Deniz has always had an affinity for south east Asian peanut sauces, but has always been disappointed by the Massaman curries he’s ordered in Thai restaurants. They’ve typically been cloyingly sweet, not something he appreciates in main dishes. His disappointment became so frequent, that I eventually started encouraging him to order other curries so he could enjoy his meal. However, when we began making lesser known international dishes, we ran across an Indonesian Gado Gado recipe on recipetineats.com that looked promising. The peanut sauce was a delicious balance of peanutty goodness with a hint of sugar, spice, and heat. Below is our modification of the recipe to meet our particular tastes.

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Indonesian Gado Gado

A scruptious blend of peanutty goodness, south east Asian spices, and heat poured atop a warmed salad.

Ingredients

Gado Gado Sauce

• 1/3 c creamy peanut butter, we prefer low sugar
• 2 T peanuts, chopped
• 4 T red curry paste
• 1 T Kecap manis, also known as thick sweet soy sauce
• 1 t sambal oelak
• 1/2 c coconut milk, high fast
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t brown sugar
• 1/2 T lime juice
• 1/2 c water

Warm Salad Ingredients

• 1 c egg noodles, pre-cooked and detangled
• 1 handful baby spinach leaves, washed
• 1 c bean sprouts
• 1/2 block tofu, fried and cut in half and sliced (thick slices)
• 1/2 chayote, cut in half and sliced (thick slices)

Cold Salad Ingredients

• 2 eggs, boiled, cut in half, and then sliced
• 1 persian cucumber, cut into strips
• 1 medium tomato, sliced
• 3 romaine lettuce leaves, roughly chopped

Notes

1.  Mix all Gado Gado Sauce ingredients in a medium sauce pan over low heat.  Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring so that it doesn’t burn.  
2. Hardboil and peel the eggs.  Put them in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.  Drain, fill the pot with cold water and peel the shells immediately.  
3. Prepare the Warm Salad Ingredients and Cold Salad Ingredients per instructions in the ingredients list.
4. Fry all of the Warm Salad Ingredients together in a medium covered sauce pan with a few tablespoons of water until spinach is wilted and the rest of the ingredients are thoroughly warmed.
5. Place the Cold Salad Ingredients onto the serving plate.  Place the Warm Salad Ingredients on top.  Pour the cooked Gado Gado sauce on top.  

Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad is Kelin’s new favorite dish, and one of my top 10, so of course we had to learn how to make it.  After a lot of trial and error, we finally perfected a vegetarian version that Kelin gave the thumbs up as restaurant-quality.  Pho Ca Dao is by far our favorite restaurant for this dish, so we used it as the model to create this recipe.   To save on time, we don’t make everything from scratch, but rather buy pre-prepared items at the Asian Grocery store where we can, like pre-prepared spring rolls, deep fried tofu, pickles, and sauces.  Sorry if you’re looking for full instructions, we don’t have those.

The noodles do take a long time to prepare because they have to air-dry after they’re cooked, so I’d recommend preparing the noodles in advance so that they’re ready to go when you’re preparing the meal.  The noodles have to air-dry so they don’t have a chewy texture.

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Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad with Deep-Fried Tofu and Spring Rolls (Bún Chay)

One of Kelin's favorites! Crispy eggrolls paired with meaty tofu and smooth noodles in a umami sauce. And minimal cooking required!

Servings 4

Ingredients

Bowl

• 8 oz Dried Vermicelli Noodles (Use the long wavy ones that wrap around, not the straight sticks which are stickier)
• 8 c water
• 5 large leaves Red lettuce chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 6 Vegetarian Spring Rolls frozen (we like the Costco ones)
• 1 c bean sprouts
• ½ c honey-roasted peanuts chopped
• 3 slabs Deep-Fried Tofu
• 1 t Stir-Fry Seasoning
• 1 t cooking oil
• 1 sprig Mint leaves taken off stem and roughly chopped (optional)
• 2 sprigs Basil leaves taken off stem and roughly chopped (optional)

Sauce

• 1/2 c Vietnamese Vegetarian Dipping Sauce
• 1/2 c Vietnamese Vegetarian Fish Sauce
• 2 pinches red chili flakes
• 2 T daikon and carrots , shredded

