Vegan And Vegetarian | Be Nutritious

Asian Miso Noodles

A while ago I showed here a recipe for a kid friendly Peanut Butter Pasta. This recipe is very similar however I upgraded it slightly by adding miso. Asian people use miso not only to prepare famous miso soup but also as a dressing, marinade and an ingredient in many sauces. Miso paste is not only very tasty but also very healthy. It is made from fermented rice or soybeans and the fermentation process is what makes it so healthy. During fermentation millions of gut friendly bacteria are able to grow inside and when we consume fermented food, those little guys travel to our intestines where they work by improving our digestion, boosting our immunity and produce some very important for our health vitamins (biotin and vit K).

That is exactly why we should consume more fermented foods and consuming miso completely raw, uncooked is even better because cooking process kills those friendly bacteria and we do not get any benefit.

Ingredients (2 servings):

2 bunches Asian wheat or Soba noodles

1 cup favorite frozen stir-fry mix vegetables

2 Tbsp miso paste (I used white miso)

1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp peanut butter (Tahini works great too)

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp chopped peanuts

2 sliced scallions

Cook noodles according to a package instructions.
During last 2 min of cooking, add frozen stir-fry vegetables, bring to a boil and blanch for 1 min.
Drain pasta and vegetables and cool under cold running water.
In a bowl mix together miso, soy sauce, peanut butter and water.
Place noodles in a big bowl. Pour sauce and mix so it is distributed evenly.
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and scallions.
Serve cold (great to take in a lunchbox)

Cream of Pumpkin with Roasted Garlic and Sage

There’s a lot of pumpkin soup recipes out there and it’s really hard to chose which one to make. I guess that depends on your taste bud preferences. I never was big on sweet taste that’s why my soup is rather savory with garlic and sage and just slight undertones of sweetness coming from pumpkin itself.

I’m using whole bulb of garlic but remember that first of all roasted garlic loses its sharpness and becomes much more mellow and gentle, second you don’t have to use whole bulb. You add garlic to the blender as you go according to your likeness.

Continue reading →

Sauted Spinach with Mushrooms

For those of you who are totally bored with plain boiled or steamed spinach I recommend this spinach sauted with a shallot, garlic and white button mushrooms. You’re still getting your super healthy greens but in a slightly new form. Mushrooms add different flavor and texture and it’s so good that I could eat it all without sharing.

The ingredients here are for 2 servings. When I was preparing it I was sure it would be enough for 4 people but spinach shrinks so much that a standard 9-10 oz bag can feed only 2 max 3 people as side dish. So obviously if you want to make it as a family side for 4 double the recipe.

Continue reading →

Orzo Greek Salad with Chickpeas

How I love salads, I cannot even explain. Perhaps I’ll try by telling you that even after eating out in many fancy restaurants, Sweet Tomatoes with its giant salad bar is still one of my favorites. Definitely in my top 5 favorite restaurants of all times. Salad bar is all I need to make me happy. Nothing more is required and nothing compares to a healthy and clean taste of fresh vegetables mixed with a tasty dressing.

This recipe is my take on a Greek salad but instead of preparing it with lettuce I used orzo pasta and chickpeas. That trick makes it more filling so you can have it as a main dish for lunch or you can take it with you to school or work for lunch break.

Continue reading →

Japchae – Korean Stir Fried Cellophane Noodles with Vegetables and Tofu

Japchae is a famous Korean dish made of stir fried glass noodles and veggies cut in matchsticks. I used to eat that quite often back in Poland in my high school years. Back then however I was pretty sure it was a Chinese dish because we used to get this in little Chinese stands that were plentiful in my hometown Lodz. I usually treated myself with stir fried glass noodles with veggies during lunch time when I played hooky with my friends. I am not proud of skipping school but hey….who has never done that? At least when you’re a kid you can still do it, once you’re adult you have to stick to your responsibilities and there’s no way you can skip work without consequences.
In my recipe I added some tofu to increase protein content of the food and I used wood ear mushroom but feel free to use any mushrooms you wish. Shitake or oyster mushroom works great in japchae. Also I used Bragg Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce or tamari, but that’s because lately I’ve been experimenting a little bit with that stuff. Oh yeah, and unfortunately I do not own a wok but as you can see regular frying pan works just fine.

