Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

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Vegans: Book Giveaway to celebrate Miami SEED Food and Wine Festival

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I am not vegan but I have two friends, Ellen Kanner and Pamela Wasabi who are and I’m here to sing their praises!  They are perfect examples of vegans who are passionate about what they do!
AND
1)  I’m giving away Ellen’s vegan cookbook to celebrate the first ever plantbased living, Seed Food and Wine Festival presented by Whole Foods with lots of celebrities including many vegan, raw advocates like Alicia Silverstone, Brendan Brazier, John Salley and loads more.
2) Get discount code to this Sat. Oct.18’s all day extravaganza when you subscribe to my free newsletter in right side bar! I will be sending out newsletter tonight, so do it NOW and see you there!

See festival details below.  I’ve included some photos below from last night’s amazing VIP party to give you a sneak peek what to expect for Saturday’s festival. 
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About Ellen Kanner…(extract from Seed’s talent bio)
Ellen Kanner is the author of Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith and What to Eat for Dinner, VegNews’ 2013 Book of the Year, PETA’s debut Book of the Month Club pick, Huffington Post’s Meatless Monday blogger, syndicated columnist Edgy Veggie which appears in Miami Herald,  and vegan writer for numerous publications. She runs the personal food consulting service Veg Therapy. An ardent advocate for sustainable, accessible food, Ellen serves on Miami boards of Slow Food and Common Threads. Find out more about Ellen here.
So many things in Ellen’s book reflect my philosophy of cooking with what you have and my visual roadmap approach to cooking!  I love your humor and laid back attitude towards vegan cooking.  I especially liked, “Sometimes while you’re following a recipe on the road to dinner, you find side paths, back roads that beckon and lead you to new places. Feel free to try a different vegetable, another herb…Go, explore.  Strike out on your own. Honor yourself and your own taste. Trust your gut.”  Amen.
Follow her on twitter @edgyveggie1 and instagram @ellenkanner
READY FOR BOOK GIVEAWAY?
So, I’m giving away Ellen Kanner’s vegan cookbook! Here you go…
1) leave a comment below why you became vegan
2) then email me (wokstar at eleanorhoh dot com) so I have your email if you win!
3) a random winner will be picked and announced in comment below.
4) I will contact winner via email. Respond ASAP with your mailing address, otherwise I will pick the next winner.
5) all spam will be deleted and blocked, please don’t spoil it for others.
Eligibility:  Only for United States residents.
Closing date:  Sunday, October 17 at 10pm ET. Check back here for winner!
If you don’t win, you can still purchase here.
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About Pamela Wasabi…(extract from Seed’s talent bio)
Pamela Wasabi is a certified Health Coach by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a Vegan, Raw and Dessert Food Artist as well as a cooking instructor. You can find her across South Florida sharing her craft as pastry chef at Choices Café locations across Miami and Oolite Kitchen and Bar on South Beach. Her waffles and raw cheesecake are a favorite.
Pamela is one hell of a go getter! But most importantly using her knowledge to stabilize her thyroid problem because she didn’t want to be dependent on medication with astonishing results!  Her passion for sharing her knowledge with others is what I love about her.  Find out more about Pamela here.
Follow her on twitter and instagram @pamelawasabi for delicious bites.
For Pamela Wasabi’s ebook, unfortunately, we’re not able to do a giveaway but here’s link to her Violet Element Dessert and Breakfast Recipe Book.