Instructions

• Soak the Vermicelli noodles for 15 minutes in very hot water.  Drain and rinse until water runs clear, to remove as much starch as possible.   While the Vermicelli noodles are soaking, boil the water in a large pot (at least 3 qt) on medium-high heat.
• Put the drained, soaked Vermicelli noodles into the pot of boiling water.  Bring back to a boil.  Boil the noodles for 3 minutes.  Drain the noodles, and rinse very well to remove starch so that noodles are not sticky.  We use a salad spinner, filling it with water, draining the noodles, and spinning it 3 times to get all the starch and water out.   Pat the noodles dry and leave to air-dry for at least 30 minutes.
• Prepare the vegetarian spring rolls per package directions.  Or if you’d like to do them like we do, air-fry them for 15 min on 400°F, flipping over half way.
• Add the stir-fry seasoning and cooking oil to the tofu and mix to coat evenly.  Grill the deep-fried tofu on a grill or pan at high heat until black marks appear, approximately 5 minutes.
• Prepare the rest of the ingredients as described in the ingredients list.
• Combine the Sauce ingredients in a bowl.  Separate into three small serving bowls.
• Place the ingredients in 3 extra large serving bowls in the following order: chopped lettuce, bean sprouts, chopped mint, chopped basil, cooked and dried vermicelli noodles, chopped peanuts, deep fried grilled tofu, and spring rolls.  Serve with Sauce.

I grew up on this dish as a little girl.  One of the “aunties” would bring it to every Taiwanese community potluck.  It was a staple that I always looked forward to.  It has that every so slightly chewy clear noodle texture and that balanced salty soy umami taste.  Deniz and I have made it a number of times, different ways, and below is our favorite recipe.

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Sichuan Stir-Fried Mung Bean Noodles with VegPork (螞蟻上樹)

This favorite potluck dish has that every so slightly chewy clear noodle texture and that balanced salty soy umami taste. 

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 4 Morningstar Original Vegetarian Sausage Patties
• 10.5 oz 4 small packs of dried mung bean noodles
• 1/3 c + 1 T cooking oil
• 1 bunch green onion chopped (garnish to taste)
• coriander chopped (garnish to taste)

Spices:

• 2 T green onion chopped
• 2 t ginger root minced
• 1 T hot bean paste là dòu bàn jiàng, 辣豆瓣酱

Sauce:

• 1 t salt
• ¼ t MSG
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 t sugar
• 1 t corn starch
• 2 c veggie broth 1 Knorr Vegetarian Bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water

Garnish (optional):

• 2 T green onion chopped
• 2 T cilantro

Instructions

Directions:

• Toast the patties in toaster oven for 15 minutes on 400°F.  Pulse them in a food processor to a ground-beef consistency.
• Combine the Spices ingredients in a small bowl.   Combine the Sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
• Place the dried mung bean noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover.  Leave the noodles in the water until they are soft, about two to three minutes.  Do not oversoak.  Drain and set aside.
• Heat the 1/3 c cooking oil in a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat.  Add the Spices and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Add the ground patties and stir to coat evenly.  Add the softened noodles and stir until the noodles are evenly coated in oil.  Add the Sauce and mix to coat evenly.
• Continue cooking uncovered until the water is completely soaked into the noodles.  Remove from heat.
• Do not overcook or the noodles will break into pieces.  Stir in the remaining 1 T of cooking oil.
• Garnish with green onion or coriander.

This Russian dish is classic in America, commonly found in TV dinners, but is never available in a vegetarian version.  We’ve updated it for our vegetarian diet, and have replaced the traditional sour cream with yogurt for a healthier dish.  Enjoy!

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Vegetarian Beef Stroganoff

After eating once, you will want to make this creamy, meaty Russian dish again and again.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 pack egg noodles cooked to package instructions
• fresh oregano for garnish optional

VegBeef Slices:

• 12 Morningstar Original Sausage Patties
• 1 t garlic salt
• 1 t black pepper
• 1 T all purpose flour

Sauce:

• 2 T olive oil
• 4 T butter
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 1 large onion sliced
• 1 10- oz can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1½ c water
• 1 Knorr vegetarian bullion cube
• 1/3 c plain full fat yogurt

Instructions

• Instructions:
• Toast the vegetarian sausage patties for 12 minutes at 400ºF.  Allow to cool.
• Slice in half height-wise, so that you have two circles.
• Slice each circle in half.  Then cut each half three times so you have a total of 16 strips.
• Sprinkle the garlic salt and pepper onto the slices and mix to evenly coat.
• Sprinkle the flour on top and mix to evenly coat.
• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat.
• Add the onions and mushrooms and stir-fry until the onion is soft, around 3 minutes.
• Add the coated VegBeef slices.  Continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes.
• Add the mushroom soup, water, and bullion cube and stir to evenly combine.
• Continue cooking until the bullion cube is dissolved.  Turn off the heat.
• Stir in the yogurt.  Serve the the sauce on top of the noodles and add the optional garnish on top.

