Friday, July 31, 2009

Mostly Homemade Curries and Summer Fun

Generous Thai Curry:
One of our favorite restaurant owners in town was leaving for 10 days (closing the restaurant) and she sweetly gifted us some yummys from the kitchen to tide us over in her absence. It was so nice to be able to make Thai at home with some of her goodies. I need to talk her into giving some Thai cooking lessons because Thai food is something I can't quite seem to replicate at home. I made the Massaman Curry, but added brown rice, broccoli, carrots, and used cashews instead of peanuts. The sauce (sans fish sauce), onions, and tofu is from our friend. Now I know how they get the consistency of the tofu in the restaurant. I was also a little surprised to see that the tofu has yellow food coloring in it! Yikes! I'll just order more veggies and no tofu from now on. Even with the gifts, we can't wait for her to come back from Thailand. We adore her and always appreciate her generosity.

Revamped Local Park and Vegan Kids in Action:
A couple weeks ago, we were biking home from the Market at the Square and picked up some lunch on campus. We decided it was such a beautiful day that we should eat in a local park. Scott Park has not been one we frequent, but all that is about to change. They are finishing a complete "remodel" of the park and they have some of the coolest playground equipment around now. Above is Dema climbing on the twisty ladder. Below is Josie learning a thing or two about physics while spinning around.Parker enjoyed losing himself in imaginative play before hanging out and chatting with the adults.Dema demonstrated yet another piece of equipment which moves as you shift your body weight. I had some fun on this one myself. We'll be visiting Scott Park again soon.
Mostly Homemade Surprise Indian Curry:
I picked up a bonus CSA share this week since our friends, who we split a share with, are out of town enjoying the beach in NC (insert jealousy here). With my produce bursting out of my kitchen from our garden, CSA, and two weekly farmer's markets, I just started to saute garlic and onions and chop of vegetables with no particular plan. I do this often. I figure the "gods of the vegan kitchen" will take me in hand while I chop and send me sign of what to cook. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much, but I always feel better chopping up veggies. This particular lunch developed into crumbling tempeh with the garlic/onions, adding blackstrap molasses and some Bragg's Liquid Aminos. Still no goal, but how can one go wrong at this point. I steamed some broccoli and cauliflower while I pressure cooked the brown rice (equal amounts of rinsed brown rice and water cooked at high pressure for 20 minutes). I noticed a jar at the top of the cupboard I noticed a jar of Seeds of Change Madras Sauce.I threw everything together with the Madras Sauce, added chickpeas and soaked cashews. At the last minute, I decided to put a can of coconut milk in to cut the spiciness, but didn't really need it. The end result was tasty and the kids loved it along with the last of our frozen blueberries from the farmer's market and more Green on Green soup. Dema dipped veggie seed bread from our local health food store in his soup and I added hot sauce this time to his. I asked how he liked it with the hot sauce and he said, "I love everything about this soup!".

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Yin Yang Vegan Food

Tonight was the worst of foods and the best of foods. Don't get me wrong, it was all yummy, but we had one of the healthiest dishes we make with one of the unhealthiest (from a fried standpoint) so I guess it sort of balances our lives out. I've blogged about FatFree Vegan's Green on Green Soup before. It is a favorite and the kids and I even adore having the leftovers for breakfast (really starts the day right!). Parker has been asking for green soup for days and he was so happy I finally made some today. I love the Green on Green Soup because you can throw pretty much anything in it and it always comes out great! We had our CSA pickup yesterday and I still had some greens from Saturday's Market at the Square so it was a perfect time to make this soup. I used swish chard, kale, romaine, and purple cabbage for the greens. I didn't have any mushrooms so I threw in some leftover red rice (more on red rice in a future post). In the cold months, we like to add some plain soy yogurt, but in the warmer months I prefer to just put a few drops of hot sauce. Seriously great nutrition and delish! Rob made more boiled seitan this weekend so I thought I'd make Voracious Vegan's Chicken Fried Seitan again since we have tomatoes from our garden and the CSA. I cut the seitan into strips to fit on whole wheat hot dog buns. Pickles, romaine, tomatoes, and mustard (Parker)/Spectrum Light Canola Mayo (me)/un-sweetened ketchup (Dema and Josie) topped the seitan. We go through fresh strawberries in minutes after buying them from the farmer's market or this week on sale at Common Ground Co-op so I thawed out some of our frozen strawberries from our buying club (bought 20 lbs month before last and we are on our last pound...we go through a lot of strawberries). Our sweet neighbor, Margie, left a watermelon on our porch so we had this for dessert after hanging out at Cynthia (Happy Birthday!) and Ernie's for conversation and red wine for the adults and Lego and tag for the kids. A wonderful summer evening.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Guest Post - Restaurant Review: VegiTerranean

