Tag Archives: carrot

Easy Veggie and Cashew Stir Fry

27 Jan

I wasn’t going to blog about this… but my friends over Facebook were so excited about the photo and the recipe, that I said “what the heck…”.  If those people who love food loved this recipe, possible you guys will also love it too.

This was something I just put together yesterday for lunch. Nothing planned in advance, unless you count that I started making the rice in my rice cooker since 10:30AM. I always get hungry and never consider making rice because whole grain rice takes about 1 hour to make, and by that time, I would be famished.

I have mentioned to you my love for adding cashews in stir-frys before… and the beauty for making it at home is that you can add as many cashews as you want!!!! Chinese restaurants are always skimping on the cashews even when they charge you extra for them every time.

The secret here… use whatever you have in your fridge… I would have added some bean sprouts, but I didn’t have any. Some spinach would have worked great too instead of the lettuce. I actually used lettuce because I was out of spinach. So work with what you have… the end product will still be delicious!!!

Easy Veggie and Cashew Stir Fry

½ onion – sliced
½ green bell pepper – sliced
6-7 white button mushrooms – quartered
1 small carrot – shredded or peeled into slices with a vegetable peeler
4 romaine lettuce leaves – sliced
½ cup roasted and salted cashews – but this measure is optional. You can add as much cashews as you want…
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup of water
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbs agave nectar
Olive oil
Salt to taste
  1. In a large skillet, drizzle some olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers. Season with a bit of salt to allow the moisture to drain out of them a bit. Sauté for a few minutes until they start to soften a bit.
  2. Add the carrots and the mushrooms. Mix it all together and continue to cook over medium heat. Add the lettuce or spinach and toss to wilt into the mixture.
  3. Add the cashews to soften a bit and mix together with the flavors of the veggies.
  4. In a separate measuring cup measure the soy sauce, water and mix together with the cornstarch. Add the sauce to the pan and mix it all well.
  5. Drizzle a few turns of the pan of agave nectar and mix it all together. Turn the stove off. The heat in the stove and the pan will thicken the sauce and coat every veggie and cashew.

Serve over brown rice.

This is a very satisfying lunch or dinner without feeling heavy at all.

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My first Bánh Mì in NYC

18 Nov

I have been reading about Báhn Mì’s for about a year now… maybe even longer. These Vietnamese sandwiches are all the rage in the US.

I have heard about them during the first season of The Great Food Truck Race via the successful Nom Nom Truck from Los Angeles. They were selling these sandwiches like there was no tomorrow… And even in Serious Eats, Kenji went on a dissertation of what makes a Báhn Mì a Báhn Mì and he even went on a search for the best Báhn Mì in NYC.

Báhn Mì’s are a Vietnamese sandwich that originated as a fusion of cultures when Vietnam was under French rule… According to Kenji, the main aspects of a Báhn MI are:

  • Bread – French-baguette type bread usually made using rice flour for added crunch and lightness
  • Main Ingredient – we will concentrate on vegetarian, tofu-based Báhn Mì’s for the purposes of this vegetarian blog post
  • Sauce – the traditional Báhn Mì has a spreading of mayonnaise or butter cut with mayonnaise. These sandwiches are considered vegan, so there were no spread included. However, we should introduce these Báhn Mì people to Vegenaise. I think it would add a certain something- something closer to the traditional offerings.
  • Vegetable toppings – usually made of pickled daikon radishes, pickled carrots and cucumbers all cut into small thin sticks. Cilantro stems and some sort of spicy chili pepper. Some people put Sriracha sauce on theirs, but according to expert Kenji, this is neither typical nor respectable in the Báhn Mì world.

In the search for my first Bahn Mi, I deferred to Kenji, the expert in the matter and decided to head to Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich located at 369 Broome Street, New York NY; 212-219-8341. Saigon was rated third best sandwich in Manhattan so I knew it would be a good choice over all and was easily reachable by subway. Something I liked about them as well, they had 4 vegetarian options on their menu… so we had plenty to choose from.

Mom and I were super hungry and decided to try two of their tofu sandwiches – the Bánh mì chay đạc biêt – House Special Vegetarian (with tofu, mushroom, pickled carrots and radish) and a Bánh Mì Chay Đậu Hũ, Xả Ớt Rau  with Vegan chicken (tofu) with lemongrass.

I tried both versions… and my favorite was the House Special Vegetarian. Way more flavorful and interesting than the tofu lemongrass in my opinion. The House Special Vegetarian has a delicious sweet/salty peanut sauce that made the sandwich. As for the cilantro, I can certainly do without the stems. Only a few leaves on mine, please!!! I added a few drops, literally, 2-3 drops of sriracha to mine and the heat level was too much for me. I am still a spicy wimp… sorry!!!

The verdict… I loved the Báhn Mì. And if I have it again in Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich, I will order the House Special and not bother with anything else. I will try to bring some Vegenaise to use on mine… I will try to scope out other places to get a more complete sense of what a true Vietnamese báhn mì is… but for now, the intrigue is OVER!!!

Have you had a vegetarian báhn mì before??? Where are your favorite spots???

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The Shape of Foods Helps Specific Organs?? O yes they do…

25 Aug

I received a few times a “chain email” telling me the importance of certain foods for certain organs based on how their shape resembles the organ they’re supposed to help.

