Cabbage Wrapped Pork Dumplings, by Diane

I love Asian dumplings, and this recipe fit exactly what I was looking for on a sugar detox cleanse (no sugar, flour, rice, or dairy). My favorite part about this recipe is that as impressive as these dumplings look, they were incredibly quick to make and even quicker to assemble. I would definitely use these cabbage leaves over rice paper or wonton wrappers again for the speed alone! I created the filling with all my favorite Asian flavors, and made a quick dipping sauce to go with it. If I were eating sugar this week, a peanut sauce would have been excellent, or even oyster sauce as an addition to the sauce I made. Another plus about this recipe is that I didn't have a steamer, so I cooked the filing and leaves completely before assembling them, which made things less messy for me.

Note: If you do have a steamer and want to cook the dumplings that way, blanch the cabbage leaves first so they become pliable. Then fill with the uncooked mixture and steam until cooked through.


Ingredients:

1 large head savoy cabbage
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
4 large carrots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced
6 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp fresh ground peanut butter
2 tbsp white miso
1 tsp chinese five spice powder
Fresh cracked black or white pepper
1 lb ground pork
1 tsp fish sauce


Directions:

1. Bring a large soup pot filled 1/3 way with salted water to boil.

2. Separate the cabbage into leaves, flipping upside down and rolling towards the base so as not to break them. Peel about 1/2 of the cabbage and shred the rest for the filling.

3. Drop the cabbage leaves into the boiling water, pushing them down so they are completely covered, and cook for 5 minutes until the leaves soften. Drain and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan to medium high heat and add sesame oil into the pan. When the pan is hot, add in carrots, garlic, ginger, scallions, and 2 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir well, then add peanut butter, 1.5 tbsp of miso, five spice powder, and pepper. Stir until the carrots are softened, the cabbage is wilted, and the peanut butter and miso are mixed through. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

5. In the same pan, add the ground pork and cook until browned. Drain and add to the bowl with the carrot mixture.

6. Fill the dumplings: Lay one cabbage leaf curl side up and fill with about 1/4 cup of the filling. Wrap by folding the base of the leaf by the stem in, then the two sides in on top of the base, and then fold over so that the top of the leaf covers the whole thing and the folds are now facing down. They should now look like they do in the photo. Store like this so that the leaves mold in this shape and the dumplings don't fall apart when you pick it up.

7. To make the sauce: Mix 4 tbsp of soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1/2 tbsp of miso until combined.

Cauliflower Ranch Dip, by Diane

I had some extra cauliflower leftover from my amazing cauliflower biscuits last week, so I looked up what I could use it for and found this recipe. I love Julie Morris (she makes tons of superfood cookbooks and this was from her newest snack cookbook), and so I was very hopeful about this recipe. It was perfect for week 2 of my sugar detox, as actual ranch has lots of sugar and dairy in addition to unhealthy oils and preservatives. This dip came out with the tang of ranch dressing, surprisingly(I was highly skeptical looking at the ingredient list), but that's where the similarities end. It was, however, a good dip to go with veggies as a snack. Not sure I'd make this again but it's always nice to try out new recipes!


Ingredients:

1½ cups steamed cauliflower florets (I used a frozen bag you can steam for easiness)
½ cup unflavored almond milk
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (I skipped this)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Shot of hot sauce, to taste
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced (skipped this too)


Directions: Blend all ingredients until completely smooth.

Baked Yam and Zucchini Fritters, by Diane

I found this recipe from a celebrity chef online. They sounded a lot like latkes but had a healthy spin with great seasonings, gluten-free flour, and baking in the oven instead of frying. These were a bit time consuming to make with all the grating, but I cut that down by using a Cuisinart with a grater attachment. I also doubled the dijon as well as the salt and garlic, removed the honey (a good call since the final product came out surprisingly sweet!), and added cumin. They are really versatile as you can customize the seasonings. They definitely work for lunch and dinner, but I also plan to eat them for breakfast with a fried egg this week!My only criticism of these is the texture- the inside was still wet and the outside got chewier the longer I cooked it over time. So my suggestion is to bake them at 400 in the last ten minutes, and let them sit to dry out of the oven.

