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Vegetable Stock Recipes: Veggies and Ramen Noodles, Fresh Carrot Pilaf, & More
Compiled by Vicki McClure Davidson
For tips on making your own vegetable stock, click here.
Veggies and Ramen Noodles
Ah, ramen noodles... the savior of many a financially broke college student!
Leftover vegetables can be easily incorporated into a nutritious, tasty side dish using a packet of inexpensive ramen noodles. Adding 1/2 cup leftover cooked chicken, turkey, pork, or beef will make this a main dish. Kids will go wild for this. Naturally, the vegetables don't have to be leftovers—they can be fresh or frozen.
- 3 T. cooking oil (corn, vegetable, olive, or safflower)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 c. cut vegetables (good choices include sliced carrots, parsnips, cabbage, onion, celery, bell pepper, edamame, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, pea pods, bean sprouts, leeks, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, turnip, rutabaga); when feasible, julienne strips are preferred, because they will cook uniformly and they look prettier!
- 1/2 c. leftover cooked chicken, turkey, pork, or beef, shredded or cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
- 2 T. soy sauce (low sodium is best)
- 1 package ramen noodles (any flavor)
- 2 c. vegetable stock
- 1 tsp. black pepper
Cut fresh vegetables (preferably into thin julienne strips so that they will cook quickly and look more elegant). Cut uniformly - try to make the size and thickness of vegetables as uniform as possible so that they'll cook evenly.
Heat fry pan or wok and add cooking oil on medium-high heat. When oil is heated, add minced garlic and cook for a minute or less (don't overcook, as it will become bitter). Keep garlic moving so that it doesn't overcook.
Add vegetables, stirring quickly for the first minute so they are all coated in oil. If adding both leftover vegetables and fresh or frozen vegetables, add the fresh and/or frozen ones first, and of those, put in the more dense ones before putting in the less dense ones. The trick here is to stagger the cooking of each group of vegetables so that they are all at the same plane of "cooked-ness" when done. Otherwise, some may be undercooked and others undercooked.
If adding leftover cooked meat, add now.
Drizzle soy sauce over vegetables (and meat, if using any). Cook until meat is thoroughly heated.
While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the ramen noodles according to packet directions using vegetable stock instead of water (although, water is fine to use).
Cook the vegetables until al dente. Add ramen noodles with vegetable stock into the pan with the vegetables. Add black pepper. Stir and cook for a another minute or two.
Serves 4 - 6.
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Rice with Black Beans and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Recipe from Quality Health.For tips on making your own vegetable stock, click here.
- 1 T. unsalted butter or margarine
- 1/8 tsp. salt (optional)
- 1 c. water
- 1 c. white rice
- 1 c. chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1/2 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 T. sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
Combine stock, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in rice and return to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low. Cover saucepan and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in beans and tomatoes. Cover and simmer another 5-8 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Add butter and fluff with a fork before serving.
Seves 4.
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Fresh Carrot Pilaf
For tips on making your own vegetable stock, click here.
- 1 c. shredded carrots
- 1/2 c. chopped onion
- 2 T. butter or margarine
- 1 c. uncooked long grain rice
- 1-1/2 c. vegetable broth
- 1/2 c. chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
- 1 tsp. dill weed
- 1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
In a saucepan, sauté shredded carrots and chopped onion in butter or margarine until tender.
Add rice to pan and stir to coat rice grains with butter/margarine. Stir in vegetable and chicken broths, salt, dill weed, and lemon-pepper seasoning; bring to a boil.
After broth reaches a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
Serves 4 - 6.
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Peppery Chinese Brown Rice
For tips on making your own vegetable stock, click here.
- 2 T. onion, finely chopped
- 1-1/2 tsp. ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1-1/3 T. soy sauce
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed and drained
- 2-1/2 cups vegetable broth
Combine all the listed ingredients, except the soy sauce, in a heavy saucepan or small Dutch oven. Bring vegetable broth to a boil on the stove over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes.
Lower the heat to low or medium low. Cover pan tightly and let brown rice simmer for 45 minutes. Be sure to not lift the lid for the entire 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, turn off the heat, and let rice stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Serve the rice drizzled with the soy sauce.
Serves 4.
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