Favourites of 2013: Food & Beverage Edition

Hello Foodies,

Here is a list of all my favourite foods and bevs for the year of 2013.

| Beverages |
Happy Planet Smoothies
Jugo Juice Smoothies
Arizona Green Tea - this one never gets old.
Tetley Raspberry White Tea
Good Earth Sweet & Spicy Tea - no joke, this tastes like cinnamon hearts
Lime Cordial with Carbonated water
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Soy Lattes, no whip cream
Chai Tea Soy Lattes
Hazelnut Cream coffee
Coffeemate Creamer in Pumpkin Spice & Cinnamon Vanilla Cream
Earl Grey Tea - loving the bergamot
Jasmine Green Tea - loving the floral taste

| Grains | Seeds | Nuts | Dried Fruits |
Diamond of California Macadamias
Pistachios
Chia Seeds
Golden Roasted Flax Seed Meal
Hemp Seeds
Dried Tart Cherries
Dried Apricots
Dried Blueberries
Craisins

| Candy | Chocolate |
Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses
Cinnamon Hearts
Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark
Lifesaver Gummies - YUM!!!

| Fruits | Vegetables |
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Peaches
Nectarines
Grapes
Pink Lady Apples
Grapefruit
Oranges
Persimmons
Pomegranate
Kale
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Celery
Carrots
Spinach

| Foods |
Spicy Salmon Roll
Kimchi Soup
Jap Chae (Korean Clear Noodle Stirfry)
Smoked Salmon
Spinach dip
Strawberry short cake
Prime Rib
Roasted Turkey
Duck
Caesar Salad - homemade dressing and all
Greek Salad
Pear & Goat Cheese
Olives - totally obsessed!
Pickled pearl onions - love these in the vindaloo
Lamb vindaloo
Butter Chicken
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino
Mushroom Risotto

What are some of your favourite foods and drinks for the year of 2013? Let me know in the comment box below. I hope I've spiked your attention to try something new and I'd like to try some of your favourites too.

- Vivian

Hoisin Sauce Recipe

Great for bbq, chicken and seafood. The term 'hoisin,' means seafood. But traditionally this sauce is used when serving Peking Duck as well as Crispy Suckling Pig in Chinese culture. In Vietnam, it is used as a dipping sauce for soup noodles and salad rolls.
Here is what you will need:

4 tbsps gluten free tamari sauce
2 tbsps nut butter
1½ tbsps agave nectar
2 tsps apple cider vinegar
⅛ tsp garlic powder
2 tsps sesame seed oil
2 tsps siracha sauce
⅛ tsp black pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together and voila. Great for wraps and sandwiches. Use it as a bbq glaze instead of store bought bbq sauce. Brush onto salmon steaks and bake in the oven till it is done. Sprinkle with fresh cut green onions and thai chillies.

2013/03 March Favourites

Hello Foodies!

Listed below are my March Obsessions. I hope you will find something that you enjoy also.

Banana Chips - crispy, buttery and slightly sweet

Clementines - juicy and sweet, great source of vitamin C

Jazz Apples - crunchy semi sweet and tart, just the way I like them

Pineapple - I usually let them ripen in the kitchen fruit basket for a couple days before I dissect it. It takes about 20 minutes to cut up a pineapple and give it a salt water bath. But the results are always worth it.

Cascade Ice Raspberry Lemon Twist - sugar free, caffeine free, sodium free sparkling water

Dried Turkish Apricots - yummy snack

Natural whole almonds - delicious quick snack that is filling when you are hungry.

Cinnamon - love this in my cereal or in my almond or rice milk.

Broccolini - delicious steamed

Homemade Salsa - see my pico de gallo recipe, salsa and chips and great burger topper.
Pico de Gallo Limon Recipe

Homemade Nachos - quick and easy meal that is equally delicious.

Bacon Meatball Carbonara

Ingredients:
4 slices Freybe bacon, diced
2 eggs
12 mini meatballs (see my meatball recipe)
1 package brown rice pasta
1 tbsp butter
Salt & Pepper

Cook pasta as per directions on the back of the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside in colander.

