Harvest Share Food Box week 2

So we just picked up our second box...

I wished the picture would tell how yummy it looked!

This week the featured item is Kale.

There is also Garlic Scapes! I had never heard of it before getting some in the box. I already used some to add to one of my smoke salmon-radish dip!

The featured recipe is Kale Chips! Although I have eaten kale before I had never tried to have it that way. (I know, I know... somany people on my friend's list swear by it!) So we baked some... not only did it look and smell yummy.... it tasted great! A perfect by the pool snack!

An added bonus... Hudson LOVED it.

Buying local... 20 weeks of summer

So a few weeks ago, we received a pamphlet in our mail box about a Harvest Food Share Program. 20 boxes full of locally grown fruits and vegetables for 20 weeks. We do have access to a farmer's market near by, but in the last few years, I was something surprise to find out that what we were buying was not always local... (Happened with corn, more than once...) I researched the program a bit more and read lot's of positive reviews... we decided to give it a try. There were two different size boxes available. We took the biggest one (28$ a week) and decided to share it between two family (so 14$ each family a week). With the weekly box, we receive a feature item and a recipe to go with it. We are also provided with information about each product (which farm it comes from). 

This week we went a head and picked up our first box. I will be honest, it was a lot smaller than we expected... and a lot smaller than the pictures I had seen from last year. We were explained that the season was a bit delayed because of the weather and that they would make up for it in the next few weeks. (Fair enough!) That being said, I quickly did the math and we really were getting our money's worth. 

I decided for the next 20 weeks (as much as possible) to post a picture of the box. We will also attempt to make every recipe provided. If you would like more information, you can visit the facebook group. All the recipe can be found there in their "Note" section.

So this week's feature item is Rhubarb! The recipe is a rhubarb custard pie! Mom and I with Hudson's help got it ready in no time! It looked delicious and tasted amazing! Definitively a recipe we will make again!

For dinner tonight, we also had some of the pepper, mushroom, zucchinis and spinach. Now everything was good, but let's talk about spinach!!! Seriously... I didn't even know spinach could look as leafy and full of life as the one we received. It really did not look like what we buy at the grocery!! And let me tell you, they were GOOD!!! At this point, I have to say we are really excited about the box and can't wait for the next one!

Recipe - Bath Fizz Balls

For Christmas, Hudson received those cool fizz balls for the bath. She loved it until she started breaking out into a rash!!! A few months later, I got her a different store brand without thinking and same thing happened again. I went out and about and looked at the ingredient list and it occur to me, most of what was included on the list was completely unnecessary. So last week, I started looking online for an alternative and came across many recipe to make it myself. Best part... the only ingredient truly needed were not only safe but also beneficial for the skin. 

I have now made a few batches and here is my version of what worked best for us. And I should add, it is very easy to make!!! No baking, no cooking!

You will need :

• 2 cups of Baking Soda (500gr)
• 3/4 cup of citric acid (this might be a bit hard to find, I ended up ordering mine only from the USA for a very very cheap price. Apparently some grocery will carry it in their baking aisle since it is use in canning, essentially citric acid is vitamin C)
• 1/8 cup of corn starch
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil (or any other vegetable oil) in liquid form but not heated)
• A few drops of essential oil (how many drops really depends on which oil you use and how strong you want the smell to be.) So far I have used grapefruit and lavender essential oil. 
• Food coloring (totally optional, how much will depends on how dark you want the color to be)
• Water in a spray bottle (mist setting)
• Parchemin paper
• Fun Mold (optional)

How to do it :

1. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredient. MIX WELL!!!
2. In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredient except the water.
3. Slowly add the wet mixture in the dry ingredient bowl. I use a fork to mix it and work through all the clumps. It will take a few minutes but make sure there are no clumps left.
4. With your hand, check of well the mixture holds it shape when pressed. Spray a little bit of water until you can easily make it stay in the desire shape. IT WILL NOT LOOK LIKE A DOUGHT! It will still be in a loose powder form. But it has just enough moisture to keep it's shape when you press it.
5. Use a mold to make fun shapes. I used egg molds for bento box to make my bunnies. I find it works best with a solid mold as oppose to a silicone soft mold. When you put the mixture in, you have to press really hard. You do not need to wait for it to set, you can unmold it right away. It you do not have any molds, you can simply make little balls with your hands.
6. Let it dry and cure on parchemin paper for about 24-28 hours. Make sure they are in a very dry place. Once dried, you can store then in an air tight container. This weekend, I will try to vacuum seal a few. Use within a month for best results.

