vegan mofo: asparagus miso soup

remember when my brother brought me 28 pounds of asparagus?  that gave me a ton of leeway to create recipes...  and this was one of them.

status: somewhat fail.

why i'm including it: it really wasn't bad, but felt it could have been better?  i don't know - maybe it was the miso?

would i make it again:  i might try to swap out the miso, or change the recipe some.  the next time i have 28 pounds of asparagus lying around, i'll let you know.

balsamic green bean salad

i made this a couple months ago almost exclusively using produce from greeley gardens.  i've blogged on a couple other csa-inspired dishes, but i really made a lot more than made it to this blog.  i was able to can a lot of the veggies so i can continue to enjoy them all winter long. what i love most about my weekly bag of produce is that i'm almost immediately inspired to create a new recipe.  you can check out the weekly pics of all my csa goodies here.

• 1 cup mixed yellow and green beans
• 5-6 baby potatoes, diced
• 5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons veggie broth
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter

for the miso balsamic dressing:

• 1¼ yellow miso
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoons rosemary
• pinch of black pepper

chop beans into 1-inch bite sized pieces. steam the diced potatoes and green beans for approximately 10-12 minutes. meanwhile, lightly sauté the mushroom slices in the butter and veggie broth for about 5 minutes and then set all the veggies aside to cool

mix the dressing ingredients in a magic bullet or blender.  put the cooked veggies in a dish and pour the dressing over top.  add in the cherry tomatoes and toss gently.

this can be served cool or warm.

warm sesame cabbage slaw

i love the bagged dole/generic slaw mixes you can buy at the grocery store - usually for 99 cents! i usually keep at least one or two in my fridge at all times for quick lunches or dinner additions. if you check my tags for cabbage, you'll see quite a few recipes because it can be used in so many genres of food. this recipe is just a nice warm sesame slaw that i make for small lunches or dinner sides.

• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 pkg. dole slaw mix (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons bragg liquid aminos
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter (earth balance)
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

heat sesame oil on medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet. add in the cabbage and sauté for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat. mix in the rest of ingredients except sesame seeds (the margarine is optional, but gives it more savory flavor). continue sautéing for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage is tender. add in the sesame seeds and give it a couple more tosses before removing from heat.

serve warm. i really like to give it a light coat of the ginger-miso dressing from matthew kenney's everyday raw. the book is awesome, so you should definitely pick up a copy. in the meantime, you can find the dressing recipe here.

sprouts & kale salad (w/ creamy dressing)

i've only recently tried kale, and i wasn't sure i was going to like it. i don't know why, i just had a food prejudice. but lucky for me, i forged ahead and found out that it is a pretty tasty little green.

• 1 cup of sprouts (i used lentil, red & green pea)
• 2 cups kale
  
• salad fixins: tomatoes, cucumber, etc.

for the creamy tahini dressing:

• 1 tablespoon white miso
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
  
• 1/2 tablespoon stoneground mustard
  
• water to thin
  

you can buy sprouts in most produce sections, or just sprout them yourself. i don't have a fancy method of doing this. i soak my uncooked beans in a quart mason jars for about 8 hours. then i lay a damp tea towel in a colander, and dump in the beans, seeds, etc. i use the edges of the towel to fold over the top, and rinse the sprouts every couple of hours. then they just sit on my kitchen counter and i re-rinse about every 3 hours or so, keeping them moist. i usually sprout for a couple days before eating, making sure to rinse regularly.

when you prepare your salad, you will want to massage the kale for about 5 minutes with olive oil and/or lemon juice. the first time i ate kale i didn't know to do this, and it was like trying to chew a porcupine made out of cardboard. (thanks for the tip, lauren!) the kale should retain its crunchiness, but lose some of the extra-stiffness. toss in the sprouts, and whatever veggies you want for your salad. whisk the dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl, using as much water as needed to thin.

enjoy!

miso mustard cabbage slaw

i recently came across some shiro (white) miso on sale, and have been lovin' the new recipe options. you can find miso at most health food stores, or for a cheaper option, the oriental or asian markets carry it too. i made this slaw for lunch one day and fell in love...

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon water
• 2 cups cabbage/carrot mix

for the dressing:

• 1 tablespoon water
• 3/4 tablespoon mild miso (yellow or white)
• 3/4 tablespoon mustard (whole seed preferred)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1+ teaspoon bragg's aminos

in a medium skillet, heat sesame oil on medium. add the cabbage or slaw mix, and saute for about 3-5 minutes. turn heat to high and add a teaspoon of water. cook the cabbage for about 1-2 minutes more until it starts to turn translucent, but not wilted.

in a separate bowl, mix up the dressing ingredients. start with the miso and water, and whip with a fork until the miso is emulsified. the combine the rest of ingredients, adding as much bragg's as you see fit. i used arran original mustard, with whole brown and yellow mustard seeds. pour cabbage out of skillet, and coat with dressing. serve warm.