Vegan Quinoa Stir Fry

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I can 100% claim here that I am no expert on stir frying.  I do not have a wok (I want one, though), and I have made a few stir fries in my day, but they probably couldn’t qualify as real stir fries.  There’s a science behind this method of cooking.  You want the vegetables cooked but crisp on the outside; you want a sauce that’s not too overpowering or thick; you want the veggies to be bite-sized; you want to pre-chop the vegetables and make the sauce before you get started, and you want a finished end product that’s not a gooey mess.

I’m pretty sure that this dish does all these things.

And, thankfully I had a little help with this one.  Remember my recent post about Pacific Foods and their pretty awesome company?  (oh, yeah, and there was a delicious Mexican Pizza, too.)  Their company was generous enough to send me a ginormous box of a few more of their products, including a variety of their broths/soup bases (score!!!  Because I literally go through vegetable broth like water).  I was pretty pumped when they decided to send me a few samples of their Vegetarian Pho soup base.  Ummmm, yeah.  So, have you ever had pho?  Well, I haven’t, but apparently it’s an amazing, brilliant thing.  (and can be made vegetarian/vegan quite easily).  It’s traditionally made with rice noodles, tofu, and plenty of garnishes like lime, onions, bean sprouts, etc.  (P.S. There’s a recipe for pho on the back of the box).

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But, basically, this broth is a mixture of a lot of good things:  “A savory combination of organic mushrooms, aromatic spices including star anise, cinnamon, and ginger”.  And it was.

But, aside from cheating a little and just making the recipe from the back of the box, I decided I wanted to branch out a little bit with this product in particular and make something non-soupy.  Enter the concept of a stir fry made with quinoa.

I decided to cook the quinoa in the pho base itself to add a lot of flavor (it did, and I highly recommend always doing this in the future).  And then, to use more of the soup base, I decided to use it as a component in the sauce that I coated the vegetables with.

The end result?  A great meal-lots of flavor, healthy, and 100% vegan.  And, as with any stir fry, you can use whatever types of vegetables you like.  Add in some tofu.  Add in some greens.  Add a little crushed red pepper.  Do whatever you like and enjoy.  And now, I will go use their soup base to finally try some real pho.

 

 

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Vegan Quinoa Stir Fry

Servings: 4-6

 

For the quinoa:

1 cup dried quinoa

2 cups Vegetarian Pho Soup Base

For the stir fry:

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1-2 small heads of broccoli florets (about 1-2 cups)

One 4-ounce can water chestnuts, drained

1 cup whole cashews (I used roasted and salted)

1/2 cup snap peas

For the sauce:

1/4 cup Vegetarian Pho Soup Base

1/8 cup tamari or soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil

 

Instructions

1. For the quinoa: Combine the dried quinoa and the soup base in a medium saucepan set over medium heat.

2. Bring the quinoa to boil, and let boil gently for 5 minutes.

3. Remove the quinoa from the heat; cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.

4. For the sauce:  In a small bowl, whisk together the soup base, soy sauce/tamari, and sesame seed oil until combined.  Set aside.

5. For the stir fry:  In a wok or saute pan, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.

6. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 10-15 seconds.

7. Add the onion, red bell pepper, broccoli, water chestnuts, cashews, and snap peas, stirring to ensure even cooking and making sure not to crowd the pan.  (If you have to do this batches because of the size of your pan, please do so.)  Cook until the broccoli and snap peas are bright green and heated through, about 2-4 minutes (depending on how large you have cut the pieces-if you have to cook it a few minutes more, that’s ok.)

8. Slowly pour the sauce mixture over the vegetables and stir to coat.  Let the stir fry cook for another 1-2 minutes.

9. Serve the vegetables over the cooked quinoa.

 

 

Source:  A Curvy Carrot original.

 

August 26, 2013 - 4:06 pm

Maria Tadic - I’ve never seen a Pho broth before – kinda genius idea! I always use veggie broth to flavor my grains, but I bet the pho gave it such a nice flavor!! I’m definitely going to have to pick some up soon. How was the recipe on the back of the box?!

August 26, 2013 - 4:12 pm

srlacy - Hey Maria-

I ended up not making it because I forgot to pick up the noodles! Doh! Will do so soon, though!

August 26, 2013 - 8:52 pm

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar - This sounds absolutely perfect! Lovely recipe!