My natural medicine doctor always tells us… “Let your food be your medicine. Health starts with what you eat.” And this Teleological Nutritional Targeting, or as it was once known as Law of Similarities, is right alongside the same path as what our doctor always says. Let’s eat more naturally to create a healthier, better future. We’re the creators of our own destiny and that includes what we eat…

I was intrigued by the visual impact of how much the food and the organ shape resembles. I am sure each fruit/vegetable has many more benefits than just the ones to the organs they resemble, but I found it so curious I wanted to share with all you…

CARROTS – EYES

When you cut a carrot crosswise, the insides resemble the iris and pupil of the eye. The Vitamin A in carrots help protect the cornea and promotes good blood flow inside the eyes. Carrots also protect your night vision and prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.

I guess the tale we used to hear that Bugs Bunny had great eyesight is actually true and not so tall after all.

Here are a few carrot recipes to try soon:

Orange’d Roasted Carrots

Vanilla Maple Carrots

Undercover Carrot Mac and Cheese

Carrot Cupcakes

Carrot Burfi

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Vegetable Pot Pie

27 Oct

The casseroles I grew up with were pastelones… so when I listen on TV to recreate a food from your childhood and people mention a pot pie, I can’t really relate.  My mom told me she used to buy some frozen pot pies when we were little kids… I honestly do not recall at all.

But I have been intrigued by pot pies for some time now.  I guess I am drawn to a puff pastry topping… which in my book is always welcome. And when I saw a recipe from Ina Garten for Vegetable Pot Pie, I kind of wondered “why didn’t I think of that one on my own?”  I guess because I was intrigued about it, but without a real reference from before, it’s not something I truly crave or miss.

Now that I have been staying with my sister in Southern Florida, there’s a great abundance of winter squashes and pumpkins…  Autumn and Halloween are nearing, definitely.  And it’s also the perfect excuse to make this recipe for all the “paussy” that’s staying here.  It’s definitely a recipe challenging to make just for one.

 

VEGETABLE POT PIE

1 stick of butter
2 medium onions, diced
1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced
½ cup spelt flour + ¼ cup additional for the puff pastry
2 cups organic vegetable broth
4 tbs of heavy cream
1 large baking Idaho potato
1 medium butternut squash
2 small carrots
About 1 cup of asparagus, sliced small – left over from the asparagus tart I had made earlier in the week
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Olive oil
1 sheet puffed pastry

 

  1. In a medium sauce pan filled with salted boiling water, parboil the potatoes and the butternut squash pieces for about 10 minutes.  Take them out and set them aside.
  2. Bring that same salted water to a boil again and par-cook the asparagus and carrots for about 5 minutes.  Set aside.
  3. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and fennel and sauté until softened and translucent for about 10 minutes. 
  4. Add the flour and stir it all together and allow the flour and butter to cook thru about 3-5 minutes.  Slowly, add the stock and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  Add the heavy cream.
  5. Add the cooked potatoes, butternut squash, asparagus and carrots.  Mix well to combine.  Add the parsley and allow to cook for a few additional minutes.  Cover and turn off the stove.
  7. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
  8. Take the thawed puffed pastry and roll it out a bit to fade as much as possible the creases.  Measure the ramekins or the pot where you will bake the pot pie and cut the puff pastry about ½” over the size of the mouth of the ramekin.  
  9. Spread a little of heavy cream over the rim of the ramekin to make the puff pastry to stick to the edge of the ramekin. 
  11. Make a few slits on top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.  Brush a bit of extra heavy cream over the puff pastry to make it golden brown in the oven.
  12. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper… this is important because the filling will boil and might spill and you do not want that to be on the bottom of the oven.
  13. Bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the pastry on top is golden brown.

 

I served this with a side salad… but you can even enjoy the filling without the pastry.  It’s a delicious stew all its own.   My sister was wary of the fennel and it really adds a nice dimension of texture and flavor to the filling.

A pot pie still does not represent in my mind the epitome of comfort food, but definitely its something I have learned to appreciate and enjoy… hopefully many more times in the future.

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Spicy Asian Noodles

7 Oct

Has this ever happened to you… that you see or hear a recipe that calls your attention and realize you have ALL the ingredients in your fridge and pantry to make it that same night?

That’s exactly what happened when I learned this recipe.  I saw it once and said to myself “This is what I am having for dinner tonight”.  Of course, I changed up the recipe so that I would be able to handle the spiciness.  My spice tolerance has improved, but not thaaaaaaat much.

 These noodles were originally Szechuan Asian Noodles from Ina Garten, but my version is just Spicy Asian Noodles.  The spiciness comes from the ginger and the pinch of red pepper flakes, a new addition in my pantry.  If you prefer no spice at all, just omit them.

 

SPICY ASIAN NOODLES

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup good soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/8 cup honey
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Small pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 pound spaghetti
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned
2 scallions, sliced diagonally (white and green parts)

 

  1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, place in a food processor the garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and the ground peppers. Puree the sauce until smooth.
  3. Drain the pasta in a colander, and return the drained pasta to the same pot and toss with 3/4 of the sauce. Add the red and yellow bell peppers and scallions; toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The remaining sauce may be added, as needed, to moisten the pasta.

This tastes to me very much like pad thai… so it’s a good facsimile.

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