Home-made Yummy Vegetarian Chinese New Year Lou Sang

Chinese New Year is around the corner, thinking what to cook for this reunion dinner?  Having Lou Sang is my family culture every year, I would love to share this recipe for all of you, it's from my MIL, once I tried it, I loved it!!! 

It's so colorful, healthy, yet a delicious dish to serve at Chinese New Year eve - Vegetarian Lou Sang (捞生）.

Lou Sang ingredients: (usually prepare 8 different kind, because 8 means prosperity in chinese)

1 medium pomelo, peeled and sacs separately

1 carrot, shredded

1 small beetroot, shredded

1 cucumber, shredded

1 white radish, shredded

half of small cabbage, shredded

2 cups roasted peanuts, then blend it into small pieces   

1 cup corn flakes 

Sauce ingredients:

5 Tablespoons plum sauce

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

A pinch of salt

Serves 8

Arrange all the ingredients into sections on a large serving plate, and sprinkle corn flake on the top before serve, to make sure it is crispy.  

Sprinkle toasted peanut over the dish.

Lastly, added the sauce.

All the Family members gather around, use chopsticks and toss as high as possible, and say "Prosperity!", "Happy Chinese New Year!", or any wishes for you and your families. Then enjoy it! 

Guacamole Spread and Dip

I fell in love with Guacamole since I studied in USA, my favorite breakfast was home-made whole grain toast with guacamole spread and grapeseed oil veganaise sandwiches.  I am missing it!!!  

Even though I can get the grapeseed oil veganaise at here anymore, but I still able to make Guacamole, because it is a simple recipe and the ingredients are not hard to find.

Ingredients: 

a. 1 ripe avocado, mash with a fork and stir till creamy

b. 1 small onion, finely chopped

c. 1 small tomato, diced

d. 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice

e. a pinch of sea salt

f.  1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together and spread on toasts or serve with your favorite corn chips. 

Note:  

Guacamole does not keep well, it oxidizes in the air.  Make it at the last moment before serving.  

Red Dragon Fruit Konnyaku Jelly

Last time I made Konnyaku Jelly and my families really enjoy it.  I made more today because I got a red dragon fruit from my mother's farm.  I always want to give this a try, because I know that this fruit's natural color will make the jellies look appetite and nice.  

What I did was put some finely diced dragon fruit in each mold.  Poured the boiled Konnyaku jelly into the mold and used a chopstick to stir it until the color mix well.  I was so happy because it appeared just like what I expected.   The little tiny black seeds even made the jellies look fresh and cute.   

Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Booster Pineapple Juice

It is good to have a glass of cold booster pineapple juice in the summer, start to make one for your own.

Ingredients:
a. 2 pieces of ripe pineapple
b. 1 tablespoon honey
c. 1 cup ice cubes
d. 1 strawberry (chopped)

Blend the pineapple and honey in the blender, then add ice cubes blend for 1 minutes.  Yummy!

Bubur Cha Cha with Cendol

I cooked Nonya dessert - Bubur Cha Cha today, but in different version, because I added my favorite, cendol green noodles.  It tastes very good.  

Ingredients:

a. 1 medium sized yam

b. 1 sweet potato (can be yellow, orange, or purple)

c. 50 gram black-eyed peas

d. 1 liter boiling water

e. 200 ml thick coconut milk

f. 80 gram sugar 

g. 1 coconut sugar or gula Melaka  (optional, it gives the good smell and taste)

h. 1 pack cendol green noodles (can find them at the Asian store or Indian shop)

Directions:

1. Peeled the yam and sweet potato, cut them into small cubes, steam about 20-30 minutes.  Use a chopstick to prick through to test if they are cook.

2. Rinse the black-eyed beans.  Cook them in the boiling water about 20 minutes or until soft.  Drain it and prepare to use later.

3. Cook coconut sugar or gula Melaka in separate pot with some water till it dissolved completely.  Drain it with strainer to filter out solid matter.

4. Prepare a big pot with 1 liter of water and sugar, bring it to boil.  Pour in coconut milk, then add in yam, sweet potato, black-eyed peas and coconut sugar.  

