When she started slow cooking in 2006 to ease her mom-guilt and get a healthy dinner on the table, Meg Barnhart never imagined the slow cooker would be a vehicle for change.

Now the Founder and Co-Creator of Zen of Slow Cooking, Meg wanted to create a business that could employ individuals with learning challenges – adults like her son, Doug.

With a mission to create an inclusive economy, providing employment for adults with developmental disabilities, supporting their local communities, maintaining a small carbon footprint, Meg and her partner Jane McKay, started Zen of Slow Cooking with a food blog to share a contemporary approach to slow cooking, to encourage slowing down while eating well.

Inspired by the most popular recipes from their blog, Meg and Jane then crafted a line of globally inspired spice blends to provide the flavor foundation for a delicious home-cooked meal.

Their vision is a world where meals bring people together. Whether it is with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues or communities – they believe that sharing a meal connects us in essential and meaningful ways

Meg and Jane both love to travel, to explore the local markets, and to bring home the herbs and spices they find while abroad. While traveling in Chengdu, China, Meg discovered aromatic Sichuan peppercorns and brought them home, inspiring Jane to create what became the 2017 SOFI award for best new spice blend.

I recently interviewed Meg Barnhart and Jane McKay to talk about their women-owned, B Corp, social impact company and the magic behind their artisanal, non-GMO spice blends. You can see this interview on You Tube. Here I want to share with you one of their gorgeous slow cook recipes – this Sichuan Noodle Soup made with Zen of Slow Cooking’s award-winning Sichuan spice blend.

Sichuan Tofu Noodle Soup
Adapted from The Zen of Slow Cooking‘s Sichuan Chicken Noodle Soup

You can purchase the Sichuan Spice Blend here, or you can craft it yourself with a blend of whole peppercorns, ginger, anise and cloves – or you can, of course, add your favorite spice. If you do do it yourself, keep in mind that this blend is quite heating with a bit of earthy sweet to it, so you do want to spice well to bring up the flavor.

Ingredients
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp (4 cloves) garlic, chopped
1 block Tofu, drained and cubed
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
4 cups chicken broth plus 1-1/4 cups water
Sichuan blend
4 oz buckwheat or ramen noodles
2 cups napa cabbage, shredded
For serving: scallions and chili sauce

Instructions

Slow Cook
1) Combine sesame oil, garlic, tofu, soy sauce, rice vinegar, broth & water in the cooker.
2) Add unopened Sichuan spice bag to the cooker and leave to steep.
3) Stir, cover and cook on LOW: 6 hours or HIGH: 2 ½ hours.
4) Remove lid, discard spice bag.
5) Add noodles and cabbage; stir and replace the lid for 8 minutes until the noodles are cooked.
6) Top with sliced scallions and chili sauce.

Pressure Cook
1) Combine sesame oil, garlic, tofu, soy sauce, rice vinegar, broth & water in the cooker.
2) Add unopened Sichuan spice bag to the cooker and leave to steep.
3) Secure the cooker lid, seal pressure valve; cook on Manual/Pressure for 6 minutes.
4) Vent with Quick Pressure Release.
5) Remove lid, discard spice bag.
6) Add noodles and cabbage; stir and replace the lid for 8 minutes until the noodles are cooked.
7) Top with sliced scallions and chili sauce.

Enjoy!

Sichuan Spice Blend Giveaway

If you would like to try this award-winning spice blend to bring a sweet heat to your spring meals, please comment below. At the end of this week, I will blindly, randomly pick a name from a hat (a bowl actually) and send you a sample pack. USA & Canada only.

Zen of Slow Cooking Links
Be sure to check out all the great Zen of Slow Cooking recipes and spice blends. There’s one for every season, and every taste.

Zen of Slow Cooking
Zen of Slow Cooking Recipes
Zen of Slow Cooking Blog
Zen of Slow Cooking’s Recipe for Sichuan Chicken Noodle Soup

The Giveaway has now been given away, and is closed. Thank you to all who participated. 🙏🏽

Lots of love and happy spring!

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All photos in this post are copyright and courtesy of Zen of Slow Cooking