Crispy Radish Balls

Ingredients:

1 daikon radish

2/3 cup garbanzo bean flour

cilantro

green onion

ginger

five spice powder

salt

Step 1

Grate the radish as fine as possible.

Thinly chop some cilantro and green onions while waiting for the radish to drain excess water.

Grab a handful of grated radish and squeeze out any excess water into a bowl. 

*Save the radish liquid for later use.* 

Transfer the ingredients to a larger bowl to make the radish balls:

grated radish w/o water

chopped cilantro and green onions

2/3 cup garbanzo bean flour

grated ginger

1 tsp five spice powder

a pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients together. If the radish mixture appears to be dry, start with adding 1 tbs radish liquid back into the mixture. (I added 3 tbs)

Step 2

Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls between your palms. Set aside.

Step 3

Heat some oil in a pan. Make sure the amount of oil in the pan should be enough to have the balls mostly emerged.  (I used a small pan. So I can use less oil.)

Gently put the radish balls in the oil. Fry them over medium high heat until evenly browned. (Turn the balls often to brown evenly)

Pineapple Spinach Smoothie

Servings: 3 cups

1 fresh pineapple

2 handful fresh baby spinach

A hint of grated ginger

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of sweetener (optional. eg. honey)

Vegan Seafood Soup

Ingredients: (3-4 Servings)

1 large daikon radish

8-10 shiitake mushrooms

A hand full of kelp

A hand full of green peas

1 inch ginger

vegan crab cake (optional)

sea salt

olive oil

1. Thinly slice radish, mushrooms and ginger.

2. Put a large stock pot or a large skillet over high heat.

Sautee ginger, radish and mushroom slices for 5 mins.

3. Add water until the food is covered.

Bring to a boil.

4. Add a hand full of green peas and kelp.

Bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and cover with lid.

Let it cook for 10 mins.

5. (Optional)

Add vegan crab cake for some extra seafood flavor.

Let it cook for 5 mins.

6. Season with salt.

Purple Yam Patty

Before:

After:

Ingredients:

2 medium purple yams

1/2 cup Glutinous rice flour 

1. Wrap each yam with foil. Put them in the oven at 400F for at least 1 hour or until they are tender.

2. Peel the yams. Smash and mix them well with 1/2 cup Glutinous rice flour. You can use a pastry cutter. 

3. Make little balls with the mixture. Flatten them out on the pan with a little bit of oil. Brown each side.

Glutinous rice is also called sticky rice or sweet rice. It is widely grown and used in Asia. Because of its stickiness and sweetness, people always use it with yams, radish, pumpkins, red beans or sesame to make sweet treats in China. 

Gluten-free Seaweed Avocado Pasta

Ingredients:

Dry and roasted seaweed 

1 or 2 ripe avocado

2 tbsp. soy sauce

brown rice pasta

1. In a large bowl, shred the seaweed (any amount) as fine as you can. 

2. Add avocado and soy sauce (or soy sauce alternatives, eg: Bragg liquid aminos)

3. Add cooked brown rice pasta

4. Mash, mix and enjoy

Seaweed is easy to find in many stores, like whole foods, sprouts and costco. They usually come salted and roasted already.  I got them from a Korean market because they sell larger sheets there.  

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.

Flavored Oil - Green Onion Flavor

Ingredients: 4 bunches of green onions. 1 medium yellow onion. Olive oil.

Chop up the ingredients to 1 inch long pieces. Set aside or wipe with paper towel to remove excess water.

Put them in a medium size skillet. Add olive oil about 2/3 of the height of the onions. The onions will be cooked down very fast.

Put them over medium low heat. This is the key of making this rich flavor oil. High heat will burn the onions, leave them soggy and taste like spoiled onions. Medium low heat drains out the water of them slowly but makes them crispy and brown in the end. 

Let it cook for at least 50 mins or until most of the onions are brown and crispy. It may take over an hour if you want them to be perfectly crispy. 

Save them in a jar and enjoy them over noodles with salt and pepper. 

Oyster Mushroom Burrito

Ingredients: Oyster mushrooms, red bell pepper, black beans, cumin, sea salt, olive oil.

1. Sautee oyster mushrooms with olive oil until tender.

2. Add red bell pepper and cook about 3 more mins.

3. Season with ground cumin and sea salt.

4. Wrap the mushrooms and some cooked black beans in a burrito.

Triangular Tofu Object

Ingredients: (1 serving)

1 Extra Firm Tofu

some chopped kale leaves

1/4 cauliflower

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

sea salt

olive oil

1. Arrange tofu in a large pan over high heat without oil. Heat it about 5 minutes to drain the excess water in the tofu. This will help the tofu to get crunchy and golden brown easier. 

2. Add olive oil, cauliflower, kale. Gently stir. Cover the pan. Let it cook about 5 minutes.

3. Flip the tofu over and cook the other side. Uncover. 5 minutes.

4. Add soy sauce, nutritional yeast ( slight cheese flavor) and salt to taste.

P.S. 

There are usually 3 types of Tofu in the market according to the firmness.

Silken tofu

Firm tofu

Extra firm tofu

Extra firm tofu makes very delicious tofu scramble. They stay in shape and absorb more flavor from what you cook. On the other hand, silken tofu makes very smooth tofu soup. They have a more plain taste.