5. Taste and add more sugar if needed.  

6. Can served in hot, warm or cold.  Add in cendol green noodles before serve.   

Vegan German Carob Cake

Thank you Debbie for sharing her recipe with me, I have tried to make it for my friend's 26th birthday. They were all like it so so much.

Ingredients for the cake:

a. 3 cups whole wheat flour

b. 1/2 cup honey (I put about 2 tablespoons more in, it depends on you if you want it sweeter)

c. 3 tablespoons vanilla (i use the fake stuff, with no alcohol)

d. 1 teaspoon salt.    

e. 2 tablespoons fake coffee (Roma)  
(If you do not have any, don't worry. i have made it before with out it and it came out alright)          

f. 1/2 cup maple syrup

g. 2+1/4 cups water

h. 1/4 cup carob powder

i. 1/2 cup apple sauce or oil  

(I have always used my own home-cooked applesauce. If you make your own applesauce, save the water that you cooked the apples in and use that water in the cake. that's what i do.)

j. 2 tablespoons baking powder

k. 1 tablespoon baking soda. 

(The recipe does not call for baking soda, that is something that i put in myself. i think it makes it raise more.  It is up to you if you want to use it. i always do.  

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a sprayed cake pan, bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool for 15 to 20 minutes then top with nut frosting topping.

Ingredients for Nut Frosting:

a. 1 cup maple syrup

b. 1 cup coconut

c. 1/2 teaspoon salt   

d. 1/2 cup water

e. 1 cup pecans & walnuts

f. 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Toast coconut and chopped nuts in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes, watch carefully so it does not burn,  bring water and maple syrup and salt to a boil.   Add cornstarch mix and stir until mixture dissolves and gets a little thick.  Remove from heat and add the toasted nuts and coconut, stir all together.  Frost cake while frosting is still warm.  

Classic Scrumptious Thai Sticky Rice With Mango

Last time, I had done a treat with my favorite fruit for my hubby.  Right now mangos are in season, what else I can do or make with mangos, mhm... of course I would not miss out the classic Thai sticky rice with mango.  I am going to cook the sticky rice with the pressure cooker which is very quick and doesn't need to soak for hours or overnight.

Ingredients for sticky rice:

a. 500 gram Thai sticky rice

b. 500 gram water (for the use of cooking the rice)

c. 150 ml coconut milk

d. 3 tablespoons sugar or turbinado sugar

e. 1 peeled ripe mango, cut it into thick slices or cubes

f. 1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the sauce:

a. 1/4 cup coconut milk

b. 1/4 cup of water

c. 2 teaspoon of cornstarch

d. 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions: (cook in the pressure cooker)

1. Simply rinse Thai sticky rice in a bowl.

2. Put the rice into the pressure cooker and add the water. 

3. Press the button HIGH, cook for about 5 minutes.

4. While the rice is cooking, prepare the sauce.

5. Put all the sauce's ingredients in a small pot stir until dissolved.

6. Then warm it over low medium heat, stir constantly until the sauce become thick, if necessary can add some more cornstarch water.  

7. Remove the sauce from the heat. 

8. After the rice is done, open the pressure cooker lid carefully and away for  the steam.  

9. Use a long wooden spoon mix gently with 150 ml coconut milk and 3 tablespoons sugar until the sugar dissolve into hot rice.

10. Cover the rice with lid for 5-10 minutes, the coconut milk will absorbed by the hot sticky rice.

11. Place the rice on a serving dish, arrange some mangos on the top or side, then pour the sauce over the rice and mangos.

12. Makes 5 servings.

I simply like it so much!!!  It can be serve when the rice is in warm  temperature or in room temperature.  The ideal one is it has to be eaten as soon as you serve on dish before the rice tend to get drier.  I am not recommend to keep it in the refrigerator and serve for the next day.  So what can you do when you make more than enough for yourself and your family?  "It is more blessed to give than to receive", your neighbors and your friends are going to be blessed by this wonderful recipe as well!  

