Vegan Recipe - Shiitake & Soba Noodle Bowl

What if you could prepare a meal that is delicious, healthy and Eco-friendly? Sounds like the perfect scenario, doesn't it? Well, good news ... it's absolutely doable! We know about foods that are delicious and healthy but ... how does one make their meal "green"? Easy ... make it meatless. Plant-based foods take far fewer natural resources to produce than animal-based foods. With recipes like the one we're going to share today, you won't be thinking "vegan" ... you'll just be thinking "mmmmm".

Please meet Justin Fox Burks, the author (and brilliant photographer) behind The Chubby Vegetarian. There's so much to love about The Chubby Vegetarian ... "seriously-make-you-drool" photography, great articles on such things as making vegetarian sushi, and, of course, recipes. Justin's recipes aren't "run of the mill" ... nope ... you'll find exotic dishes such as:

• Vegetarian Kimchi + Korean BBQ Sliders
• Vegetarian Pad Thai
• Socca Stuffed With Creamed Arugula & Topped with Artichoke & Pine Nut Ragout
• Baked Lemongrass Tofu + Coconut Jasmine Rice

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine too!

Justin has very kindly agreed to share one of his recipes with us. I hope you will enjoy it!

Shiitake + Soba Noodle Bowl (for one):

Pan-Asian Broth*
Soba Noodles (enough for one)

1 carrot (shredded using a juilenne peeler)

1/2 cup broccoli florets

prepared shiitake mushrooms**

chives

hot sauce (like La-Yu)

soy sauce (or Braggs)

Bring your broth up to a roiling boil. Cook the carrots in the broth until just tender. This will take about 30 seconds to a minute. Using a spyder, fish the carrots out of the broth; repeat the same process with the broccoli, and then cook the noodles in the broth until tender. Remove the noodles from the broth and reserve the broth.

Place the noodles in a bowl. Top on one side with carrots, the other side with broccoli, and in the center, add the mushrooms. Pour about a cup and a half of the hot broth over the noodle bowl. Garnish the dish with chives, hot sauce, and a little soy sauce.

*For the Pan-Asian Broth:

3 cups good vegetable broth

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

splash of rice vinegar

splash of soy sauce

splash of mirin

Combine all ingredients in a pot.

**For the mushrooms:

5-6 shiitake mushroom caps (sliced into thirds)

1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

pinch of smoked salt

splash of soy sauce (or Braggs)

splash of mirin

Turn on your vent hood -- this recipe creates a bit of smoke! Heat a medium-sized pan over high heat and add the sesame oil. Once the oil starts to smoke, throw the mushrooms in and toss them around. Allow them to cook for about a minute before removing the pan from the heat. Add the smoked salt, soy and mirin. Set mushrooms aside.


I'd like to thank Justin for sharing this fabulous recipe with Reduce Footprints.

For all of the recipes that we've posted on this blog, please click HERE or use the tab at the top of the page. If you have a vegan recipe which you'd like to share, please send it to me HERE. And stay tuned for more recipes ... we post them on the first Friday of each month.