Category Archives: Soups

Ash Reshteh Persian Noodle Soup with Vegan Saffron Macadamia Cream

vegan ash reshteh

Dear readers, I’m excited to post my first recipe since I started working as a vegan chef at Dropbox. Truth is ever since I moved to San Francisco, the dramatic change has taken me time to adjust and get into a routine to make time for blogging among a few other things. I want to commit to share all the delicious things I am learning and creating at work. Everyday every recipe has to be different and that is one of the amazing challenges I love from work. Today I made a Persian noodle soup called Ash Reshteh. Ash is a thick soup and Reshteh is a type of noodle similar to linguini but thinner. At work I just used udon noodles but you can use any similar type of noodle. This soup consists of beans, spinach, and lots of herbs. At work I added roasted carrots and summer squashes and smeared the cream along the side of the bowl, but you don’t have to put extra veggies if you don’t want.

Ingredients | Serves 4-6

Ash Reshteh

3 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 cilantro bunches; separate leaves for garnish and mince stems
2 parsley bunches, mince leaves, stems, keep separate
3 tsp turmeric
3 tsp Ras El Hanout or Garam Masala
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
2 cup kidney beans, cooked
1 cup lentils, cooked
2 lbs baby spinach leaves
1/2 pasta: Reshteh noodles, linguini, udon, vermicelli…your fave…
mint leaves for garnish
chives for garnish

Macadamia Saffron Cream

1/2 cup soaked macadamias(unroasted, soaked for 15 minutes)
a pinch of saffron
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup water or more
1 tsp salt
Sauté onions until translucent and add garlic, parsley and cilantro stems. Cook until onions caramelize (brown). Add turmeric, ras el hanout, chickpeas, red beans, and lentils. Sauté for a few minutes together and add 2 qts (8 cups) of water, bring to a boil for 3 minutes and simmer until beans are cooked.
Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to boil for your desired noodles and cook according to package. Cook al dente and run them under cold water so the heat doesn’t carry off to over cook them. Place in a bowl and add olive oil so they don’t stick.
Stir your bean soup and add spinach and parsley. You might have to add the spinach in small bunches to allow the first batch to wilt. Cook soup for another 15 minutes on low heat and turn off.

For the vegan saffron cream, soak saffron threads in 1 cup of warm water for 10 minutes. Place your soaked macadamias in the blender, add the apple cider vinegar, salt and saffron water. Turn your blender on low and gradually turn up to a higher speed. If the blades don’t move add 1/2 cup water gradually until you have a smooth creamy paste.

Place noodles in bowls and pour the hot bean soup on top. Add mint, cilantro, chives and the saffron cream. A super simple version that is also delicious, is just the cilantro on top which is how I made it at home. 🙂

ash reshteh

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and hopefully understand the directions. Please comment if you have any questions or if I got typos :p (I gotta wake up early at 5am for work tomorrow so I must have a few that slipped). Hasta La Vista Baby!!!

Photo taken at by Brian Mattingly at Dropbox’s Headquarters
Heres my picture from my cell phone that I took at work. I didn’t get the best angle so excuse the poor photography and sloppy plating. 😛

Vietnamese Vegan Pho Soup

vegetarian vietnamese pho soup
It’s throw back thursday with a Vietnamese pho soup my friend and I would cook up after our long days of school in the Art Institute. Pho soup is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup typically cooked with spices, beef broth and topped with sprouts, fresh cilantro and Thai basil, but this beef-less version of it is so good, it will surely be a staple in your recipes for asian dishes. I was very lucky to have my vietnamese friend teach me this vegetarian version of it, because her family actually owned a vegetarian restaurant in Vietnam. where they made mouthwatering dishes with fake mock meats made out of tofu, seitan and soy. This soup is super versatile and if you don’t have all the ingredients, play around with different vegetables to create the vegetable broth, I’m always reinventing it and it’s still so delicious, gluten free and vegan! Oh yeah baby, let’s rock and roll in the kitchen!
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Purple Carrot, Havarti & Mushroom Soup

