Spicy Peanut Sauce In Soba Noodles and Fried Tofu (Vegan)

Hey everyone! I know I have not posted in a while but its been a hectic couple months. I just finished high school, went to europe, and moved downtown. Adjusting to my new life there and new (smaller) kitchen has made cooking hard for me. I'm finally starting to experiment with recipes again, and with the St. Lawerence Market down the street from me I can make the freshest and localist food possible. Its been a blessing and I hope to use it to my full advantage while I'm here.
This recipe I made is one of my first with tofu. I surprisingly loved the texture and how it absorbed the flavors while marinated. The spicy peanut sauce added a strong kick to a common peanut sauce. This is  a must try and an extremely tasting vegan dish!

Ingredients:
For the tofu marinade:

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, chopped into bite-sized cubes

For the spicy soba noodles:

1 carrot, peeled and grated in strips
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups soba noodles (about 10 ounces uncooked buckwheat noodles), cooked according to package directions

For garnish/to taste:

Cilantro and chopped peanuts 

For the tofu marinade: In a sealable container, mix together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, stirring to combine.
Add the tofu, tossing gently to thoroughly coat. Seal the container tightly and chill for at least two hours, stirring or shaking the container every so often to coat the tofu well.

For the spicy soba noodles: Combine water, peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, honey, pepper, and garlic; stir with a whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Place the tofu, in batches, on the heated grill and cook until the tofu is lightly crisped on each side, about 10 minutes or so. 

While frying the tofu made the soba noodles according to package instructions.

\n a large bowl, mix together the carrot, prepared peanut sauce, tofu, and noodles, tossing to coat the noodles thoroughly.
 Add in your desired amount of peanuts and cilantro, according to taste. Enjoy.

Chicken Curry Noodle Soup

This soup is perfect for a could snowy day like today. It's creamy with a kick of spice. Cilantro has become one of my favourite herbs to use on dishes so I highly recommend it as a garnish. It adds a freshness to the soup that you wouldn't normally achieve. 

Ingredients: 

1 pound fresh thin or regular Chinese egg noodles
Peanut or corn oil for deep-frying
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans coconut milk, unshaken
2 - 3 tablespoons red curry paste, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 pound chopped chicken meat
4 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar or brown sugar
1/4 cup shredded green cabbage
Juice of 1 lemon

green onions

cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken. Rub a tablespoon of curry paste onto chicken. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes. Shred and set aside.

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Set aside.

Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a small saucepan and heat until ready for frying. Meanwhile, pat dry 1 cup of the cooked noodles with paper towels. When the oil is hot, add the noodles. tongs, stir gently to separate the strands and lightly fry, about 30 seconds. Lift out the noodles and place on paper towels to drain. Remove the pan from the heat. Set noodles aside.

Measure out 2 tablespoons of the oil used to fry the noodles and place in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until browned, about 1 minute. 

Do not shake the cans of coconut milk before opening. There should be a thick layer of cream on top of each. Spoon off 1/2 cup of the thick cream from the top of each can and add it to the garlic. 

Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the cream boils gently. Add the red curry paste, curry powder and turmeric and stir until smooth. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture is thick and the oil begins to separate around the edges and rises to the surface, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken. Cook until the chicken becomes white, about 2 minutes. Raise the heat to high. Add the remaining coconut milk, the chicken stock, fish sauce, palm or brown sugar and cabbage and stir well. When the mixture begins to boil, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil and continue cooking for 8 minutes longer.

Add the lemon juice and noodle and serve with green onions and cilantro.

Creamy Chicken Curry Sauce with Rice Noodles (Khao Soi)

I'm currently obsessed with curry now. I came across this creamy chicken curry sauce and just had to try it. It was so simple and fast to make yet so packed with flavor. The rice noodles are a nice change from just rice.

Ingredients: 
2 tbs vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 shallot, chopped
3 tbs Thai red curry paste
2 tbs curry powder

2 green onions, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 8 oz), cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
8 ounces rice noodles
Cilantro
Roasted chopped peanuts

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped shallot and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the curry paste, curry powder, and green onions and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, chicken thighs, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir everything together, scraping up any curry paste that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions, timing it so that the noodles will be cooked when the curry is done simmering.

Drain and divide between two bowls. Top with curry, cilantro and peanuts.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pho

mmm best chicken noodle soup I've ever had.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs minced fresh ginger
1 tbs sesame oil
1/4th tsp salt
8 cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
3 green onions, sliced
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar
3 baby bok choy, chopped
1 1/2 cups Chinese noodles (pho noodles)
chopped cilantro for serving (optional)

Heat the sesame oil over medium high heat in a large stock pot. Add the minced garlic and ginger and stir for about 30 seconds. 

Add the chicken and bok choy, add salt and saute for another 3 minutes until chicken has turned white but not completely cooked.

Add the chicken broth, jalapeno and green onions to the pot and bring to a simmer. 

Cook for 15 minutes until chicken is done.

Meanwhile cook the noodles in boiling salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir. Add more salt if desired. Add the noodles to the pot.

Serve with chopped cilantro.

Skinny Pad Thai

I am in love with pad thai and pretty much all asian food. Pad thai can be a pretty heavy meal and one you only enjoy on occasion. This recipe is only a little over 300 calories per serving and is as delicious as the real thing!

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups wide and flat rice noodles

2 tbs brown sugar

3 tbs lime juice

3 tbs soy sauce

1/8 tsp sriracha (optional)

1 tbs vegetable oil

3 green onions (white and green part cut and separated) 

1 garlic clove, minced

2 eggs beaten 

1/2 cup cilantro

1/4 cup chopped peanuts (or more)

Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain.

In a small bowl whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce and siriracha.

In a pan heat oil over medium heat. Add white part of green onions, garlic and cook for about 30 seconds stirring constantly. Add eggs and cook scrapping with a spatula. Once cooked set aside.

In a wok or large pan add noodles, green part of green onions and sauce. Cook for about a minute until sauce has covered all the noodles. Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking up eggs gently. 

Serve noodles topped with cilantro and peanuts. 

Yay!