Halloween Cupcakes (Vegan)

BOO!

I love halloween. You have no idea. I don't know if its the scary things, costumes, treats, or the parties. I guess I love it all. So lets combine my love of food with my love for Halloween:

I don't get to bake a whole lot, but I really wanted to try my hand at vegan cupcakes. After a lot of research, I settled on this cupcake and frosting recipe. The cupcake is light and fluffy, with a hint of coconut. The frosting is sweet, but not too sweet, and has a hint of lime. Combined, they taste like a pina colada / margarita in your mouth!

My family actually really loved this, and even though they do not have sweet tooths, they still ate them up :) They look a little scary, but they really are the cutest, sweetest things... muHAHAHAHA.

Halloween Cupcakes (Vegan)

40 min total, Serves 18

Cupcake

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid*
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
  1. 1. 
        1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin pans or line with paper baking cups.
        2. Measure almond milk into a 2 cup measuring cup. Add apple cider vinegar to milk and give a quick stir. Let the milk mix stand until curdled, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk mixture with liquid coconut oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
        3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 17-20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in their pan, setting the pan over a wire rack.

Frosting

1 1/2 Avocados, peeled and pitted

juice from a lime, freshly squeezed

3/4 package of 1 lb confectioners sugar

2 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine avocado and lime juice in a bowl. Mash the two together and blend using hand blender or transfer ingredients to an upright blender. Once the ingredients look smoother, add the sugar in small batches and continue to blend. Once completely smooth, add vanilla and blend until color is even.

2. Spread frosting over cooled cupcakes with a spoon. Add additional decorations and allow to set at room temperature.

*Found the coconut oil at Fred Meyers in their organic/health foods section. Its a solid that comes in a jar, so it needs to be scooped out, warmed to a liquid, and then used. I bought the organic coconut oil, scooped it into a bowl, microwaved on medium for about 30 seconds and then stirred. I repeated this for maybe 2 minutes more, stopping at 30 seconds each time.

Here are the links I went by:

Cupcake

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegan-Cupcakes/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

Frosting

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Avocado-Icing/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

Aubergine and Bulgur Salad

Originally the recipe calls for couscous but my friend had a small tub off bulgur wheat that I couldn't let go to waste. Whipped it up for a friends bbq. One person told me "ew", another said "yum". I liked it so, XP

Aubergine and Bulgur Wheat Salad
20 minutes, Serves 6

olive oil
1 aubergine*, chopped into chunky
1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 zucchini, chopped
5 baby portobello mushrooms
10 cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 cups bulgur wheat or couscous

1. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium high. Once warm, lower to medium and add a tablespoon of olive oil, move pan to spread around.

2. Season aubergine with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and grill for a 5 minutes or until they start to brown. Add onion, zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes to the pan and continue to cook until all the vegetables are tender crisp.

3. In a seperate pan, heat cooked bulgur wheat or couscous with garlic and parsley. Continue to cook until garlic is fragrant and add the cooked vegetables. Mix well and serve immediately for a warm salad or cold as an easy lunch.

*Aubergine is just a fancy word for eggplant

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Phyllo Pizza

Whenever Friday comes around, I get a sudden craving for pizza. Or maybe its cheese in general... I don't understand it really. But here is a quick way to get a pizza going using Phyllo dough! Did you know: Pepperidge Farm makes theirs vegan friendly??

It's almost impossible to mess this pizza up. You should find the light crispy crust sandwhiched with gooey cheese irresistible.

Phyllo Pizza
25 min, Serves 2

5 sheets of phyllo dough, unfrozen
non-stick spray
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup feta cheese
salt and pepper
(optional) italian seasoning
2 cups tomato, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 tablespoon green onion, sliced
1 cup basil, fresh OR 1 tablespoon basil, dried

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix cheeses, salt and pepper, and seasonings in a small bowl.
3. Unroll unfrozen phyllo dough and cut in half lengthwise. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Layer 2 pieces of phyllo on baking sheet and spray. Spread part of cheese mix on top and cover with one sheet of phyllo. Repeat spray-cheese-dough (1 piece) process until two pieces of phyllo are left. Put the last two on top together. Spread any remaining cheese on top.
4. Evenly spread tomato slices on top, followed by garlic, green onion. When oven is ready, bake for 20 min or until crust has turned golden brown and cheese has melted. Sprinkle basil over the top and enjoy!

