Roasted Veggies Day 1: Mediterranean Pita Sandwich

Simple, delicious and healthy!

For lunch today I packed my little bento box with some of my roasted veggies and a side of my homemade Greek yoghurt. I brought some pita bread to work and, voila, a delicious, mouth-watering, tasty, happy-dance worthy meal in under 3 minutes.

A gourmet meal in minutes!

I didn't even warm up the veggies since I don't mind them cold, though that would be an options. I simply warmed up the pita in a toaster oven, opened it up and spread the yoghurt onto the bread with a knife, and added a drizzle of olive oil before putting in the veggies -- divine!

For good, affordable yoghurt in Shanghai, visit the Avocado Lady or learn to make your own by reading one of my earlier posts, here.

If you missed my post about prepping roasted veggies in advance, read it here.

Seasoning a New Wok

Apparently, the new wok I bought from Mr. Cen will, over time, develop a natural non-stick surface that is awesome because unlike non-stick pans, it is non-toxic and actually adds to the flavor of the food!

In order for that to happen, though, I need to help the pan out with a process called "seasoning" which involves allowing the wok to absorb oils through it's iron pores in a process of heating and cooling that is well described on this site.

I am starting with my wok today and hopefully won't cause any kitchen fires! Let me know if you have any experience with this -- comment below!

Roasted Veggies: Getting my raw materials ready for the week!

How to eat healthy, homemade food, save time and not end up with soggy rotten veggies in your fridge at the end of the week?

I have blogged before about prepping veggies in advance for the week. It ensures that even when you are dog tired and don't feel like cooking at the end of a long day, you can still eat something delicious and healthy at home!

This week I bought a bunch of veggies at the market on my day off and got them all ready in no time by using the oven to roast them. The advantage over other kinds of cooking is a) the flavor and versatility of roasted veggies and b) the fact that you are free to read, blog, nap or watch cat videos on YouTube while your veggies cook!

Veggies all chopped up and ready to be seasoned in the bowl!

Fresh ingredients this week:

• 1 zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 carrot
• 5 cloves of garlic

Other ingredients:

• Sea Salt
• Black pepper
• Dry Thyme
• Olive Oil

Before cooking, the seasoned veggies are all spread out on a baking sheet/pan.

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius
• Wash and chop the veggies -- I sliced the eggplant and carrot into rounds, quartered the onion and tomatoes, cut the bell pepper into thick strips and left the garlic cloves whole, with the skins on. The zucchini was chopped into bite-sized cubes.
• Put all the chopped veggies in a large bowl.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle some thyme and add a few lugs of olive oil.
• Toss to coat.
• Spread onto a baking tray.
• Pop into the oven for 45min. or so. Go do something fun.

These ingredients are to be transformed throughout the week into delicious meals, different every time so you don't get bored. Stay tuned!

Cooked and ready to be transformed into any delicious meal!

Mr. Cen and his Woks: Finding the perfect wok in Zhabei district, Shanghai

I have been freaking out a little lately, with all the food safety scandals in China recently. I am eating mostly vegetarian and cooking at home. But then I started to freak out about the pan I use at home.

I bought my old wok in the market where I buy my fresh produce and it's a cheap piece of $#@% to be honest, and I wouldn't care if I didn't get to thinking that it might be poisoning me. Who knows what's in the lining? The paint? What kind of metal it's made of? I always think it smells funny when it gets really hot, like it's emitting some chemical fumes...

"Where can I get a good, affordable wok in Shanghai?" I thought. "Carrefour might be a good bet but it's far and can I really trust what I get there?" I thought of Lemon Zest but the thought of paying hundreds of Yuan for an imported wok when I LIVE IN CHINA really bugged me.

Thankfully, some online research quickly led me to Mr. Cen, the number one wok man in Shanghai.

Mr. Cen has made woks in his little workshop for more than 50 years!

Mr. Cen was featured in a CNN Travel article back in 2009, and I couldn't find anything more recent to confirm that he was still there, working in the same place. I decided to go investigate!

I ended up finding Mr. Cen hard at work pounding iron at the very same address described by CNN, 214 Baoyuan Lu, near Baotong Lu (宝源路214号，近宝通路). He had the cotton plugs in his ears and everything, just like they described in the article!

Mr. Cen is not the type for small talk. He was kind in letting me take his picture though!

Mr. Cen has worked out of this little shop for more than 50 years, doing the hard work of pounding sheets of iron into woks with just a hammer and some moulds to help him. It is really hard work! He is said to be one of the last such artisans in Shanghai.

