Easy Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) & Diz's Spring Rolls

Pho is the THE dish you think of...
When you want authentic Vietnamese cuisine. It comes most often as Pho Bo (the beef version) but the chicken version seems to be a little more gingery in taste--definitely lighter. Believing this, I wanted to test my cooking skills and transform a traditional Vietnamese soup dish originally made with tons of chicken bones and meat into a vegan version of tastiness--of course with a convenient twist because I have a limited amount of time to prepare dinner on the weekdays. I have made a vegan version of Pho Bo before, but never a chicken one. My mum would be so proud of me right now!
For the spring rolls, I replaced the typical iceberg lettuce with baby lettuce mix. I feel that there is more flavor this way, and aside from that, I LOATHE iceberg. I think of it as the most insignificant tasting lettuce there is and my rabbit can't even eat it! Also, instead of the traditional addition of shrimp or a vegan restaurant's version that adds sliced tofu, I added some soy fish for extra flavor. Spring rolls are my mother-in-law's (Holly's) favorite!

Easy Pho Ga:

Soup:
2 pho spice cubes (the ones at the asian grocers with no beef or chicken, just spices)
as much water as you'd like
1 small onion, charred on stovetop or in toaster oven, sliced into big chunks
1 t. vegan chicken base
1/2 t. ginger paste
dash each of:
clove powder
allspice
cinnamon
black pepper

For topping soup:
a few vegan chicken strips sliced thin diagonally
fresh mint leaves
thin sliced onion (bulb and green)
hoisin sauce
Sriracha chili sauce

as many rice noodles as you want pre-soaked in warm water until softened, then drained

In a large pot, add all soup ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Set aside until ready to use. In another pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Using a small rounded sieve, place as many noodles as you want into it, then lower into boiling water. Cook noodles until softened (watch out because they overcook easily!). Dump into a large bowl, ladle soup onto the noodles, top with desired toppings (bean sprouts are traditional, but I don't like them), and enjoy!

Diz's Spring Rolls:
(no exact measurements)

Spring roll wrappers (banh trang)
boiled rice vermicelli (important! ask if you're unsure if it's the right type for spring rolls)
baby lettuce mix
fresh mint leaves
lightly dry pan-fried soy fish cut into strips

For dipping:
hoisin sauce
sriracha
chopped peanuts

Dip wrappers into warm water briefly, until slightly softened. Lay on a flat surface and place vermicelli, lettuce, mint, and soy fish slightly off-center towards you, leaving about an 1 or 2 to fold away from you. Fold in the sides, and roll tightly. Repeat until all rolls are finished.

Vegetable Indian Curry & Baked Vegetable Samosas

Ooooh yeaaahh...
Dane and I did the whole super low-fat thing yesterday night and for today's lunch so: it's time to give in to a little bit of spicy goodness and puff pastries! Of course, I had to go on the lighter side and omit the coconut milk in the curry and bake the samosas instead of frying them, but it turned out yummy anyhow. I miss my mum's Indian curry, but I didn't have the time to prep her version (veganized) this evening...oh well, sometime soon!
About the samosas, I decided to chop the potatoes a little bigger than usual, and left them unmashed for texture. I just felt like adding extra spices and not having a mashed potato stuffed pastry this evening, but I like both versions.

Vegetable Indian Curry:

12 baby potatoes (red), scrubbed, unpeeled, halved
2 carrots, scrubbed, unpeeled, cut into pieces
1 small sweet onion, sliced in medium-sized chunks
1 (4 oz.) Golden Curry package
1/2 t. Madras Curry powder
5 c. water
pinch of vegan beef base (optional)

In a large pot, saute onions and carrots on medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until potatoes are tender--about 30 minutes. (Suggestion: Serve with fresh parathas, chapati, or any loaf bread for dipping!)

Baked Vegetable Samosas:
Makes 5

5 square puff pastry sheets, thawed (or one large sheet cut into squares)
4 baby potatoes (white), diced
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. frozen baby peas
1 T. Earth Balance margarine
1/2 t. Madras Curry
1/8 t. ginger paste
pinch each of:
Garam Masala
coriander
cumin
salt

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Saute potatoes and onion with the melted Earth Balance, and cover briefly to steam until softened. Add peas, stir, and saute for a bit longer--until peas thaw out a bit. Throw in the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and set to the side. Set puff pastry down on a flat surface and spoon the sauteed mixture into the pastry. Wet edges, fold over diagonally, and press edges to seal shut. Place on a cookie sheet. Repeat until all pastries are filled. Make sure each one is at least an inch apart, pop sheet into the oven and bake until golden brown--about 10 minutes.