A Vietnam Sampling
Hi Family! Here are a few recipes. Shopping list is below. Vietnamese cuisine is about fresh & bright herbs, spices & aromatics. It’s a balance of senses. The lemonade is for fun, I have a few awesome paid sites I get weekly recipes from. These I have pulled from different places and adapted some.
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Ingredients
3 cups water
1/4 cup ginger
1/4 cup turmeric fresh (orInstead of fresh turmeric, mix 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric into the lemonade pineapple mixture.)
1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 Tbsps mint
Directions
Steep the tea: Add the water, ginger, turmeric, and peppercorns to a medium stovetop pot. Heat on medium-high until boiling then lower the heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
Once finished, strain the tea into a pitcher or 32-ounce mason jar.
Add the lemon and pineapple juices and stir. If you’re using a jar with a lid, tighten the lid and shake well.
Taste for additional sweetness (pineapple juice) or tartness (lemon juice) depending on your preference.
Enjoy it at room temperature or pour over ice. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and pineapple chunks (on skewers if you’d like to get fancy!) if desired.
Add other flavors
Steep hibiscus along with the ginger, turmeric, and peppercorns for deep color, more nutrition, and a tart berry flavor.
Muddle berries into the juice.
Make it a green tea by steeping green tea with ginger and turmeric.
Make it spicy by adding a dash of cayenne pepper.
Rather than garnish, steep the mint with the ginger and turmeric.
Make it a spritzer
Add 8 ounces of carbonated water to 8 ounces of the lemonade.
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So make ahead of time and they will go with your tacos, sandwiches or bowls during week, and it lasts a month in fridge and you can use for whatever. Yum.
Ingredients
1 cup carrots
1 cup red radish
1 cup cucumber
1/2 cup red onion
jalapeños
1 cupnorganic rice vinegar
3/4 cup water
3 Tbsps maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
Whole food sweetener
Directions
Make this super easy by adding all ingredients to a large glass storage container. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until the ingredients are combined.
Place the lid over the container and shake well or transfer the veggies and liquid from the bowl to a large storage container or individual mason jars.
Store in the refrigerator for 8 hours or more. The longer the storage, the better the flavors!
Use date paste in place of maple syrup.
For the sliced cucumber
After the cucumber is sliced, squeeze the cup of slices between clean hands to get rid of excess water (otherwise, it’ll dilute the marinade). Continue to squeeze the cucumbers 3–4 times, until the water has mostly drained. From there, add the cucumbers to the remaining ingredients.
Slice the veggies ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before making this recipe.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Notes
Substitutions
Use watermelon radish in place of red radish.
Use yellow or white onion in place of red onion.
Substitute jicama for cucumber.
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This is a sauce to have around and you can drizzle over stuff for fun, like asparagus, shrimp & rice (below) or whatever seafood, veggies or meats).
Ingredients
½ CUP CHOPPED SCALLIONS (5 OR 6 SCALLIONS; SEE NOTE)
KOSHER SALT AND GROUND BLACK PEPPER
¼ CUP PEANUT OR OTHER NEUTRAL OIL
1½ TABLESPOONS FISH SAUCE OR SOY SAUCE
1½ TABLESPOONS FINELY GRATED FRESH GINGER
1 TEASPOON WHITE SUGAR
Directions
In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the scallions, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Using your fingers, gently rub the salt and pepper into the scallions until the scallions begin to wilt.
In a small saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering, then pour the hot oil over the scallions; the scallions will sizzle. Stir, then stir in the fish sauce, ginger and sugar. Cool to room temperature.
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil until barely smoking. Add 1½ pounds asparagus (trimmed and halved on the diagonal) and cook, stirring only a few times, until charred. Add 3 tablespoons water, then immediately cover. Reduce to low and cook, stirring just once or twice, until the asparagus is crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with scallion oil spooned over.
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil until barely smoking. Add 1½ pounds extra-large (21/25 per pound) shrimp (peeled and deveined) in an even layer and cook without stirring until well brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the shrimp, then remove the pan from the heat and stir constantly, allowing the skillet’s residual heat to finish the cooking, until the shrimp are opaque throughout, another 20 to 30 seconds. Serve over steamed white rice and topped with scallion oil.
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Description text goes here
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Tacos, Bowls & Sammys; whatever your fancy, mix it up during week! Also for bowls you can add any whole grain or rice or rice noodles.
Ingredients
1/2 batch Vietnamese-Inspired Veggies
tofu
14 ozs organic firm or extra firm tofu
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp water
organic arugula
2 cups organic rice
1/4 cup cilantro
Sriracha Mayo
jalapeño slices
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the Vietnamese-Inspired Veggies and set aside.
Make the tofu: Add the tamari (or soy sauce), garlic powder, onion powder, and water to a shallow dish. Mix to combine.
Add the tofu and, using a pastry brush, brush the tofu with the marinade to cover all sides.
Spread the tofu out evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Assemble your bowl: Divide arugula, rice, optional cilantro, tofu, and Vietnamese veggies between bowls and toss.
Drizzle with Sriracha Mayo, if desired.
Top with jalapeño slices, if you like some spice!
Notes
Substitutions
Substitute tofu with tempeh.
Substitute another green like baby kale or spinach for organic arugula.
Substitute brown, red, or black rice with quinoa or other grain of choice.
Substitute cilantro with basil, parsley, or chives.
Press your tofu
If you want the tofu to be firm and crispy when you pan fry or bake it then you’ll want to press the water out of it at least an hour before you cook it. Wrap the tofu in paper towels or a clean tea towel and set something heavy on top of it, like a cast iron pan or a few heavy books. Let it press for about an hour if possible.
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Ingredients
¼ CUP GRAPESEED OR OTHER NEUTRAL OIL
4 MEDIUM GARLIC CLOVES, SMASHED AND PEELED
3 INCH PIECE FRESH GINGER, PEELED AND ROUGHLY CHOPPED
1 MEDIUM YELLOW ONION, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
3 STALKS LEMON GRASS, TRIMMED TO THE LOWER 5 OR 6 INCHES, DRY OUTER LAYERS DISCARDED, THINLY SLICED (if you prefer you can use the lemongrass in a tube, Im growing lemongrass so have it my garden!)
2 TABLESPOONS CORIANDER SEEDS
2 TEASPOONS GROUND TURMERIC
1 TEASPOON GROUND CINNAMON
KOSHER SALT AND GROUND BLACK PEPPER
2 POUNDS BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS, TRIMMED AND CUT CROSSWISE INTO 1- TO 1½-INCH PIECES
5 STAR ANISE PODS
2 MEDIUM CARROTS, PEELED, HALVED AND SLICED ¼ INCH THICK
2 TABLESPOONS FISH SAUCE
¼ CUP LIME JUICE
CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO, TO SERVE
Directions
In a blender, combine the oil, garlic, ginger, onion, lemon grass, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, ½ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the blender jar as needed. Transfer the puree to a medium bowl, add the chicken and stir until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
In a 12-inch skillet, combine the chicken and all of the marinade, the star anise and carrots. Bring to simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the marinade begins to brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in ⅓ cup water and the fish sauce. Return to a simmer, then cover, reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens enough to cling to the chicken, about another 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Remove and discard the star anise, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with cilantro.
