Vegan Japchae!

Japchae (잡채) is one of my favorite Korean dishes.  It's main ingredient is Dangmyoen (당면) a clear, glass noodle usually made from sweet potato starch.  Japchae is often accompanies other dishes, like Korean BBQ, however Chris and I make it our main meal sometimes.  Japchae has noodles, vegetables, and often beef, but as a vegetarian we put a Vegan twist on this receipe and use tofu. (I wanted to try Tempeh, since it's much better for you than tofu, but unfortunately the grocery store I had to stop by last minute didn't have it so we used tofu.)  Now feel free to do your own research and search Japchae recipes, ours is a pretty simple one.  Also, since we live on a budget, we don't use fancy mushrooms and such, but if you can afford it I'd imagine it'd add some great flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot 
• 1 bunch of spinach 
• 6 mushrooms 
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 package of firm tofu
• 2 teaspoon of Seasame Oil

Sauce for the Japchae:

1/4 cup of Soy Sauce (I recommend a Korean brand)

1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar (firmly packed, and we used Coconut Brown Sugar and it worked out great)

Here are the directions for the recipe.  We got this Japchae recipe from Chow.com.  I've tweaked the recipe a bit to include our specific ingredients.  

1. Bring a large saucepan of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles, stir to separate them, and boil until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Using scissors, cut the noodles into 6- to 8-inch lengths. With the noodles still in the colander, drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil and toss to coat; set aside.
2. Mix the soy sauce and sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved; set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots have softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes.
4. Increase the heat to medium high. Add the spinach and, using tongs, toss to combine. Let cook until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Add the reserved noodles and soy sauce mixture and toss until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Now tasty, wonderful, VEGAN Japchae is all yours to devour!

Veggie Tacos

Chris has made these delicious tacos for countless meals because we never get tired of them.  Before we were Vegetarians we would often have this same recipe, but with chicken or carne asada.  We actually discovered after switching to the veggie lifestyle that the tacos were better without meat.  I sound like a bit of a food snob, but Chris and I would say that without the meat in the tacos there are more complex flavors--the cilantro, avocados, tomatoes, beans, onions.  Each flavor pops, where with meat these flavors are often overtaken.

So the way Chris makes these tacos are: homemade guacamole, sautéed onions, pinto beans, rice with cilantro, and Cotija cheese.  If you're a vegan or want to go vegan for this meal just leave the cheese off and you've got a completely guilt free meal.

A Sunny Fall Weekend

It's been several weeks since I've had the time and energy to blog.  So without further ado, I wanted to chronicle two mini-adventures Chris and I had two weekends ago.

On Saturday we headed out to the Japanese Gardens with my parents.  It's been an incredible fall in Portland and the sun certainly highlighted the garden's colors.  If you're ever in the Portland area, the Japanese Garden is a must.  It's especially lovely if you can go on an "off time" where you'll have less people and more calm.  There are a variety of gardens that each has its own style, but all of them are natural and tranquil.

Here are a few photos Chris took for your enjoyment:

On Sunday Chris and I went to one of our favorite towns--Hood River.  It was a gorgeous day and we spent a lovely afternoon driving around the Fruit Loop and visiting the Alpacas.  For those of you who don't know about the Fruit Loop, it is a wonderful place.  It's pretty much a 35 mile "loop" of farms in Hood River.  Tons of produce, lavender, wool, wine, etc.  It's just a beautiful slice of heaven.

Downtown Hood River has great restaurants, shops, and cafes.  Chris and I went to Full Sail Brewery for lunch and I had the best burger ever.  It was a veggie burger, and comparing it to either a veggie or meat burger doesn't matter because this burger was better than them all.  I had the Tempeh Veggie Burger (make sure you get it "Full Sail Style."  So if you're ever in the area, try it out!  Even if you don't usually have veggie burgers, trust me on this one, you're going to love it.

...drumroll....
Alpaca Photos!!!