My Happy Chinese New Year Menu

It was Chinese New Year so to celebrate I made a lazy version of my Chinese New Year Soup, mini Egg Foo Young Bites and a No Sugar Added Custard that tasted like a Chinese Almond Cookie. This was so good, weight loss surgery friendly, low carb and packed with protein. I can't wait for leftovers today!


Shelly's Chinese New Year Soup (Quick Version)

6-8 Mushroom, chopped
3 bunches Baby Bok Choy
1 cup Cooked Crumbled Sausage (I used Turkey Sausage)
4 Green Onions, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons Ginger, grated
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons Sherry
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
3 cups Chicken Broth
Salt and a few twists of Black Pepper to taste

Saute mushrooms till golden. Add bok choy and saute till limp.


Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 30 minutes.


Shelly's Egg Foo Young Bites

2 cups Bean Sprouts
6 Mushrooms, chopped
4 Green Onions, diced
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
5 Eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Olive oil for sauteing

Preheat oven to 350. Saute mushrooms till golden. Add bean sprouts. Cover and cook till bean sprouts go limp about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool, I snip the bean sprouts up a bit with kitchen shears. Helps them fit in the mini muffin tin better. Mix all ingredients together.


Spoon into lightly greased (Pam non-stick spray works great for this) mini muffin tins.


Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Let them cool a few moments they pull away and pop right out. Makes 24.


These might just be my favorite "Bites" ever.

More Eggface Bites (aka Mini Crustless Quiches)

Today's lunch will be easy. Leftovers heat up great. Soups always taste even better the next day and I just toss the bites in the toaster oven for a few minutes and they are good as new.

Oh and for dessert I made these little Almond Custards that taste like those Chinese Almond Cookies you get when you order take out.


Shelly's Chinese New Year Almond Custard

2 Tablespoons of Bird's Custard Powder
2 cups minus 2 Tablespoons of Milk
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Almond Torani Syrup

Mix powder into a smooth paste with a little of the milk (regular 2% lowfat milk, soy will not work.) Heat the remaining milk to almost boiling and pour onto the custard mixture. Return the mix to the pan and heat till thickened (it will bubble). Remove from heat and mix Sugar Free Syrup in. Pour mixture into 4/4-oz ramekins or custard cups. Here's what I use. Chill for at least 2 hours in fridge.

Top chilled custards with Homemade No Sugar Added Whipped Cream and a sprinkle of Toasted Almonds.

I realized the other day I never blogged the results of my 2013 New Year raisin toss.

For new readers... every New Year (December 31st) I toss 12 raisins, one at a time, toward my mouth at the stroke of midnight. The idea is for every raisin you get in your mouth you'll have a month of good luck in the coming year. I've done this now for several years. Thankfully my aim has gotten better since the first year. The first year... first raisin tossed, SCORE right in the mouth, second raisin... BAM right in my eye. This raisin thing is pretty accurate because that was a very interesting year.

2013 is going to be a VERY good year according to the raisins. I scored 12 out of 12 raisins in my mouth which has never happened before. I was so excited that I went for an extra raisin toss for added good luck and BAM #13 hit the top of my cheek, just below my eye and bounced onto the floor. So yeah 2013 will be a great year but I shouldn't press my luck ;)