Vegan Versions: Almost Raw Vegan Pho Bowl (and A Hitch in My Get-Along)

by Maria Theresa Maggi on April 25, 2014

Almost Raw Vegan Pho Yellow Bowl

Thanks to Choosing Raw’s wonderful Weekend Reading Series each week, I find new inspiration for eating and thought that I otherwise wouldn’t come across. This strategy in a bowl I’ve come up with creates an almost raw version of this beautiful Raw Pho on Rawmazing. Instead of one way to approach this version, I’m going to give you options to choose from, all stemming from the inspiration I got from the Rawmazing recipe. But first I have to show you a shot of my home-sprouted mung beans in progress:

mung beans sprouting

The first thing I put them in besides my mouth was my latest version of one of these bowls. They are smaller than the ones you buy in the store, but they were oh so sweet and delicious. Of course you don’t need to do this yourself to make one of these bowls, but if you have the will to experiment and the patience to rinse and drain twice a day, it’s a kick to grow your own.

 

This Almost Raw Pho Bowl strategy has fed me off and on through the last few weeks of big decisions and paperwork and preparations for all the meetings I had this week (an important one every day). The last one was a meeting of the Moscow Historic Preservation Commission, where I am pleased to say I learned the commission would be happy to write a letter of support to the Planning and Zoning Commission on the historic value of my house, as its intact lot and structure is a perfect example of the first subdivision in Moscow. They were especially charmed by the horse hitch ring I photographed, which is still in the curb out in front of my house:

312 South Asbury horse hitch on curb

I, too, have always been charmed by the presence of this hitch. When I look at it, time collapses and the span of the turn of two centuries my house has stood fills me with awe and gratitude. This little hitch is the thing that inspired me to paint Plein Air Moscow last year. I realized I only had to fall out of my front door to paint an historic subject, and so early one September morning when the light was on it, I took my paints and brushes out to the front curb and painted this version:

Horse Hitch

It looks like this magical old ring is now the portal into a bright future, both for my 117 year old blue house, and me in my “new” house northeast of it, when that day comes in June. I’m happy to have such a hitch in my “get-along,” helping me create the best for all of us. I believe places have souls, just like we do. Perhaps it is simply the sum of all our memories and all the seasons that have passed through them, as the world spins on its axis year after year. No matter the exact matter of the soul of a place, it’s always best to leave one better than I found it, even in some small way. I feel very happy for my part in being able to do that for my little blue house on Asbury Street, and the horse hitch in front of it. Both remind me of slower times and give me hope for what is yet to arrive.

Maria (moonwatcher)

 

 

 

 

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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Knitnana April 26, 2014 at 8:41 am

Your blog is so inspiring, I thank you for sharing your vegan lifestyle with us.
Now am off to visit the blog you recommended!
🙂

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2 moonwatcher April 26, 2014 at 10:04 am

Welcome, Knitnana, and thank you!! (I love your “handle”!) I always enjoy my visits to Choosing Raw and Rawmazing and I hope you will too. 🙂

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3 Pam April 26, 2014 at 10:16 am

Maria, your mung bean sprouts are gorgeous, and I love the idea of putting them in a pho type bowl. I’ll have to try that.

Glad things are going well with the house, and it was fun to see the hitch, both in real life and in your painting!

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4 moonwatcher April 26, 2014 at 10:47 am

Thanks Pam! I got inspired to try mung beans at home when I saw the great picture of the ones you and Darren sprouted while on your travels. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed seeing both versions of the hitch too. 🙂

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5 Danielle April 27, 2014 at 8:47 pm

Hi Maria,

Thanks for sharing that horse hitching ring!! I love having older houses/structures to inspect and learn from. The best of luck in your quest. That is an important goal, preserving what we have and making what exists better.

