Vegan Hot and Sour Soup

It's Fall and I'm feelin' like soup!  This is a hunky soup absolutely loaded with flavor.  You can literally eat it with a fork (or chopsticks!).  In China, if noodle or hearty soup is served, many consider it a more elegant way to eat by picking the noodle into a serving spoon first, then eating from the spoon, rather than slurping directly from the bowl into the mouth using chopsticks. 
Sometimes you must ask, "What Would Martha Do?"
Really, who cares, this soup is so good you won't even hear anyone else slurping!

This is an adapted recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook by Isa Chandra-Moskowitz.
If you’re looking for a vegan cookbook that will please the pickiest meat eaters, this is the one! This lady knows her stuff!

Grab your wine...here we go! 

What you’ll need: (cut the recipe in half if you’re going solo, you’ll still have plenty left over).

½ oz. dried wood ear (or shitake) mushrooms + 2 cups boiling water
6-8 leaves Napa cabbage (depends how much you ♥ cabbage)
6-8 cups vegetable broth
¼ cup + 2 Tbs. soy sauce (or Braggs)
¼ cup + 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1-2 tsp. Asian hot chili oil (very hot stuff, so tone it down if you need to)
¾ tsp. sesame oil
1 ½ tsp ground white pepper
1 ½ cups thick-sliced white/cremini mushrooms
1 heaping Tbs. arrowroot or cornstarch + 1 cup cold water
1 lb extra-firm tofu, pressed & cut into matchsticks (or whatever shape you like)
½ cup shredded carrots
½ - 1 cup chopped scallions (optional)
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Substitutions:
I put a few more carrots (they dull they numbing effect the chili oil has) and a few less fresh mushrooms.
I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce.
I use the cubed-style veggie broth, it's cheaper & tastes great!
Pressed Tofu: I promise to do a blog on this only soon...it's confusing for the non-tofu eaters, but it is oh-so-tasty & worth it!

Method:
Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl & pour boiling water over them so that they are submerged by a few inches. Cover with a plate and let sit for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile… Pour the vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chili oil, sesame oil & white pepper into a soup pot. Cover & bring to a boil.
While that is heating, prepare the cabbage leaves, lay them on top of each other so they’re spooning. Cut in half, stack again (or in two batches) and thinly slice them width-wise.
Once the broth is boiling, add the cabbage and the fresh mushrooms. Reduce to a low boil and cook until the cabbage is fully wilted, 5-10 minutes.

The dried mushrooms should be ready at this point, so remove, drain, cut into bite-size pieces and add to the soup.

Mix the arrowroot with the water until dissolved. Add to the soup and stir until just slightly thickened, a minute or two. This will not make the soup thick; the starch just helps to give it a little body.

Add the shredded carrots & tofu and cook about 5 more minutes. Serve/garnish with scallions (if using).

“Having a good wife and a rich cabbage soup, seek not other things.”
- Russian Proverb

I chose this quote because this is a soup my husband (a meat eater/lover) actually gets excited about.  As a vegan, I'm not sure there's a greater feeling than a non-vegan loving your food.  It gives you hope!

Fill up your favorite mug (or bowl) & slurp to your heart's content.

A Vegan’s View of NYC

Let me first state that I am in no way qualified to give “expert” guidance to this incredible, eccentric, fantastic city. I wanted to share my experiences, but (of course) with a vegan twist, ‘cause I’m just that crazy!

First of all, I highly suggest you plan a trip to NYC…now! For those who have never been to The Big Apple, you literally do not know what you’re missing. The energy, creativity and vibe is phenomenal. I have never seen or felt anything like it; I was immediately hooked. From the first sighting of the Statue of Liberty in the plane to the white-knuckled cab rides to the copious choices of cuisine and unending culture, I was unquestionably addicted to this city.

I’ve had opportunities to visit New York, but have passed. My ideal vacation consists of a warm, tropical location featuring a beach; a scene not typically associated with The City. Fortunately for NYC, my tropical dreams may have detoured slightly to the left of sand and palm trees and into frenzied crowds and skyscrapers. I may have traded the white noise of an ocean for the din of the city.

I want to point out the highlights of my travels (some touristy, some not).


1. Walking.  Seriously, this is by far the best way to see the city. You will see it all, trust me. You’ll see things that confuse and confound you; you’ll see the sadness of the streets, the success of immigrants, the extreme of fashion and perhaps even a fist fight or two. Manhattan is a small island, so pack your walking shoes and plan on pounding the pavement.

2. Food.  There is a double-meaning to The Melting Pot in NYC. Every country and culture is represented; you could eat a different ethnic food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for weeks! If your diet is more limited – a vegan diet, for example – you’ll still be in Vegan Hog Heaven. Check out HappyCow for some really good restaurant suggestions. I was happy to see that many restaurants also have vegan options. Since our first night was my friend’s work-related dinner at Carmine’s, I was a little concerned. It was a pre-planned dinner and they just brought out various menu items. I asked if they had any vegan options and they were more than accommodating. The chef made a lovely roasted garlic and olive oil (eggless) pasta that was not on the menu and they brought me a large garden salad with all kinds of yummy [vegan] antipasti scattered within. The chef and maitre d’ even came to check on me to make sure everything was suitable. I have never had a non-vegetarian restaurant be so compliant. It was very refreshing to be treated like a regular patron!
Then there was the fabulous Ethiopian restaurant, Queen of Sheba. They had many vegetarian options and several vegan options. My friend, Paul, thoughtfully made sure everything was we ate was vegan – it was delicious!  I will rally Knoxville to get an Ethiopian restaurant of its own!
Finally, my crown jewel: Blossom. Blossom is a completely vegan and kosher restaurant. This is the first 100% vegan restaurant I have ever been to, so I was very excited. The seating was a little too close to the next table and the dining area was very loud, but this is just something you come to expect in NYC. Once the wine and food came out, any shortcomings were forgotten. We had the Cape Cod Cakes (a blend of seaweed, tofu, herbs and spices, served with a vegan tartar sauce). I literally do not have words to describe these: delectable, heavenly, scrumptious? Words don’t do them justice. My friend (a meat-eater) said it was the best tartar sauce she’d ever had! My main course was the Pistachio and Pepper-Dusted Tofu. This was served over a roasted root vegetable crepe with a lemon truffle sauce; a mixed greens salad tossed in red beet vinaigrette finished the dish. $20 is much more than a vegan typically pays for an entrée, but this was worth every penny (and then some)! I have never tasted anything so blissfully luscious. I am still sad I didn’t have room for dessert, but that will have to wait for my next visit!


3. People.  Forget everything you’ve heard about New Yorkers being foul-mouthed and rude. Wait…Keep the foul-mouthed bit, but toss the rude! Every time I asked for directions, I luckily did so of a local and they were always very kind and willing to help. Retail associates were generally more helpful than people in the South! I love how New Yorkers can be very direct, tell you what you need to know and leave it at that. Being direct in the South translates into you being rude or short-tempered. Any rude people I encountered, were actually tourists themselves! Go figure.


My friend, Jannae (who lives in NYC), summed it up perfectly when she put it something like this: “We all live in such small spaces that the city is like our living room. We hang out together in the parks and bars and restaurants. We’re all in this together and it just works.”
And it does work. No one stands alone but everyone can make their own path.


“It isn't like the rest of the country - it is like a nation itself - more tolerant than the rest in a curious way. Littleness gets swallowed up here. All the viciousness that makes other cities vicious is sucked up and absorbed in New York.” - John Steinbeck