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Quinoa Salad

Thank you Christina!

She introduced to me my first quinoa salad, and I can't stop looking for recipes and using it. Quinoa... pronounced "KEEN-WAH" can be found in stores in natural sections in either white or red. Usually its white, but Trader Joes has organic red, which is the one I buy. For something so tiny, its very filling and has much better nutrients than regular rice or even brown rice! It's easy to use, and cheap (at Trader Joes at least) and a little goes a long way. I like.

I cut the regular recipe in half (maybe even a quarter??) because I would have to end up eating this a whole week if I were to try to finish it on my own. Quinoa is great with fresh vegetables and adding avocado adds a nice soft creamy texture to the salad. Use any left over fresh vegetable in your fridge and it'll still taste great. It's perfect cold so its a home run for the summer table.

Quinoa Salad

20 min, serves 2

1/2 cup red quinoa

1 cup water

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 cup cooked corn kernels

5 sesame leaves, julienned

1 tomato, diced

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse quinoa in cold water a few times (very important). Bring water to a boil and add quinoa. Lower heat and simmer for about 10-15 min until excess liquid is gone.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all vegetables and place together in a bowl.

3. Once the quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Allow to cool. Add quinoa to the vegetables and season with lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Try using red bell peppers, avocados, tiny shrimp, cilantro, whatever you have!

Kimchee Pizza

Have you ever seen that Skittle commercial, where the Korean kid was growing up in Scotland so he had that crazy Asian-Scottish accent? Well, thats a little like kimchee pizza. The Korean flavors piled on to the Italian pizza pie is a little crazy sounding, but surprisingly delicious and very easy to make. And no, I do not find little Korean-Scottish boys tasty.

Kimchee Pizza
30 min, serves 2



1 whole wheat Flatout wrap*
2 tablespoon Gochujang
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

vegetable oil

1/2 cup zucchini, sliced

1/2 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

1 cup kimchee, chopped

1 teaspoon margarine

1 green onion, diced

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 F.
2. Lightly spray wrap on both sides. Toast in oven once preheated, do not let it lose all moisture.
3. In a small saucer, mix gochujang (spicy korean chili paste), sesame oil, garlic, and sugar together. Set aside.
4. In a frying pan, add oil and stir fry zucchini, mushrooms, and onion until soft. Set aside.
5. In the same pan, add the margarine and stir fry kimchee until soft. If it becomes too dry, you can add a little water to the pan. Set kimchee aside once cooked.

6. On the toasted wrap, add the sauce, spreading evenly. Top with stir fried vegetables, and then kimchee on top. Sprinkle the cheese and top with green onions.

7. Add pizza back into the oven until cheese begins to melt. Slice and serve immediately.

*Feel free to use any type of pizza crust. I use Flatout brand because its oval shape, nutritional value, and its tendency to toast to a thin crispy crust.

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

Another blueberry recipe! Today was the type of Sunday morning that required baking. My family loves cornbread muffins so I baked some cornbread blueberry muffins today. I didnt want to use butter as the original recipe asked for so I substituted in yogurt instead. Too bad I woke up hours after they did so they havent tried them yet. I also cut the recipe in half because we usually end up wasting baked goods.

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins
30 min, serves 6


1 1/4 cup corn flour (Bob's Red Mill brand)
1/2 brown sugar, loosely packed
pinch of salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup butter or 3 tablespoons yogurt
1 egg white
1 cup of fresh blueberries


1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin cups or line with cupcake liners.
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a bowl.
3. Combine milk, butter or yogurt, and egg white in a seperate bowl. Mix ingredients well.
4. Add blueberries to dry ingredients and mix. Add wet ingredients by spoonful until the batter is moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
5. Bake in preheated muffin for 20 minutes. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes before loosening them from the pan.

