Vegan Pho (with a side of Beef)

"Let's make Pho." The confidence with which my daughter lives in the kitchen is something I admire. She had the recipe all picked out. Specifically: Vegan Pho with Carrots, Noodles and Edamame. 

"We'll need to make it on a weekend so we have enough time." Inside I was stressing---for no apparent reason except that I am what some have called the fastest cook in the west. I can whip up meals in what seems like no time. This was going to require focus, attention and time. Not things I always have an abundance of.

That night in bed Watts turned to me and said, "you know what I've been craving?" He didn't even give me time to  guess. "Pho."

"Lucky you," I said. 

"Can we have beef in it? Thinly sliced beef that cooks in the hot broth?" Despite the fact that the recipe we were using clearly stated it was vegan, I said, "sure." 

The next day we looked at the recipe and I added all the ingredients to our shopping list. Everything except the cheesecloth which meant I needed to run out to the story right before we started cooking to find some. But our local grocery is stocked well and I was back within a few minutes. 

One of my favorite parts about cooking is how every meal can change the aroma of your house. Sometimes, I admit, it's actually the worst part of it all, but most of the time there's nothing so good as coming home and wondering what's cooking. This broth was no exception. Simmering on the stove for hours, the house smelled delightful every time we came back in from the yard to check on it. 

Was it worth it? Absolutely. Everyone loved it. Even the meat eaters with their thinly sliced beef that cooked in the broth. 

Thoughts about next time? More salt. And maybe make it was vegetable broth instead of water.