Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Last weekend at Farmers’ Market, my hubby and I had a great falafel sandwich, which made me crave making one on my own.The falafel turned out wonderful. I baked them so it was healthier, it was still crispy enough on the outside and soft on the inside. My hubby usually doesn’t like falafels but he said he really liked these ones, and even thought it was better than the ones we had at the Farmers’ Market. Aww =)

Baked Falafel
(adapted from Allrecipes)

makes ~30 falafel balls

1 can organic garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbs chopped fresh organic cilantro
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp baking powder/soda
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs (I used 2 pieces of Ezekiel 4:9 breads processed to crumbs)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 organic omega-3 egg

1. Mash the garbanzo beans in a large bowl. Stir in the onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley cumin, turmeric, baking powder, bread crumbs, salt. pepper, and egg. Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.
2. Place falafel balls onto baking sheet. Bake for ~25 min at 350 degrees.

 

Fresh Tahini Sauce

1/2 cup organic raw tahini
3 gloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbs olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Combine all ingredients, with the last ingredient added being hot water, and mix until desired consistency.

Thai Food Experimentation

I tried making pad thai and pad see ew. The pad thai recipe tasted somewhat like one I would have in a restaurant. However, after making them myself, I realized it’s really not that healthy! Although I tried to make it as healthy as possible using brown rice noodles, olive oil, tamari, stevia, and organic ingredients as much as I could, however, it’s just SO much oil! I probably won’t make these again at home. I’ll also try to remind myself to opt for vegetable curry dishes whenever I eat out for Thai in the future =)

Pad See Ew

Pad Thai

Tofu Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)

I didn’t know what to expect since it was my first time making banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) and I was actually a little nervous before I took my first bite. Ultimately, it was good! Tasted like a banh mi.

I omitted the jalapeno pepper since I can’t do spicy (but my hubby would have loved that). Next time, I’ll double the amount of the tofu marinade to bring that flavor out more. For the bread, I ended up using Whole Foods’ organic ciabaguette (made from organic whole wheat flour). Beforehand, I had no idea what “ciabaguette” was, but it’s apparently a hybrid between Italian bread and French bread, which basically the difference between those two to begin with is shape.

(Recipe adapted from My Recipes)

1 (14-ounce) package organic sprouted firm tofu, drained
2 tbs tamari
2 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 cup Premade pickled carrot/daikon with pickled juice OR 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup agave, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 cups matchstick-cut carrot/daikon mix
1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 julienne-cut green onion
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (12-ounce) loaf organic French baguette
1/2 cup fresh organic cilantro sprigs
2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced (optional)

1. Cut tofu crosswise into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Arrange tofu on several layers of paper towels. Top with several more layers of paper towels; top with a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan. Let stand 30 minutes. Remove tofu from paper towels.

2. Combine tamari and ginger in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish. Arrange tofu slices in a single layer in mixture. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning once.

3. Either use the pickled carrot/daikon juice (adding agave to taste) or if none premade, combine vinegar, agave, and salt in a medium bowl. Add carrot, green onion, mushroom, and cucumber; toss well. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain carrot mixture through a sieve; drain thoroughly.

4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove tofu from marinade; discard marinade. Add tofu slices to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden.

5. Preheat broiler.

6. Cut bread in half lengthwise. Open halves, laying bread cut side up on a baking sheet. Broil 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Place tofu slices on bottom half of bread; top with carrot mixture, cilantro, and jalapeño slices. Top with top half of bread. Cut loaf crosswise into 6 equal pieces.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

This is the only way that I eat brussel sprouts. This recipe is so good, quick, and easy to make. I adapted from the original recipe at Allrecipes with the basic seasoning: salt and pepper. You can play around with the flavoring. Now I add a little of garlic powder and turmeric to add more health to the dish with the spices.

Brussel sprouts
Organic extra-virgin olive oil
Ground Black pepper
Sea salt
Turmeric
Garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Place Brussels sprouts, olive oil, spices in a bowl and coat brussel sprouts evenly. Place onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, shaking pan halfway through for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Serve immediately.