Blueberry Chick Pea Pancakes

I LOVE BLUEBERRIES!!They are all over the place, and nothing like locally grown blueberries to sweeten the pallate. Also, blueberries have many health benefits! Their loaded with antioxidant anthocyanins, vitamin C and help prevent vision degeneration diseases, several cancers, and helps boost brain power. Recently I discovered chickpea flour from Bob's Red Mill. I like that I can use it to make breading, but get the protien punch with it. It definitely has a nuttier taste, and will take some time to get used to. If you feel its too much, just cut the flour in half and replace it with regular baking flour. I followed this recipe from Organic.org with a few adjustments according what I had in my cupboard.

Blueberry Chick Pea Pancakes
20 min, serves 4

1 cup chick pea (garbanzo bean) flour
3/4 cup-1 cup rice, soy or almond milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 quart of fresh blueberries or 8 ounce bag of frozen blueberries, defrosted



1. In medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly. Add milk and oil and beat again. Stir 2/3 of the blueberries into the mixture. Ladle spoonfuls of batter into a well-oiled, heated skillet. Skillet will be ready when drops of water dances and evaporates.
2. Turn pancakes when the edges are brown and bubbles start to pop through the center of the pancake. Add oil or non stick spray as needed. Sweeten the stacks of pancakes with fresh blueberries, yogurt, honey, or the sweetener of your choice.

Cherry with Cream Cheese pie

It's summer time, and whenever I walk into a supermarket, I see mouthwatering fruits that are in season. As much as I'd like to buy these fruits, I refuse to, knowing I have a bag of frozen sitting in the freezer. We found a large bag of bing cherries in our freezer the other day and my mom threatened to throw it all away if I wasn't going to use it. So I sat there with a tub of hot water, defrosting the cherries and pitting them 0_O my hands had a mixture of freezing fingertips and hot palms. Anyway, we decided to make it into a dessert. This could be a vegan if you omit the cream cheese or use a vegan alternative.

Cherry with Cream Cheese pie
1 hour, Serves 12
1 pound cherries, pitted (3 cups)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
5 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 roll peppridge farm phyllo dough
non stick spray or 2 tablespoon melted butter
6 tablespoons creamcheese, softened at room temperature



1. Place pitted cherries and water into a pot on medium high. Drain juices from the pot once the juices start to collect at the bottom. Add sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and cornstarch to the pot. Bring the pot down to low-medium and continue to heat until the mixture thickens.
2. Prepare the phyllo dough by carefully unrolling it. Remove 5 layers and set aside. Place a slightly damp paper towel over the rest. With the seperated dough, spray non stick spray or spread melted butter between each layer, ending with another layer of spray on top. Cut the dough into 6 parts. Place cut dough into muffin tins and shape into a cup. Repeat these steps with another 5 sheets. Bake the dough according to manufactures instructions.
3. Once dough cups are baked and cooled, spoon cream cheese to the bottom of the cups and top with cherry filling.

Cabbage Curry Wraps

My mom believes that cabbage has healing powers. That's probably why we have an entire fridge dedicated only to kimchee, right??
She steamed an entire head of kimchee to eat with her pork, so I made my own dish using the cabbage as wraps. Cabbage works nicely as a wrap as an alternative to lettuce and seaweed or even rice paper. I used to hate cabbage, but it has grown on me :)

Cabbage Curry Wraps
20 min, Serves 2
1/2 head cabbage
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely chopped
1/3 cup carrots, grated
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 medium king oyster mushroom
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
6 oz tofu, cubed
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 table spoon curry powder


1. Rinse cabbage. Chop in half (from top to base) and remove stem. Allow water to run in between the leaves and lightly shake to remove some water. Place cabbage cut side up in a medium bowl and cover with another bowl. Microwave for about 5 minutes and allow it to sit a few minutes still covered to continue steaming.
2. Heat oil in a non stick pan and add rest of ingredients except tofu, cilantro and curry. Stir fry for about 4 minutes until ingredients begin to get soft. Add the remaining ingredients and continue stir frying together for another 2 minutes.
3. Peel apart a few pieces of cabbage leaves and spoon in stir fried ingredients. Wrap the ingredients in the leaves and enjoy.

