Vegan One-pot Ginger

A few weeks ago I found, hiding in a stash of to-make recipes, a magazine clipping featuring “better-than-takeout” udon noodles.

It had been torn from a Bon Appetit, and a note before the recipe intrigued me. It said: “You can easily make this vegetarian—omit the pork and sub in 8 oz. shiitake or crimini mushrooms.”

I loved this idea, and I happened to have mushrooms on hand because I had been making large batches of vegetarian chili .

I made the noodles that evening, and perhaps reasoning a pass through the food processor might mimic the texture of ground meat, but more likely because time was escaping, I pulsed the mushrooms a few times in my Cuisinart. A knob of ginger followed.

With a knife, I shredded a head of Savoy cabbage and chopped up a few scallions. I scoured the pantry for the seasonings, all of which I had on hand — soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil — and then for some sort of dried noodle. I found a bag of pad Thai rice noodles and went with it.

The entire dish came together incredibly quickly, and what’s more, it was delicious! And loaded with vegetables! And nicely spicy! And balanced! And completely satisfying!

Better than takeout indeed.

I’ve made the dish a number of times since with various noodles and modifications. It’s becoming a favorite for its ease, flavor, and adaptability. Hope you love it, too.

A Few Tips:

• Noodles: The original recipe calls for udon noodles, which I love for their chewiness, but which I can never find without making a trip to the Asian market. Ramen noodles, available everywhere, work beautifully, as do pad Thai noodles and likely many others. [ Note: I don’t love the waste factor when buying individual ramen packets … is there another way? ]
• Cabbage : If you can get your hands on Savoy or Napa, do it. They melt into the noodles in such a nice way. I also think you could substitute other greens such as Swiss chard, kale, or mustard greens. Most recently I made it with bok choy, thinly sliced, and I loved it.
• Mushrooms: I’ve been using cremini, because they are so low maintenance — no need to stem! — though I think shiitake would be delicious here. You could also add more than 10 oz. of mushrooms if you love them, and, of course, you can add other vegetables here, too.
• Sauce: The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup each mirin and soy sauce. I found it to be a touch sweet, so I’ve reduced the amount of mirin to 1/4 cup. That said, the dish may have been sweet because of the heap of cabbage. I encourage you to make it once, and adapt it to your liking.

How to Make One-Pot Ginger-Scallion Ramen Noodles

1. Gather your ingredients.
2. If you’re feeling lazy, pull out your food processor and pulse the mushrooms about 8 times. Don’t clean it. Then purée a knob of ginger till it’s finely minced. You definitely can chop by hand if you don’t have a food processor.
3. Chop a head of cabbage — I like Savoy for its softness — and place it in a colander.
4. Open up two packages of ramen noodles, any flavor, and discard the seasoning packet. Cook noodles for 1 minute.
5. Drain over the cabbage.
6. Sauté the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil.
7. Add ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, and the cabbage and noodles.
8. Add mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, and sesame seeds. Toss and serve!

Description

Adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe.

Notes:

Mushrooms: If you love mushrooms, I think you could get away with using even more here because they, like cabbage, shrink down so much.

Other vegetables: This recipe can be adapted to what you like or have on hand. I love draining noodles over things like cabbage and dark leafy greens to soften them just slightly. If you want to add carrots, sweet potato, or other harder vegetables, you could shred them in the food processor to ensure they cook quickly.

• 1 small head cabbage, preferably Savoy or Napa (for their softness)
• 2 packages (3-0z each) Ramen noodles, any variety, seasoning packet discarded
• 10 ounces Cremini (or other) mushrooms, see notes above
• 1 small knob ginger, about an inch long, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• hot sauce, such as Sriracha, for serving

1. Fill a large, wide sauté pan or Dutch oven with water and bring to a simmer. (I use a wide sauté pan to make this a one-pot endeavor, but you could also simply use a small saucepan to boil the noodles and then a separate large sauté pan to sauté everything together. Cleanup will still be minimal.)
2. Cut the cabbage in half through the core and then again through the core to make quarters. Cut out the core and discard. Shred the remaining leaves finely. Depending on the size of your cabbage, you may chose to use all or part of the cabbage. Keep in mind cabbage shrinks considerably — I’ve been using 3/4 to a whole head every time . It’s about 8 cups. Place the cabbage in a colander, and place in the sink.
3. Add the ramen noodles to the simmering water and cook for 30 seconds. They won’t be fully cooked. Drain over the cabbage, being careful the noodles don’t slip over the sides. Keep colander in sink. Reserve your pan.
4. Meanwhile: chop the mushrooms. I’ve been using my food processor: 8 to 10 quick pulses. Transfer to a bowl —don’t wash the processor. Add the knob of ginger to the processor and purée until fine, scraping down once and processing once more.
5. Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your reserved sauté pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with a pinch of kosher salt, stir. Let cook undisturbed for 1 minute, then stir and continue to cook at medium-high heat until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Add the ginger and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the pan, and stir to combine. Add the reserved noodles and cabbage. Add the mirin and soy sauce. Use tongs to stir and combine.
7. Add the scallions, sesame seeds, and sesame oil, and using tongs again, stir to combine.
8. Serve immediately, passing hot sauce of choice on the side.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Noodles
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Asian

Description

Adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe.

Notes:

Mushrooms: If you love mushrooms, I think you could get away with using even more here because they, like cabbage, shrink down so much.

Other vegetables: This recipe can be adapted to what you like or have on hand. I love draining noodles over things like cabbage and dark leafy greens to soften them just slightly. If you want to add carrots, sweet potato, or other harder vegetables, you could shred them in the food processor to ensure they cook quickly.