Luo Han Guo Herbal Tea

Last time I traveled to Guilin China, I not only brought back wonderful memories from there, I also got the Chinese natural plant product - Luo Han Guo fruits (罗汉果), they're grown in the mountains of Guilin and generally sold in dried form.  Luo Han Guo has been called the longevity fruit, the natural sweetness is 300 times sweeter than sugar.  They are used for sore throats, coughing, respiratory ailments, and it's also used to soothe vocal cords inflammation.  It is a natural, pure and healthy Chinese herb.  

This time I went to Guilin, I have learned something more about Luo Han Guo from our local tour guide.  Just because there were so many Luo Han Guo fruits were selling everywhere, and we asked him the way to choose the good one.  He emphasized that a good Luo Han Guo is not just only test from the smell and the look, because they could be come from chemical flavoring after they extract the sweetness of Luo Han Guo for the other used.  It's a challenge to recognize it from the outward appearance, it has to do with inside (^.^ It's the same when apply on how to know a person) .  A good Luo Han Guo has to be round and big, it doesn't produce any sound when you give it a gentle shake.  The most important is the seeds' color is fresh light golden brown, but not in black brownish color.  To be honest, this is my first time to see such of beautiful color inside this fruit.  My mom-in-law has told me, it is close to what she can found in organic Luo Han Guo. 

Before this trip, I have used the fruit to cook with winter melon, dried longan and water.  I have learned from Guilin local people, the way they prepare this herbal tea is easier, they rinse the fruit in the running water and simply crack the thin shell, then it can be use.  

Up close with dried Luo Han Guo fruits

Ingredients:

Any temperature of drinking water

A Luo Han Guo 

Method:

1 Liter of bottle water, a quarter of Luo Han Guo;

1 cup of water, two small pieces of Luo Han Guo

Just let it soaks in the water for 15 minutes or the water turn to golden brown color, then you can enjoy it.  Just like the way to prepare other Chinese tea, it can refill water for many times, but this herbal tea is caffeine free.  Suggestion for those who like the taste of ginger, also can add a small piece to make this herbal tea taste even better. 

 Can be serve warm, hot or chilled. 

  

The green-brownish dried fruits form which has fine hair on the surface of its shell

can be serve warm, hot or chilled

There are many seeds inside a Luo Han Guo

Strawberry Ice Cream Pie

I wanted to make a good pie for my hubby, looking for a good recipe from different blogs.  This recipe from Healthier Steps  caught my attention.  It's not only gluten free, easy to make, doesn't need to be baked, and taste fantastic.  I successfully made this pie for my first time and gave him a surprise.

Cook half cup of strawberry with some honey and a pinch of sea salt, it makes the pie tastier.

So attractive, and yummy...

I couldn't find dates for the crust, so I changed it into raisins, it works the same.
I like this recipe so much, it's worth to give it a try.   Do you have any vegan pie recipe to share with me?

Korean Seaweed Salad with Roasted Almond and Sesame Seeds

My hubby and I like to order cold seaweed salad when we eat out.  Normally it costs a lots but in very little portion for us.  And most of the time, I realized that the green color of seaweed dyed on the little sesame seeds, makes me hesitating to eat them because of unnatural coloring. 

I started to think a way to make a healthy, costless but in big quantity seaweed salad for both of us.  Within few weeks, my experiment has proven by my hubby, PTL!!!  I also shared this recipe with my friends in a pot luck, it got a very good feed back.  

Ingredients:

a. 1/2 cup Chung Jung Won dried Korean seaweed

b. 1 tablespoon roasted chopped almond

c. 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

d. 1 head Romance lettuces, shredded

e. 1/2 red onion, sliced

f.  Dressing (2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoons honey, a pinch of salt)

g. Tomatoes cubes (optional)

Directions:

1. Soaked dried seaweed in a large bowl with cold clean water for about 15 minutes.

2. Seaweed is about to expand to a cup or more.

3. Squeeze out the extra water in the seaweed as much as you can.

4. Cut the seaweed into small pieces.

5. Mix well seaweed and dressing in a container, then let it set in the refrigerator for over night. 

6. The next day,  placed the ready seaweed on Romance lettuces and red onion rings.

7. Before serving, sprinkle roasted almonds and sesame seeds.

8. Makes 3 servings

The other reason why we like to eat seaweed, it is because it a rich source of calcium, magnesium and iron.

