I know that this post title sounds weird…but it is not as bad as it sounds. This kind of tofu is made by boiling the soy milk and collecting the film that is formed in the surface of the pot. It is known ad bean curd sheet which can be found in various format such as individual sheets, folded against itself (this is the one that I got) or in a form of stick. You can find it fresh (this is what I got) or in a dry form. In many vegetarian dishes different kind of this bean curd are placing together in order to mimic meat texture.

I leaned this very simple recipe with my mom, it is tasty and loaded of protein.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh fu bao
½ ~ 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely cut in thin strips
½ tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Pat the bean curd dry with paper towel and place in a hot fry pan with the olive oil.

Let the bean curd brown both side. In the meantime, in a medium size pan add the ginger, water, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper.

Let it boil and add the browned fu bao. Once the fu bao start to boiled in the sauce, lower the temperature to simmer until most of the liquid has been evaporated.

Remove from the heat and serve warm, it is delicious and most importantly very healthy.

Soy milk contains the same amount of protein as cow’s milk. It is very popular among people with lactose intolerance or milk allergy. Moreover, soy protein have the ability to replace animal protein, therefore widely used in vegetarian dishes.

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This is a very simple and easy recipe of oven roast peppers to have always handy in the refrigerator. These oven roast peppers can be kept in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and used on top of green salad or as a side dish. It is not only colorful but very tasty.

Ingredients:

2~3 lb of mini bell peppers, yellow, red and orange
10~15 garlic cloves (you can cut on the amount if you are not a garlic fan)
1~2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon dry parsley
1 teaspoon dry basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Remove the seeds and the stem from the peppers, peel the garlic and slice.

In a big bowl mix all the ingredients together by gently tossing the peppers.

Place the peppers in an oven safe dish for 20~25 minutes at 350F.

Let is cool and serve.

On my salad, I just add a little balsamic vinegar since the peppers already have olive oil, salt and pepper, it makes a good salad look even better.

Did you know that red peppers contain more vitamin C, lycopene and carotene than green peppers? Did you know that paprika, a spice used in many culinary dishes is made from grinding dry bell peppers.

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I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving…in order to balance all what we ate during the holidays I am making a pasta dish with veggies…this recipe is very simple and yet savory with lots of different veggies which makes the pasta pretty appetizing for the eyes as well.

Ingredients:

2 ~3 carrots, shredded
2 zucchini, shredded
1/3 cup frozen peas
Artichoke
2~3 garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoon butter
Sal and pepper to taste
Bow tie pasta

Method:

Cook the pasta as you desire, add the pea as the pasta are about to be ready, so they will be cooked at the same time.

In the meantime, sautee the garlic in the butter, once the garlic start to brown, add the shredded carrot and zucchini, and the artichoke hearts. Add salt and pepper to taste, continue cooking without over cooking it.

Strain the pasta with the green peas and add to the veggie mixture.

Serve hot by topping it with your favorite cheese.

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This is a very simple recipe for Asian style sweet buns, they are so soft and tasty. The water roux method was used to accomplish the softness of the dough. I made the dough with the help of my Zojirushi bread machine, therefore it was very easy, simple and without mess…just let the machine do the work. It is great as a snack or as a breakfast treat.



Ingredients:

Water roux
75 ml of water
15 g of bread flour

Dough
2 cups bread flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dry milk
1½ tablespoon butter
1½ teaspoon dry yeast
1 large egg and complete to 100 ml with water

1 can of red bean paste

Method:

Water roux
Mix flour and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches 65ºC/149ºF. The mix will turn to a paste and you can see the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat, cover with a saran wrap film over the paste and leave until lukewarm.

Dough
Add the water roux and all the dough ingredients to the bread machine bucket according to the manufacture’s guideline. I let the dough cycle run for 2 times, making sure that the dough reaches a thin membrane. The dough will be slightly sticky. Let is rise for approximately 2 hours in a cover container or until it double its initial volume.

Punch down, knead the dough and form into a ball shape. Then divide into 16 equal portions. Gently flat the balls and fill it with the red bean paste. Shape the buns and place all finished buns on a baking pan. Cover the buns with saran wrap film and let rise until double in size.

Bake in preheated 350°F oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Did you know that red bean paste was originated in China? The red bean paste is also called Azuki bean paste and is widely used in Asian cuisine, the paste can be very smooth or chunky (pieces of beans).

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This is a very easy and simple recipe to prepare pork chop. I usually grill the chops, but this time I decided to bake first and then pan fry. I served the pork chops with cranberry rice. It is a great combination of flavor…very fruity and colorful.

Pork Chop

Ingredients:

2~3 lb pork chop
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ tablespoon sesame oil
¼ cup light soy sauce
2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon cooking wine
¼ cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Marinate the pork chops with all the above ingredients.

Let it set in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).

Arrange the pork chops in an oven safe tray and bake for 40~45 minute at 350 F.

Remove the pork chops from the oven and place them in a fry pan over high heat just to brown, both side.

Cranberry Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cranberries
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

In medium heat sauté the onion in the olive oil, add the cranberries until the cranberries are slightly soft. Add the rice pre-rinsed and drained, the salt and the ground cinnamon, mixing gently. Add the boiling water and reduce the heat until all the water is absorbed.

Did you know that cranberries like grapes contain large amount of polyphenols? Polyphenols have the ability to scavenge free radical, therefore are considered antioxidants. Cranberries have been recommended to prevent urinary tract infection due its tannins content.

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This little treats are very simple and easy to make, it is low in fat but I have to confess…contain sugar. On the other hand it is loaded of cinnamon which is known to contain high amounts antioxidants. These chips can be served with ice cream, especially vanilla, or eaten just like that…but I must advise you…it is addictive, very addictive!

Ingredients:

Lavash bread
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Method:

In a plate or pyrex mix the sugar with the cinnamon. Cut the lavash bread so it will fit into the plate or pyrex containing the sugar and cinnamon mix. Spray the lavash with water and patch on the sugar mix. Repeat the procedure on the other side of the lavash. Cut into a smaller strips. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 275F. Let if cool and serve.
I usually make a bunch of it and store in a sealed container.

Did you know that cinnamon contain antioxidant activity? Moreover, it has been reported that cinnamon has a therapeutic effect in treating type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.

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This is a easy way to prepare spinach…it is fast and believe me you end up eating lots and lots of spinach.
My mom usually prepares this dish without bacon, I decided to add a little more flavor to it…so bacon was added to this side dish 🙂

Ingredients:

1 bunch of spinach
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 strips of bacon cut in small pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Fry the bacon and remove the excess of fat. Add the chopped garlic and let it brown. Add the spinach (cut in approximately 2~2 ½ in) and sautee in high heat rapidly.

Do not over cook the spinach.

Serve hot.

Did you know that spinach contain a lot of iron? Since the iron in spinach and other vegetables and grains sources are not bound to heme its absoption are not very efficient, therefore to improve the iron absoption by the body the consumption of vitamin C or other binders are necessary. Heme binded iron are found in meat (blood).

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This baked cheese can be served alone or with bread and crackers. It is tasty and easy, and makes a great appetizer dish.

Ingredients:

1~1 ½ lb Panela Cheese
3~4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

Slice the cheese, about 1 inch thick.

Place the slices of cheese in a baking dish, top with the minced garlic and sprinkle with the oregano and top it with olive oil.

Bake in preheated oven at 375F for approximately 20~25 minutes or until the garlic turn slightly golden brown.

Serve hot.

Panela cheese or queso panela is used in many Mexican foods. When fresh has a similar texture of mozzarella, but once cooked carries a very different texture, since does not melt like mozzarella cheese by holding its shape.

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