Tag: savory

Try This— The Easiest Homemade Vegetarian Ramen Recipe

I pretty much lived on ramen when I was in college. Back then my four basic food groups were salt, junk, cheap, and easy. Such is the gut fortitude of a nineteen year old. Times have certainly changed, and though my taste and my junk food cravings haven’t, at least now I’m old enough to try and make healthier choices. I want to keep my ramen classy, y’all. No more undergrad ramen for me! I mix up my own seasoning and keep it on the shelf, ready for those nights when I’m feeling just as sleepy as I did when I was in college. You can’t get much easier than a basic ramen bowl, and with some simple add-ins, you’ll be well on your way to total ramen sophistication. You must try this!!!

Homemade Ramen Seasoning

ingredients

  • 2 tbsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 vegetable bullion cubes
  • 1 tbsp black pepper

directions

  • crush bullion cubes into a powder
  • mix all ingredients, including bullion, together
  • store in an airtight container

Basic Ramen bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 oz vermicelli rice noodles (If you use this kind that’s about one quarter of the box)
  • 1 c of boiling water
  • 1 tbsp homemade ramen seasoning (you might want to start with less and add more to taste)

Directions

  • place rice noodles in a small bowl
  • sprinkle with homemade ramen seasoning
  • add boiling water and allow the rice noodles to sit for 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally to separate the noodles
  • Enjoy!

optional add-ins

  • chili oil or (homemade) sriracha, to taste
  • a splash of lemon or lime juice
  • a boiled egg or two
  • lightly fried tofu
  • kimchi
  • quick cooking vegetables: spinach, thinly slice cabbage, romaine lettuce, mushrooms, bean sprouts, or green onions are all good choices
  • frozen vegetables: corn and peas are my favorite! Just be sure to thaw them a bit in warm water before adding them to your ramen bowl

This recipe makes the perfect mason jar lunch. just like these healthy mason jar snack ideas, mason jar ramen is ready in minutes. The dry ingredients have a long shelf life, so you can assemble a few dry noodles/seasoning mason jars well ahead of time. When you’re ready to eat them, just lift one from the pantry and add boiling water. Lunch in 3-5 minutes with no effort! Think of it as a savory alternative to your favorite mason jar oatmeal recipe.

Recipe adapted from: Connoisseurusveg and Minimalist Baker

Try This— Vegetarian ‘Chicken’ Shawarma

I’m not really in the business of trying to fool any meat eaters with my vegetarian recipes. I stay away from mock meat for the most part and I just bask in the glory that is a well prepared plant based meal. But this Beyond Meat stuff is really testing my resolve as a dyed in the wool vegetarian, and it’s also making it possible for me to slip more plant based meals under the radar to my unassuming, carnivorous family members. Case in point: this vegetarian chicken shawarma I just made over the weekend. There are no words, let’s just say these are amazing. You can’t get a meatier meal than shawarma, and up until now there was absolutely no viable vegetarian substitute. This recipe from Gimme Delicious has the slow roasted taste of your classic shawarma with none of the meat.  You must try this!!!

Vegetarian ‘Chicken’ Shawarma

Ingredients

  • 1 pack Beyond Meat© Chicken strips
  • ½ cup sliced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil ( 2 for the pan and 2 in the paste)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon all spice
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 pitas
  • optional toppings sliced onion, tomatoes, lettuce
  • Creamy Yogurt White Sauce

Directions

  • Combine the spices, garlic, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. The mixture will form a thick paste. Next, add the chicken strips and onions. Combine the chicken with the paste.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy-duty pan or skillet. After the pan is very hot toss in the chicken and onion mixture. Sautee for 2-3 minutes or until he chicken is lightly charred and the onions are soft.
  • to make a shawarma sandwich, lay a pita flat on a plate with a sheet of foil under it. Top with chicken, veggies and sauce.

***If you’re vegan, leave out the sauce!

Try This—Savory French Toast

While I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my life (I decided to go vegetarian at the age of 12), I’ve fed my kid meat his entire life. I figured, if he ever wanted to quit eating meat, he could make that decision himself, just as I had done, before he was even a thought.

I did however load up his plate with a lot of vegetables when he was younger. He’s always been a weird eater. He’d eat all of the meat first, then he’d move on to the potatoes or rice or whatever. The very last thing he’d eat were the veggies. He rarely finished all his vegetables. Ugh! It drove me crazy, but it also made me have to be a little more creative when it came to recipes. In order to get him to eat certain things, I had to really experiment with flavors.

I like to think of myself as the adventurous type when it comes to recipes. If a meal is traditionally savory, I always try to make it sweet just to see if it’s as amazing as I think it’ll be. My pasta sauce is usually a bit sweet… I always dump sugar into grits… and I like my stir-frys with ginger and honey. If you’ve been following along with me, you know that I also like to switch things up when it comes to traditionally sweet meals too. Savory yogurt has been a total favorite of mine, and of course all of this has been a pretty big hit with the kiddo. Winning!

Recently, I made some Eggnog French Toast and it is, in fact, totally as delicious as it sounds, but I got to thinking about what it would be like if french toast decided to go savory. Eeeerrrrrrr Mahhhhh Gaaaawwwdddd! Is that even a thing?!! Whatevs. I didn’t even bother looking for a recipe, I just jumped right in. You guys… Seriously, YOU GUYS!!! I honestly think that whoever coined the term ‘food porn’ came up with it after making savory french toast. So, here it is. Even if you’re not a sugar-grits-eating rebel like me or the kid, you must try this!

 

Savory Parmesan French Toast

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients

  • Canola oil, for frying
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus a little more for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 garlic clove,peeled and crushed
  • 6 thick slices of day old bread,  (3/4 to 1 inch slices)
  • Freshly minced herbs like chives or parsley, for garnish

Directions

  • Turn the oven to the warming setting. Line a sheet pan with paper towels and set it near your workspace.
  • Combine the eggs, milk, and cream in a blender and pulse until well combined. Transfer mixture to an 8×8 baking dish or shallow pan. Whisk in the Parmesan, mustard powder, salt, hot sauce, and a very generous amount of black pepper, followed by the garlic clove.
  • Pour about 1/4- to 1/2-inch of oil into a large cast iron skillet (or heavy, flat-sided pan) and heat over medium to medium-high heat.
  • While the oil is heating, add 2 pieces bread to the batter and soak, flipping frequently, until thoroughly saturated with liquid. Add the bread to the hot oil and cook until the bread is golden brown; flip and continue cooking, about 2 minutes per side.
  • Gently shake excess oil from the bread and place on the paper towel-lined sheet pan. Pat the toast with additional paper towels to remove excess oil, if necessary. Transfer the sheet pan to oven to keep warm, and continue cooking the remaining bread.
  • Garnish the French toast with chopped herbs and Parmesan cheese.

This is a versatile little recipe here for sure! There are so many ways to dress this up! For breakfast, make some tofu scramble or scrambled eggs to accompany your savory french toast. For brunch, serve with a lightly tossed side salad. For lunch, slice some avocado and tomato (and more cheese!!!) for a yummy sandwich option. For dinner, serve your savory french toast with your favorite pasta dish.

If you have any leftovers (I totally doubt you will) they can be reheated in the toaster oven.

Adapted from thekitchn