Vietnamese Salad Rolls

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I still remember the day that I asked Andrew this question "what kind of food do you like best?" It is one of those questions you ask during the early dating months, when you are so excited and want to find out everything that there is to know about the other person...

Well, I could have never guessed the answer that came for that question:Vietnamese food. It was a shock for me...

What?? Vietnamese food? What is Vietnamese food? Yup, it's true....I did not know what Vietnamese food was until then. I never actually had a chance to try it until 2004 when I first went to Canada. Needless to say, it was love at first bite. Although there is a lot of meat dishes, I always find nice vegetarian things to eat a Vietnamese restaurant.

So, because it is one of Andrew's favourite foods, I really wanted to learn to make it. It turns out that it is pain in the neck! This was not the first time I made those rolls, I've been practicing for some time. At first, they would break and stick to my fingers. Then, I would manage to make the rolls but the ingredients were all mixed inside and you couldn't tell the shrimp rolls from the tofu or pork ones. I think I finally got it right.

One of the things that helped me was to watch some online videos (this and this). I also got some tips from White on Rice Couple, they have a nice page on how to wrap a rice paper roll that is very helpful. I also got some inspiration from their blog on marinating the tofu pieces for the rolls. Thanks guys!

So I decided to make my own video to show how to make those tricky rolls. This is my first video-recipe, and I am really excited about it. It's not high quality, nor it is meant to be a Utube sensation. But it will hopefully help someone.

First it is important to have all your ingredients ready to go before you start. The fillings for these summer rolls can vary. Some restaurants serve a mix of pork and shrimp, some have it separately, some have tofu and some have only vegetables as a vegetarian option.

You will need:

Rice paper wrapper , plus a bowl of warm warm water to soak them

Rice noodles, cooked and cooled

Shredded or julienned carrots

Beans sprouts

Fresh mint leaves

Iceberg lettuce

Cooked shrimp, split in half lengthwise

Firm tofu, sliced (see note on tofu bellow)

Chives for decoration (optional)

I served these with a store bought peanut sauce, and added some extra crushed peanuts on top.

Tofu
If you are using tofu, for each 8 oz make a marinade with: 1 clove of chushed garlic, equal parts of soy sauce and vegetable oil (about 1 cup total), a spalsh of sesame oil, 1/2 tbsp of curry powder, 1/4 teas of cumin ,salt, pepper (keep in mind that the soy sauce is already salty). Marinate the tofu for about 1 hour, then pan fry it on a skillet until crisp and golden. Slice into strips.

To make the rolls, first have all ingredients within your reach, including the bow of water. Working with one at the time, soak the rice paper for about 20-30 seconds and place it on a flat surface (I use a large plate).

Place 3 pieces of shrimp, or 1 slice of tofu on the top half of the rice paper.Directly under it (on the lower end of the paper), place the lettuce, beans sprouts, carrots, mint and noodles. Placing the noodles last will make it easier to wrap the roll.

Now to the tricky part: to wrap the roll, start from the sides, folding each side towards the middle making sure they overlap in one point so they will stick together. Roll it from the bottom up, stopping half way to add a piece of chive , if using.

To get a better idea, check out this video.

Upside Down Cranberry Cornmeal Cake

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Well, it's true, I have posted an upside down cornmeal cake before. So why another one? Very simple, because I love it! I like mixing cornmeal into cake batters and I just adore upside down desserts. This one is made with cranberries which are just in season and have a special place during the Holidays Celebrations.

Cranberries are packed with nutrients and anti-oxidants, so I don't really consider this a dessert, it's more like a breakfast cake that is good for me. I like to have it with coffee in the morning. The tart taste of the cranberries are sure to wake me up. And God knows I need that some most mornings...

 

Upside Down Cranberry Cornmeal Cake Recipe:

find original recipe here

You will need:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3/4 lb fresh cranberries

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

4 tsp lemon zest, divided

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp yellow cornmeal ( I used medium ground)

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2/3 cup milk (I used 1%)

1/2 cup canola oil

* **Equipment: a 10 inch cast iron skillet

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On a 10 inches cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add the cranberries, 1 cup of the sugar 2 teaspoons of the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes until the cranberries have released most of their juices.  

Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon and continue cooking down the liquid until it is bubbly and thickened, about 2 minutes more. (this is an optional step, see photo/note bellow)

	Removing the cranberries from the skillet while the sauce thickens will help maintain their shape.

 

Return cranberries to skillet (if removed) and arrange them in a single layer. Remove from heat and let it cool for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the batter. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in cornmeal.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolk, milk, oil and the remaining 2 teaspoon of lemon zest until frothy. Add the remaining 3/4  cup of sugar and mix to combine.Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix just until smooth. Do not over mix it. Pour batter over the cooled cranberries in the skillet. Bake for about 40 minutes (top should be browning, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out smooth).

