Monday was a day for firsts.
Thank you for all of the supportive comments yesterday! Many of you asked what my first post-cleanse meal was… I don’t know if you could count it as a meal, but at midnight on Sunday I ate a massive spoonful of peanut butter. It was everything I hoped it would be. 🙂
Monday morning I had a PB&J protein shake post workout. I had good intentions of taking a picture, but got a little too excited.
Many of you commented that giving up caffeine would be hard, but a cup of coffee didn’t even cross my mind yesterday morning!
For an afternoon snack I enjoyed a carrot + PB “sandwich”:
Oh, and there was a handful of pistachios for snack too. I love nuts. You can quote me on that. 😉
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I’m really excited about today’s recipe – it was courtesy from my Foodie Penal this month, Laura @ Laura Lives Life. In one of the most creative penpal boxes I’ve heard of, Laura sent me the (non-perishable) ingredients to make her favorite meal: Bimbibap.
Thank to Laura, the other first on Monday was my first time making the Korean dish. The traditional version is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sautéed vegetables, gochujang (chili pepper paste), a raw or fried egg, and beef.
Asian foods are some of my favorite, so I couldn’t wait to try out my own version of her recipe (and this NYT recipe she based it on) and share it with you all! I took un-traditional, vegan liberties.
The coolest part about this dish was the crispy rice. I was nervous about it because, as Laura mentions in her post, this is usually made in a clay pot. Making it in a skillet worked out perfectly though! Mine certainly didn’t stay in perfect pieces, but it had a fantastic crunch. I don’t know how I’ll ever eat rice the “normal” way again!
The other thing I loved about this dish was the nutty flavor from the sesame seeds and the rich saltiness from miso tamari. It perfectly complimented the zucchini and the meaty shiitakes. Add to that the sweet, raw carrots… it was texture nirvana.
You guys know how I love heat, so I was of course in love with the gochujang. It is a chili paste, but is different from sriracha in that it has just a hint of sweetness. I tossed in a few more red pepper flakes for good measure. 🙂
This recipe is several steps, but you can have the rice going while you prepare the veggies. It actually helps since you forget about the rice long enough for it to get a proper crunch. I would have been messing with it too much if the rice had been given my undivided attention!
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Before we get to the recipe… don’t you want a cool Foodie Penpal too???
To sign up for a Foodie PenPals in March, send an email to the great and wonderful Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com with the following deets:
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address (if you’ve got one)
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
Join in by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!
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Vegan Bibimbap
- 1 C wild rice, cooked (or rice of choice)
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ~1/3 in thick quarters
- 1 tsp dark sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-4 drops stevia, or other sweetener
- 1 C thinly sliced shiitake caps
- 1/2 tsp miso tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2 C packed spinach leaves
- 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, julienned in 2-inch lengths
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 T Korean red chili sauce (gochujang)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Cilantro
- Slice of lime
Prepare rice according to package instructions. Spray a medium-sized skillet with lubricant (oil or PAM) and place over medium heat. Add cooked rice and flatten to form a pancake-like covering bottom of pan (~1/4 in thick). Cook until crisp and light brown on underside (7-8 mins). With spatula, flip rice over, and continue cooking until crisp (~5 mins. Remove from heat until veggies are prepared.
In a medium skillet a medium skillet over medium heat, and add 1/2 tsp sesame oil, zucchini, garlic, and stevia. Sauté until zucchini is tender (7-8 mins). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Return pan to burner and add remaining 1/2 tsp teaspoon sesame oil, shiitakes, and miso tamari. Sauté until tender (5-6 mins), then transfer to plate and set aside.
Return pan to burner and spinach with rice wine vinegar. Sauté until just wilting (4-5 mins), adding green onions in for the last 30 seconds (just long enough to warm them). Remove from burner.
On a large plate, arrange rice in a layer across the bottom. Next, place vegetables on top in individual piles. Top with toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, chili sauce, and red pepper flakes. Serve with lime wedges.
Makes 2 servings (easily doubled).
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Major plus to being single: I have the second serving for lunch today. 🙂
Have you ever made a traditional Korean or Asian dish?
If you were going to mail ingredients to a penpal, what dish would it be for?
That is so creative! I love it!
Such a delicious meal- love the meaty texture shiitake mushrooms! Your posts always inspire to get more creative in the kitchen! Have you tried kimchi? It’s a Korean dish made of vinegary cabbage with a hint of sweetness- I could eat it by the bowl….I should probably resist doing so if you know what I mean ;)!
I have tried kimchi! I love it – anything with the vinegar bite. And yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean. 🙂
I love bibimbap! Definitely one of my favorite dishes. The crispy rice is AH-MAZING – definitely my favorite part of the dish. I was going to say that you forgot about the sunny side egg on top but I guess that wouldn’t make it vegan, right? Still, it looks phenomenal. Well done! 🙂
I know… I imagine the egg would have been fabulous. Thank you! 🙂
that is such a cool idea for a package!!!! jealous!
