Cooking with Alison

Posts Tagged ‘food’

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Greek Quinoa Salad Recipe

In Soups and Salads on November 4, 2010 at am

Quinoa is high in nutrients and an excellent plant-based source of protein.  Since it is basically flavourless, it is very versatile for salad making.  You can use whatever vegetables, herbs, cheeses, vinaigrette, etc. that you like.  Here I’ve made a greek style quinoa salad.  See my other quinoa recipes here and here.

I have compared quinoa purchased from Bulk Barn to Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa.  I found that Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa held its shape more firmly, had a better texture, and tasted better.  So in my opinion, it is worth it to pay [much] more for the brand name product.

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Mango Quinoa Salad Recipe

In Soups and Salads on November 2, 2010 at am

In an attempt to reduce the amount of meat that I eat, I started making quinoa salads more regularly since quinoa is high in nutrients and an excellent plant-based source of protein.  I have compared quinoa purchased from Bulk Barn to Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa.  I found that Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa held its shape more firmly, had a better texture, and tasted better (even though both sources of quinoa are basically flavourless).  So in my opinion, it is worth it to pay [much] more for the brand name product.

This variation of quinoa salad was inspired by mango ceviche (recipe here).  See my other quinoa salad recipes here and here.

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Yeung Chow Fried Rice Recipe

In Other Asian Foods on October 29, 2010 at am

This is Ed’s favourite fried rice dish, so we order it often but it’s really simple to make.  Note that fried rice is always supposed to be made with day old rice, because the moisture from fresh rice may result in a mushy dish.  In some restaurants, the rice is darkly coloured and in others, the rice is still white (my preference).  You can adjust the soy sauce or dark soy sauce to your preference.

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Review of Poutine Place

In Reviews on October 27, 2010 at pm

Poutine Place, Kingston, ON is now Closed.

Poutine Place is one of two new poutine places and three new burger places to open in Kingston this fall, 2010.  (See my reviews of Smoke’s Poutinerie here, Harper’s Burger Bar here, and Five Guys here.)  The review below makes comparisons to Smoke’s Poutinerie.

When I first saw the Poutine Place sign, I quickly decided that I would never bother trying it.  The logo looks tacky with poorly chosen, mismatched font and bright, juvenile colours (red, green and yellow).  But I chastised myself for judging the store by its front when I saw their menu.  I had high hopes for their fresh, organic Canadian burgers and fruit smoothies.  When I heard a great review from a co-worker, I went a week later to try it.  I left regretful and taken aback by how different my experience had been from his.  It would only be fair for me to give Poutine Place one more chance (ie. when someone else is working) before giving the final verdict, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.  “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”

Poutine Place Review (Kingston, On)

Menu: As I mentioned, I was initially impressed by the menu.  Poutine Place offers a vegan poutine option, fruit smoothies, and fresh organic Canadian beef burgers.  See the 2 part menu here.

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Tandoori Chicken Recipe (Murgh Tandoori)

In Indian on October 26, 2010 at am

Tandoori chicken is often recognized by its bright red colour.  But I don’t like to order it because most restaurants actually achieve this colour using red food colouring.  (If you’d like to do this at home, mix it into your yogurt before adding the yogurt to the chicken.)  If you’re like me and you don’t have access to a tandoor (clay oven), you can make this using your oven and/or grill (see instructions below).  Also, I’ve heard of people putting a lump of charcoal in their ovens to infuse a smoky flavour into the chicken.  I can’t wait to get my hands on some charcoal to try this!

This is how I make tandoori chicken at home.  Note that I prefer my tandoori chicken mildly flavoured, so adjust the spice to your taste.

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Tarka Dall (lentils)

In Indian on October 24, 2010 at am

I’ve been wanting to incorporate more beans and lentils (legumes) into my diet for a long time now.  They’re high in nutrients and fiber, they’re cost-efficient, and they’re available year round.  This is my recreation of a local (Kingston, ON) Indian restaurant’s version of tarka dall – a pureed lentil side dish.  See here for tips on how to get the most flavour out of your Indian spices.

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Chana Masala Recipe (chickpeas)

In Indian on October 22, 2010 at am

Chana masala is an Indian dish that consists mainly of chickpeas and tomatoes.  It is mildly spiced and is slightly sour in taste.  What I love about this recipe is that the tartness comes from amchur / amchoor powder, which is ground, dried mangoes!  (You could also make this using lemon juice, but I highly recommend getting the amchoor.)  All of the people that tried this asked for the recipe.  See here for tips on how to get the most flavour out of your Indian spices.

Photo below:  For my friend’s birthday, I made homemade Indian takeout and we had dinner at her place.  I made fast-cooked beef “borma”, tarka dall and chana masala (and rice, of course).