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

Vegan Mac N Cheese

1. Cook some pasta and steam some veggies that you like. (eg. broccoli)

2. Mix the ingredients below in a large pan:

1/4  cup vegan butter (eg. the Earth Balance brand)

1/3 cup all purpose flour (eg. brown rice flour)

3 cups unsweetened nut milk (eg. almond milk)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast (eg. the Bragg brand)

2 table spoons tomato paste

2 tea spoons sea salt

1 tea spoon garlic powder

1 table spoon lemon juice

1 table spoon agave (optional)

Whisk them until creamy. Setting the pan over low heat may help you mix them faster.

3. Pour the "cheese" over the pasta and veggies. Enjoy!

A little more information about nutritional yeast. Click here. 

Black Bean Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

black beans, onions, baby bella mushrooms, sea salt.

Cook the black beans until very tender first.

Then add some mushroom slices and onions.

Maybe a little more water if you want more soup.

Cook for another 10 mins.

Vegan Pesto Sauce

Ingredients: (3 servings)

4 oz fresh basil

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 avocados / 1/2 cup daiya cheese

3 table spoon lemon juice

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

sea salt

black pepper

red chili powder (optional)

Blend the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Your choice of using avocados or daiya cheese. Avocados make it more smooth.

Serve with pasta.

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.

Mushroom Miso Soup

Ingredients: Mushroom, bamboo shoot, 2 tbs miso, water. 

(All available in Japanese, korean or Chinese market)

Only 1 step: Stew everything in a bowl for 10 mins.

Tofu, seaweed, radish and potatoes are also great combinations with miso soup. Be creative! :-D

Gluten Free Veggie Pancakes

Ingredients: (make about 6 pancakes)

1 cup oat flour
1 cup water 

1/2 medium onion

1/4 large tomato

1/4 green bell pepper

5 small shiitake mushrooms

2 large kale leaves

1 green onion
3 cloves garlic 

1 tsp minced ginger

1/4 tsp tumeric

1 tsp red chili powder

salt to taste

Finely chop all the veggies. Mix them with seasonings, water and gluten-free flour, such as oat flour and garbanzo bean flour. Let it sit for 15 mins before cooking.

Heat a skillet with oil and pour the batter into it. You can use the back of a spoon to flatten the batter since the veggie chunks make it hard to get a good shape.

Asian Style Summer Squash Pasta

Ingredients: (2 servings)

4 summer squash, 3 tbs sesame seeds, 1 tbs minced ginger, 1 green onion, 1/2 tsp red chili pepper, salt, olive oil, pasta.

Slice the summer squash, finely chop the green onion.

Heat a large pan with oil over medium high heat. Arrange the summer squash slices in the pan (ideally a singer layer). Sprinkle sesame seeds, minced ginger, red chili pepper and green onion on top.

Cook 3 mins on each side of the squash.

Turn off the heat. Stir in cooked pasta. 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.

Scrambled Everything

Ingredients:

Extra firm Tofu, broccoli, red skin potatoes, mushrooms, leeks, carrots.

Seasonings:

Dry rosemary, sea salt, roasted garlic powder.

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add 1 pinch dry rosemary to the oil. Wait until the oil gets hot and the smell of rosemary comes out.

2. Add red skin potato chunks to the pan. No need to stir it. Let it cook 5 mins or until one side is slightly browned. 

3. Add the remaining ingredients (everything) to the pan. Cook about 10 mins. Stir it once or twice to make sure nothing is burned on the bottom. 

4. Season with salt and roasted garlic powder.

Banana Oat Pancakes

Gluten-free, wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free

Ingredients: banana, oat flour, soy milk, pecan, coconut oil, vanilla extract, baking soda, sea salt, maple syrup

1. Place the ingredients in a food processor.

1 banana, 

2/3 cup oat flour, 

2/3 cup soy milk, 

1/3 cup pecans, 

1 tsp. coconut oil, 

1 tsp. vanilla extract, 

1 tsp. baking soda, 

1 pinch sea salt 

  Blend the ingredients together. Let the batter sit 20 mins in room temperature.

2. Heat a pan with coconut oil. Pour 3-5 table spoons of the batter into the pan, cook it over low heat. 

3. Garnish the pancakes with sliced bananas, pecans and maple syrup.

Changeable ingredients in this dish:

soy milk --> any flavored nut milk

pecan --> walnut

coconut oil --> olive oil

maple syrup --> honey, agave

Stir Fried Rice

Whenever you worry about the left over veggies in your fridge are too few to cook a whole new dish, it is the best time to make stir fried rice!

Ingredients in this dish (2 servings):

2 carrots

1/2 firm tofu

some broccoli

some mushrooms

some red chard

some steak fries

white rice

salt

1. Chop everything thinly

2. Stir fry everything until tender

3. Stir in cooked rice and some salt

Unidentified Cabbage & Rice Obeject

It tastes better than it looks!

It's easier to cook than you think!

Ingredients: Cabbage, rice cakes, soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, olive oil, salt.

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add minced garlic, and saute 1min.

2. Stir in rice cakes, keep on stirring it and cook 5 mins.

3. Add soy sauce, sugar and salt to taste.

4. Add cabbage and a little bit of water (5 Tbs), cover it and cook 3 mins.

5. Enjoy it.

See where to buy and how to prepare rice cakes in my previous post.