Vegan Mushroom Wontons

Everybody loves wontons, whether fried or steamed. This mushroom vegan version is just as delicious and far healthier. I gave several options to cook these wontons so take your pick and enjoy!

Vegan Mushroom Wontons

Adapted from this past blog post

Yielded around 30 plus wontons

• 1- 8 oz package mushrooms, cleaned and chopped coarsely (I used cremini)
• 1\2 cup walnuts
• 1\4 cup green onions, roughly chopped
• 1 1\2 cup baby carrots or 2 large ones, peeled
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and cut to  pieces
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce or to taste
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1\4 cup oats or flour
• 1 package wonton wrappers

Place all the ingredients except the cornstarch, oats and wrappers in a blender or food processor and pulse till the ingredients are uniformly sized small pieces and well blended but not pasty.

Add the cornstarch and oats to the mushroom mixture and mix well.

Take about two teaspoons of the mixture and place in the middle of each wonton. Wet the edges of the wrapper with little water with tip of one finger and fold the corners together to make triangle. Lift the triangle at the tip of triangle and start pressing the edges to seal it.

Options for cooking the wontons:

1). Air fry the wontons in a single layer for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. You can bake them in the oven also. See this blog post. Serve with Thai sweet chili sauce or plum sauce.

2). You can also steam them using a steamer lined with wax or parchment paper for about 20 minutes or till edges of wontons appear more translucent than when you started. I used my rice cooker/steamer for this. Serve with sauce  made from 2 tbsp soy sauce and 4 tbsp mirin. 

3). You can also gently boil about 1\2 cup water in a saute pan and carefully add the wontons and cover and let them cook in the simmering water not rapidly boiling one. Once cooked gently lift the wontons.

How do we know ourselves?

Write, write and write. Our

hands do not lie, unravel

what our hearts, soul hide.

I sit and listen

Tales of aliens, 

penguins, birds, snowmen, even

houses, teeth, mittens.

My Especial Enchilada Red Bean Chili

On days like this past sub zero weather it is nice to cozy up to something that gives you warmth and comfort. Try this recipe and then go back to your favorite book and favorite blanket. You might even enjoy the gloomy weather.

I had this big can of red enchilada sauce in my pantry for months and one lazy day I decided to use it to prepare chili using leftover meat I had in the fridge. I wanted something quick and dirty. When I added the sauce in the crockpot and tasted it,  I was surprised it was not tomato based in taste but something very strong like you would find in an authentic Mexican sauce. I decided to add a can of stewed tomatoes and that did the trick. It imparted a sweet taste while leaving that authentic Mexican flavor. I also added honey to further tone down that strong tasting stuff in the enchilada sauce.

I decided to read the label to see what is in this enchilada sauce. The reveal is not in the English list but in the Spanish one. The main ingredient is not just any red pepper but guajillo chiles or peppers which I have used before in this. No wonder it tasted familiar.

Overall the resulting chili got two thumbs up from my picky taster, my husband. I would use this sauce again for that "what was  that" Mexican something, something it gives to the chili. It made for one spectacular chili.

My Especial Enchilada Red Bean Chili

• 1-28 oz can red enchilada sauce (I used Pueblo Lindo brand or any with guajillo chiles or peppers)
• 1-14 oz can stewed tomatoes 
• 1 to 2-14 oz can(s) red beans, drained 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped 
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water 
• 2 to 4 tbsp honey or to taste 
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup leftover meat (chicken, beef or pork), skip to make it vegan and add more red beans

Place all ingredients in the crockpot and cook for three hours on high or six hours on low setting. 

Food for the Soul

My favorite memory of my father is his passion for cooking for us his family. When he retired from working in their family’s business he undertook grocery shopping and planning our daily meals. I remember his penchant for pairing one dish with another. For example he would pair pork chops with mung bean and kamote (sweet potato) soup. He also loved putting together kare kare or oxtail in peanut sauce with our national dish, chicken adobo. Nilaga or boiled beef served with fried chicken was another favorite food pairing he was fond of.

He taught our cook, Lola May, how to prepare tapa or Filipino beef jerky as well as our hometown pride and joy, pancit Malabon, a noodle dish topped with seafood like shrimp, oysters and smoked fish. It was a common sight to see the tapa being dried in the sun in our terrace.  When I was working,  my officemate, Mrs. B, loved to order the pancit Malabon since it was that good.

