Shrimp Balls & Tofu (虾滑茄汁豆腐煲; xiā huá qié zhī dòufu bāo)

Adapted from 田园时光Garden Time homemade cuisine (YouTube), translated by Mom

Linda's notes: use 4 roma tomatoes (vine = mealy), try roasting them first. Already cut down on the white pepper (too much, maybe caused them to smell like stinky tofu?). Skim fat off broth ahead of time. Chop shrimp finely or use blender. Avoid egg yolk - wasn't as pink. Try silken tofu instead.

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp

1 medium-sized tomato

1 box soft tofu

white sugar, salt, white pepper powder, 1 egg white, cornstarch
1 green onion (chopped; separate white from green; later you will use white portion for making soup)

Directions

1. Prepare shrimp mix

• Peel shrimp shells; put shells on side (shell will be used to make soup for the dish. But you can use chicken soup if you buy shelled shrimp).
  
• Chop shrimp finely, then put chopped shrimp into a bowl (large enough so the shrimp will fill the bowl half full); add
  
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 egg white
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  
• Use a pair of chopsticks to mix; continue mixing in only one direction until shrimp becomes sticky (> 3 minutes?) This step is very important. Mixing for longer time will guarantee a success :) Then put the bowl into refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
  

2. Cut tomato into small cubes; cut tofu into small cubic.

3. Use shrimp shell to make soup:

• Pour a little bit cooking oil into a wok on small to medium fire; put chopped green onion (white portion) into wok, add shrimp shell into wok, stir-fry them until shrimp shell turn red color. Add 1 cup warm or hot water into wok, cover the wok for 2 minutes. Open the cover, pick up shrimp shell out of the wok. 
  

4. Cook the final product

• If you skip step 3, now pour a cup of chicken soup into wok and bring it into boil. Add tomato into wok and cook them until they are soft. Add the following spices into the wok:
  
• 1/3 teaspoon white pepper powder
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt (no salt if your chicken soup has salt)
  
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
  
• Now make shrimp ball; add them one by one into the wok. (I usually wash my hand well, then rinse my one hand with water. Use that hand to make shrimp ball).
  
• Right after all shrimp balls are in the wok, add tofu into wok. Cover the wok on small to medium fire for 5 minutes. Add the rest of green onion (green portion) into wok. Done.
  

Chocolate Vegan(-ish) Mug Cake

Adapted from Nora Cooks

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (natural or dutch-processed)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon oil or applesauce

3 tablespoons almond milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Directions

1. Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder to a mug. Stir or whisk to combine.
   
2. Pour in the oil, non-dairy milk and vanilla into the mug with the dry ingredients and stir well with a spoon. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
   
3. Cook in the microwave for 40 seconds. It will likely be a little undercooked in the middle at this point, which is my preference, but if you want it cooked more, microwave it another 10-20 seconds.
   
4. Serve immediately.
   

Lamb Meatballs (optional: raisin pesto)

By Andy Baraghani, from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

1 large egg

½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

½ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. ground turmeric

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1½ tsp. kosher salt

1 garlic cloves

1 lb. ground lamb

Plain whole-milk Greek yogurt (for serving)

For optional raisin pesto:

• 2 cups mint leaves
• 3 Tbsp. golden raisins
• 1 cup parsley leaves with tender stems
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°. Combine egg, panko, cumin, red pepper flakes, turmeric, finely chopped parsley, 2 Tbsp. oil, and 1½ tsp. salt in a large bowl. Finely grate 1 garlic clove into bowl. Add lamb and mix with your hands until evenly distributed.
   
2. Gently roll lamb mixture into 1½"-diameter balls (about the size of a golf ball; you should have about 20). Place on a rimmed baking sheet, spacing evenly apart. Bake meatballs until browned and cooked through, 8–10 minutes.
   
3. [Optional for Pesto]: Meanwhile, purée mint, raisins, parsley leaves with tender stems, remaining garlic clove, remaining ½ cup oil, and a big pinch of salt in a blender until smooth. Taste pesto; season with more salt if needed.
   
4. Spread yogurt over plates and divide pesto and meatballs on top.
   
5. Do Ahead: Pesto can be made 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Meatballs can be formed 2 months ahead; freeze on baking sheet until firm, about 2 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag and keep frozen.
   

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za'atar

From 'Jerusalem' via Serious Eats

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash (2 1/4 lb /1.1 kg in total), cut into 3/4 by 2 1/2-inch/2 cm by 6 cm wedges 

2 red onions, cut into 1 1/4-inch/3 cm wedges 

3 1/2 tablespoons/50 ml olive oil 

3 1/2 tablespoons light tahini paste 

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 

2 tablespoons water 

1 small clove garlic, crushed 

3 1/2 tablespoons/30 g pine nuts (optional)

1 tablespoon za’atar (optional)

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley 

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F / 240°C. Put the squash and onion in a large mixing bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper and toss well. Spread on a baking sheet with the skin facing down and roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables have taken on some color and are cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions as they might cook faster than the squash and need to be removed earlier. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 
   
2. To make the sauce, place the tahini in a small bowl along with the lemon juice, water, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk until the sauce is the consistency of honey, adding more water or tahini if necessary
   
3. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil into a small frying pan and place over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer the nuts and oil to a small bowl to stop the cooking.
   
4. To serve, spread the vegetables out on a large serving platter and drizzle over the tahini. Sprinkle the pine nuts and their oil on top, followed by the za’atar and parsley.
   

Indian-style Chicken & Spinach Curry

Adapted from The Fiery Vegetarian

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

1 large sweet onion, sliced or diced

4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 inch ginger, minced

1 tbsp ground coriander

1/2 tbsp turmeric

1/2 tbsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

13.5 oz can of coconut milk

14.5 or 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes (no salt preferred)

1/2 cup water

1/2-1 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tsp sugar, or to taste

Roughly 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced into bite-sized pieces (~3/4 inch)

16 oz baby spinach

1 tsp garam masala

1.5 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves, or to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot (size: 5-6 quarts) over a medium-high setting. Once sizzling, sauté the onions (with a pinch of salt) over medium until dark golden brown (almost burnt/some pieces burnt; this may take 15-20 min; if burning too quickly, turn to low).
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic doesn't smell raw anymore.
3. Mix in the next four ingredients (coriander, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne) and toast for 2 minutes, stirring often. If the mixture still looks grainy, stir in a little more oil so the spices "dissolve" (mixture looks more wet than dry; the goal here is to prevent the curry from tasting grainy/sandy).
4. Stir in the coconut milk; once it looks even, add the crushed tomatoes and water. Add salt and sugar, then taste (if not salty enough, add more; if not sweet enough, can add more sugar later).
5. Add cut chicken thighs, stir, place lid on pot, and increase the heat to medium-high; once boiling (medium-large bubbles; watch carefully so you don't cook the chicken on high for very long), decrease heat to low and maintain a simmer (very small bubbles) with the lid slightly open for ~10-15 min until chicken is cooked (time depends on the size of the cut of chicken).
6. Remove lid and add spinach in batches until it is all wilted into the curry.
7. Add garam masala and lemon juice, then stir and taste. Can add more salt, sugar, or lemon juice here if needed.
8. Mix in cilantro as desired; serve hot with rice.