Recipe : Super E crab cake

So I really felt like having crab cake for dinner. I went to the grocery but they had none... so I bought 2 cans of crab meat and went home to make them myself!

Here is what I did :

True to myself, I just dumped all the ingredients in a big bowl and mixed it with a potato masher.

-2 cans of crab meat drained
-1 cup of boiled potato
-1 cup boiled broccoli
-1/2 cup bread crumbs
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1/4 cup mayo
-pepper to taste
-garlic salt to taste


After giving it all a good mix, I split the mix in 5 and made patty. I then rolled the patties in more bread crumbs.

I then cooked them in a skillet (with a little bit of oil or butter) for about 4 min. each side or until golden.

And voilà!

And for those interesting... Hudson loved it!

*Note* The amount was fine for 2 adults and one toddler... for a family of four, I would probably double the recipe. Canned Salmon would work as well and be a cheaper option!

Recipe Tofu-Brocoli-Quiche

Last night I while trying to figure out dinner, I came across this vegan recipe! Tofu Quiche with Spinach and Broccoli. Now if you wonder why I would be looking at a vegan recipe website... well because I love vagan recipes. I am by no mean vegan, but I like having option on how to prepare my meal. And I find that often vegan cooking proposes very healthy alternative! I usually go from there and than modify the recipe to my liking and that is exactly what I did! The results was GREAT (and I suspect that even if you stick to the original recipe, it will be GREAT)... here are the ingredients I used. 

Otherwise I followed the exact same preparation instructions.

1 deep-dish store both pie crust (or make your own!)
1 cup of brocoli.
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 cup of fresh chopped baby spinach
1 cup of finely chopped mushroom.
1 tbs of nutmeg,
1 tbs of basil,
1 tbs of ground pepper,
1 tsp of paprika
300 gr of medium tofu,
1/2 cup of milk,
1/2 cup of Chia seed (or grounded flax seeds
2 eggs
1 cup of shredded cheese (your choice, I used old cheddar)
2 tsp corn starch




First I boiled about 1 cup of brocoli.
Then I sautéd 1 large onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 cup of fresh chopped baby spinach (not boiled) and 1 cup of finely chopped mushroom. I added the brocoli and 1 tbs of nutmeg, 1 tbs of basil, 1 tbs of ground pepper, 1 tsp of paprika. (I did not add salt but you could).

In a blender, I put 300 gr of medium tofu, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 tsp corn starch, 1/2 cup of Chia seed (or grounded flax seeds) and 2 eggs.

In a bowl, I mixed the vegetable to the tofu mixture. I added 1 cup of shredded old cheddar-cheese.

I used one 9 inches store bought deep-dish pie shell which I precooked at 350 degree for 12 minutes.

I firmly pressed the mixture in the pie crust and left it in the over for 45 min at 375. (Or until fully cooked in the middle.

And voilà!

This recipe used a whole lot of ingredient but most of them could be changed depending on your taste! We are planning on trying it with zucchini, red pepper, feta cheese and olives!

Recette de Gyoza en français!

 

Voici la traduction de la recette de gyoza dont j’ai parlé pendant les vacances de noël!

Je dois spécifier qu’en général, je modifie la recette selon ce que mon réfrigérateur contient! Alors n’hésitez pas non plus à expérimenter! Il est aussi possible de les faire végétariens.

Néanmoins, peu importe les modifications que vous apporter, il y a une certaine recette de base à respecter.

 

·         I chou finement coupé

·         3livres de porc haché (peut être remplacé par de la dinde, du bœuf, des crevettes…)

·         ½ tasse de ciboulette finement haché

·         ½ tasse de sake

·         1/8 tasse de sauce soya

·         1/8 tasse de mirin

·         De temps en temps, j’aime ajouter de la coriandre et du gingembre.

