Vegetarian Gumbo

* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup flour
* 1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
* 1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
* 3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
* 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
* 2 cups fresh or frozen green beans
* 3 carrots, sliced (2 cups)
* 1 parsnip, diced (1 cup)
* 1 cup fresh or frozen sliced okra, optional
* 1 Tbs. ground cumin
* 1 Tbs. paprika
* 1 Tbs. dried oregano
* 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Stir together oil and flour in Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot until smooth. Cook over high heat 10 minutes, or until roux turns a dark caramel color, stirring constantly.
2. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Stir in all remaining ingredients and 4 cups water. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 40 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Serve over rice.

Soba with Hijiki & Stir Fry Veggies

1/4 cup Hijiki, soaked for 30 minutes, drained
3.5 tbspn soy sauce
2 tspn sugar
6 ounces soba
1.5r tbspn peanut oil
1 bunch scallions, whites thinly sliced, greens sliced diagonally
4 tspn chopped fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 carrots, juliennce strips
5 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
Salt
1 tbspn rice wine mirin
4 cups Napa cabbage, sliced
2 tspn dark sesame oil
2 tbsp seasame seeds, toasted
Chili Oil

-Put hijiki in a saucepan with 2 tbspn soy sauce, sugar, and water to cover. Simmer for 15 minutes or until soft, drain, reserve liquid.
-Cook the soba in boiling water until tender, 5-7 minutes. When the water foams up, add a cup of cold water to bring it down, repeat if necessary. Drain & raise well under running water.
-Place the peanut oil in a wok and heat until hot but short of smoking. Add the white parts of the scallions, giner, and garlic and stir-fry over high heat for a minute. Add the carrots, mushrooms cook another minute, then add 1/2 tspn salt, the remaining soy sauce, and the mirin. Toss, then cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add the soba, cabbage and most of the hijiki and toss until noodles are heated through. Turn off heat and toss with dark sesame oil & sesame seeds. Garnish with remaining hijiki, scallion greens and drops of chili oil to taste.

Vermicelli Noodles with Thai Sauce

1 lb dried rice vermicelli
4 oz tofu
1 Tbspn Red Curry Paste
2 oz fresh galangal or gingerroot, peeled and chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 tspn salt
1 1/4 cup hot water
2 tspn palm sugar or light brown sugar

To garnish:
cilantro
red chili, finely sliced
Snow Peas

- Soak the vermicelli in a bowl of hot water for 15-20 minutes
-fry up the tofu. Add curry paste, galangal or ginger, coconut milk, and salt in a food processor and smooth. Add the hot water and mix again.
-Pour mixture from blender into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the sugar. Cook another 3-4 minutes.
-drain the vermicelli and transfer to a bowl, pour over the sauce, garnish with chopped cilantro, tofu Snow Peas and red chili. Serve

Coconut Rice

1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1/2 tspn turmeric
1 1/2 cups basmati rice, washed and drained
8 small onions, roughly chopped
black peppercorns
1 tspn salt

To Garnish:
fine strips of scallion
slivers of toasted fresh coconut

-put the coconut milk in a saucepan, stir in the turmeric, then add the rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

-add the onions, peppercorns, and salt to the pan and simmer gently for another 10 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Careful not to let the rice burn!!

-Serve with Garnish, yum!

Green Curry with Straw Mushrooms

1 1/4 cup coconut milk
3 Tbsp Green Curry Paste
1 1/4 cup Vegetable Stock
4 small round eggplants, cut in rounds
any other vegetables you like
4 shallots
3 Tbsp palm sugar or light brown sugar
bamboo shoots
1 tspn salt
4 tspn vegetarian nam pla (fish sauce) or soy sauce
1 oz krachai or 3 inch piece of fresh galangal, peeled and sliced
14 oz can straw mushrooms, drained
1/4 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

Garnish:
handful of fresh basil
2 tbsp coconut milk


-heat the coconut milk in a saucepan, add the curry paste, and stir. Add the stock and then teh eggplants, sugar, salt, nam pla or soy sauce, krachai or galangal, shallots, bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the bell pepper, reduce the heat and cook for a few minutes more.

Serve in a bowl, garnished with basil and drizzled with coconut milk.

Spicy Thai Green Papaya Salad

* 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
* 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
* 1/4 cup minced shallot
* 3 Thai bird chiles or Serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
* 3 tablespoons coconut-palm sugar or golden cane sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 2 medium-large green papayas, peeled, seeds removed, and shredded or julienned (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
* 2 carrots, peeled and shredded or julienned
* 2 tablespoons chiffonade fresh mint leaves
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus 1/3 cup leaves, for garnish
* 1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts, for garnish

Directions

In a blender combine the lime juice, fish sauce, shallot, chiles, sugar and garlic and blend until smooth. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Combine the papayas, carrots, mint leaves and chopped cilantro. Add the dressing and toss to combine thoroughly. Garnish with the cilantro leaves and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

Hawaiian Style Carrot Cake

Taken from: A Taste of Aloha

This cake is one of my all time favs...super yummy!
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups veg oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 (7 ounce) can crushed pineapple undrained
2 cups grated carrots
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped nuts if you like 'em

Frosting:
2 packages of cream cheese
1 lb of powdered sugar
Dash of Vanilla Extract
Some toasted coconut to sprinkle on top (just put a tiny bit of butter in a pan and saute with coconut until browned.

Preheat oven to 350. Cream eggs, sugar and oil. Continue beating and add vanilla, pineapple, carrots. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Sift a couple of times. Beat dry mix into wet, slowly. Add nuts, mix well. Pour into greased pan, bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool. Top with frosting and then coconut. ENJOY!!!