In-N-Out

Ok, so I have friends who are so crazy about food, they are willing to drive all the way to Redding, CA from Seattle just to get In-N-Out burgers.
I can't say no to a road trip, so I went along, keeping in mind I wouldn't be eating any burgers. I did some research before we left, and agreed that I would have one of their "secret" menu items, the Grilled Cheese. It's basically a Cheeseburger, without the burger. And luckily, I am a HUGE grilled cheese fan. I paired it up with another "secret" menu item, fries light. It's basically your average fry, slightly undercooked. Sounded weird, but I liked that it didn't taste as greasy, and it felt like i was eating baked fries. But still, after eating these two, I felt pretty gross. They were delicious. But I have avoided fried foods long enough I actually got a stomachache after eating there. We stopped by the burger joint one more time before heading home, and opted to share a strawberry shake instead. I don't think I'll be eating anything like that for a while.
I haven't posted any new recipes yet, simply because I haven't found the time. Either I cooked and it didn't turn out picture worthy, or my mom made dinner for me. Maybe I'll start posting some breakfast ideas...

Here's some pictures from the trip:

Pita Sandwhich (PB&J)

Pita bread is one of those things I always hear about but never got around to using. I figured a wrap would be the same thing. WRONG. This was fun to eat because of the pockets, and all the ingredients stayed inside, so less spill.
So, I'm sort of a peanut butter jelly addict. But I can't have peanut butter everyday, so I used hummus as the new peanut butter, and raspberry vinaigrette as the jelly. In a way, the following recipe is like a Pb&J, just fancier I guess??

Pita Sandwhich

5 min, Serves 1

1/2 Whole Wheat pita bread
2 tablespoons hummus
1 cup baby spinach, packed
1/4 cup cucumbers, sliced
1/4 cup red and green bell peppers, sliced
2 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette

1. Carefully, split open pita pocket and spread hummus on one side of the bread.
2. Add rest of ingredients and top with vinaigrette.,

Lobster Cream Cheese Wonton

My mom brought home a package of cooked lobster bits couple days ago and I tried to use it in as many meals as possible. Problem is I have never cooked with lobster before. It tastes like a cross between shrimp and crab to me? At least this one did. I threw it in a couple salads so far, but I decided to make things that usually uses crab meat such as the lobster california rolls I made the other day. With the last bit of lobster, I created lobster cream cheese wonton.

Lobster Cream Cheese Wonton

Serves 4, 30 min

oil for deep/pan fry

1 cup lobster, chopped

4 tablespoon cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoon celery, diced

1 tablespoon chives, diced

12 thin square wonton wrappers

1 egg white

4 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

2 celery leafs as garnish

1. Heat enough oil in fryer to cover at least 2 inch of the bottom. In a frying pan, add enough oil to cover the bottom of pan.

2. In a medium bowl, add lobster, cream cheese, and celery and mix ingredients together.

3. Separate wonton wrappers. Add mixed ingredients to the center of each wrapper and top with a few pieces of chives.

4. Put egg white into a small bowl, and dip a finger into it. Spread egg white onto corners of wonton wrapper. Take two opposite corners of wrapper and connect in the center of the wonton. Connect the two remaining corners in the center. Place finished wonton on a cool non stick surface until ready to cook.

5. Once all wontons have formed, place them in oil and fry for a few min until lightly browned and flip if necessary. Allow wontons to drip oil on a napkin for a minute. Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Faux Pho II

Last time I made meat free pho, I used only Udon soup base for the broth. It lacked the wholesome taste that beef pho has, so I decided to try making it again, this time I added some ingredients used in Korean foods. THIS TIME ITS TASTED MUCH HEARTIER. Here is a brief explanation of the two ingredients that made a huge difference this time around:

Dashima

A kelp used in Asian cuisine, when boiled, creates a soup stock. Usually sold in stores in dried pieces.

Shiitake Mushroom

A mushroom that some consider a delicacy, and sold in dry and fresh form at all Asian stores and fresh in local markets . When dried pieces are boiled, it can flavor soups and because of this, its considered a vegetarian dashi.

Vegetable Pho II (Faux Pho)

30 min, Serves 4

8 cups water

1 cup soba sauce (Udon soup base)

1/2 medium onion, large slices

2 medium dried shiitake mushrooms

1 piece dried dashima, 4 inch piece

6 servings of pho (wet) rice noodles

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, 1/4 inch thin rounds

1 head broccoli, chopped

6 cups bean sprouts

2 cups napa cabbage, chopped

2 cups bokchoi

2 jalepenos, sliced

2 cups cilantro, diced

6 sprigs thai basil

1/2 lemon, sliced

Other vegetables*

1. Add water and soba sauce to a pot and boil on medium-high. Once this boils, add 1/2 onion, shiitake, and dashima. Continue boiling until onion is soft and broth has reached its desired concentration (about 15 min).

