• ~15 ounces of soba noodles or whole wheat pasta*
• 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
• 1 bunch of asparagus, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (lightly toast them in a dry skillet or buy toasted seeds)
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/4 low sodium soy sauce*
• 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce (or other hot sauce or chili flakes, adjust amount based on desired spice level)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp aji-mirin (rice wine), optional

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. In the last minute of cooking, add the broccoli and asparagus to the pot. When finished cooking, drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking and rinse away the starch that makes the noodles stick together.
2. In a large bowl, toss the noodle mixture with the carrots, sesame seeds, and green onions.
3. Make the sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and aji-mirin. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

*Gluten free: This dish can be made gluten free by substituting rice or other gluten free noodles and using a gluten free tamari (soy sauce). If using full-sodium soy sauce, reduce the amount by 1/4 to 1/2 (down to 2-3 tablespoons).

I am a huge fan of garlic and frequently come up with meal ideas centered around that main ingredient. Sometimes that means simple sauteed greens. Other times it is a more complex dish with lots of different layers of flavor. This meal was of the latter type and I LOVED how these flavors all came together. It is sweet, savory, smokey, and just a tiny bit spicy all at once.This is an enjoy-with-a-glass-of-wine kind of meal!


Polenta
4 cups of water
1 cup of polenta
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1 tbsp margarine (I use organic Earth Balance)
Olive oil

1. Heat the water and salt to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, slowly add the polenta. Reduce the heat to medium, add the margarine and liquid smoke, and stir continuously until very thick.
2. Pour mixture into an 8x8 inch (or similar size) pan lined with parchment paper. Let cool completely (can be refrigerated to speed this up). Once cool, remove from the pan by lifting the parchment paper. Cut into roughly 2-inch squares.
3. Lightly coat (or spray) a skillet or griddle with olive oil. Heat over medium heat then fry the polenta squares until lightly browned on each side.

Ratatouille
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 zucchinis (courgettes), chopped
1-2 cups chopped eggplant (aubergine)
1/2 - 1 red bell pepper, chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Vegan tempeh "sausage" (see recipe below)
Chopped fresh basil

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for several minutes- until the onions begin to brown. Add zucchini (courgette), eggplant (aubergine), and bell peppers. Cook until they begin to soften and the zucchini is lightly browned in places. Add chopped tomatoes and dried herbs and cook for a few minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the tempeh sausage.

Vegan Tempeh "Sausage"
1 tbsp olive oil
1 package of tempeh of your choice, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust amount if you would like it to be more/less spicy)
1-2 tsp Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh and saute until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and remaining ingredients, except the Bragg's aminos. Saute until the garlic is lightly brown. Sprinkle the Bragg's aminos over the tempeh (it is VERY salty, so start with less and add more if necessary!). Cook for a minute or two more then remove from heat.

To serve: Place two squares of polenta on a plate then top with ratatouille/sausage mixture. Sprinkle fresh basil over the top.

I will occasionally be republishing old posts from Allibrew because I think they are helpful or they contain a message that I want to share here. I'll start with one of my very first reflections on blogging from way back in 2005!

Cultivating Life
(Originally published Feb 26, 2005)

As I was sowing seeds for my garden today, I was reflecting on the metaphor that it presented. As I carefully and delicately placed the seeds in the soil, I was imagining the future of the garden. How could these tiny seeds become a vegetarian bounty to share with friends and family? How fantastic it is that the plants that will grow from these seeds will produce so much more these little flecks! Without soil, water, sunlight, and maybe a little love, the garden would never come to be. Now that they have been planted, the seeds have a new beginning today. They will carry forward their genetics and they will become plants as healthy as the ones that they came from and a product of their new and ever-changing environment.

Somewhere, in the midst of my reflection, it occurred to me that my blog is following a similar path. There are tiny seeds of contemplation dwelling in my soul. Holding onto these thoughts creates a quiet fear of losing them. It is as though they become something valuable and necessary as soon as they arise. With this blog as my plot, I’m able to plant the seeds and alleviate the subtle urgency to free them. I am, no doubt, tempted to reach into the past to attempt the retrieval of ideas gone by. Some of them are free floating in the back of my mind but they change shape and completely lose their magic when I try to bring them forward. Others are actually captured in the volumes of my old journals.

Recently, thinking that I had a beautiful story hidden in my past, I scoured my treasured journals. One journal, in particular, was my travel companion everywhere that I went in 1992 and 1993. Recalling some of the magnificent prose that I had captured in these things that I once held so dear, I went on a hunt for the contents of my first book. What I discovered was that they held nothing more than the average story of a mystified girl.

When I put the journals back in the box where I keep them, I also let go of the assignment that I was holding over my own head- no book is contained in those pages. They hold only chapters that provide proof that I hadn’t captured what mattered to me. I guess that’s my blog resolution of sorts- to connect to me and to document my exploration. Bon voyage!

Being the label-reading food nerd that I am, I found some of the tags to be more helpful than others. For example, "Gluten Free", "Organic", and "Good Source of Calcium" were more useful than the mysterious "Made with Whole Grains" or "Natural". It would be great to also see labels for "Vegan", "Vegetarian", "Good Source of Iron", or "Good Source of Protein" (I didn't notice any of those in my store).

All in all, I think this is a very positive addition to our grocery store shelves. I'm all for bringing light to the contents of our food. Anything that gets the attention of consumers who usually don't consider nutritional value when selecting products is a good thing!


The folks at the SimpleNutrition program provided me with two $25 gift cards to give away to you!

TO ENTER: Please leave a comment on this post telling me whether you read labels when you shop or if you base your purchases on something else.

The fine print: Two winners will be chosen via random drawing. Each winner will receive one $25 gift card that is good at Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Genuardi's, Dominick's, Carrs, Randalls, and Tom Thumb. Contest ends Wednesday March 30th at 11:59pm PDT. Winner will be announced on Thursday the 31st.

Good luck!!