Kimchi Hamentashen Dumplings

February 24, 2014 · by ·

kimchi-hamentashen

The Jewish holiday of Purim will be upon us in a few weeks, and I’m in that creative zone thinking about what to prepare. Purim is a very lighthearted holiday. You can learn more about it here.

One of the foods that we traditionally eat on Purim are hamentashen. They are usually triangular filled cookies made to represent the evil Haman from the holiday story. I’ve been making these little cookies since I was a kid, but in the past few years, I’ve been trying to balance the savory and the sweet when making my hamentashen for the Jewish Holiday of Purim. This year was no different.

I’ve been brainstorming various flavors this year and hope to share a few of them with you over the next several days.

This hamentashen came about because I’ve been wanting to make traditional Korean Mandu for a while now. I’m also a huge fan of Kimchi – and from that, kimchi dumplings, of course. It dawned on me last week, that I could possibly turn it in to a hamentashen of sorts. Both are always filled and shaped. Why not? I made some vegan  daikon kimchi a few weeks ago, so these dumplings came together quickly.

I decided to cook them potsticker style so that I could keep the hamentashen dumplings up right, so that it looked like a traditional hamentashen where you can see the filling.

I started by quickly stir-frying some tofu with ginger and garlic. Next, I added in some grated carrots, scallions and Napa cabbage. Once that mixture had softened, I added some of my special radish kimchi. I added enough that it was would contribute a lot of flavor to the mix, but I didn’t want the kimchi to overpower or overheat the dumpling. The smell coming off of the pan is amazing! I seasoned with a small amount of salt – about a teaspoons.

dumpling-filling

When the filling mixture was done cooking, I transferred it to a bowl and let it cool.

I placed a tablespoon of the filling in the dumpling wrappers and then pinched the round dough to form corners, like I’ve done in the past with my hamentashen cookies. I dabbed the corners with a bit of water mixed with corn starch. It helps glue the corners in a bit.

Shaping Kimchi Dumplings

Once I prepared several dumplings, I heated my pan with vegetable and sesame oils. I placed the dumplings in the pan and let them brown a bit. Once they were browned, I added some water to the pan and covered the pan to let them steam. I removed the lid when the water had evaporated.

Prepping and Cooking Dumplings

We then dug in.

Oh my. Now this is a hamentashen to enjoy and be proud of! Definitely making these dumplings and these hamentashen again.


Kimchi Hamentashen Dumplings
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • ½ lb. super firm tofu, diced small
  • 2 tbsp. ginger, peeled and minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and grated
  • ¾ cup napa cabbage, chopped
  • ¾ cup daikon kimchi (veganized), chopped (can sub cabbage kimchi if you have that)
  • 2 scallions, sliced thinly
  • 1-2 tsp. salt - as needed
  • dumpling wrappers (I used around 30)
  • ½ cup warm water mixed with a 3 tsp. corn starch (to seal the dumplings)
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • water for steaming
Dipping Sauce
  • 3 tbsp. tamari
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • chopped scallions
Instructions
  1. Heat up the 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil along with the 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil. Add in the tofu and cook for several minutes. Once the tofu is cooked a bit, add in the garlic and ginger.
  2. Let the garlic and ginger get fragrant, then add in the carrots, cabbage and scallions. Let them soften a bit.
  3. Next, add in the chopped kimchi. Stir everything together.
  4. Salt as necessary.
  5. Place a tablespoon of dumpling filling on the dumpling wrapper. Pinch in the corners and seal with the corn starch and water mixture.
  6. Repeat with more dumplings.
  7. Heat the oils in a large pan that has a fitting lid.
  8. Place the dumplings bottom down in the pan and let them brown a bit. Should take a couple of minutes. Once the dumplings have lightly browned on the bottom, pour about ⅔ cup of water in the bottom of the pan and cover pan with a lid to steam the dumplings.
  9. Let the dumplings steams until the water has evaporated completely.
  10. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with any additional dumplings.
  11. Dip the dumplings in a mixture of tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar and scallions.
  12. Enjoy!

kimchi-hamentashen-dumplings-tall

Filed Under: Appetizers, asian, Jewish Holidays, Purim, Side Dish, tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sriracha Chex Mix

January 8, 2014 · by ·

Sriracha Chex Mix

I love Chex Mix. Chex Mix is one of my favorite snacks. Only homemade Chex Mix though. I stock up on Chex Cereals whenever I see them on sale at the grocery store. I’m always trying to come up with new flavor options for the wonderful snack mix.

I’ve made it with Creole seasoning, I loved it with curry seasoning and just recently, I decided I needed to make a Sriracha Chex Mix. Who doesn’t like sriracha? It seemed like it would be the perfect addition to this snack mix. I was right.

In a giant mixing bowl, I mixed up the Rice Chex, Corn Chex, cashews, almonds and peanuts.

I mixed up some melted butter, sriracha, sesame oil,  and tamari.

mixing-chex-mix-

I processed some garlic and ginger in my Cuisinart Mini-Prep so it became a paste and then added it to the bowl with the butter and the sriracha.

I poured the mixture over the Chex and nut mixture. I stirred everything well.

mixing-chexk-mix

I placed everything on a rimmed baking sheet and then I baked it in the oven at a low heat for an hour. I stirred it up every 15 minutes or so.

I then let the mixture cool and then sampled a bit. Oh yeah.

This Chex Mix came with us to our New Year’s Eve party. It’s perfect for any party or just for casual snacking. I love the kick of the sriracha!

Hope you enjoy!


Sriracha Chex Mix
 
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Recipe type: Snack, Gluten Free
Ingredients
  • 6 cups Rice Chex
  • 6 cups Corn Chex
  • 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
  • 1 cup roasted peanutes
  • 1 cup toasted almonds slivers
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup Sriracha
  • ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3-4 inch piece ginger, peeled
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry cereals and the nuts.
  3. In a smaller bowl, combine the melted butter, tamari, sriracha and the sesame oil.
  4. Puree the garlic and ginger in a food processor and then mix in to the sriracha mixture.
  5. Stir the melted butter and sriracha mixture in to the cereal mixture and stir well, making sure that all nuts and cereal pieces are coated well.
  6. Transfer to rimmed baking sheets.
  7. Bake in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  9. Enjoy!

Sriracha Chex Mix

Filed Under: asian, Gluten Free, munchies, recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Crispy Rice Cakes with Spicy Salmon

November 29, 2013 · by ·

rice-cakes-with-salmon

My husband and I recently checked out a new sushi place in our area. My husband was blown away by this raw tuna dish I picked out. The spicy tuna was served over these crispy rice cakes. He gushed over the dish and told me that I had to cook up something similar as soon as possible.

His raw fish of choice is usually salmon.  So the next weekend, he made a beeline for the market and bought around a half a pound of sushi-grade wild salmon.

He pulled out the rice cooker and begged me to make my version of the dish.

I made some sushi rice and seasoned it. I then shaped it in to various shapes. I tried shaping it both with my hands and with a rice mold. I then pan fried it in a combination of rice bran oil and sesame oil. While frying the rice cakes, I lightly sprinkled the cakes with some soy sauce for extra flavor.

While the rice cakes were crisping up, I got to work on the salmon.

I skinned the salmon. I saved the salmon skin for sushi rolls.  I then chopped up the salmon in to small bits. I mixed the salmon with some mayonnaise, some sriracha, sesame oil and chopped scallions.

chopping-salmon

mixing-salmon

I served this mixture on top of the rice cakes. You can dip the rice cakes in additional soy sauce if desired or serve with wasabi or even more sriracha. Enjoy!

