Monday, April 22, 2013

Colorful Quinoa Salad

After several months of eating quinoa, my digest system is improving and my skin is tender and smooth. I 've decided to mix up my meals with different vegetables and quinoa. I 've started eating quinoa while I was traveling to Oregon, I have learned how to cook quinoa from their local supermarket which is called New Season, they provide a fresh farmer market food and hot food, and they like to mix quinoa in their hot food.

Last weekend when I am shopping food at Whole foods, I only picked up the white quinoa as the price is lower, but after their customer service who gave me a little suggestion how to mix different quinoa it has higher health benefit. So, I added some red quinoa which price has almost double than the white one. When I mixed them together, the color is so beautiful, their shapes look so cute to me, and they look like a little pearl!

The beautiful sunlight is pouring into our kitchen; it is a warm spring time here today, so I like to cook cold quinoa Salad for celebrating the spring time. I have colorful recipes I want to make a bright and colorful quinoa salad just like the spring wild flowers. The recipe ingredients including red pepper, golden grape tomato, black pepper, corn, mushroom, Romania vegetable, sea salt and olive oil. The mix quinoa looks beautiful after cooking; it is just like small blooming flowers. After quinoa cools, combine with red pepper and small yellow tomato in a bowl, I did not add fresh Romania, by the way, I stir fried the Romania, corn, mushroom with olive oil, it will produce veggie juice. After cool, combine with another bowl of quinoa and add some sea salt.

The bright and colorful quinoa salad will look just like a colorful spring flower, it looks like a rainbow !  It is a delicious and healthy dish for the spring and summer time!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Steam Dumplings for Christmas Eve !

It is exciting that I regularly celebrate holidays with family or friends. I always look forward to having holiday meals, so make it a meal to remember. Every holiday meals are the way to show off cooking skills or how you create happy meal with lovely family or friends.

     After had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, my roommate and I decide to have Asian food for Christmas dinner. As she came from Thailand, she wishes I can make dumpling or sour and hot soup to share. Aha! I am good at making dumpling and soup, and I  love them.

     She wants me to teach her how to fold the dumpling, it was funny that she folded them like a "sleeping" dimpling, I like to make a " stand up" shape, which looks better and tasting!

    Making dumplings is not so hard and you can get all needed ingredients from stores: dumpling wrappers, ground pork, etc. To me, the enjoy part is the folding or pleating of dumpling –an acquired skill after practices for many years.
      My hot and sour soup learns from my mom, she has her own recipe, she taught me how to make great soup, I just leave out the pork to make a vegetarian version of hot and sour soup for tonight. Those dumplings and soup are so easy to prepare and quite delicious
 
     My roommate is an expert cake maker. I am lucky to have another different flavor for this special eve. The banana cake with cheese frosting separated tastes great! 
    I am glad I can take this opportunity to share God's love for my roommate, she feels secure with my prayer " leave us nor forsake us. Thank you for the love that holds us together and for always meeting our needs. Draw us closer together through this coming year. We love you and want our time of celebration for as life is not always easy for us, but we know that you are always with us.  Thanks Lord !
    
    


                                                   

Friday, April 6, 2012

Culinary Channel - Mantou (Chinese Steamed Buns)



     When I was younger, I seldom ate mantou, I didn't like it. I started eating mantuo when I was in high school, we  requested to bring mantuo in the drawing class. We used mantou as eraser. Before went to school I stopped by the breakfast store to get two, one was for eraser, one was for eating. You can image that I eating mantou while I were drawing. It was a great memory and fun time for me ! Badly, I forgot who was my teacher ! ^.^
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     Mantou is a Chinese steamed bun, we don't make at home regularly; it's often served in Chinese restaurants or breakfast stores in Taiwan or China. Mantou are often served freshly steamed or deep-fried. The common traditional one made by white flour with milk. Nowday, people love to mix all different ingredients to make more with different flavor.
     I was so happy to make whole wheat steamed mantou last night, I wasn't expected that I could make it. I was just making for fun. I was surprised with the results. It tastes soft and a little sweet, the smell is great !! Here is ingredients to share : whole wheat flour, pastry flour, yeast, baking powder, milk, black sugar and water. This is pretty healthy bread for breakfast its low cost and high nutrition. What flavor I am going to make for the next? Aha! I already have some ideas, can't wait to create colorful steamed buns !