Ingredients:

1 lb egg noodles
4 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, cut into thin sticks
1/4 lb white mushrooms
1 1/2 cups snow peas
1/2 cucumber, cut into sticks
1/4 lb spinach, shredded
2 cups beansprouts
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sherry
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil

Didn’t have the mushrooms or bean sprouts. This turned out ok. I think I didn’t put oil in the noodles so they got sticky quick.

2 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 chinese eggplant, chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 cups of vegetable bouillon
wheat noodles
1 square of fried tofu
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 tbsp soy sauce
topped with toasted sesame seeds

Served over Jasmine rice.

I improvised this recipe from scratch based on available ingredients. It was surprisingly delicious!

3 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

2 lb butternut squash, peeled
3 tbsp peanut oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsps chopped fresh cilantro
generous 1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2/3 cut salted cashew nuts
lime zest

This is turning out to be a favorite. Had some left-over squash and just enough cashews and this dish is so simple to prepare, could resist making it one more time.

4 out of 4 spoons.

For dessert:

Home made ice cream

ingredients:

2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups of heavy cream
1 cup of milk
3/4 cup of sugar

Added broken Oreos. Delicious!

Ingredient:

2 large portabella mushrooms, cut into strips
2 garlic cloves
2 scallions
2 tbsp  soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking sherry
Toasted sesame seeds

Serve over Jasmine rice.

You can actually watch the mushrooms literally melt in the wok. Incredible aroma and quite delicious!

3 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

4 cups dried whole-wheat penne pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, thinly sliced
10-12 baby corn ears
3 tbsp peanut oil
1 inch fresh ginger root
1 large onion
1 garlic clove
3 celery stalks
1 small red bell pepper
1 small green bell pepper
salt
steamed snow peas

sauce:

1 tsp corn starch
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp dry sherry
1 tsp clear honey

Surprisingly mild taste to this dish but very healthy. Veggies still slightly crispy. Would like to try this dish again with different types of pasta. Quite good. Makes enough for four people.

3 out of 4 spoons

Ingredients:

2 lb butternut squash, peeled
3 tbsp peanut oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsps chopped fresh cilantro
generous 1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2/3 cut salted cashew nuts
lime zest

Decided to try this one again now that I have a real wok and actual butternut squash. Wow, glad I did! This recipe is a knock-out. Too bad I didn’t have any cumin. The texture is just fantastic–crunch cashews and soft butternut squash, all over Jasmine rice.  The lime zest gives it an unexpected flavor. I think this one could easily become a favorite.

4 out of 4 spoons

Incredients:

Chopped baked tofu
10 Shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup of Thai peanut sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 scallions, sliced
1 can of baby corn
rice noodles
cashews

I was so gung-ho to try out this giant wok that I purchased. I had no idea how to use it. In retrospect, I had the heat up way too high and seared the bottom almost immediately. I threw in some wok oil and the incredients. It was kind of a mess. Everything was cooking fast except the rice noodles. I ended up taking them out and placing them in a pot of boiling water and adding them back to the stir-fry once they were thoroughly cooked. The shitake mushrooms needed to be cooked longer; they were kind of chewy, like they were still raw. Very flavorful but now I know what not to do next time.

1 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

4 waxy potatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, cut into matchstick strips
1 zucchini, cut into matchstick strips
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chili, sliced
1 bunch of scallions, halved lengthwise
8 tbsp coconut milk
1 tsp chopped lemon grass
2 tsp lime juice
finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Substituted red onions for scallions. I didn’t have the red chili. The dish was a little bland, probably because of the potatoes and the fact that I didn’t have a chili to use. Also, the rice cooker didn’t cook the rice all the way so that kind of detracted from the meal. I’d like to try this recipe again some day.

2 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber
1 tsp salt
8 oz smoked bean curd
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup snow peas
10-12 baby corn ears
1 celery stalk, sliced diagonally
15oz can straw mushrooms
2 scallions
1/2 inch ginger root
1 tbsp ellow bean sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry

I didn’t have the sherry, ran out of soy sauce and didn’t have the straw mushrooms. I used red onions instead of scallions and didn’t have the yellow bean sauce. It really needed some kind of “binding agent”. The ginger was fantastic, though; had never cooked with raw ginger root before. I need to learn how to prep cucumber in order to remove the seeds better. Served over jasmine rice.

2 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

2 lb butternut squash, peeled
3 tbsp peanut oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsps chopped fresh cilantro
generous 1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2/3 cut salted cashew nuts
lime zest

I used a banana squash instead of a butternut squash. I used olive oil instead of peanut oil. This turned out suprisingly well. I need a wok, though; my biggest frying pan wasn’t big enough to accommodate all of the ingredients. The lime zest really makes this dish. Also, the cashews are a nice texture with the squash. This is great over rice.

3 out of 4 spoons.