Arugula Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette

In a blender, blend until smooth: 

1 cup sundried tomatoes in oil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 handful of baby arugula

2 inches piece leeks (the green part)

3 cloves of garlic

3 tbsp. rice vinegar (the clear one, not the dark one)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 pinch of salt

Creamy Cauliflower with Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

1 head large cauliflower

1/2 can coconut milk

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary

vegan margarine

sea salt

oil infused red chili pepper (optional)

Steam cauliflower florets until tender. Set aside.

In a pan, saute garlic and rosemary with vegan margarine until fragrant.

Add steamed cauliflower to the pan. Mash it with a wood spoon.

Add coconut milk to the pan. Mix well with the cauliflower mixture. Bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat.

Season with salt.

Top with oil infused red chili pepper. (optional)

Thanks to my brother-in-law for this delicious easy recipe.

Fight Flu with Medicinal Perilla Leaf Dish

Ingredients: (2 servings)

3 medium size cucumbers, diagonally sliced

a bunch of perilla leaves, finely chopped

3-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp vegan oyster sauce (optional, tastes slightly sweet)

With some oil in a pan, saute the cucumber slices until slightly brown and tender. 8 mins.

Add in chopped garlic, soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce. Stir to coat. 2 mins.

Add in chopped perilla leaves at the last minute before turning off the heat.

Medicinal fact about Perilla Leaf in Eastern Medicine:

The herbal name for perilla leaf is Zi Su Ye (紫苏叶) or Zi Su in Eastern Medicine. 

It is frequently used for cold and flu, especially with cough and stifling sensation in the chest, fullness in the abdomen, and nausea or vomiting. It can also be used to treat Restless Fetus Syndromes. The essential oil in perilla seeds is used to treat high cholesterol. 

Where to buy fresh Perilla Leaves:

Any major Asian market. (Chinese, Japanese, Korean)

Mushroom Chickpea Pasta Sauce

1. In a pan, saute sliced button mushrooms, carrots, and a few peeled whole garlic cloves until very tender.

2. In a food processor, mix the mushrooms and carrots that you just cooked with 1 cup thoroughly cooked chickpeas along with salt, 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 tbsp lemon juice.

(The more tender the chickpeas, the more smooth the sauce.)

3.  Mushroom chickpea pasta sauce finished!

(If the sauce appears to be dry with well drained pasta, add some pasta water.)

Sesame Oil Cucumber Salad

Ingredients: (1 serving)

1 cucumber (roughly chopped)

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp nutrional yeast

a pinch of fresh cilantro

salt and red pepper flakes to taste

Toss all the ingredients above together. Enjoy!

The Savory Three

Ingredients:

2 bell peppers

1 eggplant

3 potatoes

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. water

salt to taste

This is a very famous and easy Chinese dish to make. Make sure to follow the order of adding vegetables to get the perfect level of tenderness. 

Chop all veggies to bite size.

Heat a little larger amount of oil than you usually do in a pan. (Potatoes and eggplant absorb the oil really fast. Use a pan with a lid.)

First. Add in potatoes. Saute 3 mins.

Second. Add in eggplant. Saute 3 mins.

Third. Add in bell pepper and garlic. Saute 3 mins.

Last. Add in 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 3 tbsp. water and some salt to taste. 

Cover and let it cook 2 mins. ( Keep an eye on the water level. Do not burn the veggies.)

This dish is called 地三鲜 (di san xian) in Chinese. It can be translated as the savory three from the earth.  It is such a famous and tasty dish so almost every restaurant in China has it on the menu. 

Tiger Skin Chilies

Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

6-8 Anaheim chilies

1 red bell pepper

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp. dark rice vinegar

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

a pinch of salt

Step 1.

Halve the Anaheim chilies lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop the red bell pepper to bite size.

Step 2.

Heat some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. 

Arrange the chili halves skin side down on the pan and let it brown for about 8 mins.

Step 3. 

Add in chopped garlic and red bell pepper. Stir and cook for another 2 mins.

Step 4.

Add in the seasonings and turn off the heat.

