Asian Lettuce Wraps

This is one of our favorite appetizers from Chinese and Thai restaurants but I'd never tried it at home for some reason. Now I will admit that the first recipe I found on the internet was one of the most convoluted, complicated processes I'd ever seen, and it could have scared off anyone - but that didn't deter me for long since we were craving these! As usual, I researched all the versions and put them together to suit us. This is very versatile and therefore great for using what's in your fridge.

For serving:
bib lettuce, or another soft lettuce, washed and leaves separated
sliced green onions
thin, crispy rice noodles

For filling:
1/2 C celery
1/2 C onion
1/2 C green and hot peppers - combination depends on how much heat you like
1-2 Tbs. peanut oil
Saute the vegetables in the oil in a large pan until they have started to soften.

1 lb. chicken breast meat, chopped or ground
small eggplant, peeled and chopped (optional, but gave a nice texture)
one can of water chestnuts, chopped
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Add the chicken, eggplant, water chestnuts, and ginger to the vegetables, and drizzle the sesame oil over all. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

1/4 - 1/2 C sesame/ginger salad dressing
1-2 Tbs. soy sauce
1-2 tsp. cornstarch
To finish the filling, add the dressing to the pan, then dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce and add that to the pan as well. Stir well and cook until the filling is thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Fill the lettuce pieces with the filling and top with the onions and noodles. Fold the lettuce over the filling, a little like a burrito or a taco shell. We had these with steamed dumplings and called it a meal - a delicious meal!

Baked Bean Soup with Ham

Yes indeed, this is not a picture of baked bean soup! I decided that would be a rather boring photo, and besides these individual bean pots are so cute that I put them on my wish list! You can get them if you click on the photo or the link. This recipe had it's start from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook, but it was greatly transformed in our kitchen since it's a vegetarian recipe and the ham addition would not be welcome! It tasted great and I'll try my best to include all the changes I made, but keep sampling it and make it taste the way your family likes baked beans!

2 C chopped onions
1/2 C diced celery
1 C diced carrots
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. chili powder
3 tsp. Dijon or German mustard
2 C chicken stock
1 - 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes and juice (I used my homemade stewed tomatoes)
2- 15.5 oz. can white beans or pinto beans, or a combo, drained
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs. molasses
1-2 Tbs. brown sugar or another natural sweetener like sucanat
1 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. catsup
3-4 Tbs. tomato paste
1 C diced ham
several drops liquid smoke
ground pepper to taste

In a soup pot, saute the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add the chili powder and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and gently simmer for about 15 minutes. Season with pepper to taste. An optional step is to use a hand held blender and puree the soup slightly to thicken it.

Alternately, this can be cooked in a crock pot. I did this for a ladies' soup and salad dinner, sauteing the vegetables first, then adding everything else to the crock pot and cooking the soup for about 4 hours on high and 2 hours on low. I think it gave it a nice flavor, like you'd get from the long cooking of baked beans. The ladies all enjoyed it!

Another Coleslaw Recipe?

I couldn't help myself! We're still getting 2nd generation cabbages from the garden, which are plants that grow on the same plant that's already been harvested once, so it's impossible to ignore such bounty! So, this one is a little different twist, though still using cranberries and nuts. It's delicious and we'll have it after church tomorrow, alongside BBQ ribs from the crock pot - if I remember to turn it on at 6:00 in the morning!

1 small head cabbage, sliced, shredded or chopped
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 c chopped raw cashews

Combine in a large bowl.


Dressing:

1/2 C mayo
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2Tbs. real maple syrup
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. pepper

Whisk together well, and pour over cabbage mixture. Combine gently and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before it's served.

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

This salad is fantastic with seafood! We often have loads of little tomatoes ripen at the same time, and since they aren't the best to can, I try to come up with salads that will set off their distinct flavors. This salad, and the dressing, could easily be transformed into a more Italian flavored dish, by using a traditional Italian vinaigrette, using Parmesan cheese in place of the Feta, and substituting fresh basil for the parsley in the salad.

Salad:
2 C chopped yellow pear tomatoes, or any other tomato you prefer
1 C whole cherry tomatoes
1 small cucumber, sliced thinly
1/4 - 1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbs. fresh, chopped parsley
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour vinaigrette over the salad and let marinate for 15-30 minutes before serving.

Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 -2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (depends on how tart your lemon is)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Greek seasoning, or a combination of oregano and thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix all together in a small bowl and combine thoroughly with a whisk, or mix in a shaker jar.