BaoZi (steamed bun) Recipe

After a month or so of trying out new recipes I'm back! Last night the food pantry was conspicuously empty, there was no milk, no eggs, no rice, no noodles, and no yogurt, so I was thrown for a loop when it came to dinner. Then I remembered that I had a packet of yeast and some flour hanging around in the cupboard, so I decided to use up the last of my sweet red bean paste making BaoZi or Chinese steamed buns. It was my first try and it came out pretty well, but be careful, this is a long, hard process. You might want to know a little bit about making bread before you try.

What are steamed buns?: BaoZi are a traditional Chinese breakfast (lunch and dinner) bun that is filled with almost any kind of filling and then steamed to create a fluffy texture. They are best eaten hot and fresh out of the steamer, it's like eating a cloud!

Bao Zi Basic Recipe (adapted from My Lunch Can Beat Up Your Lunch!)
Prep Time: 30 mins

Rise Time:1hr 45 mins- 2 hrs

Steam Time:15-20 mins

Total: 3 hours*

Starter:
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

Dough:
1/2 cup warm water or milk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil

Finish-up & cooking:
1/2 tsp baking powder

Vegetable steamer

Parchment paper

Paper towels

Starting: In your mixing bowl, mix the water and flour from the "starter" stage, then sprinkle the yeast and sugar on top. Leave it for around 15-30 minutes.

Dough Prep: Stir in the remaining water or milk, flour, salt, sugar, and oil. Mix it into dough. Flour your work surface, turn the dough onto it, and knead it until it's smooth. Then grease a bowl lightly, return the doughball to the bowl, roll it around to coat the ball with grease, cover it, and let it stand for an hour and a half until it has doubled in size. (I only let mine rise for 45mins, because of humidity here)

Part 2: Punch down the dough with the back of your fist, then spread it on the lightly floured working surface. Sprinkle the baking powder evenly over it and then knead it for five minutes. Then put half of the dough back in the bowl and cover it again, and pull off bits of the dough you still have out and shape them into spheres. You can put these on squares of parchment paper, to make them easier to handle later. You should end up with about a dozen rolls, unless you feel like varying the sizes.** Let rest for another 30 mins.

**If you choose to fill your buns instead of making spheres roll the dough out into circles and place filling in the middle, then gather up the bun around it and twist to close and make a pretty sculpted look. Buns swell to over twice their size while steaming, so if they look tiny dont worry. my version yeilds 8 jumbo buns.

Finishing: Now comes the fun part. Take the basket out of your steamer and bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Place some buns, still on their paper, in the basket, leaving an inch between them. Place the basket in the steamer, put a paper towel over the top, and put the lid on over that. (This will prevent condensation from dripping back down on the buns and creating blisters.) Steam them over simmering water for 15 minutes, or until they are puffy and light, and at least twice their previous size. Take them out carefully, the steam on the paper towel will scald you. Now repeat several times, unless you happen to have a huge enough steamer to do all these at once.

*It's totally worth the 3 hours of work when you bite into one. But plan to make them early. I started mine at 8pm, finished at 11.

It's not a bad recipe when you're low on supplies,I filled mine with some leftover redbean paste, but you can substitute for eggs and chives, marinated mushrooms, just about anything you can think of. Try this cute recipe for Bunny Shaped Bao. It's almost too cute to eat!

A very Veggie Christmas

And a Happy New year!!

I haven't updated in a while, and this post will be reasonably short. Having a veggie Christmas/Hannukah/ Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate is relatively easy if you keep a few things handy.

1. Your Grandmother
Or the head cook. Make sure you notify them that you are a vegetarian. This is especially important! My grandmother puts chicken in the dressing, bacon in the green beans and ham in the spinach! I had to get her to separate a little of each dish for me just so that I could put in my chicken strip substitute or cook it without.

2. Meat Substitutes
Christmas dinner is especially hard for a brand new vegetarian when they are sitting across from the Christmas turkey, two small chickens and a half of a pig. A measly cake of badly cooked tofu pales in comparison. So, go to your local grocery and grab a hold of meat-like products! They are sold just about everywhere, in all sorts of forms, from the ever popular Boca Burger, to seasoned Chicken Strips. These soy-based products can be tossed into practically any dish, and taste wonderful!