He loved to go everyday to our town's public market to catch what was on sale. He wore his signature bakya or wooden clogs which enabled him to fearlessly walk through the sometimes muddy passages in the market. He would look for bargains and adjust his menu for that day according to them.  The tinderas or vegetable or meat peddlers knew him and would noisily clamor for his attention by screaming, "Over here,  over here" and shoving their fresh produce to his face for him to inspect.

We enjoyed excellent meals every day and I still resort to his recipes for different Filipino dishes as I remembered them.  We ate our lunch which was usually the central meal of the day in our round table with a lazy susan in the middle which we rotated to get to the dishes and hot rice as well as the various condiments like patis (fish sauce), vinegar or soy sauce that we  needed to add further flavor to the dishes.  Filipinos love to leave the completion of the saltiness to the people eating the dish rather than just flavoring it to the maximum.

Food was how my father showed his love for us.  As a little girl and despite being still extremely busy with the burgeoning patis business they had, he made it a point to prepare Ovaltine drink for us every night to make sure we would grow healthy and strong.  I remember him in his kamiseta and kansonsilyo (tshirt and shorts, his nightwear) mixing the brown Ovaltine powder in milk and mixing it with a spoon and telling us "drink this" since there was sometimes hesitation on our part. We did not want to be bothered from our play.

One particular scene comes to mind though the details are blurry as I recall how he showed his love for me. I believe it was when I broke the news that my office was sending me to Brazil for a training course. I recall he was not sure how to process the good news.  But I knew he was happy and proud of me when he said "Go ahead eat the shrimps I prepared".  He felt the news called for a celebration and seafood especially fresh ones like the shrimps he bought that day were worthy to mark that day.

You must be wondering why I posted that photo of banh mi above and below to accompany this essay.  Three weeks ago, my manicurist, called me on the phone to come to their shop.  She had this Vietnamese sandwich for me.  She had promised that she would prepare this dish ever since I tried it once at her shop.  I was really touched she went all out preparing it that day and felt the love since it was particularly challenging to prepare.

The day before another food incident at a chain restaurant made my day.  When I requested the waitress for a take out box for my leftover tortilla soup, she packed in extra soup as well as extra cheese and tortilla strips which I jokingly requested as a whisper. I think she felt bad for me since I had to forego the "eat as much as you want sundae" which my husband had since I told her I was a on a diet.

These two incidents triggered my recollection of my father's display of his love for me.  He was not very showy with his emotions but his actions through the language of food spoke louder than words.  These three wonderful and touching small events show how universal and eloquent food is as a language that feeds not only the body but also the soul.

Air Fried Vegan White Bean Falafel

Something happened on my way to the market. I forgot to take with me my good eyesight. As I picked up the canned beans at Aldi Grocery store I reached out for northern beans thinking it was chickpeas. How did that happen can be explained by the fact this store tend to mix their beans on the shelf. So I ended with six northern beans in my pantry instead of both that and chickpeas.  Anyway I had always wanted to make falafel and that desire was so great yesterday when it was  below zero weather here in Pittsburgh.

I googled for a white bean falafel recipe and found it in this site. It however was not vegan and I searched for one and found it in this other wonderful site except I had to do some tweaking. I substituted northern beans for the raw chickpeas this site used. It also utilized the air fryer which made the recipe even more endearing to me. The list of ingredients included spices that spelled flavor to me so I was set in my mind I am doing it, namely, drive away the winter blues and make my falafel.

Wow, they were delicious with just the right kick to it and texture. I chose to  dredge the falafel in panko crumbs because that is how I roll (lol) but you can skip it. You can eat them as is with tzatziki sauce but I happened to have some pita bread so I stuffed the falafel into it with lettuce, tomato and cucumber pieces. Oh my!

Air Fried Vegan White Bean Falafel

Adapted from this site and this site

• 1-14 oz can northern beans, drained and rinsed (I have used chickpeas in a later prep)
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 clove garlic, cut coarsely
• 1\4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1\4 cup flour or as needed
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1\8 tsp black pepper
• 1\4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1\4 tsp salt or more to taste
• Panko crumbs (optional)

Place the beans, onion, garlic and cilantro in the blender and pulse till ingredients are mixed. Do not over blend or the mixture will get pasty.

