BUDDHA'S FAVORITE

Guest post by Lena Novak Hive account@lenasveganliving

Truly delicious recipe inspired by Alicia Silverstone’s Kind Diet. One of my first vegan books, Kind Diet gave me a new outlook not only on cooking, but on vegan living overall. I was already vegan at that time, but it was in very early stages. This book got me really excited about the new way of being, which is simply being kind to myself, to the planet and of course to other living beings, without giving up the pleasure of eating tasty food. Quite contraire, the vegan cuisine is not only the healthiest, but also more fun, creative, colorful and savory.

In addition to that, I also found Alicia’s advice on macrobiotic diet very appealing. Since I always loved Japanese food and so does my daughter, we got really excited and we went to an Asian supermarket right away. We got everything Alicia suggested, Udon Noodles, Mirin, Miso, Shoyu, sesame seed oil, Wakame, Nori, just to name a few.

It took a few tries before I completed this final recipe. The original version is made with tofu, which is the ideal way to make macrobiotic dish, but when I discovered mock meat made of soy and Shiitake mushrooms, I could not resist using that instead. This way is not macrobiotic anymore, but is a real party treat if you have people over, especially if they’re not vegan. I was helping my friend in Montreal with vegan catering business and we made this dish for a birthday party and everybody were absolutely blown away, especially the people who were not vegan. I really hope you will love it equally, but if you prefer the macrobiotic version then it is also very yummy.

INGREDIENTS:

• Meat substitute of your choice or firm tofu

• Buckwheat Udon Noodles 1 package

• Broccoli large (small pieces)

• Carrots sliced 2 small

• Snow Peas 1cup

• Bean Sprouts 100gr

• Scallion for garnish

• Baby Bok Choy 4 (sautéed or steamed with garlic and salt )

• Oil ¼ cup

• Black sesame seeds 2tsp

MARINADE: (leave half of the marinade to add later while sautéing )

• Sesame seed oil ¼ cup

• Mirin ¼ cup (Japanese cooking wine)

• Rice Vinegar ¼ cup

• Tamari or Shoyu ¼ cup

• Miso ¼ cup

• Garlic minced (4 cloves)

• Ginger minced ¼ cup

• Maple syrup 1 tbsp

Mix thoroughly everything in a bowl, possibly with a whisk.

PROCESS:

• Marinate the meat substitute or tofu over night

• If you’re using tofu, then cut them to a medium size squares

• Boil the noodles by following the cooking instructions on the package. When ready, rinse them under the cold water and set them aside in the strainer. Make sure you don’t overcook, it is actually better if slightly you undercook, since you will be sautéing them for few seconds

• Bring the oil to heat and sauté the meat substitute or tofu for 1 min and add the noodles

• Keep adding the sauce as need it

• Add the broccoli and carrot first, snow peas little bit later and the sprout at the end

• Take it from the heat and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and green onions

For the best results, sauté maximum two portions at the time, otherwise it gets mushy.

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