Just yesterday my husband and I visited 3 historical structures in the San Fernando Valley, where we’re temporarily staying to assist my mother-in-law post-surgery. The first was a gothic style church built in 1917, with beautiful stained glass windows that were swaths of color, very modern looking. The second was a house planned by Frank Lloyd Wright to deal with the hot summers and damp winters of San Fernando Valley, and built by the family that’s still living in it – built in 1939! So gorgeous. The third is a mansion hidden away by a berm, right at the intersection of two busy streets. I had no idea it was there. It was bought new by Barbara Stanwyck back in the day. That one is closed to the public and we followed a dump truck in, ‘trespassed’ through the open gates just enough to peer through the trees at the house.

So many treasures to be found even in the most heavily urban areas. Someday people just like you (and me) will be staring at that old hitching ring and being thankful that it was preserved, as well as your lovely blue house you’re passing on to a new owner.

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6 moonwatcher April 27, 2014 at 10:53 pm

Hi Danielle! Thanks for this great comment. I really enjoyed reading about the historic structures you’ve discovered in the San Fernando Valley. Really glad you enjoyed seeing that old hitching ring. It was so neat when I went to the Moscow Historic Preservation Commission. They ended up thanking ME for caring, so I’m sure they’ll write a great letter of support to the Zoning and Planning Commission. I couldn’t be happier about it.

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7 Veronica April 28, 2014 at 10:37 am

Lovely and delicious! I really need to start sprouting, too… It looks so nutritious and versatile. I love how your pho bowl can change with whatever you have; I love these “methods” of cooking. 🙂

Great news on the house! And the horse hitch is awesome – I love little things like that which give houses and neighborhoods some old charm and character. I love and agree with your sentiment that places have souls; I’ve always thought that, too. I’ll continue to keep sending you happy thoughts as you transition to your new home!

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8 moonwatcher April 29, 2014 at 8:28 am

Oh thanks so much, Veronica–I always enjoy your comments. Yes, the sprouting is nutritious and versatile. And it’s just helping me to have something growing on the kitchen counter nearly all the time, since I am moving right smack dab at planting time, and will leave the earlier stuff behind here, and hope the stuff I wait to plant at the new place will make it. I look forward to reading about your own experiments with this if/when you attempt them! So glad you enjoyed reading about the house and the horse hitch–those little things are really not so little are they? Thanks for your happy thoughts and solidarity about places having souls. 🙂

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9 Sally K. April 30, 2014 at 9:41 pm

There are a lot of great ideas in this post for a Vegan Pho. I find the dried mushrooms I buy to be tough (as well as hard to digest), even after simmering, so I would probably take your advise and strain them out, add button mushrooms, and proceed with a selection of sprouts and other veggies as well. Thanks for the great recipe ideas!

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10 moonwatcher April 30, 2014 at 10:15 pm

Welcome, Sally K.! Glad you found the ideas for a Vegan Pho in this post useful. I hope that approach to the mushrooms works for you. Enjoy!

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11 Lee at Veggie Quest May 4, 2014 at 6:19 pm

Hi Maria, I love pho bowls! I’m excited to try your recipe, although I have yet to have great success at sprouting my own mung beans. Yours look juicy and fabulous, though; any tips?

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12 moonwatcher May 4, 2014 at 8:00 pm

Hi Lee–thanks for the enthusiasm about the pho bowl. My method for sprouting the mung beans is strongly influenced by a video on the Sprout People site I mentioned in my post “Last Minute Chopped Salad with Sprouted Quinoa” about how to sprout beans (the link to it is in the post). I don’t have fancy sprouting equipment, just wide mouth mason jars and sprouting lids, but following those directions about thorough rinsing and draining has been most helpful in my sprouting adventures. That and tilting the jars at an angle inbetween the morning and night rinse and drain cycles. I towel or oven pad helps keep the jar in place at a 45 degree angle and so any extra liquid can drain out. Other than that, I forget about them! The video is well worth watching–and kind of fun. Good luck if you give it a try again!

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