Kabocha Soup

This is similar to standard Pumpkin Soup, except we are using Kabocha. Kabocha is an Asian variety of winter squash, and it is commonly called Japanese Pumpkin. Kabocha is sweet and rich, so this soup is a little sweeter than normal pumpkin soup.

Ingredients

Onion - ½, thinly sliced
Kabocha squash - 1.5-2 lbs.
Unsalted butter - 1 TBSP
Chicken stock/broth - 2 cups 
Milk - 1½ cups 
Heavy whipping cream - ½ cup 
Salt - 1-2 tsp
Ground black pepper - ⅛ tsp 
Optional garnish with parsley (chopped)

Step

1. Using a spoon, discard the seeds from kabocha squash and cut into thin wedges. Remove the skin. Then, cut into small cubes
2. In a pot, heat unsalted butter over medium heat and cook the onion until soft and brown. Add the kabocha and sauté to coat with the butter.
3. Add 2 cups chicken stock/broth (or vegetable broth) and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 12–15 minutes. Using a chopstick, insert into kabocha and check if it’s fully cooked.

4. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth.
5. Add milk and heavy cream and stir until combined. Do not let the soup boil.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Stir over moderately low heat until it is hot.
7. Ladle the Kabocha Soup into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley (optional), and serve. 

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.

Matcha (Green Tea) Frappuccino

Ingredients

Ice cubes - about 10
Whole milk - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 1tsp
Powdered sugar - 3 TBSP or to taste
Premium Japanese matcha-green tea powder - 1.5 TBSP

Whipped cream for topping (optional)

Steps

1. Blend all ingredients in Vitamix until smooth, creamy and even in color.

2. Serve with whipped cream topping

Apple Sauce

Homemade apple sauce is a great way to consume my backyard apples that is not sweet.

Ingredients

Apples - 4 lbs (about 8 to 10 apples, depending on the size), peeled, cored, and quartered
Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar - 3 tablespoons (or to taste)

Lemon peels - 2 strips (optional)
Sugar - Up to 1/2 cup, can sub half with brown sugar
Ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp

Water - 1 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Steps

1. Place the peeled, cored, and quartered apples into a large pot. Add the strips of lemon peel, the lemon juice or vinegar, cinnamon, sugar, water and salt. (You might want to start with half the sugar at this point and add more to taste later.)
2. Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the temperature, cover the pot, and maintain a low simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the apples are completely tender and cooked through.
3. Remove lemon peels, purée cooked apple using blender.

Note: 

If the applesauce is too thick, add more water to thin it out. If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste. If too sweet, add more lemon juice.

This applesauce recipe is perfect for canning. If using a water-bath canner, process pint jars for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes at sea level.
Freezes well and will last at least 1 year in a cold freezer. If you freeze it, make sure to allow enough headroom (at least 1 inch) in your jar for expansion.

Strawberry Frappuccino

Real strawberries are always better than strawberry flavor!

Ingredients

Ice cubes - 10

Whole milk - 1 cup

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Powdered sugar - 3 TBSP

Strawberries - 8 to 10, fresh or frozen and defrosted

Steps

1. Add all ingredients to Vita-mix and blend.

2. Pour in glass and top with whipped cream.

Green Smoothie

Ingredients

Banana - 1/2, peeled
Orange - 1 medium, about 1.5 oz, whole peeled but with pith intact
Pineapple - 1 inch thick slice with core, peeled
Spinach - fresh, 1.5 cup packed (60g)
Grated lime zest - 1/8 tsp, or a thin slice of lime with peel
Agave nectar - 2 TBSP (or use honey)
Ice cubes - 1 cup

Steps

1. Place all ingredients into Vitamix in the order listed and secure lid

2. Select Variable 1
3. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10 then to High
4. Blend for 30 seconds or until desired consistency.

Pea Flour Cake - Wandou Huang(豌豆黄)

Wan-dou Huang(豌豆黄)  is a traditional Beijing snack. People eat it on Lunar calendar March Third to celebrate spring. It has fine and smooth texture that melt in your mouth.
The recipe is very simple. The trick is to know the consistency that is just right for it to keep its integrity at room temperature.

Ingredients

Dried yellow split peas - 1 bag, 12-16 oz
Sugar - 1/2 cup or to your taste

Steps

1. Soak the peas in water for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Put beans in sauce pot with water, cook until beans are soft. It probably takes 1 hour or more unless you use a pressure cooker.
3. Drain the peas, use a blender to blend the it into paste. Add some water if it is too dry to blend.

4. Use fine mesh to filter the paste so that the cake will taste smooth. You can skip this step if you use Vitamix.

5. Pour the paste in a frying pan, add sugar to your liking. Keep stir until you can cut through the paste and leave clear mark. You can skip this step if you have the perfect consistency already out of Vitamix. It all depends on how dry is your paste.

6. Pour into a mold and put in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

7. Slice and serve at room temperature. Wandou Huang tastes the best if consumed within 24 hours.