Gluten-Free Mung Bean Pasta!

We've been on the hunt recently for something delicious and sans gluten to cook up for a gluten-free friend of ours. We really wanted to have a little dinner party and make something new and interesting that she could partake in. There were a few options we came up with but after recently sampling the gluten-free Mung Bean pasta made by Explore Asia we knew exactly what we were going to make!

This stuff is so unique and scrumptious! Made of totally organic green mung beans it is not only naturally gluten-free but also high in protein, low in carbs, and 100% vegan. 

So what are mung beans? They are small green legumes which are seeds from the pods of plants. You might know them better as bean spouts in their sprouted form. That's right! Those white sprouts that are served with Pho and other dishes- they're mung beans sprouts!

Like many other legumes, the mung bean can be eaten raw when sprouted, or else eaten cooked with the skin on or off, but unlike many other beans, the mung bean is quite easy on the digestive tract and doesn’t usually cause a gassy reaction.

At first we just stared at the bag and weren't quite sure how we were going to prepare them. Should we treat them like spaghetti noodles and cover them in lentil meatballs and red sauce? Should we follow the suggestion on the package and toss the cooked noodles in vegan butter? Hrm...

After a little thought and some research we decided this was a job for our signature coconut milk alfredo sauce! The main ingredients: coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and corn starch are all gluten-free! Yay!

If you link to the blog post for the alfredo sauce recipe note that we didn't follow the directions exactly as we would for the kale alfredo. Instead we made the sauce in one small pan, sauteed the kale in another, and lightly steamed some broccoli separately. We then mixed them all together and got this as a result:

And man on man was it just as delicious as it looks! 

One can of coconut milk made enough sauce for about half the bag, which was about 2-3 servings. You could certainly stretch the bag and feed 6-7 people. Just add extra veggies! 

The texture is a little different than a typical pasta. Thin and flat. Less starchy than flour pasta for sure, possibly slightly al dente, but oh so good!

Next time we may even consider adding this pasta to a stir-fry and going the soy sauce or other asian sauce route. We may even top it with some Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chik'n.

Either way, we highly suggest giving it a try and doing some experimenting of your own. Especially if you are gluten-free or have gluten-free friends! 

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies

Asian Style Panko Crusted Seitan

Time to cook: 45 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult

Serves: 2 (large portions) 

You will need:

Seitan! 

They do make a few different kinds of pre-made seitan which can be purchased at Whole Foods or your local vegan market, but we typically go for the Arrowhead Mills brand of Vital Wheat Gluten and make our own. It gives you a bit more freedom as far as taste. Just prepare it according to the instructions and don't be afraid to add some extra spices like garlic and dried basil. It takes some time to prepare but the taste in sensational in the final product when you go homemade. Also make sure to simmer in veggie stock and not water- big difference!

When you're finished with your seitan it should look something like this. You want your pieces to be bite sized for the most part. Some variation is to be expected.

You will also need:

Ener-g Egg Replacer

Panko Crumbs

Non-dairy milk (we like Almond Milk)

Garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

Oil

Fruit/veggies (we went with fresh pineapple and green bell peppers)

Sauce of your choosing 

So first get your ingredients together for the breading station- Ener-g, panko, and non-dairy milk. Add a few tablespoons of Ener-g to a bowl with 1/3 cup of non-dairy milk. You want your mixture to be thick enough to coat your seitan but not pudding thick. Fill a plate with layer of panko crumbs and also mix in a small amount of garlic, salt, and pepper if the mood strikes you. Mix well.

Heat a skillet with a 1/4 inch of oil on medium-high heat. Then begin the breading process. Take a piece of seitan and dip it in your Ener-g and non-dairy milk mixture then immediately toss into panko crumbs. Coat both sides.

When the seitan is entirely coated set it in the oil. Each piece will need to cook around 10 minutes on each side depending on your heat. It may need less, it may need more. Just turn them over when it feels right! You want that lovely golden brown color.










Once all of your seitan pieces are breaded and fried set them on a few paper towels to let the excess oil drain off.











Let your breaded seitan sit while you chop your fruits and veggies. If you're going with a sweeter sauce we suggest pineapples and green peppers, but this part is totally up to you. You're going to just want to pair it with your sauce.

Note: If you're using a spicier sauce like General Tso's, fresh pineapple is a great way to balance out all that heat!

Chop your fruits/veggies just slightly smaller than your largest seitan pieces. You want them to complement each other.

Throw your fruits/veggies into a heated skillet with a little oil and toss around to coat.

After a minute or so add in some of your sauce and continue to toss and coat. Add in a little garlic, salt, and pepper as well if desired.

The goal here is to just slightly cook your fruits/veggies. Just enough to heat and make soft.  You want to make them easy to chew but never soggy.

Your next step is to add in your seitan and the remainder of your sauce. So let's talk about sauce options for a minute.




The sauce we used to coat our breaded setian was a special plum sauce Brandy's mother brought down from Conneticut. For some reason they don't sell it outside of Chinese restaurants in the Northeast and although we have found a recipe for it online, the process takes two weeks. This sauce is intense to say the least! If you live up near Connecticut/Rhode Island or are visiting the area- they call this stuff "duck sauce" but it's really just a dark brown deliciously sweet plum sauce. We highly suggest purchasing it by the gallon and using it with all your asian inspired meals.

So, if you aren't in the Northeast and want a delicous sauce and don't have time to make your own, what should you do? We suggest the Iron Chef's line of glazes and sauces. With these you can really go any direction with flavor. General Tso, Sesame, Teriyaki, Orange, Sweet Pepper. As far we know all the sauces are vegan aside from the Mexican Beer and Chipotle (that one isn't quite an asian style sauce anyway) and obviously the Honey Garlic contains honey.

You're going to want to use about 1/2 a cup of this sauce all together and with the last few tablespoons add a splash of warm water and throw it into the pan to really spread the sauce around and coat the fruit/veggies/seitan. Let that heat for a few minutes while the sauce and water gets absorbed and then remove from heat. Do not over cook during this step or your seitan breading will get mushy.

Serve with brown rice and broccoli or any sides of your choosing.

Don't forget, everything tastes better when you eat it with chopsticks!

With love, peace, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies