Sprouted Garbonzo Bean Salad

I love sprouting. I am so happy that I purchased my sprouter. Mine is a 3 tray system that drains itself and leaves a perfect amount of water in each tray. My advice to you: invest in one and, more importantly, use it. The greatest thing about sprouting beans is that they are no longer a legume when they come alive, they are a vegetable packed full of great nutrients. Today I decided to make a vegan salad using the sprouted garbanzo beans (chick peas) [possibly as an apology to my herbivore friends about my last recipe....]. If you need directions on how to sprout garbanzo beans, check out The Daily Raw Cafe. She shows you how to sprout if you don't want to invest in a sprouter but have a few mason jars kicking around (all you need is a special strainer lid which is available at health food stores). Anyway, here goes the recipe. This is very delicious and nutritious food. Serves 3-4.

Ingredients

Dressing:

1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar (Bragg's is good)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp raw agave nectar


Salad:

4 cups sprouted garbanzo beans

1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper

1/2 red onion

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil


Directions:

1) When the garbanzo beans are sprouted with a small tail no larger than in the picture at the top, rinse them thoroughly, steam for 10-12 minutes, rinse under cold water and put in bowl.

2) Dice the red onion and bell pepper. Finely chop the mint and basil. Add to beans.

3) Mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until creamy. Pour over top of salad and toss.

4) Enjoy!!


So, there you have it. A delicious vegan recipe. At one point, this recipe was raw but, unfortunately, I got food poisoning from the raw garbanzo beans. Sprouting beans can be finicky and if you aren't careful and don't rinse them thoroughly enough, they can be toxic. I fell victim to this. To avoid going through the same thing I did, boil or steam the sprouts for safety. Have fun with this recipe. I hope you like it.


Cheers!




 

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Ribs

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Ribs

Here it is folks. My First barbecued meat recipe of the season. I just recently acquired a barbecue from the 70's that, up until recently, has been unused, sitting brand-spanking new in my grandfathers storage. I don't understand what it is but this barbecue produces the most flavourful meats. It must be the inefficient design and flaws with it that add character. Anyways, onto the recipe. I decided to add pictures to the directions for this recipe. This is not the traditional style of boiling the ribs before they hit the barbecue. I steam them in beer. It adds a very unique and delicious flavour. Also, I have made my own rub for these ribs that add a nice spicy, sweet, and exotic flavour to the meat. As for the barbecue sauce, I have yet to develop my own, so I'll leave it to you for what kind you are in the mood for. Just make sure it's a sweeter one. I personally chose to get a nice smokey flavour with a hickory BBQ sauce and I added a tablespoon of brown sugar to sweeten it up more. Anyways, enjoy this process. I hope you try it. It may take a couple hours to make but it's so worth it.


Ingredients:

Rub:

2 tablespoons sea salt

2 tablespoons raw sugar (or conventional sugar)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

1 tablespoon cayenne powder (more for more heat)

1/3 cup paprika


Ribs:

2 racks of side ribs or back ribs

2 bottles of Wheat beer (Hefferveisen or Weissbier; Alexander Keith's White works too)

1 large orange

1 cup BBQ sauce (choose a sweeter one or add a tbsp or 2 of brown sugar)


Directions:

1) Put all the rub ingredients together in a Tupperware container. Make sure brown sugar is loose and not a clump. Put lid on container and shake vigorously. Put aside.

Pull back the thin membrane

2) To prepare the ribs, flip them over to the bone side and remove the very thin layer of membrane if it's still there. By using a spoon, you can get under it so you can grib it (you may need to use a knife to start it if it's too difficult). The it pulls of the rest of the way easily.

Sprinkle on spices and rub all over

3) Sprinkle on a generous amount of the spices on both the meat and bone side of the ribs. Rub the spices all over the meat making sure every bit of it gets spiced.

Pour in 1/2" of beer

4) Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pour the beer into a baking pan or small roasting pan. You will want the beer to be 1/2" deep.

Put orange slices in the beer

5) Slice the orange into thick slices to place in the beer. The ribs will sit on these oranges preventing them from submerging too far into the beer.

