STUFFED SWEET POTATOES

These are a flavour packed bowl of goodness. The result is a soft stuffed sweet potato, and should be transferred to a plate with care so it doesn't break. They will still taste great, just not be as pretty.

 Ingredients

4 medium       sweet potatoes

1 19 oz can     black eyed peas, or your favourite type of bean

1 cup              quinoa, cooked, 

1                     red bell pepper, finely diced

1 small           red onion, finely diced

2   cloves       garlic, finely diced

1 tsp               cumin

1/2  tsp           smoked paprika

1/2 tsp            chili powder

2 Tblsp           nutritional yeast

2-4 Tblsp        mushroom seasoning

1/4 cup           cilantro

Instructions

1.  Prick the sweet potatoes all over.  Bake the sweet potatoes in a 400  F oven until soft and cooked through. 

2. Meanwhile prepare the filling . Sauté the onion, red pepper and garlic for a few minutes until soft. Set aside.

3.  Once the sweet potatoes are baked and cool enough to handle, carefully cut in half. Scoop out the pulp into a bowl without tearing the outer skin and reserve the skins

4.  Mash the sweet potato pulp and add the onion mixture, quinoa, beans, and all the spices, including the cilantro.

5   Adjust the seasonings to your taste. If the sweet potatoes were quite large you may want to double the seasonings, but be sure to taste  in order to avoid over-seasoning.

6.   Serve warm. Garnish with additional cilantro and red pepper is desired.

7.   These result in a soft sweet potato , so handle with care when transferring to a plate or serving dish.

8.   Enjoy!

 

CHINESE VEGETABLES

This is probably my family's favourite way to eat vegetables. It is so simple, but packed with flavour.

Use your favourite crunchy stir fry vegetables in this recipe. It pairs perfectly with rice.

Base Ingredients

4  cloves        garlic, minced

2 slices          ginger, minced

Sauce Ingredients

2 tsp             sugar

1 tsp             cornstarch

2 Tblsp         mushroom seasoning 

2 Tblsp         cooking wine, my favourite is  Shao hsing rice cooking wine

4 Tblsp         water, cold

Vegetables

4 cups         mixed vegetables ( I use a combination of thinly sliced carrots and                               zucchini, red and green peppers in bite sized chunks,  broccoli, and red                       onion

Instructions

1  In a large frying pan, sauté ginger and garlic in water until soft and water has evaporated

2. Prepare sauce ingredients by mixing everything in a large measuring cup.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Carefully, add the vegetables and cover the pot. Immediately set a timer for 3 minutes. ( you can cook less if you want your veggies crunchier).

4. Place a strainer in the sink and when the times goes off, strain your veggies and run cold water over them until it stops steaming. Keep draining veggies while you heat the sauce.

5 Place the frying pan with the ginger and garlic on a medium heat. Pour in the sauce ingredients and whisk until it thickens and is bubbly. Cook for about a minute.

6 Add in the well drained vegetables and stir.  

7. Enjoy!

Note

1. This recipe doubles well.

2. This recipe reheats well. I often make it for holidays the day before. 

3. If you do not have mushroom seasoning you could use your favourite bouillon seasoning, however you will need to adjust to taste. 

STEAMED SOY CURL 'PORK' BUNS

These steamed buns are very simple to make and taste great served with a dipping sauce of your choice, although I  recommend a sweet chili sauce. Please refer to the Note at the bottom of the recipe for instructions regarding the parchment paper.

 Dough

2 1/4 cups        All Purpose Flour

1/3 cup            Sugar

1 Tblsp            Baking Powder

Filling

1/2 lb               Soy Curls Rehydrated, and weighed after rehydrating

1/4 cup            Green Onions, Chopped

1/3 cup            Water

3 Tsp               Soy Sauce

2 Tsp               Hoisin Sauce

1 Tblsp            Sugar

1 Tblsp            Cornstarch

Instructions

1. Place flour, sugar and water in the bowl of a food processor.
2. With the motor running, add in 2/3-1 cup of hot water. Start with the lower amount and allow the food processor to work and add water until a ball is formed.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rest for 30 minutes. Longer is ok.
4. Chops larger pieces of soy curls into smaller pieces if desired using either a knife or  kitchen shears.
5. Place all filling ingredients into a small pot and cook until mixture is bubbling and thick.
6. Allow mixture to cool.

Assembly

1.  Remove dough from plastic wrap and roll into a log shape. 
2.  Cut log into 12 equal pieces.
3.  Lightly flour countertop surface and roll each piece. 
4.  Place a small amount of filling in the center of the dough. Try to keep any filling from touching the edges of the dough.
5.  Pull the edges of the dough up above the dough and pinch the pulled pieces together to form a ball. Make sure it is sealed well.
6.  Place on a parchment lined steamer basket, being sure not to crowd the buns as they will expand during cooking. Cook in batches if required. 
7. Steam over boiling water for 10 minutes.  Remove from steamer.
8. Enjoy. 

Note

I use parchment paper that has been manufactured for steamer baskets. It has holes already punched in it. If you do not have prepunched parchment paper then you can tear parchment paper into smaller pieces that will fit under each bun making sure the bun does not touch the steamer basket. This will allow the steam to come up nicely around each bun.