August 26, 2013 - 10:21 pm

Joanne - I don’t think I”ve ever really made a good authentic stir fry either…I’m so bad at getting everything cut and ready before I start cooking! i just always want to multi-task.

LOVE the sound of this soup base! Definitely going to keep an eye out for it in stores here!

August 26, 2013 - 10:37 pm

Mary-Clay @ Cooking with the King - Mmm. Stir fry is my jam. This looks so yummy!

August 27, 2013 - 10:17 am

Ker - Looks like you did a fabulous job with the stir fry! You may have to drop the caveat in the future! 😉 Pho is a fantastic dish. I was so lucky to have many great options while I lived on the west coast. I’ve never tried to make it though. I’d love to know how it turns out. Happy cooking!

August 27, 2013 - 10:30 am

srlacy - Her Kerri!

We missed you last night! We were thinking doing a brunch or something for the next one-I hope you can come! Lots to catch up on! 😉

August 27, 2013 - 3:51 pm

Ker - I was sorry to miss dinner last night too. So much to do before leaving town. Speaking of which, I’ll miss brunch b/c I leave that morning for Europe. Bummer…because I love a good brunch! Hope last night’s meal was as delicious as the last one!

August 27, 2013 - 4:05 pm

carole - Mmmmm, this looks delish! I’m definitely adding it to next week’s menu rotation.

August 27, 2013 - 4:10 pm

georgia - BEAUTIFUL!

August 27, 2013 - 4:12 pm

srlacy - (Thanks Peach)

September 19, 2013 - 5:00 am

Carrot Ginger Soup » The Curvy Carrot - […] out of this world.  Since then, I had been dying to attempt it myself.  Since I still had some leftover vegetarian pho soup base, I figured that would be an incredible base for the soup. If you don’t have this […]

November 7, 2013 - 4:18 pm

Joy // For the Love of Leaves - I was just perusing Pintrest and a picture of your stir fry jumped off the page, the picture’s so bright and colorful! Not to mention delicious! Glad I stumbled upon your blog, can’t wait to look around at your other recipes.

January 10, 2014 - 1:07 pm

6 Healthy and Easy Vegan Meals | Healthy Body Budget - […] Vegan Quinoa Stir Fry by The Curvy Carrot […]

February 9, 2014 - 11:58 pm

Kerri - I just made this for dinner and had to let you know how awesome it was! So much yummy flavor. Brilliant idea using the Pho broth in this way- I’m totally hooked. Thanks!!

June 15, 2014 - 10:28 pm

6 Healthy and Easy Vegan Meals | A WordPress Site - […] Vegan Quinoa Stir Fry by The Curvy Carrot […]

Chilled Corn Soup

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So this chilled soup thing.  I know we’ve discussed this before-it’s a little weird and takes a little getting used to.  But in the dog days of summer, it can be a really really good thing.  And since corn is in pretty much its peak season here in the Midwest, this chilled soup is just about perfect.

I looked at the ingredient list and wondered if this soup would be any good.  There aren’t too many ingredients here, and the recipe itself was straightforward enough.  And since I have been on a corn streak lately, I figured this would be a good way to use up a few of the several ears that I had overzealously bought a few days before.

Now, while this soup doesn’t have anything in the way of cream/milk in it, it is actually quite creamy (that is, if you decided to blend it.  And by blending it, I mean using an immersion mixer-or blender-very carefully in a deep enough pot.)  I made the mistake of not using a deep enough pot here, and after splattering a decent amount of hot corn mixture on my walls, stove top, and myself, I decided I wanted to “stick with the authenticity” of the corn by leaving a bit of texture.  So blend away, my friends, if you wish.  And while the ingredients don’t appear to amount to much here, this soup has quite a bit of flavor (don’t skip on the garnishes here-I feel like they are what makes the soup so great.)  You can add in and omit ingredients as you like-feel free to improvise with the toppings.  Surprisingly, the radish on top of the soup was really good (thanks, Cooking Light, for the inspiration.)  And, I know that this soup is 100% vegan, but I had a little creme fraiche in my fridge randomly, so I put a little spoonful of it on top-which was pretty awesome.  Creme fraiche makes everything better.

 

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Chilled Corn Soup 

Servings: 4-6

 

Ingredients

For the soup:

4 -5 large ears corn, shucked (you want about 6 cups of corn kernels, so choose larger ears if you can)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups water

For garnish:

Avocado, radish, chives, creme fraiche, etc (get creative here)

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Instructions

For the soup:

1. Cut the kernels and as much “milk” and pulp from the ears as much as possible and transfer to a medium bowl. (You can use a spoon to scrape the pulp and “milk” from the corn after you cut the kernels off.)

