Cornbread

CORNBREAD

I have been making this recipe for years. It is a simple one bowl  recipe. I usually make two at a time as it is so popular in my house.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tblsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4  cup maple syrup
1 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 tsp stevia powder (optional, but we like it added)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment.

3. measure everything into a large bowl and mix.

4. pour into prepared pan.

5. Bake for 20 minutes.

6. Remove from pan, but do not remove parchment paper yet. Place on cooling rack.

7. Once the cornbread has cooled slightly remove the parchment and return to cooling rack. If you remove the parchment too early it peels away a layer of the cornbread.

Enjoy!

KOREAN POTATOES

While you can use the potatoes in this recipe right out of the instapot, the overall texture is better if they are allowed to cool overnight. But they can be made using potatoes right out of the instapot.

 1 LB     Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into large chunks

Sauce Ingredients

1/4 cup     Water

4 Tblsp     Soy Sauce

1 Tblsp     Cooking Sherry

2 Tblsp     Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp      Black Pepper

1 Tblsp     Maple Syrup

1 Tblsp     Korean Red Curry Powder, gochugaru

1/4 tsp     Garlic Powder

Instructions

1.  Place potatoes in instapot and set to 5 minutes pressure cook on high.  Allow pressure to come down naturally.  Drain and cool potatoes. Overnight is best, although you can use the potatoes right away.

2. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl. 

3. Add sauce to pan along with the potatoes.

4. Cook and stir until sauce is thick and coats potatoes well.

5. Enjoy!

NOTE

1. This recipe doubles or even triples well.

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. 

Rice Blend

Rice Blend

A few months ago I bought a package of different rices that had been mixed together and sold at one of the big box stores. It was ridiculously expensive, but I must admit it tasted fantastic. So when I looked at the ingredient list, I realized that I had all of the individual ingredients in my own pantry. After experimenting, this is the blend that I came up with.

Ingredients

2 cups brown basmati rice
1/2 cup black rice
1/2 cup wild rice
1/2 cup red rice

Cooking Ingredients

6 Tablespoons mushroom seasoning, optional , but adds a lot of flavour.                               

6 cups water

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients together in a pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover  and simmer for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Baked Cabbage

Baked Cabbage with Mushrooms Two Ways

This is such a simple recipe, but oh so packed with flavour. I have made it with and without the Korean BBQ sauce. It is good both ways, but my family prefer it with the Korean BBQ sauce as it adds spiciness and extra flavour to the dish. They say it is like a flavour explosion in your mouth. The recipe for the Korean BBQ Sauce can be found here: http://barbsplantbasedkitchen.blogspot.ca/2016/09/korean-bbq-sauce.html.  

Cabbage baked without Korean BBQ Sauce

 

Ingredients

2 cups onions, diced
8 cups cabbage, sliced thin about 1/2 a medium head
4 cups mushrooms,sliced thin
1 cup mushroom or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup    Korean BBQ sauce, (optional) find recipe here:http://barbsplantbasedkitchen.blogspot.ca/2016/09/korean-bbq-sauce.html

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place all ingredients into a roasting pan, including the Korean BBQ Sauce if using.

Cover and bake for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!


TIP

While 8 cups of cabbage seems like a lot of cabbage, it will reduce down significantly when baked. If you are serving more than a few people, you may want to double the recipe.

This dish only gets better after sitting for a few days in the fridge.

 

Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

The stuffing is my favourite part of the holiday meal. If you are a fan of mushrooms, you are going to love this stuffing. I used mushroom seasoning which can be found at your local Asian Grocery Store, but you could substitute a small amount of salt or vegetable stock powder. Here is a link to the mushroom seasoning that I use: https://www.amazon.com/PoLoKu-Trading-Mushroom-Seasoning-17-11oz/dp/B006NJJBWU/ref=pd_lpo_325_tr_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PXN8H1MVZ0AHCMJB672V

Ingredients

1 cup onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced

8 cups mushrooms, diced

3 Tblsp mushroom seasoning
8 cups stale bread, cubed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp poultry seasong
2 cups cooked rice, I used a brown basmati and wild rice blend
2 cups canned tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 flax eggs ( 2 Tblsp flax mixed with 6 Tblsp water and allowed to sit for 15 minutes)

Directions

Saute the onion and celery in as little water as possible.

Add in the mushrooms.  Saute until the mushrooms are cooked. The liquid should have evaporated.

Add the bread cubes to a large mixing bowl. Add in the black pepper, tomatoes, mushroom seasoning, poultry seasoning, flax egg, garlic powder and the cooked vegetables. Mix well.

Mix in the raisins.

Transfer to a casserole dish. Cover and bake for approximately 1 hour.

Enjoy!