In the same pot on medium high heat melt butter add bacon. Brown the bacon. Add the meatballs. Add a 1/4 cup of water to deglaze the pot.

Add cooked pasta and crack eggs over pasta. Turn heat to medium low. Stir constantly to create the creamy egg sauce.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Jack O Lantern: 2 Ways

Have you ever thought that throwing away or composting a perfectly fine pumpkin wasteful?

Have you ever wondered what you could do with the pumpkin?

Pumpkin Bisque

Peel and cube the pumpkin, lightly toss with olive oil. Roast at 400F on a lightly greased baking sheet until slightly golden.

Blend with 2-3 cups (start with 2 cups and add more as needed, this depends on how much pumpkin you have) low sodium chicken stock. Add a dollop of butter and 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt for a delicious Autumn soup. Sea Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve with some toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

Pumpkin Chickpea Lentil Stew

Peel and cube pumpkin. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Soak 1/2 cup lentils for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse lentils.

In a slow cooker turned to High. Add pumpkin cubes, chickpeas, lentils, 1L low sodium chicken stock, 1 bay leaf and 1 can of cubed stew tomatoes.

Let cook for 4-5 hours on High. Sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve with garlic toast or dinner rolls.

Thanksgiving Rice Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 loaf gluten free bread - cubed

1 cup cooked brown wild rice

2 celery stalks - diced

1 carrot - peeled and diced

6 mushrooms - diced

3 sprigs of parsley - minced

1/2 white onion - diced

1 tbsp Poultry seasoning

1 cup turkey drippings or chicken stock (you my substitute with vegetable stock for vegetarians and vegans)

1 tbsp butter or margarine

Turn on the stove to medium heat. In a large pot melt the butter and sautee the onions, carrots and celery till soft. Add the mushroom and rice, mixing well. Add the stock, poultry seasoning and parsley. Bring to a simmer while stirring. Add cubed bread and continue to stir until the stuffing has formed. Shut heat off and cover the pot with a lid. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Serve with turkey, tofurky or whatever floats your boat. I can guarantee this stuffing to be super yummy.

Thai Red Carrot Curry

I was on a whim of trying something new today. I had about a half cup of baby carrots and some thai red curry paste that I have purchased from my local thai restaurant. I thought maybe I could make it a carrot curry sauce. And so I did. For the curry paste recipe, incorporate 1/2 cup carrots with 2 tbsps of your favourite red curry paste. Blend with 1/2 cup of coconut milk. You should end up with a chunky paste.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce or tamari sauce
1 tbsp golden cane sugar or palm sugar
2 tbsps corn starch
2 tbsps garlic granules
1/2 cup carrot, roughly chopped
2 cups coconut milk, seperated into 1-1/2 cups & 1/2 cup
2 tbsps red Thai curry paste
1 handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup asparagus, 1" lengths
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ginger slice, minced

In a glass bowl marinate chicken with fish sauce, sugar, corn starch and garlic granules for 30 minutes to an hour.

In a wok heat up 1 tbsp of cooking oil, add garlic and ginger and stir till it is golden brown. Add mushroom slices and pan fry till golden brown. Add chicken and let cook for 5 minutes, occassionally stirring. Add curry paste and 1-1/2 cups of coconut milk. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add asparagus, stir and cover for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with coriander as a garnish.

Keep in mind that the vegetables can be substituted with any vegetable of your choice. But the carrots will remain an ingredient for the sauce. :) You can also make this a vegetarian dish, use tempeh or tofu in place of the chicken. If you want it to be a vegan dish, then use tamari instead of fish sauce.

This curry is best served hot with steamed rice or flat bread. Hope you enjoy my recipe and feel free to leave me a comment below.

Happy Cooking :)

Chicken Tamale Pie GF

Chicken Tamale Pie

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 45 mins Serves: 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup warm water or rice milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 1/4 cup corn flour
1 handful fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup tomato sauce
4 tbsps Picante Bufalo Salsa Clasica
2 tbsps Picante Bufalo Salsa Chilpotle
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup shredded Jalapeño Almond Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine the first 7 ingredients (water/rice milk through cilantro), using just 1/2 tablespoon of the Mrs. Dash seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour tamale mixture into a round pie plate coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes. While the tamale pie is baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash seasoning.