Ingredients:

3 cups grated peeled yam
2 ½ cups grated zucchini
1 cup grated sweet onion
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
2 cups finely ground almond meal (I used brown rice flour bc I had that on hand)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Add the yam, zucchini and onion to a bowl.
3. In a separate dish mix the dijon, olive oil, smoked paprika, sea salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir well to combine.
4. Add the sauce to the grated vegetables and coat well, then add the almond meal and mix everything together well with hands.
5. Shape small patties into circles that are 2-inches wide and 1-inch thick. 
6. Place parchment onto a baking sheet and place fritters on the paper equally spaced from one another.
7. Bake 40 minutes on one side then carefully flip and bake for 40 on the other side.

Cauliflower Biscuits with Bacon and Jalapeño, by Diane

Oh my god. I can't say enough to express how good these things are. I already ate two within 20 minutes of pulling them out of the oven and they are supposed to be for the week's lunches. I have put them in the fridge but am already thinking of eating them all more and making another batch for the week....

These were easy to put together and aside from the bacon aspect are really healthy. They are also gluten-free (I used brown rice flour bc that's what I had on hand, but the recipe calls for almond flour). I also had some nutritional yeast leftover from another recipe, and at the last minute added that in- thank GOODNESS I did because now they are more like cheddar bacon jalapeño biscuits and who doesn't love that combo? Last comment- I skipped all this measuring cup nonsense for shaping them and just made them into compact balls. I also used frozen cauliflower instead of fresh. Both way easier!

I did have one criticism of the recipe name, as the use of the word biscuit is misleading. They are more like baked balls of deliciousness, but since that doesn't make a good recipe title I stuck with the original, found here.


Ingredients:

• 7 slices bacon
• 1 jalapeño, chopped finely
• 2 bags frozen cauliflower florets, cooked and chopped finely
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
•  1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 2 eggs 
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, for cheesy flavor- or just regular cheese!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Chop 7 slices of bacon thinly and add to a large saucepan over medium high heat.

3. Add in jalapeño, cook until soft and bacon is browned.

4. Drain the grease and add the bacon and jalapeño back into the pan along with the spices and cauliflower. Mix well and add to a large bowl.

5. Add the flour and eggs to the bowl, and mix thoroughly.

6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, form the cauliflower mixture into balls (about 2 inches in diameter) and place on the paper.

7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until biscuits have started to brown.

Onion Soup (Luxembourg), by Cheryl

Another small European country! Luxembourg is another country that's heavily influenced by it's bordering countries when talking about cuisine. We commonly know this recipe as French Onion Soup, but in France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, etc. it's just called onion soup. This was a great appetizer and I would definitely make it again! I didn't put the bowls in the broiler at the end to make the cheese bubble because I was just so done with just the whole day in general that I didn't bother. The cheese melted nicely though and it was still great. Yum!

Ingredients:

3 onions, sliced
2 slices bread, toasted
50 grams cheese, grated
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp caraway seed
1/2 tbsp sunflower seeds (I didn't use these)
30 grams butter
1 cup white wine

Directions:

1) Stir fry the onions for 5 minutes in the butter. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and simmer for ten minutes.

2) Add the wine and the caraway seeds and simmer for five more minutes.

3) Distribute the soup over four cups. Put some pieces of bread in each cup and sprinkle with sunflower seeds and cheese. Put the cups under a hot grill until the cheese starts to bubble.

Kasknopfle (Liechtenstein), by Cheryl

This teeny tiny country has a lot of culinary influence from it's neighbors Austria and Switzerland. This popular homemade "pasta" is pretty easy and is known as Spatzle in Germany. The Liechtenstein version has added cheese and caramelized onions and is known as Käsespätzle in Germany (literally mac and cheese). This was a little odd to execute and the end result turned out to be a little like mush, but still good nonetheless. In order to get their "shape" if you can call it that, they push the dough through a colander or slotted spoon with large holes. It cooks like gnocchi so when it floats to the top it's done. The texture is soft and chewy and with the added cheese and onions it has a nice taste. I won't be making this again, only because it didn't do anything for us. It was decent, but nothing I need to repeat again. Yum?