2. In another pot, boil some water on high. Blanch the carrots and broccoli for 1 min until they soften but still crisp. Remove the vegetables and separate into servings.

3. In the same pot that water is boiling, Place a single serving of noodles into this pot for 2 min and remove with a strainer ladle. Move cooked noodles into a serving bowl.

4. Add all vegetables including carrots to the serving bowl. Pour boiling broth over everything so the ingredients cook. Serve immediately. Add Sriracha Hot Chili sauce and Hoison sauce to taste. If you find the broth to be too salty, add hot water. If it seems too bland add a touch of soba sauce or soy sauce.

*Try different vegetables to suit your taste, tofu also makes a good addition to any pho.

Faux Pho

Uh oh. Back to noodles again.

About a week ago, I ate at a local Vietnamese restaurant, 5 Seasons Grill, that served vegetable pho. I was given the choice between beef broth and vegetable broth, and was impressed at how pho-filling (sorry, I couldn't help it!) the "vegetable" broth was. My friend said that the vegetable broth reminded her of udon soup base. So with an udon soup base bottle in hand, I decided to try making my own vegetarian pho.

The particular brand I was using had fish sauce in it, which does not make it vegetarian. There are brands out there that are fish sauce free, but I have not tried any of them yet. Udon soup base is actually concentrated soba sauce, just diluted with water and is easily found in any Asian food market. When buying noodles for pho, do not get dry rice noodles, purchase the "wet" version that is stored in the refrigerated section. Lastly, there are two types of bean sprouts sold at asian stores and they look pretty similar to each other. Do not buy the one that has a darker yellow sprout, you want the one that is a lighter yellow.

Luckily, this pho wont take days or hours to get broth, just minutes.

Vegetable Pho (Faux Pho)

30 min, Serves 4

8 cups water

1 cup soba sauce (Udon soup base)

6 servings of pho (wet) rice noodles

6 medium shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, 1/4 inch thin rounds

6 cups bean sprouts

1 cup snow peas, cut in half

2 cups cilantro, diced

6 sprigs thai basil

Other vegetables*

1. Add water and soba sauce to a pot and boil on medium-high. Once this boils, add carrots and cook for 5 min. Remove cooked carrots with a strainer ladle and set aside.

2. In another pot, boil some water on high. Place a single serving of noodles into this pot for 2 min and remove with a strainer ladle. Move cooked noodles into a serving bowl.

3. Add all vegetables including carrots to the serving bowl. Pour boiling broth over everything so the ingredients cook. Serve immediately. Add Sriracha Hot Chili sauce and Hoison sauce to taste. If you find the broth to be too salty, add hot water. If it seems too bland add a touch of soba sauce or soy sauce.

*Try using cabbage, broccoli, or button mushrooms with your pho!

Eggplant Salsa

I understand that I have posted only noodles so far, so heres something different.

My mother introduced this recipe to me the other day. I came home to a bowl of what only could be described as Eggplant Salsa and had me try a spoonful on a slice of bread. After possibly our 20^th bite later we were still amazed at how surprisingly tasty it was. But then again, I am biased toward anything with a vinegar/sweet taste such as ketchup. You be the judge! Also, there didn’t seem to be a name for this recipe, and so I ended up calling it eggplant salsa because of the way it looked. BTW, my mother will kill me if she knew I was sharing this online. keke.

Eggplant Salsa
30 min, Serves 8

2 Chinese eggplants
2 celery stalks
2 cups parsley
3 bell peppers (yellow, green, red)
1 cup dill
2 cups cilantro
½ onion

1 cup brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
1 cup ketchup

1 loaf French bread*

1. Cut eggplants into ½ in rounds. Heat frying pan to medium high. Add 2-3 tablespoon of vegetable oil and add eggplant. Lower heat to medium and cook until soft and slightly transparent (about 15-20 min). Add oil if necessary, as the eggplant will absorb a lot of it. Break eggplant rounds into smaller pieces as it begins to cook so speed up the cooking process.
2. Finely dice and chop the vegetables, adding them into a medium sized container. Add eggplant to the vegetable mix.
3. Add vinegar, garlic and ketchup into the container and carefully toss ingredients.
4. Add more ketchup to sweeten or vinegar to add sour according to your preference.
5. Spread mix on a slice of bread (preferably flavored plain).