Why I keep these ingredients around in my life:
Brussel sprout is part of the cruciferous veggies family, which is very high in anti-cancer properties.

Matcha Green Milk Tea

I love boba (bubble / tapioca milk tea). However, since I’ve been on my healthier living track, I’ve limited my boba intake. When I do order boba, I try to get it as healthy as possible. My typical order at the register: “Milk green tea, with no boba, no sugar, and less ice.” Sometimes, I’ll bring my own stevia packets to sweeten it with myself with a healthier sugar.

I got this idea from a farmers’ market vendor this past weekend. Matcha green milk tea! Very yummy and antioxidant rich!

1/2 tsp organic matcha green tea powder (I really like DoMatcha brand)
1 cup organic almond milk
Sips of hot water
agave or stevia

Mix the matcha tea powder with the little bit of hot water to blend the powder. Then add in the milk and blend. Add a touch of agave or stevia for a slight sweetness.

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Why I keep these ingredients around in my life:

-Matcha green tea: Green tea already is known for being high in antioxidants. Matcha has 137 times more antioxidants than regular green tea.

Baked Chinese Vegetarian Egg Rolls

Lately, I’ve been on a huge bun (vietnamese vermicelli noodles) kick. Every week, I either order it from my favorite vietnamese vegan restaurant or have my mum make me some  =) So little by little, I’ve been making my own bun ingredient parts to prepare for my own first bun making experience! I decided to do this so I can ensure it has all the healthy ingredients that I like AND I can make it whenever I want at my discretion and save some moola at that.

I already made the pickled carrots and daikon, so my next bun part was eggrolls. I made a huge batch, like 30+ eggrolls so I froze majority of it so I can just whip them out for future bun use!

This was the first time that I made eggrolls myself. I grew up eating my mom’s all the time and hers are da bomb diggity. However, I do yearn for healthy stuff so I tried my own. If you haven’t made eggrolls before, Steamy Kitchen provides helpful “egg roll making rules” on creating a good egg roll. Also, I adapted their recipe:

 

50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (about 2 packages), defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
organic extra-virgin olive oil

THE GROUND TOFU
1 package organic firm sprouted tofu
1 tablespoon organic tamari
1/4 teaspoon organiv agave nectar
ground black pepper

FOR THE VEGETABLES
2 to 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
½ head of organic cabbage (about 11 ounces)
3 organic carrots, shredded
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
10 fresh maitake mushrooms (or other mushroom type to your liking)
1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon organic tamari
1/4 teaspoon organic agave
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
ground black pepper

1. Break apart the tofu as to make it similar to grounded meat consistency. To make the filling, combine the ingredients for the ground tofu together. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms using your food processor.

2. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the tofu and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the tofu to one side of the pan. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the vinegar, tamari, agave, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.

3. Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, you’re ready to wrap

4. To bake the egg rolls, brush olive oil on all sides of the eggrolls. Bake at 425 for 8 minutes, take out to flip over the eggrolls and bake for another 8 minutes.
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Why I keep these ingredients around in my life:
–Maitake mushrooms: I like using maitake type in particular because it is one of the healthier mushrooms that has an effect on the immune system and shown to possibly limit tumor growth.
–Sprouted tofu: If you eat tofu, sprouted tofu is the way to go. Sprouting makes it more digestible and increases its nutritional value.
–Extra-virgin olive oil: Whenever a recipe calls for any type of cooking oil (vegetable, canola, virgin, etc), I always use extra-virgin olive oil. Reason is extra-virgin in particular is excellent in being antiinflammatory, more so than just virgin olive oil. Also, the polyphenols found in olive oil act as antioxidants, in addition to its antiinflammatory properties.

 

Vietnamese Garlic Noodles

Thanh Long and Crustacean restaurants in San Francisco are famous for their garlic noodles. I found a blog where they’ve attempted to replicate the restaurant’s recipe. I definitely wanted to try it out with my own healthy ingredients.

(Recipe adapted from Rasamalaysia.com)

Makes ~5 servings

1 package (1 lb) 100% whole wheat spaghetti noodles
4 tablespoons organic extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic (pounded)
4 tablespoons organic coconut butter
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
2 1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce
5 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese (non rBHG treated)
Sea salt

Boil the noodles in the hot water until they are done, drain the water, and set aside to cool down the noodles.

