Please join me starting May 1st and enjoy a fresh new (or old favourite) recipe every day for a month..  Bring on the spring.

Is  Valentines day just for lovers?.. or  can it be for loving?

This years lovely meal will be Chinese .

Here are the special dishes I have come up with.

Steamed Dumplings 

1/2 cup thinly sliced leek

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 lb firm tofu, crumbled

3/4 Cup diced shiitake mushrooms

3/4 Cup diced green cabbage

1 Tsp minced ginger

2 Cloves garlic, minced

4 Green onions, diced

1/2 cup minced cilantro

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 Red pepper , minced (optional)

Won-ton wrappers (vegan if possible)

Saute the crumbled tofu, leeks,mushrooms and cabbage in olive oil along with ginger and garlic for a few minutes. When the tofu and mushrooms are almost done cooking, add the green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil , stir well.Cook for a few more minutes then add the cilantro and set aside.

Put about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each won-ton wrapper . Wet the edges of the wrapper with a bit of water, then fold in half and press to seal. Fold together two of the pointed ends This will help to seal the filling inside the dumpling.

Heat a couple of inches of water in wok  and place a vegetable steamer inside. Cover the bottom of the steamer in a layer of lettuce or wax paper. Place the dumplings on top 10 at most   cover, and steam for 3-5 minutes. Serve with a tamari ginger dipping sauce.

 Marinated Mushrooms

2-Cups sliced dried shiitake mushrooms

4 Tbsp cooking wine or sake

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice syrup

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Green onions, diced

2 Tsp toasted sesame seeds

Rinse the mushrooms and mix together with the sake,soy sauce and rice syrup .You may need to add a little bit of water if they seem too dry. Set aside  to soak for a few hours or overnight.

Drain mushrooms and place in a cast iron pan with sesame oil, green onion and sesame seeds. Saute for 1-2 minutes.

Chow mein 

1 Lb Seitan, diced

4 Carrots, sliced into matchsticks

4 Celery stalks, sliced in thin diagonals

5 Green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 Small lotus root, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

1 Cup vegetable broth or dashi

1/4 Cup soy sauce

2 Tsp grated ginger

3/4 Cup bean sprouts

1 Can water chestnuts, rinsed (optional)

1/2 Tsp Chili flakes (optional)

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cup arrowroot flour

Combine all ingredients, except the arrowroot and water in a large pot. Cover and allow to cook for 20-25 on low heat.

Mix together the arrowroot and water. Add pot, stirring well.Cook for another 3-5 minutes

 Fried Rice 

2 Cups cooked brown rice

1/2 Cup snow peas

1/2 Cup corn niblets

1 Shallot, diced

Splash of cooking wine

1/2 Cup Cilantro, diced

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp olive or sesame oil

In a wok or a large frying pan  heat oil and add shallots, corn and wine saute for a few minutes then add snow peas and rice. Saute for 2-3 more minutes then add soy sauce and cilantro. Serve.

Sauteed Greens

1/2 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Shallot, sliced into thin half moons

1 Tsp grated ginger

1 Lg bunch asian greens ( I used choy sum)

1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

1 Tsp  soy sauce

In a lag frying pan or wok, heat the oil. Add shallots and ginger. Saute for 2 minutes. Add greens and soy sauce. Saute until greens turn bright green , stir in sesame seeds. Serve.

 

Organic, vegan/vegetarian, gluten free stuffed squash, peppers,  seitan roasts,seitan wellington,  tofu loafs,salads and more. Ready for Christmas . Put your order in now! 

-Stuffed Squash $14.00/each

-Stuffed Peppers $6.00/each

-Tofu “meat”loaf – $7.00 per serving $21.00 For whole loaf

- Brown rice salad – $6.00/per serving

-Seitan loaf – $8.00/each

-Seitan Wellington – $28.oo /a roll

- Chocolate  almond and hazelnut cake – $4.00 a slice $20.00/ whole

Contact Sarah Forrester Wendt/MacroMom here  or At the Charlottetown Farmers Market or at 902-367-9491

Pick up dates -Dec 15th- 29th.

Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November;

All the rest have thirty-one,

Save February, with twenty-eight days clear,

And twenty-nine each leap year.

It’s been 31 days. Thank you Jessica Porter for helping to feed my family and challenging me with new, fun, whole foods , macrobiotic recipes. I hope that everyone’s recipe repertoire has increased and you have enjoyed the challenge of cooking a new recipe a day with me.

I am going to end the challenge with one of Jessica’s seasonal menus. Feel free to make your favorite dishes tonight or start on a new journey with a new cookbook. Thank you for joining me and congratulations on becoming a better cook.

A Springtime Menu

Lentil Soup

Mediterranean Barley Salad

Boiled Salad With Lots Of Leafy Greens

Strawberry Kanten With Tofu Cream

Barley Tea

Lentil Soup 

(Even though she suggested Lentil soup in her menu, she did not have a lentil soup recipe in her book. So I’m posting one from last years challenge)

Mediterranean Barley Salad

Boiled Salad With Lots Of Leafy Greens

Follow the directions for the Boiled salad recipe above but add a variety of greens (kale, collards,bokchoy, cabbage etc..)

Strawberry Kanten With Tofu Cream

Kanten

4 Cups organic apple juice

1/4 Cup agar agar flakes

1/4 Cup rice syrup

Pinch sea salt

1/4 Cup kuzu root starch

1 Cup Fresh or frozen organic strawberries, chopped

Creamy Tofu Topping

1 Pound firm tofu

1 Cup rice syrup or 2/3 Cup maple syrup

1 Teaspoon umeboshi vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla

Garnish

1/2 Cup finely sliced roasted almonds

Bring 31/2 cups of the apple juice, agar agar, rice syrup, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to low simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the agar flakes are dissolved. Dilute the kuzu in the remaining 1/2 cup  of apple juice (this juice must be room temperature or cold in order to dilute the kuzu properly). Mix  well with fingers in order to get rid of any lumps of kuzu. Add the diluted kuzu to the pot, stirring constantly to avoid lumping.

As you stir, bring the mixture back to a boil (kuzu needs to boil in order to thicken). Let boil about 1 minute, as you continue stirring. It should become slightly thickened and a little glossy, like a gravy. Add the chopped strawberries and simmer 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and pour into serving cups. Let the kanten set for about 1 hour(refrigeration optional). Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the tofu in and let it cook for 2 minutes. Remove from water. Put the tofu, sweetener, vinegar, and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Whiz ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust sweeteners to your liking. Chill until cool and a little thickened. When the kanten has set, garnish each serving with a dollop of the creamy tofu topping and top with a sprinkle of roasted almonds.

Barley Tea

All recipes are printed with permission from Jessica Porter

Seitan Stew

1-2 Cups seitan, cut into big bite sized chunks

3 Cloves garlic, cut into small pieces

1 Medium onion, cut into thick wedges

2 Carrots, cut into large diagonal chunks

1 Stalk burdock,, sliced on a thin diagonal

1 Cup Brussels sprouts, cut in half

1 Stalk celery, cut on a thin diagonal

Spring water

1/4 Cup shoyu

Kuzu, diluted in 1/3 cup cold water

Place seitan and garlic , onions, carrots, burdock, Brussels sprouts, and celery into a 6 quart pot. Add spring water to just cover, then add shoyu. Bring to a boil. Reduce flame to low and simmer until vegetables are done, about 20 minutes. Add diluted kuzu, stirring constantly until it thickens stew. Simmer for 5 more minutes. If the stew is too thin, add a little more thickener. If too thick, add more cold water for desired consistency.

- I can’t buy fresh burdock on our island so I used other root vegetables instead. I added some diakon and some parsnip. It was a crappy rainy day and this dish was perfect!  

All recipes are posted with permission from Jessica Porter.

