Vegan Korean BBQ (Bulgogi) with Stirfried Burdock and Carrots

Wow, I’m on a Korean food roll!  Lucky you, if you try these new and interesting dishes.  Maybe next to kimchi, bulgogi is the most familiar Korean dish.  I used to eat it in my meat days.  Now, I eat vegan bulgogi, and I’ll share the recipe I found with you.  The secret is in the sauce.  The burdock and carrots are interesting.  My daughter brought some frozen burdock from the Japanese grocery she works at and wanted us to try it.  She loved it.  I thought it was okay.

Bulgogi:

• 2 packages of vegan meat strips (5 servings) ( I used Morningstar Meal Starters.)

• marinade (see below)

• chili sauce, Korean bbq sauce (optional)

For the marinade:

Combine these ingredients in a large bowl

• 6 minced garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp ginger (I use the minced ginger in the jar)
• 5 scallions
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine (mirin)

1. Add the thawed veggie strips to the bowl, toss to coat, and marinate for 1 hour.
2. Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray and cook strips in batches for 3 to 5 minutes.

Use chili and BBQ sauces to dip, if desired.

For the Burdock and carrots, I used a frozen pack of matchstick burdock and combined with matchstick carrot, stirfried in nonstick skillet and added soy sauce.

5 servings.  Weight Watcher Plus Points value:  4

*Serve this meal over a bed of lettuce and 1/2 cup of rice for a total of 7 points per serving.

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Korean Rice Cake Soup

We’re not talking American crispy rice cakes.  These are Korean rice cakes.  They have the consistency of cooked rice.  You can find them in an Asian grocery.  Here is a package I bought at my local Japanese market:

This is a fun dish to try and tasty too.   It’s from the book Flavors of Korea.  I use this book a lot.  I watch a lot of subtitled  Korean TV and am always craving Korean food.  This is a vegetarian book, and I’ve had no trouble modifying it to vegan.  Korean dishes are usually low in points, so Weight Watcher friendly too.  Enjoy!

Rice Cake Soup (Douk Kuk)

• 1/2 1b cubed firm tofu
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1 large clove garlic minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• Pinch of black pepper
• 5 cups of water
• 4 oz. of rice cake cut into 1/8 inch strips or cubes
• Nori (seaweed) strips

1. Mix tofu, onions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and seeds, pepper in a medium bowl and marinate 30 minutes.
2. Spray large saucepan with cooking spray and cook tofu  mixture till lightly browned.
3. Add water and bring to boil, add rice cakes and cook until they are soft, 15 minutes.
4. Garnish each bowl with nori strips.  Season to taste with soy sauce or Sriracha sauce.

4  servings.  Weight Watchers Plus Points value:  5

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Pumpkin Scone Muffins

I’ve had this recipe in my recipe binder for ages.   It’s from Students Go Vegan Cookbook (take a look at the book in my recommendations  here).  It’s pumpkin and cranberry season, so it was time I tried these.  These are scones, so they’re not super sweet.  You can always add more sweet to taste.  My family loved them a little sweet.  They were great with a little bit of vegan margarine.  Instead of doing the usual scone, I baked them in a muffin tin due to laziness, but the  Weight Watchers community knows this equation:

MUFFIN TIN = PORTION CONTROL.

Here’s the recipe:

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 and 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt; mix in 1/2 cup dried cranberries.
2. In a medium bowl or food processor, combine 3/4 cup of canned pumpkin, 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/4 maple syrup.
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir to combine, but do not over mix.
4. Pour about a quarter cup of batter into each cup of a 12 count muffin tin lightly coated with cooking spray.
5. Bake at 450 for 12 to 15 minutes.

12 muffins.  Weight Watchers Points Plus value:  4

PumpkinVegan

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Fabulous Tofu “Ricotta”

Here is a recipe from Skinny B*tch in the Kitch.  I have loved every recipe I tried out of it so far.  I thought I would never taste the wonderful flavors of ricotta for the rest of my days, but not now.  This recipe is so simple and takes literally a few minutes.  You can use it for whatever you would make with ricotta.  I used it in lasagna this week.  In the picture, it was topped on the Weight Watchers creamy spaghetti sauce recipe from their Getting Started booklet.  (I tweaked the recipe a little by using less oil and less tofu to achieve a nice Weight Watchers points value.)

Don’t have a food processor?  If you don’t, you need one!  I am finding that I use it more and more and couldn’t imagine not having one.  It’s really a good investment and not a bad gift request.

Process these ingredients in the food processor:   14 oz. of extra firm tofu, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 3/4 tsp fine sea salt.   That’s it!!!  It can be refrigerated for one week.

Makes 2 cups.  6 1/4 cup servings.  Weight Watchers Points Plus value:  2 (Power Food)

VeganTofu

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Hoisin Eggplant Cutlets

In the mood for a little Chinese food?

From The 30-Minute Vegan’s Taste of the East, I tried these Hoisin Eggplant Cutlets.  They tasted just like they were from a Chinese restaurant.  This is a simple and fast recipe.  I’m discovering that it pays to have a good food processor.  Mine has been a workhorse lately.

Find the free recipe HERE. You must click on the picture of the book to take a peek inside.  This recipe is on Page 115.

Weight Watchers Plus Point Value: 3 points for 1/6 of recipe.

EggplantHoisin SauceVegan

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Chocolate Cherry Nirvana Smoothie

Ooh, here’s an easy one! This recipe is, once again, from the Get Healthy Go Vegan Cookbook: 125 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Jump-Start Weight Loss and Help You Feel Great by Dr. Neal Barnard.  (Click on Amazon link and get free recipes).    Here’s how you do it:  1 1/2 cups of  chocolate soy or rice milk, 2 cups of frozen cherries, two bananas, blend until smooth.  Makes 4 servings.  That’s it.  (Weight Watchers Plus Points: 4)

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Vegan Ranch Dressing!

I’ve been craving vegan Ranch dressing for so long.  The recipes I’ve tried in the past I hated.  I went through the Skinny B*tch in the Kitch Cookbook and decided to try their version.  It was so wonderful.  I then made a new batch and modified it using plain soy yogurt in place of soy sour cream and decreased oil from 1/4 cup to 2  tablespoons.  This cut the  Weight Watchers plus points* in half, cutting down the carbs and fat.  Anyway, give this one a try, it’s great!

Give these ingredients a spin in the food processor:  1 cup plain soy yogurt, 1/2 cup soy milk, 1/4 cup safflower oil, 1 tbsp agave nectar, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 2 tsp chopped dill, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp soy sauce.  Refrigerate overnight.

*I am back on the Weight Watchers wagon with the new Plus Points program!  So I’ll be helping out with the points on recipes.  This recipe makes 10 – 1 point servings using the yogurt, serving size is 2 tablespoons.
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Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal

Here’s another recipe I tried from The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Dr. Neal Barnard.  This is a great hearty and warm breakfast for a cold morning or even as a dessert.

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons agave nectar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients with 4 cups of water in a saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the oatmeal is creamy.

4 servings.  Weight Watchers PointsPlus value:  7

 

Pumpkin

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