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!

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.

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!