Crispy Rice Cake with Spicy Salmon
 
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Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups raw sushi rice, cooked and seasoned (use this recipe)
  • .40 lbs of sushi-grade wild salmon
  • 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp. sriracha
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 4 scallions. Chopped plus extra for garnish
  • 1-2 tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • soy sauce or tamari
Instructions
  1. Cook the sushi rice and season with seasoned rice vinegar.
  2. Chop up the raw salmon and place in a bowl.
  3. Mix in the mayonnaise, sriracha, sesame oil and scallions.
  4. Form the cooked sushi rice in to shapes and fry in the heated and oiled pan. Let the rice cakes brown a bit on each side. Sprinkle soy sauce over the rice cakes and brown some more. The rice cakes should be crispy.
  5. Place a dollop of the salmon mixture over each rice cake and enjoy! Serve with soy sauce, extra sriracha and/or wasabi.

rice-cakes-with-salmonwith text

Filed Under: Appetizers, asian, Gluten Free, Side Dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Stir Fried Bok Choy and Orange Cauliflower with Tofu

October 30, 2013 · by ·

cauliflower-and-bok-choy

I am very fortunate to live and work in areas where I have easy access to fresh, organic produce from local farms. My local farmer’s market often determines any given dinner. On a recent recent night, my dinner came from some fresh and massive bok choy from my co-op and an orange cauliflower from the farmer’s market outside my office building. I have never had this particular kind of cauliflower, but since the sign labeled it as “Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower,” of course I had to pick it up.

cauliflower-fun

The farmer told me that the cauliflower would taste a bit sweeter than the standard variety. I couldn’t tell the difference, but it was still mighty tasty!

I recently discovered the “Super Extra Firm” tofu at Trader Joe’s. It’s pre-pressed, so it requires minimal draining. It’s perfect for quick dinners like this one.

I cubed up the tofu and then washed and cut up the veggies. I then did a quick stir fry along with some garlic, ginger, tamari, Hoisin Sauce, sesame oil and miso. The dish came out perfect. I served it with some Basmati rice, but brown rice will also work just as well.

A regular white cauliflower will work just as well as the “Cheddar Cheese” variety.

Stir Fried Bok Choy and Orange Cauliflower with Tofu
 
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Recipe type: Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine: Stir Fry, Asian
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. canola oil or other flavorless oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed - cut up in to cubes
  • 2 tsp.
  • 3 shallots, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 1 head of bok choy, cut up in 1-inch pieces
  • 1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut in to florets
  • 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp. red miso
  • 3 tbsp. vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • scallions, chopped plus extra to garnish
Instructions
  1. Heat up the oils in a large wok or saute pan
  2. Add in the cubed tofu and brown for a few minutes
  3. Once the tofu has browned, add in the salt, onions, garlic, ginger and garlic and saute a few minutes.
  4. Add in the cauliflower and bok choy and stir fry for about five minutes. Let the veggies soften. You don't want them too mushy.
  5. Mix up the soy sauce, miso, hoisin and vegetable broth in a small bowl and then pour over the stir fry.
  6. Add in some of the scallions and the red pepper flakes. Taste and add additional salt as needed.
  7. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

cauliflower-and-bok-choy

Filed Under: asian, Dinner, Gluten Free, Main Course, tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vegan Mushroom Pâté

August 5, 2013 · by ·

Vegan Mushroom PateI was fasting the other day in preparation for a test, and all I could think about was bánh mì. I walked by the bánh mì cart near my office and my mouth was salivating. I decided that no matter what, I would be making bánh mì sandwiches for dinner this weekend. A while back, I made some vegan bánh mì here on the blog. From experience though, I knew it was missing something. It was missing the traditional pâté. It adds another layer of flavor to the sandwich and some needed moistness that pairs well with the other ingredients.

This time around, I knew I had to make my own baguettes AND make some pâté. Pâté is traditionally made from pork and chicken liver in these sandwiches. You all know that’s not my style. I’ve had some vegetarian eggplant liver before, but I’m the only one in this house who loves eggplant. I decided to make this amazing spread out of mushrooms and walnuts.

I toasted the walnuts in my cast iron skillet.

Toasting Walnuts for Pate

Then., I sautéed up some mushrooms along with some shallots, garlic, ginger and spices. The smell was already so good.

mushrooms for vegan liver

Once the mushrooms were done, I placed everything in my Cuisinart food processor and processed away.

