Posts Tagged ‘gluten-free’
food, gluten-free, recipes, vegan, vegetarian
In Sides and Sauces, Soups and Salads on July 11, 2014 at am
For a while, I was obsessed with watching TLC’s show, Extreme Cheapskates. In this show, people go to revolting, albeit sometimes creative, extremes to save money. Surprisingly, I picked up a good salad dressing tip from one of the episodes. 🙂 When you finish a jar of jam, before you wash the jar and recycle it, make a salad dressing in the still-slightly-jammy jar. This will not only add sweetness and a hint of fruit flavour to your dressing, it will also save you from having to wash additional dishes. Of course, this also reduces your food waste.
To make your salad dressing: Add some vinegar/lemon juice, olive oil, and mustard powder/dijon mustard to the almost empty jam jar. (Note: A good starting ratio is 1:5 for vinegar/lemon juice to extra virgin olive oil. The mustard helps emulsify the dressing.) Screw the lid on tightly, shake vigorously until the dressing is well mixed, and then adjust the ingredients to taste. For example, you might want to add additional vinegar, a pinch of salt and/or black pepper, honey/maple syrup, etc.
food, gluten-free, Grocery Budget Challenge, How-To, Mind Your Cents, recipes, vegan, vegetarian, Versatile Ingredients
In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Sides and Sauces on July 6, 2014 at am
I love avocados and often eat them straight out of the peel with a spoon. Here are a few creative ways to use avocados and some tips for making them taste even better (other than just adding them to everything and anything you can think of):
- Be sure to try warming up your avocado (peel and pit removed) in the microwave. I love warm avocados, especially in a sandwich, pita, or wrap. I’ve also seen recipes where people bake avocado halves in the shell.
- Have you ever tasted avocado tempura (Japanese deep fried avocado)? It’s delicious – probably in part because of the warming effect. You could easily deep fry slices of avocado at home, by either using a tempura batter or an egg wash followed by a coating of panko crumbs.
- I used to eat avocados plain until my friend Aurelie told me that in France, a lot of people eat their avocados with a dollop of Dijon mustard. I’m so glad that she told me that, because I’ve been doing it ever since. My preferred brand of Dijon mustard is Maille.
- I’ve also discovered that I like eating avocados with a light drizzle of honey. But, oddly, I don’t like the taste of honey mustard on avocados.
- Try using half of an avocado, still in the shell, as a carbohydrate substitute and bowl for your favourite tuna, crab, chicken, or ham salad. See a tuna salad recipe here. You could even place a fried egg in the avocado half. I’ve also seen recipes where people bake avocado halves in the shell (pit removed) with eggs or cheese, etc.
- Use avocado to make a delicious and healthy mayonnaise substitute.
- Make smoothies or other types of drinks using avocados. Don’t forget alcoholic drinks like avocado margaritas.
- I’ve even seen recipes for avocado soup. Let me know if you’ve tried this and what you thought of it.
- Make an avocado frosting for your baked goods. These are often vegan friendly. The natural green colour is great for St Patrick’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas themed parties.
- Avocado can be used as a fat substitute in vegan baking. John and I plan to try making black bean and avocado brownies. If they’re really good, I’ll share the recipe.
- Lastly, I’ve put avocado popsicles on my list of things to try.
Just to be thorough, here are some of the ways that I use avocados in every day cooking: in all sorts of salads, in sandwiches, as burger toppings, in wraps, in pitas, in tacos, in quesadillas, in sushi (maki rolls or hand rolls), in guacamole (see recipe here), in salsa with exotic fruits atop fish, in breakfast or egg dishes, as toppings or garnish for some soups, in fish tartare or ceviche (see recipes here), in appetizers served in wonton cups (see recipe here), etc., etc. Let me know how you like to use avocados!
food, gluten-free, recipes
In Main Course, Red Meat and Eggs on June 12, 2014 at am
I made beef ribs using this dry rub twice in one week, because my brother and John couldn’t get enough of them. You could also use it on beef brisket. Feel free to substitute any of the ingredients with whatever you happen to have on hand. For example, you could try omitting the nutmeg or adding ground mustard or ground cumin to switch up the flavours every now and then. (See here for my favourite dry rub recipe for chicken.)