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Seed Food & Wine Festival presented by Whole Foods
plantbased living
This Saturday, October 18
11am to 7pm
Midtown Miami Tents
110 NE 36th Street | Miami, FL 33137
29th Street and 1st Avenue,
Midtown Miami
General Admission $40 / $55 at the door
VIP Admission (Doors open at 10am for VIP’s) $65 / $85 at the door
includes Savor VIP lounge access and premiere seating at semiars and demos)
Buy your tickets now!
With your paid admission…
Festival Day will feature FREE wine and craft beer tastings,
FREE food sampling from all our participants,
lifestyle products, green living, crafts, a farmer’s market,
the Savor VIP lounge,
FREE Strongbow Beer Garden and
the 22 Day Nutrition music stage,
plus two tents featuring a variety of seminars and cooking and gardening demos all for FREE
Seminars and Chef Demos by:
Alicia Silverstone, Brendan Brazier, John Salley, Rich Landau, Kate Jacoby, Maranda Pleasant, Mark Reinfeld, Jennifer Grace, Emily Nolan, Leslie Bosson, Dr. Etti, Alina Z, Loren Pulitzer, Pamela Wasabi, Ellen Kanner, Gabriele Marewski, Jeffrey Brana, Matt Cooper, Laura Krulak.
Visit Seed Food and Wine for more info.
Please follow Seed Food & Wine Festival for updates.
Check out handy parking and schedule of presentations here.
use #seedfw on twitter and instagram
Some scenes from last night’s superb VIP cocktails and Chef Tastings, auction items at Wynwood Walls, Miami…Proceeds from the event benefit Farm Sanctuary and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

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6 Tips To Help You Be More Creative with Dinners!

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I always get asked how I come up with my dishes? So, I’d like to post my dinners while they’re fresh in my mind and may be quite random.
Sometimes I have a clear vision, sometimes I don’t know till I plate!

Simple Dinner: grilled organic chicken thigh, curry lentil and quinoa with side of avocado, tomato, scallions and goat cheese with homemade vinaigrette.
Simple Dinner: grilled organic chicken thigh, curry lentil and quinoa with side of avocado, tomato, scallions and goat cheese with homemade vinaigrette.
My advice? Consider yourself an artist with a palette to create a ‘painting’! The more you ‘allow’ yourself to be creative, the more you will enjoy the intuitive side. Use this time as a relaxing and meditative time after a hard day’s work. Let the food guide you and let yourself be whimsical and just have FUN!
Here are 6 tips to help you…based on my dinner tonight
1) sometimes combining is better than served separately. This definitely worked with the lentils and quinoa for flavor, texture and color.
2) if it looks awkward, change it up!
Initially, I sliced the avocado but they were huge on the plate, so I chopped them up.
3) add flavor
my homemade vinaigrette did the trick, the avocado wasn’t quite ripe enough but the dressing really helped.
Spice rubs are so handy to sprinkle on any kind of protein for grilling. Instant flavor for organic chicken thighs.
4) add texture
scallions were crispy
goat cheese and avocado were soft and creamy
tomatoes were softish and moist
quinoa and lentils were crunchy
chicken was tender and succulent
5) add color
Tomatoes always brighten up any dish and make a nice pop of color! Also opposite colors are good so they stand out like dark green lentils and beige quinoa.
6) presentation
The important thing is when it looks nice, you’ll want to eat it.
It’s always 3 essentials: flavor, texture, color in that order and lastly presentation!
I hope this gives you an idea of my thought process when putting together a dish, give it a try and share what worked for you?

How to make Malaysian Street Food, Char Kuey Teow in your Wok!