It came together fast and made a huge difference in our bánh mì sandwiches! This would also be perfect as a dip with crackers or in place of traditional meat liver on shabbat and holidays!

vegan-banh-mi

 

 

Vegan Mushroom Pâté
 
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This vegan mushroom pâté goes perfectly with my vegan banh mi sandwiches!
Author:
Recipe type: vegan, dip, spread
Ingredients
  • ¾ raw shelled walnuts
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil or other neutral oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 10 oz. mushrooms - sliced
  • 1 tsp. tamari sauce
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat up your skillet on medium high heat.
  2. Toast the walnuts in the dry skillet for about 3 minutes. You do not want to burn the nuts.
  3. Remove the walnuts from the pan and set aside.
  4. Keep the pan on the heat.
  5. Add the oils to the pan. Let the oil get hot.
  6. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook a couple of minutes.
  7. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook another few minutes. Stir in the tamari, salt and pepper.
  8. Once cooked, turn off the heat.
  9. Place both the walnuts and the mushroom mixture in your food processor and process well. It should be a paste.
  10. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as necessary.
  11. Enjoy!

Vegan Mushroom Pate

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Gluten Free, recipes, Side Dish, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

July 31, 2013 · by ·

Vietnamese-Rice-Noodles-SaladIt’s been crazy hot here on my part of the world. I’m trying to stay away from the stove as much as possible. I’m sure you all can relate.

I’ve been trying to come up with substantial dishes that can be served cool or room temperature that don’t require to much heating up of the kitchen. This especially applies to Shabbat, where I’m tasked with creating and serving multiple dishes for a crowd.

This Vietnamese Rice Noodle dish is a perfect example of a meal-in-a-salad that comes together quickly and is great both warm or cold. It’s also very adaptable. You can swap out some of the veggies and change the protein to whatever you prefer. For this dish, I used turkey. I knew that my guests would be looking for some kind of meat dish and I had the turkey ready to go.

I started by cooking up the rice noodles. I used the thin rice vermicelli, which I can pour boiling water over to cook. Super easy to do. After soaking for around ten minutes, I drained the noodles.

I then cooked up the turkey with some garlic, ginger, shallots and chopped shiitake mushrooms. I love the flavors that comes off of the meat. Once cooked, I added some tamari and lime lime juice to the meat directly.

I chopped up my veggies and made the dressing. I was ready to go.

I mixed the veggies with the noodles and layered the ground turkey over it and then poured on the dressing. Everyone was happy with the salad.

I also make a vegetarian version of this salad. When I do, I swap out the turkey and use chopped tofu or the soy beef-style crumbles. They work well. When I crumble the tofu, I tend to use an extra firm version and add some extra garlic, ginger and soy sauce for extra flavor.

Hope you enjoy!


Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
 
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Recipe type: gluten free, salad
Ingredients
  • 1 package vermicelli rice stick noodles
  • 1 tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. ginger, chopped
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • juice of ½ lime
  • 2 tsp. tamari
  • 2-3 scallions, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. mint, chopped
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • ½ daikon, shredded
  • 1 red pepper, chopped or julienned
  • 1 seedless cucumber, julienned or chopped
  • 1 cubed avocado
  • 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
For the dressing:
  • juice of ½ lime
  • 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. brown sugar or honey
  • 2 tbsp. tamari
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • ½ tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 1 tbsp. chopped peanuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Cook the noodles by placing them in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let sit a few minutes, drain and set aside.
  2. Heat up the oil in a large pan and saute the ginger, garlic and shallot.
  3. Add in the ground turkey and chopped shiitake mushrooms and cook until done.
  4. Squeeze the juice of a ½ lime and 2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce over the turkey and mix.
  5. Prep all of the veggies and set aside.
  6. Mix up the dressing ingredients and set aside.
  7. Mix the rice noodles with the veggies and then layer with the ground turkey mixture. Stir in the whisked dressing.
  8. Serve and enjoy!

