Cooking with Alison

Posts Tagged ‘vegan’

, , ,

Wild Blueberry Sauce Recipe

In Other Desserts on May 16, 2012 at am

Wild blueberries will forever remind me of the trip that my sister and I took to New England (East coast of Canada and USA).  (See my New England clam chowder recipe and review here and my review of a New England restaurant that Barack Obama ate at here.)  I was feeling nostalgic when I discovered that President’s Choice sells frozen Canadian wild blueberries, so I purchased a very large bag and have been making this simple wild blueberry sauce ever since.  (On a side note, I’m hoping to come up with a recipe that uses frozen blueberries to make a good wild blueberry pie.  I’ve had a failed attempt so far.  I’ll keep you posted.)  I have made this sauce for family, friends, and Ed, and everyone has loved it.  It’s subtly sweet and natural tasting and is versatile for a range of simple and delicious desserts.  For example, you could serve it warm over ice cream (photo below) or a slice of pound cake (recipe here) with a dollop of whipped cream.  (If you have leftover whipped cream, you can freeze it (see here for instructions)!)  I’ve also used this sauce (cooled) in trifles (photo above) and danishes (recipe here).  I don’t recommend making this sauce with regular blueberries, because they’re not as flavourful, they’re more tart, and they don’t hold their shape as well as wild blueberries.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

Brussel Sprouts with Shallots and Bacon

In Sides and Sauces on March 26, 2012 at pm

I made this brussel sprout side dish for Christmas one year and, to my surprise, it was my dad’s favourite dish of the meal.  I love brussel sprouts, even when they’re simply steamed with a sprinkle of sea salt.  I’m surprised by how much they usually cost at the grocery store, because I discovered this past summer that they’re actually really easy to plant.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

Ketchup Soup Recipe

In Soups and Salads on February 15, 2012 at pm

Note: This recipe was updated and improved in September, 2020!

Years ago, Ed’s mom introduced me to her ketchup soup.  I couldn’t get enough of it!  It’s sweet and sour and hearty.  I am very grateful to her for telling me how she makes it. I played around with her guidelines a bit, added some spice and more beef, and came up with the measurements. This is super kid friendly if you omit the spice. It’s also perfect for using up leftover ketchup after the summer and BBQ season ends. Hopefully you’ll like it too!

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , ,

Pina Coladas from Scratch (and How to Choose and Open a Coconut)

In Drinks, How-To on December 30, 2011 at am

When I saw fresh coconuts on sale at the grocery store, I was inspired to make pina coladas from scratch.  I must admit that removing the white coconut flesh from the brown shell was labour intensive, but it was a fun challenge.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

How to Make Apple Cider

In Drinks, How-To on December 16, 2011 at pm

I love apple cider and spiced hot apple cider.  I’ve tried many different brands and the best apple cider I’ve ever had was homemade.  Ed loved it too, and he’s usually indifferent when it comes to apple cider.  This is an easy recipe for apple cider or spiced apple cider that can be served hot or cold.  If desired, you could make this an alcoholic drink.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , ,

Stir Fried Snow Pea Shoots with Garlic

In Other Asian Foods on September 12, 2011 at am

Living in an apartment that faces north prevented me from growing my own vegetables until now.  This summer, I rented a community garden plot and tried gardening for the first time.  I wasn’t as successful as I had hoped, because I was (too often) too lazy to make the trip to the plot and water it.  I was the most excited when a single Japanese eggplant started to grow.  I proudly inspected it for a couple of weeks while researching recipes that would be worthy of this adorable, surely to be delicious, eggplant.  But before it was fully grown, a rabbit ate it.  I was really disappointed.  Luckily, I was able to enjoy a bunch of young and tender snow pea shoots.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , ,

Jap Chae Recipe (Korean Glass Noodle Dish)

In Rice and Noodle Dishes on August 5, 2011 at am

Jap chae (or chap chae) is a flavourful Korean glass noodle dish that can be served as a side dish or as a main course.  [Note that Korean glass noodles are made with sweet potato starch and are thicker than Chinese cellophane noodles, so be sure to check the ingredients so you don’t purchase the wrong ones.]  Enjoy this noodle dish warm or at room temperature (but not cold). 

The flavour and ingredients of chap chae vary slightly depending on the restaurant or home, so feel free to use whatever vegetables or protein you like (ie. spinach and peppers) and adjust the seasonings to your taste.  Although many people add thinly sliced beef to their jap chae, I prefer this as a vegetarian/vegan dish.  Also, this is the perfect make-ahead dish for entertaining, bbqs, or pot lucks, because it tastes better over the next day or two.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

French Picnic (Pique-Nique) Menu and Recipes

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Main Course on August 2, 2011 at am

I made a French themed picnic (pique-nique) basket for Ed and I, but I was feeling too sick to go outside, so we enjoyed it in our pyjamas at home.  (That’s the second picnic that has been foiled this summer.)  Below, I have shared our menu, a simple and wonderful recipe for tomato salad, as well as other French picnic menu ideas.  (See Southern themed picnic menus and recipes here.)