I'm happy to have Meat-free Mike submit my first guest post; a review of his recent visit to VegiTerranean restaurant in Akron, Ohio. Enjoy! VL

Greetings! Vegan Linda’s friend Meat-free Mike here. Back in mid June, I went to my hometown, Akron, Ohio, and visited one of the few all-vegan (and Kosher) restaurants I am aware of. At Chrissie Hynde’s (of “The Pretenders”) restaurant, VegiTerranean, I had something REAL yummy to eat and drink, took a few pictures, and talked with the chef. I asked Linda if it would be cool to do a mini-review of this wonderful venue on her excellent blog, in hopes that we might encourage the establishing of something like this out here in Champaign-Urbana, and she graciously agreed. So here we go!

The VegiTerranean is located at 21 Furnace Street, inside the Northside Lofts just north of downtown Akron, Ohio (also Chrissie Hynde’s hometown). It was a warm day and I was just finishing visiting local cd stores and shops when I decided to try the new restaurant. Being thirsty as I was, I concluded that a tall, cool Hoppin’ Frog wheat beer was in order! Akron actually has two breweries now, I believe, and the Hoppin’ Frog products I’ve sampled are top notch! This really hit the spot, along with the tasty pickle appetizer you see to the left of my brew.After reviewing the extensive vegan menu, which included soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, and pastas and risottos, I decided to go with a vegan wrap which was comprised of grilled eggplant, artichokes, spinach, baby arugula, vegan feta cheese. I wasn’t really into pasta at the time and wanted something light. I had just snarffed down a large garlic and fresh tomato pizza from Luigi’s Italian Restaurant the night before. Luigi’s pizza is my all-time favorite, but that’s for another review! J

While I enjoyed my libation, I gazed around at the décor which was essentially modern and stainless steel-oriented. Here are a few shots:

This view is looking northeast over the bar and out into the valley of the Little Cuyahoga River which flows into north Akron and divides downtown from North Hill where many Italian immigrants moved to in the early 1900’s. The bridge in the background is a modern “Y” bridge which was erected in the 1980’s, I think, to replace an older “Y” bridge which was in need of serious repair. The folks on the patio outside of the open windows are dining in the out-of-doors which is another option at VegiTerranean.Tables, chairs, and plates:Pictures of famous vegetarians and vegans graced the walls. Here’s a photo of Morrissey of The Smiths:After not too long of a wait, my food arrived! Here’s a shot of the entire spread:Note the “Chrissie” fries on the left topped with a lightly-herbed faux cheese made at the restaurant. I am a potato FREAK!! I really enjoyed this combination: light, browned, and not greasy, with the added zing of the faux cheese.The organic whole wheat wrap was excellent! Although it wasn’t on their regular menu yet (they were revising), I thought it was near perfection already. This particular ensemble of grilled vegetables and the tasty chutney-based dipping sauce was a delicate combination whose balanced flavor goes missing in similar items I’ve sampled from other restaurants.

Here’s a pic of the most courteous Chef Scot Jones of VegiTerranean! It was a delight to meet him. Being the busy professional that he is, he was needed in the kitchen but was kind enough to chat a bit about the scene in Akron and in Champaign-Urbana, and to pose for this snap-shot.

All in all, the food was GREAT, the service excellent, and the atmosphere relaxed yet sophisticated. I’ll definitely stop back the next time I’m in town to explore the pasta and other vegan fare that VegiTerranean offers. If you’re ever in Akron, Ohio, I highly recommend VegiTerranean for lunch or dinner. I think you’ll be glad you did! They have so many non-meat choices which should please even the most picky omnivore!

Here’s the link to the VegiTerranean web site. Check out the extensive and diverse array of dishes offered!

