Garlic Lime Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are a fave around here (and a nice change from taco night). This has become a favorite weeknight meal. Ginger and garlic tempeh rice, folded into lime-spiked lettuce wraps with lots of herbs, cucumber, and carrots. It's a one-pan meal that comes together in no time!

A couple of tips related to this recipe. If you find a tempeh brand you like, buy it in multiples. It freezes really well. And, I like to make this with brown rice that I've blended with other grains - like a little bit of millet, and quinoa. But, brown jasmine rice on it's own is also A+!

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Japanese Noodle Masters share Ramen and Soba Techniques

Whenever I'm in Japan, I like to stop and watch the noodle makers. On occasion, you'll come across someone hand-making soba noodles and the process is spell-binding to observe. The Italian grandmas making pasta got such a positive response, I thought it would be fun to follow that up with a selection of videos highlighting Japanese noodle masters making beautiful soba, ramen, and udon noodles. The photo, above, is from the last time I was in Tokyo, we rode the train from to the coastal town of Kamakura, strolled around a bit, and came across this soba maker. You could observe the soba being made as you wait in line outside the tiny shop. Enjoy the videos! -h

1. Soba start to Finish
Not all of the videos on this list show the dough making process, AND the rolling out process, but chef Shuji Ozeki does. And(!) the cooking. Triple threat.

2. Soba in Hokkaido
The video of soba master Tatsuru Rai from Niseko, Hokkaido. Completely hypnotizing.

3. Ramen
Ivan Orkin makes (and talks) ramen here. The most interesting part to me is the wonderful blend of flours he uses in his dough, for example, toasted rye.

4. Somen Noodle Factory
The footage here is incredible. A ten minute look at the two day process the Akagi fmaily takes to make and dry somen noodles.

5. Soba in Hokkaido
A great video of local chef Syuji Konishi working at his soba restaurant, Soba-no-mi. I never get tired of the moment when they take the special soba knife and cut incredibly precise noodles - seems impossible.

6. Peaceful Cuisine Soba
I'm a fan of the Peaceful Cuisine channel, and you'll get a sense of why through this video. Soba, beautifully made in a home kitchen.

7. Traditional Noodle Making in Japan
More noodle factory footage, because I can't stop looking at it. Fascinating. And, the sun-drying!

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Broth Love - Nine Vegetable Broths that will Invigorate you from the Inside Out

My love for good broth is strong. And, now that we've rounded the corner into fall, I thought I'd follow up last week's blender soup recommendations, with a collection of invigorating, vegetable-based power broths. Key word here - power. I like a strong broth, and will argue that there are few things that can make you feel more revitalized than an good one. Nutrient-rich plant-based broths are great to have on hand, and there's no reason not to make XL batches to keep in the freezer. While they're incredible on their own, they're also nice to keep on hand for quick weeknight meals. You can always float a few dumplings, or stuffed pasta in a flavor-packed vegetable broth. Or, use one of these broths as the liquid called for in grains, risottos, or rice dishes. Enjoy! -h

1. Immunity Broth - (101 Cookbooks)
I'm going to kick this off with a favorite, a monster white pepper broth. White pepper with jolts of ginger, and stabs of garlic. I like it just shy of scalding, racing down my throat, sweeping through my sinuses in one boisterous, fragrant swoop. Get the recipe here.

2. Rebecca Katz's Magic Mineral Broth - (Rebecca Katz)
A beautiful master broth from Rebecca. Get the recipe here.

3. Homemade Vegetable Broth with Buckwheat Pancakes - (Dagmar's Kitchen)
I love love love this concept. Sonja takes a traditional brothy Austrian alpine soup and updates it with this veg-friendly version. A beautiful homemade vegetable broth hosts a tangle of buckwheat pancake strips. Get the recipe here.

4. Dragon Carrot Broth - (Hungry Ghost)
I came across this broth when I was writing this blended soup round-up, and it inspired this follow up post. The one you're reading. Andrea serendipitously comes across this broth after boiling vibrant dragon carrots (for a pie). The liquid remaining in the pot is what you see here. She brilliantly adds a bit of grated ginger, and magic happens - red dragon broth. More details here.

5. Green Curry Broth - (101 Cookbooks)
A beautiful, thin green curry broth, fragrant with garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. With heat from serrano chiles, and zings of tanginess on account of the fresh lime juice. Cumin and coriander seeds keep things grounded, and a flurry of freshly chopped herbs are there to make the sky open up. Get the recipe here.

6. Red Curry Lemongrass Broth - (Love & Lemons)
At first glance, you just know this is good. I use water in place of the vegetable stock called for, and adjust the amount of curry paste to my liking. Or, play around with a homemade curry paste here. Great jumping off point in general! Get the recipe here.

7. Gut-healing Vegetable Broth - (Wallflower Kitchen)
A vibrant, vegan alternative to all the bone broths out there. Keep all your vegetable trimmings throughout the week in a freezer bag, and make a big batch of this on a Sunday. Love that Aimee's broth is mushroom and seaweed boosted. Also(!) play around with the different dried mushrooms you use. They all lend a very distinct flavor and nutrient profile (or create your own blend!)Get the recipe here.

