Cooking with Alison

Posts Tagged ‘vegetarian’

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Chinese New Year Steamed Cake (nian gao)

In Asian Desserts on February 3, 2011 at am

Nian gao is a steamed cake that is traditionally eaten at Chinese New Year.  During the 2 week long celebration, nian gao is often given and received as gifts.  It is a vegan cake made with glutinous rice flour (also known as sticky rice flour).  Since it does not contain eggs or baking powder/soda, it has a chewy, dense, and slightly sticky texture.  It really only tastes good when served hot, either from the steamer or pan fried (see photo below).  Also, note that nian gao is not meant to be very sweet (but you can use more sugar if you’d like).  There are variations of nian gao that you could try (ie. using coconut milk) and there are very good baked nian gao cakes too (see my recipe here).  The recipe below is for the plain, traditional steamed cake.

(Another steamed cake that is often enjoyed at Chinese New Year is turnip cake.  See my improved recipe here.)

Photo below:  Slices of the nian gao are coated in raw egg and pan fried in a little bit of oil.  But some people prefer to omit the egg and pan fry the nian gao directly in the oil.

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Best Blueberry or Cranberry Bran Muffins

In Breakfast on February 1, 2011 at am

I really like muffins but I avoid buying them because they’re deceivingly high in calories from fat and sugar.  Since muffins are convenient for breakfast, I decided to make healthy muffins.  Besides containing a lot of fiber, health-benefiting sweeteners (molasses, cane syrup, honey) are used over the typical white or brown sugars.  Vital wheat gluten and buttermilk give these muffins a soft and moist texture.  Bursts of fresh fruit help too, but feel free to substitute with raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips.  These are freezer friendly, so you’re not resigned to eating healthily every day for two weeks.  😉  (Photo of the cranberry orange bran muffins are at the bottom of this post.)

 

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Cranberry Sauce Recipe (it’s not just for turkey)

In Sides and Sauces on January 17, 2011 at am

I love cranberry sauce with turkey, so I’m not sure why I waited so long to make it from scratch.  I will never buy canned cranberry sauce again.  It is very easy to make and can be made a few days ahead of time.  I made it for Christmas, 2010 and Ed – who doesn’t like cranberry sauce – surprisingly really liked it.  Now he understands why people pair cranberries with turkey.  🙂

The great thing about this cranberry sauce is that it’s not just for turkey.  You could add it to baked brie crostini or baked brie on crackers, use it as an accompaniment for pâté de canard (duck pâté), spread this on top of cheesecake (garnish with almond slices), or use it as a filling for layer cake or trifle.  You could even use this like jam on french toast, plain toast, pancakes, scones, muffins, or sandwiches.

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How to use Tamarind

In How-To on January 10, 2011 at am

Tamarind is a pod-like fruit that is used in Southeast Asian and Indian cooking.  It is also available candied.  It has a hard, dry, light brown exterior and several hard seeds.  The flesh is reddish brown in colour, slightly chewy in texture, and unique and tart in flavour.  If you’re not familiar with tamarind, you might be surprised to learn that it is an ingredient in Worcestershire and HP steak sauce.  On a side note, I like tamarind, but I dislike those sauces.

If you’re starting with fresh tamarind, discard the shell, the seeds, and the fibrous thread that runs along the outside of the flesh.  Otherwise, tamarind can be purchased in other forms.  There doesn’t seem to be a consistent use of terms that distinguish between those options.  So depending on the source, it can be very confusing as to what a recipe actually calls for.  Here is my general understanding:  Wet tamarind or tamarind block is shown on the right side of the photo above.  This is often simply labeled as “tamarind”.  I have even seen this referred to as tamarind “paste”.  But in general, tamarind paste, tamarind juice, and tamarind water usually refer to tamarind that has been prepared for cooking.  To add further confusion, the term tamarind pulp has been used to describe both the flesh of tamarind (wet tamarind / tamarind block) and, contrarily, the parts of the tamarind that do not “dissolve” or mix with water.

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Gourmet Mushroom Risotto Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Pasta, Rice, and Doughs, Sides and Sauces on January 6, 2011 at am

I’ve made butternut squash risotto and pea and prosciutto risotto before, but mushroom risotto is my family’s favourite – so far (I haven’t made them seafood risotto yet).  Since this dish is so simple, the selection of mushrooms is critical to the success of it.  The secret to my mushroom risotto is the use of dried black trumpet mushrooms.  The texture of these mushrooms is thin and leathery, but they lend the most amazing flavour and aroma.  When my mother tasted this, she was so impressed with the mushroom flavour that she thought I had added some processed or artificial flavouring.  For texture and aesthetic appeal, I also used dried porcini and fresh oyster mushrooms.  (I love the dried mushrooms from Marx Foods (review here).  You can taste the quality of their mushrooms from the soaking liquid, which in this case, added tremendous flavour to the rice.)

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Dulse

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, How-To, Sides and Sauces, Soups and Salads on January 2, 2011 at am

Update:  This photo was published in TAPS The Beer Magazine in the November/December 2012 issue!

I had never heard of dulse until I started making travel plans to the east coast of Canada.  So when we were in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Krystal and I went looking for this and were lucky enough to find it at the City Market.  We purchased a bag of hand picked, sun dried dulse and brought it back to Ontario.  I wanted to share what I’ve learned as this might be of interest [in particular] to vegetarians, vegans, gardening enthusiasts and people who have anemia or hypothyroidism.  Note:  If you have hyperthyroidism, however, it may not be appropriate for you to consume dulse.

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Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Goat Cheese, Raisins, Walnuts

In Soups and Salads on December 31, 2010 at am

Quinoa is high in nutrients and an excellent plant-based source of protein.  I usually make quinoa salads in the warmer months.  But in the fall and winter, I like to enjoy this quinoa salad warm.  I love the contradicting textures and flavours of this healthy and filling dish.  For example, I love the creaminess and richness of the goat cheese, the crunch from the nuts, the sweetness and chewiness of the raisins, and the crisp sour bites of apple.  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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Sesame Noodle Salad Recipe

In Rice and Noodle Dishes, Soups and Salads on December 29, 2010 at am

This is an asian inspired noodle salad that Ed loves to eat.  Similar versions of this dish are sometimes referred to as “dragon noodles”.  It is served cold or at room temperature and is great for picnics or pot lucks.  I love the toasted sesame oil but I have to warn you, the noodles themselves are high in calories!  You could easily add julienned and stir fried onions, red pepper, carrots, broccoli florets and/or whole snow peas to this if you wanted more colour and texture.

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Roasted Mini Potatoes

In Sides and Sauces on December 26, 2010 at am

I like using the leftovers for one skillet breakfasts (recipe here).

Roasted Mini Potatoes Recipe

makes 4 side servings

1 1/2 pounds mini potatoes, scrubbed clean and dried

1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)

juice of 1 lemon (optional)

4 cloves garlic, minced

optional: 1 to 2 tsp dried or fresh herbs (I like using dried parsley, rosemary or oregano, but you could use any herbs in any combination that you like)

3 to 4 tbsp olive oil

coarse sea salt

ground black pepper

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Cilantro Lime Hummus Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on December 7, 2010 at am

I love the freshness that you get from adding herbs to hummus.  I usually add a little bit of parsley and/or dill to my plain hummus.  But in this variation, the dominant flavour comes from one of my favourite herbs – cilantro.  I made this for my birthday party and people really liked it.  (See my sun dried tomato hummus recipe here.)  More recently, I made this for John’s housewarming party and it was, again, a huge hit.  This time, though, I didn’t allow the food processor to incorporate the cilantro leaves as homogeneously, and the hummus had a nicer look to it.

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Sun Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on December 1, 2010 at am

It’s easy to create different variations of hummus.  For example, you could use carmelized onions, curry powder, roasted red peppers, edamame beans, beets, pumpkin, etc.  Here is my recipe for sun dried tomato hummus.  (See my cilantro lime hummus recipe here.)

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Croutons Recipe

In Soups and Salads on November 24, 2010 at am

Ed loves caesar salads, so every now and then I’ll make a batch of homemade croutons for him.  (See my recipe for caesar dressing here.)  Making croutons is also a great way to use up old bread so you don’t have to waste food.  I prefer using baguettes for this but any bread will work.  Just keep in mind that the denser the bread, the harder the croutons will be on your teeth.

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