• 1 small head cabbage, preferably Savoy or Napa (for their softness)
• 2 packages (3-0z each) Ramen noodles, any variety, seasoning packet discarded
• 10 ounces Cremini (or other) mushrooms, see notes above
• 1 small knob ginger, about an inch long, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• hot sauce, such as Sriracha, for serving

1. Fill a large, wide sauté pan or Dutch oven with water and bring to a simmer. (I use a wide sauté pan to make this a one-pot endeavor, but you could also simply use a small saucepan to boil the noodles and then a separate large sauté pan to sauté everything together. Cleanup will still be minimal.)
2. Cut the cabbage in half through the core and then again through the core to make quarters. Cut out the core and discard. Shred the remaining leaves finely. Depending on the size of your cabbage, you may chose to use all or part of the cabbage. Keep in mind cabbage shrinks considerably — I’ve been using 3/4 to a whole head every time . It’s about 8 cups. Place the cabbage in a colander, and place in the sink.
3. Add the ramen noodles to the simmering water and cook for 30 seconds. They won’t be fully cooked. Drain over the cabbage, being careful the noodles don’t slip over the sides. Keep colander in sink. Reserve your pan.
4. Meanwhile: chop the mushrooms. I’ve been using my food processor: 8 to 10 quick pulses. Transfer to a bowl —don’t wash the processor. Add the knob of ginger to the processor and purée until fine, scraping down once and processing once more.
5. Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your reserved sauté pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with a pinch of kosher salt, stir. Let cook undisturbed for 1 minute, then stir and continue to cook at medium-high heat until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Add the ginger and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the pan, and stir to combine. Add the reserved noodles and cabbage. Add the mirin and soy sauce. Use tongs to stir and combine.
7. Add the scallions, sesame seeds, and sesame oil, and using tongs again, stir to combine.
8. Serve immediately, passing hot sauce of choice on the side.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Noodles
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Asian

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2019/10/25/vegan-one-pot-ginger-scallion-ramen-noodles/

If words like fondant and crumb coat give you pause, but you like the idea of the occasional festive decorating project, you’re in luck. These owl cupcakes, recently featured on Cup of Jo , require neither a piping bag or tip nor a turn table or icing spatula.

I made them last week, and my children thought I was a hero. This is a very, very simple exercise, and it’s one little people can partake in without too much supervision.

Here, I’m using chocolate cupcakes and chocolate buttercream, but you really can use any kind of cupcake and frosting that you like. My son, lover of cream cheese frosting , finished his cupcake and said: “Next time, can we make snowy owls?”

Brilliant! Yes, yes we can.

** Update October 2021 ** Snowy Owls have materialized. I used my favorite one-bowl buttermilk birthday cake for these snowy owls along with the whipped cream-cream cheese frosting provided in the recipe. Huge hit.

Here’s What You Need:

• Oreos
• Candy : You need something orange for the nose, and something dark for the eyes. Reese’s Pieces or M&M’s or Jelly Beans are good options
• Cupcakes : vanilla or chocolate. Here, I’ve one-bowlified a Sally’s Baking Addiction chocolate cupcake recipe. It calls for buttermilk, oil, and natural cocoa powder (as opposed to Dutch-process), and the cupcakes are moist and delicious.
• Frosting . Here, I’ve made Ina Garten’s chocolate buttercream, omitting the egg yolk and coffee. As noted above, if you’re making snowy owls, use the cream cheese-whipped cream frosting provided in the recipe.

Here’s the one-bowl chocolate cupcake play-by-play: Place dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add the wet ingredients: buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and eggs. And stir to combine.

Portion into 14 cups — don’t try to cram the batter into 12 cups! It won’t bake properly.

Love this sort of clean up:

Let the cupcakes cool:

Whip up a batch of Ina Garten’s chocolate buttercream (or other):

Frost the cupcakes:

Top with halved oreos:

Complete the faces with eyes and noses.

Jelly Beans work, too!

6 More Fun, Easy Ideas over on Cup of Jo :

Description

Cupcake recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Buttercream from Barefoot Contessa At Home. I’ve simplified it here, omitting the egg yolk and coffee.

Owl Cupcakes from Cup of Jo (Find 6 more ideas over there, too!)

For the cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup ( 95g ) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ( 45g ) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup ( 100g ) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup ( 100g ) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
• 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable or canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the chocolate buttercream:

• 6 ounce s good semisweet chocolate — bars or chips
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted or salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup s ( 152 g ) confectioners’ sugar
• flaky sea salt such as Maldon

To make penguins:

• 14 Oreos
• 14 orange M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces or Jelly Beans (you need something orange)
• 28 chocolate chips or brown M&M’s or Reeses Pieces

1. Bake the cupcakes. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan plus two ramekins (or other similar vessel) with cupcake liners — don’t be tempted to spoon all the batter into 12 cups… the cupcakes won’t bake properly.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Add the buttermilk, oil, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Stir until just combined. The batter will be thin.
3. Pour or spoon the batter into the liners, being sure to fill only halfway. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
4. Make the frosting. To make the buttercream, chop the chocolate (or don’t if using chips) and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Alternatively: Melt in the microwave at 30 second to 1 minute intervals until spreadable.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides. Add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. On low speed, add the chocolate to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip. Sprinkle in a big pinch of sea salt. Mix to incorporate. Taste. Adjust with more salt to taste. Use immediately or chill until ready to use.
6. To make the owl cupcakes: Frost the cupcakes. Halve each Oreo: I find if you press the Oreos together and gently twist the halves apart, you’re more likely to get some white on each half — it doesn’t have to be perfect. Place two halves on top of each cupcake. Place a chocolate chip or

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American