Vegetarian Dumplings with a Honey Soy Dipping Sauce recipe

My visit with son and daughter-in-law has given me the opportunity to try out my various vegetarian recipes. This particular recipe is a winner. DIL said that she loves dumplings but rarely finds any vegetarian ones on menus - most have pork or seafood/pork combinations. We were all happy with the culinary results and quickly ate most of the dumplings. Sadly, there were only enough left over for one person's lunch the next day.

I added chopped bean sprouts to this recipe because there were some in the fridge that needed using. What can I say, I rarely make a recipe exactly the way it's written. These dumplings turned out very good.

Vegetarian Dumplings with a Honey Soy Dipping Sauce

Ingredients for the dumplings:
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 carrot grated
1 cup spring onions finely chopped
1 cup cilantro finely chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
Pepper sauce to taste
salt to taste
1 pack thick dumpling skins


Ingredients for *Dipping Sauce:
1 tsp ginger paste or minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 tbsps Honey
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Roasted sesame seeds

Method:
1. Add the chopped cabbage and salt in a bowl and mix well. Set aside for 5 mins.
2. Squeeze excess water out of cabbage and place back into the bowl.
3. Add the chopped mushrooms, grated carrot, chopped spring onions, chopped cilantro, sesame oil, salt and pepper sauce and mix well. Taste and add salt and more pepper sauce if necessary.
6. Take a dumpling skin and place a spoonful of the vegetable mix in the center. Smear water around the edges of the dumpling skin and close. Repeat for as many as needed.
7. Take a pot and add water in it to fill about 1/4 of the pot.
8.Take a steel container smaller than the pot and place folded dumplings in the steel container and place the container into the pot and close the lid.
9. Let the dumplings steam for around 10-15 mins or until cooked and then remove.
10. In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, honey, ginger paste and sesame oil (can be prepared 1 day ahead). Cover and chill. Just before serving stir in sesame seeds.

*Emeril's Honey Soy Dipping Sauce

Spicy Thai Noodles recipe

I am having fun cooking for my son and daughter-in-law while I enjoy my vacation stay at their home. It's so nice to have an appreciative audience for my concoctions.

I came across a very basic Thai noodle recipe that sounded interesting. I made several ingredient changes, added veggies, and changed the pasta type. Why? Because it sounded better that way. Result? It looks nice and tastes pretty dang good.

SPICY THAI NOODLES

Sauce
1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
2 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 dried red pepper, minced
3 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. Thai hot chili sauce, or more to taste

Vegetables
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 small zucchini, cut into fat match sticks
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
8 green onions, washed, trimmed, thinly sliced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro

1 lb. tri-color fettuccine
1/4 c. olive oil

4 tbsp. peanuts, chopped or whole

Whisk peanut butter, lemon juice and soy sauce until well combined. Blend in minced red pepper, sesame oil and chili sauce; set aside.

Lightly saute the carrots, zucchini, and bean sprouts in the oil. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain thoroughly; toss with olive oil. Pour peanut mixture over the noodles; toss to coat. Add sauteed vegetables; toss. Add green onions and cilantro leaves; toss. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and peanuts. Makes 4-6 servings.

Adapted from Cooks.com

Cherry Clafouti recipe

Yesterday I accompanied my daughter to the Farmer's Market at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City. I was amazed at how many people crowded the area until I saw the array of produce. We picked up melons and greens and beets and then I spied the prize - tubs of sweetened pie cherries. The samples had me drooling, so I HAD to buy a large tub of frozen cherries. We eventually lugged our heavy treasures back to the car (we sure could have used a child's wagon!)

Although I could easily eat the entire tub of pie cherries all by myself, I wanted to be able to share them with the rest of the family. Voila! King Arthur Flour Company sent me a French dessert recipe to try.

The recipe is easy: place the fruit in the bottom of the round cake pan. Blend the rest of the short list of ingredients together and pour over the fruit (a stick blender made short work of the process.) Bake.

The cake is custardy and the fruit magnifique! (translation: Yum!!!!)

Cherry Clafouti

This French dessert is traditionally made with fresh cherries. But if you're feeling adventurous, try it with fresh berries, pitted Italian prune plums, or sliced peaches, apples, or pears.

• 3 to 3 1/2 cups Bing Cherries, pitted
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, to garnish the top, optional

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds Bing cherries, pitted
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 8 ounces lukewarm milk
• 1 ounce melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 ounces sugar
• 3 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 ounce toasted sliced almonds, to garnish the top, optional

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a 9" round cake pan.

2) Pit the cherries, and put them into the pan; they should form a single layer that pretty much covers the bottom of the pan.

3) In a blender or food processor, blend the remaining ingredients till smooth and frothy. If you're using a mixer, beat the liquid ingredients, then add the sugar and flour, quickly whisking to combine.

4) Pour the batter over the cherries in the pan.

5) Bake the clafouti on a lower-middle rack of your oven for 20 minutes.

6) Reduce the oven heat to 350°F, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.

7) Remove from the oven, and wait 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

8) Garnish with toasted almonds, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe summary

Hands-on time:

10 mins. to 30 mins.

Baking time:

30 mins. to 35 mins.

Total time:

40 mins. to 1 hrs 5 mins.

Yield:

8 servings.

From Passion to Financial Success - How Do You Get There?

I've been either unemployed or underemployed since moving back home to Hawaii almost a year and a half ago. As I write this posting, I'm in Utah visiting my children. They have asked me to move back to the mainland so I can be closer to them and to my young grandchildren. That would require a job. It would have to be a job that would allow Butterfly and me to live in our own house with some measure of prosperity. So how do I do that when it's been so difficult in Hawaii?

I had always believed that a good education along with dedication and hard work would reward me (or anyone else) with good pay and a job where I could be happy. That hasn't panned out as planned. I have an IT degree, I'm a really excellent certified hypnotherapist, I have years of experience in both fields, I've owned two businesses, I have numerous unusual skills, I'm an entrepreneur at heart and I still haven't made it to financial success. What's wrong with this picture?

I've read that you should do what you are passionate about and the money will follow, so I've started looking at my passions.

The list starts with my children and grandchildren. Family. Healthy living. Making things from scratch. Computers. Books. Learning new skills and ideas. Helping people help themselves. Becoming self-sufficient. Self-improvement. Blogging. STP (Symbolic Transformation Process - the hypnosis technique developed by my clinical partner and yours truly.)

As I look at this list it becomes glaringly obvious that IT work isn't included. In fact, to be honest, I dread going back into IT with its accompanying sky-high stress levels and long work hours. Not a good sign. However, IT work is the best paying work that I've ever had. --sigh--

I love writing this blog about health topics (and recipes - I LOVE cooking). I love the research and writing about the info I've collected. I hope the research is helpful to other like-minded people. It's purely been a labor of love since it hasn't been a money-making proposition.

That points to hypnotherapy. I love working with clients. I love helping people change their minds and lives. I was on my way to success in southern Arizona when I moved to Hawaii. Starting over requires attracting clients again - advertising has not been my finest skill. Writing this article makes me realize that I need more work on myself!

So if anyone out there has any ideas on how to make a living doing any of the things I'm passionate about, please let me know.

Have any of you followed your passions and been financially successful at it? How did you get there?

The following TED video is by Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and teacher at The New England Conservatory of Music. He is passionate about classical music and manages to make his audience feel that passion,too.

So what is YOUR passion?

Easy Egg Rolls recipe

Believe it or not, here's a healthy recipe!

I love egg rolls (or spring rolls as we normally call them at home.) As much as I love egg rolls, I really dislike the hassle of frying them in lots of oil. I hate the spatter, I hate getting burned by spattering oil, and I hate the oily cleanup.

These egg rolls are made with filo pastry purchased from the frozen foods section of almost any large grocery store. After filling the pastry with pre-prepared slaw mix, the rolls are brushed with oil and then BAKED. Easy and yummy.

Easy Egg Rolls
From the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers cookbook
Serves 3
Hands-on Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 20 minutes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger root
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 16-ounce package of slaw mix (about 6 cups)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
Generous pinch of black pepper
6 sheets of filo pastry
About ¼ cup vegetable oil
Duck Sauce (below)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

Warm a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the oil and when it is hot, add the ginger and garlic and sizzle for just a few seconds. Add the slaw, soy sauce, salt, and pepper and stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until the vegetables are hot, coated with oil, and somewhat wilted but not soft. Remove from the heat.

Place the stack of filo sheets on a dry surface with the short sides at the top and bottom. Brush the top sheet lightly with oil. About 3 inches from the bottom edge, spread a generous cup of the wilted slaw in a line parallel to the bottom. Pick 2 sheets at the bottom edge and lift them up and over the filling and roll up. Filo is fragile but forgiving; don’t fret over small rips at the start. Brush the finished roll with oil. Lift it carefully and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this process to make 2 more rolls. Place the rolls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. With a sharp knife, slice the rolls into 4-inch pieces. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

While the egg rolls bake, make the Duck Sauce to serve on the side.

Duck Sauce
Yields ¾ cup
Time: 5 minutes

2/3 cup peach or apricot preserves
2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Store in the refrigerator; it will keep for at least a month.

Doughnut Muffins recipe

Today is July 4th. It's been a beautiful, sunny day - perfect for the beach, so off we went to Haleiwa. The turtles were out in force eating jellyfish and keeping the swimmers safe. Butterfly, our family "fish", was in fishy heaven and swam with her boogie board until the sun was almost down.

We had made all the regular beach foods: spam musubi, potato salad, cole slaw, macaroni salad (Greek-style), salsa and chips. I really wanted something sweet - doughnuts to be exact (I KNOW they aren't health food!) so I tried out the King Arthur Flour recipe for Doughnut Muffins. Oh my! They taste just like cake doughnuts without all the fuss! They are now my favorite, easy to make doughnuts.