Place ribs in pan - cover with tinfoil

6) Place the ribs bone side down into the pan. Then cover pan tightly with tin foil and place in oven.

Cooking times vary for the ribs that you use.

For Side Ribs: Bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours


For Back Ribs: Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours

Thickness of the meat could also be a factor so check the ribs periodically in the last 15 minutes to 1/2 hour of cooking. You may also need to cook the ribs longer than the approximate times above. If you poke the meat with a fork or metal skewer and it goes in easily, the meat is ready to barbecue.






*Note: At this point in the cooking process, you can refrigerate the ribs for a couple days before barbecuing them*

Place ribs on BBQ and baste with sauce

7) Heat up barbecue on high. Once the grill is hot, turn the heat down to medium and put the ribs on. Flip after a few minutes and start basting with barbecue sauce.

Flip and Baste until dark brown in color

8) Being careful not to let them burn, keep flipping the ribs and basting them with BBQ sauce for 20-25 minutes until they turn a dark, rich brown colour.


9) Enjoy!!














                                             
So, there you have it. My first blogged barbecue recipe. I'm very excited for the summer. I'm going to try and create a lot barbecue recipes (including vegetarian ones for my vegetarian and vegan friends). I hope you'll follow along with my blog this summer and even try out a few of these.


Cheers!!

Bean Salad w/ Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Bean Salad w/ Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Well, it's time to end my food-blog hiatus. School has ended and summer is coming. Before you say it, I will... Barbecues!!! Tasty, tasty barbecues. Before I post my special barbecue recipes, I'm going to start with this salad recipe. Bean salads, at least in my family, are a staple at barbecues. Since I had all the ingredients handy and a fresh batch of daikon sprouts, I thought I should make something tasty with them. If you have a sprouter, try and find daikon seeds and grow them yourself. If you don't have a sprouter, buy one..... or buy a pack of broccoli sprouts. Okay, to the recipe. There are two ways to make this salad, the lazy way and the foodie way. I'm going to tell you the foodie way but if you want to do it the lazy way, feel free to use canned mushy beans. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1-2 tbsp raw sugar


Salad:

1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (or 1 can)

1/2 cup dried romano beans (or 1 can)

1/2 cup dried kidney beans (or 1 can)

1/2 small red onion

1/2 large yellow or orange bell pepper

1 tbsp fresh mint

1 tbsp fresh basil

2-3 green onions

1 1/2 cups daikon sprouts (or 1 pack broccoli sprouts)


Directions:

1) For the lazy way: open the cans of beans, rinse any sauce off in a colander and put in a salad bowl.

2) For the foodie way: soak all dried beans separately for 6-8 hours maximum (make sure you cover with at least 1 1/2 cups of water to accommodate expansion).

3) Drain and rinse the beans in a colander. Put beans in separate heavy bottom pots (you could probably mix the beans together; however, they may cook at different rates) and heat until boiling.

4) Simmer beans on medium heat for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Keep testing them periodically after 45 minutes of boiling until they are at the consistency you want. [This may seem complicated and arduous but it's the best way. It's so much better when "mushiness" is not a description for your salad].

5) After boiling, rinse beans with cold water and put into the bowl.

6) Dice the red onion, bell pepper and green onions. Finely chop the fresh herbs. Put all veggies, herbs and sprouts into the salad bowl.

7) Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until creamy. Pour over the salad and toss well.

8) Enjoy.



So, there you have it. My food blog hiatus is over and you have a new tasty recipe you can try. I really hope you try this salad. This recipe is definitely a keeper for me. If you don't like beans, try the dressing on other salads, I'm sure it would be the same awesomeness that it was on this salad. Don't forget, comments and questions about my recipes are gladly accepted on this blog.


