yam noodles with sweet sauce, marinated mushrooms & sesame seeds

This was a quick dinner I just whipped up after a (strangely) long day. The recipe needs no pre-planning because I didn't even know I was going to make it until I stepped into the kitchen and noticed we had yams. I was going to make a salad but then I'm like... "Hey, yams, you be lookin' pretty fine today. Imma spirooli you up and cover you in sweet miso sauce then put you in my mouth. Whaddya think?"

And so, my dinner was born. 

My favourite type of plant to turn into noodles is (probably expected, sorry) - zucchini. It is PERFECT for pasta. It has the right texture, taste and appearance to fool all your complex-carb-inclined friends. Having said that, I still love turning yams, bell peppers, carrots and other willing veggies into spiralized goodness. It's just so fun and you can be uber creative. 

yam noodles with sweet sauce, marinated mushrooms & sesame seeds: serves one

marinated mushrooms:

4 mushrooms

1 teaspoons sesame oil (optional but recommended) 

1 teaspoon tamari

sweet miso sauce:

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon agave/maple syrup/raw honey

1 tablespoon miso

1 tablespoons hummus (not raw, too bad)

1 peeled garlic clove

2 tablespoons mustard

3-5 tablespoons water, as needed

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Yam noodles:

1 peeled yam

To make the mushrooms: slice them really thin then rub in the oil and tamari. Put them in a warm spot (I put them in my oven at its lowest temperature) and forget about them for a minute. 

To make the sauce: blend all ingredients except sesame seeds together until smooth. Add whatever else you want. Then toss in the sesame seeds by hand. Set aside.

To make the noodles: put the yam through your spiral slicer (spirooli) or slice on a mandolin  Then cover them with the sauce and them get to know each other for a few minutes. The noodles will soften and pick up more flavour. Now remember your marinating fungi friends being warmed somewhere? Add those on top, and sprinkle on some more sesame seeds and raisins. Yum. Yams, man. 

eggplant, mushroom & pesto pizza

ooooooh boy.

this pizza is SO not raw. i adore raw pizza though, but haven't made it in awhile (so actually you should prepare for a recipe soon). anyways, this is very baked. but hey - i feel good about putting this in my body. homemade, whole wheat crust; fresh organic veggies; a bit of tofu; and hand-picked basil. not too shabby. 

as you may know, every saturday is family movie night here in the von euw household. for years we've been enjoying good company, beverages, film and triangular food once every week. when i went vegan, i just veganized my pizza...

that's right, it's crazy up in here.

tonight i made a pesto sauce from basil and pine nuts and topped it off with marinated eggplant and mushrooms from the farmer's market. oh, i added some sauteed tofu as well. although this would be delicious without cheese (daiya is great, but we can't deny it's processed) i find it holds the toppings together better. otherwise you've got a mess on your hands - and i need to pay attention to the movie! 

must keep things organized.

eggplant, pesto & mushroom pizza with tofu: makes one pie

crust:

buy one pre-made (easy to be gluten free) OR use this gluten free recipe, OR:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 to 1 cup warm water
1 packet yeast
2 teaspoons sea salt & pepper
dried herbs of your choosing (i like basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme) 

pesto:

1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup pine nuts

salt & pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

5-6 olives

3 garlic cloves

vegan milk, as needed to make it creamy

toppings:

1 small eggplant

4-5 mushrooms

5 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1/2 package tofu

2 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

salt & pepper

make the crust: combine the yeast and warm water in a warm mixing bowl. sprinkle on a tinsy bit of sugar to feed the yeast. let it rise for about 10 minutes. add the other ingredients and kneed the dough or mix in your mixer (we have a kitchen-aid) until it's soft and elastic; 8-10 minutes. let it rise for an hour or until it doubles in size - A GOOD TIME TO PREP THE PESTO AND TOPPINGS, HMM? - then roll it out into a pizza crust! partially bake it for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees. 

make the pesto: in your food processor, blend all ingredients until spreadable and delectable. mmm it's so good. spread it on your par-baked crust.

do the toppings: first sautee the tofu and garlic slices in 1 tablespoon each of tamari, olive oil and maple syrup. let them cook until they brown. next slice the eggplant and mushrooms very thin and rub in the remaining tamari, olive oil and maple syrup. throw in some salt and pepper and other spices if you like. when the tofu is done, add it to the eggplant and mushrooms and let it marinate until your pizza is ready to be dressed 

(yes, your pizza was naked.)

throw everything - add a bit of vegan cheese if you like - on the crust and pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees. then... cut and eat. you got this. 

xox, em