Baked tomatoes, squash and potatoes

Ingredients:
Onion, tomatoes, yellow squash and potatoes, thinkly sliced
Olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Vegan parmesan cheese
Cook onion first until tender and slightly golden.
Arrange the onion on the bottom of the baking dish.
Overlap tomatoes, squash and potatoes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with thyme and Parmesan.
Drizzle with oil.
Heat oven to 375 F.
Bake covered for 30 mins. Uncover and bake until golden, 30 mins or more.
(From magazine)

Chewy rice cakes with green beans

Ingredients: Rice cake, green beans, roasted garlic, soy sauce

1. Heat oil, cook green beans 3 mins.

2. Add rice cakes to it (add more oil if needed), stir them every 30 seconds.

Cook about 5 mins until the rice cakes are slightly brown ( takes more time if the rice cakes are frozen).

3. Add soy sauce to taste, cook 2 mins.

4. Add roasted garlic to taste.

About Rice Cakes:

Also called "Nian Gao" (年糕) in Chinese

Rice cakes can be found in both Chinese market or Korean market. They are usually frozen and come in different shapes. They can be cooked either frozen or thawed. If you want to save cooking time then soak them in warm water for 2 hours before use.

Rice cakes are chewy. Boiling makes it soft. Frying makes it hard, and the longer you fry the harder it gets. But we love their chewy texture. Give it a try!

Basil Tofu Eggplant

Ingredients: Eggplant, firm tofu, fresh basil, garlic, soy sauce, salt

1. Heat oil, add chopped garlic, eggplant and basil. Stir. Let the oil cover each side of the eggplant. Cook 3 mins. Set aside. It is ok if the eggplant is still hard.

2. Heat oil, cook firm tofu, each side 5 mins. 

3. Add cooked eggplant to tofu. Add soy sauce. Cover the pan over medium heat and cook 5 mins.

4. Add salt.

Tip: Keep an eye on the food after adding soy sauce to it. It is safer to use medium heat. Soy sauce dries faster than you think.