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering.

3. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine.

4. Reduce the heat to medium low; cover.

5. Cook the mixture until the onion has softened, stirring occasionally, about 6-8 minutes.

6. Add the corn kernels, pulp, and garlic; cover.

7. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Add the water and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

9. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.

10. Remove the mixture from the heat. If using an immersion blender, very carefully, blend the mixture until it reaches your desired consistency.  If using a blender, blend the mixture in batches. Please be careful.  If you would like the soup to be extra-smooth, you can strain it through a sieve here.  I skipped this step and thought it was just fine.

11. Chill the soup for at least 4 hours before serving.

12. For serving:  Top each bowl of soup with the garnishes of your choosing. Enjoy.

 

Source:  Adapted from Cooking Light, as part of my monthly contribution to the Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection.

 

August 23, 2013 - 3:20 pm

Maria Tadic - I’ve been looking for a good chilled corn soup recipe! My husband and I had an awesome corn soup at a restaurant and I can’t figure out how to recreate it – but this seems like a good place to start!

August 24, 2013 - 8:02 pm

Melanie @ Just Some Salt and Pepper - I think I could get used to this – it looks quite tasty!

August 25, 2013 - 7:13 pm

Joanne - Cold soups always seem a bit weird to me also but it’s amazing how much flavor good summer corn can impart! I’d almost want to put this in a cup and just sip it all day long!

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter-Filled Pretzel Bites (with Wild Friends Nut Butter)

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I’m all for girl power.  I love seeing young women busting through every glass ceiling in sight, creating their own rules, and making a major difference in the world.  The other day, I had a conversation with a man who actually said, “It’s hard for me to admit this, but I honestly think that if women were more in charge, the world would be a much better place.”

I decided instantly that I liked this man.

So when Sarah from Wild Friends Nut Butter asked me if I wanted to try out one of their products, I had to.  I love the idea of Keeley and Erika randomly making peanut butter in their apartment…which then was the impetus for a brand new company.  I love the magical feeling behind that serendipitous creativity. And, again, this is a company that strives to use non-GMO, organic, whole foods (the way it should be, right?) in all of their delicious creations.

And I have to be completely honest with you.  I’m a sucker for peanut butter….especially chocolate peanut butter.  As soon as I got my package, I opened the jar, took out a spoon and went to town.  This peanut butter is out of this world, everyone.  No lie.  It’s creamy and sweet with a perfect balance of peanuts, coconut, and chocolate (they sent me their Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter, but I’m dying to try out their Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter AND their Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter.)

I decided to run with an idea I had been playing around with in my head for a while.  I took one of my favorite pretzel bite recipes, but converted it so that it incorporated whole wheat flour. (I ended up going with half white flour and half whole wheat flour-I wanted to keep that soft, chewy pretzel feel and I was afraid that using all whole wheat flour would weigh it down. If you are feeling adventurous, please feel free to increase the amount of whole wheat flour here and play around with it.  I loved the end result that I got here, but next time I might try upping the whole wheat component.)  As far as preparing for this, it’s helpful to freeze the peanut butter beforehand, and you must work quickly so that it doesn’t melt when you work with it.  I piped my peanut butter into small dots-about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch pieces- on some parchment paper and let it freeze while the dough was rising.  It worked really well.

I sprinkled some salt and sugar crystals on top to add to the sweetness a bit-and I decided that this was a great idea.  Nothing beats a pretzel bite, people.  Nothing.

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Whole Wheat Peanut Butter-Filled Pretzel Bites (with Wild Friends Nut Butter)

Servings: about 40-50 pretzel bites

 

 

Ingredients

For the pretzel bites:

1  and 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar, divided

1/4 cup warm water (110-115°F)

1 cup warm milk (110-115°F)

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more if needed and for rolling your dough

1/2 cup Wild Friends Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter, or more if you like

6 cups water

4 teaspoons baking soda

For brushing onto the warm pretzel bites:

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Sugar crystals, for sprinkling

 

 

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Instructions

1. For the pretzel bites:  In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, 1 teaspoon brown sugar and warm water, and let the mixture stand until foamy, about 5-6 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, stir remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar into warm milk until dissolved.