When the tamale pie is done – it will be just barely set and golden brown – pierce entire surface liberally with a fork (it might stick a little bit to the fork).

Pour tomato & Picante Bufalo sauce over top chicken and mix well, pour this mixture on top of the tamale pie and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

Vegan Jelly, Jello

Agar-Agar comes from cooked and pressed seaweed, it is available in powder form. This gelling agent doesn't require refrigeration to gel. This powder can be used in equal amounts as gelatin (non vegan gelling agent).Set 2 cups of liquid using 2 tsp agar-agar powder. Found in most health food stores as well as Asian grocery stores. Keep in mind not to add any acidic fruits or liquids to the mixture as it will cause the gelling agent to break down.

Health Benefits

Agar-Agar is flavorless and odorless, it is also a good source of calcium and iron. It has no calories, no carbohydrates, no sugar and no fat, and is 80-percent fiber. It absorbs sugar in the stomach, passes through the digestive system quickly and eliminates the body from retaining and storing excess fat. Its water absorbing properties also aids in waste elimination. It is known for its ability to aid in digestion and weight loss. It carries toxic waste out of the body.

Other benefits associated with agar are its ability to reduce inflammation, calm the liver, and bring relief to the lungs. It is also considered a mild laxative.

Reference Material: www.fitday.com, www.ehow.com

Here are some recipes that I enjoy using Agar Agar as a gelatin substitute in:

April Fools Berry Soda

Self Layering Jello Dessert 

Instead of cool whip use coconut cream as a substitute.

Homemade Citrus Jello 

What to Do with Day Old Sushi

Have you ever wondered what you could do with day old sushi? Obviously the rice is hard and the nori is all soggy. I wouldn't want to eat it anymore. But with a few simple ingredients you can turn this leftover into Sushi Fried Rice. Keep on reading to find out how.

Ingredients:

day old sushi (minimum 12 pieces are required) 

2 sprigs of green onion (sliced thinly)

2 eggs (whisked)

soy sauce

fresh cracked pepper

lemon zest

vegetable oil

In a wok or a deep frying pan heat up 2tbsps of vegetable oil on medium high heat. Place nigiri sushi fish side down. Let the fish sear a bit and then use a wooden spoon and mash the rice till it breaks apart. We're trying to get the lumps out of the rice, as the rice heats up it will be harder to break apart. As sushi rice is sticky when heated. As the fish cooks you will be able to mash the fish into smaller bits too. Add the 2 eggs and keep stirring, eggs will stick to the pan so keep stirring. Once the egg is no longer liquid and you should have little bits of scrambled egg amongst your fried rice. Add soy sauce, lemon zest, fresh cracked pepper and green onions as desired. 

Enjoy your Sushi Fried Rice! 

Tomatoless Greek Salad

This one is for Beau, he doesn't like tomatoes. But for those who are making this salad for a large crowd of people that are tomato lovers like myself. I would make it with whole cherry tomatoes and the non tomatoe lovers can pick them out. This recipe Serves 4

1 green pepper diced

1 red pepper diced

1 yellow pepper diced

1 red onion diced

1 english cucumber diced

1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled

1/2 cup whole kalamata olives pitted

1 garlic crushed garlic clove

3 tbsp dried oregano

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

fresh cracked black pepper

sea salt to taste

(If you want tomatoes in this recipe simply just add 1 pint of cherry tomatoes to the pepper & cucumber mixture)

In a large mixing bowl combine green, red, yellow peppers with cucumber. Set aside. In a smaller bowl combine red onion with oregano, lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper and sea salt. Let the onions marinate for about an hour and add olive oil and mix well. 

Then pour the onion mixture into the peppers and cucumber bowl. Toss well and sprinkle with feta & olives. Add additional salt & pepper to taste.

Voila! Bon Appetit :)