Monday 26 October 2015

Rocket & Roses Asparagus & Buckwheat Noodle Bowl (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Melissa Etheridge ~ I Really Like You
Marvin Gaye ~ Hitch Hike
Pearl Jam ~ Alive
K.D Lang ~ Crying
Seasick Steve ~ Started Out With Nothin
Chris Cornell ~ Flutter Girl
Halestorm ~ Here's To Us
Foo Fighter ~ Friend Of A Friend
Beethoven: Piano Trio #4 in B Flat 
Sara Sant'Ambrogio ~ Duet from Lakme
AC/DC ~ T.N.T (Live)
Inaya Day ~ Nasty Girl (Radio Edit)
Van Morrison ~ Brown Eyed Girl
Thunder ~ So Sad Today

Don't you love finding bargain bags of veggies when doing your shopping. I was lucky to find a ginormous bag of beautiful fresh asparagus recently. Beautiful in colour, plump and perfectly tipped...and reduced in price to hardly anything. Well..ok..they were a £ and some small change but worth every penny. Strange to think that a few years ago you wouldn't have seen me in the same room as a stick of the green yumminess that is the humble asparagus. 

I am still not back in my kitchen yet and I am still relying heavily on ML to cook my meals. But in the last couple of weeks I have managed to cook a veggie chilli and a couple of basic soups...with the help of my good pal Ann. But this was my first venture at flying solo again. Making a broth based veggie soup with some quick cooking noodles isn't hard work but it was for me. I enjoyed every bite of it and felt quite the sense of achievement. It has rather clean flavours and a good variety of textures. The noodles bring it all together and makes for one seriously tasty bowl of goodness. And those asparagus were extremely full of flavour. 

Tomorrow I am away to spend the day with Ann and we are tackling a Potato & French Bean Curry and a White Bean Soup. I just hope my energy levels can keep up...otherwise we will be having toast! 

Rocket & Roses Asparagus & Buckwheat Noodle Bowl


Rocket & Roses Asparagus & Buckwheat Noodle Bowl
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Rose Vegan Kitchen) 

1 onion, quartered and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, micro-grated
2" piece of ginger, micro-grated
2 tsp minced red chilli, approx 2 chillies with seeds
1/2 tbsp rapeseed oil/canola oil
1 litre veggie stock
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 small squash, peeled and sliced
12 asparagus spears, stalks separated from tips, stalks cut into 1 1/2" pieces and tips placed to one side for later
3 small yellow bell peppers, trimmed and diced
18 sugar-snap peas, topped and tailed 
large handful of baby spinach leaves
handful of Enoki mushrooms, trimmed and rinsed

4oz 100% buckwheat noodles

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and then gently saute the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli until the onion has softened. Add the ground turmeric and stir well to evenly coat the onion mix. Stir in the veggie stock and then bring the stock to a boil. 

Place the slices of squash into the stock and then layer the stalks of the asparagus on top. Bring the stock back to the boil and reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for 8 minutes. 

Add the bell pepper, sugar-snap peas and asparagus tips to the stock. Stir well but being careful not to break up the squash slices. Cook for 5 minutes more. Add the baby spinach leaves and enoki mushrooms. Simmer for a further 4 minutes. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. 

Cook the buckwheat noodles are per the packet instructions and once cooked drain well. Cool under running cold water and leave to drain until the veggies have finished cooking. Then divide the noodles between serving bowls and top with the veggies and some of the stock. Serve hot...

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is being good to you...

~Red~ 

NB: This is my creation. I have no problem with you using or sharing this recipe. I simply ask that you give credit where its due and links back to this blog posting. Many thanks...~Red~