Thai Popcorn

I tried out this Appetizer dish for girls night.

And it was amazing, everyone really enjoyed it, so this is party friendly!  And not too much work.

Thai 'Popcorn'
Serves 8

Wraps
6-7 big leaves or 20 small green leaves (spinach, lettuce) cut into 2" by 2" pieces or 4x4

Filling
1 cup coconut shredded coconut toasted (heating them on a skillet with no oil, is enough to toast them)
1/2 cup peanuts toasted
1/4 cup soy sauce +2 tbsp (depending on how salty you like it)
1/4 cup sugar + 2tbsp (depending on how sweet you like it)
3/4 cup water

Toppings
1 lime thinly slice peel included
1/4 cup of ginger minced
1 hot pepper thinly sliced (optional)
1 cup cilantro chopped
1/2 cup peanuts roughly chopped (or food processed) and  toasted
1/2 cup shredded coconut toasted

Dry roast the peanuts and the coconut for the filling.  Once fragrant and lightly browned, add the soy sauce, sugar and water.  Add 1/4th of a cup to start out with and add more based on your taste preference. When I made this yesterday I used 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp for both sugar and soy sauce,  but I think next time I make it I will use less of both.

Add the water to the filling, once bubbling, let simmer for 5 minutes.  Take it off the burner.  Blend the ingredients-- it will become like a fluffy paste.

Place filling in a serving bowl.

For the toppings, prepare all ingredients separately.  On a large serving tray, the lettuce leaves can be arranged on the outside, with a bowl of the filling in the middle.  Each topping can be placed in a separate small serving dish-- apart from the peanuts and the coconut which can be mixed together.

To make a 'popcorn', take a piece of lettuce, put about 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of filling, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1-2 pieces of lime, 3-4 pieces of chopped cilantro, 1 small piece of hot pepper (opt), 1/2 tsp of peanut/coconut mixture , and fold over the lettuce leaves and pop in the mouth!

Everyone loved these little treats!
Another option is to prepare each 'popcorn' yourself and toothpick them to hold them together and serve on a tray.

Lots of fun!

Ginger Peach Tapioca

Switching it up for breakfast this morning:
2 medium to small sized portions

Ginger Peach Tapioca
1/2 cup tapioca pearls
2 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of dried apricots and or peach
1 inch chopped ginger
micropinch of stevia

Put it either in a slow cooker for 1-2 hours or stovetop for 10 minutes.  Make sure to stir it, I made the mistake of not stirring and it burned the bottom.. but it was still good :)  I added a little bit of vegan horchata to this -- my husband likes to buy it, it's a little sweet and has a cinnamon flavor.. so alternatively once it hits your bowl, you can add a little more sweetener, or 'milk' or cinnamon.  

Hawaiian Eggplant Casserole

Hawaiian Eggplant Casserole

This dish is best served with rice or quinoa (prepare separately)

2 eggplants roughly chopped

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup soysauce (braggs)

1 cored pineapple blended 

Corn from 1 corn on the cob

2 inches of ginger minced

3 garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp sucanat

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp tomato paste

1tbsp soy sauce (braggs)

1 tsp sriracha

1 tsp vinegar (white wine)

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 tsp onion powder 

Before chopping the eggplants, throw them in the oven for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.

Mix the chopped eggplant with water and soysauce in a bowl to soak for 30 minutes.  

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F, chop and mix the rest of the ingredients together.  After the eggplant has had a chance to marinate, mix the all of the ingredients together with the eggplant.  Place it all in a baking dish.  Bake at 400, for 35 minutes, Turn it down to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Alternatively this dish could be made in the crockpot.  4-6 hours on high.

 This recipe came to be, because I had some dying eggplant in the fridge along with a dying pineapple and corn.  It took me a while to figure out what to make, as I was going to make separate dishes but I was thinking about how the dishes wouldn't mesh that well together.  I finally decided to mix them all in to one dish. Anyway, it turned out pretty amazing, definitely a keeper!  :)  

Vegan Malai Palak

Typically my attempt at Indian food always turns into an Indian- American fusion.  So I apologize for the lack of authenticity in it's taste. Despite the taste not immediately bringing you to India, it is unique and flavorful in it's own right. It has a tinge of bitter green taste yet the sweetness and the spice from the flavor combinations satisfy the palette. Ultra healthy with lots of vegetables, it does take a bit of time to prepare but worth it ;)  

Vegan Malai Palak 

2 large zucchinis (alternatively eggplant or mushrooms could be used)

Juice of one lemon

1 medium red onion sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 inch stick ginger minced
3 adobo peppers
1 tsp each, garam masala, and turmeric powder

1/2 tsp of fenugreek powder
2 bunches baby bok choy and 1 bunch large bitter greens of your choice -- such as dandelion greens

1 can of kidney beans

dash of salt

1/2 cup of cashews

1 cup water
1/4 tsp of baobab powder
1/4 tsp of lucuma powder

*I used the baobab and the lucuma powder as sweet tangy ingredients, alternatively tamarind paste could be used or lemon and a little bit of agave.

*If using eggplant, marinate the eggplant with salt for 10-20 minutes, squeeze out the excess water, and then marinate it with the lemon and adobo peppers. 

Marinate the zucchini in the lemon juice and chopped adobo peppers for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime the rest of the vegetables can be prepared.
Saute the zucchini (or eggplant or mushrooms) for 5-7 minutes. In another pan, saute the onions, add the ginger and garlic and then the chillies and fry till cooked. Mix in all of the powdered spices.  Then add the greens. Cook till the greens wilt. Remove the mixture, and put it into a food processor. Return the processed greens to the pan, turn on the heat and add a cup of water. Add the zucchini. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring at intervals. 

Grind the cashews into a powder and then blend them with 2 tbsp of water or just enough water to make it thick and creamy.  

Add them to the vegetables and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

 Serve with rice or rice tortillas (we like to cut the rice tortillas in fourths and toast them, they make a great healthy chip, depending on how long they are heated they will be less crispy)

Mu Shu Inspired Cooked Salad

Mu Shu Salad
3 large servings

1 head of cauliflower thinly sliced and roughly chopped
1/4 head of purple cabbage sliced and roughly chopped
1 onion sliced
1 bunch of swiss chard
2 tbsp of sesame seeds

Sauce:
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of almond butter
2 tbsp of vinegar (balsamic, rice or wine)
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp of sriracha sauce
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp of molasses
1 tsp of ginger powder
1/2 tsp of onion powder
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
dash of salt

Garnish:
3 sprigs of cilantro (optional)
1-2 tbsp of peanuts (optional)

Put 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and fry the onions until soft.  Add the cauliflower and cabbage, cook until slightly soft, but still mostly crunchy.  Mix the sauce separately until well combined.  Add to the cooking vegetables, add the swiss chard and sesame seeds.  When the swiss chard wilts, then the dish is done.  Turn off the heat garnish with cilantro and peanuts and serve with tortillas, rice or plain.