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Instant Pot Sweet Red Bean Paste with Adzuki Beans

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Red bean paste about to be enclosed in a sesame ball

This is part 1 of 2 recipes for July’s 12 Months of Dim Sum. I love sweet red bean paste with adzuki beans. I kind of feel like I have to reiterate that sweet red bean paste is made with adzuki beans because most Americans probably think of the kidney bean or a big pot of chili when they hear “red beans”. For part 2 of 2, click here.

This super easy recipe that is obviously for a versatile sweet red bean paste with Adzuki beans. While a lot of Chinese (or Chinese inspired) cuisine is labor-intensive, this luckily a lot more easy! For ease and because I’m a busy mama, I used the Instant Pot.

Since I grew up in Oakland, California, I was lucky enough to be exposed to loads of Asian food, especially Chinese cuisine, growing up. My favorite red bean Chinese foods were Jian Dui (sesame balls) and hong dou tang (a sweet red bean soup). Red bean paste is also used in Japanese and Korean cuisine but I would like to focus on keeping this a Chinese inspired post so I can dedicate posts to the non-Chinese cuisines properly.

Most people would say that sweet red bean paste with adzuki beans is already “naturally vegan” and/or “accidentally vegan” like many other dishes and products out there. But technically, to be vegan, every single ingredient must be vegan – this includes the sugar being used which, to be vegan, must be organic. Also, “sweet” is subjective. This is not sweet like your typical confectionary treat. This is just sweet enough.

This recipe is adapted from Red House Spice and I’m so grateful for Wei’s knowledgeable posts that really break down each recipe and the background of the food and ingredients.

To make the beans, we use dry adzuki beans and soak them overnight.

Then we cook it with water in the Instant Pot and let the steam release naturally.

When done, we blend it with an immersion blender. I can’t recommend an immersion blender as part of the kitchen arsenal enough. It’s so useful for so many recipes as it allows me to blend food without having to do extra work like pouring into a relatively big appliance (which can be dangerous with hotter foods) and creating mess which means more cleanup. No thank you.

When done, we let it cool down for handling. Or we can store in the fridge up to 3-4 days. It’ll firm up and be crumbly though. Because of this, make sure to add a little bit of oil when reheating. This should be done on the stovetop and not the microwave. Make sure to pay attention and not burn.

12 Months of Dim Sum Recipes:

January 2021: Vegan Siomai

February 2021: Instant Pot Congee

March 2021: Vegan Potstickers with Ginger Scallion Tofu

April 2021: Crispy Golden Fried Tofu

May 2021: Toasted Cumin Scallion Pancakes

June 2021: Gluten-Free Asian Dipping Sauce

July 2021: Sweet Red Bean Paste and Perfectly Golden Sesame Balls

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Sweet Red Bean Paste with Adzuki Beans

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Truly easy and vegan Sweet Red Bean Paste Recipe with Adzuki Beans made in the Instant Pot – Chinese inspired recipe

  • Author: Jan Carlisle @ Bakeroise

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Fill a large bowl with water ¾ full. Add the dry beans and soak overnight.
  2. When beans are soaked, add to the instant pot with the 2 cups of water.
  3. Make sure seal is on the Instant Pot and pressure cook on medium for 25 minutes.
  4. When done, allow steam to release naturally.
  5. When steam has released, add coconut oil and both sugars to the mix and use an immersion blender to make a smooth paste. Make sure to taste and adjust as needed.  
  6. Let cool before handling with hands.

Equipment

Notes

  • If needed, add tiny bits of water to make blending easier. Remember, the more water you add, the more dilute the flavor.
  • Store in the fridge for up to three days. 
  • To reheat, use a small saucepan and add a little bit of oil to help make the paste more smooth as it might be too dry and firm. I like to use a spray oil for this. 

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Portland Summer Smoothie Bowl

I’ve been making smoothies and smoothie bowls multiple times a week every spring, summer and fall for almost a decade now – ever since I moved to Portland and got my first high speed blender. So today I am sharing my Portland Summer Smoothie Bowl.

This Portland Summer Smoothie Bowl is super easy, healthy and incredibly refreshing. The base is made up of mango, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and aćai. You can top it with whatever you’d like and I topped mine with some pantry granola, flaky coconut and more frozen berries.

Despite having access to amazing farmers markets, grocery stores, our own multiple blueberry and thornless raspberry bushes and way-too-invasive-but-yields-such-good-Himalayan-blackberries, I wanted to have a recipe that was more accessible to other busy parents who buy things in bulk. So I use frozen fruit for my Portland Summer Smoothie Bowl recipe.

