White Bean Soup

Boston’s weather has been all over the place recently, going from 30 to 60 and back in a day. When we first saw that it was going to be 40, my friend said he wanted something from the Crock Pot. So, here it is (was?).

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely grated
• 1 cup of white mushrooms
• 1 can of mushroom soup
• 2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 cups of water
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 black peppercorns

Directions:

1) Spray a large pan and heat to medium.

2) Add onion until golden brown.

3) Add carrots and cook for another 3 minutes or so.

4) Increase the heat to high and add the mushrooms.

5) Cook until they are golden brown.

6) Add the mushroom soup and cook until it is simmering.

7) Throw everything into a crock pot.

8) Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Spicy Glass Noodle Salad

You can use any type of meat in this, but we used squid and octopus. I’m sure you can’t omit it.

Ingredients

• Sauce

1. 2-4 hot chilies, crushed
2. 3 tsp lime juice
3. 3 tsp sugar syrup
4. 3 tsp fish sauce

• Salad

1. 1 cup short length glass noodles
2. 1 cup thinly sliced octopus and squid *know what can ruin a dish? not removing the beak*
3. 1 cup spring onion, cut in short lengths
4. 1 bulb of lettuce
5. 2 tsp roasted crushed garlic
6. 1/2 onion, sliced
7. 10 grams of mushrooms, sliced
8. 1/2 tomato, sliced

Directions:

1) Mix all the sauce ingredients together. Add more of whichever you like the flavor of more.

2) Boil the pasta until it is done.

3) Boil the squid and octopus until it is done.

4) Mix everything together.

Tofu Soup

I found this to be quite bland, so I would up the spices.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup stock
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 block of tofu, sliced into bite sized pieces
• 20 grams of ear mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tsp chopped spring onion
• 1 tsp coriander leaf, shredded
• 1 tsp roasted garlic in oil

Directions:

1) Heat the stock to a boil.

2) Add the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves.

3) Add the tofu and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft.

4) Serve, garnished with the spring onion, coriander leaf and roasted garlic.

Vegetable Spring Roll

After Thailand we went to Cambodia. Due to political protests, I could not take a cooking class there. Next was Vietnam. The class was in Hoi An at the Hong Phuc Restaurant. 

Ingredients:

• Main

1. 1/4 liter vegetable oil for frying
2. 10 pieces of rice paper softened by brushing lemon juice or egg on them

• Spring Roll Mix

1. 3 green beans finely chopped
2. 1/4 onion finely chopped
3. a bit of dry rice noodles
4. 1/2 medium potato
5. 1/4 medium carrot
6. 1/2 medium choko (sweet potato, toro, brown tuber, yam)
7. 3 dried Chinese mushrooms (buy dry and put in hot water for 2 minutes)
8. 1 egg
9. 1 tsp pepper

• Dipping Sauce

1. 1/2 TBSP fish sauce
2. the juice of 1/2 a lemon
3. 1 tsp sugar
4. 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
5. chili to taste
6. 1/2 tsp of water

Directions:

1) Begin heating the oil (a wooden or bamboo chopstick or spoon should bubble when placed in).

2) Mix all of the mix ingredients together with chopsticks.

3) Place the mixture on the rice paper in a long thin line (like a cigar).

4) Roll it twice.

5) Fold in both ends.

6) Continue to roll until it looks like a piece of mail.

7) Add the rolls to the oil and turn often until light brown.

8) Lift them out one at a time and cut in half with scissors.

9) Add the rolls back into the oil.

10) Cook until the inside is brown and drain in a colander.

11) Mix all the sauce ingredients together and serve.

Lemon Orzo with Mushrooms

I still have tons of orzo left and I’m going to have to find more and more ways to use it up.

Recipe taken from here, with some changes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 TBSP butter or oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 oz mushrooms, quartered
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth/stock
• 3/4 cup water
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2/3 cup orzo
• salt

Directions:

1) Heat the butter or oil in a pot.

2) Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onions and mushrooms are soft.

3) Add the vegetable broth/stock, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary and bring to a boil.

4) Add the orzo and salt and cook for 10 minutes.

5) If the water is not evaporated, strain the pasta before serving.

Paula Dean’s Pasta Salad

Who doesn’t love Paula Dean? Maybe diabetics. Regardless, this one doesn’t seem too bad for you. Recipe taken from here.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of pasta, 500g
• water
• salt
• 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1 jar of olives, water drained
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette dressing
• 1 TBSP sugar
• pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Cook the pasta in salted water until done.