Well, the fireworks are beginning, so I'm going out to enjoy the fun.

Hope you enjoy the doughnuts as much as I did!

Doughnut Muffins

Batter
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup milk

Topping
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar Plus or cinnamon sugar

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.
2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.
3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.
4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.
5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.
7) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.
8) Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave).
9) Use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.
10) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.
Yield: 12 muffins.

Funny Dating Advice

I was blog-surfing again today as I did more research on various health topics. I came across a series of very funny dating advice written by Ashok, a young Indian gentleman with definite views of how things should be.

I'm pretty certain it's been written tongue-in-cheek but, especially if he really believes it, this is pretty funny stuff.

About Dating -Advice For Men

You could be doing everything right, and when you decide to compliment her by telling her she is not so bad looking, she explodes for some reason. Probably at that point in her script, she had things a little different. And for some reason, she expects you to read her mind to know just what pleases her. You could even be looking out for her best interest by skipping dessert, and even when you explain that you don’t want her getting any fatter, she explodes.

He ends this piece with the following advice:

Now, having said all that, I will concede that it might be possible that in some cases, the dating thing could just be a good strategy. But, I can’t think of any such case right now.

The following might be his only article that actually offers some good advice, though some are still pretty funny.

Getting A Girl – Ten Clues That She Is Interested In You
1: Eye contact is always number one. If a girl is making eye contact she is interested.
2: Smiling at you. This is often combined with eye contact but it shows more interest.
3: Touching her hair. If a girl is touching her hair she is interested.
4: Posture. If she sits up straighter while looking at you she is showing interest.
5: Head tilt. When girls tilt their heads to one side that shows interest.
6: Touch. If a girl touches your arm while talking to you she is interested.
7: Legs crossed with one leg pointed toward you. Definitely interested!
8: Licking her lips. This is a sure sign she is interested.
9: She sends you a drink. This is an invitation, take her up on it.
10: She moves closer to you. She is letting you know she wants you to get closer too.

He moves on to dating advice for women. Apparently this advice worked well for his mother's generation and what was good enough for her...

How To Get The Guy -What Every Girl Needs to Know!
1. Be pretty.
2. Learn to cook well.
3. Be ready and willing to clean.

Next is the funniest advice of all.

Attention Women! Know Your Limits!

What I want to share here is some advice for you women, to help make your relationships with men not just work, but thrive.

Since Ashok didn't appear to be getting too far in his endeavors in finding a suitable woman, he turned to online dating to finally find the woman that matched his expectations:
Online Dating – Meeting the Indian Girl of My Dreams

Hope you enjoyed that bit of insanity. Have a joyous Fourth of July celebration!

Lessons Learned While Working at Slave Labor

Being unemployed was awful. Being underemployed is not much better but at least we get to live indoors and some bills get paid.

I've been working as a night stocker at Hickham and Pearl Harbor commissaries for the last several months. Good things about the job: I've lost weight because of the physical labor; I'm getting stronger; I now understand what it takes to get a store ready for customers; I've met some really terrific people. Bad things about the job: It's sweaty, physical labor that I was certainly not used to; I get paid 35¢ per carton unpacked -- that translates to about $3 per hour. I'd make more if I was stocking large items such as cartons of juice, but I'm unpacking health and beauty aids like aspirin and vitamins. Those dang things are wrapped in enough plastic to gift wrap a car. It takes so much time to wrestle the items out of their protective coatings of plastic and then line them up on the shelves that the idea of making a decent wage is nigh impossible. Gotta get a real job...

I've learned some important ideas on this job:
1. It's important to recognize the things that are done well rather than only point out the things that need improving.
2. As important as praise is, a decent, livable wage is even more so.
3. Clear, written instructions save everyone wasted time and lessen miscommunication.
4. Job training cuts down on wasted effort.
5. Sharing time-saving shortcuts with the employee lessens frustration and improves performance.
6. A manager's job SHOULD include mentoring the employee
7. Employees are valuable assets that make money for the employer. They are NOT slaves to be taken advantage of.
8. Making money at the expense of the employee is unethical.
9. Poor people aren't lazy; most of the poor people I know work their a***s off. (This is in regards to stupid quotes from stupid public personalities:

"You know, people are poor in America ... not because they lack money; they're poor because they lack values, morals and ethics. And if government can't teach and instill that, we're wasting our time simply giving poor people money." — Radio personality Bill Cunningham

"[Y]ou gotta look people in the eye and tell 'em they're irresponsible and lazy .... Because that's what poverty is, ladies and gentlemen. In this country, you can succeed if you get educated and work hard. Period. Period." — FOX News host Bill O’Reilly

)

One of my goals is to become an employer. I swear I'll do a better job than any of the employers that I've worked for. Maybe THAT'S the take-away lesson from this experience.

Bad employers are another really good reason to be an entrepreneur.