 

 

Vietnamese-Rice-Noodles-Salad

Filed Under: asian, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, poultry, recipes, Salads, vietnamese · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wasabi Salmon Burger Wraps

June 11, 2013 · by ·

We had some leftover salmon from the other night. I wanted to use it up, but I am very bad about using leftovers. I just don’t like them. Salmon is one thing that I do use though. I usually like to turn it in to a salmon salad the next day. This time around though, I decided to turn it in to some salmon burgers. Similar to my baked salmon patties, you can use either recently cooked salmon or even some canned salmon. Both will work, but I always prefer to use fresh salmon when possible.

This salmon burger comes together in a similar way as the salmon patties, but the flavors are amped up a bit with the addition of the wasabi and ginger.

Salmon Burger Wraps

I mashed up my leftover fresh salmon in a bowl. You can use canned salmon if you don’t have fresh salmon lying around. To the salmon, add an egg, some wasabi, soy sauce, sesame soil, ginger, garlic, corn flake crumbs, chopped shallots. You mix it together and form in to burgers.

Salmon Burger Wraps

Fry the burgers in a large pan.

Salmon Burger Wraps

Serve in wraps with avocado, spinach, additional wasabi and mayonnaise.  So good! Make it now!

Salmon Burger Wraps

Wasabi Salmon Burger Wraps
 
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Recipe type: Sandwich, Burger, Lunch, Main Course
Ingredients
  • 12 oz cooked salmon or 2 - 6 oz cans of salmon
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 tsp. ginger paste
  • 2 tsp. garlic paste
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 2 tbsp. wasabi
  • 1 tbsp. mayonaisse
  • ¾ cup corn flake crumbs
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. sriracha
  • Tortillas (I had mine in brown rice tortillas, while my family likes flour tortillas)
  • Avocados, sliced
  • Baby Spinach Leaves
Instructions
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, mash up the salmon with a fork
  2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
  3. Form in to patties/burgers.
  4. Grill on a barbecue, or fry in a large fry pan on medium-high heat in one tablespoon of oil. The burgers should be lightly browned on both sides.
  5. Wrap up the burgers in a tortilla with additional wasabi or sriracha, some mayonnaise, some sliced avocado and spinach.
  6. Enjoy!

 

Filed Under: Dinner, fish, Gluten Free, Lunch, sandwich · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck

April 15, 2013 · by ·

This month, in our Kosher Connection link-up, we are sharing “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” I had a very hard time with this. There are so many “best things” in my life of eating. Even the Food Network show breaks it up in to categories! If I could do some sort of award ceremony, I could give some special trophy for at least 10 different foods! I don’t have one favorite. I love so many different dishes for so many different reasons.

hong-kong-pan-fried-noodles2

I decided to share with you this one dish today. These Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck are simple to prepare, and it’s a dish that’s pure comfort food. It has a flavor and mouth feel that I crave every so often. This dish brings me back to dinners out with my family at KinhDo Restaurant in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. One of the dishes we often got was this fabulous mock duck noodle dish. More recently, I had a noodle dish at Buddha Bodai in Chinatown that reminded me of this dish. I decided to combine the two.

I trekked out to Chinatown last week to pick up some of the ingredients. Hong Kong Supermarket, one of my favorite stores, carries a huge selection of Asian noodles and sauces that happen to be kosher. With some vegetarian oyster sauce and noodles in hand, I headed back home to make this dish. I was very happy with the results.


Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. canola oil
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • 8 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
  • 10 -12 oz. of Mock Duck or Seitan, sliced up in to bite-size pieces (You can use more if you like. This is what I had on hand.)
  • 1 package of Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles
  • 3 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
  • 3 tbsp. Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
  • 3 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
  • 2 tsp. Crushed red chili peppers (optional)
  • 2 cups Fresh bean sprouts
  • ½ cup chopped Chinese chives
Instructions
  1. Boil a pot of water. Cook the noodles for 1-2 minutes, then drain and rinse. The noodles are already cooked and don't need to be cooked any longer than that.
  2. Heat up the oil in a large wok or pan.
  3. Add in the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
  4. Add in the mushrooms and mock duck or seitan. Cook for around 5 minutes, until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates.
  5. Mix in the cooked and drained noodles. Stir to incorporate. Stir fry the noodles a bit.
  6. In a small bowl, mix together the sauces with the crushed chili peppers.
  7. Pour the sauce in to the noodle mixture. Stir well.
  8. Mix in the fresh bean sprouts.
  9. Stir fry another few minutes.
  10. Mix in half of the chopped chives.
  11. Garnish with the rest of the chopped chives.
  12. Serve with some chili paste on the side.
  13. Enjoy!

 

HongKongNoodles

 

Filed Under: asian, Dinner, hong kong, Main Course, mock duck, noodles, seitan, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Mushroom and Tofu Stir Fry in Black Bean Sauce

June 4, 2012 · by ·

What do you do when everyone is hungry and it’s 7:30 pm? We had been grazing throughout the day, so hunger and the whole dinner concept dawned on us much later than a typical day. The big kid was begging for Chinese food. Of course, she was hoping for the take-out variety. The hubster suggested a stir fry. I kindly suggested he pick and chop the veggies – to which he turned down. Harumph.

Dinner still had to be made. I tossed some rice and water in a pot and peeked in the fridge. We had just been to the Korean market, so were flush with tofu and veggies. I had some chopped scallions and ginger left over from the scallion pancakes. Stir fry would work. I always have a variety of asian sauces around. I hoard them when I find them acceptable to eat. I picked up some yummy looking five-spice tofu when at HMart. I love when I find random kosher things there. I get giddy.  This five spice tofu comes already pressed and ready to serve. 
Dinner was ready in around 10 minutes. Ten points for me!



Mushroom and Tofu Stir Fry in Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oiil
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 scallions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1.4 tbsp. ginger, chopped
1/2 pound of pressed tofu (five spice, or other marinated tofu) cubed
1 container cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup sugar snap peas
1.5-2 tbsp. black bean sauce
3 tsp. black soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth mixed with 2 tsp. corn starch
Heat up the vegetable oil in a wok or large deep saute pan.
Add in the sesame oil when hot. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Let it get a bit fragrant and toss in half of the scallions.
Stir in the tofu, snap peas and the mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes. Maybe five.
Add in the last three ingredients. If you can’t find a kosher black bean sauce, you could substitute with some miso paste. As I mentioned before, I tend to hoard obscure kosher products when I find them – or I figure out how to make  them myself.

Add in the remaining chopped scallions and plate it up with some white rice.
Enjoy!
On a side note, anyone want to go in with me on a large quantity of  kosher fermented black beans? Big plans, folks, big plans….

IMG_1398

Filed Under: asian, Dinner, easy, rice, tofu, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Soy Ginger Salmon

January 19, 2009 · by ·

Wednesday evenings are one of the nuttiest in our house. Both kids have assorted activities. We do not get home until 7:30, making the whole dinner routine a bit tough. I don’t like to do fast food, nor do we have any decent kosher fast food nearby. I do admit, I often turn to the more processed/frozen varieties of nutrition too often on those nights. I prefer to give my family a more balanced home cooked meal. This past Wednesday, we had the perfect dinner. We had a soy ginger salmon over whole wheat couscous with mushrooms and herbs. Yum!

Soy Ginger Salmon

Marinade Ingredients

1 pound of salmon
1/3 cup brown sugar
juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons ginger paste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Marinate your salmon for at least 30 minutes.

You have two options for cooking this up. You can sear it and finish in the oven, or you can broil for 15 minutes or so on high.

I chose to sear for 10 minutes and then finish in the oven.

Heat up the marinade ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat to boiling. Pour some of this sauce over the salmon and couscous.

I would show you a picture, but the camera didn’t cooperate. I will make this again though. So good!

Filed Under: Dinner, fish · Tagged: , , , , ,
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