- “Meat-free” Mike

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Eating Local - Pasta Alley

A few weeks ago I found myself alone (sans children, there were many, many people there) at the Market at the Square. Usually, Saturdays are full of fun, but pretty much a flurry of activity. I love it that way, but this also means that our farmer's market shopping on the weekends tends to be stopping at our favorite vendors and chatting for more time than I'll admit with all the friends we run into and then getting on the bikes to get to our next destination. So when I have a few moments at the market to myself, I browse. I check out some of the tables I glance at, but then a small hand takes me in a different direction or I hear the request for water (starting out nice, but quickly turning to begging, and then to whining if I don't listen and act quickly) or a friendly face stops by to catch up on the past week.
One of the vendors, I had the pleasure of purchasing from that luxurious day was Pasta Alley. I stopped, talked with the owner, checked out the selection, and then the Sweet Basil Whole Wheat pasta spoke to me (not really spoke...then it wouldn't be vegan). I finally cooked some up for lunch the other day after buying some vegan garlic bread from Strawberry Fields. I made Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta sauce from Vegan YumYum, of course. It was perfect together. I love supporting a business making their own pasta locally and I found out later that they have several developmentally disabled employees. I suggest you visit them at the Market at the Square or order online. You won't be disappointed.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

"Chicken" Fried Seitan and 22 Months

Not only did Rob make pita bread this weekend, but I conned him into making seitan as well. I suggested he make the Simple Seitan from Veganomicon. Back in the old days, pre-kids when we both worked, but we had a different kind of time on our hands, Rob would make seitan from scratch. I mean no wimpy vital wheat gluten recipe, but the real manly seitan made from flour with lots and lots of kneading and washing and more kneading. He burnt out at least one KitchenAid stand mixer motor on his seitan. It was good, very good, but not something one feels like making often. Now a days, there are dozens of seitan recipes out there. Boiled, baked, steamed, you name it. Vital wheat gluten has revolutionized seitan. Yet, I still prefer Rob to make it. So, I opened Veganomicon to the Simple Seitan recipe and said several times during the day, "We really should make some seitan this weekend." "Wouldn't it be nice to have some seitan for your lunch...." and the like. He took the bait and asked where the Seitan o' Greatness recipe was (he seriously is lost without me) and I said, "Take a look at the boiled recipe in Veganomicon." which I set down in a predominate place most of the day. He made it. Done and done. We were both happy with the results. My mind was full of all the possible uses of boiled seitan. There is just nothing quite like it. Baked is great so is steamed and they both have their uses, but boiled has its own texture and juiciness. Store bought seitan has nothing on homemade, in my opinion. Anyway, I was in a hurry last night and just whipped up a red curry with seitan, kale, chickpeas, sweet peas, green onions, carrots, and broccoli over brown rice. The kids loved it as always, but I couldn't help but feel like I let down my seitan. I mean, I should have made something special. I looked around the blogs at all the recipes I want to make when I have seitan on hand, but I didn't have this or that ingredient and I kept going back to Voracious Vegan and her post on Chicken Fried Seitan. I am not a fried food fan, but this recipe was calling to me. I had whole wheat buns in the freezer and it just seemed perfect for a quick summer evening eating on the porch. And it was. Very yummy! I will definitely make this for omnis when we have people over. I even think my carnivore friend, B, would enjoy this. Seriously, B, if you are reading...you need to try it! I'll even make it for you sometime and I guarantee you'll like it! Fresh tomatoes would have made this sandwich, but alas our garden is full of green tomatoes, but none even close to ripe. I'll just have to make this again when the tomatoes are ready. It is a once in a while recipe due to the frying, but just steam a bunch of veggies along with it and take a family run after dinner. We, on the other hand, did not go for a run, but we did walk over to our neighbors Scott and Deborah's house to play (kids) and drink a beer (us). Josie ended up eating some yummy pasta dish Deborah made with mushrooms and spinach. I can't believe how much food that little girl can eat. She keeps up with her big brothers!Speaking of Josie, she is 22 months old today. She is so grown up and she keeps up with her big brothers in everything, not just eating. She is the nanny of the neighborhood and looks out for all the kids no matter how big or small. Josie is the first one to pick up on any perceived wrong doing or anything unsafe. She watches out for young kids going into the street and older kids playing too rough. She is one of the most empathetic children I've ever met and she is a complete lover. She is always there with hugs and kisses for anyone who gets hurt or just to say "hello" and "g'night" to her extended family of neighborhood friends. I took this picture Monday at one of our local parks. We were playing while Parker was in pottery class and Dema was climbing on the statues. Of course, Josie had to join the fun and after she climbed her "mountains" to prove how well she could do it by herself ("I got it!" is one of her favorite phrases), she climbed up on this statue of a child and a dog. She leaned back against the child and put her hand on the cheek and said softly, almost wistfully, to no one in particular, "cheek" "hug". I think she felt the statue child might be in need of some care and compassion.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Homemade Pita and Tuna Friendly "Tuna" Salad