3. Resolve
Turkey smells ten times as tasty when you know you can't have it, and your family is doing their darndest to make you miss it. Resolve yourself to not eat the meat, and try concentrating on other things while you eat, like pie. Pie is good.

Well, have a happy holiday!!!

Week One- Monday

Today wasn't bad at all, aside from my mother accusing me of eating the 3 meat pizza in the fridge. Very strange, since she saw my brother eat it this morning. But never mind that. Today for breakfast I had a juice box. Vegetarian or not there is nothing breakfast friendly at my house, at least, not after my brother wakes up. I'll have to stock up on granola or something. Growing boys. What can I say?

Anyway, lunch was nice. I went to MD Anderson today, and the cafeteria is not only vegetarian friendly, but just about anybody friendly. I had some Greek Orzo and a bottle of green tea. I haven't had dinner yet, but I'll probably heat up some of my leftover Pei-Wei and eat that.

As for the party yesterday, there were humongous turkey legs, but there were plenty of veggies to eat too. I had potatoes and corn, celery, tomatoes and at least a pound of crackers.

I feel bad for not having posted a recipe yet, so:

Stuffed Mushrooms
1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stir the bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper, to taste, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl to blend.
Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, to coat. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle remaining oil over the filling in each mushroom. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated through and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Serve.

from Food Network

Sunday Dec 16

Sundays are harder days than most, because we usually go out to eat after church. My family isn't too fond of frequenting Vegetarian-friendly establishments, so I had a game plan ready (Order only side dishes).

Lucky for me, we went to Pei-Wei. Which is super vegetarian friendly. Take a look at the Menu and you'll see what I mean. All of the items with a little leaf beside them are purely vegetarian, or canbe cooked with vegetarian substitutes.

I had the Udon Noodles with Tofu and Vegetables. It was super tasty and the tofu texture was just like meat. I even gave some to my picky little cousin (without telling him what it was.) All I have to do now is trick my brother into it!

What I'm really worried about is the party I'm going to tonight. It's medieval themed, and the main course is turkey legs. I hope there is a vegetable in the general vicinity. If not, I'll just come home and have my country vegetable soup.

Week One Shopping List.

Be prepared to 'ad lib' your vegetarian diet for a little while, until your parents can go shopping. (i.e- you'll have to just pick the meat out of your meals) Remember, you are not the only one in the house who needs to eat, so make your shopping list with your family in mind. Think of what you already have in your pantry, what they like to eat,and how you can supplement their eating habits with some veggie-friendly additions.



Stuff to think about:

What kind of vegetarian am I?
Knowing the exact restrictions of your new diet is super important, because you also need to be aware of nutrient deficiencies. Sure, fruits and veggies are chock full of important vitamins and minerals, but not all vitamins and minerals. This could be very dangerous, especially for a developing teen. Dietary supplements can be your friend.

What kind of nutrients do I need?
Often Vegan teens suffer from dizzyness and lack of energy, even though they believe their diet is supplying everthing they need. But often vitamins found in animals such as fish (B12) arent in your daily spinach. Try visiting your local supplement store and pick up some teen vitamins. Herbal Supplements work too, but be careful you aren't taking a spoonful of Guatemalan Kitty Litter.


What's in my pantry?
Unless your family lives on steak and air, there ought to be some vegetables in your pantry already. This is helpful for those first few days of vegetarian eating, when the shopping hasn't been done yet, and it avoids buying more than what's needed.

What's on my spice rack?
Spices are a huge part of vegetarian eating. Since alot of foods are flavored with animal fats, cooking basic veggies can leave you with dishes that lack taste. And where theres a lack of taste there's a lack of enthusiasm. Get to know Allspice, Tumeric, Tarragon, and Paprika. They come in in a pinch (no pun intended) when you need a little more pep on your plate.

What do we usually cook?
Think of the things your family usually eats for dinner. Big sit down five course meal? Think of ways to supplement meat in that diet. TV dinners? There are microwaveable veggie dishes too.

What meat(s) does my family usually eat?
There are so many different vegetables and preparations that can match the taste and texture of different meats, it's great to know what's usually for dinner.

How much do I usually eat?
Portions are important too when it comes to shopping. You don't want a pile of rotting vegetables in your fridge. If you're cooking for one, buy for one. Don't buy for four. Buying too much ends up as a lump of strange caterpillar mold stuff beneath what you think might have once been a carrot.