3. With the mixer running on low speed, add both of the flours and the brown sugar/milk to the yeast mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms, adding up to 1/2 cup additional whole wheat flour, if necessary.

4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to form a smooth ball.

5. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with a light towel and let rise at room temperature, about 2 hours. (Meanwhile, if you choose to pipe your peanut butter out onto parchment paper and freeze it, now would be a good time.)

6. Once the dough has risen, preheat  the oven to 400 degrees with the racks in the upper and lower thirds, and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces.

8. Lightly dust your hands with flour, then gently roll and stretch 1 piece of dough to form a 12-inch-long rope.

9. Flatten dough and arrange so a long side is nearest you, then roll out to a roughly 12- by 4-inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin.

10. Gently press the frozen peanut butter drops into the lower third of the rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border along bottom edge.

11. Stretch bottom edge of dough up over the peanut butter drops and press tightly to seal, then roll up as tightly as possible to form a rope.

12. Cut the rope into individual pieces (you will be able to feel the frozen peanut butter inside the dough, so you will know where to cut it), squeezing the dough around the peanut butter on either side to tightly seal the pretzel bite and transfer to your prepared pan.

13. Repeat the process, making three more ropes with remaining dough and peanut butter and cut into pieces, transferring to the prepared baking pans.

14. Let the pretzel bites rest at room temperature, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

15. Meanwhile, the six cups of water to a boil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan.

16. Reduce heat to medium and stir in baking soda. (Careful-the water will bubble and rise!)

17. Cook the pretzel bites in batches in the water, turning once, until slightly puffed, about 20 seconds.

18. Transfer with a slotted spoon or tongs to prepared baking sheets.

19. Bake until puffed and golden-brown, about 15 minutes (cheese may ooze slightly).

20. Immediately after removing the pretzel bites from the oven, lightly brush each one with the melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt and sugar crystals.

 

 

Source:  Pretzel bites adapted from Gourmet via Epicurious.

August 20, 2013 - 8:12 am

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar - These need to appear in my life!

August 20, 2013 - 4:16 pm

Maria Tadic - I love peanut butter and pretzels!!! This recipe looks like so much fun! I’ve made homemade soft pretzels before and they are so good! Can’t wait to try them stuffed with peanut butter – smart thinking to freeze it!

August 20, 2013 - 4:26 pm

Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg - Peanut butter and pretzels – oh yeah! These look so good and I like that I know what’s in them. No more store bought for me. Thanks!

August 20, 2013 - 9:39 pm

Joanne - i’ve had all of those flavors of Wild Squirrel before and they are FABULOUS. I think the chocolate coconut was my favorite though. I’ll have to buy more to make these pretzel bites!! So much sweet and salty yum.

August 20, 2013 - 11:35 pm

Mary-Clay @ Cooking with the King - That peanut butter sounds amazing! And those pretzel bites… To die for. I so enjoy your blog!

August 21, 2013 - 8:09 am

peach - These look fantastic! Great job Shanon!

August 21, 2013 - 3:17 pm

Amy @ Elephant Eats - Wow these look awesome!!! I’ve been wanting to make soft pretzels and have been looking for a good recipe. My husband is addicted to Trader Joe’s pb-filled pretzels, so i know he would love these 🙂

August 21, 2013 - 8:09 pm

Elizabeth - Wow, these look amazing and the nut butters sound awesome. They do like something you’d need to make when in a slightly obsessive baking mood though.

August 22, 2013 - 12:50 pm

Belinda @themoonblushbaker - I am sucker for nuts too. I think in my youth I would go through a 500g jar of PB in two weeks MAX. Some of those flavour they have are mind blowing, i can not wait to try!

August 22, 2013 - 5:09 pm

dixya| food, pleasure, and health - just discovered your blog and already loving it 🙂

August 27, 2013 - 7:13 pm

Melanie @ Just Some Salt and Pepper - These sound AMAZING as do all those flavors of peanut butter!

September 16, 2013 - 6:22 pm

Ashley - Ooh! I love peanut butter filled pretzels, but making soft ones at home?! YUM!!!

February 15, 2014 - 2:10 pm
January 6, 2015 - 12:55 am

16 Stuffed Breads to Make You Feel All Warm Inside – TEEN.IE - […] Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Bites: Crunchy peanut-butter-filled nuggets from the snack aisle are always a hit. And you can be sure […]