2) Drain and let cool.

3) Add the cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and green pepper.

4) Mix the mayonnaise, balsamic vinaigrette dressing and sugar.

5) Add the dressing and pepper and mix before serving (I made the veggies and pasta before work and added the dressing when I got home so it was not too soggy).

6) Top with Parmesan cheese.

Cooked Mushroom Sandwich

Like I said a few posts ago, I dislike Korean mushrooms uncooked. So I remade the sandwich cooking it.

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP vegetable oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 onion and red onion, mixed, chopped
• 1/4 jalapeno, chopped
• 4 mushrooms, chopped
• 2 slices of wheat bread, toasted
• mayonnaise
• 2 slices of cheese
• 2 slices of tomato
• 2 pieces of lettuce

Directions:

1) Add the vegetable oil to a small pan and heat to medium.

2) Add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3) Add  the mushrooms and cook until soft, for about 3-5 minutes.

4) Allow to cool.

5) Build the sandwich as such: bread, mayo, cheese, mushrooms mixture, tomato, lettuce, mayo, bread.

Teriyaki Pasta

Taken from a recipe app but changed a bit since I don’t like raw Korean mushrooms, and I was worried that these would come out a bit raw. Also made better by letting the pasta finish cooking in the sauce and vegetables so it absorbs more flavor.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz of pasta
• 2 TBSP vegetable oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, chopped
• 2 cups of mushrooms
• 1 big head of broccoli, chopped, about 3 cups
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Directions:

1) Cook the pasta, leaving it just a bit undercooked.

2) Add the vegetable oil to a large pan and heat to high.

3) Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 15 seconds, until fragrant.

4) Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes, until they are soft.

5) Add the broccoli and teriyaki sauce and cook until the broccoli is crispy.

6) Add the pasta, mix and cook until the pasta is finished cooking.

7) Add the green onions, mix and serve.

Raw Mushroom Sandwich

I made this sandwich before remembering how much I hate Korean mushrooms uncooked. Baby Bella for the win!

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of wheat bread, toasted
• mayonnaise
• 2 slices of cheese
• 1/2 slice of red onion
• 4 small mushrooms, sliced
• 2 slices of tomato
• 2 pieces of lettuce

Directions:

1) Assemble the sandwich as the ingredients are listed above, with mayonnaise on both pieces of toast. And of course, toast on both sides of the sandwich!

Ratatouille Egg Sandwich

Ratatouille is a traditional French dish that just so happens to be vegan. I made it not vegan here, kinda following this recipe, but using what I had available in Korea. Also made in smaller portions, partly due to having less crusty bread available and the bread would not be able to hold that much of….anything.

Easy to reheat, but you should cook a new egg each time. I made this for myself and one other and reheated the rest the next day and cooked a new egg for it.

Ingredients:

• 4 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 tomato, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 eggplant, chopped
• 6 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• salt
• red pepper powder
• 1/3 cup water
• 4 TBSP dried basil
• 1 TBSP dried rosemary
• 1 TBSP dried oregano
• 3-4 eggs (depending on how many sandwiches you want to make)
• 6-8 slices of bread (again, depending on how many sandwiches you want to make)

Directions:

1) Heat 1 TBSP of the oil in a pan.

2) Add the tomato, 1 of the cloves of garlic, some salt and red pepper powder and cook until soft.

3) Remove and add the eggplant, 1 clove of garlic, some salt and red pepper powder and adding more oil if necessary. Cook until starting to brown, about 3-5 minutes.

4) Remove (can be added to the bowl with tomatoes) and add the mushrooms, 1 clove of garlic, some salt and red pepper powder and adding more oil if necessary. Cook 3-5 minutes.

5) Remove and add the green pepper, the last clove of garlic, some salt and red pepper powder and cook until soft, about 2-4 minutes.

6) Add all the vegetables back into the pan, with the water, basil rosemary and oregano.

7) Bring to a simmer and cook until the water has evaporated.

8) Remove and add a bit of oil to fry the egg.

9) Add the egg and cook to your liking.

10) Toast the bread.

11) Build as such: bread, veggies, egg, bread. If you like the yellow runny I’d suggest eating with a fork and knife once you get to that point of the sandwich 🙂

Sadly, my yolk broke.