Korean Noodle Salad (Salad Guksu)

recipe by Lee MinJung. Photo by me.

• Soba noodles 2 bundles
• Cabbage or lettuce 5 leaves cut into 5cm lengths
• Cucumber 1 medium cut into 5cm lengths
• Carrot 1/2 cut into 5cm lengths
• Cherry tomatoes 10, each cut in half
• Tempeh marinated 

SAUCE

3 Tablespoons light soy sauce

3 Tablespoons vinegar

3 Tablespoons  lemon juice

3 Tablespoons sugar or other sweetener

1/2 Tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce

1 Tablespoon crushed garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi

1 Tablespoon chilli powder

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

Combine ingredients for sauce. Blend well and refrigerate.

Blanch noodles in boiling water, then rinse under cold running water. Drain well.

Mix noodles with sauce and half the veggies and tempeh. Use hands to ensure thorough mix.

Garnish with remaining veggies and tempeh, serve.

Du Bu Jo Rim - Fried tofu in lightly spicy Korean sauce

recipe by Lee MinJung. Photo and drawing by me.

Devilled Sausages ~ vegan

 6-8 vegan sausages
2 Tbsp neutral oil
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 cups veg stock
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp fruity chutney or pickle
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp tamarind sauce
1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
Pinch ground cloves
¼ tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
2 tsp thyme leaves
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Cook in a heavy-based frypan over medium heat or in an oven preheated to 200˚C fanbake until browned all over.

While sausages are cooking, heat oil in a large pot, add onions to the pan and cook over medium-low heat until onions are very soft and starting to brown (12 minutes).

Stir in all remaining ingredients except sausages and simmer gently over low heat for 15 minutes. Add browned sausages and simmer another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve hot.

TIP
You can also make this meal in a slow cooker.

Bibimbap again (vegan)

It is one of my favourite meals. Traditionally it has meat and/or egg too but just like Koreans make it seasonal, I adjust protein and veggies to suit what's available (can include mushrooms, spinach, beansprouts etc, often sauuteed or steamed then drizzled with a little seasame oil). Always have some greens and the hot sauce : 

Gochujang hot sauce for bibimbap

4 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red hot pepper paste)
2 tablespoons sesame oil.
2 tablespoons brown sugar/alternative (or nashi pear, pureed).
1 tablespoon soy sauce.
1 tablespoon water.
2 teaspoons rice vinegar.
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Mousse au chocolat liégeoises (vegan)

For 4 adults  (filling!)

Recipe and impressive photo from Bible Vegan by Marie Laforet. Less impressive photo my first effort!
170g dark chocolate
1 Tablespoon of coconut oil
50g icing sugar / caster sugar
400g silken tofu
Chantilly of coconut cream*

Melt chocolate in a bain marie (in a metal bowl above pot of simmering water). Remove from heat,  mix with the coconut oil and sugar, then with well -chilled tofu. Mix with a hand mixer to incorporate air -she says a good 5 minutes, I tried to but thought the consistency was good before that and over mixed,  will try less next time. Divide between 4 glasses and refrigerate for 4 hours. Cover with the coconut chantilly cream just before serving.

*Coconut Chantilly cream
Chill a 400g tin of coconut CREAM overnight if possible or in the freezer for a while (not too long or it could explode) then in the fridge. Also chill a mixing bowl and beater whisks. The thick cream floats to the top of tin and hardens. Scrape this into chilled bowl and whip with beater.

Pasta and Borlotti Bean Soup

This recipe from one of my favourite vegetarian cookbooks 'Verdura' - Vegetables Italian Style. As I am sick today and lazy, am just taking a photo of my cookbook. As I am sick today and lazy, this was a perfect time nourishing bowl of yum. And my sick kids liked it too, at least the one with an appetite.  So here it is, pop ingredients in the slow cooker like I did  ('prep and forget' meal for making a hard day easier) if you like, cheat and use packet pasta if it's all you have, it still works!

Broccoli and Cheese Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins. Recipe can be doubled to have extra for freezing.


Searching for a veggie muffin recipe to get my toddler to eat some 'hidden greens', I picked up a rarely used cookbook '750 Best Muffin Recipes' by Camilla V. Saulsbury and quickly found her 'fresh broccoli and parmesan muffins' recipe. And I had almost all the ingredients. I added green peppers (as didn't have quite enough broccoli left) and pinenuts and substituted leek for her green onions (scallions) and honey for her sugar. Like she wrote though, it's a versatile recipe that suits a variety of cheeses, and, I think, a few extra veggies too! I used Comte cheese and it worked well. She said she made them successfully with Cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere, Blue cheese, goat cheese and manchego.
The verdict? Family, toddler included, gobbled them up happily!

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped broccoli
1 leek (1/2 - 3/4 cup), washed and chopped finely
50g pinenuts (optional)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour (or use all normal flour)
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp honey
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup (divided) coarsely grated strong cheese

Method

1. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin and dust with flour. Preheat oven to 200˚C (400˚F).
2. In a frying pan or similar, sauté leek in a little olive oil till becoming tender. Add broccoli (and any other veg you're using) and stir fry a couple of minutes till tender, adding a dash of water if needed to stop it browning. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, oats, baking powder and salt.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, eggs, milk, oil and mustard until well blended. Stir in the vegetables, pinenuts and half a cup of the cheese.
5. Add the egg/vegetable mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
6. Divide mixture evenly into muffin tins. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes or more until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in muffin tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes then transfer onto the rack. Serve warm or let cool. Once cooled can be frozen and later rewarmed in oven or left to defrost at room temperature.