Cheers

Hemchibuck Cereal

Hemchibuck Cereal

If you haven't figured it out already, I named this cereal "Hemchibuck" because it's a combination of Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds and Buckwheat groats. Clever hey?... I know, the name is kind of lame... BUT, this cereal is not lame at all. It is packed full of dense nutrition to get you through your morning with ease. Also, 1 serving is only a whopping 194 calories (approx.). Better than your quick 400 calorie doughnut you picked up in some drive-through on your way to work. The recipe is so simple to make, all of your excuses to eat bad breakfasts will be void the moment you read this, so, sorry about that. As far as the buckwheat is concerned, the best way to prepare this is to soak your buckwheat overnight (in the bowl you will eat it from) but I have eaten this cereal when the buckwheat has only soaked for 15 minutes and I still enjoy it (it's a little more crunchy obviously). So, here is the recipe. Serves 1.

Ingredients

1 tbsp hulled hemp hearts

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp hulled buckwheat groats

1/2 cup of unsweetened Almond Milk

1 tsp 100% Pure Maple Syrup (if you desperately crave sweet breakfasts, add 1 more tsp)

1/4 blueberries

Optional: bits of apple; raisins; cinnamon; your call


Directions

1) The night before, put buckwheat and almond milk into cereal bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge. (If you forget to do this the night before, just put into bowl and let soak for at least 15 minutes while getting ready in the morning [it will be crunchy]).

2) In the morning, stir in hemp hearts, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Let sit for 5 minutes.

3) Give it a thorough stir, add the blueberries (and anything else you feel like).

4) Enjoy!!


So, there you have it. Hemchibuck Cereal. See how easy that is? I hope you give this one a try. Eating this kind of a breakfast is a good habit to get into. If you find that it doesn't fill you up enough, have a half-portion of a protein shake to fill up your stomach (that's is what I had to do) or, a more simple solution, make a double batch. Let me know what you think when you try this. 

Cheers!!

Guacamole

Guacamole

I still find it funny how you have to offer free food to people to get them to come out to a meeting or social function. Food supposedly breaks apathy. Serve up a tasty dish and people are bound to listen to you more attentively. If someone knows how to make great food, he must be good at everything else right? Haha. Suckers. No, but seriously, serve up some tasty dishes and people will probably come back for a second round the next time you hold a meeting. Try out this guacamole dip the next time you need to mobilize a bunch of people. Not only mobilize, but energize. This delicious dip contains a bunch of good fats, fiber, minerals and vitamins. So you can eat to your heart's content and not be sluggish for the picketing rally afterwards. Just triple or quadruple the recipe for a larger group. This recipe serves 3-4.


Ingredients 

3 ripe avacados

1/2 medium onion

1 tsp salt

2-3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic

Juice of 2 limes (approx. 2 tbsp)

2 diced roma tomatoes

(Spicy/hot-option) 1 very finely minced chili pepper or 1/8 tsp cayenne
(not recommended for meetings since everyone has a different spice tolerance level) 


Directions 

1) Finely mince the onion and the garlic. Place into mixing bowl.

2) Add salt, finely chopped cilantro, juice of 2 limes, (optional) spicy option, and diced roma tomatoes into the bowl.

3) Pit, peel, and chop up the avocados so you have a few chunks but mostly mashed and put into the mixing bowl. Give everything a good stir. Refrigerate for an hour or two to let the flavours mingle before serving.

4) Enjoy!!




So, there you have it!! A very simple, healthy and tasty guacamole recipe. Use it as a dip for tortilla chips, to top grilled chicken or salads, or to attract more than 2 people to your protests. Just remember to make enough for everyone or they might end up turning on you. :-)


Cheers!!















 

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

So, the other morning, I had an insane craving for Teriyaki. It's ridiculous how many different recipes there are online for this dish. Once again, a perfect scenario. Time to throw my own spin on a traditional Japanese sauce recipe. This time, I had some ground turkey in my freezer just begging to be cooked, so I obliged. I've always been a fan of sweet meatball appetizers whenever I show up at dinner parties. I invited my friends Shanda and Tanner over to be guinea pigs for this dish (I also served up the Thai-style coconut shrimp polenta cakes from a previous post).  The meatballs and polenta turned out quite well and they seemed pleased enough with the flavour. So, tried, tested and true, here's the tasty recipe for you (rhyme not intentional). Serves 2-3 people. 

