Braised Chinese Mushrooms with Bok Choy

 Ingredients

• 2½ ounces small dried Chinese Mushrooms (70 grams)
• 10 ounces Shanghai baby bok choy (280 grams, bottoms trimmed and split in half lengthwise)
• 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1½ tablespoons regular soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (use vegetarian oyster sauce to keep the dish vegan)
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon sesame oil
• ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)

Instructions

• Place the dried Chinese mushrooms into a medium bowl, and pour 2-3 cups of hot water over them. Place a plate over the bowl so the mushrooms are completely submerged. Because the mushrooms are small, they should reconstitute quickly. After 15 minutes, cut off the stems of the mushrooms and return them to the water to soak for another 15 minutes.
• Wash your cut Shanghai bok choy in a large bowl of water so the vegetables are fully submerged. Agitating or stirring the vegetables in the water will release any dirt or sand. Repeat this process another 2 times or as necessary, until the water is clean and there is no sand or dirt at the bottom of the bowl.
• After your mushrooms are done soaking, transfer to a plate and gently squeeze out the excess water. Set the mushrooms and the soaking
  water aside.
• Bring 6 cups of water, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Blanch the Shanghai bok choy for 40 seconds, stirring occasionally. They should be just wilted and bright green. Scoop out the bok choy into a bowl and pour 2 cups of cool water over them. The water will stop the cooking process, but you don’t want your veggies to be ice cold, so pour the bok choy into a colander right after they’ve been submerged in the cool water. Drain.
• Next, arrange the bok choy into a circle around a large serving plate, with a space in the middle for the mushrooms.
• Now, heat your wok over medium high heat. Spread 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil around the perimeter. Add the finely minced garlic and mushrooms, and stir fry for 10 seconds. Stir in the Shaoxing wine.
• Next, carefully pour the mushroom soaking water into the wok, making sure that you don’t pour any sediment from the bowl into the wok.
• While the liquid comes up to a simmer, add ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1½ tablespoons regular soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce, 1½ teaspoons sugar, ⅛ teaspoon sesame oil, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper. Stir until combined, and turn the heat down to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Next, mix the cornstarch slurry and slowly pour it into the sauce while stirring constantly. After letting the mushrooms cook for an additional minute, taste the sauce. If needed, re-season with more soy sauce, sugar, or oyster sauce to your own preference. Add more hot water if the sauce is too thick or more cornstarch slurry if the sauce is too thin. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon.
• Transfer the mushrooms and sauce to the center of your cooked Shanghai baby bok choy, and serve this Braised Chinese Mushrooms with Bok Choy immediately for best results!

Best Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour (or plain flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, (add more if desired)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment paper (baking paper).

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, white sugar, butter and vegetable oil. Beat in egg and vanilla until fully incorporated.

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir the dry ingredients first before mixing them through the wet ingredients until a dough forms (do not over beat). Fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop out 1-2 tablespoonful of dough with a cookie scoop (or small ice cream scoop), and place onto prepared baking sheets. Press them down as thick or thin as you want your cookies to come out. 

Bake in hot preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will come out soft from the oven but will harden up as they cool. (Be careful not to over bake as they will dry out.)

Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.

EASY GARLIC LEMON THYME CHICKEN

 INGREDIENTS

 1/4 cup olive oil

 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

 4 garlic cloves, grated/minced

 1 tablespoon dried thyme

 1 teaspoon salt

 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag.* Add chicken pieces; seal bag and turn to coat. Place in refrigerator and marinate for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450-degrees F.

Arrange chicken, skin side down, in a single layer in an oven-proof skillet, baking dish or pan. Pour marinade over chicken.

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, turn chicken to skin side up and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Cloud Bread

 Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of corn starch
• 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of sugar

How to:

1. preheat oven to 350
2. lightly whisk egg whites till they get slightly frothy
3. slowly fold in sugar
4. slowly fold in corn starch
5. beat till stiff peaks appear
6. add food color if desired
7. bake for 25 min

Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Source: https://themodernproper.com/print/lasagna-stuffed-zucchini-boats-1 1/1

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground chicken
• 1 Red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Jar marinara sauce
• 8 oz Ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 Cupsfresh spinach, chopped
• 4 Cloves garlic
• 1 Egg
• 2 tbsp Flat leaf parsley, minced, divided
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 4 Medium zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise, centers
• scooped out
• 8 oz Fresh mozzarella,sliced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• Red pepper flakes, optional