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , ,

Chinese Borscht Recipe (Lor Sung Tong)

In Asian, Soups, Soups and Salads on June 2, 2011 at am

Originating from Ukraine, borscht is a soup that is made with beets as the main ingredient.  Surprisingly, you may find borscht or even Russian borscht (“loh sung tong” / “lor sung tong”) on the menus of some Hong Kong style diners.  The borscht served in these Chinese restaurants is more like a hot and sour vegetable soup with tomatoes and/or tomato paste as the main ingredient(s).  It’s delicious and my siblings and I love it.  In fact, every time my brother sees me, he asks me when I’m going to make more of this soup for him.  I made it for my housemate recently and she asked for the recipe.  Every Chinese restaurant makes their borscht slightly differently, so feel free to add whatever vegetables you like.  The following recipe was created to taste just like the soup that’s served at our favourite Hong Kong style diner in Markham, ON.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , ,

How to Make Almond Milk (and a Comparison of Milk Alternatives)

In How-To, Reviews on May 23, 2011 at am

Normally, I’m a regular consumer of cow’s milk and Chinese soy milk drinks.  But challenging myself with a month long detox diet (see post here) led me to explore non-dairy (casein free) and non-soy milks.  The options include coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, and hemp milk.  I also heard of a potato based milk alternative, DariFree by Vance’s Foods that comes in a powder.  I don’t like the taste of fresh coconut juice and coconut milk is too rich (for my tastes) for drinking, so this post will focus on a comparison between almond, rice, and hemp milk.  Also, see below for homemade rice milk instructions and a very simple and versatile almond milk recipe with flavour variations.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

My Detox Diet Challenge and Recipes – Day 7

In Random on May 7, 2011 at am

I have now completed the first week of my month long detox challenge.  (See the Day 1 post here.  See the Day 15 post here.  See the final post here.)  That means I have not had any dairy, gluten, refined sugar, soy, caffeine or alcohol.  I know it’s only been a week, but I’m surprised by how mild, how manageable, and how infrequent my cravings have been.  I mostly craved sugar in the first few days, but that’s probably because it rained all week and I wasn’t allowed caffeine. In fact, I feel less hungry during the day and am consequently, consuming fewer calories.  I do, however, miss the convenience of 1. not having to think about my food, and 2.  being able to snack on anything that’s available when I’m hungry. With any dietary restriction, meals and snacks need to be planned ahead of time.  That means that both grocery shopping and cooking need to be done at least a day in advance.

Update:  Late night, Day 6, I cheated.  😦  I had planned to avoid restaurants for the month of May, but I ended up in a bar with friends when the night’s plans suddenly changed on me.  I had a beer and about 2/3 of a pound of wings.  The next morning, I was challenged with all sorts of food cravings that I was luckily able to resist.

So far, I’m very happy that I took on this detox challenge.  (See below for the health benefits that I’ve seen so far.)  My dog is even happier about my detox diet, because I feel safe sharing my homemade almond milk and gluten-free waffles and bread with him.

The Foods I’ve Been Eating and Their Recipes

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , ,

Candied Tamarind

In Asian Desserts on May 5, 2011 at pm

I’ve used tamarind paste for southeast Asian and Indian cooking.  (See more info on cooking with tamarind here.)  I like its unique, tart taste and, although I try periodically, it is too strong and too sour [for my taste] to eat raw.  So when I discovered candied whole tamarind (sold as “sweet and sour tamarind”), I was very eager to try it.  I love the naturalness of this chewy, not-so-sweet candy, because it only contains 3 ingredients:  tamarind fruit, sugar, and salt.  It’s perfect for people with a lot of food allergies or restrictions.  The acquired taste of the tamarind is subdued in this candy, so it’s a great way to introduce someone to this fruit.  Just be sure not to bite into the rock hard seeds.  Luckily, they are large and easy to spot in this pod-like fruit.  Note that the candied whole tamarind (shell removed) is not the same thing as the more commonly available, chewy balls of tamarind candy that are made with tamarind juice, sugar, and water.  I prefer candied whole tamarind because it is lower in sugar content and processed more naturally.  Unfortunately, it seems to be impossible to find fresh tamarind where I live.  So for now, I’ll resort to buying the store bought candy.