Ingredients 


Meatballs: 

1 lb ground turkey

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used spelt bread crumbs)

1 egg

2 tsp parsley

1 tbsp coconut oil 


Teriyaki Sauce: 

1/2 cup mirin

1/2 cup soy sauce (I used dark mushroom soy sauce)

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of honey

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 clove garlic

Juice of 1 grapefruit

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 

1/4 cup cold water

1 tbsp cornstarch


Directions 

1) In a medium size bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients (except for the coconut oil) and mix well with hands.

2) Heat coconut oil in a frying pan to medium-high heat. Roll the meatballs into 3/4 inch balls and place in the pan. Sear all sides of the meatballs until browned (you don't have to cook all the way through since they will be baked). Once seared, place in a deep-dish baking pan. Set aside if you are ready to bake or you can chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the sauce and bake.

3) When ready to start baking, heat the oven to 375°F. In a medium saucepan, combine mirin, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, grated ginger, garlic and grapefruit juice. Heat until all the sugar and honey dissolves into the mixture.

4) Whisk water and cornstarch in a separate bowl well. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Once slightly thickened, pour the mixture over the meatballs.

5) Place meatballs in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes taking the meatballs out every 10 minutes to baste the tops with a pastry brush. After 30 minutes, baste the meatballs one more time and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

6) Enjoy!!




So, there you have it. Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs. These were probably one of the tastiest dishes I've ever made. These meatballs would taste fantastic with rice. You could even spoon some of the extra sauce over the rice and take a small trip to heaven. I hope you get a chance to give these a try. 

Cheers!!

Goma Ae (Japanese Spinach Salad)

Goma Ae

I love Japanese food. One of my favourite dishes of all time that I get every time I go for sushi is Goma Ae. It's a very simple salad and it's refreshing and light. A good friend came over last night and, being in an entertaining mood, I decided to take my first crack at Goma Ae. After doing some research online, I found that there were hundreds of ways to prepare this dish. Perfect, I thought. I can make my own version of Goma Ae and not feel bad about switching up a few ingredients. Without further ado... the recipe. Serves 3-4.

Ingredients

1 lb baby spinach

2 tbsp mirin (rice cooking wine)

1 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp soy sauce (I prefer dark mushroom soy sauce)

1 tsp sugar

Directions

1) Start by boiling a large pot of water. Once water is at a rolling boil, place spinach in water and stir until wilted (approximately 2 minutes). Strain the spinach well and place in a bowl and cool it in the refrigerator.

2) While the spinach is cooling, put sesame seeds into a dry frying pan. Heat on high and continue flipping and stirring the sesame seeds until the majority have turned light brown (Be careful not to burn them). Once toasted, place into a ramekin or bowl and set aside.

3) Once the spinach is chilled, remove from fridge, strain out the remaining water (you may need to squeeze the spinach with your hand) and put all the ingredients into the bowl and stir well.

4) Enjoy


So, there you have it. Goma Ae. Light, nutritious, refreshing and a perfect start to any meal (not just Japanese meals). I hope you give this one a try.


Cheers!!

Sneaky Baker's Cookie

Sneaky Baker's Cookie

Cookies!! Yes, that's right, cookies!! I wanted some cookies so I made them!! Don't judge me... But wait, you can't judge me too much because these aren't regular cookies... these are sneaky cookies. I snuck (I don't like the word sneaked so I don't use it) some good, healthy ingredients in there and substituted in some better ingredients. They still aren't necessarily "good" for you per se (especially if you eat too many... which I did while baking them) but they are definitely more healthy than traditional cookie recipes. Like I said when I first created this blog, my goal is to develop healthy recipes and make bad recipes more healthy. So, this recipe is as healthy as I want to go when it comes to cookies. Instead of a pound of butter (cringe...), I opted to use coconut oil [no cholesterol]. I also used Kamut flour instead of the evil bleached wheat flour. I also threw in some sunflower seeds and hemp seeds along with the chocolate chips and raisins. I hope you're salivating by now. Here's the recipe. Yield: 18-20 cookies.