What do I like to snack on?
No one really goes on the three squares a day diet anymore. Most people eat more or less continuously, so knowing what you like to nibble on is important, especially for vegans, when finding an alternative can be painstaking. You like granola bars? They are made with butter, so maybe just granola mix will suffice.

Shopping List: Week One>Pantry Stockers

Milk (1 gallon)
Small Butternut Squash
Chickpeas (one or two cans)- for hummus and salad toppings
Tahini (one jar)- sesame seed paste
Cilantro(one bundle)- a spice I enjoy
Lemon (one or two)- Usefull in cooking and beverages too
Vanilla Yogurt(large jar)- For snacks
Granola(about 20-32oz loose)-For snacks
Tomatoes(size matters)- for sauces, salads, anything really
Olives(one small jar)- for sauces and salads and just 'cuz I like them
Olive Oil (a large jug) - Cooking staple, for use instead of butter
Mushrooms(one carton)- Have the same texture as meat when cooked. They come in so many varieties
Baybel Cheese Wheels (one small bag)- Tasty snacks for the lacto-ovo vegetarian
Fresh Zucchini (two medium)- They make good side dishes and on a sandwhich
Tofu? (One package)- Meat substitute
Jasmine or Brown Rice(small package)- Any sort of rice will do. I prefer this sort, because it's sticky
Sauce!(a bottle of the sauces you like)- Since you can't be expected to whip up some sort of ingenius spice mix daily, it's nice to have a few sauces on hand.
Cabbage(one head)- I like cabbage. personally, and the one in my fridge is brown.
Edamame (shelled soybeans, one package)- Also a good snack, and great on salads, in sauces, over pasta etc.
Cherries - Notice how few fruits there are on this list? I'm a picky eater, but I'll eat cherries by the pailful.
Cucumber(one or two)- Salads, or just plain
Spinach (large bag)- Can be cooked, eaten raw, and/or stuck into just about any dish.

There you go! Good Luck!

Hey Mom, I want to be a Vegetarian

So you want to be a vegetarian eh? Going to quit the whole meat thing cold turkey and save the chickens...defeat the meat economy... or just be a little healthier? Me too. And I can tell you something, it's not easy being a beginner vegetarian, especially not in a meat-eating family. So I'm going to use this blog to post everything you need to know to be the lone vegetarian in your family.

Naturally, when you drop the Veggie bomb on your parent/guardians, they probably won't just nod their head and go back to watching House. No way! They'll probably have a mountain of questions, and you ought to be prepared.

For one thing, the first thing they'll probably ask is: Why?
I can't tell you your reason for doing it, but I hope you have one. Personally, I'm going vegetarian for health reasons. Since I study medicine, I see that vegetarianism has alot more health benifits than the normal meat-eating American diet, so I'm going to be a lacto-ovo vegetarian. In otherwords, I'll eat eggs and dairy, but not any sort of meat, not even fish. Most of my recipes will be for lacto-ovo vegetarians, but along with my "for the family" substitutes, I'll put in some "for the vegan" substitutes too. (Beware vegans of vitamin deficiency!)

Second question : So what are we going to do about it?
It's a good idea to research on your style of vegetarian, so that you are ready with what you need. Don't expect them to know what they are doing. You should have a meal plan, and lots of info on nutrition and cooking.

Third question: Does this mean I have to learn to make tofu?
It'd be nice if you help out the head chef when it comes to making your portion of dinner. Afterall, if you're old enough to decide what you want to eat, you're old enough to cook it.Usually you can separate your part of the meal just before the meat is added and cook your substitute. No problemo!(okay maybe a little problemo if you and the stove aren't buddies.)

Your parents will probably have a book full of questions to ask you, and may even be a little worried about your choice. There are a few sites that will help both you and your parent(s) better understand your choice.

Eparenting: What do I do if my teen wants to be a vegetarian?
The VRG: Help! My teen wants to be a vegetarian!
Veggie Teens: Vegetarianteen.com
Vegsource: Vegetarian Food Pyramid
Chooseveg: Vegan Food Pyramid (Big Difference)
PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Kidsworld: How to become a healthy Vegetarian