Continue reading →

Vietnamese Sweet Potato Soup

We are very lucky to live just around the corner of a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant called Hy Vong in Coral Gables, FL. Here it was when I first tasted Vietnamese cuisine and I absolutely fell in love with the flavors. I always thought of Vietnamese cuisine to be pretty much the same as Thai but surprisingly it is quite different. Much milder first of all and although I am not a big fan of Thai cuisine I really like Vietnamese one. The soup I’m presenting is one of the many soups served in a restaurant and it is my attempt to copy the flavors In my version I used regular cooking cream and coconut oil but if you wish you can use regular cooking oil and a bit of coconut milk instead. The reason why I used coconut oil in place of coconut milk is that it adds just a hint of coconut flavor and even my boyfriend who is not very fond of coconut milk and won’t eat anything with it, absolutely doesn’t mind coconut oil.

Continue reading →

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried green tomatoes are one of those foods you have to try to satisfy curiosity. They are Southern specialty and if you happen to be in any of the Southern states you must give them a try, you won’t be disappointed. Crunchy on the outside with soft, almost melt in your mouth middle. Just make sure to buy really green, unripe tomatoes since they are firmer and won’t get mushy while frying.

Continue reading →

Lentil Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

Lately I haven’t been cooking very much. We’ve been gong through some changes (read moving) and cooking definitely wasn’t on the top of my priorities. Also soon I am going home to visit my family in Poland. It will be a long visit, almost 2 months so you can expect me to be cooking a lot more often and it’s very likely that I will be focusing on regional cuisine. I hope together with my mommy and daddy, we will prepare some amazing Eastern European specialties. I can’t wait, I’m going to have a wonderful time

If you ever noticed, I often cook dishes from different parts of the world but what I actually like the most is to adjust my food habits to season and the region. Since I’m still in Miami my cooking is also very Miami like, cilantro, avocado and lime, ingredients that are ubiquitous in any tropical and sub tropical region. In addition to exotic flavors I often eat cold food in here. Most of the year it is so hot and humid that salads are just a perfect dish and if you’ll make salad with grains or beans it becomes a satisfying one course meal. I absolutely adore lentils so I used them in a salad recipe. Why not? Who said that lentils are good only in a soup or with a rice! They’re also great served cold. I used French lentils which are fabulous for salads because they hold their shape after cooking but if you can’t find them in your supermarket, use just regular brown lentils.

Continue reading →

Coconut Squash Curry

You know that Fall is in its fullest when you walk into the supermarket and you’re bombarded with pumpkins and winter squashes hiding in every corner. Not just supermarkets get carried away with pumpkins, cafeterias and bakeries offer all kinds of pumpkin products such as famous Starbucks pumpkin spiced latte or pumpkin muffins. I love that season and I absolutely adore all the fruits autumn has to offer. It would be such a waste not to feast on all of these delightful, colorful winter squashes.

Pumpkin, butternut and acorn squash are fantastic vegetables (or fruits, I’m not sure) that can be eaten either sweet or savory. They’re fabulous in desserts such as pies, as well as in savory soups or casseroles. My coconut squash curry is something in between savory and sweet. Both coconut milk and squash add sweetness while vegetable stock and spices such as ginger, garlic and chili add sharp flavor.

Continue reading →

Quinoa with Roasted Peppers and Onions

Roasted peppers have been one of my favorite things to eat ever since I remember. I think it’s absolutely amazing how the flavor of peppers changes from raw state to roasted. It becomes completely different vegetable. I was never fond of raw peppers but sauteing and even more roasting, changes their flavor and texture into a tender, heavenly deliciousness that melts in your mouth. In my home we never used to buy these popular roasted peppers in a jar. My parents always used to make their own, with a garlic clove which is a fabulously matching component for roasted peppers. We would simply eat them on a rustic bread or in a salad, and the flavored olive oil from roasted peppers was perfect to use in salad dressings.

I love using roasted peppers in my recipes. They add so much flavor, like in the similar recipe I made some time ago for orzo with roasted peppers and arugula. Today I made my salad with quinoa, because quinoa is excellent in grain salads but it can be easily substituted for rice or any small pasta type.

Continue reading →