Okonomiyaki -- Japanese savory vegetable pancake

This is a better recipe than the other one 

 
Okonomiyaki

From Budget Bytes

 
Ingredients

PANCAKES

• 2 extra large eggs
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3/4 to 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 4-5 cups shredded green cabbage 
• 1 carrot 
• 3 green onions
• 2 Tbsp oil for frying  
• Jalapeno, thinly sliced or shredded (if desired but we adults like this)
  

POSSIBLE TOPPINGS:

 

Okonomiyaki Sauce 

2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp kecap manis or sweet soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce for this)
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp rice vinegar

Sirracha mayo

Plain Mayo

Fried egg
dried seaweed strips
scallions and coriander/cilantro (all optional)

sliced green onions

sesame seeds

1. To make the okonomiyaki sauce, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Instructions for Okonomiyaki

• Remove any wilted leaves from the outside of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Thinly slice or shred half of the cabbage, or until you have 4-5 cups shredded cabbage. Peel the carrot and shred it using a large-holed cheese grater. Slice the green onions.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, soy sauce, and sesame oil until smooth. Begin whisking in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it forms a thick, smooth batter (about 3/4 to1 cup total flour).
• Add the cabbage, carrots, and green onion to the batter and stir until the vegetables are mixed and everything is evenly coated in batter.
• Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 3/4 cup of the vegetable and batter mixture. Press it down into the hot skillet to form a circle, about 6 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Place a cover on the skillet to hold in the steam, which will help the cabbage soften as it cooks. Cook the pancake until golden brown on the bottom (3-5 minutes), then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side. Pile the cooked pancakes on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm until ready to eat. Add more oil to the skillet as needed as you cook the pancakes.
• To prepare sriracha mayo, mix together 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp sriracha in a small bowl. Drizzle the sriracha mayo over the pancakes just before serving, followed with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onion.

 
5. Transfer the pancake to a plate, and add your toppings – drizzle over your okonomiyaki along with some mayonnaise and a scatter of dried seaweed. Top with a scatter of scallions and coriander.

Ina Garten has been on fire lately with lots of pantry recipes. This one was quite good! Too much salt in the original recipe but I have reduced it here.

From barefoot contessa

Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes

• Good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 cups (½-inch) diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
• 1 cup French green lentils (7 ounces)
• 2 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon good red wine vinegar

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Meanwhile, place the tomatoes, including the juice, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse several times until the tomatoes are roughly chopped. (Don't need to do this -- can just break them up with your hands)

Add the tomatoes, lentils, chicken stock, curry, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the pot.   Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender.  Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon and check to be sure the liquid is simmering.  (I pull the pot halfway off the burner to keep it simmering.) Remove from the heat and allow the lentils to sit covered for another 10 minutes.  Stir in the vinegar, check the seasonings, serve hot or warm.

Protips: Garlic burns easily so you want to cook it for only a minute.

To remove thyme leaves from the stem, run your fingertips down the stem from top to bottom and the leaves will fall off.

 

spinach muffins

These muffins have 2 cups of spinach and Kiran begged for a third one!

From Jenn

Spinach Muffins

1 cup sliced ripe banana (about 2 small or one medium/large)

2 cups lightly packed spinach

3/4 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened plain nondairy)

1/4 cup honey or sugar

2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter OR neutral oil OR plain yogurt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup flour

Mini chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a muffin tin. 

2. Place all wet ingredients into a blender (not flour and chocolate chips). 

3. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowls as needed. You want the greens to be very finely blended in so the batter is green.

4. Pulse in the flour just to combine, or stir it in gently.

5. Pour batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 cup full. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if using.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch and lightly browned around the edges. (You can also check to see if a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.)

7. Remove from the oven and use a paring knife, if needed, to transfer to a wire rack to cool.

8. Serve slightly warm, at room temp, or chilled.

9. You can store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days and eat cold or slightly warmed. Or store in a zip top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature.

Vegan Pad Kee Mao

We all really liked this recipe including the kids!! So I don't want to lose it.

Pad Kee Mao 'Drunken noodles'⁣⁣ adapted from an Instagram recipe by @woon.heng 🧡 
Ingredients (yields 2-3 servings)⁣⁣ ⁣(NOTE: DOUBLE this recipe for 5 of us including Zoey)
  
~ 1lb fresh flat rice noodles (separate noodles to loosen them up)⁣⁣⁣
~ 1/2 package sliced fried tofu or pan-fried firm tofu⁣⁣⁣~ 4 cups mixed vegetables, thinly sliced, such as: bell peppers, onions, carrots, Chinese broccoli, regular broccoli, etc. 
~ 3 shallots⁣⁣, minced
~ 3 cloves garlic⁣⁣
~ 2 cups packed Thai basil⁣⁣ (1/2 bunch)
~ 3 chopped chili⁣⁣⁣ (I left this out for kids)
~ 1 teaspoon chili flakes plus more for garnish⁣⁣ (I left this out for kids)
~ oil & salt to taste⁣⁣⁣
~ lime juice⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
🍃Sauce (whisk all in a bowl):⁣⁣⁣
~ 2 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari⁣⁣
~ 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce⁣⁣
~ 4 tablespoons sweet & sour sauce⁣ (I found this in a Chinese grocery store, it said it was a japanese dipping sauce)
~ dash of white pepper⁣⁣⁣

1. In a heated pan on high heat with 3 teaspoons of oil, saute vegetables until cooked through. Remove vegetables and set aside with the sliced tofu.

2. Add 3 more teaspoons oil to pan, sauté shallots & garlic until fragrant. Then, add in tofu and vegetables, rice noodles & sauce. Stir-fry continuously so noodles are all coated with sauce.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
3. Stir in Thai basil, chili, chili flakes (if using) and toss until well combined. Season to your preference & add splashes of water, if needed. Serve warm with some lime juice. ⁣⁣⁣

*If your rice noodles appear hard to separate: place noodles in a microwaveable bowl covered with damp paper towel & heat for 2 mins. This will help soften noodles.

the best banana bread

This one is it

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

Thanksgiving recipes to save

Thanksgiving recipes:

Baked tofu -- easy but only OK
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/homemade-baked-tofu

Stuffing:
(USE 1/2 salt):
https://www.food.com/recipe/betty-crockers-classic-bread-turkey-stuffing-44938

To make very good mashed winter squash, cut in wedges, roast in oven at 350 until soft, then mash.

Mushroom gravy:

-- 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms (crimini is our favorite, white would work also)
 -- butter
-- 1 shallot, minced
-- 2 cups water
-- a little soy sauce
-- 1 teaspoon better than bullion veggie stock mix
-- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
-- 2 Tablespoons flour
-- salt
-- pepper

1. heat up some butter in another big fry pan or sauce pan. Put the mushrooms in the pan and fry and stir until they are brown on both sides. This takes a while, maybe 15 minutes?

2. When the mushrooms are almost done, add in the shallots and let those cook. Maybe another 5 minutes.

3. When the shallots are cooked, add in the soy sauce and thyme let it cook down.

4. Add in the water, stock, and bring to a boil. Taste the water for seasonings, if it needs more salt or anything add it here. If this water does not taste good, your gravy will not taste good!

6. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and some water together to make a slurry. While the mushroom and stock mixture is boiling, whisk it rapidly, and pour the milk and flour mixture in a stream into the gravy. Keep whisking and boil the gravy until it thickens.

7. Finally, add salt to taste and you are done!

Apple cake

This is a good way to use up extra apples!

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/moms-apple-cake/