Je prends tout les ingrédients et je les passe au robot culinaire. Si vous n’y avez pas accès, vous assurer que tout soit très finement coupé et bien mélangé.

Je n’ai jamais encore essayé de confectionner mes propres pâtes à Gyozo. Je trouve plus simple acheter les pâtes rondes à dumplings chinois (généralement disponible dans les épiceries chinoises mais aussi nord américaine.) Faîtes attention de ne pas acheter les pâtes à won-ton. Elles sont de constitution différente. Avec cette recette, j’ai généralement besoin de 150 à 200 pâtes.

Lorsque vous façonner chaque gyoza, utiliser de l’eau et non pas un œuf pour sceller les côtés. Le plus simple est de prendre une petite cuillérée de mélange, la déposer au milieu. Humecter le contour de la pâte avec de l’eau et de la refermer en demi-cercle. Selon la tradition japonaise, il ne faut plisser qu’un seul côté. Il est par contre standard pour les dumplings chinois, de plisser les deux côtés. Rien ne vous empêche de le faire de l’une ou de l’autre façon. Si vous avez utilisé toutes les pâtes et qu’il vous reste du mélange, vous pouvez l’utiliser pour faire un stir-fry.

Lorsque vous avez tout terminé vous pouvez les faire cuire ou les mettre à congeler. Pour la cuisson, il y a plusieurs façons possibles. Vous pouvez tout simplement les faire cuire à la vapeur. Vous pouvez les faire bouillir dans une soupe. Vous pouvez les faire frire dans l’huile. Toutefois, noter que la façon traditionnelle japonaise (et la meilleur selon moi) est de les faire cuire lentement dans une poêle qui a été remplie d’une fine couche d’huile. De cette façon, ils seront croustillants mais tendre. Il n’est pas nécessaire de les retourner pendant la cuisson. Néanmoins assurez vous qu’ils demeurent couvert afin qu’ils ne s’assèchent pas.

Pour la sauce, vous pouvez acheter de la sauce à gyoza ou faire votre propre mélange de sauce soya, sauce à tamari et  vinaigre rouge.

Akemashite Omedetou (Happy New year)

Oyster Okonomiyaki in Miyajima

Happy New Year everyone! What better way to start a new year than to have Okonomiyaki! One of my favorite food when traveling in Japan. Unfortunately, I find it really hard to duplicate when in Canada. No matter how much a try it just never taste as good as when in Osaka (or even Hiroshima). I just found a very well explained recipe on a fellow blog's. I will give it a try today! Here is the link.

But first I should give a little intro about Okonomiyaki. Here a lot of westerners call it Japanese Pizza! I have to say, personally I find it resemble more a stuff crêpe or a cabbage omelet. Here is what Wikipedia has to say : Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き^?) is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region. 

What make this dish interesting is the distinction one has to make between Osaka-fu (Osaka-style) or Hiroshima-fu (Hiroshima style) okonomiyaki for they are quite different! In the Osaka-fu okonomiyaki, all the layers are mix together. In the Hiroshima-fu, the ingredient remain layered (like a Shepperd pie) and include noodles. Personally I much prefer the Osaka-fu but if you are traveling through Japan make sure you try both version.

I will also mention a close cousin to the Okonomiyaki from the Kanto region (Tokyo). Monjayaki, closely ressemble okonomiyaki. The main difference is the fact that it is a lot more watery. I only eat monja when I meet up with my Japanese friends since I find it a bit challenging to cook myself. 

The Okonomiyaki I will be making today will be Osaka-fu. I will modify the recipe a little since I do not have access to taro roots at this time. I will use:

• 1/2 cup  flour
• 2 cups cabbage
• 3 tbsp tenkasu (tempura bits) Don't worry if you don't have any
• 1 tbsp dashi stock in 4 tbsp of water Don't worry if you don't have any
• 1tbsp of corn starch
• 3 eggs
• shrimps or Canadian bacon
• 2 green onions chopped
• 2 tsp. chopped red marinated ginger 
• oil

Chop cabbage, ginger and green onion. Mix together. In a separate bowl, mix dashi, water, corn starch and eggs. Add to the flour. Mix until smooth. Mix the batter with the cabbage. Add the tenkasu.