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Review of Harper’s Burger Bar

In Reviews on October 20, 2010 at pm

Harper’s Burger Bar (website here) is one of three new burger places that opened in Kingston, ON this fall (2010).  (See my reviews of Poutine Place and Five Guys (includes a comparison of Harper’s and Five Guys).)  It is owned by the same people that run the restaurants, Chien Noir and Atomica.  I strongly dislike Chien Noir but I frequent Atomica, so I was curious to see how Harper’s would fare.  (If you’d like more details of my experiences at Chien Noir or Atomica, please post a comment and I will gladly share.)

Three weeks after Harper’s opened, I went for lunch on a weekday with two friends to try it.  The service was absolutely terrible.  I never would have even considered giving this place a second chance, but the owner apologized and comped our meals.  So out of appreciation for that, and to be fair to his restaurant (and to take some photos), I gave Harper’s a second chance.  I went back one and a half months later on a weekday for lunch in a group of 5.  The updated review has been added in italics below.

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Beef “Borma” Recipe

In Indian on October 20, 2010 at am

Regardless of how familiar you are with Indian food, I’m sure you’ve never heard of beef borma before.  That’s because I coined the term “borma” for a happy accident where I mistakenly made a dish that was half bhuna and half korma.  My housemate and my friend and I liked this dish so much that I decided it was worthy of 1. sharing and 2. distinguishment from other Indian curries.  

The night before, I had been researching beef bhuna and beef korma recipes – the first being tomato based and the second being cream based.  I had decided on making the korma.  But while making my fast-cooked version of an otherwise authentic dish, I mixed the recipes up in my head and accidentally added tomatoes instead of cream.  Since I accidentally used tomatoes that were meant for a bhuna in my korma, my dish was named “borma”.  Then again, “torma” (t for tomatoes) might actually be more appropriate…

Note that authentic bhuna and korma dishes involve slow cooking beef for at least 1 1/2 hours.  But I don’t like the texture of slow cooked meat, so I prefer to use tender cuts of meat and make fast-cooked versions of Indian curries.  The great thing about this cooking method is that you can enjoy an authentic tasting Indian curry on a work night without compromising on the restaurant-like flavour.  See here for tips on how to get the most flavour out of your Indian spices.

Photo above:  I was making homemade Indian take out for my friend’s birthday.  Pictured are beef “borma”, tarka dall (lentils) and chana masala (chickpeas).

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Bok Choy Soup

In Asian, Soups, Soups and Salads on October 19, 2010 at am

This soup takes less than 10 minutes to make.  When my mom makes this, she only uses broth, water, baby bok choy, and ginger.  So it can be as simple as that.  Just be sure to wash the vegetables very very well, especially if you’re using shanghai bok choy because a lot of dirt and bugs collect between the leaves.  Although full sized bok choy will work, I much prefer the taste and texture of baby bok choy.  

Note:  I used baby shanghai bok choy for the soup in the photo below. 

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Menus from the Titanic (First, Second and Third Class)

In Random on October 17, 2010 at am

When Krystal and I were in Halifax, NS, Canada, we went to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to see the Halifax explosion and Titanic exhibits.  Both of these exhibits were full of very sad stories.  Halifax was the closest major port to where the Titanic sank.  So this museum has a well recognized collection of artifacts from the tragedy.  The meals that were served on the Titanic are known because menus were recovered from the bodies of victims.  I thought people might be interested in seeing the first, second, and third class menus that were on display in the museum.

First Class Luncheon

Consomme jardiniere, Hodge podge

Fillets of Plaice

Beef steak and kidney pie

Roast Surrey capon

From the Grill

Grilled mutton chops

Mashed, fried, and baked jacket potatoes

Rice pudding

Apples Manhattan, Pastry

Buffet

Fresh lobsters, Potted shrimps

Soused herrings, Sardines

Roast beef

Round of spiced beef

Virgina and Cumberland ham

Bologna sausage, Brawn

Galantine of chicken

Corned ox tongue

Lettuce, Tomatoes

Cheese

Cheshire, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Edam, Camembert, Roquefort, St. Ivel

Iced draught Munich Lager Beer

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Sun Dried Tomato Focaccia Recipe (from scratch)

In Breads on October 15, 2010 at am

Focaccia is an Italian bread that can be topped lightly or substantially, or used as sandwich bread.  Its popularity in North America has resulted in overly simplified recipes using prepared pizza dough.  I like Peter Reinhart’s recipe from his very well-rated book, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  Although it is a 1 to 2 day process (most of the time spent rising the dough), it is well worth the effort.  My family couldn’t get over how good this bread was.

I had extra sun dried tomatoes after making warm wild mushroom salad (recipe here), so I used them for focaccia.  See my herbed focaccia recipe here.

Some other suggestions:

  • olives, roasted garlic, herbs, herb oil, or garlic infused oil (dimple these in before the 2 hour proofing time)
  • hard cheeses such as parmesan, chedder, swiss, or Monterey Jack (add this 5 minutes before the finished baking time)
  • soft cheeses like mozzarella or feta (add these about 10 min before the finished baking time)
  • try topping the finished focaccia with an assortment of meat and/or vegetables (ie. carmelized onions and goats cheese)
  • try slicing the focaccia in half and using it as a sandwich bread

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