caesar salad with garlic croutons

ceasar salad - no egg, no dairy

rachael ray said on her show the other day: while we may not be vegans, its good to incorporate some vegan options in your cooking. i stand behind this 100%. starting with condiments is a good start... earth balance buttery spread instead of regular butter; and veganaise instead of mayo... oh but i love my anchovies!

caesar ingredients:
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3/4 cup veganaise
• 8 anchovies minced
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 head romaine lettuce

caesar directions:
1. mix all dressing ingredients together, chill in fridge while prepping the romaine lettuce.
2. wash romaine lettuce and dry thoroughly, one by one. wet lettuce will make your salad watery... kinda like the pic above :( ...learn from my mistakes.

crouton ingredients:
• 3 cloves garlic smashed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cups cubed day-old french bread
• salt and dried oregano to taste

crouton directions:
1. heat olive oil and garlic in large frying pan, add salt here
2. add bread cubes and toast until slightly brown, sprinkle dried oregano
3. cool all the way before storing in a tight container

corn dog

corn dog -- no egg, no dairy

it was either foster farms or state fair that made their frozen corn dogs with no dairy, then later added milk and egg whites to them-- frustrating. since then, the girls have been asking for corn dogs every time we pass the frozen food section. finally, here they are, all dairy-freed up. i suppose them adding dairy was a blessing in disguise because these are really fun to make-- when you fry them they get all puffy (i'm easily amused). plus, i use the kosher beef franks so it feels a bit healthier, just a tad.

makes 14 mini corn dogs

ingredients:
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg replacement
• 1 cup soy milk
• canola oil for frying
• 1 pack (7 pieces) hebrew national beef kosher franks
• wood skewers


directions:

1. mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. add egg replacement and soy milk. mix well. pour batter in a tall glass.

2. preheat oil over medium heat in a small pot.

3.  cut hot dogs in half-- this allows them to fit in a small pot, using less oil. insert wooden skewer about half way through hot dog, roll in dry cornmeal, dip into batter, then fry in oil twisting the skewer so it browns evenly.

crepes

chocolate, strawberry & blueberry filled crepe -- no egg, no milk

crepes galore! we've been on a crepe marathon this week. crepes for breakfast, lunch, after school snack, and late night snack for mama. we've even used it as a cone (fold in quarters) and stuffed it with ice cream, just the way they sell them in japantown.

crepe ingredients:
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup melted earth balance butter
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tspn salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

filling & topping:
• fresh sliced strawberries
• blueberries
• ghirardelli chocolate chips
• powdered sugar
... really, anything you want.

directions:
whisk together all ingredients, adding the flour last. for a thinner crepe, add a bit more water until its your desired consistency. then, cook like pancakes, adding a bit of earth balance butter before each crepe. use a 1/3 measuring cup to pour into pan. i tilt the pan to spread the batter thin, if you have a crepe tool, use that. cook til brown and flip. i'll add the chocolate chips here and let it melt while the other side is cooking. wrap fruits in the center and dust with powdered sugar.

prevent crepe from sticking to the pan:
• heat pan at medium heat for at least 5 minutes before cooking. i use a restaurant style pan (no teflon) and i've never had a problem.
• chill batter in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. this also prevents it from sticking. i've been doubling the recipe and storing in the fridge for quick morning crepes. yes, even on school and work mornings. its that easy.

oroweat dutch country whole wheat bread

sliced wheat bread. no egg, no milk.

since oroweat added milk to our go-to bread (boooo oroweat), we've been standing in the bread aisle reading the ingredients of every. single. bread loaf. there.

finally found one at Target. oroweat dutch country 100% whole wheat -- no milk, no eggs. yay oroweat! until they go and add milk to the ingredients again. for now, this is the one!

paksiw na lechon

paksiw na lechon

better than fresh lechon, paksiw-ed lechon! my dad's 60th surprise birthday party in LA last may left us with almost an entire lechon left over (no worries, this is a belated post). what to do with all that? chopped that little piggy into pieces, froze it, and packed it in my luggage back to OAK. a few days later... made paksiw. a favorite in this household.

you'll have to eyeball the measurements, as it'll vary depending on how much leftover you have.