Transfer the bean mixture into a medium bowl and add to it the rest of the ingredients except the Panko crumbs if using.

Using a small ice cream scoop make about 18 one inch balls from the seasoned bean mixture and roll if you choose to in panko crumbs.

Air fry in two batches at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes.

You can serve this as is with vegan tzatziki sauce. You can also stuff it into a pita bread with lettuce, tomato and cucumber. 

What Moves You

Makes who you are, how

your mind and heart view things and

what you choose to do.

Find Jesus Was the Invitation

And I did. Over

coffee, pastry, shared stories.

With friends old and new.

How Does One Measure Learning?

Teaching is both highly fulfilling and utterly frustrating. The former comes from the fact it is a noble profession. As they say you are touching lives forever. The latter arises from the reality that its particular impact is hard to measure. How could one assess growth in their knowledge or in their overall journey to getting to whatever your goals are for them to reach? But like everything else in life sometimes that revelation does come and when least expected and usually when you are just about to give up.

Several months ago I forged into ambitious moves in teaching two different levels of students. One group consists of sophomore college organic chemistry lab students while the other, 3rd grade CCD religion kids. What could be more diverse and yet I decided I will push them to whatever it takes to make them learn. I will be honest though. I did have concerns that I might be expecting too much of them with the approaches I would take. In this essay I will talk about my experience with the college age students.

I obtained an emergency appointment last fall to teach an organic chem lab using the inductive approach not the usual so called cookbook way that was utilized in the past by the department. Students are not spoonfed the concepts but instead are to learn them as they go along with the questions and experiments in the lab.  In the opposite method called deductive approach used previously the principles were presented before hand and the students applied them in the lab experiment.  

The inductive approach was not easy for both the students as well as the teachers to use. The greatest challenge for me was how much to give at the prelab so as not to prevent the students from inducing the principles to be learned in the lab itself. What I decided to rely on was thoughtfully crafted quizzes on what they learned in the past experiment as well as on what they are supposed to learn in that day's experiment. The latter part was more difficult to prepare since I had to consider how much I could expect them to know by just reading ahead of time. What I used this part of the quiz for was to introduce the principles to be learned in that day's lab experiment during the discussion of the answers to the quiz questions without taking away from the inductive stage during the lab.  I could hear moans from the class as well as frustrated looks in their faces every time this was done in the prelab. The sighs and at times anger were palpable.

It was almost the end of the semester and I still was not sure from the low grades in the quizzes if the approach was working. I went to the university to return back a lab book lent to me by the lab coordinator. I also brought him a thank you gift for proctoring my sections' lab  final exam so I did not have to make the one hour plus drive home at night. I caught him coming out of his office that day.  The first thing he greeted me with was "Congratulations! Your section out of the five got the highest average in one part of the two part exam". I was stunned since my section was the so called control group. (The university was part of a multi group research grant with another institution). My students were not given two additional worksheets that were distributed to the other four sections that were supposed to enhance the comprehension of concepts. The expectation was that my section would be at a disadvantage. It seemingly was not the case. Now how does one explain that?

I wonder, "Could it be those challenging quizzes that were so difficult they depressed and frustrated my students and made them complain endlessly ?. I am not sure since there are other factors to consider.

I do remember one thing I learned taking a course on teaching pedagogy or was it psychology. One teaches above what the students need to learn to deepen their thinking. For example teaching calculus beyond algebra in high school will help them think though the principles they learn might not even be necessary for them to know.

Another favorite quip in education comes to mind as I figure the performance of my students, namely, using the tool of a question or in this case questions in the quizzes.. Could that be the factor? I am not really sure.  I always say, teaching is research as research is teaching.  I would just say I ended the semester really happy but still perplexed.  Perhaps that is why I love teaching. It is a challenge and an unending journey.

Vegan Tacos with Walnut and Air Fried Vegetables

I belong to a plant based group whose members prefer oil free recipes.  I converted a recipe from this site into an oil free one by air frying the vegetables and mushrooms instead of frying them with olive oil.

This recipe is flexible and you can use any vegetables you have instead of the ones I used. I for one substituted mushrooms for the eggplant used in the original recipe.