This dish has rich five-spice savory flavors, creamy thin bean-curd noodles, with crispy water chestnuts for texture.  It’s low carb and packed full of protein.  We adapted from Wei-Chuan’s Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine cookbook for our vegetarian diet and available ingredients.  The original recipe called for rolling the meat in the sheets to make rolls, but after tearing multiple sheets, we went the lazy route and did a stir-fry.  The taste was just as great, and much faster to make.

Ingredients:

• 6 dried bean curd sheets
• ¼ c + 1 T vegetable cooking oil
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (optional)

Meat mixture:

• 12 Morningstar Original Sausage Patties
• 1 c vegetarian shrimp or prepared boiled wheat gluten logs, diced (optional)
• 1 c water chestnuts, diced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 t salt
• 2 t soy sauce
• 2 t five-spice powder
• 2 t sugar
• 2 T sesame oil

Instructions:

Toast the vegetarian sausage patties for 12 minutes at 400ºF.  Pulse in a food processor to a ground beef consistency.

Soak the bean curd sheets in boiled water until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, squeze the excess water out, and break into pieces.

Prepare the Meat Mixture ingredients as described above.  Combine the ground vegbeef and the remaining Meat Mixture ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir to combine well.

Heat the ¼ c cooking oil in a large non-stick pan on medium high heat.  Add the broken bean curd sheets and stir-fry to keep the sheets from sticking to the pan, about 5 minutes.  Add the Meat Mixture.  Continue stir-frying for another 3 minutes.

Remove from heat.  Add the 1 T of cooking oil and green onions.  Stir to combine well.

This is one of our go-to recipes when get a hankering for grilling.  It’s adapted from Bobby Flay’s Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables recipe.  Just the right balance of tart with charred veggies and savory toasted orzo.  It’s usually the first dish to go after we make it.  Can’t eat just one bowl!

Ingredients:

Veggies:

• 2 tomatoes, halved
• 1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 green bell pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 yellow onion, quartered

Marinade:

• ¼ c balsamic vinegar
• ½ t Dijon mustard
• ½ t garlic, chopped
• ½ c olive oil
• 1 t salt
• ½ t pepper, freshly ground

Orzo:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 lb orzo
• 6 c hot veggie broth (3 Knorr vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in 6 cups of hot water)

Garnish:

• ¼ c basil, thinly sliced
• ¼ c flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1 T capers (optional)
• ½ c olives, sliced (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Put the Marinade ingredients in a 1 gallon zip lock bag.  Massage to combine.  Prepare the Veggies per the ingredients list, then add to the bag with the Marinade.  Massage the bag until all the veggies are coated in the marinade.  Set the bag aside and allow the veggies to marinade for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat the grill.  Place the marinaded veggies onto the grill directly over the fire until charred.  Remove from the grill and allow to cool.  Coarsely chop the grilled marinaded veggies.

Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet on medium high heat.  Add the orzo and toast until lightly golden brown.  Add the hot veggie broth.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer covered for 9 minutes.  There will still be cooking liquid in the bottom of the skillet after the orzo is done cooking.  Turn off the heat, stir well, cover, and allow the orzo to absorb the remaining liquid for 10 minutes.  Add the grilled marinaded vegetables.  Finally, add the Garnish.

When I was little, I used to consider it a special treat when my dad would make these curry fried noodles.  My dad would tell me, “the secret is to put a lot of oil.”  I’ve since learned that you can add a little oil at the end of cooking to create the feeling of an oily dish, without a lot of oil.  This week we had guests to impress, so we put our vegetarian hats on for this yummy noddle dish with fake Chinese BBQ pork!