Ingredients

2 cups Kamut Flour

1 cup virgin coconut oil

1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (if desired replace 1/4 cup chocolate chips for 1/4 cup more sunflower seeds or raisins)

2 tbsp shelled hemp seeds

1/4 tsp salt


Directions 

1) Preheat oven to 325°F. 

2) In a medium size mixing bowl, combine Kamut flour, baking soda, baking powder, oats, salt and hemp seeds. Mix well. Set aside.

3) Melt coconut oil by placing jar/tub in hot water. When melted enough to pour, measure the coconut oil into a large mixing bowl. Sit bowl on a small pot with hot water in it (to make sure the oil doesn't solidify).

4) Whisk brown sugar, vanilla and eggs into the coconut oil. When thoroughly mixed, add the dry mixture, chocolate chips, raisins and sunflower seeds. Stir well (you may need to use your hands if the mixture is too stiff to stir).                                            

5) Lay a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Use a spoon and your hands to measure dough into small balls (1" diameter). Place them on the cookie sheets spaced far enough to avoid touching while they spread out. Measure all the remaining dough into balls; do not let the dough sit in the bowl (otherwise the coconut oil will solidify and the dough won't stick together well). If you don't have more than one cookie sheet, place dough balls on piece of parchment paper while they wait to be baked.

6) Bake for 12-14 minutes. Immediately remove cookies from the baking sheet and place on rack to cool.

7) Enjoy!!!




So, there you have it. Sneaky Baker's Cookies. Next time around I think I may add a 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee to the mix. I think it would taste great. Side note: Kamut is not gluten free. Don't be fooled. It is wheat. However, for those with wheat sensitivities, you may find Kamut easier to digest than regular wheat flour. Ok, so, don't forget, if you try this recipe out, please give me some feedback. 


Cheers!!

Power Quinoa Salad

Healthy but Tasty Quinoa Salad

Oh, Quinoa... how I love your complete protein goodness. I became quinoa crazy the other day. I made such a large batch that I've been eating this stuff for 3 days. Mmmmmm. Anyway, after a week of eating not-so-good food, I decided to load up a salad with nutrients. But I wasn't finished there. I decided to add an antioxidant as well... green tea. I actually cooked the quinoa in green tea. Strange, you say? It would be too bitter, you say? None of the above, my friends. It turned out beautifully. The tea added a unique and subtle flavour to the quinoa that livened it up a bit. I also went fibre and protein crazy with seeds. This salad is packed with hemp hearts, chia seeds and sunflower seeds. The bottom line, this is a healthy but very tasty meal. Without further ado... the recipe.  
Serves 4 - 6 people.

Ingredients

1 cup white quinoa (mix 1/2 cup of white and 1/2 cup red for a more nutty flavour)

2 cups water

2 bags of quality organic green tea

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp shelled hemp seeds

2 tbsp hulled sunflower seeds

1/3 tsp dried dillweed

2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 large carrot

100g sunchokes (Jerusalem artichoke) (if unavailable, use 1 more carrot or 1 stick celery)

3-4 medjool dates

1 small red bell-pepper

1/2 small red onion

Salt and Pepper

1/4 tsp sugar

Directions


1) Boil some water in a tea kettle. Add 1 cup of boiling water to a medium saucepan and steep the tea bags in it for 5 minutes. Remove the tea-bags.

2) Add one cup of cold water, quinoa, sugar and 1 tsp salt to the pot. Turn stove to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn stove to low, lid the pot and let cook for 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes after cooking and then fluff the quinoa with a fork. Once quinoa has cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl.

3) Cut carrot, (peeled) sunchoke, (pitted) medjool dates, red onion and red pepper into small cubes. Add to mixing bowl.

4) Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir the ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you feel like it needs more of a kick, add 1-2 more tablespoons of vinegar.

5) Enjoy!!


So, there you have it. My Power Quinoa Salad recipe loaded with fibre, protein, essential minerals and antioxidants. The best part? No oil. In fact, I don't think anything in this salad is necessarily unhealthy (just don't use too much salt). Give it a try and send some feedback my way. 


Cheers!!

