Spring Rolls

The freshest & best spring rolls I've ever had! As with the Pansit, the recipe is not an exact science. What you want to include the most of, however, is the veggies. The next highest quantity is the noodles, and finally the herbs. The herbs should give a nice, subtle kick to the egg rolls and not be overwhelming.

Rice paper
Rice vermicelli
cucumber, sliced thin
carrots, sliced thin
Basil, mint, and chives (Asian varieties if you can find them)

Soak the vermicelli according to package directions (usually 15-30 minutes)

To assemble the spring roll:
Rinse rice paper according to directions (about 5 seconds with lukewarm water), lay on a plate.
Add some vermicelli noodles, cucumber and carrot slices, and herbs. Fold burrito style (Fold one side of paper over the filling, fold in sides, and roll until you get to the end of the rice paper).

I dip the rolls in hoison sauce, but the lady at the Thai store said Chili sauce is a nice compliment also. Enjoy!

Pansit

This is a Vietnamese version from a friend of mine whose mom is, well, Vietnamese! It's very good, and goes really well with fresh Spring Rolls, one of my favorite recipes that I'll have to post in a bit (I'm posting this while I wait for Jono to come home with the bell pepper, carrots, and cabbage).

It's not an "exact" recipe (ie- no measured amounts)... you just add the quantity of veggies/tofu you see fit. Also, while this recipe uses tofu, Filipino versions use thinly sliced pork or other meats... for all you meat eaters :)
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rice vermacelli, soaked one hour
egg (optional), cooked omelet style and sliced/chopped
sliced shallots or green onion (I use green onion)
green beans, sliced in half length-wise
red pepper, sliced (this is also optional, but I think it adds a lot to the dish)
carrots, sliced (julienned)
mushrooms, sliced
green cabbage, chopped
tofu
veggie bouillon
soy sauce

Slice tofu and marinate in soy sauce while prepping other ingredients. When done, heat some oil in a skillet and fry tofu til browned. In clean skillet, heat oil and fry shallots or onions. Add carrots, green beans. Add cabbage. Add mushrooms. Add red pepper. (I think I wait 1-3 minutes between each veggie addition) Then add egg & tofu. Add noodles, a little bit of water, and toss... toss... toss! Add soy sauce to taste.

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Note* I just realized that no where in the recipe does it say what to do with the bouillon. That's probably why I forgot to use it when I made it tonight :P Normally, you would prepare half a cube or cube (to taste) with the water and add after the noodles (the bouillon water being the "little bit of water") The pansit still tasted great without the bouillon though. If I hadn't come back on to post pictures, I wouldn't have even realized that it was left it out.

Veggie Sauté

I should have taken a picture of this when we made it tonight, but I didn't. This dish is really colorful, really yummy, and really simple. Alton Brown made it last night on Good Eats. I love that show, not only because I just like the way Alton Brown presents food all scientific-like, but because his dishes are not complex. Anyway, it looked so good that we made it straight-a-way.

Ingredients
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
8 ounces carrots, cut on the bias into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces sugar snap peas
4 ounces savoy cabbage, shredded
3/4-ounce chopped green onion
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro or mint leaves

Directions
Place the sesame oil into a straight-sided 10-inch saute pan set over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic, ginger, carrots, salt and pepper and saute for 4 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas and continue to saute for 1 minute. Lastly, add the savoy cabbage and green onions and saute for an additional minute. Remove from the heat, add the rice wine vinegar and stir to combine, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the cilantro or mint and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Provencial

This is one that we used to make...for those of you who remember it--

3 T olive oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic
4 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I usually don't peel, but the skins slide off into the mix)
1 tsp. salt
pepper
1/2 ts. oregano
2 C. cubed or shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. slice olives
grated parmesan cheese
2 c. cooked noodles ( I usually use penne)

Heat oil; saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes or so. Add zucchini and tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir until zucchini is crisp tender or we like it soft. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat, stiring gently, until cheese melts. Serve immediately. Serves 6

Zucchini Casserole

Boil 6 cups zucchini with 1/4 cup minced fresh onion for about 5 minutes

Mix
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup (may substitute cream of mushroom) 
1 cup shredded carrots

Mix stuffing (Stove Top or other brand) with 1/2 cup of melted butter (I do this in the pan I bake it in 13 X 9). Take out half the stuffing to put on top of casserole. Mix all ingredients together and put rest of stuffing on top. Bake 30 minutes at 400 Enjoy!