Egg rolls and Forbidden Rice Pudding

Egg roll ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground pork
• 1 tbl soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 head of cabbage
• 2 carrots
• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for 10 minutes
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 package of spring roll wrappers

Directions:

In a bowl add the pork, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil, mix together and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

While that’s sitting, shred the cabbage and carrots and slice the reconstituted mushrooms into very small pieces (about the size of 1/4 a dime).

Heat your wok on high and add a liberal swirl of cooking oil. Add in your minced ginger and garlic (run through a press). Cook for a few seconds, till things start to smell great, then drop in your pork mixture. Use a spatula to break the mixture into small pieces and continue cooking until no longer pink.

Add in the carrot, cabbage and mushrooms and continue to stir fry for about a minute – till the cabbage begins to turn translucent. Spread the mix out on a cookie sheet and allow to cool to room temperature.

Turn your spring roll wrapper so that one corner is facing you. Add only a tablespoon or so of your mixture an inch or two above the corners point (see picture above). Fold up the bottom corner then the two sides, like an envelope, then begin rolling. When you get to the end, add a drop of water to the top corner and the corn starch in the wrapper will seal the roll. Make sure your sides are tightly tucked in so that no stuffing falls out.

Heat a skillet with an inch or two of cooking oil, till it is hot enough to brown a piece of bread that is dropped in almost immediately. Add the egg rolls and roll them, cooking each side in the oil, until they are golden brown. This should take less than a minute. Remove the rolls onto paper towels and allow them to drain until you are ready to eat.

Forbidden Rice Pudding Ingredients:

• 1 cup forbidden rice
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 2 packets stevia (a plant-based sweetener with no calories)
• Cream

Directions:

Cook the forbidden rice like regular white rice, (boil liquids, add rice, simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on) but replace the water with coconut milk instead. Remove from heat and stir in stevia. Allow to cool in the fridge. Serve topped with cream. Yum!