(Tempeh) Curried Chicken Salad (v)

This is one of my summer staples.  I love chicken salad, but I love this even more because it's healthy.  Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake.  It really doesn't have much flavor, which is great because so many things can be made with it!  I always steam or boil my tempeh first to get it moistened.  It kind of smells like bread when I'm steaming it.  You can make this plain, but I always seem to add curry to it.

Tempeh Curried Chicken Salad
Boil or steam one package of tempeh for about 5 minutes.  I usually boil or stem it whole or cut in half. 
Drain and rinse with cool water.  Chop into small pieces that resemble the texture of chicken salad.  Put into a bowl with:
1 large stalk celery, diced
1/4 cup raisins or chopped red grapes
1/4 cup yogurt or mayo
about 1/4-1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 Tablespoon pickle relish
1 Tablespoon shredded unsweetened coconut
juice of half of a lime or lemon

Stir well to incorporate all ingredients and put in a covered container to chill.
salt to taste.  Delicios as a sandwich filling, on crackers, or by the forkload.

Ramen

Eggy Cheesy Ramen; This is college food, and it's damn good college food.  Ramen noodles are ramen noodles, but the addition of one egg and a slice of American cheese magically transforms this ho-hum cheap meal.

Eggy Cheesy Ramen

Cook the ramen noodles as you normally would.  Once the noodles are done, crack one egg into the pot and gently stir it around to break up the yolk.  While that cooks, prepare your soup cup.  Put one slice of American cheese into the bowl and add the noodles on top.  Stir to distribute the melting cheese and enjoy.  I never make plain ramen noodles anymore.

Ramen Dinner

Sometimes I will cook a package of ramen noodles and add fresh chopped bok choy, sliced mushrooms, green onions, and thinly sliced flat iron steak.  Delicious, a meal in a bowl.

Crab Rangoons

Asian yum yums!!

My mom and I both love rangoons.  If you love them too, go get the stuff and make them.  Beware though, it's dangerous knowing how easy these are to make.  Never again will you pay a ridiculous amount for take out rangoons ever again.  Why would you?!

Crab Rangoons

1 pkg. wonton wraps
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup real crab meat

Mix ingredients well.  To assemble, place one wonton wrapper on a flat surface.  place about a teaspoon of filling onto the wrapper.  Moisten two edges with water and fold the wonton wrapper to make a triangle.  Press the edges hard to ensure a seal.
Fry in hot oil on both sides until golden and crispy.  Drain well on paper towels and enjoy!

For a dipping sauce, I used a mixture of  1/4 cup homemade pepper jelly and and 1 Tbs. apricot jam plus a little crushed red chili flakes.  You can also use any kind of chili sauce plus apricot jam.  Thin with a little water to your desired consistency.

Lemon Cookies (v)

No butter, no eggs, no milk, a perfect little lemon cookie!

Lemon Cookies

In a large bowl, mix tegether:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. fresh lemon zest

In a seperate bowl, mix together:
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Add the liquid mixture to the drys and mix until completely blended into a cohesive dough.
Place by teaspoonful onto oiled cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

(I used olive oil in my cookies, and they turned out great!  I also added a handful of shredded coconut to the last half of the dough.  delicious!)