Vegetarian Pâté

Pâté is a cooked paste of meat, poultry, or fish, either baked or steamed in a terrine. This is a French recipe and has become popular throughout the world. Pâté serves as an appetizer with baguette or cracker with cheese. Beef Wellington is one of the well-known dishes and its recipe has pâté as a part of it. I love pâté, but I am not talking about chicken or goose liver pâté. My pâté recipe is created for people who love to eat pâté but want a healthier choice. I use tofu and mushrooms for this recipe, and it has become the most requested from my family and friends.

Ingredients:
16 oz firm tofu, drained
1 lb combination of chopped mushrooms – oyster, baby portabella, button                                                                                
1 leek, the white part, finely chopped
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs cocoa powder
4 tbs powdered milk
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Coconut oil, butter

Directions:
In a sauté pan, heat 1 tbs coconut oil and 1 tbs butter until hot. Add leek, onions and garlic. Stir and cook for a few minutes or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 to 10 minutes on medium heat or until the liquid is cooked down. Season with salt, soy sauce, and black pepper. Remove from heat and mix with tofu. Place tofu and mushroom mixture in a food processor. Add cocoa powder and powdered milk and blend until smooth. Season the pâté again with salt, and spoon into a terrine or earthenware dish, smoothing the surface. Cover with the plastic wrap and steam over high heat for 15 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap. Slice off about 4 tbs butter and place on top of the pâté.

Steamed Salmon and Mushrooms

Steaming is the most delicate and least demanding of all in Asian cooking techniques. Also, while being inherently simple, steaming accomplishes a great deal for healthy choices of cooking. Steaming also preserves the natural flavors of the ingredients. There are three important requirements for the steaming method to achieve excellent results: first, the water should be boiling before the food is placed in the pot so that it is 'seared" immediately with high heat; second, the food should be well above the water level so that the boiling water doesn't bubble over it; third, the steaming pot or pan should be large enough to contain enough water and provide enough space for the steam to circulate around the food. Most cooks should own a bamboo steamer or a large deep pan that could do the trick as a homemade steamer. My recipe using fillets of fish placed onto a baking dish does not require a large pan. I am very happy with this recipe especially for the simple reason that it creates a dish that is healthy and prepared quickly.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz salmon fillets
2 cups of a combination of thinly sliced fresh mushrooms – oyster, shitake, and enoki,
1/2 cup white onions, thinly sliced
2 green onions, cut into 1/2 inch-long shreds
Sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs fresh ginger, minced
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sake
1 tbs mirin (sweet cooking wine)
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs olive oil

Directions:
Place each fish onto the heatproof platter or baking dish. Divide the vegetables equally and place over the fish.
In a small bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients together. Distribute the sauce over the fish.
Place a suitable rack in the center of a wok and fill the pan with boiling water to within 1 inch of the top of the rack. Bring the water to boil again, lower the heat, and place the baking dish on the rack. Cover the wok and steam the fish for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove the fish from the wok and serve.

 

Easy Pound Cake

I always believe that baking is culinary magic. Baking has the reputation of being more difficult than cooking. Mastering this task requires both talent and a love for the process. The great baker is attentive to technique, details, and timing and also the measurement of ingredients is extremely important to make a great cake. Luckily for someone like me, some baking recipes can be learned from a book. The pound cake is an example of what an untalented baker can achieve at home. The true pound cake, which is made with equal weights of each key ingredient, for me, is way too heavy for today's healthy taste. I found this recipe and made some changes for my own taste, and the result is fantastic. I can have a few slices of the cake without feeling guilty.

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour, sifted a few times
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 ½ sticks of butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9” x 5” loaf pan (or line the bottom with wax or parchment paper).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until very creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue to beat for an additional two minutes or until lightened in color. Gradually dribble in the egg mixture (about 1/4 cup at a time). Add all the flour in 3 stages, beating on low speed until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake in the preheat oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the loaf pan.