These are all frozen fruit packs I get from Costco. I try to freeze what I can on my own but these frozen fruit packs come through for me when I’m in a pinch.

I take the frozen fruit and I simply blend it with soy milk. I like this unsweetened soy milk from Costco. And, no, soy isn’t bad for you and people need to stop spreading rumors about it. See recipe below for measurements.

For ease I also use a 2-cup measuring glass. I pour the ingredients in the glass. I start with the mango then empty it out into to the blender, then the berries and then the milk.

For ease I also use a 2-cup measuring glass. I pour the ingredients in the glass. I start with the mango then empty it out into to the blender, then the berries and then the milk. Then, of course, add the acai on top.

Then we blend on low and slowly increase to medium. The blender will stop blending at some point because we have to bring the contents down to the blades. Scraping the sides with the spatula is always helpful. Because of the relatively small amount of liquid, blending becomes a lot more difficult. So the contents of the blender need some kind of an “assist” to get down to the bottom of the blade. So if the blender seems to “not be doing a good job”, that’s normal. Ya just gotta scrape!

If it’s gotten to the point where stuff just won’t blend for more than a few seconds time even with all the scraping in the world, then add a tiny bit of vegan milk to help it out. Too much vegan milk and it’ll turn into a smoothie drink and not bowl. Then you’re screwed unless you’re down to drink a smoothie – which is fine to me!

You know you’re done blending when you get this nice pinwheel effect at the top of your smoothie.

When you’re done, add whatever you’d like! For me this varies as I usually just use whatever I have on hand. This time I had the granola, coconut flakes and to make it cute, I just added the frozen berries. Hope you enjoy!

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Portland Summer Smoothie Bowl

Print Recipe

This Portland Summer Smoothie Bowl is super easy, healthy and incredibly refreshing. There is also no added sugar. The base is made up of mango, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and açai.

  • Author: Jan Carlisle @ Bakeroise

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups frozen mango chunks
  • 2 cups frozen mixed berries
  • 1 frozen açaí packet
  • 3 cups unsweetened soy milk

Instructions

  1. Add mango chunks, mixed berries, soy milk and açai to a blender and mix on low to medium.  Turn off blender anytime the mixture isn’t being blended. Scrape down sides as needed to help bring whole pieces own to the blades. Add small amounts of soy milk if needed to make blending easier.
  2. Pour mixture into three bowls and top with frozen berries, granola and coconut flakes.

Notes

  • Add small amounts of soy milk if needed to make blending easier.

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Truly Vegan Dark Soy Sauce Substitute Recipe

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Today I share with you my truly vegan dark soy sauce substitute recipe. I intentionally labeled this recipe a substitute as with all the testing I’ve done, “real” dark soy sauce is still the best. I hope the the big companies can come out with organic dark soy sauce because actual dark soy sauce seems pretty irreplaceable. So, again, this is only a a substitute that’s meant to serve the same purpose. It’s decent and “works”. But it’s still a substitute! Don’t come after me!

In my post about the difference between light and dark soy sauce, we learned that Chinese dark soy sauce is made with a sweetener which is usually sugar and/or molasses. The sugar listed on most bottles tends to be conventional, making it not vegan. I write more about how I feel about accidentally-vegan-but-they’re-technically-not here.

In the past, I never really had a specific dark soy sauce recipe written down. In recipes that would normally call for dark soy sauce I would use light soy sauce in the recipe and then just add a little bit of sweetener, organic cane or light brown sugar, to the dish itself. So there was no real substitute for dark soy sauce.

I decided it was time to have a truly vegan dark soy sauce substitute recipe instead of just relying on seasoning at the end. While I’m open to seasoning as I go and even people seasoning their own food (which I’m a huge fan of actually), I thought it’d be useful to have a jar of dark soy sauce on hand if I needed it.

In my truly vegan dark soy sauce substitute recipe, I use organic dark brown sugar to get a sweeter taste and thicker texture than light brown soy sauce. But Dark brown sugar is also made with molasses which makes it sweeter and darker so that makes it the perfect choice for my dark soy sauce substitute recipe.

I had trouble coming up with making an exact replication because the store bought dark soy sauce I used to use had an obvious alcoholic taste…but it was so good for cooking! So I tested different quantities of sugar and methods and I found that the best thing I could do was mix light soy sauce with organic dark brown sugar.