The next group of recipes are under the catagory of conversion!

Tempeh Burritos

1- 8oz Package tempeh

2 Cups water

1/2 Cup shoyu

3 Tablespoons mirin

1 Dash brown rice vinegar

Toasted sesame oil or light sesame oil

1 Small onion diced

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon chili pwder

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder

Whole wheat tortillas

Soy cheese, grated

Tofu sour cream (see day 14)

Cut tempeh into four chunks and bring to a boil in the water, shoyu, mirin and brown rice vinegar. Let simmer 20 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, over medium heat, coat a skillet generously with oil. Saute onion with salt, until onion is translucent.

Crumble up cooked tempeh into bits like ground beef and saute with the onion. The tempeh should be well seasoned, but keep the cooking liquid just in case you would like to add a little more later. Stir in chili powder and garlic powder. Allow whole concoction to cook for about 5 minutes. the tempeh should absorb lots of the oil and may even get a little crispy.

Warm a tortilla in another skillet. Add “beef” and some grated soy cheese. Wrap tortilla around filling and let warm on the skillet so that the soy cheese melts. Serve with tofu sour cream and /or guacamole.

 - So delicious! I added about 2 cups of cooked kidney beans to the tempeh mix to stretch the recipe. Felix said they were awesome! My sister came over and had 2! 

All recipes are posted with permission from Jessica Porter.

Tomorrow I will be starting the THIRD annual spring challenge.  The last  two years went great! I used Aveline Kushi’s book(The Complete Guide To macrobiotic Cooking), then Christina Cooks-Everything You Always Wanted to Know about WholeFoods but were afraid to ask. This year I have chosen The Hip Chick’s guide to Macrobiotics by Jessica Porter. She is a great chef with  a kooky sense of humor and her book is full of fun recipes . Soon you will be having a great laugh and will feel wonderful eating her delicious recipes . Don’t worry if you don’t own this book. I will be posting the recipes everyday with photos. Or, pick your favorite cookbook  or chef to follow. The point is adding new recipes to our daily repertoire.

Today is Day 1- Finding your cookbook and collecting your groceries.

This first week all  recipes will be  on Grains!

1- Perfect Brown Rice

2-Mediterranean Barley Salad

3- Rice, Avacado And Corn Salad

4-Good Morning Oat Porridge

5- Quinoa Salad

6-Millet Mashed “Potatoes” With Mushroom Gravy

7- Kasha And Cabbage

Please post comments and photo’s of what you are cooking!

All recipes are printed with permission from Jessica Porter.

Please join me starting May 1st and enjoy a fresh new (or old favourite) recipe every day for a month..  Bring on the spring.

AN INTERACTIVE COOKING CLASS SERIES

WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, FALL

(Image from Healthycrush.com)

This month it’s all about  A Complete Macrobiotic Meal!

Thursday April 19th at 6:30 p.m

Tasty whole foods supper club. Fun, interactive cooking classes.

After all the washing,sorting, chopping, slicing, sauteing, flipping and frying you get to sit down and enjoy our creations.

With humor and guidance we will collectively make the meal together.

We’ll make a party out of it!

THE THIRD THURSDAY EVENING  OF EVERY MONTH AT THE ST PAUL’S CHURCH COMMUNITY KITCHEN ON THE CORNER OF PRINCE AND RICHMOND ST CHARLOTTETOWN 6:30 P.M  $25.00 PER PERSON CALL 902-367-9491 FOR MORE INFO or e-mail me here.. 

Whole foods cooking class CBC interview

I’m a little late posting this. We have been so busy lately. I’m so glad I was able to take the time to fit in this fun romantic meal.

This tray of strawberries from our lovely neighbor  started off our Valentines day.

Carrot  And Blood Orange Soup

1 Pound carrots

1 Medium onion

3 Cloves of garlic

1(2-inch) Piece fresh ginger. minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1-2 large  blood oranges

5 Cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

Sea salt and pepper, to taste