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Chinese food, drinks, food, gluten-free, recipes, vegetarian
In Asian, Drinks, Other Asian Foods on June 6, 2014 at am
Papaya milk made with 1 cup of milk
My family and I love the Chinese drink, papaya and milk (木瓜牛奶). There is only one vendor that we buy it from, because most places do a terrible job of making this. Often vendors or restaurants will add ice or, more commonly, use papaya that is not nearly ripe enough. I’ve recreated our favourite vendor’s papaya milk drink. The most important thing to remember when making papaya juice or papaya milk drink is that the papaya must be overly ripe, to the point where it is almost starting to going bad, as shown in the photo below. The ripeness of the papaya not only affects the flavour of the drink, but also the texture of it.
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Chinese food, food, gluten-free, How-To, Indian, recipes, vegan, vegetarian
In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Asian, Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, How-To, Indian, Main Course on June 1, 2014 at am
Whenever I cook with ingredients that I don’t use regularly, I almost always end up with extra ingredients that I can’t find the time or purpose for. I hate to waste food. So, very early on, I learned how to make the freezer my best friend. Below I’ve shared a list of fresh and canned ingredients that freeze beautifully for months to a year, without a change in texture or taste. Let me know if you can think of anything else! I will add to this list as I discover new freezer friendly ingredients. Also, I’ve posted many many freezer friendly recipes throughout the years. Just look to the end of each recipe for freezing instructions, as applicable.
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Chinese food, food, gluten-free, How-To, recipes, vegan, vegetarian
In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Asian, Breakfast, Desserts, How-To on May 22, 2014 at am
I love almost all fruit, and mangosteen is, by far, my favourite. If you haven’t tried purple mangosteen yet, I highly recommend that you do as soon as the opportunity presents itself. When I was in Malaysia, I ate an entire bag and every day that I’ve been back, I regret not eating more. That was a year ago!!! Mangosteen are grown mainly in Southeast Asia and the best ones that I’ve ever had were from Malaysia. Disappointingly, in North America, mangosteen can be quite expensive and often not very fresh. So be sure to choose ones with a fresh and green coloured stem, because there are such things as bad and so-so mangosteen.
The purple fruit shown in the middle are the mangosteen
The purple outer shell is inedible. To open a mangosteen, crush the purple shell between the palms of your hands and then pull it apart to open it. But be very careful not to stain your clothes, because the purple dye is almost impossible to wash out. In fact, many hotels in Southeast Asia ban their guests from bringing mangosteen into their rooms. The white flesh on the inside of the fruit is soft, moist, juicy and refreshing and light tasting. Also, there are large seeds within each lobe of the white flesh.
If you get the chance to try a mangosteen, let me know what you think!
Asian food, food, gluten-free, Malaysian food, recipes, vegan, vegetarian
In Asian Desserts, Desserts on May 15, 2014 at am
Kueh is one of my favourite Malaysian desserts. It is steamed, mildly flavoured, soft, chewy, and slightly sticky. Here is a recipe for a 7, 8, or 9 layer (your choice), 2 colour kueh. The main flavours to this kueh are coconut and pandan.
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food, gluten-free, recipes, vegetarian
In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 9, 2014 at am
Most people love smoked salmon, so I knew that smoked salmon hors d’oeuvres was a must-have when I was designing the menu for John’s housewarming party. Lemon and cream cheese or mascarpone cheese are standard toppings for smoked salmon and cucumber canapés (see my smoked salmon and lemon mascarpone crostini recipe here). I wanted to use something lighter this time, so I was planning on topping my canapés with sour cream. But in the mad rush to get all of the food out as guests started to arrive, I accidentally piped something else onto my hors d’oeuvres. I didn’t even realize the happy mistake until the end of the night, when I was putting everything away. I lost count of how many of these we made, and we had none leftover. People loved and complimented these, thinking that I had used a light and airy cheese topping. Even I didn’t notice the swap (shame on you, palate). It turns out, that just a small dollop of unsweetened whipped cream works absolutely beautifully (if not better than sour cream, cream cheese, and mascarpone) atop smoked salmon and cucumber. Here’s a toast to happy accidents! I plan to use whipped cream for these hors d’oeuvres again in the future. Now… what am I going to do with all of the sour cream that I bought?
