The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East- Pan-Seared Shitake Udon Bowl

It wasn't all that long ago that I was a happy carnivore who hated most vegetables. When I woke up September 1st and decided to go vegan I was worried- what would I eat?  Would I ever enjoy food again?  The top of my - I don't like list was comprised of onions and mushrooms.  Seriously, why do people eat mushrooms- they're a nasty fungus!  Growing up near mushroom farms the smell was revolting and I couldn't imagine why people would keep eating those "nasty things".  My how the times have changed.  I would have flat out called you a liar if you told me on September 1st that a few months later I would actually enjoy both items on top of my dislike list (admittedly I still only eat cooked onions).

Change is hard

Now as I stated above - I now actually like mushrooms, enjoy them even.  But, when, for 30+ years you've picked something out of your food- it's hard to change that habit.  I still have a hard time seeing a recipe : Mushrooms _____ and not automatically passing it by.   Habit.  This recipe was yet another recipe raved about by my massage therapist, and honestly I'm not sure how quickly I would have gotten to this recipe without her urging.  

Waiting would have been a mistake.  

If only it was always this easy

I took my massage therapist's advice and marinated the mushrooms starting in the AM of the day I was going to make the soup.  I used vegetable broth instead of water- I didn't have everything on hand to make dashi, but otherwise I stuck with the directions and ingredients listed.  The recipe was super easy to make- I actually checked it over about 3 times trying to figure out if I was missing something because it seemed so uncomplicated.  It's just not complicated.  The recipe took me 47 minutes to make, though I will tell you most of that time was prep work- and normal life interruptions during that prep work.  I have no doubt that the dish could have easily been made in under 30 minutes.  

How soon is too soon?

Normally, when I think of soups I think - let the flavors develop, let is simmer and simmer long.  It is completely unnecessary.  The flavor of this Udon bowl was amazing and my only disappointment was that we all wolfed it down so fast and that there were no leftovers. Realistically, I do not believe this would be a good soup to have leftovers of, as Udon noodles to tend to fall apart the more they sit in liquid.    As far as the 5 of us were concerned (hubby's best friend was back) it was completely delicious as is and no changes were necessary. Super aromatic, light yet filling, the vegetables weren't drowned out in the flavor of the broth, but accented by it.    For me the crave factor will be high on this one- I've already been wanting another bowl the past two days.  I do want to try adding some water chestnuts and maybe some red bell pepper, not because it's necessary to add a thing but more because I have a feeling it would throw it over the top for me. I cannot wait to have more.

I need to double check my recipe calculation as I think the Udon noodles I used were higher in protein but since I threw out the wrapper I'm not sure.   As usual for dishes with Tamari- Yikes on the sodium!

Nutrition Facts Pan-Seared Shitake Udon Bowl
5 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		233.0
Total Fat		8.5 g
	Saturated Fat	1.2 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	3.6 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	3.3 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		2,084.6 mg
Potassium		359.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate		34.4 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.0 g
	Sugars	8.0 g
Protein		4.5 g

Vitamin A	126.9 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	8.4 %
Vitamin C	16.3 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	4.4 %
Calcium	2.7 %
Copper	16.2 %
Folate	9.4 %
Iron	6.3 %
Magnesium	5.2 %
Manganese	13.1 %
Niacin	5.8 %
Pantothenic Acid	12.7 %
Phosphorus	3.9 %
Riboflavin	6.6 %
Selenium	10.9 %
Thiamin	4.8 %
Zinc	3.9 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.