Tasty Vegan Noms

In preparation for my study abroad, I had a going away party with family and some friends this past weekend. My mom was kind enough to supply a meat and cheese plate but I've been doing a (mostly) vegan diet for the past month and a half. So, I decided to make some food that I would be able to eat and that hopefully other people would like, too. Little did I know that this was the most popular dish at the party and there was almost none left over of a double batch. Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it out. (Copied almost directly from the cookbook)

From: The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Neal Barnard, MD and Robyn Webb

Udon Noodle Salad
Makes 6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

What you will need:

• 20 snow peas, trimmed
• 1 (8 oz) package udon noodles
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon chili paste (I prefer to use gochugang, a Korean red pepper paste, and I usually use a full teaspoon. But be careful, it packs a bit of a punch. You can find this at your local grocery store, most likely)
• 1 chopped cucumber (you can peel it if you want or leave the skin on)
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 chopped bell pepper (any color)
• 6 scallions, sliced

Step 1: Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the snow peas and cook for about 30 seconds. You still want them to be bright green and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and put them in a bowl of cold water (this stops the cooking). I usually get a big bowl and fill it part way with water and add a few ice cubes. Set aside. 

Step 2: Cook udon noodles according to the package directions (go ahead and use that same pot of water. Yay for not dirtying to many dishes! My grandma would be proud). Drain and rinse under cold water. This stops the cooking so they don't get all mushy and gross. When the noodles are drained, put them in a large bowl. This will become your serving bowl.

Step 3: In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, agave, and chili paste (or gochugang)

Step 4: Now, the book says to toss the noodles with half the dressing and then, in another bowl, combine the veggies and toss with the rest of the dressing. They all go together in the end, so just toss noodles with half the sauce then put the veggies right from the cutting board into your serving dish and add the rest of the dressing. If you like getting your hands a little messy, use your hands to mix everything together. Or just use salad tongs or any other utensils.

Step 5: Eat! It's delicious and perfect for a hot summer's day. 

If you make it, let me know what you think! This is an easy dish to modify, so if you don't have all the vegetables listed above, anything will work. If you don't want to do it vegan, feel free to add some meat! Or tofu. Or whatever you think is good. Have fun and experiment with it. 맛있게 드세요! (Enjoy!)