1 tbsp. dark rice vinegar

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

a pinch of salt to taste

It is a classic way of cooking chilies in China. The Chinese name for this type of dish is 虎皮尖椒 (Hu Pi Jian Jiao) which can be translated as tiger skin chilies. The tiger skin refers to the brown and crispy skin of the chilies. I like to serve it over steam rice since the dish has some flavorful sauce. For a more spicy taste we can use jalapenos instead of Anaheim chilies.

Spicy Veggie Noodles

Ingredients: (2 servings)

2 handful of fresh spinach

1 large heirloom tomato - chopped

1/2 red bell pepper - sliced

1 carrot - thinly sliced

1/2 cup green peas

1 clove garlic - minced

2 servings of spaghetti brown rice pasta (or any other noodle)

salt

red chili flakes (oil infused)

nutritional yeast

Prepare the noodles.

Heat oil in a pan. Saute chopped tomatoes until very smooth. 5 mins.

Add in carrot slices and minced garlic. Saute until they are softened. 5 mins.

Add in red bell pepper slices, green peas and spinach. Season with salt and nutritional yeast. 5 mins.

Stir in fully cooked noodles.

Season with additional salt and red chili flakes to taste.

Traditional Beijing Salty Sweet Bean Paste Noodle

Ingredients: (Serving size 3)

2 cucumbers

8 shiitake mushrooms

1 firm tofu

5 green onions (1 bunch)

4 cloves garlic

bean sprouts (or other micro vegetable sprouts)

grated ginger

olive oil

rice cooking wine

salty soy bean paste

sweet noodle paste (see pictures below)

asian style wide noodles

3 secrects of this noodle dish:

1. 绍兴料酒

Shao Xing rice cooking wine

2. 黄酱( a salty fermented soy bean paste)

 pronounce: Huang Jiang 

direct translation: yellow paste

on the left

3. 甜面酱 (a sweet fermented soy bean paste)

pronounce: Tian Mian Jiang

direct translation: sweet noodle paste

on the right

As long as we use these 3 ingredients, we can change other vegetables in the dish and still make authentic Traditional Beijing Soy Bean Paste Noodle.

1. Heat up a pan with oil (larger amount is better). Add cubed firm tofu. Cook 5 mins until they start to brown on one side. 

2. Add chopped shiitake mushrooms, greated ginger and minced garlic. Cook 5 mins.

3. Add cubed cucumbers, 6 tbsp rice wine, 1 tbsp salty bean paste, 1 tbsp sweet bean paste.

Mix them well and cook 10 mins. Stir every 2 mins. 

4. Add chopped green onions 1 min before killing the heat.

5. Pour these veggies over the noodles. Top with some fresh bean sprouts.

Chickpeas Stew

Ingredients: (2 servings)

Chickpeas (about 2 cups)

1 zucchini 

1 onion

1 potato
1 carrot

1 green pepper

3 tbs. tomato paste

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 tbs. minced ginger

sea salt

cilantro (optional)

cumin (optional)

1. Cook chickpeas first or use canned chickpeas.

2. Sautee onion, garlic, ginger and potato for 5 mins.

3. Add cooked chickpeas along with the liquid and the veggies to the sauteed onion mixture.

4. Cook 20 mins until veggies are tender.

5. Add tomato paste and cook for another 5 mins.

5. Season with salt, cilantro and cumin.

Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) nutrition facts

Sour Sweet Cauliflower

Ingredients: 2 large tomatoes, 1 large cauliflower, ketchup, 4 cloves of garlic, olive oil, salt

1. Slice garlic, dice tomatoes. 

Heat some oil and sautee garlic and tomatoes about 5 mins or until tomatoes are half melted.

2. Add cauliflower, ketchup and a little bit of water. 

Cover it and cook about 10 mins or until the water is gone.

3. Season with salt.

Creamy Tofu Topping

Ingredients: Garlic, tofu, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, tumeric, sea salt, black pepper, olive oil

1. Sautee 8 cloves garlic with 6 tbs olive oil until brown

2. In a food processor, blend the following ingredients until smooth.

sauteed garlic and oil (from step 1)

1 firm tofu

3 tbs lemon juice

2 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3. Spread it on bread or use as cake topping.

I was amazed how creamy this tofu topping is.