Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry

Don't know what to do with all those tomatoes? Try out this tasty tomato egg stir-fry. I like making this for a quick lunch when I'm working from home, but it makes for a good meal any time of the day. 

Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry from Woks of Life

Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

4 small to medium tomatoes (about 500 g, 1 pound)

1 scallion

4 eggs

3/4 tsp salt (divided, or to taste)

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp shaoxing wine

3 tbsp vegetable oil (divided)

2 tsp sugar1

/4-1/2 cup water

Instructions: 

Start by cutting tomatoes into small wedges and finely chop the scallion.

Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and season with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine. Beat eggs for a minute.

Preheat the wok over medium heat until it just starts to smoke. Then add 2 tablespoons of oil and immediately add the eggs. Scramble the eggs and remove from the wok immediately. Set aside.

Add 1 more tablespoon oil to the wok, turn up the heat to high, and add the tomatoes and scallions. Stir-fry for 1 minute, and then add 2 teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ cup water (if your stove gets very hot and liquid tends to cook off very quickly in your wok, add a little more water). Add the cooked eggs.

Mix everything together, cover the wok, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely softened.

Uncover, and continue to stir-fry over high heat until the sauce thickens to your liking. Serve!

(Vegan) Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps

A recipe from CSA member Madi!

Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps

(Vegan) Ginger & Lime Lettuce Wraps
I am a huge fan of butterhead lettuce, and so I was stoked to receive a head of it in our last share. I made these delicious vegan lettuce wraps — you could, of course, opt for ground pork/chicken/beef, however, I had some Impossible Beef on hand at home and figured I’d give it a whirl. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground meat, or vegan meat
-1 small white onion, diced
-3-5 cloves garlic, minced
-1-2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced (I went heavy on the ginger)
-Bunch of green onions***, sliced
-1 head of butterhead lettuce***
-1 lime
-1 tbs neutral oil
-Tender herbs (basil, mint, cilantro) to top
-For the sauce: Soy sauce, sriracha, hoisin, rice wine vinegar (all to taste - find your perfect sweet/spicy balance)

Recipe:
1. Heat skillet at medium heat. Crumble vegan meat into a skillet, and brown for 5-8 minutes. Remove meat from the pan once browned to your liking, and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Add diced onions and minced garlic to the skillet, with a bit of neutral oil, and cook until fragrant.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine a few splashes of soy sauce, sriracha, sweet chili paste or hoisin, and rice wine vinegar.
4. Add sauce and ginger to the onions in the skillet, and mix to combine.
5. Toss sliced green onions, your crumbled meat, sesame seeds, and the squeeze of 1 juicy lime into the skillet, and warm all together for a minute or two.
6. Spoon mixture onto your butterhead pieces, drizzle with more hot sauce, and top w/ either basil or cilantro, if desired!

Scallion and Arugula Macaroni Salad

Scallions and arugula - macaroni salad - this one isn't online anymore but it's an old recipe from 101 cookbooks, and is one of my favorite things to do with scallions. (You can also just use the scallion sauce recipe in a bunch of things if you don't want to make the pasta salad) Macaroni Salad

Leftovers are great for a couple days, but the pasta continues to absorb the sauce, so you might want to moisten things up with a bit of mayo at this point, or creme fraiche, or some salted plain yogurt.

1 pound elbow macaroni

1/4 cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced green onions {~3-4 bunches}
3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
fine grain sea salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
zest and juice of one lemon
1/3 cup / 2 oz grated Parmesan

4 big handfuls arugula
1 large apple, diced

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of well-salted water per package instructions. Set aside at least 1/2 cup / 120ml pasta water. Then drain pasta and set aside.

In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Add most of the green onions, all of the garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften, and the garlic begins to take on some color, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a couple minutes.

Use a hand blender or food processor to puree the green onion mixture along with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, zest of the lemon, half the lemon juice, and the reserved pasta water. Puree and taste. The green onion flavor should be assertive. Stir in the Parmesan.

Combine the macaroni with the green onion sauce in a large bowl. Toss well. Add the arugula and most of the apple and toss again. Taste, and add more pepper, salt, or lemon juice if needed. Serve topped with the remaining apple and green onion.

Makes enough for a crowd or potluck.

Oi Muchim (Spicy Cucumbers)

From CSA member Ellice Lee!

One of my favorite things about Summer is eating crunchy, fresh veggies—and especially if they're spicy and a tad bit sweet! This recipe is a quick go-to. It takes about 15 min to prep and 15 min of marinating and then it's ready to serve. Tastes even better on Day 2, so you can always make this a day ahead of time.

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6)
11⁄2 pounds (680 g) Korean, English hothouse, or Persian cucumbers
1⁄4 pound (115 g, or about 1 large bunch) Chinese garlic chives, cut into 1 1⁄2-inch (4 cm) pieces (or substitute green onions!)
1 cup (100 g) thinly sliced sweet white onion
2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean hot pepper flakes—make sure you use the flakes, not the powder, or else it will be REALLY spicy)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (non or lightly seasoned)
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar (or honey, agave)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

Cut the cucumbers into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, then cut each of those pieces in fours.

