Vegan Mushroom Ramen

Is there a food that conjures up college meals better than ramen? When I say ramen, I'm talking about those little plastic-wrapped packets of curly noodles with a foil packet of salty seasoning. We could buy them at the corner store for next to nothing. We only needed a way to boil water to have a meal.

Today, I know that those little packages are not a healthy meal. They are loaded with sodium, chemicals and fat. And if you have food allergies or gluten-intolerance, they can be a no-go with wheat and soy. But ... they still hold a feeling of comfort for me, at least in my memory.

I had given up on this dish until I took my mom to Costco the other day. While browsing through the aisles, I found Lotus Foods Rice and Millet Ramen. It is made with two ingredients. Brown rice and millet. That's it. I bought some to give it a try.

I started out heating up some No Chicken Broth and a dash of tamari or coconut aminos. Brought it to a boil and tossed in a cake of ramen with handfuls of whatever veggies I had on hand. Delicious!

Then the challenge to make a soup mix that I could keep in a jar and add to boiling water with the ramen just like I used to became irresistible. The resulting mushroom soup mix is a fine broth for the ramen. I can pack this up and take it on the go to enjoy with boiling water, just like in college. Since I'm not in college, though, I much prefer the fancier version with lots of add-ins listed below.

Instant Mushroom Ramen Soup Mix (vegan, gluten-free, allergy friendly)
(Makes approximately 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger

Preparation:

1. In a food processor or blender, thoroughly combine all ingredients into a powder.

Instant ramen (vegan, gluten-free, allergy friendly)
Makes 1 serving

• 2 tablespoons Instant Mushroom Ramen Soup Mix
• 2 cups water
• 1 cake ramen noodles (like Lotus Foods Millet and Rice Rice Ramen)

Preparation:

1. In a small saucepan, combine soup mix and water.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Add ramen and boil for a minute.
4. When noodles are soft enough, separate with a fork.
5. Reduce heat and simmer 4 to 5 minutes until noodles are tender.

Make It Fancy
Add sauteed vegetables, coconut aminos or tamari (if you can eat soy), cilantro, sliced scallions, hot sauce, etc. to your soup. Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Kim

My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available now! Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.