Egg Rolls w/ Soba Noodle Salad

I decided to try making egg rolls tonight. I've always wanted to try it. Got a head of napa cabbage in our veggie box today and had some egg roll wrappers stored in the freezer so I gave it a try. It was much easier than I expected. Emmett loved his dinner and ate two egg rolls. He kept declaring "good dinner, mommy!" I prolly would've mixed up the veggies with some others if I'd had different things on hand but this worked out fine.



And I decided to make some soba noodles to go with it. These were delicious. The kids are always fans of things with beets which still blows my mind.



Soba Noodle Salad
1 pkg soba noodles (10 ounces)
1 large beet peeled & grated (i used my cuisinart)
1/2 c tamari
6 T rice vinegar
1/4 c sesame oil
2 T mirin
2 T sugar
2 tsp ground ginger (i wish i would've had fresh on hand)
4 drops chili oil
black pepper

Boil the noodles per package directions. Meanwhile prepare dressing by mixing together everything but the beets in a small bowl. Drain noodles and pour dressing over the top. Set aside. When cooled down add beets and toss to coat. I had a little chopped shallot sitting around too so I tossed that in as well. Top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.

I just used the beet raw this time. I think the salad would be good with other grated veggies as well like carrot and prolly could've had green onion in it. But I was using carrot in our egg rolls so I decided just to go with the beet and it was satisfying that way.


Veggie Egg Rolls
1 pkg tofu drained
3 carrots
1 shallot
3 burdock roots (gobo)
2 cups napa cabbage finely shredded
Sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
~14 egg roll wrappers
salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
vegetable oil

Shred carrots, shallot & burdock root using Cuisinart attachment. Crumble tofu and brown in skillet w/ a little sesame oil. Add veggies and stir-fry ~3 minutes, add soy sauce, ginger and salt & pepper. Let cool. Place ~2 Tablespoons of veggie mix in the center of egg roll wrapper and follow package directions on folding. Use a little beaten egg to close the wrapper. Heat vegetable oil to about 350 degrees. It'll need to be about 2 inches high in your pan. Fry in small batches for about 4 minutes turning frequently. Remove rolls from pan and sit on paper towels.



Dipping sauce
1/2 c tamari
1/4 c mirin
1/4 c rice vinegar
1 T ginger
1/2 tsp ground mustard

Mix all together and set aside till ready to serve.

Soy Stash

This has become a family favorite. I love the spice but you can tone it down. It's easy to keep these things on hand so we make this one alot.

1 bag of Trader Joes Organic SoyCutAsh (frozen edamame/corn/red pepper)
(cook as directed)
1 c. dried cranberries

dressing:
2 Tbs. Thai sweet red chili sauce
1/4 tsp. thai red curry paste
2 Tbs mirin
1 1/2 Tbs toasted sesame oil

Make the frozen bag of edamame/corn/red pepper. Rinse with cold water or let cool down and set aside. Mix the dressing ingredients, then add the cranberries and edamame mix. Mix well. Tastes even better the following day.

Orange Spring Salmon

This picture doesn't do this recipe justice. I thought this fish was good last night but it was amazing today at lunch. My mouth is watering for more. It was super simple, delicious and even complex tasting. I can't wait to make it again.

1 lb salmon fillet
2 oranges
1/2 lemon
1/2 onion
2 green onions
dill
salt
pepper
olive oil

Thinly slice the 1/2 onion and 1 orange (unpeeled), put into a baking dish and sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper on top of it. Bake at 400 for 20-30 min. Fry the salmon skin side down in a little olive oil for 5 min. or until the skin is crispy. Lay the fillet in the baking dish skin side down and sprinkle dill, salt and pepper on top. Put the baked orange slices and onions on top of the salmon and put the dish back in the oven at 450 for 10-15min. or when the fish is fully cooked. While that is cooking squeeze into a bowl the other orange and 1/2 lemon, slice the green onions and add some dill, stir. Once the salmon is cooked and cooled (or chilled even) remove the orange peels, pour the juices over the salmon and serve.

Acorn's Agave

I know this is a ridiculously easy recipe and shouldn't even be on here but it's such a fast easy yummy winter side. I usually make it with brown sugar and wasn't sure how it would taste with the agave nectar instead but I gave it a try. It was so good that no one could tell the difference. All you need are these four ingredients and and an oven.

acorn squash, pat of butter, squirt of agave, pinch of salt

Turn oven on at 400, cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, add the butter and agave, sprinkle with salt, put in a shallow baking dish with water on the bottom and bake for an hour.

Diabetics Delight

Trying to find a chocolate dessert type recipe that's sugar free but still tastes good is so hard. Although the Trader Joe's No Carb Dark Chocolate fits the bill most of the time, I wanted to find an alternative. I first googled apple, pb, no sugar, oat balls and somehow found this recipe. It called for 1.5 cups of fructose so I used the Trader Joes Blue Agave instead.