I think I've mentioned before that Rob is the dough guy in the family. Not only does he make the "dough" at work while I have fun home schooling the kids, running my "for fun" business, volunteering, and taking care of the house (playing at the park and chatting with neighbors/friends), but he also is the one to go to for crust, bread, anything doughy in the kitchen. I am a very lucky woman. Yesterday during our cool, rainy, lazy July 4th, Rob wowed me by making homemade whole wheat pita bread. It always amazes me how one can make bread with a hole in the center. Yes, I'm easily impressed when it comes to bread "magic". I don't have the commitment it takes to make bread. It seems like such a long process for a return that in reality is just a vehicle on which to put something yummy (that I do enjoy making). I usually have to cut something with a knife to be fulfilled in the kitchen. I love my sweet hubby and greatly appreciate his talent with dough.
He also soaked the beans last night and cooked them up this morning before I was even out of my pajamas. I know, I know, I'm spoiled. So I thought I'd made something new with the chickpeas to go with his pita. I've almost made the Tuna-Free Sandwich Filling from Vegan Planet several times, but never have. Rob was skeptical and asked me not to use all the chickpeas because he had hummus in mind. Then I made him a sandwich with the tuna-free filling, pickles, and swish chard from the new farmer's market*...he asked me to make a another batch. I did sub nori flakes for the kelp powder, lime juice for lemon, celery salt for the celery, and I used the Light Canola Mayo which was just right for this recipe. The mayo is just something to keep the ingredient together and make it creamier and the taste really comes from the other ingredients. This is another reason I don't bake bread, it is not forgiving. I feel like I would have to follow a recipe and that goes against my nature.
In this picture, I added kale, shredded carrots, and capers to the sandwich filling and pickles. The pasta in the background is Penne Vodka from Veganomicon. This was my first time making it, but it is very similar to our VeganYumYum standby which I've blogged about many times before. I have to admit that I don't think I've ever eaten a tuna salad sandwich in my life and if I did, I'm sure I've erased the memory so I have no earthly idea if this tastes like tuna or not. I just know it is darn good. Josie licked the bowl clean and Parker seconded Rob's request that I make more. Dema was not home so the jury is out for him. For another chickpea tuna-ish recipe that we enjoy, try this one.
*I finally got my rear in gear and went to the Historic North First Street Farmers Market this Thursday. My neighbor, Deborah, and her two sweet sons biked downtown with us to check it out. The market is small, but it was nice to have one during the week so close to home. I found plenty to buy and one of the vendors was a vegan couple! I haven't seen them before at our normal Market at the Square so I'll make sure to continue to support them during the week. I also appreciate this market is closer to an area of town which is completely under served by co-ops and markets so I hope to watch it grow. The picture is the kids sharing a bagel we bought at the market while they are patiently waiting for me finish talking with friends.