*Any type of bread that has a firm crust like French bread will work. Crackers would work too but they do not soak the flavors as good as bread does.

Vietnamese Vermicelli

Bun is a fresh noodle dish that can be found in most Vietnamese restaurants and homes. I like to enjoy it on a warm day as an alternative to Pho because I find it refreshing. It's only drawback to possibly being a popular dish is its pungent smell and fishy flavor in the fish sauce that is used. The sauce is an acquired taste and smell that some will never get used to! I no longer mind fish sauce, but some days I still find it overpowering. As an alternative I use Sriracha Hot Chili sauce along with Hoison sauce, or even a blend of Rice vinegar and sugar. I'll list the alternatives in the recipe below.

Vietnamese Vermicelli (Bun)
Serves 4, 20 min

4 servings of dry rice stick noodles*

2 cups cilantro, chopped

4 cups bean sprouts

4 cups lettuce, julienned

4 cups cucumber, julienned

8 sprigs Thai basil leaves

4 cups medium firm tofu, cubed

4 tablespoon picked carrot

4 tablespoon ground, roasted peanuts

Fish Sauce

4 teaspoon Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

4 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoon fish sauce

4 teaspoon red chili sauce

Vinegar sauce

4 cups brown rice vinegar

1 cup sugar

1. Add 6 cups water to a pot and boil. Add dried rice sticks to boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Promptly remove pot from heat and rinse noodles in cold water. Place noodles in separate bowls.

2. Pan fry tofu for a few minutes until the outsides have browned and are firm. Set aside.

3. Add vegetables on top of the noodles. Add the fried tofu on top of the vegetables.

4. Prepare desired sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl and mixing completely. Continue to mix until sugar is dissolved.

5. Separate desired sauce and pour over each dish. Toss ingredients together and serve. Try using fried spring rolls, grilled shrimp, or seared scallops as toppings instead of tofu. Add Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce and Hoison sauce for added flavor.

*Do not confuse dry sticks with dried mung bean noodles. They have a different consistency, and mung bean noodles do not soak flavors as easily as rice sticks do.

Being Greener in the Kitchen

I was reading todays edition of Relish Magazine (relishmag.com) from the Seattle Times paper, and it offered some simple, yet valuable tips that we can all use to be greener in the kitchen. Here are the tips they shared:

• Buy frozen orange juice and mix it in a reusable container, rather than buying a new jug each time.
• Bring foods to room temperature before placing in the oven.
• Instead of rinsing your dishes, scrape them into the trash can before placing in the dishwasher. It saves water.
• Use a slow cooker. It uses less energy than an incandescent light bulb. For slow cooker recipes, go to relishmag.com/slowcooker
• If your oven has a convection setting, use it for baking. It keeps air moving and cooks faster.
• Don't open the oven while baking. The temperature drops 25F each time.
• Use dishtowels instead of paper towels to wipe up messes.

Since I spend more time in the kitchen these days, here are a few things I try to do to keep my kitchen seeing green:

• Use a crocheted dish scrub made from 100% acrylic yarn. The yarn is antibacterial and you can wash most dishes without the help of soap.
• When using the oven, make left overs and freeze. You wont have to turn on the oven to eat again, and microwaving something thats defrosted on its own will take less time to warm up.
• Stop using your garbage disposal and put food scraps in a small bin. Empty daily into a food /yard waste bin.
• Eat foods that don't require much cooking. Not only do you save on energy, you'll also get much more nutritional value from foods such as fruits and vegetables!
• Don't overbuy on groceries. Rotting food is a waste of food and money.

