RED HOT MISO NOODLE BOWL

Lately, I've been completely loving steamed vegetables with chili paste as my sole seasoning. Usually I'll add some sort of noodle and tofu to really make it hearty. I wanted to do something a little different and decided to add a spicy miso broth to the mix. Well, the result was super! I love a good miso broth and a spicy one is even better for me, but of course the spice can be an option for you. I know not everyone is as fond of spicy as I am but if you love some added heat you'll find this miso noodle bowl to be right up your alley. It's fairly quick to pull together and should be ready for your dinner table, couch or wherever you eat within 30 minutes. It's a versatile recipe allowing you to use items you may have on hand or can find fairly easily. The miso and chili paste may be the only ingredient that some, in certain parts, may have trouble with. Alas, there is the internet to fill that gap. You'll be able to use these items in more recipes than just here, so I encourage you to source them and start enjoying their flavors and benefits.

I used mung bean threads here, aka glass or cellophane noodles. They come in these cute little nest bundles. This is my first time experimenting with mung bean noodles. I love the thinness and light texture they have once softened. They're easy to prepare, needing only to be soaked in warm water for about 15 - 20 minutes. I started these after prepping my vegetables and they were ready when everything was done.  Feel free to use any noodle you prefer or is available to you. Soba, rice, ramen and udon noodles would all be great here. If you're gluten intolerant, stick with the bean thread, 100% soba and rice noodles. You can find out about more gluten free noodles in this article from The Kitchn: 11 Gluten Free Asian Noodles. Most of these noodles can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store, and all can be found in your local Asian grocery store or purchased online. 

I used a red miso, but you can use your favorite miso. Even a combination of two different miso's would be great...ie, red and white miso. The red miso is a bit more robust in flavor and slightly saltier than the mellow white miso I generally use. I enjoyed the stronger flavor here, especially with the addition of the chili paste which is pronounced as well. The miso soup is fantanstic on it's own, maybe adding some cubed tofu, sliced scallions and wakame for simplicity. I usually use Miso Master but found this brand at the Asian store while buying the bean threads and thought I'd give it a try. I was pleased all around. Find out more about the different types of Miso in this article from Bon Appetit: Know your Miso

For the heat in this recipe I've used this chili paste from Huy Fong. It's on my favorites list right now. You can also sub in sriracha if you prefer. If you're not a fan of too much spice, start with a smaller amount than listed and work your way up at serving time. You can also use 1 - 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes in place of the chili paste.

Your vegetable choices can be anything you like. I happen to have all of this on hand and threw in a little of everything. My favorite was the sugar snap peas. They gave a perfect sweet contrast to the spicy! I would highly recommend adding those in if you have them available. Play around with different vegetables using asparagus, baby corn, wild mushrooms, bell peppers, bamboo shoots, etc...any combination that suits your taste.

RED HOT MISO NOODLE BOWL

Ingredients (serves 2)

• bean thread noodles, 2 nests or 4 oz. (or noodles of choice)
• 1 - 2 bok choy
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
• 6 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• handful sugar snap peas
• 4 oz. cubed organic firm tofu
• 4 cups water, vegan dashi or vegetable broth
• 3 - 4  tablespoons miso
• 1 tablespoon chili paste or sriracha
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger, optional
• 1 - 2 scallions, sliced thin, to garnish
• small bunch cilantro, to garnish
• toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Prepare your vegetables, set aside.

If using bean threads. In small saucepan, heat enough water to cover bean threads, remove from heat, let sit 15 - 20 minutes, or until nicely softened. In hind site: You could heat water, place one nest of bean threads in your serving bowl, pour enough water to almost cover the bean threads and let set for 15 - 20 minutes. Gently tilt to drain dish of the water before adding vegetables and broth. If using other noodles, cook according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Next, steam your vegetables and tofu. I used a bamboo steamer here along with the wok but you can use any pot you like. Fill wok/pot 1/3 of the way with water. Heat water over high heat, place bamboo steamer over top, add steamer lid and steam until al dente, about 4 - 5 minutes. Remove steamer, keep lid on and set aside. Empty wok/pot of water.

In same wok/pot, place 4 cups water and heat over high heat until nicely warmed (do not boil). Turn heat to low, add miso, chili paste and ginger, mix well dissolving any clumps of miso. Remove from heat.

In each serving dish, place one nest of noodles, half of the vegetables & tofu and fill with spicy miso broth. Top with cilantro sprigs, scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Add more chili paste or sriracha to taste.

Notes:

Use a vegan dashi or light vegetable broth in place of water for more flavor. Or use part water and part dashi/vegetable broth.

Use your favorite miso paste.

Change up the vegetables. Try using asparagus, baby corn, spinach, bell peppers, bamboo shoots, wild mushrooms, etc...mixing and matching to suit your taste.

