Ginger Miso Stir-Fry

Stir-frys have long been my one-pot weeknight go-to meal. With all of the fresh local veggies that are available these days, I constantly have an overload lying around, which leads to dishes like this one. I  made a ginger miso dressing that really amped up the flavor. Drizzled with a little Sriracha for spice, it's perfection in a bowl. I made mine with nutty tempeh and sauteed some shrimp to add to my husband's. Depending on your preference, any protein will really do. Feel free to play around with different vegetables, depending on the season. Baby bok choy would also work really well in this.

Ginger Miso Dressing

1 cup water

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced

1/2 cup mellow white miso

1/4 cup agave

1/4 cup shoyu

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Stir-Fry

3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (or olive oil)

1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp ginger, minced

pinch crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1/2 cup red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

1/2 cup snow peas, blanched and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces and blanched

1 cup cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup shitake and/or oyster mushrooms

1 cup tempeh, cubed and marinated over a simmer in shoyu, water and kombu 

2 cups kale, stemmed and thinly sliced

1/4 cup water chestnuts, sliced

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup sesame seeds, or Gomasio

mung bean sprouts (optional topping)

scallions, sliced (optional topping)

cilantro, chopped (optional topping)

To make the dressing, place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. This will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Heat oil in a wok, or large saute pan over high heat. And garlic, ginger and pinch of red pepper flakes and saute for about 2 minutes.

Add all of the vegetables (except for the kale) and the tempeh and toss to combine. Continue to saute until desired doneness, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the Ginger-Miso dressing, water chestnuts and cashews and stir-fry for another couple of minutes. Stir in the kale and cover for a minute or so until it turns bright in color. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or Gomasio and serve immediately over brown rice or soba noodles. Top with fresh mung bean sprouts, scallions and cilantro and drizzle with Sriracha for a bite.

Spicy Soba Noodle Stir-Fry

I guess you can say that I've been on a stir-fry kick but I can't help but share this with you- definitely a dinner worth trying for yourselves. I caught a glimpse of Mario Batali this morning on the Today Show making a raw asparagus salad that looked fresh and appropriate for the season. I thought I'd try something similar instead of the usual green salad to start. The Parmesan really adds an bold taste to the dish but it is also wonderful without it if you're doing the vegan thing.

This Spicy Soba Noodle Stir-Fry recipe is taken from the The Candle Cafe Cookbook, one of New York's renowned and one of my favorite vegan restaurants in the city. I actually introduced my husband to tempeh tonight and, let's just say, this is the perfect dish for a meat-eating Texan, "no tofu please" guy to try it. Not only did he enjoy it, he officially approved the dish and has added Spicy Soba Noodle Stir-Fry to our ultimate "dinner rotation". I did some of the prep work ahead of time (the peanut sauce can be made well in advance and Whole Foods does a great job of having prepped vegetables in their refrigerator section!). Don't be intimidated by the amount of ingredients. It really is an easy recipe to follow.

Shaved Asparagus with Parmesan

Asparagus bunch, ends snapped off
Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved
Juice of a lemon
splash of olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Using a mandolin or vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into thin long strips. Put the Parmigiano in a large bowl and whisk in the lemon juice, slowly drizzling in the oil. Add the asparagus and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Spicy Soba Noodle Stir-Fry

Peanut Sauce
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbsp crushed red chili flakes
1 Tbsp ketchup (I know, I thought this was weird too but trust me)
1/4 cup Tamari soy sauce
1 Tbsp Tabasco
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 Tbsp sesame oil

Soba Noodles and Tempeh
1 8-ounce package Tempeh, cubed
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb soba noodles

Stir-Fry
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
3/4 chopped onion
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup trimmed and blanched string beans
1 1/2 cups cut and blanched broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced shitake mushrooms
1 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce
2 1/2 tsp sesame oil

To prepare the peanut sauce, place all of the ingredients with 2 cups of water in a blender and blend until smooth. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Place the tempeh cubes in a bowl and cover with the peanut sauce. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight. Drain and set aside.

To prepare the soba noodles, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt and olive oil. Add the soba noodles and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

To prepare the stir-fry, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or wok over high heat. Add tempeh and saute for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, onion, cabbage, string beans, and broccoli and stir-fry for 5 minutes, then add the peppers and mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes. Add some peanut sauce and continue to saute, tossing the vegetables, tempeh and sauce together until the desired doneness, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the tamari soy sauce and sesame oil and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes. Serve over the soba noodles with additional peanut sauce. Serves about 6.

(Clean out the fridge) Stir-Fry.

It's a Sunday night and after staying in (with a cold) and cooking for the past few nights, our fridge was full of all sorts of veggies....half of a green pepper, a few stalks of green onion, bunch of broccolini, a handful of sugar snap peas, leftover brown rice... One simple dinner solution came to mind. Stir-fry. Versatile and fun to make, you can use any vegetables that you like or have on hand. Feel free to play around with different varieties and proportions to create your own. Serve over brown rice or soba noodles.

Simple Stir-Fry

For the sauce:
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp rice wine
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
drizzle of agave

For the stir-fry:
splash of sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
handful of sliced green onion
1 cup sliced red or green bell pepper,
1/2 cup blanched sugar snap peas (or string beans), chopped
1 1/2 cup of blanched broccolini (or broccoli), chopped
1/2 cup sliced shitake or oyster mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced water chestnuts
1/4 cup sesame seeds (I had black sesame seeds on hand)
salt, to taste

To make the sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In a large pan or wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, green onion and a pinch of salt and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the vegetables and toss to combine. Continue to saute and toss until you reach the desired crispness, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the sauce and water chestnuts and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit and the vegetables are cooked through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve at once.