shanflan1

Somen-y dishes, so little time!

Sōmen is thin wheat noodle of Japanese invention, normally served cold but just as tasty warm. This quick dish is lightly seasoned and can be completed in under 30 minutes for you busy people!


Ingredients (serves 4)

• 270g of of Organic Sōmen noodles
• 200g of tofu marinated in Teriyaki sauce, sliced into half inch pieces
• 4-8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• half a red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 small carrot, julienned
• half a red pepper/capsicum, sliced thinly
• 2 bunches of fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped
• 1 handful of arugula/rocket
• a generous dash of white pepper
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or more to taste)
• Toasted black sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Cook Somen noodles in boiling water for 6 minutes (or as instructed)
2. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside
3. In a large wok, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on high heat
4. Toss red onion and garlic in oil for 1 minute
5. Add in the carrot, red peppers, Somen and toss for 3 minutes until warmed through
6. Turn off heat, stir in white pepper, sesame oil, coriander, rocket, and soy sauce
7. Top with teriyaki tofu
8. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds before serving (optional)

My fun weekend plans:

This past Saturday morning, I woke up, packed as much as I could into my little blue car, and drove to my cousin’s house…

22 hours away.

I knew I’d be without my baking supplies but wanted to publish at least one Halloween-themed recipe before the holiday this year. Therefore, last Friday afternoon became Halloween in my Texas kitchen.

Can you guess which popular candy bar inspired these cupcakes?

Candy Bar Cupcakes

(makes 12)

Cupcake Base:

• 1 cup spelt or all-purpose flour (130g) (Arrowhead Mills gf also works.)
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder (30g) (not Dutch)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup xylitol or sugar of choice (180g)
• 1/2 cup mayo-style spread, such as Vegenaise (Or you can use this chocolate cupcake recipe.)(120g)
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp water (185g)

Preheat oven to 350 F and place 12 cupcake liners inside a cupcake pan. In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients. Sift very well. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining three ingredients and whisk until the mayo spread is completely smooth. Pour wet into dry and stir until just combined. Immediately divide the batter among the cupcake liners—it won’t seem like a lot of filling, but these cupcakes rise a lot. Bake 21 minutes, then let sit 15 minutes before removing from the pan. These taste ten times more chocolatey and rich the next day, so bake the cupcakes the day before eating if possible. Store in the refrigerator.

Date Caramel:

• 120g pitted dates (jam-packed 2/3cup, or about 17 small dates)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• level 1/4 plus 1/16 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk of choice
• optional, for richer sauce: 2 tsp vegetable or melted coconut oil

Blend the dates in a food processor until they’re completely broken up. (I like SunMaid dates, because they’re much softer.) Add all other ingredients and blend thoroughly until the sauce is completely smooth. Please blend the dates first or it will splatter! I used a smaller food processor for this, so if your food processor is much bigger you can double the recipe for smoother blending. Poke a hole in each cupcake and stuff with 2-3 tsp filling.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter or allergy-friendly alternative (110g)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar or Sugar Free Powdered Sugar (30g)
• 1/4 cup milk of choice (add 1-2 extra tbsp if using natural peanut butter)

Beat all ingredients together until completely smooth, using hand beaters if you have them. (If you must, you can stir everything together with a fork using maximum effort and patience. A Magic Bullet will also work.) Spread about a tbsp of frosting on each cupcake. You will most likely have leftover date caramel and frosting, but it’s a good idea to make the full recipes for smoothest blending. Top the cupcakes with chopped peanuts if desired.

View Nutrition Facts

Question of the Day:

Do you like to drive?

The only time I enjoy driving is on quiet, long and winding roads without a single car in front of me… bonus points if I’m in a convertible. Otherwise, if someone else offers to take the wheel I will happily relinquish the keys. Link of the Day:

…..237 Healthy Chocolate Recipes

Today is NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY!