Dumpling Lemongrass Soup

I'm usually a Sunday pizza guy but I had pizza last night and I still feel full so I needed something lighter and raw food is boring on a Sunday night. This Dumpling soup is awesome and as I'm lazy today I made this with pre-made Dumplings from the local Asian store.

All you need is some time to prepare the Consommé for the Dumplings and these are the ingredients for 2 servings.

1. 8 Vegetable Dumplings
2. 1 l of Renee Voltaires Vegetable Broth.
3. 1Celery stalk (diced)
4. 2 Garlic cloves (crushed)
5. Ginger (fresh, about 2 cm, diced)
6. Lemongrass, 2 stalks
7. Leek (1/2), diced
8. 1 Kaffir Lime Leaf
9. 1 Dried Red Chili
10. 1 Shallot (diced)
11. 1/2 tsp Black Peppercorns (whole)
12. Sugar
13. Olive Oil and Salt

This is how it's done.

1. Heat the Olive Oil and Salt but don't let it smoke.
2. Add everything except the Sugar and Broth.
3. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat.
4. Add the Broth and Sugar
5. Let is simmer for 45 minutes
6. While you wait, steam the Dumplings, but not too much so they break.
7. Pour the Consommé through a sieve and discard the vegetables.
8. Add the dumplings and heat up.
9. Serve immediately.

I love Asian food and this is a perfect, light dish and it smells terrific. You can experiment with this a lot and add more

"Chicken" scaloppini with crispy Udon noodle cake

I found this recipe in Chef Tal Ronnen's awesome cookbook "The Conscious Cook" (available on Amazon) and I had to make a variation of it as Gardein, Earth Balance and Faux Chicken Stock is not available in Sweden (yet).

This excellent main course is based on Udon Noodles (precooked), Redwood's Wheat Protein "Chicken" (Soy- and GMO free), Pea Shoots and Saké sauteed Shiitake mushrooms. Tal Ronnen used Faux Chicken Broth and I've seen a few recipes where you can make your own, but until I bring some back with me on my next trip to the US, I'll use Renee Voltaire's Vegetable Stock.

Here's what you need.

Udon Noodle Cakes

1. 4 packs of precooked Udon noodles (not pre-dried). If you can't find them in your local supermarket you can find them in Asian stores, such as HS Asien Livs in Söderhallarna, Stockholm.
2. Olive Oil, Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Pea Shoots

1. 5 dl of packed Pea Shoots
2. 0,6 dl Vegetable Stock
3. 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
4. 2 minced Garlic cloves
5. Sea salt

"Chicken"

1. 4 Redwood "Chicken"
2. 1.25 dl unbleached all-purpose flour (optional in this version).
3. 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
4. 450g Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 0,5mm slices.
5. 2.5 dl Dry Saké
6. 1.25 dl Renee Voltaire vegetable stock
7. 1.25 dl Carlshamn Vegetable Butter
8. 1 tablespoon of minced fresh Chives

Here's how it's done.

Udon Noodle Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 95 degrees C.
2. Make the Udon noodle cakes by frying them in Olive Oil and salt for about 3 minutes on each side (until browned and crisp)
3. Remove to a paper-towel linded baking sheet and put the noodle cake in the oven.

"Chicken"

1. Cut the Redwood "Chicken" in two halves, which makes it easier when you assemble the dish. An option is to scrape off the coating and dredge the "Chicken" in unbleached flour.
2. Cook the "Chicken" until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
3. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Shiitake Mushrooms

1. Add Olive oil to the pan and add the mushrooms.
2. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes until softened.
3. Add the Saké and cook until reduced by half.
4. Add the vegetable stock and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Remove from the stove and whisk in the Vegetable Butter one tablespoon at the time, whisking constantly so the sauce don't separate.
6. Return the "Chicken" to the sauce and coat it with sauce.
7. Cover to keep it warm.

Pea Shoots

1. Sprinkle the bottom of your sauté pan with sea salt over medium heat.
2. Add the Sesame oil and heat for 30 seconds. Do not let it smoke.
3. Add the minced Garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
4. Add the stock and the Pea Shoots and sauté for 3 - 5 minutes. Drain the excess liquid.

Assemble the dish

1. Place the Udon noodle cake in the center of each plate.
2. Top each cake with some of the Pea Shoots.
3. Top the Pea Shoots with the "Chicken" halves.
4. Spoon a little of the sauce over the "Chicken" and add the mushrooms.
5. Garnish with greens and serve immediately.

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites and I can warmly recommend the Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen and try this out.

Grilled Beetroot "Steak Tartare"

I love steak Tartare, but you know that recipe already so here's a plant-based version of this meat classic. The "steaks" are based on Buckwheat and obviously Beetroots. I add some classics to serve with, but you can serve this with fries with a good conscience.

So this is what you need for five portion size "steaks".

• 3 dl Buckwheat
• 2 large Beetroots
• 1 1/2 - 2 dl Fine grinded Hazelnuts
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon is Gluten-Free in case you are allergic)
• 1/2 Red onion (minced)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sides (a must)

• Capers (I always use the large canned ones without stems)
• Dijon Mustard
• Red onion (minced)
• Pointed Headed Cabbage (Spetskål in Swedish) shredded but not too small pieces.

• Cook the Buckwheat according to instructions and let it cool off for a bit.
• Grate the Beetroots as fine as you can.
• Use a blender to mix the Buckwheat and Beetroots until smooth.
• Add the mustard and the red onion. Blend again.
• Add about 1 dl of the Hazelnut (powder) and blend until the Buckwheat/Beetroot mix is firm enough to make patties (you remember the days when you still made hamburgers right?). If they are too soft, blend again with some more of the Hazelnuts. If they stick to your palms (yes, you have to get dirty) wet your palms with cold water.

While the patties are resting a little bit, make the side dishes.

• Fry the shredded Cabbage in olive oil with some vinegar and Agave Nectar.
• The rest is easy but it's all about presentation so less is more. Just make small side portions of Dijon Mustard, minced Red Onion and Capers.

Fry the patties in olive oil on medium-high heat about three minutes per side until they have a golden-red surface. Serve directly!

You can serve this with a rich wine such as a Zinfandel or Malbec.