ingredients:
• lechon chunks
• crushed garlic
• sliced garlic
• vinegar
• soy sauce
• pounded peppercorn
• brown sugar
• bay leaves
• mang tomas sauce

directions:
1. place all ingredients except the mang tomas sauce in a large pot. bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. add mang tomas sauce and continue to simmer until meat is very soft. continue to mix well and adjust taste to your preference: sweet or sour/salty. we like it semi-sweet!

cocoa drizzled kettle corn

dairy-free chocolate drizzled kettle corn

 ingredients:

• 1 bag trader joe's kettle corn

• 3/4 cup ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

you'll need:

• small pot & mettle bowl (or double boiler)

• parchment paper

• 3 cup water

directions:

1. empty entire bag onto parchment paper and spread out

2. place chocolate chips in metal bowl

3. bring water to boil in small pot, then place metal bowl on top 

4. mix chocolate until melted

5. use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over kettle corn

once its cooled, place back in the bag and take to the movies!

beef curry

beef curry. no milk, no coconut milk.

on a curry roll... this time the girls asked that i make their plate like "how hello kitty eats it". which meant, a perfectly round circle of rice with curry poured evenly, covering a perfect half of the circle. instead, i one upped their request and made a hello kitty platter. cute, no?

ingredients:

• 2 lbs beef cubed

• 5 cloves garlic minced

• 1/2 onion chopped

• 2 bay leaf

• 1/4 tspn crushed red pepper (no more than this for kids)

• 2 tspn curry powder

• 1 1/2 cup soy milk

• 2 medium tomatoes sliced

• 1 tbspn lemon juice 

• 2 carrots sliced thick

• 1 potato cubed

• 2 tbspn tofutti sour cream (optional)

• salt

• cooking oil

directions:

1. heat oil in pot. saute onion & garlic, then beef, sprinkle with salt. saute until brown.

2. add curry powder, bay leaf and crushed red pepper. stir well.

3. add soy milk, cover and bring to a boil.

4. mix in tomato and lemon juice, cover and lower heat to simmer for 1 hour.

5. add potato and carrot, simmer for another hour or until beef is super tender. 

6. remove from heat and stir in tofutti sour cream.

serve with hello kitty shaped rice and greens!

p.s.

happy birthday auts! a hello kitty post, an ode to our childhood. 

curry basil chicken

dairy-free and coconut-free curry basil chicken

the girls use to watch these Hello Kitty dvds where kitty and her sister would eat chicken curry for dinner. so that's what sold them, they said "hello kitty eats this!" therefore, this dish is HELLO KITTY certified! :)

they had never eaten curry because it usually contains coconut milk or a heavy milk cream. i took a recipe from my cousin jamie and removed the dairy.

ingredients:
• 2 tbspn olive oil
• 4 large boneless chicken breast (or any chicken)
• 5 clove garlic, chopped
• 3/4 cup soy milk (i used vanilla)
• 2 tbspn tofutti sour cream (optional)
• 1 1/2 - 2 tspn curry powder
• salt & pepper
• 2 tbspn fresh basil chopped

directions:
1. in a large frying pan, heat oil. add chicken and sprinkle with salt & pepper. fry chicken until slightly brown but not all the way cooked.
2. push chicken to the side, add garlic until slightly brown.
3. stir in soy milk & curry powder, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked. about 10 minutes.
4. remove from heat and mix in tofutti sour cream. (optional)
6. top with chopped basil and serve.

chicken adobo

ingredients:

• whole chicken cut up

• half head garlic

• half small onion (optional)

• 1/2 cup vinegar

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1 cup water

• 3-4 bay leaf

• black pepper

directions:

1. in large pot, fry chicken to brown

2. push chicken to the side and saute garlic and onion

3. add vinegar, soy sauce, water, bay leaf and pepper

4. bring to boil then cover and simmer until chicken is fully cooked, the longer the better.

taste best the next day!

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

dairy-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Bowl 1:

Use a hand mixer to blend ingredients.

• 1/3 cup earth balance buttery spread

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup soymilk

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Bowl 2:

Mix together well.

• 1 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup oatmeal

• 1/2 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate baking chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fold in Bowl 2 to Bowl 1. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spoon in a tablespoon of the dough. Bake for 8-10 minutes.