing and this thought finally filtered through to my conscious. Why mess with it? lol. Giving the  veggies and noodles a brief cooking time I mixed them in the pan and drizzled 1 tsp toasted sesame oil on them and distributed it. At this point my Mum was sat there watching me and making statements of..."Oooh that looks good...and it smells smashing.." lol. So I figured I was on the right track. lol. I don't usually blog these thrown together recipes but today's is posted at my Mum's request. And apparently she likes to watch me work..lol. Did I mention she's a character?

You know what? It was good...and I didn't miss the miso, soy or vinegar. The noodles were just perfect for me, the veggies were tender crisp and the natural flavours shone through with each bite and the very small hint of sesame rounded the dish out very pleasingly. I ate this for my lunch and enjoyed every bite. And a meal made in minutes...bonus. Why do people bother with packaged noodle dishes?

Rocket & Roses Sesame Soba Noodle Bowl

Rocket & Roses Sesame Soba Noodle Bowl    Serves 1
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)

1 individual serving of Soba/Buckwheat noodles 

1 1/2" piece of fresh ginger, micro grated 
1 garlic clove, micro grated
4 spring/green onions, trimmed and sliced
4 radishes, trimmed and sliced
6 baby sweetcorn, cut in half
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 Chinese leaves (Napa), rinsed and sliced 
6 mangetout, trimmed and halved
6 sugarsnap peas, trimmed and halved 

1 tsp toasted sesame oil 

approx 2 cups of boiling water

Place the prepped veggies in a saucepan and add the boiling water so they are covered by about 1 cm. Bring them to the boil and cover, cook for 4 minutes. Add in the noodles and once they have mooched down into the broth, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the lid and stir gently to distribute the veggies amongst the noodles. Finish the dish by drizzling the sesame oil over the mix and then give it one final gentle stir. And serve...

Enjoy! I did...lol 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Wednesday has been as satisfying as mine has...

~Red~ 

 

 
 

Food Product Review: King Soba Edamame Miso Ramen Noodles (adapted)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Portishead ~ Pedestal 
Fairground Attraction ~ Clare
Martina McBride ~ This One's For The Girls
Within Temptation ~ The Howling 
Foo Fighters ~ Low 
Pearl Jam ~ Getaway 
Little Big Town ~ Somewhere Far Away 
Tracy Chapman ~ Fast Car
Extreme ~ More Than Words
Stereophonics ~ Revolution
The Kinky Boys ~ Sexy Boy
Shakira ~ Underneath Your Clothes 
Buble ~ Hold On 
Beth Rowley ~ So Sublime 

Way back in 2012 I went on holiday to Wales and whilst there visited Aberystwuth and feel under the enchantment of the veggie cafe The Treehouse. They also had a fantastic health food shop on the bottom floor and I picked up quite a few items I can't buy where I live. One of those items was a packet of King Soba Edamame Miso Ramen Noodles. They are vegan and Gluten and Wheat Free. However, they were selected as an emergency meal item and so came back home with me and went into the stocks. 

One day when I committed myself to a full day catching up on paperwork and work...i.e strapping myself to the dining table (makeshift desk until the move! Urgh!) and working at the laptop until all caught up...no exceptions...well except for refreshment breaks. lol. I'm not that hard on myself. It was suddenly 3pm and when the keyboard started to look fuzzy I decided it was probably time to eat. 

I got to my kitchen and stood there with a blank expression and had to shake myself to the present and think about what I could eat. I didn't have the time to really cook and I also knew if I started that, I wouldn't leave the kitchen again..lol. I had some baby sweetcorn, spring onions, a half courgette and some radishes in the fridge and thought how good a steaming hot bowl of soup would be. I went to one of my stocks cupboards to look for dry ingredients to go with the veggies when the green packet of these noodles caught my eye. OK so I laughed at first because I felt sure they wouldn't still be in date. I climbed up to the shelf and retrieved them. And who knew...they still had another 2 months left on them. (I wasn't sure how I felt about that fact but anyway...lol) So it was decided...today was the emergency meal day. 

Even back in the day before I ate consciously I never understood nor felt the need for the instant noodles craze and remember recoiling in horror when invited to dinner and got offered a Pot Noodle. Yuck! No, thank you. And then recently I read an article on the nasties that they coat the cheap instant noodles with and that pretty much left me breathing a sigh of relief that I never consumed them. 

Now King Soba are quite clear on their ingredients and although I still felt a little weird cutting open a packet of 'flavouring' and adding it to the cooking broth and noodles, I still felt ok with their product. One of those instinct moments. However I did adapt it slightly by adding 1 chopped radish, 1 chopped spring onion, 1/2 chopped courgette, 4 chopped green beans at the initial boiling water and add noodles stage. I needed something fresh in my bowl of noodles. And the 4 minutes total cooking time left my veggies beautifully tender-crisp. So what was the taste like....