Ingredients:

• 14 oz (400g) dried rice noodles (usually 1 pack)
• 3½ c stock (2 Knorr vegetarian bouillon cubes dissolved in 3½ cups of boiling water)
• 4 MorningStar Farms Original Vegetarian Sausage Patties
• 3 stalks of celery, outside skin shaved and then cut into 2 inch thin strips

Marinade:

• ½ C boiling water
• 1 Knorr Vegetable bouillon cube, dissolved in the boiling water
• 0.35 oz (10g) NOH Chinese BBQ (Char Siu) seasoning mix, dissolved in the boiling water

Veggies:

• 1 medium onion (about 9.5oz), quartered and then sliced
• 7oz (half can) of shredded bamboo shoots
• 3 medium size carrots, jullienned

Spices:

• 4 T curry powder
• 2 t salt

Instructions:

Prepare the ingredients as described in the ingredients list.  Combine the Marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl with a wide flat bottom.

Toast the patties at 400°F for 15 minutes.  Cut each patty in half.  Marinade the halved patties in the Marinade for 30 minutes.  Toast the marinated patties in the oven on 350°F for another 5 minutes to dry the patties out.  Slice the patties into very thin slices, about 1/8th inch thick.

Soak the rice noodles in very hot water for 15 minutes, until soft.  If the noodles are long, cut them in with kitchen scissors into approximately 6 inch segments.

Heat a very large non-stick sauce pan on medium-high heat.  Add 5T oil. Stir-fry the Veggies until they are soft, approximately 5 minutes.  Add the celery and the spice mix and stir to combine well. Pour in the stock, and bring to a boil. Stir in the softened rice noodles and stir fry until all soup dried out, mixing well to ensure that the noodles are evenly soaking up the soup.  Add the sliced, marinated BBQ pork and 3 T of cooking oil, and mix to combine.

Pad See Eew is my favorite Thai noodle dish.  It is my fallback every time I go to a Thai restaurant.  Below is our version of the dish, adapted from the Wei-Chuan Thai Cooking book.

Ingredients:

• 6 Morningstar Original Vegetarian Sausage Patties
• 2 lb fresh, pre-cooked, flat rice noodles
• 3 c broccoli, separated into bite-sized florettes
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• ½ c vegetable oil
• ½ lb bean sprouts

Marinade:

• 2 t light soy sauce
• 2 t rice wine
• 2 t corn starch

Spices:

• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T bean paste (dòu bàn jiàng, 豆瓣酱)

Sauce:

• 4½ T light soy sauce
• 1½ T soy sauce
• 1½ t brown sugar
• 1 T white sugar
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 Knorr Vegetarian Bouillon Cube

Directions:

Toast the vegetarian patties in toaster oven for 12 minutes on 400°F. Cool. Slice each patty to half thickness (making two circles), and then cut each circle in 6 strips (one horizontal and two vertical cuts).

Boil 6 cups of water.  Add the broccoli, bring the water back to a boil, and continue boiling for another 2 minutes.  Drain the boiled broccoli and place in an ice water bath until the broccoli is cooled.  Drain the broccoli again and set aside.

Combine the Marinade ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine the Spices ingredients in a small bowl.  Combine the Sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Add the sliced patties to the Marinade, and mix to coat evenly.

Heat 2 T of cooking oil in a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat.  Stir-fry the scrambled eggs in the oil for 1 minute.  Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside.

Heat another 2 T of cooking oil in the pan on medium-high heat.  Stir-fry the noodles until soft.  Remove the noodles from the pan and set aside.

Heat another 4 T of cooking oil in the pan on medium-high heat.   Add the Spices to the pan and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add the toasted marinaded patty slices, boiled broccoli, and scrambled eggs to the pan, and stir to mix.  Add the Sauce, and stir to coat evenly.  Add the noodles.  Stir to coat evenly, and continue stir-frying for 2 minutes.

Remove from the pan and add fresh bean sprouts as garnish.

Ingredients

1 pack angel hair pasta

12 sun dried tomatoes, cut in half

10 olives, sliced

2 T capers, drained

1 jar Alfredo sauce

2 cups of fresh spinach leaves

Boil the pasta as instructed on the package. Prior to draining, reserve one ladle of the cooking liquid.

Stir-fry the spinach leaves in 2 T of cooking oil on medium heat until wilted.  Drain,

Combine the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, olives, spinach, alfredo sauce,reserved cooking liquid, and pasta in a large container.  Stir to combine well..

When eating eggplant parmesan, I find myself wanting a mild, healthy vegetable and carb accompaniment to balance the tart flavor of tomato sauce and richness of the breading.  This dish perfectly fits the bill.  It’s full of flavor and yet light.  It can be served hot as a meal in itself, or cold as a side.  Or if, you’re like me, it can be gobbled up during a midnight snack attack.