Konnyaku Jelly

I like to eat jelly so much, today I prepared these in within 15 minutes.  You can find "Tim Willie" Konnyaku Jelly powder at any store and the cooking instruction will be at the back side of package, it's very clear and simple to follow.  

What I needed to prepare were 250 g of sugar, different flavor of juice, a can of de Coconut, and mold.

With the shapes and crystal clear look of them already cool down your day! 

  

Delicious Vegan Fish Loaf

Today, I prepared a western meal for my lovely home's guests, one of my entree was vegan fish loaf.  When I was baking this loaf, the smell already made my mouth watering.  It came out very nice and tasty, my guests enjoyed this fishy loaf so much. This is a quick, easy but that's healthful and delicious.

Ingredients for fish loaf:

a. 1 cup bread chunks (cut 2 slices bread in 2 cm times 2 cm cubes and roasted in the oven till golden brown)

b. 1 cup steamed cauliflower

c. 2 nori sheets (smashed into small pieces)

d. 2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves

e.  Cashew cream

1.  Mix well the bread chunks, stemmed cauliflower and smashed nori sheets in a baking dish.  

2.  Pour the cashew cream from the top evenly, make sure every thing soak in cashew cream. 

3.  Sprinkle some parsley leaves before put into the oven.  

4.  Place it in 170°C preheat oven

5.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top

"Mhm....  yummy!"  "It tasted so good!"  "How do you make it?"  "Delicious!"  

These were what I hear on the table, really happy to share with you all.  Makes 5 servings.

Vegan Cashew Cream

Ingredients

a. 2 cup of whole raw cashews (rinsed well under cold water)

b. 1+1/3 cup of fresh cold water

c. 1/4 red bell pepper

d. 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

e. 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

f.  1 teaspoon salt (Salt amount can adjust according to recipes or personal taste buds)

g. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Place the ingredients in a blender, blend on low-speed then increase to high until it become very smooth and creamy.  

It is a good dip for cucumber slices, celery and carrot sticks, it makes the raw food become more fun.

Chin Chow - 3 in 1 Delights

It's so excited to see my mango tree that in front of my lovely home in blossom and bear fruits.  This type of mango calls coconut mango, it tastes sweet and smell fragrant when it's ripe.   I wanted to give my hubby a treat as he takes good care of this tree.  I prepared a dessert which go with our mangoes.  

 Chin Chow + Can longans + Mangoes

Nothing can beats this 3 in 1 delights especially after chilled in the refrigerator.  

Rosemary Spaghetti

Every Friday's supper, I would like to prepare something simple but special for my hubby.  To thank him for a long week work.  Today, I am going to play with the recipe, I changed the traditional Italian tomato spaghetti into Rosemary Spaghetti!

Vegetarian Cuttlefish with Olive Sauce

What???  Cuttlefish for vegetarian?
This is my new discovered for being vegetarians but still able to enjoy such of good dish.  And they are nice for treating your meat eater guests.  They will be surprise for what you have prepare for them.

Maple Pancakes

What a lovely day!  I am using two simple ingredients that I got from US ---

Vegan Pancake Mix & Vermont Maple Syrup to start my day.  

Thank you Bekah for bring me that, I enjoy it so much.

Asian Salad Dressing

Mix all the ingredients together:

2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Spring Rolls' Sauce

Last time, I have shared with you how to make yummy and healthy crystal rolls.  But crystal rolls without the sauce it can't be complete.  Hmm...  What's kind of sauce do you like?  I prefer some asian style sauce go with my rolls.  

1.  Prepare the ingredients.  

     a. 1/4 cup natural peanut butter

     b. 1/4 cup soy sauce

     c. 2 tablespoons of honey

     d. 2 tablespoons sesame oil

     e. 1 teaspoon lemon juice

     f. garlic power 

     g. cayenne (optional)

     

2. Mix them together and melt in the saucepan till smooth.

Crystal Spring Rolls

This is one of my favorite vegan recipe that my Japanese friend & I have shared with many people in cooking classes.  I decided to add into my blog so that more people can enjoy it.