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If you love Asian food, Char Kuey Teow, a famous and very popular Malaysian street food is heavenly. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll crave it and dream about it.  Its heady aroma, spicy complex flavors and textures are downright addictive. It doesn’t matter how many times you eat it, you’ll want MORE, it’s that good.
My mom used to make Char Kuey Teow on special occasions and it became one of my family’s all time favorite dishes. Today is one of those special occasions because it would have been my mom’s 90th and I wouldn’t be teaching wok cooking if it weren’t for her!
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I didn’t make the Char Kuey Teow in this post, I was acting as sous chef for my sister so I could watch, take photos, shoot videos and learn all the secrets to share with you!  It’s a lot of work but with 3 sisters prepping, it’s not as intimidating, so invite your family and friends to lessen the load, it’s always much more fun cooking together.
If you follow these tips, you’ll get a better chance of success! It’s the same approach I teach in wok cooking…
1. use good, fresh ingredients
2. use a well seasoned, lightweight cast iron wok for better wok hei (high heat) Otherwise, a cast iron skillet but definitely NOT nonstick because it can’t withstand high heat required to make this dish!
3. high heat is ESSENTIAL, preferably gas not electric…
– so the noodles don’t stick and get all goopy
– to get that wonderful umami flavor when soy sauce hits the heat
4. Make small batches, the smaller the better the results. In Penang, they make enough for only one person at a time and it’s perfect every time!
Visit Char Kuey Teow Pork Jerky for tips and substitutions which are all part of being a Wok Star and my mom would have approved, she used to do that too and no one was the wiser. Make Char Kuey Teow your memory anchor for good times and I would love to hear how your dish turns out?
Char Kuey Teow was a perfect fit for this month’s Let’s Lunch theme for a summer dish from our childhood memories.  Whenever I eat this dish, all my childhood memories start flooding back, like my family at the beach or at a picnic and having a fantastic time.  But my best and favorite memory is of cooking with my sisters and mom, giggling and having a blast!
Let’s Lunch is a monthly virtual gathering of foodies from all over the world and take turns hosting with a theme. Anyone can join, just use #letslunch on twitter and someone will reach out to you or leave a comment below. Check out other Let’s Lunchers’ posts, they’re always an interesting read…
Betty Ann‘s Suam Na Mais (Corn Soup with Shrimp and Spinach) at Asian in America
Eleanor‘s Mom’s Malaysian Char Kuey Teow at Wok Star
Grace‘s Mung Bean Popsicles at HapaMama
Karen‘s Watermelon Salt Water Taffy at GeoFooding
Linda‘s Auntie Number One’s Fresh Peach Ice-Cream at Spicebox Travels
Lisa‘s Aunty Myrna’s Cabbage Rolls at Monday Morning Cooking Club

1. Prep of Kuey Teow ingredients, top left to right: blanched rappini (sub for choy sum), 4 eggs, bean sprouts, ready fried shrimp, scallions, chopped garlic, diced red chilies, dried chili flakes,
1. Prep of Kuey Teow ingredients, top left to right: blanched rappini (sub for choy sum), 4 eggs, bean sprouts, ready fried shrimp, scallions, chopped garlic, diced red chilies, dried chili flakes. If you can get Chinese pork sausage, slice thin and fry on medium heat to render the fat and soften the pork.
2. Lightly cook wide and thin dried rice noodles, should be al dente. Dry well with dish towels. But best is to use fresh noodles.
2. Lightly cook wide and thin dried rice noodles, should be al dente. Dry well with dish towels. Best is to use fresh rice noodles, just separate each strand so it doesn’t goop up.
3. Lightly stir fry bean sprouts, scallions and rappini.
3. Lightly stir fry bean sprouts, scallions and rappini (typically choy sum but you can omit and will be fine) Notice nice patina of my sister’s cast iron wok, same as mine. She had a gas stove and I got her to use the smaller burner which focuses heat at base of her wok and resulted in much better heat distribution.
4. Lightly stir fry shrimp with garlic.
4. Lightly stir fry shrimp with garlic and chilies.
5. Fry chilies and garlic, then add in one portion of rice noodles.
5. Fry chilies and garlic, then add in one portion of rice noodles.
6. Add in bean sprouts, shrimp to noodles and combine. This is when you taste and add your dark soy and little salt so it's not too dark. Test for spiciness. Push your noodles to one side and fry some chilies in wok first before recombining.
6. Add in 1/2 of bean sprouts and shrimp to noodles and combine. This is when you taste and add your dark soy and little salt so it’s not too dark. Test for spiciness. Push your noodles to one side and fry more chilies in wok first before recombining noodles.
7. Push noodles to one side and add drop 2 eggs into wok, cover the eggs with noodles to cook them a bit. Then frantically start stir frying everything so the eggs get to cook through into yummy chunks and coat the noodles.
7. Push noodles to one side and drop 2 eggs (1 egg per person) into wok, cover the eggs with noodles to cook them a bit. Then frantically start stir frying everything so the eggs get to cook through into yummy chunks and coat the noodles.  Do the whole process with the other portion and cook it fresh to eat immediately.
Ta Da! Mom would be proud of my sister's masterpiece!
Ta Da! Mom would be proud of my sister’s masterpiece!
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