8. Ashley Neeses's Healing Broth - (Ashley Neese)
Ashley uses quite a long list of plants in this broth adding to its depth, and nutritional profile. Don't skip the brightening squeeze of lemon (lime) when serving! Get the recipe here.

9. Japanese Clear Onion Broth - (Living Chirpy)
A reminder of just how good a simple onion broth can be. Get the recipe here.

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Thirteen Great Blender Soups you can Make Tonight

Blender soups are great because, often, you just need a few ingredients. Start with one all-star, seasonal ingredient like winter squash, broccoli, tomato, or asparagus. Beyond that, perhaps an onion, some broth or water, some herbs or spices, boom - you've got what you need to make a beautiful, silky blended soup. A soup like this can come together in under fifteen minutes - you cook the aromatics, add the main vegetable with some broth or favored liquid, and let simmer until the vegetable(s) are cooked through. Then you go to town with more spices and toppings. I throw the term blender around loosely here. A hand blender is fine, and works great, particularly if you're one of those people who avoids dealing with a blender because of the clean-up. ;) A high-speed blender can give an extra smooth, beautiful texture, but I used an immersion hand blender for years, making soups like these, before taking the high-speed plunge. Still delicious.

1. A Simple Carrot Soup - (101 Cookbooks)
This simplest carrot soup! Carrots and onion form the base, it's spiked with dollop of red curry paste, and then pureed into silky oblivion. Get the recipe here.

2. Turmeric Carrot Ginger Soup with Coconut Almond Streusel - (Cheeky Kitchen)
If you're up for a more complex carrot soup, here's where it's at. Lemongrass, coconut, ginger, garlic, and tahini come together in this beauty. it's a blended carrot soup with a coco-almond streusel topping. Right? Get the recipe here.

3. Alkalizing Green Soup - (101 Cookbooks)
Ten ingredients in a blender, this soup is a potent jolt of alkalizing vegetables and herbs, made with a protein-rich split green pea base. This is great when you need an anti-dote to and overly indulgent week. Get the recipe here.

4. Stinging Nettle and Spring Garlic Soup - (Hungry Ghost)
With their abundant vitamins and minerals, I'm always looking for ways to work more nettles into my diet. Andrea always inspires, and this is the perfect soup for springtime or if you come across nettles at the market (or out on a hike!). Use a veg broth if you'd like to keep it vegetarian / vegan. Get the recipe here.

5. Roasted Tomato Soup - (Sprouted Kitchen)
When you've had your fill of the seasons best fresh tomatoes, and when you're ready to transition into fall, this is the soup to make. You still want to use great tomatoes, and you can easily make this vegan by using coconut milk or a thick nut milk in place of the heavy cream called for. Get the recipe here.

6. Julie Morris's Cumin Beet Soup - (Julie Morris / Jenni Kayne)
From Julie's Superfood Soups book, this vibrant blended stunner includes power ingredients like cumin, turmeric, and maca. It has a coconut milk base, nut milks will work as well. Get the recipe here.

7. Cauliflower Soup with Lemon Zest - (The Thinking CAP)
Sometimes simple is best, and that what you see here. A recipe by nutritionist Dana James strong on the cauliflower front, with a hint of lemon. Five ingredients (aside from water, salt). Get the recipe here.

8. Warm Almond, Garlic, and Parsnip Soup - (Green Kitchen Stories)
A (remote) riff on Spanish gazpacho. I love the use of underutilized parsnips here, and the red grape and thyme finish. Get the recipe here.

9. Broccoli Cheddar Soup - (101 Cookbooks)
I love the combination of broccoli, mustard, and Cheddar here. Get the recipe here.

10. Pumpkin and Rice Soups - (Local Milk)
Brilliant use of smoked salt here adding depth to a winter squash and apple blended soup base. Also, an herby kiss of fresh time counters the natural sweetness here. To make this vegan, swap in your favorite non-dairy milk for the cream - a thick homemade cashew nut milk works great - (1 cup soaked nuts blended w/ two nuts, strained). Get the recipe here.

11. Coconut Broccoli Soup - (101 Cookbooks)
A simple broccoli and spinach affair, made with coconut milk broth, double greens (broccoli & spinach), and topped with good stuff like pan-fried tofu cubes, lots of toasted almonds, and shredded scallions. Get the recipe here.

12. A Simple Asparagus Soup - (101 Cookbooks)
Spiked with a dollop of green curry paste, this is a springtime favorite. Just a handful of ingredients, and you can use cashew nut or almond milk in place of the coconut milk if you like. Get the recipe here.

13. Pumpkin and Rice Soups - (101 Cookbooks)
Ginger-spiked pumpkin (or winter squash) soup. It calls for fresh ginger juice, pressed from grated ginger, and a kiss of serrano chile. Just a short list of ingredients come together beautifully here. Get the recipe here.

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Smashed Sweet Potato Tacos

This is a quick write-up of the color fantastic tacos we had for lunch recently. So simple, so good! Homemade tortillas (worth the effort) get slathered with a layer of roasted, smashed sweet potatoes which are topped with a sprinkling of black beans. From there it's all about the extra toppings like sliced avocado, quick pickled red onions and/or serrano chiles, and a bit of cheese - I used Bulgarian feta, but cotija would be good, or skip it altogether if you're vegan. A squeeze of lime, and some sliced scallions are the finishing touch!

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