Ingredients:

• 3 bell peppers (combination of green,  yellow, red, and/or orange) chopped in ½″ sq pieces
• 2 yellow onions, chopped in ½″ sq pieces
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends cut off, chopped into 2″ pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, heads & butts chopped off, lightly smashed, peel removed
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1 T salt
• 16 oz angel hair pasta or spaghetti
• ½ Seitan-O-Greatness log, cut in 1 inch strips
• ½ c black olives, sliced
• 1 T capers
• ½ c parmesan, shredded (optional)

Instructions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain, rinse, and set aside.

Put the chopped peppers, garlic cloves, onions, and asparagus in a large zip lock bag.  Pour in the olive oil and salt.  Zip the bag closed and massage it to coat the veggies well. Place the veggies in a crowded, single layer on a baking sheet. Bake them for 15 minutes at 400^oF. Turn the pieces over with a spatula (if the pieces in the corner are burning, move them to center), put the pan back in the oven, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until they are wilted, browned on the edges, and bubbling in their own juice.  Take the veggies out of the oven.

Mix the veggies with the pasta, sliced olives, capers, and sliced seitan.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add the parmesan if desired.

My favorite pasta sauce without a doubt has always been vodka cream sauce.  It’s got that perfect balance between tart and creamy.  So it became an imperative mission of mine to figure out how to make it.  Luckily it didn’t take too many tries (30, 40, who’s keeping count?).  This is our recipe, which is slightly modified from Rachel Ray’s recipe.  We felt it needed a meaty component to it, and found that Seitan-O-Greatness completed the dish perfectly.

Ingredients

• 16 oz penne
• 2 T salt
• ½ Seitan-O-Greatness log, cut in 1 inch strips
• 1 (28-oz) can whole plum tomatoes
• 2 T butter
• 3 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ t red pepper flakes
• 1/3 c vodka
• 1 Knorr vegetarian bullion cube
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for topping

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook as the label directs. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain the pasta. Empty the tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hands.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the vodka, tomatoes and bullion. Return the skillet to medium heat and simmer, stirring often, until the alcohol cooks off, about 7 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and basil.

Add the pasta and the sliced seitan to the sauce and toss to combine, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. Salt to taste. Serve topped with more parmesan and basil.

Mu Shu Vegetables is one of my go-to Chinese-restaurant selections.  Always puts a smile on my face when I see it on a menu.  Can’t resist that sweet and tangy hoisen flavor and the healthy veggie goodness.  But I do miss the meaty flavor in the restaurant dishes.  And who has time to make those paper thin pancakes at home?  Fret not, noodles to the rescue! (said with superman music in the background). Below is our vegetarian adaptation of Wei-Chuan’s Noodle Cookbook Mu-Shu Pork recipe.  It has an added ginger hoisen kick for our fellow mu shu lovers.

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Chinese Mu Shu Vegetarian Pork Noodles

Mu Shu Vegetables is one of our go-to Chinese-restaurant selections. Our vegetarian adaptation has an added ginger hoisen kick for our fellow mu shu lovers.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 7 oz of MorningStar Sausage Patties
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 T grated ginger
• 2 bunches green onion
• 1 carrot jullienned
• 3 oz canned julienned bamboo shoots
• 6 oz frozen chopped spinach defrosted, drained, and moisture squeezed out (fresh spinach is also okay).
• 2 lbs cooked pancit or yakisoba noodles

Marinade:

• 2 T veggie oil
• 1 t soy sauce
• 2 t rice wine
• 1 t sugar
• ¼ t salt
• ¼ t pepper

Sauce:

• ½ c boiling water
• 1 vegetable bullion cube
• 3 T soy sauce
• 2 t cooking wine
• ½ t salt
• ½ t sesame oil
• 3 T hoisen sauce

Instructions

Instructions:

• Toast the sausage patties in the oven for 12 minutes on 400°F.  Cool.  Slice each patty to half thickness (making two circles), and then cut each circle in 8 strips (one horizontal and four vertical).
• Combine the Marinade ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine the Sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Add the sliced patties to the Marinade and mix to coat evenly.
• Stir fry the beaten eggs in 2 T of veggie oil.  Set the cooked egg aside.
• Stir fry ginger and green onion in 3 T of veggie oil for 30 seconds.  Add in the carrot, marinated sausage, bamboo, and spinach in that order.  Then stir in the noodle, egg, and Sauce.  Mix well and heat thoroughly.