Avacado, Date and Sun Dried Tomato Salad w/ Grapefruit Balsamic Reduction

Well folks, it's salad time again. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I enjoy sweet bits in my salad. I was having a late-night refrigerator raid last night when I stumbled upon some medjool dates that I completely forgot that I had. Happiness set in quite rapidly when I decided to create a salad today with those delicious little morsels of sweet-tooth heaven. For the past week I've had the hankering to create a funky balsamic reduction as well. So I did... and now I present it to you. I wanted to incorporate the full spectrum of tastes in this dish. There are sweet, bitter, sour, salty and savoury elements to this salad. I hope you enjoy it. Serves 2-3 people.

Ingredients

Balsamic Reduction:

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

1 cup juice of ruby red grapefruit (freshly squeezed)

1 tablespoon of sugar (don't like sweet reductions? then don't add sugar)

Salad:

1 head of Green or Red leaf lettuce (Romaine would work as well)

1 ripe avacado

6-7 strips of sun dried tomato

2 medjool dates

salt and pepper

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp olive oil

Directions

Balsamic Reduction:

1) Put balsamic vinegar, grapefruit juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Whisk ingredients together and bring to a boil. Immediately turn to medium heat and whisk frequently. (Warning: do not put your head over the pot to inhale the vinegary fumes, I learned the hard way. Made my eyes bulge and start watering).

2) Reduce the mixture by about 75% or until it coats the back of a spoon like a light syrup. Take off heat, transfer to bowl, let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until needed.

Salad:

1) If using dry sun-dried tomatoes, reconstitute them by soaking them in a bowl with warm water for 20-30 minutes before salad preparation. If using jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil or brine, simply rinse the pieces.
 
2) Pit and cut up the avocado into 1/8 inch cubes and put into bowl. Pit and cut up the medjool dates into thin slices and put into bowl. Finely chop the pieces of sun-dried tomatoes and put into bowl. Add 1 tsp of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and mix well. Set aside.

3) Using a salad spinner, tear lettuce into bite size pieces, rinse and spin dry (if you don't dry the lettuce, the dressing will not stick to it). Put into bowl.

4) In another small bowl, whisk together olive oil and 3 tablespoons of the balsamic reduction. Pour over the salad, season with salt and pepper, and toss.Try a piece, if it's not flavoured enough, drizzle on more balsamic reduction and toss again. Plate the dressed lettuce.

5) After another quick mix of the avocado mixture, top the lettuce with it. If you'd like, drizzle a small amount of the reduction over top of the whole thing.

6) Enjoy!!



So, there you have it. My avocado, date and sun-dried tomato salad. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the medjool dates tasted a bit like candied pecans. I personally don't care much for the crunchy pecans in salads but I do like the flavour so this worked beautifully. I hope somebody who reads this will try to make it and give me some feedback. I liked it but I felt as if there could have been 1 more element added that would have made it a bit more well-rounded. If someone does try it out, please let me know your thoughts. 

Cheers!!

Thai-Style Coconut Shrimp Polenta Cakes

Thai-Style Coconut Shrimp Polenta Cakes

So, my favourite family of all time inspired me to make this dish. I copied the base recipe that was taught to me but I added a few of my own touches. With their permission, I was able to share the recipe with you today. These are polenta cakes turned Thai. Typical polenta recipes call for whole milk and/or chicken stock to help flavour them. Instead of either of those, I chose to use coconut milk and water. Using the coconut milk adds the bulk of the flavour so seasoning and sauces are not really necessary but, at the same time, a simple Thai peanut sauce would be very welcome. I also decided to cook the polenta with coconut oil to give it more coconut flavour. So, here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy it. Can serve 3-4 people.


Ingredients

2 cups water

2 cups coconut milk

1 cup organic yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup chopped green onions

100g cooked shrimp

1 tsp sea-salt

1 tbsp coconut oil

1-2 Thai chilies (more if you like spicy food)

Directions

1) Rinse the shrimp and chop into small pieces. Set aside.

2) Heat the water, coconut milk, salt and finely chopped Thai chilies (with seeds) in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil.

3) Slowly whisk the cornmeal into the saucepan. Turn the heat to low and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and creamy (about 4-5 minutes).