There are woks of many sizes in the shop but they are all basically the same shape and type, with handles on two sides. (Wok fun-fact: This type of shallow wok is typical of Shanghainese cuisine, whereas the deep woks are used more in Guangdong.) I got my handcrafted wok for just 110RMB (under $20 USD!!)

I am the proud owner of this handcrafted wok, with all the cute little dents made by Mr. Chen's hard work!

Getting there:

Take Metro Line 10 to Sichuan Bei Lu station (四川北路) and go out at Exit 2. Walk north on Sichuan Bei Lu, crossing over to the other side of the street. Take a left at the Bank of China -- it looks like you are walking into a dead end but there's a small lane there called Xin Guang Lu (新光路) where you can take a right. This lane will cut all the way through to Baoyuan Lu (宝源路), where Mr. Cen's shop is located.

Once you arrive at Baoyuan Lu just take a right. If you have headphones on, take them off and you will soon hear the clanging of Mr. Cen's hammer!


The field-trip to Zhabei was a treat in and of itself, exploring an old part of Shanghai that I seldom have reason to visit. Lane life there is alive and kicking! Keep going for some pics I took of the lanes around Xin Guang Lu!

Student picking up some tasty snacks from a cart.

Old shoes on a windowsill, airing out those old smells!

Auntie taking little Emperor for a stroll.

Stores full of manly nick-nacks like tools, speakers and even workout equipment!

Students getting home from school, backpacks on backwards to stave off pickpockets!

Deep-fried goodness.

Veggies on tarps.

The most patriotic snack shop I saw.

Garlic and ginger -- what more do you need?

Al fresco fruits.

I think this was actually a dentist, operating on the sidewalk. Freaked me out a little.

Steamed Veggies for a Week of Healthy Eating

I spent a few hours on the weekend chopping, washing and steaming a bunch of veggies, including squash, onions, garlic, spinach, cauliflower and broccoli. I also made a good portion of whole rice mixed with barley to keep in my fridge, and defrosted some black beans i had cooked a while back. I have talked before about how my busy schedule makes it hard for me to cook during the week, and I have found that washing and cooking the veggies in advance helps me eat home cooked meals throughout the week!

Reimagining the veggies and creating dishes with them later in the week is fast and easy! A bit of vegetable broth and I have soup, a few spices and I have curry, a blender and I have a dip or purée to eat with chips or pita...

This pic is of the veggies eaten pretty much straight up, with some salt, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some olive oil! Yum!

Master Cleanse Day 6: Veggie Puree

Feeling good, albeit hungry! I ate a lot of my veggie puree today, and spent the time in-between meals on mint tea. I guess I shouldn't be calling these posts "Master Cleanse" anymore since I am officially off it, but now I do not know what else to call them.

The veggie puree is still good and tasty though I have been craving some fat and protein. In the afternoon I had a few almonds to get me through until dinner. I also added a tiny bit of olive oil to my veggie puree in the evening.

Feeling good, though really craving something sweet, like fruit! Might have to introduce some to my diet tomorrow...

Master Cleanse Day 5: My Vegetable Soup Transition

I decided to transition back today. I feel bored with the lemonade and I've lost a lot of weight, though that wasn't my primary goal. My husband remarked that my skin was glowing, and the dark circles I normally have under my eyes are gone!

I started the day with the lemonade, mostly because there was basically nothing else to eat at home. After yoga class, I stopped at the farmer's market for fresh produce. I decided to break my fast with a vegetable broth and then puree the veggies into a soup I could consume for the next couple of days.

Ingredients:
3 carrots
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 large bunch of spinach
1 small head of broccoli
1 small cauliflower
4 cloves of garlic
1 large thumb of ginger
2 lemons, juiced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
1 small sprig of mint
sea salt
cayenne pepper

1) Wash and chop the veggies into 1-inch chunks, so they cook faster. For the garlic cloves, just peel them. Slice the ginger. Quarter the onion and leave the tomatoes whole.

2) Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger and carrots to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add some sea salt to taste, and a bay leaf. Once the tomatoes start to loose their skin, remove the tomatoes to peel them and return them to the pot. Simmer.

3) After about 10-15 minutes, add the broccoli and cauliflower, including stems and leaves.

4) Once the toughest ingredients are soft, add the spinach, mint and rosemary. Turn the heat off and cover the pot so the leafy ingredients steam. Add the juice of two lemons, cayenne to taste, and adjust the salt.

I drank the light broth for lunch and pureed the rest of the soup for later. Notice there is no fat or any processed ingredients in the soup. I could taste the pure veggie goodness and not shock my body after the days of fasting.

Throughout the afternoon, I sipped mint tea as usual. In the evening I had a bowl of the veggie puree.

I felt hungrier on this diet than drinking the lemonade, but it felt good to taste something different and enjoy the new texture!