Change up the noodles using ramen, soba, rice or udon. For gluten free, use 100% soba, rice or bean thread noodles.

Use 1 - 2 teaspoons or red pepper flakes in place of chili paste if needed.

Enjoy!

Spicy Lentil & Quinoa Wraps with Spicy Tahini Sauce

You may be familiar with the Spicy Lentil Wraps from Trader Joe's. They are one of four vegan wraps available at the moment, the other's being a Veggie Wrap, Falafel Wrap and Eggplant Wrap. I love all of these wraps with the Spicy Lentil Wrap and Falafel Wrap being my favorites. Out of them all the Spicy Lentil Wrap has the highest protein amount with 14 grams and is the one I usually grab for. Lentils are an excellent addition to your diet. Not only are they a great source of protein but also fiber, vitamin B and a few essential trace minerals your body needs to function well, all of this with very low fat. If you have a local Trader Joe's near you, check out the lentil wrap and the other wraps too. Also, take a look at this list of vegan products they have to offer. Items do change from time to time but this is a great list to get you started. A few other favorite grab-n-go items I love at Trader Joe's are the Lentil Soup with Ancient Grains, Black Bean and Corn Enchilada's, Tofu Spring Rolls and a few various salads.

I've wanted to do my own version of their Spicy Lentil Wrap and finally got around to it. I started with the ingredient list using lentils and bulgur wheat but really wanted to create a recipe that was gluten free. I was going to try an all lentil mix but once I shared my testing on Instagram, someone suggested that I use quinoa. Brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that? ;) After trying a few batches with and without the quinoa, the quinoa was a keeper as it had the preferred texture. The mix is super versatile, easy to put together and can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen if needed. I'm very happy to say that even my 'picky eater' daughter loved this. I actually made her a wrap using flour tortillas with no greens, only avocado, which she ate with no complaints. That is something of a miracle around here as we tend to be very different eaters!

As for the tahini sauce and chili paste, the sauce is pretty straight forward and is meant to be on the thin side. It can be used as a drizzle for each bite. It can also double as a salad dressing, or drizzled on steamed or roasted vegetables! The Trader Joe's chili paste uses a recipe that is made up of red pepper flakes that I just didn't get around to recreating, maybe I'll come back to it later, but rather decided to use ready made chili paste that I've been loving lately. I use the Huy Fong, Garlic Chili Paste or their plain Chili Paste. I love this stuff and have been steaming vegetables topping it with either of the chili paste as all the flavoring I need, maybe a dash of pink salt too. I definitely love my spicy food! If you haven't given it a try, I highly recommend it. It can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store or bought online. There's more to love about chili peppers than just the flavor, they are good for clearing congestion, fighting inflammation, boosting immunity, act as a topical pain reliever, help with weight loss and can stop cancer cells. If you can take the heat, get your spicy on!

Make yourself a wrap using lavash bread or go gluten free using warmed corn tortillas for tacos.

 Both are super hearty and filling!

Spicy Lentil & Quinoa Wraps with Spicy Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

Lentil & Quinoa Mix

• 3/4 cup red lentils, sorted and rinsed 
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 1/2 cups water, + more as needed
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, optional
• 2 heaping teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pink salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 scallion, sliced

Spicy Tahini Sauce

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup water, + more as needed 
• juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 tablespoon
• pinch of pink salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

to serve

• shredded cabbage or micro greens
• lavash bread or corn tortillas (flour tortillas work too)
• chili paste or sriracha (may fav chili paste)
• sliced avocado, for tacos (optional)

In a medium sauce pan, bring water, lentils, quinoa and oil to a boil, reduce heat to low, add in cumin, garlic & onion powder, salt and optional red pepper flakes, stir to combine, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add in chopped parsley and scallions, let rest for 10 minutes. If you feel it's too dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Mixture should be creamy, not dry. Add extra spices to taste.

While lentil & quinoa mix is cooking, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

For the wrap, lay your lavash bread on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon or so of chili paste about 1 1/2 inches from the edge on the first 1/3 portion from top to bottom, leaving an inch on both ends. Layer with about 1/4 cup lentil & quinoa mix and cabbage, fold over and roll. Slice in half and serve with a drizzle of tahini sauce on each bite.

For tacos, warm your tortillas, layer with lentil & quinoa mix, micro greens or cabbage, add chili paste and tahini dressing to taste and sliced avocado.

Notes:

Feel free to use all cabbage, or any greens that you like. I have used micro greens here because I had them on hand and for variation.

Lentil & quinoa mix makes about 3 cups. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for longer.

Tahini sauce makes about 3/4 cup. Store in refrigerator for up to a week. Great on salads, steamed or roasted vegetables too! If you prefer it to be thicker, use less water.

If you don't have quinoa available you can still pull this together using all lentils. 1 cup lentils to 2 1/4 cups water. If using brown/green lentils, cook at least 40-45 minutes.

Enjoy!