4) When the polenta is creamy, remove it from the burner and add the chopped cooked shrimp and chopped green onions. Mix the contents thoroughly.

5) Pour the polenta mixture into a 9 x 9 inch casserole dish. Cover and place in refrigerator to cool and set (approx. 20-30 minutes should work).

6) When polenta has set, remove from the refrigerator and cut into pieces with a knife.

7) Add coconut oil to a large non-stick frying pan. Set heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, transfer the polenta cakes to the frying pan.

8) Fry until the polenta cakes are golden-brown on each side.

9) Enjoy! 

So, there you have it. The coconut shrimp polenta cakes recipe that I appropriated and modified. You can serve it with peanut or sriracha sauce if you like but it is also fantastic on its own. Thank you so much to my favourite family for letting me post this recipe. 


Cheers!!

Bruschetta with Olive and Avacado Tapenade on Munich Sourdough

Bruschetta with Olive and Avacado Tapenade

This is my modified version of an Italian classic, Bruschetta, which is usually served as an appetizer. I like to eat it as an entire meal. 2-3 slices and I am satisfied. It is usually made by rubbing garlic and extra-virgin olive oil on roasted bread and then topping it off with diced tomatoes and various other ingredients. To me, the traditional way is boring so I felt like switching it up. Instead of diced tomatoes, I decided to whip up a tapenade with some olives I had kicking around in my fridge and an avocado that I completely forgot I had. I used all organic ingredients and a Munich Sourdough loaf (double-baked rye sourdough). I also happened to measure everything, for once, so now I can share the recipe with you. You don't have to use Munich Sourdough. I chose it because I enjoy the density and flavour of it; however, any unsliced loaf of bread would do. This recipe can serve 2-3 for a dinner or 6-8 as an appy.

Ingredients

1 Loaf Munich Sourdough

1 cup of olives (Kalamata or Sicilian)

1 medium size avocado (medium-ripe is best)

1 tablespoon capers

3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 teaspoons lemon juice 

1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

200ml crushed tomatoes 

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil (if desired)

2 cups of shredded mozzarella (if desired)

Directions

1) Pit and mince the olives and put them in a mixing bowl.
 

2) Finely mince the capers and peeled garlic cloves and put into the bowl. 

 

3) Remove the pit from the avocado and scoop out the flesh. Mince the avocado to approximately the same size as you did the olives. Put the avocado in the bowl.

4) Add lemon juice, olive oil and pepper. Stir the ingredients well. 

5) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least an hour (the longer the better to let the flavours mingle).

6) When you are ready to prepare, preheat oven to 425F.

7) Slice bread into 3/4" thick slices and place on baking sheet (baking stone if you have one).

8) Put bread in oven for 5 minutes or so (or until edges start to brown).

9) Remove bread from oven. Mix the finely chopped basil into the crushed tomatoes and spoon some of the sauce onto each slice of bread. If desired, sprinkle mozzarella onto each piece of bread.

10) Place bread back in oven for 4-5 more minutes (or until cheese is sufficiently melted).

11) Remove bread from oven, let sit for a few minutes, and then spoon some tapenade onto each slice.

12) Enjoy.


So, there you have it. My Olive and Avocado Bruschetta recipe. Give it a try and leave some feedback for me. Any suggestions and opinions are welcome. 

Cheers.

Healthy Food Mood

Healthy does not have to be synonymous with tasteless in terms of food. For instance, even with traditional bad-for-you recipe's, you can make it "healthier" by substituting all of your ingredients from conventional to organic. Boom, you've removed all of the harmful pesticides and toxins that go along with your heart-stopping buttery richness. That aside, this blog is not only going to feature bad foods made healthier. I'm also aiming to create a collection of foods that will nourish and energize the mind and body without forsaking taste and richness. With each picture that I post, I will hopefully be able to post a recipe shortly after (modifications must be made from time to time). At that point, I'd encourage all readers to try out the recipe and tell me how you made it better or what you believe was wrong/missing from it. I wont pretend to be a professional chef because I am definitely not. I'm just a foodie tired of paying too much money to fulfill his cravings. Buon Appetito!!