How to:

1. Heat your oven to 375° F.
2. In a large skillet, brown the ground chicken until no pink remains. Stir in 3/4 of the pasta
3. sauce and bell pepper. Let simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, gently mix the ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, egg, 1 tablespoon of parsley, salt
5. and pepper until thoroughly incorporated.
6. Slice zucchini lengthwise and carefully scoop out the center with a spoon to create a shell or
7. boat. Place zucchini skin side down in a baking dish.
8. Fill each zucchini with equal amounts of the chicken mixture. en dollop the ricotta mixture
9. on top of the chicken. Place a few thin sliced of fresh mozzarella on each zucchini half. Spread
10. the remaining pasta sauce over the zucchini boats and top with 1/2 of the parmesan cheese.
11. Bake 35 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cheese is bubbly.
12. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of parsley and parmesan cheese.

Charred Tomato & Ricotta Toasts

 Ingredients:

• 1 clove carlic
• 10 grape tomatoes
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• pinch of chili flakes
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 1/2 oz walnuts
• 5 teaspoons basalmic glaze
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

1

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry all produce.

2

Peel and grate or mince garlic. Halve tomatoes; toss on a baking sheet with half the garlic, a large drizzle of olive oil, and pinch of salt and pepper. Roast on top rack until tomatoes are lightly charred, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Carefully wipe off sheet with paper towels.

3

Meanwhile, pick parsley leaves from stems; mince leaves. Mince chives. In a second medium bowl, combine ricotta, half the Parmesan (save the rest for serving), and half the minced herbs. Season with salt and a pinch of chili flakes to taste.

4

In a small bowl, combine remaining garlic and a large drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Brush one side of each slice of sourdough with garlic oil. Place on baking sheet used for tomatoes. Bake on top rack until toasted, 4-5 minutes total.

5

Remove sheet from oven; add walnuts to same sheet. (TIP: If sourdough is done at this point, remove from sheet.) Return to oven until walnuts are toasted, 2-3 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop walnuts.

6

Divide toasts between plates; spread with herby ricotta. Evenly top with tomatoes, walnuts, and remaining Parmesan. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and chili flakes to taste. Drizzle with as much balsamic glaze as you like and serve.

No-Bake Layered Blueberry Cheesecake (Gluten Free, Paleo + Vegan)

 Ingredients

For the crust

• ½ cup raw pecans
• ½ cup almond flour
• 2 pitted dates
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the cheesecake

• 2 cups raw cashews soaked in cold water for at least four hours or preferably overnight (see Notes)
• ½ cup canned coconut milk shaken
• ¼ cup coconut oil melted and cooled (use refined coconut oil if you want no coconut flavor)
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• ¼ cup freeze-dried blueberries

For the blueberry layer

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries thawed, if frozen
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Instructions

Grease a 6” springform pan with coconut oil, or line an 6” cake pan with strips of parchment paper for easy removal, and grease well with coconut oil. Set aside.

Add the pecans, almond flour, pitted dates, coconut oil, cinnamon and salt to a food processor or high-powered blender and pulverize until it comes together into a sort of sticky dough, with small pecan bits remaining. Don’t over process, or it’ll turn into nut butter! Press the pecan date dough evenly along the bottom of the prepared pan.

In the same food processor or high-powered blender (no need to wash between - I used my Vitamix, but most powerful blenders should do the job), combine all of the filling ingredients except for the freeze dried blueberries and blend for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as necessary. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk or lemon juice to get it to blend smoothly if your blender isn’t super high-powered.

Once it’s smooth, taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness/tartness levels by adding more maple syrup, vanilla, or lemon juice, if desired.

Pour 2/3 of the filling into the prepared pan over the pecan crust. Smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place in the freezer.

Add the freeze dried blueberries to the remaining batter and blend to incorporate. Spread over the plain layer. Return to the freezer.

Rinse out the blender, and add the fresh blueberries, lemon juice and chia seeds to it. Blend until smooth, and then pour over the other layers.

Place in the freezer to set for at least 3 hours or until completely firm before slicing and serving. I recommend running your knife under hot water to warm it up before cutting the cheesecake with the still-hot (dried) knife.

Serve frozen or let them thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Notes

You can also cover the cashews in very hot/boiling water and let them sit for about an hour if you want to speed up the process - it won't be quite as creamy, but it will do the trick!