Spring Rolls and Stir Fry

I took a little break from any serious cooking last week. I was having a really tough time at work and not sleeping well at all. Fortunately, that passed and I am back to my normal self. With things a a bit less crazy at work (for now) I will have some time to cook new dishes and actually take pictures before scarfing down the food. Yesterday, I made up for a week of dinners like spaghetti and spent a couple of hours in the kitchen making spring rolls and a curry stir fry. I got the idea for the spring rolls from Vegan with a Vengeance, however; I adapted the recipe so I could stuff more goodies into the rice paper.

Let me just say that I love Asian markets. There is one literally down the street from my home, House of Rice, and I really don't know why I don't go there more often. Besides having a bounty of Asian goodies at a fraction of the cost of regular grocery stores, they also have other random items and a lot of pretty dishes and serving plates. There is a larger Asian market a little further in Chandler, called Leelee's, but I rarely make it down there. I should do it more often.

At House of Rice, I picked up a lifetime supply (seriously, it was a lot) of rice paper, a package of vermicelli, a baggie of fresh Thai basil, and a can of "Vegetarian Mock Duck" I found lurking in the recesses of the market. I had to test out a couple of the cans, as some of them were dented, but thought I'd give it a shot. We weren't impressed - the duck was very sweet and as Jeffrey said, "It was just seitan." Next time, I will make seitan myself and save the two bucks.

Spring Rolls (makes 12 rolls)
rice paper
4 oz. vermicelli, cooked, rinsed with cold water, and set aside
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 avocado, diced
1 mango, peeled and sliced into thin strips
1 C cilantro leaves
3 large Romaine leaves
1/4 cup crushed peanuts

Set out a pie dish or other flat, shallow pan and fill with tepid water. Soak the rice paper, one by one, for about 15 seconds each, until flexible. Lay out the paper on a plate or cutting board and assemble as follows, right in the middle of the paper: 2 tbl vermicelli, 4 carrot strips, 4 cucumber strips, 4 avocado chunks, 3 mango strips, a strip of lettuce, a handful of cilantro, and a sprinkle of crushed peanut. Be careful when you wrap it. Fold in the outer sides, and while holding them in with your middle and ring fingers, pull up the bottom portion with your thumb and index fingers to cover half of the paper, then roll. Repeat until your ingredients are gone or you are really sick of rolling.

The curry was simply a mix of the mock duck, broccoli, onion, and bell pepper over rice, served with my dad's yummy curry sauce that he makes oh so well (leftover from Sunday family dinner and frozen), and sprinkled with cashews. By the time I was finished with everything, I was tired. I'm surprised I was able to take pictures. Hopefully you won't find them too appalling.

"Old School" Peanut Curry

When I first started cooking vegan, years ago, I made a lot of Asian dishes. They were easy. Plus, we love Asian food. I have tried many a peanut sauce recipe in my day, and have tried to emulate the peanut curry sauce from our favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Basil, countless times. Although I still make Asian food once a week or so, the peanut curry took the backseat as I became too frustrated to make the sauce, as it was either too bland or too sweet or too salty or didn't taste enough like peanut butter. So we call it the "old-school" peanut curry, from the olden days of vegan cookery. The other night I gave it a go again, and this sauce is a winner. Too bad I didn't write it down, but I think I can remember. . .

Ingredients:
1/2 C coconut milk
1/4 C peanut butter
2 tbl tamari
1 tbl Turbinado or other brown sugar
2 tsp chili garlic sauce, or more, if you like a hotter sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into a small saucepan. Heat the sauce until almost boiling. Set aside until ready to use.

I think this sauce would be good on multiple items. Add less coconut milk and it becomes a thicker sauce for dipping veggies or seitan satay. I stir-fried some tofu, onion, garlic, green pepper, carrot, potato and broccoli, then served it over jasmine rice with the sauce ladled over the top.

Tofu and Greens with Spicy Peanut Noodles

It's difficult to get your leafy greens in on a consistent basis, I will admit. A lot of people are turned off by their bitter taste, or simply don't know what to do with them generally. I have found that a simple saute of greens, garlic, and onion is a good side dish, and I also enjoy them mixed in with mashed potatoes. I concocted this recipe tonight because I see no reason why greens would not be good with tofu, noodles, and a curry peanut sauce. An added bonus is that if you use rainbow chard, it will turn your tofu and noodles pink! Which is fun and exciting until you add the sauce and then it's just brown. Oh well.
Ingredients:
2 tbl peanut oil
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red onion, halved and sliced into thin half-moons
1 jalapeno, sliced with the majority of seeds removed
1 bunch of leafy greens (I used rainbow chard, but any green should work)
1 package of extra-firm tofu, sliced into triangles
1 lb of rice noodles

For the sauce:
1 12 oz. can of coconut milk
1/4 C natural peanut butter
1 tbl red curry paste
1 tsp chili garlic paste (or more, depending on your tolerance for heat)
2 tbl tamari or other soy sauce

Method:
Soak your noodles in very hot water on the stove for approximately 10 minutes. Strain and set aside. Heat 1 tbl of oil in a non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Fry the tofu until brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set on paper towels. Combine coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, and chili garlic paste. Bring to a simmer and cook until ingredients are combined, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside. Heat the other tbl of oil in the skillet on medium high heat and add garlic and red onion. Stir fry for one minute, then add greens. Lower heat to medium and stir until greens are tender. Add the jalapenos and cook for five more minutes. Add tofu, noodles and sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until ingredients are well-combined. Serve hot.