This truly vegan dark soy sauce substitute recipe is vegan-friendly, has the sweetness we look for when making noodle dishes but doesn’t have that overly alcoholic/fermented taste that dark soy sauce have. It’s also not as thick as the store-bought conventional dark soy sauce but it’s indeed thicker than light soy sauce. If you do a taste test, they are going to taste pretty different but like I mentioned above, this truly vegan dark soy sauce substitute is that – a substitute. And it does the job for me for now.

I will try to come up with other variations (ie. using organic molasses in addition to the brown sugar) but I’ve found this sauce to be a good substitute for both cooking and seasoning.

But so far, this truly vegan dark soy sauce substitute has done the trick for me in both cooking and seasoning!

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Dark Soy Sauce Substitute Recipe

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Vegan substitute recipe for dark soy sauce that uses light soy sauce and organic dark brown sugar

  • Author: Jan Carlisle @ Bakeroise
  • Prep Time: 1
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 11 (varies)
  • Yield: ¾ cup 1x
  • Category: Sauce
  • Method: Reduction
  • Cuisine: Chinese
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pan to medium high heat and add the light soy sauce and organic dark brown sugar.
  2. Once it starts to bubble, keep an eye on it and cook until it’s reduced to 75%. When done, it should measure to just about ¾ cup.
  3. Let cool when done. 
  4. Store in sealed, glass container fridge to retain stronger taste for six months.

Equipment

Notes

  • Must use dark and not light brown sugar as dark brown sugar has molasses, which makes it sweeter. 

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Free Food Resources in Southeast Portland That Don’t Require Proof of Income – Vegan Friendly Options

This list was last updated on July 9, 2021.

This is a haul from a grocery-style outdoor food pickup from Urban Gleaners at one of their locations today at Creston Elementary School in Southeast Portland. Everything I selected is vegan. I didn’t need the food so I gifted it on Buy Nothing to a neighbor.

This is a list of free food resources in Southeast Portland, Oregon that don’t require proof of income or proof of address. I am slowly compiling lists for other areas but right now I was able to put this relatively solid list together for Southeast Portland which is still a pretty big area.

Recently, a lot has been happening in our city of Portland, OR and my first priority has been staying afloat while engaging in mutual aid to help others also stay afloat.

Which brings us to this post. I wanted to share a list of free food options (including vegan) in Southeast Portland – that do not require proof of income or address. Many of these wonderful programs offer fresh produce and go beyond just giving only shelf-stable products like canned corn and dry pasta.

There are both intentionally vegan and natural vegan options available. Sometimes you have to take non-vegan items home because stuff is pre-packed so you do have to sort it yourself when you get home.

Last year shortly after the lockdown, I would pick up free food boxes to help distribute to neighbors who couldn’t go otherwise and sometimes also for my family if there was enough. I’m not going to turn down a few loaves of surplus Dave’s Killer Bread! Unfortunately, there were people in my life who felt the need to police me and interrogate me about whether or not I really needed free food. And, honestly, I was a little guilty of being judgmental myself when I would see a well-dressed person who looked like a working professional coming by to get free food too. I would never say anything but I definitely wondered, “What are they doing here?”

Eek! I’ve moved past that. Not cool! I never should have done that and I’m sorry.

Because of unnecessary judgment people face when getting assistance, a large amount of people don’t take advantage of free services which then hurts the programs because it ends up looking like no one needs them. There are just too many people who mistakingly think they’re too privileged to accept help. And it doesn’t help when others are cops about it, questioning why someone who drives a certain car or looks a certain way would even need any kind of help.

Also, I personally think it’s rather counterproductive to not want to accept help that is truly needed. There are reasons why some people don’t accept it that are valid (maybe the pickup site is too far or maybe there are specific nutritional needs or allergies that can’t be served with this kind of help, etc). But I’ve met too many people in my life who “don’t want handouts” even though it means they eat like crap or even end up having to make bad financial decisions like opening up a credit card that has a high APR that ends up financially crippling them later on. So not only do they hurt themselves but they hurt others in the process.

I just don’t get it. My own immigrant family wouldn’t sign up for any help and it seemed to be something they were proud of. Maybe it was self-preservation and they didn’t want closed-minded people using it against them? Obviously, I did not agree with that decision.

Not taking advantage of this type of help hurts these programs which also affects others. While I don’t technically need the help, I at least make it a point to go to the end of these food pickups and try to distribute food to those who do. I do this because there are too many people who don’t show up even for themselves.

Encourage others to accept help. Don’t shame them for it. And don’t let them shame you for refusing help or getting help. Because no matter what you do, someone will always have something negative to say. Always. Ignore it. It’s easier said than done – I know. It’s caused me anxiety and still does sometimes. So it’s ongoing work. But try to ignore it. It’s none of their business.