In a pan, saute the garlic with the olive oil in medium heat. The purpose is to infuse the olive oil with garlicky flavor. Then add in 4 tablespoons of butter and turn the heat to low. Add in the chicken bouillon powder, garlic powder, oyster sauce and blend well. Set aside to let it cool.

Once the garlic mixture is cool and the noodles are cool at room temperature, pour the garlic mixture over the noodles and toss them together to blend well. Add in the grated parmesan cheese. Add salt to taste. Toss well, and serve immediately.

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My biggest challenge was the large amount of butter that the original recipe called for. To substitute butter, I used coconut butter. Thus, I could taste a mild coconut flavor in the final dish. Health outweighs better flavor for me so I ultimately decided to use coconut butter. The dish still ended up tasting good. I would make it again.

If coconut butter doesn’t seem appealing to you as butter alternative, but still want to be health conscious, other options would be: do half butter and half coconut butter or olive oil. Or you can try organic butter since at least that is a bit healthier.

Raw Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Who doesn’t love chocolate covered strawberries? I can’t believe I haven’t thought about doing a healthy version of this earlier!

(recipe from Rawfoodrecipes.com)

2 tbls Raw Coconut Oil, melted
1/4 c Cacao Powder
1 1/2 tbls Agave Nectar
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
10 organic strawberries

1) In a bowl, blend all the ingredients in the order above.  If the chocolate becomes too thick, put the glass bowl in a warm water bath to re-melt the coconut oil.
2) Holding the strawberry firmly by the stem dip 3/4 of the strawberry in the chocolate sauce.  Rotate in the chocolate but do not completely cover as you want to show a bit of the red from the strawberry.
3) Place a piece of wax paper on a cutting board for all the chocolate dipped strawberries to lay.
4) Pop in the freezer for 3-5 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.

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The presentation may not be the most beautiful. I think my chocolate mix was not warm enough so the coconut oil became more of a thicker consistency. If I need to be conscious of presentation next time, I would make sure to remelt the oil. Regardless, this tasted de-lish. Had a great darkish chocolate taste.

Citrus Green Smoothie

This is my favorite green smoothie. I originally had this smoothie at a cafe while vacationing. I loved it so much, that I ordered that smoothie almost everyday for the remainder of the trip. I’ve been making my own version at home since then.

Makes 2 cups

Handful of organic kale, stems removed
Handful of organic spinach
1 organic banana
2 organic oranges, juiced
Ice (more or less to your liking)

Place all ingredients in blender, and blend!

Pickled Carrots & Daikon

This is a staple in Vietnamese cuisine. I’m planning on making more Vietnamese dishes in the future, so I had to make this first. I plan to put this in bun (vermicelli noodle dish), banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), and eat it on its own.

Equal parts of organic carrots and organic daikon, thinly sliced
Sprinkled with sea salt
Drizzle with organic raw agave nectar
Organic Apple cider vinegar – pour enough to cover the carrots and daikon, and mix
Let sit for 30 minutes
Pour into mason jar, and fill the remainder of the container with filtered water. Keep refrigerated.

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My reason for keeping this ingredient around in my life:

-Daikon: Prior to this, I wasn’t too familiar with daikon radish since I didn’t eat it  much. I found out that it contains some digestive enzymes so it helps with digestion. Also, a website mentioned “At Tokyo’s College of Pharmacy, researchers have discovered that daikon juice actually inhibits the formation of dangerous chemicals in the body. Nitrosamines, a type of carcinogen, can form in the stomach from chemicals present in both natural and processed foods. Daikon juice contains substances identified as “phenolic compounds” that can block this potentially dangerous reaction. Thus, a diet including raw daikon may reduce the risk of cancer.”

-Apple cider vinegar: For recipes listing white or rice vinegar, I’ve been using apple cider vinegar, since this has the most nutrition out of the other vinegars. It has trace minerals and it contains malic acid which is supposedly helpful in fighting fungal and bacterial infections.