In a greased pan, cook bacon or shrimp. When golden, pour the batter on top of it. Press it down into a nice round shape. Cover and cook at low heat. Flip over once. It should cook about 10 minutes, or until both side are golden. (You can make 2 small okonomiyaki or 1 large okonomiyaki.)

For the topping, I use tonkatsu sauce, shredded nori, bonito flakes and japanese mayo.

Sweet and Sour Daikon

Some of you might know this great side side as part of the Vietnamese sub (sandwich) or as part of a Korean meal! Many Japanese restaurant in North America, also serve this as a side dish! It is a very inexpensive and easy marinade to do at home and taste great by itself, or in a stir fry! 

• Daikon (also known as Lo Bok)
• Carrots
• Water
• Vinegar
• Sugar
• Chili flake

The traditional way has you cut the daikon and carrot in thin long sticks! But feeling festive, I used a vegetable cutter (star). (I kept the extra pieces for a soup)


You then place all the pieces in a jar.

You boil the water, the vinegar, the sugar and the chili flake together. I did not gave exact measurement here because everyone does it differently. In this case, for two jars, I used 3 cups of water. 1/4 cup of vinegar. 5 tbsp of sugar and a pinch of chili flake. You can adjust the sugar and chili flake is you want it sweater or more sour! 

Pour the mix until the jar is filled. Then close. Let it marinade for 3-4 days for best result. But it can actually be eaten as early as 2 hours after you make it.   

TAMAGO

Tamago is probably the most useful recipe I know. It is great as a side dish, as a snack, as a party finger food, or in lunches and bento! You eat it cold so there is no need to keep it warm or reheat it. But more importantly; it tastes great and is quick to make.

• 4 eggs
• 4tea spoons  of sugar
• 1/2 tbsp of Mirin
• 1 tea spoon of Soya Sauce

You will also need a small square pan if you own one and a sushi rolling bamboo mat. 

 

First to put all the ingredient together and you mix. You do not want to whisk it since that would put too much air in the mix and make the tamago thicker. I usually use chop sticks and try to break down the egg by lifting the mixture.

Cooking the tamago is probably the hardest part! It took me month of practice before I got a perfect shape, color and texture. Still now, it tend to be a bit too dark. 

 

You first poor about 1/4 of the mixture. You want a thin layer but thick enough so that it won't break as you flip it. If it starts bubbling : burst the bubble with the chopstick. When it is half cook (not runny anymore but still humid), fold it over twice with the chopstick. It might break a little as you try, especially the first time but don't worry too much about it. Then add more mixture. As you pour it in the pan, lift the roll so that the new mixture gets underneath. That will help with the connection of the layer. Fold over you roll until you have no more mixture.

When the roll is done, remove form the pan right away. Place on a sushi rolling mat. Fold over the rolling mat so you can press the sides. This will give the nice rectangle shape. As you press, there should be a bit of juice coming out. This is normal. When you have the shape you want, plate it and store it in the fridge. Wait for it to cool down before you slice it in thin slice. It can then be eaten as is or you can use it in your sushi making endeavor!!

*If you do no have a square pan, you can use a round pan but you won't have the nice shape. If you do not own a sushi rolling mat, don't worry! It will still taste great! But it might not hold its shape well and migth crumble a bit.*   

GYOZA

 I recently up dated my status on facebook to "Making Gyoza" and was surprise to find so many people wanting to make them but not knowing how! First off, here is a great basic recipe ! 

As for mine, I don't follow a specific recipe. I always start with a whole cabbage and about 3 lbs of ground pork, then to taste I add, chive, sake, soya sauce and mirin. When I feel fancy, I add snow peas and coriander. I put all the ingredient in my food processor and make sure everything is very finely chop.

The great thing about gyoza is that you can pretty much make them anything you like! If you want them vegetarian, skip the beef! If you like shrimp better... go a head!!