Phat Fat Product Reviews

One of the few non-vegan foods Rob ever talks about is ice cream. He has been vegan for something like 20 or so years and he doesn't miss cheese and never has, but ice cream is another story. When we first started dating, he introduced me to the slim pickings in the non-dairy frozen treats department and I was pretty happy. I grew up in an ice cream eating house that is for sure, but to avoid fat or maybe it was cheaper, my mom often bough the frozen ice milk type brands so I was not put off by my first vegan ice creams due to the texture or taste. It was cold and sweet and cruelty-free and that was good enough for me. We don't often make or buy vegan ice cream these days. I prefer to eat and serve more sorbet type of treats which are just colder versions of smoothies (many of the packed with fresh local organic fruits and greens). The kids love it and they don't even ask me to buy vegan ice cream anymore. But, the other day I saw Coconut Bliss on sale at Common Ground Co-op and I had to pick up a couple containers. We tried Coconut Bliss once before and it is hands down the creamiest vegan ice cream I've bought in a store. It is really amazing. Even non-vegans will love this treat!Coconut Bliss has it texture and taste, but they also have (at least the flavors we tried) over 50% of your daily value for saturated fat. Now, I'm not a fat-free vegan by any stretch of the imagination. I believe that "good fats" (usually unsaturated and no trans fats) in moderation are healthy for most adults (unless they have health concerns such as heart or weight issues) and necessary for growing children. I love my coconut milk, shredded coconut, etc. and I'll definitely buy Coconut Bliss again, but it is something I will eat in very small helpings. I used to stock my dad's freezer with vegan ice cream and he would comment about eating an entire container in one sitting. I remember many nights when I was growing up that dad would sit down with a heaping bowl of ice cream and read the paper before bed. So that he could sit and eat an entire container is not surprising, but it can get quite expensive and not healthy even though it is vegan. I'm happy to see a container of Coconut Bliss or other vegan ice cream last our family of five for several weeks or more. If you are looking for a vegan ice cream and don't have time to make your own, I highly suggest trying Coconut Bliss (it also looks like a great company and the ingredients are impressive), but we careful with portion control!I also grew up on Miracle Whip. I shudder to think of it now, but I did so I have eaten my share of Vegenaise over the years I've been vegan. I started out with Nayonaise and converted to Vegenaise, but the kids were never big on either one which was fine by me (why get them hooked on a creamy white stuff on their sandwiches if they aren't interested). It is definitely not a health food and there are so many better condiments out there...mustard is great tasting and good for you, but fresh tomato sandwiches call for vegan mayo in my book. Since I'm getting older and I still have about 20 pounds of baby weight that didn't just fall off after Josie was born as it did with my first two children, I've been looking at my calorie and fat intake a little differently. I'm not a calorie counter and I love to eat and would much prefer to exercise more than eat less, but I don't mind cutting down here and there on oil or looking for a lower calorie/fat alternative. Again, I found a bargain at the co-op on Spectrum Light Canola Mayo which is vegan so I thought I'd give it a try. Well, it is fine and all, but it didn't blow me away. I find it pretty bland so it seems kind of useless to add it to a sandwich, unless you are just going for texture. I haven't tried making potato salad or anything with it yet, just on sandwiches. I do appreciate that there are lower fat vegan mayo alternatives available. I've heard Vegenaise is now coming out with a lower fat version as well so kudos to Spectrum for getting out there and blazing the trail. The Light Canola May has been helpful for weaning me off mayo for good (hopefully). I've always been concerned that most vegan mayo available in stores has soy protein isolate (not a whole food in my book) and/or is not organic (thus, probably GMO soy, which again we try to avoid). There are so many recipes out there for homemade vegan mayo (VeganDad, RecipeZaar to name a couple) that I've decided that is the way to go from now on. Cheaper and better for us, I'll let you know which recipe we like the best.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Movie Review

I was going to do a movie review on this movie a couple weeks ago, but it seems more timely now with the Independence holiday coming up here in the US. This year in homeschool, we studied American history and so we spent time reading books (reviews on some of them coming later), went to museums, and watched some movies. One of the movies, we found quite interesting was...

John Adams
The kids didn't watch the entire epic, but I would be happy to watch it again in all its length. Rob and I both thought it was very well done. The acting was quite good for a mini-series and best of all it sparked interest in all of us to learn more. Really what more can I ask? I love books, but sometimes it is hard to picture certain aspects of history and a movie brings it to life in a different way. I appreciate the raw realness of this film. There is an option on the DVD to have what I will call "fact pop ups" appear throughout the film. I enjoyed watching with this option on and highly suggest it, but it may distract from the viewing for younger children. Of course, there are parts which may be particularly hard for some children to watch. One such scene for my kids involved a man being hit by a cannon ball while John Adams was sailing to Europe and hit ship was attacked by the British. The man's leg has to be amputated and all does not end well. There are also some historical inconsistencies, which is to be expected, listed here. Overall, I would say it is well worth the hours of viewing and timely for those celebrating on July 4th.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Pizza, Coconut, and Tempeh

