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!!