White Bean Dip

Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves: 6

1/2 can white beans
1/3small onion, minced
3 mushrooms, diced
1 small hot pepper, minced
1 can coconut milk
2.5tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
3tbsp lime juice (makes it super yummy)
salt as needed

Mash beans. Pour coconut milk into a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add remaining ingredients (save water). Place the water in a bowl, add cornstarch and whisk. Add water+ cornstarch to pot. Lower heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add more cornstarch to desired consistency.

Loosely adapted from this recipe.

Meal 2 Summary (Red Curry, Coconut Soup)

Summary

Thai! Am I right? What more needs to be said?

Red Curry (Adam 3/5  Alex 3.5/5)

This curry was fairly run of the mill. While delicious, it received a low rating from Alex because it was not different than our usual curry dishes. It wasn’t spicy enough, unfortunately. That being said, our dinner guest, Ramita, said that it was very tasty!  I suggest adding some more cayenne to ensure a proper spice level!

Coconut Soup (Adam 4/5  Alex 4.5/5) 

Woowee as Adam would say! I love anything with coconut milk and this is no exception! It has a great variety of flavors from intense spice to sour with a hint of salt. The tangy taste was a yummy addition!

Coconut Soup

Coconut Soup

1. 0.5pkgs tofu, diced
2. 2 cans canned coconut milk
3. 2 cups water
4. 1 (1 inch) piece ginger
5. 3tbsp lemon juice
6. 2 stalks lemongrass (optional)
7. 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced
8. 1 tablespoons hoisin sauce
9. 1/4 cup brown sugar
10. 1 teaspoon red curry paste
11. 3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
12. 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Directions

Add all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Once a boiling state is achieved, drop heat down to low and cook for 10 minutes.
Recipe can be found here.

Red Curry

Red Curry

1. 1.5 pkgs tofu, chopped in pieces appropriate to your mouth size
2. 2 tablespoons cooking oil
3. 2 tablespoons red curry paste
4. 2 green onions, chopped
5. 2 small onions, chopped
6. 3 cloves garlic, chopped
7. 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
8. 2 cups coconut milk
9. 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
10. 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
11. 2 tablespoons white sugar
12. 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Heat oil in a medium pot and fry onions with heat on medium (both green and otherwise) for 5 minutes. Add garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and drop heat down to low. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve over rice.

Recipe adapted from here.

Meal 1 Summary (Rice Paper Rolls)

[Insert yum yum comment here]. This week, we had the pleasure of two wonderful dinner guests. Clara even (with some help and taste testing from Adam) brought along some dessert yummies! She also showed us this amazing blog with vegan quasi healthy desserts that blow your mind!
To compliment the rice paper rolls, we ate some more of the heaps of cabbage salad we had lying around.

A picture of the Rice Paper Rolls (in case you couldn't figure it out)

Our lovely complementary cake. Thanks Clara and Adam!

Rice Paper Rolls (Adam 4/5  Alex 4.5/5) 

Unlike many of our other recipes, this was not found on the web. This is based off of the memory of a similar dish that Alex's dad whips together for special occasions (read: when he begs enough). It's a really simple and versatile dish. Really, you can put whatever you want inside of them! 

Cake (ALWAYS 5/5 IT HAS CHOCOLATE)

'nough said. (Cake recipe Mousse recipe)

Thai Rice Paper Rolls

Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 5

1 package rice paper rolls

Protein Innards

1. 1cup chickpeas
2. 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3. 1/4cup parsley 
4. 2 cups bean sprouts
5. 1 bell pepper
6. salt
7. 2tbsp sweet chili sauce (optional)
8. 2tsp cumin

Carrot Innards

5 carrots, grated

2tbsp lemon juice

2tbsp sugar

1tbsp sesame oil

1/4cup cilantro

Sauce Innards (or dipping sauce if you're a dip)

1. 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2. 2 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
3. 1 tablespoon water
4. chopped roasted peanuts

Directions

1. Put all of the Roll Innard ingredients in a small pot and cook over medium for 10 minutes.
2. While these innards are cooking, prepare the carrot innards and set aside in a medium bowl.
3. Then prepare the sauce ingredients.
4. Once the cooking is done, the ingredients can go into rice paper rolls.
5. Place a sheet of rice paper into a bowl filled with warm water. Once the paper has become soft and malleable, take it out, place it on a tea towel, and pat it dry. Then place it on a plate, put a little of each innard along the middle (similar to the way you would make a fajita). Then wrap by folding each side in (the paper will stick to itself, and it will look like a burrito)!
6. Eat.
7. Complain because you're too full.

Week 2: The Thai Experiment

This is going to be the best week yet. Thai is amazing.

Grocery list: 4 cans coconut milk, lime juice, 1 can white beans, sweet chili sauce, hoisin sauce, mushrooms (~1lb), garlic, 2 hot peppers, 1 bell pepper, bunch cilantro, fresh ginger, peanuts.

Total: $28.76.

What's on the menu?
-Green Curry
-Mushroom Curry
-Soy Bean Dip
-Coconut Soup
-Rice Paper Rolls