Place the cucumbers in a large mixing bowl, then add the garlic chives, onion, gochugaru, rice wine vinegar, sweetener of choice, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt.
Mix everything together well with your hands, then pack it into a nonreactive storage container, such as glass or plastic.

You can eat this right away, but it tastes better if left to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

This recipe has been adapted from Sohui Kim's Korean Home Cooking.

Spicy Sichuan Eggplant & Ginger-Garlic Tatsoi Stir-fry

Members Erica and Faisal bring us this delicious stir fry combination, full of CSA goodness! These two recipes can be prepared together or separately for a great vegetarian meal.

Spicy Sichuan Eggplant

What to do with too many eggplants? What if you have more than one kind on hand—Chinese, Japanese, or Italian globe? How do you cut the bitterness without smothering them with cheese? This Sichuan-inspired dish solves it all! Adapted to be friendly for all - vegan, paleo, gluten free, etc. 

Based on an authentic dish developed by Chinese cooking expert, Fuchsia Dunlop, this recipe’s savory, spicy-sweet garlic sauce brings out the best in eggplant. Chinese or Japanese eggplants are preferable since they’re less bitter and thick-skinned than Italian (making them easier to stir fry and more palatable with a light Asian sauce), but absolutely any eggplant or combination of eggplant varieties will work for this recipe. If you aren’t into spicy, just omit the chili pepper and/or pepper flakes and you’re good to go! 

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil divided

• 2-3 eggplants, cut into wedges 

• 2 cloves garlic finely minced

• 1 red chile pepper finely minced

• 1/2 inch fresh ginger peeled and finely minced

• 1 green onion/scallion chopped

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos

• 1-2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar 

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)

SUBSTITUTIONS 

• Use coconut aminos if you need this dish to be soy and wheat free.

• If you don’t have access to Chinese black vinegar, substitute ume plum vinegar or a blend of ume plum vinegar and a touch of young, tart balsamic to mimic the malty flavor of Chinese black vinegar.

• Sugar offsets the vinegar’s acidity if using traditional soy sauce or tamari but is optional. You’ll probably want to omit it if using coconut aminos, which are naturally sweeter than soy sauce and tamari. 

HOW TO MAKE IT 

1. PREP. Wash and slice eggplant into roughly 3-inch wedges. Slice the scallions. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Peel and mince the ginger. Combine soy sauce/coconut aminos, vinegar and sugar (if using) in a small bowl and set aside.  

2. COOK. In a wok or frying pan, over med-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat pan. When pan is hot, add eggplant in a single layer. Cook 2 minutes and flip over each piece so they cook evenly. Cook another 2-3 minutes, flipping occasionally. The eggplant should have changed in color, the skin wrinkled and the flesh soft.

3. Push eggplant to the side in the pan or wok, then add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add garlic, red chile peppers, ginger and green onion. Stir these aromatics until they become fragrant. Combine aromatics with eggplant and stir fry for one minute.

4. Add soy sauce/amionos and vinegar mixture and stir to combine all. 

5. Serve immediately or keep warm while finishing a side dish like the Asian-inspired tatsoi recipe  we’ll be posting next. Recommended over rice or noodles. Garnish with chopped scallions, fresh basil and/or cilantro and enjoy! 

Ginger-Garlic Tatsoi Stir-fry

How do you get tatsoi to taste good? If the strong flavor of these Asian greens isn’t your favorite or you just don’t know what the heck to do with it, this simple stir-fry will make tatsoi palatable for just about anyone. Pairs perfectly with our previously posted Spicy Chinese Eggplant and can be served over rice or noodles. Adapted to be friendly for all - vegan, paleo, gluten free, etc.

While many might use Hoisin sauce for a recipe like this, we’re using coconut aminos to keep common allergens like soy and wheat out of the mix for those with sensitivities. That said, if you love Hoisin sauce and don’t have any issues with soy, feel free to use a dab of that instead of coconut aminos. 

If you plan to pair this with the Spicy Eggplant recipe we posted previously, make the eggplant first, do the prep work for the greens while the eggplant is cooking, and have the rice or noodles ready in advance so you can plate your meal as soon as the greens are done. If you’ve washed and chopped the tatsoi ahead of time and have the other ingredients handy, this super-easy side dish will come together in a flash. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch Tatsoi

• 3 scallions

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 bunch basil 

• 1 small piece of ginger

• 2 tablespoons of coconut aminos  

HOW TO MAKE IT

PREP

If you’re serving over rice, wash and dry the tatsoi while the rice cooks. Cut the tatsoi into bite-sized pieces. Slice the scallions. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Peel and mince the ginger. Pick the basil leaves off the stems and roughly chop.

COOK

1. In a large pan or wok, heat some oil on med-high until hot. Add the garlic and ginger; cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

2. Stir in the tatsoi and half the scallions. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened, then drizzle with the coconut aminos. Stir until greens are evenly coated with the sauce and aromatics. Remove from heat.

3. Serve over rice or noodles and garnish with the basil and remaining scallions. Spoon some sauce from the pan over each serving for an elegant finish. Enjoy!