Otsu Soba

Otsu Soba
Serves 4, 15 min
On days that I work, I don't get to eat dinner until I get home (around 10-11 PM). So the last thing I want to do is cook myself something that will take forever or keep me up too late from being too rich. Luckily, I came across this recipe online, originating from a small restaurant called Pomelo. It's a buckwheat noodle salad thats easy to make, full of flavor, light on the stomach and wallet. I didn't have a blender so after grating a few of the ingredients, I put the sauce in the microwave for 50 seconds so the honey was warm enough to mix with the rest of the ingredients.


Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1.Make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils
2.Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
3.While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.
4.In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the 1/4 cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about 1/3 cup of the dressing. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.

Mix it up with BiBimBap

Bibimbap
Serves 1, 30 min
I was sifting through the fridge and found some left over side dishes and vegetables that were going to go to waste. I hate watching ingredients go unused so I decided to use them all up and make bibimbap. "Bibimbap" literally translates to "mixed rice" in Korean. Traditionally, bibimbap is a mix of cooked vegetables, meat, egg, hot chili paste and sesame oil. Here, I left out the meat but kept the egg (you can leave out the egg and it still tastes good). You can pretty much take any vegetable and stir fry it or keep it fresh and have bibimbap. Try it with fresh cucumbers, blanched spinach, fresh sesame leaves, etc. Two of the ingredients used today are things you probably never heard of.


Burdock root (on left)- This is the root of a Burdock plant, better known as a thistle. Its cheap and stays for a long time. I found it difficult to cut by hand so I made even slices by using a mandolin. Once cooked, its slightly sweet and becomes softer yet stays crunchy.
King Trumpet mushroom (on right)- also known as the "almond abalone mushroom" is a large mushroom that tastes slightly buttery once cooked and its texture is comparable to an abalone.


1/2 cup burdock root
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup zucchini
1 king trumpet mushroom
1 egg
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 Tbs sesame oil
1-2 Tbs Korean hot chili paste

1.Remove skin from burdock by using a potato peeler. With a mandolin, shred burdock into matchsticks. Stir fry with little oil for 3-5 min until slightly tender. Add pinch of salt for taste.
2.Slice carrots into matchsticks and stir fry for 3-5 min until tender.
3.Chop zucchini into 1/4 inch half circles and stir fry. Remove excess water from pan and add a little salt for taste.
4.Dice the king trumpet mushroom into cubes and fry for 3 min, stirring occasionally.
5.Break egg into pan and pan fry, careful not to break the yolk. once the egg looks cooked on one side, flip the egg, again careful not to break the yolk. Don't let the egg to cook thoroughly, the yolk should stay a little runny.
6.Chop lettuce and set aside.
7.In a bowl, scoop the rice into the center, add the vegetables, and egg. Add desired amount of hot chili paste (the more you add, the spicier and saltier it will get) and drizzle sesame oil over everything. Mix well and enjoy.

Welcome!

I have decided to blog about my experience as a Pescaterian/Vegetarian! Since I don't consider meat to be a heavy part of my daily diet, it wasn't too difficult to omit meat completely. However, thanks to my new found love with sushi, I cannot bear with the thought of never eating it again (that, and eggs x__X but more on that later). I love cooking, so I hope to add favorite recipes I've tried as well as ones I have created. This way I save money and have comfort in knowing what I am actually eating. There will be times when I do need to eat out, so I'll add tips and thoughts as those occurrences happen. So, why have I decided to eat this way? There are several factors:

1) The Environment: Meat and other animal products are not sustainable. In order to keep up with the peoples demands for farming, we need to raise billions of animals every year which requires more land each year and produces green house gases. If these numbers continue to grow, the atmosphere, land, and water will not be able to handle it.

2) Health: Eating a meat-free diet can help reduce risk of certain chronic diseases, and help lose weight. My grandmother has had surgery because of bad cholesterol, and my mother currently has problems due to bad eating habits. Lately, I have been convincing my mom to eat healthier by cooking for/with her. Also, cooking your own food helps you control what goes into your body!

3) Money: Meat can get very expensive if its a daily routine. Also, cooking at home saves a lot of dough, as well as time, if done correctly.

4) Entertainment: I cant help but be entertained when I have someone eat vegetarian or pescaterian and are delighted that it doesn't taste like plain oatmeal. Also, since I like to try new things, restricting myself from eating meat has helped me expand my pallet.

So, there you have it! Happy Earth Day! Let the eating begin!