Instead of using store bought taco seasoning, I added the spices found in it. You avoid the preservatives in the commercial one and adjust what and how much spices you add. I also added soy sauce for more umami flavor.

The walnuts give the filling a meaty texture. It feels good to bite into them since they add to the flavor and whole experience of eating a "meaty" meatless taco.

I ate the tacos with a side of cooked rice and black beans straight from a can. Wow!

Vegan Tacos with Walnut and Air Fried Vegetables

Adapted from this recipe

Filling

1 bell pepper, diced
1 zucchini, diced
8 oz sliced button mushrooms
1\2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel brand for example)
2 tsps each chili pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
1 tsp each cumin, sugar
1\4 cup water or vegetable broth
2 tsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Air fry the zucchini and green pepper for 15 minutes at 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

Air fry the mushrooms at 360 degree Fahrenheit for 12 minutes.

Mix the air fried vegetables with the rest of the ingredients in a skillet and heat through.

Tacos

8 taco shells
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
Filling

Place the filling into the taco shell. Add the lettuce on top.

Serve with the following as sides or with the tacos

Salsa
Cooked rice
Black beans from a can

Faith Sharing Groups

We gather, pray, share.

His presence felt among us.

We leave whole again.

Hi World

Hi 2019

Bye 2018. Happy

to be. Grow. Live life!

Can We Celebrate I Have Been Good Too

Can we celebrate that I have been good too
Why emphasize on the bad I have done
That I have to repent
Be sorry I have been bad
Can we at least celebrate the joy too
That I am back.
Please do not insist
Sin is all there is to be reminded of
Can we shift to the image
Of me the child of God
Who is really glad to see me
He is taking me back
With open arms
Not a stern teacher
Expecting the worst
Scolding, nagging all the time
How can I be good to others
When you just made me feel rotten about myself
Can I just bask in His presence
It had been a long week.



I know we are reassured
When we have been bad, sad that we can go to him
We need that reminder of hope
I want to share with him
I was happy too and also been good
So please let us be joyful too.

Why is the music
the liturgy in the mass
all about we have sinned
we have been forgiven
let us not fall
God will save me.

is my life full of sins and falls
do i not laugh too
do not i feel joy and happiness
do i not appreciate the sun, the moon
the food, the water
the friendships, the smiles
the help, given to me and to them
i might have lost it namely my temper
but i am sorry
but i am not a loser the whole day
but why do i feel that i am
i have to be saved
i already have

dear god
i pray
please lift this dark cloak around the mass
lift us celebrate life too
let the music speak of the rejoicing
not the gloom of sinning and being saved
we know that
i want someone to be with
to tell of all the nice things too
i am grateful you are there to save me
but why do i have to reminded of the sins of adam and eve
we have been saved
let us get over that.
looking too much to the future
like today sucks
how do they expect to live now
when it is always better in the future
today is here
God loves us even now
why not tell us how
rather than let us wait
it will get better
hope is good
but living in the moment
will make us happy and satisfied
let us change the emphasis
let us be balance.
God wants it that way
the tradition is tradition
let us make new ones
the truth is truth
the context is changing

Maxim 89 Monroeville Prayer Group Meeting December 17, 2018

Here are the notes prepared by Natalie on Maxim 89. Thanks Natalie!

As a bonus, I am also including the cover of a short book which Natalie read before the meeting. It is relevant to the Maxim. The title might give you a hint how it is so. Happy thinking and Merry Christmas.

Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread

I love Panera plain bagels and also their array of cream cheese spreads. Once I tried Sally Lipsky’s cashew spread during our Plant Based Group Meeting I was convinced it could take the place of cream cheese and be a vegan version. It has the texture and the taste. I decided to satisfy my craving for a Cranberry flavored one and this is what I came up with. It makes my breakfast and snack times happy these days.

Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread 

Adapted from a recipe from this book

1 cup cashew
1\4 of a lemon including rind
1 tbsp miso
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1\4 tsp dry garlic flakes
water as needed
1\4 cup whole cranberries from a can (you can add more after blending)

Blend all the ingredients to the consistency you want.  I used a Cuisinart stick blender. Add more cranberries if you like after blending.

Contemplation

To find Him both in
the calm and the busyness.
Keep heart, mind open.

She Intercedes

For me in time of
need. An example of a
loyal friend in deed.

Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Buttermilk Chicken

• 
• This dish made me a Martha Stewart believer.  The recipe was inspired by the one she presented on her Cooking Show at  the PBS Create Channel and shown on this site.  It was meant to be a preparation for a kebab chicken dish which one can easily convert this slow cooker version to that point if you wish.  However, the slow cooker version without the grilling step is so good I had to share it with you.  I skipped the pricey saffron as an ingredient and substituted dried thyme leaves for the fresh ones. I also did not use Greek yogurt and just used buttermilk made from 2 % milk acidified with vinegar. The result is delicious, creamy and full of flavor chicken dish that is definitely a keeper.  And I am sure it will make a Martha Stewart fan out of you too.  

Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Buttermilk Chicken

Adapted from this site

• 3/4 cup buttermilk (made from 2 % milk added with 1 tbsp vinegar and allowed to stand for 5 minutes or till the milk curdled) 
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp dry thyme leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Place all the ingredients except the chicken in the slow cooker and mix.  Add the chicken and cook for 3 hours at high setting or 6 hours at low.  I cooked mine in an Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker for 2 hours at slow cooker setting.

• 
  

Vegan Lemony Walnut Linguine

My picky taster, my husband, gave this two thumbs up.  Btw he is not vegan.  It is delicious and creamy with that lemony tang.  The sauce is easy to prepare using only five ingredients and a very inexpensive nut, walnut,  not the expensive cashew.  The result is a creamy sauce which makes you think some nondairy milk was used.  Nope!

As I pointed out this is a crowd pleaser with both vegans and nonvegans alike.

Vegan Lemony Walnut Linguine

1 cup walnut
1/4 large lemon juice and rind
2 tbsp miso
1/4 cup water
1 tsp dry garlic flakes
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Black pepper to taste
8 oz linguine, cooked saving 2 tbsp pasta water

Blend all the ingredients except the linguine in a blender till the consistency you like.  I prefer mine to be still gritty.

Place the cooked linguine including the saved pasta water in a  pan and add the sauce mixture and heat through with stirring till sauce is incorporated.

Vegan Cheese Pimiento

Love this and so would you. Extremely addictive on corn tortilla scoopers. One scoop this morning became ten. The umami taste receptors in your tongue will be satisfied by the miso and the almond butter plus the garlic. They also give the cheesy flavor usually imparted by nutritional yeast which is absent in the recipe. Just five readily available pantry ingredients are used. Blend them and voila this oh my goodness delicious dip is born.

I used northern beans instead of tofu used in the original recipe from this site and it worked. I further tweaked the recipe here and there and here is the final result.

Vegan Cheese Pimiento 

Adapted from this site

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
4 tbsp almond butter
2 large pieces bottled roasted red pepper in water
3 tbsp miso
2 cloves garlic


Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth.

Glide Through

Why worry in a
world full of utter beauty.
Stop. Look. And just be.

Slow Cooker Boozy Honey Baby Back Ribs

How about some boozy pork ribs for a change after all that turkey and gravy this past Thanksgiving? Here is an easy one that is surely delicious. Sweet, spicy and also boozy. What more can you ask?

Slow Cooker Boozy Honey Baby Back Ribs

3 lbs pork baby back ribs
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 bottle beer
1/3 cup honey
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp bottled jalapeño peppers
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Place all the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high for three hours or at low for six. I cooked mine in an Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker for two hours at slow cooker setting.

Maxim 88 Monroeville Prayer Meeting November 20, 2018

Natalie conscientiously prepared the thorough handout on Maxim 88 shown below for the Monroeville Prayer Meeting held on November 20, 2018.

You will also see below the wonderful piece on "How life is all about how you handle Plan B".

We also celebrated our send off for Sister Bernadette Carlow who has been attending and participating in our meetings all these years.  She will be the chaplain at the Villa starting next month.  Thank you Sister Bernie. We will miss you and God bless. Photos are shown below.

A wonderful piece to ponder on provided by Natalie.

Photos of our celebration of our send off for Sr. Bernie.

Changes

Crisis can bring pain
but also transformation
and growth in ourselves.

Open Eyes

To see things with eyes
wide open. Experience
life to the fullest.

Unconditional Gaze

Allow God to see

you as you. Not waiting for

you being perfect.