Curry Ramen

Holy cow, I am 25 years old today! It feels like just yesterday I posted my recipe for the cupcakes I made for my birthday last year. I also can't believe how much has changed in just a year! I graduated, moved to California, and am dating an amazing man who I am planning a happy life with. I am so grateful to finally have my (almost) adult life. Michael's birthday was last Sunday, and since our birthdays are only five days apart, we had a joint party last Saturday. My past five birthdays have either been gone horrible wrong (try getting chased down the streets of Melbourne drunk by a British guy dressed as a ninja while you are wearing an alien costume) or just me. So it was very nice to celebrate with friends for once.

Thank you Mrs. Reddy for the lovely cake! 

So, for my birthday I decided to post a recipe for one of my favorite lazy weekend lunches: Curry Ramen. It's a more adult version of the classic college staple. I have talked about how to jazz up your basic package of ramen before, but this is kicking it up several notches. It combines the goodness of a big bowl of noodles, the creaminess of curry broth, and you even get some nutrition from the vegetables. 

This recipe makes 2 servings but can easily be multiplied. 

Curry Ramen

4 cups water

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tps of ginger, minced

2 packages of Oriental flavored ramen (make sure you get one that has no meat flavorings)

1/2 tbs curry powder

1/4 tbs cumin

1/4 tbs turmeric

1 cup frozen vegetables (I use peas, carrots and corn)

1 can coconut milk

1/2  block of extra firm tofu, drained and chopped into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro, to taste

Mince the garlic and ginger.

In a large pot, add the water and the minced garlic and ginger. 

Cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the flavor packet from the ramen noodle package and add to the pot.

Add the curry powder, cumin, and turmeric.

Add the frozen veggies. Cook for a few minutes until no longer frozen. 

Add the noodles. Cook as long as the directions on the package indicate. 

Turn off the heat and add the coconut milk and tofu. Stir to combine. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Divide into two bowls and garnish with cilantro. 

Now enjoy your grown-up ramen---even if you are laying around in your pajamas watching TV like  a little kid I plan to do this weekend.

The Gilroy Pizza

We are slowly starting to get the house into shape! We have TV but no internet yet. We will hopefully have it soon and then I will get back to posting regularly.

The other day Michael's boss bought them Jake's Pizza for lunch and he brought the leftovers home. There was one called the Gilory Special and it looked amazing. Ranch, mushrooms, sausage, chives and tons of garlic! I just had to make a healthier vegan version. I took off a few ingredients and used Annie's Lite Goddess Dressing instead of ranch---and of course used vegan cheese and sausage.

For those of you not from Northern California (oh, it hurts my little Oregonian heart to say that I live here!) Gilroy is a city in southern Santa Clara County that is famous for its garlic crop. It grows other produce like mushrooms, artichokes and tomatoes---hence the name and toppings of the pizza.

The Gilroy Pizza
1 pre-baked pizza crust (try my recipe)
1/4 cup of creamy salad dressing (try a ranch or I used Annie's Lite Goddess)
2-4 cloves of garlic minced, depending on taste
1/2 cup vegan mozzarella (I used Follow Your Heart)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 of marinated red pepper, sliced
1/4 ground vegan sausage (I used Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage)
Chives, chopped




Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees.

Place the pre-baked pizza crust on pizza pan.

Spread the dressing over the crust.

Sprinkle on the garlic.

Cover with mozzarella.

Add the mushrooms, artichokes, and red peppers.

Crumble on the sausage.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the heated through and the mushrooms are cooked. Once again, this is vegan cheese, it lacks casein so it will not get all bubbly. It will melt a little bit but will quickly burn if you leave it in too long.

Like my nifty 50s linoleum floor?

It's creamy, it's garlicky, and it's full of veggies. What's not to love!