King Soba Edamame Miso Ramen Noodles with R&R additions

...well..the only miso soup I eat is my homemade kind. However it did take me a couple of mouthfuls of broth to decide that I actually liked it. Intensely savoury which for me is great and not salty which I hear some kind of processed miso dishes can be. I enjoy King Soba noodles and eat them regularly but as an, and i hate to use the term, instant noodle I found mine to be just too soft. Still enjoyable and I went with the whole slurping experience..lol. Maybe next time only cook for 3 minutes? I liked this bowl of soup. I wouldn't eat them as regularly as my own freshly made noodle soups but I would happily buy them for such moments as I found myself in that day. I will look out for them at our local health food store and try the other flavours. For a packet meal...not too shabby! lol 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Saturday has been splendid...

~Red~ 

D.K's MIxed Vegetable Lo Mein

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Chely Wright ~ C'est La Vie (You Never Can Tell)
Thunder ~ Fired Up Live Monsters of Rock
Seal ~ I've Been Loving Too Long
Alanis Morrisette ~ All I Really Want
Beth Hart ~ Crashing Down
James Morrison ~ Wonderful World 
Maroon 5 ~ Goodnight Goodnight
Patti Smith ~ Ain't It Strange
Bob Marley ~ Roots, Rock, Reggae
Shelby Lynne ~ Gotta Get Back 
Halestorm ~ In Your Room
Fleetwood Mac ~ GypsyBuck
Buckcherry ~ I Want You 
Maroon 5 ~ Kiwi

Blimey what a weekend of highs and lows. I hope yours was more peaceful...my poor sister's house was flooded on Thursday night and sadly they lost everything in the downstairs rooms. So it's been rough for her and her family...and rough for us to watch...feeling powerless to help her. My part in helping her, was providing her with comforting foods and safe haven on our usual Saturday family day...and hugs...virtual...physical and every hug possible...and often. My lovely friends rallied with offers of help to clear the mud and water from the house and with the lend of Dehumidifiers and the gifts of rugs and carpets to lay down temporarily until its all dried out. It's been rough...but I think my sister has been humbled by the offers of help from family and friends. She's far from being out of trouble but shes at least at the start and she is a true fighter...

The highs came in the time spent with good friends on Friday...an impromptu coming together to eat food I'd cooked and thankfully they enjoyed it and the time spent together was lovely. Saturday was the ability to care for my sister and her little ones...just spending time and comforting them...and for ML time spent building Lego..lol. Then yesterday was Dev's birthday celebrations...and we joined her and the rest of the gang for an evening of fine dining at a new restaurant that had recently opened. Dev looked resplendent in her new dress and didn't look anywhere near her actual age...I will not say so don't ask! The restaurant was beautifully decorated and you felt you were sitting in pure luxury. And they tried to cater for Dev and I...I would be a liar if I said that I left with an empty stomach but for me it wasn't about the food...it was about the experience and opportunity to do something different. It was Dev's birthday wish and I was happy to join in...as we all were. It was fantastic evening and a touching speech by Bev rounded it off nicely. So thank you guys...

Today's recipe comes from Donna Klein's A Chinese Vegan Kitchen cookbook. Since taking it on holiday to Cornwall last month I have been obsessed with it. I was craving a really comforting bowl of noodles. I wanted good flavours and textures and in this dish I found both. I adapted it slightly because of the ingredients I had in and also I used chilli paste instead of chilli oil as I want to reduce my oil consumption again. I also used GF buckwheat noodles. The results were most definitely comfort food with a healthy kick of heat from the ginger and chilli paste. 

Mixed Vegetable Lo Mein

Mixed Vegetable Lo Mein  Serves 4
(Recipe from A Chinese Vegan Kitchen/Klein)

1 tbsp peanut oil (I used canola oil)
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 large cloves garlic, grated
4 oz fresh shiitake, cremini, or white mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used Closed Cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups coarsely shredded bok choy (I used Chinese Leave/Napa)
4 oz snow peas/mangetout, trimmed
1/2 cup of low sodium veggie stock
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp plain rice vinegar
1 - 2 tsp Chinese Hot Oil (I used 1 tsp chilli paste)
1 tbsp dark toasted sesame oil
8 oz lo mein noodles or other thin chinese noodles, cooked to al dente, drained 
1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce (I didn't feel the need for this addition)
1/4 cup of peanuts or cashews, toasted (optional) 

In a wok or large skillet heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, bell pepper,  and bok choy, cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add snow peas, stock, soy sauce and vinegar and hot oil and cook, stirring often until vegetables are crisp tender, approx 4 minutes. Add sesame oil and stir quickly to combine. Add noodles, cook, stirring constantly until heated through. Remove from the heat and add the dark soy sauce, tossing well to thoroughly coat all the noodles (they will darken) Serve at once, sprinkled with the nuts, if using. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Monday has been good to you....

~Red~ 

NB: As always many thanks to Donna Klein for being an inspiration and creating amazing recipes....Respect.