Fish Stirfry with Teriyaki Sauce

Stirfry is the simple technique used in Asian cooking. Home cooks are eager to lean this method because it is quick and always includes some kind of vegetables. This method starts with the sauce for the dish, such as simply using chicken broth with cornstarch, cooking wine, and soy sauce. I created this recipe to use as little preparation as possible for one primary reason – most people are living in a busy society. Many women have to work to support the family, and they should not have to spent too much of their time just to prepare home-cooked meals for their loved ones. Most grocers now carry well known ready-made sauces to make life easier for women who want to impress her friends.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz tilapia fillets, cut into big chunks
1 tbs dry sherry or shaoxing wine
2 tbs cornstarch
Sauce
1/2 cup brand name teriyaki sauce
2 tbs lime juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbs mirin (sweet cooking wine)
Vegetables
1 cup button mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white onions, thickly sliced
1/2 cup carrots, thickly sliced
1/2 cup green bell peppers, diced

Garnish with chopped cilantro

Directions:
In a bowl, place fish, cooking wine, and cornstarch. Mix well and marinade for 30 minutes.
In another bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
In a sauté pan, heat 2 tbs olive oil. Add the fish and pan-fry until fish are crispy (2 minutes on each side). Remove fish from pan.
In the same pan, stir-fry white onions for a few minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add carrots and mushrooms. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or until wilted. Add green bell peppers and the sauce. Bring to boil. Return the fish back into the boiling sauce. Cook until thickened (about 1 minute). Pour onto a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Sweet Potato Raisin Muffins

This morning, I baked a large sweet potato for my breakfast. I finished just half of it, and the other half I used to make sweet sandwich bread. However, I decided to create a muffin using this leftover mashed potato. Cake mix is the perfect ingredient for this quick, healthy muffin that can be served any time of the day.

Ingredients:
1 cup cake mix
1 cup mashed sweet potato
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs chia seeds gel (1/2 tsp seeds added to 2 tbs water)
2 tbs coconut oil
1 egg
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Put paper liners into 8 muffin tin cups.
Put cake mix, nutmeg, and cinnamon into a small bowl, and set aside.
Place egg, sugar, coconut oil and vanilla into another bowl,  and whisk very well. Stir in milk and chia seeds gel. Whisk with a few strokes. Add mashed sweet potato. Stir until well combined. Add cake mix mixture and raisins. Whisk together until smooth.
Spoon batter into the paper liners to about 2/3 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Let cool.

Salmon Baked with Teriyaki Sauce

I did not post any new recipe in the last few weeks because I was so busy helping my brother prepare entertainment and flower arrangements for his wedding. I am back with this simple, semi-homemade dish to warm up my kitchen. Teriyaki sauce is the most popular sauce used in every Japanese, Chinese, and Korean restaurants. The sweet sauce with a hint of ginger and garlic is easily transformed and used with any kind of dishes. I am using a good store-bought brand teriyaki sauce to save time while preparing this recipe.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz salmon fillets
Sauce
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs mirin (sweet cooking wine)
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 green onions, cut into 3 inches lengths

Directions:
Place each salmon fillet into a baking dish. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Divide the sauce equally and pour over the fish. Marinate the fish for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400° and bake fish for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve.

 

Banana Muffins with Crumbs Topping

Simple banana muffins with crumbs topping are standouts.

Ingredients:
1 cup cake mix
1 large ripe banana, mashed (about 1 cup)
2 tbs sugar
1/3 cup nonfat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 tbs chia seeds gel (1 tsp chia seeds with 1/4 cup water)
2 tbs coconut oil
Crumbs topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbs butter
2 tbs chopped walnuts
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Line 8 muffin tins with muffin tin paper liners and set aside.
Place sugar, chia seeds gel, vanilla, coconut oil, and egg in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Stir in mashed banana and nonfat yogurt. Fold the cake mix into the batter.
Spoon the batter into the paper liners.
In a small bowl, combine crumbs topping ingredients. Top the batter in paper liners with crumbs topping. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until risen, golden, and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool.