Saturday, July 31, 2010
Potato Rolls
Friday, July 30, 2010
Dark Chocolate & Roasted Hazelnut Spread
We used to love Nutella. So much so, that one Christmas, my brother-in-law bought us a humungous jar (3 kg, 6.6 lb) from Luxembourg. Let’s say that jar didn’t last very long!
When we relocated, we ceased to consume it. The Nutella available in the Americas contain modified palm oil, whereas the European variant contains vegetable oil. I would have liked to say that the European stuff is better, but sadly, it’s not. I was blissfully ignorant of the ingredients at the time. All variants of Nutella, regardless of which country it’s sold in, contains soy lecithin and artificial vanillin - two ingredients that I choose not to eat. Read about soy lecithin and vanillin in my nitty gritty pages.
Labels:
Breakfast,
Chocolate,
Dessert,
Dips and Spreads,
Snacks,
Vegan,
Vegetarian
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tofu "Cream" - Yofu
If you’re not offended by the slight beany flavor from tofu, it is a good dairy-free alternative to yoghurt. It’s great on its own, with granola, fresh fruit and to spread on cakes. I’ve also swirled chopped tinned apricots/apricot compote through it to make a fruity-yogurty dessert, yoghurt-tofu, yofu.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Nowadays, cupcakes and their availability have not only been spreading throughout the US but they have infiltrated many markets Worldwide. It’s not as if cupcakes are new, it’s the way that they’re beautifully decorated, the flavor combinations and being marketed more at adults that make them popular.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Cuban Bread
I’ve been slowly working my way through "Bernhard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads". Today it was “Cuban Bread”. Don’t even ask me why it’s called “Cuban”, because it has exactly the same ingredients as a French bread – flour, yeast, salt, water and a bit of sugar.
This bread is super-easy. I made it the evening before using my stand mixer, stuck it in the fridge for a cold prove, then in the morning, punched it down and shaped it, left it for 1 hour and then started to bake it.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sweet Potato & Eggplant Green Coconut Curry
It’s highly nutritious, delicious and simple. The spiciness of the green curry is tamed by the sweetness from the sweet potato (yams) and the creaminess of the coconut milk.
Labels:
Asian - Oriental,
Coconut,
Curry,
Dairy Free,
Vegan,
Vegetarian
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Apricot Compote
The cherries didn’t last long in our house, but the apricots were a little tart, so I let them ripen on the counter top. In a day, some of them were starting to go bad at the stem, so I decided to make a batch of apricot compote.
Labels:
Breakfast,
Dessert,
European - French,
Vegan,
Vegetarian
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Easy Moist Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Sauce
Friday, July 23, 2010
Almond & Date Tarts
They’re easy to make and if you’re stuck for time or a little daunted by making your own sweet-crust pastry, use the store-bought short-crust pastry variety… just promise me not to buy the stuff with nasties in it.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Affogato
I love sipping the hot, freshly brewed smooth, dark espresso through the cool, thick layer of creamy vanilla ice-cream.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
You’ve probably guessed that I’m a real sucker for desserts. However, moving to the US has really put a dampener on things – it drives me insane. Some days I just want to buy a dessert, without having to worry about my ill effects afterwards. If I’m lucky, I get bloated and diarrhea, if I’m unlucky I get a hives or mild anaphylaxis.
Labels:
Baking,
Chocolate,
Dairy Free,
Dessert,
Tofu,
Vegan,
Vegetarian
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sweet Potato, Carrot & Cumin Soup
It was a really, really warm Spring day and I thought it was ludicrous trying to sell soup. It was in fact 950 ml (1 quart) of frozen soup that you take home and use for a quick meal. Each tub cost $10 a shot (at that moment in time). I think we sold close to 50 containers over a period of 2-3 hours!!! It’s a money making business, and all due respect goes to Jerry, who's finally doing what he always wanted to.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Roquefort Bread
Roquefort is not high on my list of favorite cheeses, but J loves it! To be honest, I’m not a blue cheese fan. It’s not that I cringe at the blue-green veined mold growth, but the flavor of the cheese is enough to make me hurl. Let’s just say blue cheese is an acquired taste.
I've been informed that Roquefort is like no other blue cheese - it’s creamier and richer than other blue cheeses, such as Stilton. I guess that I’ll just have to believe it, because I can't see myself sitting through a blue cheese tasting session – ugh!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Chicken Souvlaki
We love all of their desserts, salads and their grilled meat/fish cooked Mediterranean style. Souvlaki is no different. I think I was first introduced to souvlaki in a Greek restaurant in London, and then later tried the real deal in Cyprus, mmm!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Winter & Summer Squash Pasta
This is one of our favorite vegetarian dishes. I can’t even remember where my inspiration came from for this recipe. Before I made this dish, I would never have made pasta with no base sauce.
You’ll need a really good mature (sharp) cheese to carry this recipe off, I use vintage Gouda. I also use fresh homemade pasta, but it works equally well with dry pasta. This dish has the combination of al-dente pasta, scattered with mature (sharp) cheese and toasted walnuts, which are highlighted by the sweetness from the winter squash and the savory notes from the summer squash, all tossed in the light lemon juice and olive oil dressing. It’s simply sublime!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Fat-Free Banana Bread
I quite fancy quick breads such as banana or pumpkin bread with a good cup of coffee. The only issue is that most of them are packed full of oil/fat. When you gently squeeze these specimens, you will get an oily residue left on your fingers.
Quick breads do not need to contain tons of oil/fat to taste good. Although this bread is called "fat-free", it's not entirely correct. I mean there's no added fat. Of course there's the natural fat in the walnuts. This recipe uses 100% whole-wheat flour, and a load of ripe bananas, that not only add a banana-ry essence, but also keeps the loaf moist.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Meat Burgers
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Meat & Rice Dolmades - Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves
On one of our first dates, J took me to a Turkish restaurant in London. At that time in my life, my only real experience with food was traditional Chinese. I was skeptical about almost everything that arrived at the table, dolmades was one of them.
The only Chinese, leaf-stuffed dish is lor mai gai - chicken and rice, steamed in a lotus leaf wrap. You don’t eat the leaf wrapper in this dish. I was so inexperienced with eating other Worldly cuisines, that I assumed you shouldn't eat the vine (grape) leaf around the dolmades. It makes me laugh thinking about it now... there was me scooping out the filling of the dolmades, as J watched on, making weird faces. It makes me laugh even harder, when I recall seeing the waiter's face, as he took away the plate.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
All-Butter Puff Pastry
Puff pastry has been on my to-do list for so long. I’ve just not found the excuse to make it because I wouldn’t use it in everyday cooking. I rarely cook with puff-pastry, in fact the last time I did cook with it was probably around 2000. That was when I was a lot unhealthier. I’d buy Asda’s frozen puff pastry, roll it out, cut the pastry into squares, place a slice of mature (sharp) cheese diagonally, top it with a rasher of bacon, then folded the two corners of the square over the cheese/bacon filling and baked them. Now, I’d hate to think how much fat and calories was in each one of those pastries!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Thirty-Minute White Bread
There's nothing that quite compares to the aroma of freshly baked bread emanating from your own oven!
Today's recipe was "Thirty-Minute White Bread". It's a simple bread, especially if you have a kitchen machine that does all the kneading for you and takes less than 2 hours from start to finish. The “thirty-minute” in the name refers to the time required to prove the bread.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Carrot & Coriander Soup
Soup can be highly nutritious, filling and something to really look forward to on a cold Winter’s night.
Over the last decade or so, soup has had a lot of bad press from the amount of sodium they contain.
Homemade soups will always be far healthier than store-bought ones - you can control the amount of sodium you put in and add anything you’d like. The variation of soups you can make is only limited by your imagination.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Coconut Butter
There are no scientific studies which have been published, that indicate the consumption of coconut oil increases blood cholesterol or leads to heart disease. There have however, been numerous reports [1-6] that have shown that coconut oil cannot be held responsible for the development of coronary heart disease. Other studies have pin-pointed populations that regularly consume coconuts, such as Polynesia and Sri Lanka and show that “dietary coconut oil does not lead to high serum cholesterol nor to high coronary heart disease mortality or morbidity" [7-9].
Friday, July 9, 2010
Fresh Fruit Cobbler
Last Summer, we made an effort to barbeque every weekend. For dessert, I’d usually make either a fruit cobbler or clafoutis.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tomato & Rice Soup
This soup may sound a tad odd, but it’s barely any different from a minestrone soup minus the vegetables, and instead of pasta, there’s rice. It’s actually a pretty good soup. J had his wisdom teeth pulled and I had to find a way of feeding him enough fruit and vegetables, the easiest way was with soup.
I recall Nigella Lawson jabbering on about tomato & rice soup on one of her BBC series. I don’t remember the exact details, as she's a very slapdash cook, but the idea seemed pretty neat. Using the following recipe, and feeding 2 people, each serving gives 5 portions of fruit and 400 calories.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Prawn Dumplings
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Cheese Sables
I made these cheese sables on Valentine’s Day and received the best compliment from J. He said “these taste just like my Uncle’s….” Now, this may not mean much to most people, but J’s uncle used to own a patisserie in the Netherlands for many many years.
These cheese sables are buttery, cheesy, crispy and delicate, suitable for general snacking, nibbles before dinner, or with an aperitif.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Pork & Cabbage Jiaozi
Jiaozi, gyoza, potstickers or in Cantonese, gow gee are all the same thing. They're an East Asian dumpling with a filling of minced (ground) meat and/or vegetables, which is encased in a thin, chewy skin.
The version I have made is with minced (ground) pork with Chinese leaf (napa cabbage). I have also made the recipe with chicken thighs, where I’ve home-minced (ground) it in a food processor. The resulting jiaozi are pretty good, and I often use them in a Szechuan noodle soup.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Brown Butter Blondies
Blondies are one of those things I never heard of until I moved to the US. Brownies yes, but blondies no. Blondies are apparently like brownies, but without the chocolate – I say, what’s the fun in that?
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Succulent Steak & Gravy Pie
This steak pie is full of tender, succulent steak, surrounded by a thick and flavorsome (flavorful) gravy, which is encased in a rich and buttery pastry (crust). It’s a true delight!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Gluten-Free Vanilla & Strawberry Sponge Cake
The tofu "cream" and strawberries top this wonderfully light-mousse-like-sponge-cake really well. It's incredibly light, packed full of protein, and is gluten and dairy-free.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Avocado, Orange & Almond Salad
All of the ingredients alone are truly delicious, but when put together, you get an amazing burst of flavor and textures that’s indescribable.
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