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup Agave
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
~*~
1/2 cup peanut butter
tsp vanilla
3 cups oats - not instant

Stir first 4 ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil for a minute. Add PB and vanilla, mix well. Stir in oatmeal. Take off the heat and when cool enough to handle (but still warm) shape into small balls, place on waxed-paper lined cookie sheet, and chill in refrigerator. Makes a couple dozen. Throw in the freezer for a "cooler" dessert. Chris liked these a lot so it's not just for those who are looking to lower their blood sugar.

Feel Better Noodle Soup

I'm home with a sick kid today which has me thinking of my comfort foods. This is another one I've eaten since childhood but adapted to fit into my veggie life. I remember my dad making this whenever we were sick but I suppose my mom did as well. They'd boil chicken till it fell off the bone with some carrots, celery & onions then add egg noodles to the broth and cook till done. Then they'd serve it over mashed potatoes. So whenever we get sick or it's just a rainy yucky day and we want some comfort food I make my version of it...which varies depending on the veggies I have on hand...but goes something like this:

Feel Better Noodle Soup
~2 cups chopped veggies (I usually pick 3 items from the following list: carrots, celery, celeriac, parsnips, leeks or onions, shitake mushrooms, kale)
~ 6 cups broth (I like the Imagine No-chicken Broth best)
1 T Soy sauce (optional, to taste)
1-2 tsp herbs (marjoram and/or thyme)
Salt & pepper
~2 c egg noodles

Saute veggies in olive oil till they're starting to get tender. Add broth and seasonings and bring to a boil. Add noodles and simmer 8-10 minutes (or as package directs).

Meanwhile boil potatoes till soft enough for mashing. Drain and add a pat of butter and a little milk, salt & pepper. I mash by hand to keep them a little chunky.

To serve, add a spoonful of mashed potatoes to each bowl and ladle soup over the top.

Apple-Peanut Butter Cookies

I don't bake much. But I do love peanut butter. And this cookie brings together peanut butter and apples two things I almost always have on hand. What's not to love. It's from a cookbook I had when I was a kid. I can still picture the cover in my head. I think my mom still has it in her cupboard. I should see what else is in there since I still love these after all this time. Hmm, I wonder if they are considered a whole grain cookie?

Apple-Peanut Butter Cookies
3/4 c peanut butter
1/4 c butter
2 c brown sugar
---
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
---
1 c flour
1 c wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
---
1 c oatmeal
1 med apple, peeled, chopped (~1 cup)


Mix all ingredients together (using the lines above as mixing points before adding the next set of ingredients). You'll probably have to stir by hand when you get to the point of adding oatmeal & apple. It's really thick & heavy at that point but the apples add a lot of moisture during the baking. Form into 1 inch balls and slightly pat down. Bake 12-14 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet in 350 degree oven.

These are best the day you bake them. Don't seal up leftovers too tight because the apple will continue to soften the cookie.

Catchup w/ Betty's Salad Dressing

Did I really not post anything in the month of February. Sheesh. Yay for Emily (E4Mle) starting to post here. It's good to get some new recipes!

Tonight we had my favorite salad for dinner. We do lots of variations on it. The dressing rocks with a tangy bite to it. I think the recipe comes from a woman who ran a hotel/restaurant we used to go to in Ohio...yep, thank you Wikipedia: "Betty's Salad is a regional, Midwest salad created by Betty Timko and featured as a menu item at her restaurant, Timko's Soup and Such, in Toledo, Ohio. The restaurant was located in a brick building at the Northwest corner of Sylvania and Douglas Roads of the Devaux Village strip mall in West Toledo. After Betty died, the restaurant closed, and her signature salad dressing is still produced and distributed at regional grocery stores."

Anyway, we ate this a lot growing up and I still love it. I've just tweaked it to use veggie bacon in place of the real thing.

Salad:
lettuce (mixed, iceberg, romaine, whatever you have on hand)
fresh spinach
fresh bean sprouts
chopped boiled egg
crumbled bacon

Dressing (combine in blender or food processor):
1/2 c ketchup
3/4 c veg. oil
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, chopped (optional...I sometimes replace this with onion powder or just drop it all together)
salt & pepper to taste


Additions we've tried: roasted potatoes, blanched green beans, fresh tomatos.

Tonight we used mixed greens, skipped the spinach, and added a medley of roasted beets, potatos, and parsnips. Yum.

Classy Quinoa

So in this new quest for foods that are high in protein, low in carbs and sugar but still taste good, I came up with this. Thought I'd revamp this Quinoa since I'll be doing a lot of it. I wasn't sure how this combo would stack up but it was pretty tasty so I thought I'd share it.

1 c. Quinoa

Add:

bunch of Cilantro, 1 Tomato, 1 can of Black Beans and some Salt

Dressing:

2 Tbs. Lime juice, some Lime zest, 1 Tbs. Agave nectar, White wine vingr, 1 ts. butter, 1 ts. olive oil

I cooked the Quinoa in my rice cooker. 1c. - 2c. water. Fluffed it and added the beans, cilantro and tomato. Then I mixed the dressing and thru it in the microwave for a minute and then mixed it over the salad. We didn't eat it until it was cooled down but I'd imagine it was good hot too.