Purple Carrot, Havarti & Mushroom Soup

Purple Carrot, Havarti & Mushroom Soup

Weeelcome February! We have made it through the first month of the new 2015 year. It’s crazy to think how these numbers will continue to increase. What ever happened to the 90’s? I remember when I was a kid, I asked an older dear friend, Ramai, what year came after 1999? He laughed and laughed…till this day we still joke about it…eventually I found out that the 2000’s were going to predominate. So we are in February 2015 and this is an exciting month for me, for when the days of winter seem endless, bright and warm sunny days bring back the air of summer. As it makes a bridge towards planting March lets not also forget the joys of February is to remind others how much we love and care about them. So with this warm and creamy soup I enthusiastically welcome this month of sharing, hope, and love.

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Broccoli and Almond Soup

Broccoli & Almond Soup

Broccoli Delight!

This creamy broccoli and almond soup is one of my favorite soups that is delightful and very healthy. I was recently in San Diego and stayed at a dear girlfriend’s house, she is a beautiful mother, great cook & cancer survivor. I was telling her about this soup that is convenient to make if you are in a hurry, feeling tired, or in need of magical power for your brain 🙂 this dish is perfect for creating a delicious and nutritious soup! A bonus to it is: that it’s creamy from the roasted almonds and cauliflower…. oh yeah!!! Continue reading

Simple Khichuri

Khichuri | The Vegetarian Blog Khichuri from The Vegetarian Blogkichuri3
This dish is one of my favorite Indian courses that I grew up with. And personally, the best individual that ever made this dish was Sanatani’s husband, Sruta, who was a beloved member of the ashram and another dear father and mentor to me. He recently passed away from liver cancer and although his death has been a hard thing to go through, I can say that with family, friends and time, it has definitely helped with the understanding of moving forward, and healing. Khichuri will always be a loving memory of his favorite meals to cook, therefore it has a warming comfort for my heart. My khichuri is a humble version of his.

Khichuri

3/4 cup basmati rice; washed, drained, dried
1 cup yellow split moong dal
1 inch ginger, minced
2 small tomatoes
1 or 2 red chilies (or more if you like it hot!)
1/2 tsp of tumeric powder
1 tsp of paprika
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 cinnamon stick
3 green cardamom
3 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1/4 tsp of fennel
5 cups of water
½ tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 cup of frozen green peas

In a pot, heat ghee or oil and fry the chilies, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, mustard, fennel and bay leaf. The mustard and cumin seeds should crackle when frying.  Add the ginger, tumeric, paprika and hing and saute for 3 seconds, then add the tomatoes, stirring till they become soft. Add the rice and dal and saute for 2 minutes, carefully watching that the spices don’t burn. Pour 5 cups of water, stir and add salt. Cover and cook on medium for 30 minutes. Add green peas and keep cooking. If the pot keeps spilling over, just lower the flame. Check the consistency of  the khichuri and add water if needed. I like my khichuri to be porridge like, not too runny but not too thick, but you can cook it to your liking, just make sure that both rice and dal are thoroughly cooked. There are so many vegetables you can add, like potatoes and carrots. Sruta would add deep fried florets of cauliflower and paneer.

When your khicuri is done, sprinkle cilantro and plop a bit of yoghurt and squeeze some sriracha sauce or chutney. You can serve it with a roti, naan, pita bread or even tortillas (anything is good with a tortilla)!

Click on the following link to learn more about delicious Indian breads to enjoy with this Khichuri: http://www.gharanarestaurant.com/blog/indian-breads

 


 

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Pozole Rápido


Pozole Rápido

posole-layout_01posole-layout_02posole sauce & tomatoesposole-layout_04

This week has been all about the rain and no sun, and with all this windy and cold rain, there is nothing like having a warm bowl of soup in your lap to comfort the chilly weather. Pozole is a traditional mexican hominy soup that is very popular in weddings or quinceañeras, because of how quick and satisfying it is to make, yet very delectable. There are a few ways i make this soup, but considering the gray weather, i was feeling a bit lazy so this is my easy way of making Pozole (instead of roasting the chilies and making my own sauce), what can i say?? This is a very convenient recipe you can whip up if you’re in a hurry to get back under the covers and watch movies with a delicious bowl to warm you all day. 😛

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