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Chinese food, food, gluten-free, recipes, vegan, vegetarian
In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Asian, Asian Desserts, Breakfast, Desserts, How-To, Other Asian Foods on March 29, 2014 at am
Pomelo is a very large citrus fruit that tastes like a sweeter, milder grapefruit (photo not shown). Not only does pomelo taste better than grapefruit, it’s also much much easier to peel and eat. I didn’t think that it could get any better with citrus fruit, but I was proven very wrong when I discovered Israel’s sweetie grapefruit (also known as oroblanco in the USA). When I first tasted it, I thought, this tastes even better than a pomelo, sweeter and juicier, almost like a mix of pomelo and grapefruit. Sure enough, I later learned that the sweetie grapefruit is, in fact, a cross between the pomelo and the white grapefruit. I really hope you’re able to find this in your local grocery store. When picking a sweetie grapefruit, the skin should be green and should smell citrusy. Also, the fruit should be heavy and somewhat soft when pressed.
You peel a sweetie grapefruit the same way you peel a pomelo: Use a sharp knife to cut an X into the top of the fruit. Make sure that you cut all the way through the thick rind. Then peel the rind off in large slices. Then use your hands to pull the fruit apart so that you have two halfs with exposed flesh. Pull each lobe of flesh away from the white pith and enjoy.
Other must try fruits include: mangosteen (see here).
Chinese food, food, gluten-free, recipes, vegan, vegetarian
In Asian, How-To, Rice and Noodle Dishes on March 16, 2014 at am
fiBowls of Chinese noodle soup are comforting, warming, easy to make, and are often one pot meals. They’re also a great way to use up leftovers, because you can use any combination of protein and/or vegetables that you like or happen to have on hand. I’ve provided guidelines for making Chinese noodle soup and suggested some popular topping combinations below.
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Chinese food, food, gluten-free, recipes, vegan, vegetarian
In Asian, Fish / Seafood, Rice and Noodle Dishes, Soups on March 10, 2014 at am
This recipe is a recreation of my family’s favourite fish broth. We surprisingly found the best fish broth at one of the food court vendors in First Markham Place in Markham, ON. My family and I have never had such a delicious and strongly flavoured fish soup. The best part is that they don’t use MSG! Our cousin took us out in Malaysia for the “best” fish noodle soup, and we didn’t have the heart to tell him that our local food court vendor does it much much better. This fish broth will fill your house with a fishy smell, but if you can get over that, you’ll love the broth. I like to use this fish broth when I’m making seafood paella and Chinese noodle soups (see recipe here).
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Chinese food, food, gluten-free, recipes
In Asian, Meat and Eggs, Other Asian Foods on February 27, 2014 at am
Cooking with Alison’s Mom (Part 3)
Pork stomach soup is one of my favourite Chinese soups. I just love the texture of pork stomach after it has been boiled in a peppery and clear soup. It is chewy and surprisingly neutral in flavour. The peppercorns in this soup make it especially warming during the cold winter months. Chinese restaurants add a lot of different spices to their pork stomach soup, but I’ve always found that the best soups are made from a simple list of ingredients. So here’s my favourite (and simple) recipe. [On a side note, according to the teachings of Chinese medicine, this is a ‘hot’ soup. The dried bean curd helps to reduce some of the ‘hotness’, but if you feel cold easily or if you have just given birth, omit the bean curd so that you can maximize the warming properties of this soup. If you are cooking for someone who has just given birth, see my grandma’s Chinese Ginger Vinegar with Pig Trotters and Eggs recipe here.]
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Cooking with Alison 