Friday, January 2, 2009

Ramen Pride

Happy New Year!

Maia survived her
brothers' wrath on
their presents Xmas
morning.



And I loved finally
giving her this holiday
Hello Kitty blanket I'd
been saving and saving
for her. So cute. She
also got a Hello Kitty
toothbrush...for her
two teeth.

The boys are on holiday break this week, so no lunches to pack and share!

So why is it you never see professional chefs using ramen noodles, aside from Robert Irvine's Dinner: Impossible mission at a comedy improv club? They're available at every corner grocer, cheaper than cheap, and eaten constantly it seems in Japan. Yet in the U.S they're viewed as poor man's college dorm food (sure, we all ate too many of them then). I wonder how many chefs who admit going home exhausted and making a PBJ sandwich sometimes have a pot noodle?

I admit it, I like ramen. But let's face it, they're junk. But junk with potential!! Throw away the non-veg seasoning packet, rinse the excess oil off the noodles after cooking, add some frozen veggies, and voila! A half-decent meal in minutes!
Miso Ramen

1 packet ramen noodles
1 handful baby greens (ie. tat soi, arugula, dandelion, kale, frisee) or sliced bok choy
1/2-1 radish, thinly sliced
1 green onion (scallion), chopped
2 tsp. miso + 2 T. hot cooking water
1 tsp. soy sauce

Boil a small pot of water. Add ramen noodles.
Cook 3 minutes, adding a handful of baby greens & the sliced radish during the last minute.
Remove 2 tablespoons of hot water and mix with the miso.
Drain noodles (I give them a brief rinse too).
Top noodles with green onion, pour on miso and soy sauce.

One of my favourite hot breakfasts!

But here is my New Year's
Day breakfast: just
simple fruit...strawberries,
banana, clementine.





Add here is one of my
new favourite products...
vegan soy-free gluten-free
rice cheese slices! This
is the pepper jack flavour
and in my opinion it's
really yummy!

5 comments:

River (Wing-It Vegan) said...

Aww, Maia's Hello Kitty blanket is so adorable! She's such a little cutie!!

That rice cheese is the BEST! I love the American flavor in sandwiches and burgers.

Erin said...

I am one of those who ate waaaay too much ramen in college. But your version looks pretty tasty! All I can remember about ramen now is that it was really salty.

Megan said...

What brand of ramen noodles do you use? The only ones I can find are cup noodles, but those already come with the flavoring.

veganf said...

A 6 pack of Maruchan ramen is costs $1 (or less when on sale, LOL) at our local Stop & Shop. I just open a pack, toss out the flavour packet, and cook the noodles in boiling water for 3 mins. Most big supermarkets carry Maruchan, Top Ramen, or Oodles of Noodles brands.

If you're after a slightly healthier base noodle, try Whole Foods. You'll pay a lot more, but you can even find varieties with veg seasoning packets...not as junky and albeit not quite as healthy, but hey, it's ramen after all.

veganf said...

Now what I really wish for is a cheap brand of ramen noodle that didn't come with the crappy seasoning packet. I do have a moral quandary about whether I should buy them at all, even though I toss the packet. Unfortunately I don't live close enough to a Japanese noodle shop to buy just the noodles in bulk. But maybe I should check online to see if there is such a thing available.