Asian Entertaining

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Thai Fresh Rolls
Rice paper wrappers
cucumber seeded and in matchsticks
red pepper
shredded carrot
sliced jicama
mint leaves
optional or other additions
cilantro
alfalfa or bean sprouts
pea shoots
avocado
tofu

Fill a low dish or pan that a rice paper wrap will fit in with hot tap water. Place wrapper in hot water for 20 seconds until soft. Place on a clean dish towel to soak up water and fill with a little of each veggie. Wrap and place in fridge until ready to serve. I topped mine with wasabi flavored sesame seeds.
This is really more of a technique than a recipe. Thai rolls often have shrimp and lots of veggies in them and are dipped in peanut or sweet chile sauce. Use your imagination and creat lots of different kinds!
Sesame Noodles
1 red pepper sliced into matchsticks
1/2 cup sliced jicama
1 cup shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1-2 scallions sliced
1 TBS fresh ginger
1/4 cup peanut sauce
2 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS toasted sesame oil
8 oz noodles (I used Thai rice noodles but whole wheat spaghetti or a vegan asian noodle would work. The rice noodles actually got a little hard the next day so I think I will use a different noodle next time)

Combine all liquids and oils in a bowl, add ginger and stir. Add vegetables and toss to coat while you cook noodles. Drain noodles and toss with veggies. Let marinate for an hour and eat cold. This recipe was adapted from cook yourself thin a tv show on lifetime. You can make the dressing with peanut butter but I had some peanut sauce already in the fridge. Here is the original recipe.
Mooshoo Vegetable Rolls
Traditional mooshoo vegetables have eggs and shredded cabbages in them but these have the addition of shitake mushrooms and no egg. Rather than making wraps with traditional pancakes I wrapped them in wonton wrappers so they are easier to eat at a party.
1-2 cups shredded cabbage white and red
1 cup shredded carrots
10-15 shitake mushrooms sliced
1 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 scallions sliced
1 TBS low sodium soy sauce
clove crushed garlic
1 Teaspoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon hoisen sauce
6-8 wonton wrappers

Pre-heat oven to 350. Saute mushrooms in oil, add ginger and garlic and cook for a minute. Add soy sauce, and hoisen sauce as well as cabbage and carrots. Cook until slightly wilted about 5 minutes. Add scallion and let mixture cool for 10-15 minutes. Wrap 2-3 TBS of mixture in wrappers and place on a spraed cookie sheet. Line up rolls and spray the tops with cooking spray so they crisp up but aren't greasy. Serve with extra hoisin sauce for dipping
Pomegranate Mojito
Muddle 4-5 mint leaves at the bottom of a tall glass. Squueze and drop in half a lime. Add one shot clear rum. Fill glass rest of the way with Trader Joe's sparkling pomegranate juice or use a combination of sparkling water and juice.

Memorial Day: Tofu BBQ and Skinny Bitch cookies

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Tom and I went Kayaking this morning with the idea that if we did something hard in the morning we deserved to drink and eat junk food in the afternoon. Makes sense, right? On the menu this afternoon:

Tofu Dogs with fixins'-we used veggie dogs not bad when topped with mustard, relish, and diced onion (my husband likes ketchup-ick)

Baked lentils -
1 cup dry lentil cooked for 30min in boiling water until tender and drained
1/2 red onion diced
2 garlic cloves
1-2 diced chipotle in adobo depending on heat level
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1TBS brown sugar
1 TBS molasses
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Sautee onion until soft, add crushed garlic and diced chipotle and cook for 1-2 min. Add balsamic, sugar, molasses, ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce. Cook for 5 min on low. Pour over lentils in baking dish and bake at 350 for 45min. You can also do this with navy beans but I like the unusual use for lentils.

Tomato Basil salad-some grape tomatoes, diced red onion, evoo, basil, salt and pepper

Strawberries and "hard" iced tea-Iced green tea with mint leaves, lemon, and a shot of vodka or honey liquor if you are a vegan who eats honey (I know there is much debate over this). Add some agave if you opt for the vodka for sweetness. SOOO good and refreshing. Best served over ice, outside with a bowl of strawberries.

Not a bad or unhealthy meal until... we decided we were hungry and bored by 5pm and decided to make chocolate chip cookies from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. Let me start by saying I love love LOVE chocolate chip cookies. I think they are the perfect cookie and I have not had a suitable vegan version for almost a year now. These make the cut especially when still warm and chewy. The next day they are more crunchy and crispy but still very good. I will try to adapt the recipe to be a little less oily but the recipe below is as it is in the book. I subbed canola oil for coconut which might be why.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 1/4 cup coconut oil (i used canola)
1/4 ice water. I put it in the freezer for 20 minutes
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
1 10 oz package of semi sweet chocolate (i used 1/2 the pack)

Scoop 2 TBS of dough about 2 in apart on a sprayed cookie sheet or one with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 min at 375. Cool about 20 minutes and enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

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The day before Valentine's Day we had some people over to watch a scary movie because it was Friday the 13th.

We made chocolate covered caramel corn, vegan raspberry brownies, and had kettle corn to snack on, but we needed a really great cocktail to keep everyone happy during the scary movie!
Strawberry Mojito:
Muddle frozen or fresh strawberries with 3 or 4 mint leaves in the bottom of a glass
Pour in one shot white rum
Top with sparkling berry lemonade (from Trader Joe's)
You can use any lemonade but the one from TJ's is pink and has a nice berry and lemon flavor.

After a great night with friends and getting scared out of our minds watching The Descent, we woke up hungry. This was an easy breakfast to make the next morning that showed Tom how much I love him!
Peanut Butter Banana Quesadillas:
2 Whole Wheat tortillas
natural creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 banana cut into rounds
handful semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spray skillet with non-stick spray and heat to medium. Spread 1/2 of each tortilla with peanut butter, lay on 1/2 of the banana slices and sprinkle 1/2 of the chocolate chips on each. Fold each tortilla in half and warm in skillet outside is soft and inside melty. Cut with pizza cutter.

I also cut some Trader Joe's vegan banana waffles into heart shapes with a cookie cutter!