In the dead of winter, there are few things more comforting than a piping hot bowl of soup to warm you up from the inside out. I put ginger in almost everything I eat, especially in the cold seasons, and this soup is no exception. I was looking for a way to use up the surplus of split mung beans I had in my pantry (thanks mom), and this nourishing, spicy ginger mung bean soup came to be.
Note: you will need split mung beans for this recipe, as shown above (not whole ones).
Happy 2019, friends! I’m just popping on the blog to share a quick recipe with you today, as I’ve gotten many messages about these jackfruit bánh mì bites on Instagram. I made them for a vegan NYE potluck my friends Christina and Courtney hosted, and they were a hit! The five spice is the lingering aroma that makes this dish epically memorable. I’ve used this warming spice in literally everything, from my go-to peanut sauce, to gingerbread cookies to faux beef stir fries, jackfruit bao bites, and even protein bars! It’s been my recent obsession and also is an homage to a lot of the food I had growing up in a Vietnamese household. This spice holds the ultimate expression of nostalgia for me.
As I get older, I have really loved leaning into my Vietnamese roots more, after many younger years where I pushed my culture away in order to assimilate/avoid being bullied for being “different.” Now, it always feels so damn good to embrace my family’s heritage and blend it with my own personal experiences/influences. This dish is kind of a fusion dish–5 Spice BBQ jackfruit on bánh mì bites! I’ve made 5 Spice BBQ fusion jackfruit bao bites before, and this recipe is basically the same thing but with bánh mì fixings. Continue reading
The holidays can be so stressful, especially when it comes to gift-giving. Luckily, I’ve got an easy but heartfelt gift idea that you can make for loved ones in a pinch! You may have all the ingredients in your kitchen already. As I get older, I’ve come to appreciate more simple thoughtful gifts, over grand gestures of affection.
Growing up, my cousins and I saw many seasons pass through my grandparents’ house in Oklahoma. Winter nights meant steaming pots of my aunt’s phở chay and whispering under warm blanket forts. In the spring, our fingers became green and fragrant from plucking Vietnamese herbs for spring rolls. We spent our summers making our own adventures in the closets and under the tables (and doing math). In the fall, we were filled to bursting with ripe trái hồng (Fuyu persimmons) from my grandmother’s tree. No matter the season, our cheeks were always full of laughter, and our grandparents were always full of love for us, to the brim and more.
Fuyu persimmons were my favorite fruit growing up, especially the ones from my grandmother’s tree. When eaten young, Fuyu persimmons are crisp and refreshing. At full ripeness, their texture becomes deep and tender–gelatinous globs of honeyed sweetness that melt in your mouth and make a mess when you eat them. My favorite stage to eat them is the middle stage, in which the fruit retains some bite, while still being delectably fleshy and succulent in texture. Persimmons are also amazing when dried–they are a gooey treat with a really satisfying texture. Continue reading
“It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price.
You have slain something so pure that from the moment the blood touches your lips, you will have a half-life. A cursed life.”
— Firenze | Harry Potter + the Sorcerer’s Stone
I’ve always loved this quote from Harry Potter, especially the part about the karmic consequences of slaying a pure being. It certainly meshes well with my convictions about ahimsa and veganism!
Don’t worry, no unicorns were slain in the making of this soup. It’s raining hard here in Texas, so I made a quick batch of this colorful one pot soup. I decided to call it unicorn blood soup because I was feeling spooky! I know unicorn blood in the HP movies is silver, but we can just pretend it turns bright pink when cooked…haha. 🙂 Enjoy!!
One Pot Unicorn Blood Soup | Beet Ginger Veggie Soup
makes 2 servings
Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
Method:
Happy Halloween, y’all!
I don’t know about you, but this semester is already draining the life out of me! This soup is a life saver when you’re hit with allergies, a sinus infection, body aches, food poisoning, and your period. Yes, I literally had to deal with all of that last week, on top of my thesis. I barely felt like eating, or cooking, for that matter, but I knew I needed something hot, spicy, soothing, and relatively easy (compared to the preparations and wait time for phở).
This healing soup comes together quickly, without too much work. The fiery combination of garlic, ginger, and white pepper will wake your senses, warming you from head to toe. I also like that there’s not too much chewing involved. It’s funny how the most mundane tasks, like chewing, become 100 times more difficult when you’re sick. This soup provides a spicy burst of nutrition to keep you going!
If you haven’t noticed already, I’m kind of obsessed with Chinese five spice. I’ve used it to spice up BBQ jackfruit buns, added it to creamy peanut sauce, and I’ve even made cookies with it! Here’s a classic dish my mom always makes with this iconic spice–a fragrant faux beef stir fry that can serve as the protein base for a variety of other dishes. Continue reading
I’ve had this one on my mind for a while–a vegan “tuna” salad infused with Vietnamese flavors, like nước mắm! This is not traditional from my experience, and I tried to find some examples but couldn’t find that much online. However, I was particularly inspired by this account and recipe from Andrew Zimmern, influenced by his experience on a Vietnamese island. It sounded legit, so I decided to give it a try, with a plant-based twist! Can you guess what I used in place of tuna? Continue reading
There’s no way around it–you can’t do Vietnamese food without nước mắm (fish sauce).
It’s the main base in nước chấm, a light dipping sauce that accompanies most Vietnamese dishes. You’d think this would be an issue for Vietnamese vegans and vegetarians, but it’s actually the easiest thing, especially for those of us who grew up around the spiritual traditions of vegetarianism. Continue reading
plantcrush 