Ingredients (Recipe from here):

2 cups flour
5 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1-1.5 cups water
8 oz Gruyere or Emmenthal cheese, grated
2 medium onions, thinly sliced 

Directions:

1) Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the salt.

2) In a separate bowl beat the eggs and water together.

3) Add the eggs to the flour. Mix well to form a thick dough. Add a little water if the dough is not thin enough to go through the holes. Set aside for twenty minutes.

4) Meanwhile fry the onions in a lightly oiled pan. Stir regularly until the onions are caramelized, about 15-20 minutes. 

5) Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add some salt. Push the dough through a slotted spoon or colander. The dough should form tiny oblong balls. The pasta is ready when it floats back to the surface. Immediately drain in a colander.

6) Put the pasta in a bowl and add the cheese. Stir until it melts. Serve in bowls topped with the caramelized onions. 

Flourless Beet Brownie Cupcakes, by Diane

This was my dessert addition to our mystery ingredient bookclub. We have a couple gluten-free peeps in the club, and since I never seem to get good result with gluten-free flour, I looked for a flourless dessert. This recipe caught my eye since these cupcakes were moist and I thought no one would guess the ingredient. They were a big hit, and we all liked them as much or better than actual cupcakes! They did have more of a cake consistency than a brownie consistency, so next time I'll just advertise them as chocolate cupcakes. I added a homemade sour cream icing on top (recipe below), and they were even more amazing! I'll definitely make these again!

Ingredients:


Cupcakes:
⅔ cup red beets, cooked and pureed (I used canned beets and rinsed them off first before pureeing them)
1 stick butter
½ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, melted
48 milk chocolate chips

Icing:

2 tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 1/3 cups confectioners sugar


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Using an electric mixer, mix all ingredients except dark and milk chocolate chips on medium until smooth.
3. Add in the melted dark chocolate chips and blend again. 
4. Pour into cupcake lined muffin tray and bake for 30-35 minutes.
5. Take out of the oven ans add 4 milk chocolate chips into the middle of each cupcake.
6. Remove the foil lined cupcakes from tray and let cool on a baking rack.
7. Once the cupcakes cool completely, frost with the icing.

Vegan Queso, by Diane

This was my third and final dip for our mystery ingredient bookclub. I was very skeptical about this recipe because the list of ingredients, along with a cheese-less queso dip, sounded highly suspect. This queso also doesn't use cashews, as many vegan cheesy things do, but instead uses eggplant. Finally, the vegan aspect comes from nutritional yeast instead of cheese and almond milk instead of milk. So needless to say, I didn't have very high hopes for this one.

However, as it turns out, this was the fave dish of the evening. It was also the first thing I ate this morning, cold out of the fridge, with chips. No one even missed the cheese aspect, and even though my queso had a brown tinge because I ran out of time and couldn't get the skins of the eggplant off, everyone still wanted the recipe. The flavors of this dip are incredible.

So lesson learned, sometimes vegan things can be as good as (if not better!) than the real thing. I'll absolutely be making this again!

One note is that the method described in the recipe for easy eggplant skin removal didn't work, so next time I'll just remove the skin before baking. And there are a lot of unnecessary steps that I removed below. Also, it's just as good served cold!