It was sooo incredibly hot a week or so ago and everything was drooping. We don't have A/C and it was so humid, I didn't really feel like cooking or moving for that matter. The clothes wouldn't dry outside on the line despite the sun because of the humidity. My father-in-law, Mike, came out for a visit Father's Day weekend. He is from NC and grew up without any electricity in the NC heat, but even he couldn't take our Illinois heat wave and he left a day early. I felt like everyone and everything was suffering...then I looked up at my porch and my happy little hanging plants and thought, "At least something likes this weather!". So I took a picture with my iphone. Luckily, it has been unseasonably cool this week and I am loving it!
Speaking of Father's Day, I was going to do a brunch with Rob's dad in town and have my dad, sister, and brother over, but it was so hot I wanted to do something simpler. For my sister's birthday, June 7th, we had my family over for vegan pizza. It was so good, Rob and I decided to do it again for Father's Day. Probably not the smartest thing since the house was warm enough, the oven baking pizzas didn't help one bit, but it was yummy. Rob made his wonderful whole wheat crust (he mostly follows the recipe in Nonna's Italian Kitchen by the talented Bryanna Clark Grogan), homemade sauce, and we did the normal toppings (kale, carrots, kalamata olives, capers, sweet peppers, mushrooms, fresh pineapple on some, and since I picked up some Follow Your Heart vegan cheese on sale we added a little of that as well, but I really prefer pizza without it).There is nothing better than homemade vegan pizza. I felt guilty that Rob cooked on Father's Day, but he said he waned too and there are issues between Rob's dad, Mike, and me so it is better for Rob to cook. Family stuff is complicated to say the least.
I did make a Coconut Lemon Bundt Cake from Veganomicon. But I waited until midnight when the kitchen had cooled down a tad. I bought a gallon of blueberries from the farmer's market and actually was able to freeze few this time. We topped the cake with Coconut Bliss ice cream (on sale at the co-op recently) to cut the sweetness (for you Steel Magnolias fans).
Last Friday night we rode our bikes to Ricky and Catharine's for dinner. It is about 4.5 miles so long enough for Dema to fall asleep. We made a stop at Strawberry Fields on the way and Dema was snoozing and Josie was asking for an apple (that is a ball in her hand not an apple) and doing her sign for eat and saying "eat" over and over. Parker was on the back of my Xtracycle because we still don't have a light for his bike. I don't think of it until we are going somewhere and will need a light on the ride home. He really needs his own lock and lights. Dinner at Ricky and Catharine's was tempeh fajitas, rice, beans, guacamole, and pasta for the kids (although Parker ate two large plate full of pretty much everything). It was yummy and fun as usual. The kids soaked each other all evening with the hose and we enjoyed the weather chatting on their porch.Speaking of tempeh, I've revised one of our favorite tempeh dished from Vegan Dad's blog, Peanut Tempeh with Noodles. In the past, I've blogged about it as Sunbutter Tempeh with Noodles. I've changed it up enough that I'll share my version, but I highly suggest checking out Vegan Dad and cooking it his way too. I just can't ever leave well enough alone. This dish is so good, we rarely have leftovers. It is also great for people looking for a protein punch (most of us get plenty and it is not something people lack in their diet veg or not, but some people are big on protein) with the nutbutter, nutritional yeast, and tempeh it is a protein powerhouse.

Nutbutter Coconut Tempeh with Rice Noodles:
1 package rice noodles
3 - 4 cloves of garlic minced
1 block of tempeh crumbled (I find that even people who don't like tempeh will like this dish)
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional - I've been cutting back on oil a lot lately, more about that in another post)
1 - 2 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos or tamari
1/2 cup water (plus a couple tablespoons if you don't want to use much oil)
1/4 cup nutbutter (your choice, but I assume you are using a nut butter with just nuts in it...no salt nor sweetener)
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 can lite coconut milk (you can use full fat and I've heard that lite is only full fat with added water, but lite is what I have right now so if you use full fat, I would use only half a can and maybe up the water)
2/3 to 1 teaspoon red curry paste (we like things hot so you may want to try half this amount at first)
1 teaspoon coriander
1 package frozen peas or fresh sweet peas or green of your choice
red pepper flakes for garnish (optional...I told you we like things hot)
fresh chopped cilantro for garnish (optional, not shown, but it great if you have some on hand)

Soak the rice noodles according to directions on the package. While the noodles are soaking, heat a large saute pan or wok on medium heat. Add the olive oil and saute the garlic for a couple minutes, but do not burn. Crumble the tempeh into the pan and saute. Add a tablespoon or two of water if it starts to stick. Put the nutbutter in a bowl with the water, blackstrap molasses, tamari, nutritional yeast, coriander, and red curry paste and mix it all together with a spoon and then pour the mixture in the pan with the tempeh. Heat, stirring occasionally for about ten or fifteen minutes then add the peas and coconut milk and stir. Make sure not to boil after the coconut milk is added. Heat through until peas are thawed and noodles are done. Add the drained noodles to the mixture and stir. If it is still too wet for you, add a little more nutritional yeast. Serve with red pepper flakes and/or fresh cilantro.