Here are some free food resources in Southeast Portland that don’t require proof of income or address. Please keep in mind to treat volunteers/workers with kindness and give them grace. Many do happen to be caring and nice. I’ve also witnessed many who are kind of rude to pretty much anyone. Either way, if they are the latter to you, do not take it personally. Sometimes they’re just cranky and/or having a bad day. Obviously, that’s not an excuse – just a reason. So if it’s something you can let slide off your shoulders, just do it. Just get your food, show gratitude and get outta there!

  1. Feed the Mass – I used to volunteer with this great group back in the day. They are now at the Breathe Building a few blocks north of Southeast Division. They give away free lunches on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12-1. The options are either meaty meals or straight up vegan. Yay for vegan options!
These are two Feed the Mass sample menus for two different days.

2. Sunshine Division – They have a food box home delivery program specifically for people who live in Portland proper and Gresham and are home bound due to illness, compromised immune system, etc. This is one of the programs that truly is meant to be for those who can’t leave the house so please keep that in mind. I sometimes order a box here for an older friend of mine who needs it.

To request a food box for home delivery, go to the link here: https://sunshinedivision.org/get-help/

3. Metropolitan Family Services Hunger Relief Program: Most of these these are pantry shopping sites but the location at Cherry Park Elementary allows you to just drive up, open the back or trunk door and they load for you. These tend to be busy right at opening and are way better after the second half of the “shift”. To learn more and see the complete list of sites, please go to this link.

4. Urban Gleaners: This is one of my favorite programs. They take the surplus groceries from the more….”expensive” stores like Market of Choice, Whole Foods, etc. They are mostly in Portland proper but also can show up in different towns like Wood Village, OR. For a list Urban Gleaner pickup sites and times, please click here.

5. Woodstock Pantry: This is at a church on 41st and Woodstock and you just drive up there and they load your car for you every Friday and Saturday from 12-2. For more info, please click here for their Facebook page.

6. PPS Nutrition Services: Quote edited for clarity from the website: “From June 21 through August 20, grab-and-go meal sacks, with breakfast and lunch, will be available between 3 and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 15 PPS sites for all children in the community ages 1-18 (this includes PPS students as well as children not enrolled at PPS). Also, in partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation, daily free meals and activities will be offered throughout the city in parks June 21-August 20.”

The part about PPR offering the free lunch at parks is actually called “Free Lunch & Play” and I used to go to those all the time with my daughter and friends!

For the list of school sites and parks with offerings, please click here.

7. Food with Dignity: So this is less an official organization and instead pretty much right outside of someone’s house! There is no set time for when you can pick up. There are local businesses that contribute their food and normal, everyday people drop off and pickup food at their leisure. So you pretty much can go here at any waking hour. I will admit that whenever I’ve come by here, there are slim pickings but if you’re in the area and want/need food, it wouldn’t hurt to try because people are constantly dropping things off. Please go to their Facebook page for more information as it seems that people will post photos of what they are dropping off!

8. Urban Gleaners via Creston Elementary School: So for the summer, there will be an outdoor pantry-style food pickup outside of Creston Elementary School. The dates are: July 7, July 21, August 4 and August 18. The location is on SE Francis and SE 47th. This isn’t listed on the Urban Gleaners website but the Creston parent volunteers had fliers to help spread the word. It was obvious that not many people knew about it – because there was such a huge surplus when I was there at the end that I ended up helping pack up and taking majority of the food. I ended up distributing to other parents, my daughter’s Portland Parks and Recreation camp staff (who had also done the free food boxes prior) and to Food Not Bombs PDX.

9. Food Not Bombs PDX: I haven’t been to either of these ongoing events so this is based on information given to me by volunteers. So please do your own research and visit these spots at your own discretion. So there are two locations for FNB in Southeast Portland with two different types of events.

The first one is at Buckman Elementary school and is more like your outdoor shopping-style food pickup.

The second event is at Laurelhurst Park which is where the servings happen. Full disclosure, there is a rather large houseless population at Laurelhurst Park nowadays and it can be rather sad and hard for some people to watch and/or encounter.

For more info and updates on the Food Not Bombs PDX events, please go to their Facebook page here.

I hope this list has been helpful. Please let me know if you come across any free food pickups in Southeast Portland that would be a great addition to this list. If you have any suggestions for pickups outside of Portland, please leave a comment below and I will work on compiling a list when I can. Thank you!