Ingredients:


7-9 rounds of eggplant, sliced 1/2-inch thick (~half of a medium eggplant)
Olive oil
Sea salt
1.5-2 cups unsweetened original almond milk (I used whole milk bc it's what I had on hand)
2-3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp finely minced fresh garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cornstarch
110-ounce can of Rotel original diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained

Directions:

1. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant round with a little sea salt and arrange in a colander to help draw out some of the moisture and bitterness. Let set for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a greased baking tray.
2. Preheat oven to high broil and place an oven rack near the top of the oven. Drizzle both sides of the eggplant with a little olive oil.
3. Broil on high for 4-5 minutes on each side, watching carefully as to not let them burn. Flip at the halfway point to ensure even cooking. Once the eggplant appears tender and both sides have golden brown color, remove from the oven and wrap loosely in foil to steam.
4. After a few minutes, unwrap and peel the eggplant skin away. 
5. Place eggplant in a blender with the 1.5 cups (to start) milk, 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder and cornstarch and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
6. Transfer to a small saucepan, add the drained can of rotel, and warm over medium to medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly – about 5 minutes.

Hearts of Palm Dip, by Diane

This was another dish for our mystery ingredient bookclub. This dip was very quick and easy to make, and the tang of the hearts of palm was a great flavor that no one could guess! It went great with crackers, and is a good alternative to hummus!

Recipe here.


Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
Two 14-ounce cans hearts of palm, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lime zest




Directions:


Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy.

Tropical Guacamole, by Diane

This week our bookclub made a mystery-themed potluck to go with the mystery book we read. All of the dishes needed to contain a secret unusual ingredient that the others would have to guess. For my first appetizer, I chose this guacamole recipe with an unusual twist- canned pineapple. The end result was a big hit, everyone loved the slightly sweet tangy flavor of this guac and everyone asked for the recipe! It was definitely easy to throw together, and the juice from the canned pineapple made the texture of the guac extra fluffy!

Ingredients:

4 large roma tomatoes, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup cilantro, rough chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, with juices
6 ripe avocados
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mash together with a fork until fluffy. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Arancini - Rice Croquettes (Italy), by Cheryl

They normally look like balls, but making them into patties is easier to cook. 

So I had to do another Italian recipe before moving on, and more specifically a Neapolitan recipe. We had a lot of arancini in our time in Naples (I actually preferred the potato version over the rice version, but this is very good too) and I don't think I made it once in while living there! This recipe comes from our Italian neighbors so there's not a lot of exact measurements, but it's authentic! Yum!

Ingredients:

About 2 cups cooked rice
grated cheese (I used about half a cup since that's all I had, but I would use 1 cup next time)
bread crumbs
2 eggs
salt
oil

Directions:

1) Place cooked rice in a bowl with the eggs and mix. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes.

2) Mix cheese in with the mixture.

3) Form the rice mixture into balls (I had to add just a little bit of bread crumbs to help it stay together).

4) On a plate roll the balls in the breadcrumbs to coat.

5) Heat oil in a pan and add the balls when heated. Cook until the inside is warm and the outside is a golden brown. Serve warm.

Sauteed Garlicky Kale Two Ways, by Diane

I had to use up a big bag of chopped kale this weekend and decided to make this for lunches this week. It's quick and easy to make and you can adapt it with any pantry ingredients you have on hand. For this version, I wanted to make an asian style sautée with sesame oil and garlic but I also decided to use the white wine I had on hand. Next time, I think I'll unblend the two versions, and so I'm posting both below.


Asian Style Ingredients:

2 tbsp dark sesame oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp red chili flakes
Sea salt


White Wine Ingredients:

2 tbsp EVOO
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp white wine
1/2 lemon, juiced
Sea salt


Directions:

1. Heat the oil and garlic in a high soup pot (I hate stirring kale in in sections so I just use a large pot) until garlic just browns.

2. Add in soy sauce/white wine and lemon and then add a large bag of kale to the pot.

3. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until kale is completely wilted.

Chewy Coconut Cookies, by Cheryl

Like my picture?

These are delicious! The coconut is such a nice taste to have in a cookie! I was trying to find a recipe using ingredients that I already had in the house and these flaky coconut pieces have been in my closet for who knows how long. They're not the healthiest, but they are oh so good! The recipe is from here. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in the flour mixture, then mix in the coconut. Drop dough by the teaspoonfuls, about 3 inches apart, onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

3) Bake for 8-10 minutes in the oven, or until lightly toasted. Cool on wire racks.