That is such a neat idea and the dish looks delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I love your version of the recipe! If you ever decide not to do a vegan version, the fried egg totally makes it even better!
I know, I know… I’m easing food back in slowly. Though I may join that vegan March movement that’s floating around!
Thank you again – this really was the perfect pacakge! 🙂
That IS a really creative box! I love that Laura sent you things to make her favorite dish out of. I absolutely love Bimbibap, especially the crunchy rice part!
Right?! I can’t believe I’ve never had it until now.
That is a really cool idea for the package!! Lucky!! and it looks really good too.
Yum! I think Annie Chun’s does pretty well with sauces. I’m rarely let down with those.
And I totally don’t blame you on the pb – I’d have done the same thing!
I thought I was the only crazy person who liked peanut butter and carrots…more reasons why we’re friends. 🙂 [Not just ‘blends’…]
How AMAZING is that package? And how timely (for me), as there was a Bibimbap recipe in Cooking Light recently that made my mouth water. It had a big egg on top of it…and it made me want not only eggs, but the dish itself. Perhaps I can just make this vegan version instead?
You should totally make it, my more-than-Blend friend! I ant to see what craziness you add to it. Maybe some squash? 😉
That is probably the coolest Foodie Pen Pal box I’ve seen! I love the theme, and that it was all of the non-perishables you needed to make that awesome looking recipes.
And- peanut butter on carrots? Hmm.. I’ll have to try that! I’ve been obsessed with peanut butter and celery lately- just like a 5 year old.
It’s really good! Same concept as with the celery, but the sweetness from the carrot makes it even better (IMHO).
Did you get any headaches when giving up coffee? I think I’d be in serious withdrawl.
I didn’t, but I never had more than one coffee per day. My friend did at first, but I think she said it was only for a day. You can have green tea… not the same, but it may ease the symptoms.
Well this sounds delicious!! And I love the idea of a carrot and peanut butter sandwich. Clever! 😉
So fresh and colorful looking, it’s everything a dinner should be! I really like the carrot/PB sandwich idea too.
what exactly is the foodie pen pal???
Follow the links through to Lindsay’s blog for a full explanation, but basically once a month participants get matched up with to send a box of deliciousness to their “pal.”
Woohoo! Way to get through the cleanse! A carrot & PB sandwich? WOW. You really like PB!
I have seen all these pen pal boxes flying around blog land today and they are so much fun! I think I am going to have to jump on the bandwagon!
You should! I bet you would put together an fantastic box!
this looks great! the carrots really add a splash of colour to the dish! 🙂
Thank you! I loved the contrast of the raw agains the cooked veggies.
I want a gin and tonic, sad, but that’s what the drink made me think of. Almost had Asian for dinner, wishing I did now.
What a cool box to receive! I’ve made many, many Asian dishes, but don’t think I’ve ever made a Korean one. From the sound (and looks!) of it, that needs to change pronto. If I were to mail the ingredients of a dish to someone, I’d probably do my absolute favorite dish; Massaman Curry.
I would be elated to get a Massaman Curry box from you! 🙂
Such a fun idea! I’ve never had this before but its looks like such a gorgeous dish, I cook way too much Italian at home ( I think thats about all I cook!) I need to start trying other regions too 🙂 This looks great!
What a creative idea! I made myself kimchi fried rice tonight which is a meal that my Korean friends taught me. I also have enjoyed making bulgogi every now and then.
That sounds delicious! Do you have a good recipe for bulgogi?
I have always bought the boulgogi sauce from an Asian market and then used a thinly sliced cut of tender beef. Usually tenderloin. When I had a friend from Korea living with my family, her parents visited and her mom made the boulgogi sauce from scratch! I have never attempted to make my own sauce though.
Sounds fantastic!
Also, I just ate a spoonful of peanut butter because once I read it I couldn’t stop myself…
LOL! It’s like when someone yawns – you can’t help but join in. 🙂
that is such a good idea for a penpal package!! especially since it’s for a recipe you’ve never made before. very cool. 🙂
What a cool idea for a Foodie PenPal package! (Note taken). Your dish looks amazing. I just may have to try this, like you I am obsessed with textures.
I know! I want to “copy” Laura next month. 🙂
You gave up coffee! Well done Laura! The carrots really make the dish look so much more vibrant.
Thanks! I did love their color. Some red peppers would be good here too.
I adore bibimbap, and I had an excellent vegan version in China last summer. 🙂
I love cooking traditional Asian meals, and as far as Korean goes, I’ve made my own kimchi 🙂
I bet it was perfection in China! I would love to travel to that part of the world.
I love that she sent you a package of items that you could use to make a dinner. That is genius! What a wonderful looking dinner!
Bibimbap is one of my favorites. I always order one when at a Korean restaurant, along with half the menu…did I mention before that I’m a glutton. 😉
I think there’s a rule dictating you must over-order at Asian restaurants.
Very true. At least we can run it all off.
What a fantastic idea for the penpal box…and a great new recipe to share with us all.