As for the wrapper, any Chinese grocery and even some Zerhs or Loblaws carry Dumpling wrappers. You want to buy the little round shape ones.

 

If I use a whole cabbage and 3lbs of meat, I usually need 4 packs of wrappers. I know it makes a lot but don't worry! You can easily freeze them and eat them later!

When you wrap them, use water to seal the edge and not egg (like you would when making won ton). You should also only pleat one side of the dough (not both side like for Chinese dumplings). This way, they will stand up when they cook.



The wrapping process can be really long and tedious. Get some friends or family member to join you. It then becomes a great afternoon activity! The process is simple enough that children could help. (I remember as a kid, making won ton with mom. It was always lots of fun!!!) 

When you cook them, you can:

1. Steam it!
2. Boil it in a soup.
3. Deep friend it.
4. or my favorite way: Pan fried them. First at low heat for about 15 minutes, then at higher heat for about 10 minutes to get the bottom part crunchy. Just make sure they always stay covered so they don't dry out!

For the sauce, I usually buy it already made. But you can make your own with a mixture of Soya Sauce, Vinegar and Tamarin.

Bento Challenge

Good Morning!! I am glad to finally report on my Work Place Bento Challenge! On Friday the 17th of December, as to mark our last day of work before the Christmas Holidays, my coworker Lynn and I decided to have a friendly kawaii bento competition. For the both of us it was the first time attempting such thing (I had previously made some bento but not with a cute factor. As for my coworker, it was her very first bento EVER!!)

We had agreed on free choice of theme, even thought we both ended up making a winter-Christmas theme bento. I spend most of the night before preparing the bento following scale drawings I had made in the previous week. So did my coworker. And here are the results!!

Her bento featured a Santa Sleight made out of kani, a sliding penguin made of Devil egg and tortillas and a Christmas tree made of stuff beans. She added a gingerbread man, in a crêpe to mimic Santa's Toy Bag!  In total, she had 12 votes from the staff members. The penguin was a hit!

 My bento featured an inari reindeer, a tomato-sausage santa as well as a umeboshi star shape onigiri. I also made a Vietnamese rice roll that I decorated with Hungarian salami. I added, tamago, cheese cube and squash to complete the meal. In all, my bento received 13 votes. 

In all, we had a great time, trying each others food. We also shared with our school principal and our friends. We are now looking forward to our next challenge which  will be just in time for Valentine's day!!

'Tis the season to be cooking!!

From one disaster to another


Kuhn Rikon Stainless Cookie Press
and Decorating Set with Storage Box.



Off course with Chirstmas just around the corner, I have been cooking. The countdown is on, as I have to bake 78 cookies for my workplace cookies exchang on Friday December 10th! This year I wanted to outdo myself and went a head and bought the Kuhn Rikon Stainless Cookie Press and Decorating Set with Storage Box. I tried it with two different recipies and I was so please of the results. Easy, pretty, tasty cookies... that is until I tried washing the stainless steel tube. The tube is lined with a plastic inlay and the cookie dought easily gets between the layers. I tried cleaning it out. Impossible. I let it soak for a few hours, nothing to do about it. So broken heartedly I returned it to the store. After checking the manufacturer's web site, I realised many people seemed to have the same problem.

After  talking with friends, I found out that a good brand to buy would be the Norpro Brand of product. I was also told to avoid the Pampered chef brand. Unfortunatly, it is too late for me to pass an online order for this year, but I will look into getting one next Christmas.

I decided instead to stick to what  I do best and that is: make chocolate!! I went for an easy, white chocolate candy cane melt that I poured in silicone christmas mould from Dollorama. I use to buy chocolate mould from Bulk Barn but I find the silicone one work better and can be used for fudge, jello, candy and ice (off course). I didn't see the need in buying expansive mould from cooking store as the dollar store one work perfectly well!

I then proceeded in making the dought for some chocolate cookie sandwich with candy cane filling. A quick easy recipe I found online. Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies But just as I was ready to roll them in little ball, I found there must have been worms in my mom's flour... back to square one, I had to throw away the dought and head back to the grocery store.

I will give it a second chance on wednesday so check back for the results!!