Stir-Fried Vegetarian Rice Stick Noodle

This was our first time trying the Jianxi rice stick and to be honest, I don't think it is suitable for stir-fry because the noodle is soft and not the chewy kind.  So, it would disintegrate when stir-frying.  The above picture is still fine but when I tried to heat up the leftover the next day by stir-frying it (trying to cut down on microwave usage by heating food up the traditional way), the noodle really broken out into smaller pieces.  Next time I would use this rice stick noodle in soup or as a cold dish.

My vegetarian rice stick noodle, again trying to incorporate as many different colors superfood as possible.

Gluten Free Almond Flaxseed Coconut Cookies

What to do with the almond meal in my refrigerator that I got from making almond milk right?  I wanted to make a gluten free cookie but it also has to be healthy and delicious.  So, I had to play with what I have in my pantry and freezer and came out with this idea and combination.  Luckily this cookie turned out delicious so that I would be able to share the recipe with you all.  It would be a keeper for me as well as I would definitely make this again!

This would make such a great gift to those healthy conscious or gluten free teachers at school!!   Christmas is approaching and this cookie will serve well to the gluten free guests or as a gift to your gluten free friends and relatives.

Soft, chewy and packed with goodness!  Not to say yummilicious!!  Sooo good, you got to try it and feedback to me ya!  And if you do a blog post, remember to link back to my original recipe and credit me, that would be much appreciated.   It's a joy to share the recipe that I created and I love reading feedback but I also want to be credited for my effort. *wink*

Dairy Free Whole Wheat Buns

Just like the name implied, with the success of dairy-free buns, I was experimenting it with whole wheat flour.  It turned out well, still soft but not as soft as the dairy-free buns.  If you shape it big, it will be a hamburger bun, if you shape it small, it will be the dinner bun, just however way you like it.

This bun will turn soggy if you sandwich it with condiment sauces for too long.  So, not suitable for lunchbox.  It is good if you just make it and eat it right away.

Bitter Gourd with Eggs

Bitter food is healthy food especially bitter gourd.  If your body feels heaty, bitter gourd will be recommended to you because it is a very cooling food.  But because it is bitter, I hardly ever buy it because my husband is a picky eater and I am not sure how well it will fair with my girls.

One day, while I was shopping at the Asian supermarket, the bitter gourd that I saw just looked so fresh and inviting that it was calling me to pick it up.  A Chinese chef that I knew told me to pick bitter gourd that has wide ridges, then it won't be that bitter.  I also sprinkled it with sea salt, hoping that some bitterness would come out as well.  Additionally, I took the safer route to fry it with eggs as my husband and girls all loved eggs, and would probably eat anything that contains eggs.

The result:  They all finished it.  My girls did complain that it is bitter, but I told them that's why it is good for you and eat them up and so they did.  Maybe I should also blanch it first to make it even less bitter?

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

What I did when I have some sweet potatoes at home?  Dump it into curry, turn it into fries and make a Chinese sweet dessert soup with it.

Since I don't really do deep-frying these days, I chose to bake it.  Baking it also easier as I don't have to fry them in batches, less time consuming, less messy (no oil spattering every way) and also easy clean up.  It might not be as crispy as the deep-fried one, but suit our family just fine.
 

Homemade Almond Milk and Almond Meal

 

When I learned that almond milk is actually very easy to make, I wanted to make it at home.  Problem is I have to wait until the raw almond is on sales so that I can stock up.  If not, making the almond milk at home can be more expensive that buying the non-GMO Silk's almond milk.  The above is what I made with 1 cup of raw almonds, it only lasted for two days.  Only my two girls have a small glass of almond milk with Milo in the morning and my husband and I only use it in our morning coffee, so frankly we don't drink a lot of milk to begin with.  We drink water throughout the day, milk is just for breakfast.  I can certainly stretch my dollar by adding more water.  I saw that some add up to 8 or 10 cups of water per 1 cup of almonds.  That would be cheaper than buying but to me it would be very diluted.  I used 3 cups of water and I still find it quite bland when compared to store-bought (the next time I would try 4 cups and stretch it to 3 days).  Nevertheless, nothing beat homemade as the ingredients are only water and almonds.  Store-bought one added a lot more stuff in their ingredients list which I would gladly avoid if I can.  

If you like, you can actually season your almond milk with sea salt, raw honey, agave, pure vanilla extract, dates, etc.  But I just want to keep mine plain.  Homemade almond milk does separate, so shake well before use.  Or if you can afford it, I think 1 cup of raw almonds to 2 cup of water is the best ratio.