Let cake rest on a rack for 20 minutes then carefully invert the cake onto a plate.

Enjoy it!

Pear Brie and Walnuts Panini

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December is definitely the official party month of the year. I have to prepare a couple of dishes for a potluck this weekend, and then next week we are hosting a holiday party here at home for about 20 people.

Then there are the preparations for Christmas Eve meal (which I like to make really special), and let's not forget all those cookie swaps...With so much going on in our social lives it can be easy to forget about all the regular meals we still have to eat everyday.

Having good, nutritious meals will give energy to survive all the office parties, cookie-baking, eggnog- drinking, sales-shopping that this season brings...

That have been said, I try to make good but simple meals for lunch and dinner. This is definitely not the time to try a new, complicated recipe (unless it's a cookie one....)

Grilled paninis fit the bill perfectly. I find them to be very satisfying and filling. This one combines brie, pears and walnuts. The pears lend a sweet taste, the brie brings its sharp, specific flavour, and the walnuts add a crunch to this sandwich.Served with a light salad it's a complete meal that takes no time to make, leaving us with more time to bake more Holiday cookies!!!!!!!

Pear, Brie & Walnuts Panini Recipe:

For each sandwich, you'll need:

Good, sturdy bread such as ciabatta or French baguette

2 slices of brie

1/2 a pear, sliced (it can be any kind of pear)

a handful of walnuts, chopped

butter

Make the sandwiches with a thin layer of butter, the slices of pears, the walnuts and the brie. Butter the outside before placing it on the panini maker. Alternatively, you can make them on a hot pan. Just make sure to apply some pressure by topping the sandwich with something heavy, like a saucepan with cans on top, and flip them half way trough.

Brazil

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I have been living outside of Brazil since 1998 when I went to work overseas.  Luckily I have always been able to visit my home country at least once every year since then. Going to Brazil on a regular basis is something very important to me. Not only because I miss my family and friends and I am always looking forward to our next time together, but also because it really brings me back to my roots and reminds me of where I come from and who I am. It puts a lot of things in perspective.

This trip was specially exciting for me because it was Andrew's  first time in Brazil. Having him around gave me the opportunity  to see my country trough a foreigner's eyes. It was interesting to see what kind of things caught his attention  like the public displays of affection not seen here in North America.

When it comes to food and cooking, I feel that being born and raised in Brazil is definitely a good thing. Today things are very different, but when I was growing up, we didn't have Mc Donald's and Coca Cola was served on special occasions only. Snacks normally consisted of fresh tropical fruits like mangoes, watermelons, tangerines, pineapple.

We spent a week the beach town of Maceio. It is common in Brazil to have beach restaurants and bars right on the sand. This was our favourite one

 

You could find us there pretty much everyday between 11am and 4pm enjoying dishes like grilled sausages...

fried cassava (an alternative to fries)...

sauteed chicken with mustard dip...

cashews...

 

kiwi caipirinhas...

 

Not bad, huh?

Coconut is often used in dishes and desserts in Brazil, specially in this area where  there are loads of coconut farms like this one

 

These are typical coconut sweet treats called cocadas . Those were made with different fruit flavours like  passion fruit and pineapple. They are really good!

 

Brazilian coconut milk is sold in bottles, not cans, and it is slightly thicker than the ones I find here. This chandelier was made using empty bottles of coconut milk. I loved it, beautiful and green!

 

And speaking of green, take a look at this solar-powered lighthouse. I had never seen it before. Pretty smart, no?

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little taste of Brazil. I sure came back with some fresh ideas to try out at the kitchen, and I'll be happy to share them with you.

For now, I'll leave you with some of my favourite pics from this trip.

 

 

Back from vacation...and new favourite cookies

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Hi everyone! I am back from two weeks in Brazil having fun, soaking up some sun and visiting family and friends. What's better than that? Home. That's right, even with gray skies, low temperatures and leafless trees, there is no place like home. Specially during the Holiday Season, we actually look forward to it here at home. Perhaps it is because in the past we didn't have many chances  to celebrate the Holidays at home.  Actually, we didn't even had a home until recently... (No, we were not homeless...we used to work/live aboard cruise ships for a long time).

I am working on a post about the trip with lots of photos! Stay tuned!

For now I will talk about those yummy cookies.  I baked them to give to our building manager who watered our plants while we were out. It was my way of thanking her.

It turned out that the cookies were really popular here at home. Andrew loved them so much he ate half of the recipe (about 20 cookies) in 2 days...

In his own words:

" This may be even better than my favourite ones".

In my thoughts:

WOOHOO!! Finally I can bake something else besides the old soft chocolate chip cookie....

These cookies combine coconut, white chocolate and walnuts. The result is a VERY sweet cookie that is also chewy with a chunky bite from the walnuts.

Oh, and did I mentioned cocoa in the dough??

The cookies tasted very nice, but I didn't think they were very attractive-looking. Many of them joined together in the oven, as they spread out, so I had to separate them  later. I think it is because I was supposed to use a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop (which I don't have) to measure them, but I just eye balled it. Next time I make them, I will size them properly and maybe they will turn out more even.

So I  guess my next little gadget will be a  1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop. And  it will happen soon, cause according to Andrew "it won't hurt to make those cookies again.... " Sure it  won't hon, specially now during the Holidays.

Happy Holiday Season Everyone!

 

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies Recipe:

from marthastewart.com

You'll need:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups white chocolate chips *

1 3/4 cups sweetened  flaked coconut

1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars together on medium speed for about 2 minutes (I use the paddle attachment on my Kitchen Aid). Lower the speed and add eggs (one at a time) and vanilla.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Mix into butter mixture on low speed until just combined. do not over mix it. Stir in chocolate chips, coconut flakes and walnuts.

Drop batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them well apart  as cookies will spread a lot. (The recipe suggested using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop to measure the dough.  It probably helps a lot, although I didn't have one). Bake for about 12 minutes. Cool them on wire racks.

According to the original recipe, these cookies can be stored in airtight containers for up to a week. I cannot confirm that, since our cookies were gone in just 2 days...

Back in two weeks

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For the next 2 weeks, I'll be travelling around Brazil, visiting family and friends and taking a break from the rain that starts to pour down over the Pacific Northwest.

I have lived what some would call a gypsy life for many years. Travelling is just something I love doing. I always come home (wherever that might be at the time) with a new, refreshed perspective on life. And I look forward to sharing all that with you.

See you at Thanksgiving!

Roasted Pumpkin Salad (and spaghetti, and lasagna...)

Pin It I have been quite busy lately and as a result I have been unable to post as much as I wanted, or to participate and browse at other blogs (and there are so many great blogs out there!).
But it is not all bad news, there is actually a very good reason for my recent lack of posts (and time). I am planning a trip to Brazil, in fact we are living in 4 days!
I normally see may family and friends once a year (yes, I am lucky, I know), but Andrew has actually never been to Brazil. We both travelled a lot together and been to many interesting places, but never made it to my home place. It's very exciting, and somewhat nerve wrecking too...

But before we take off, I really wanted to participate of this month's Weekend Wokking Event, hosted this time by Heart and Hearth and the ingredient of the month couldn't be more appropriate: Pumpkin! Yum!

I decided to roast my pumpkin not only because it concentrates the flavours, but I can use the roasted pumpkin in a variety of dishes. For this post I pictured a simple salad made with the pumpkin pieces when they first came out of the oven. I often enjoy some warm element in my salads, slightly wilting the greens.

Roasting the pumpkin is fairly easy, once you pass the peel, seed and cut stages.

I mix the pieces of pumpkin with olive oil (bout 1 tbsp for each pound of pumpkin), one red onion, quartered and some fresh herbs ( sometimes it's sage, others rosemary, oregano) salt and pepper. I roast it at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. After that I keep checking every 5 minutes until it's just right, which for me it's still firm, but with some browned spots around the edges.

For the salad, I made a bed of arugula dressed with some olive oil and lemon juice, some shaved Parmesan and a few nuts.

I mixed the leftover roasted pumpkin with ricotta cheese in a food processor and used it in two pasta dishes:

1) a spaghetti with the creamy ricotta-pumpkin sauce

2) a pumpkin lasagna using the ricotta-pumpkin mixture, bechamel and mozzarella cheese.

I hope I will still see pumpkins at the markets by the time I come back to Seattle because I just love pumpkin. I hope you do too.

Crunchy Chickpea Salad

Pin It There are a lot of good things to say about chickpeas. They are a good source of protein, very low in fat, very filling, and in my opinion, very tasty too. Oh, and did I mention versatility? Chickpeas can be used in soups, salads, as side dishes, or as a snack. And it's pretty inexpensive too. So with all that going for them, why aren't these beans more popular?

My guess is that most people just never see chickpeas on the menu except at Indian restaurants. And while I love a good Chola Masala, I think it is a shame that garbanzo beans don't get more exposure in the restaurant scene.

So I am doing my part to promote these wonderful food! As usual here at Pink Bites, this is an easy dish, healthy and it is a perfect meal for one.

Carrots and celery give this salad a nice crunch, while the sun-dried tomatoes bring a punch of unexpected flavour.

Crunchy Chickpea Salad Recipe:

1 can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, chopped

a handful of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

chopped parsley

shaved Parmesan

Make a salad dressing with 1 part lemon juice or vinegar, 2 parts olive oil (I mix a little bit of the sun-dried tomato oil), salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients and the dressing, I like to put them in a Tupperware, close the lid and shake it.

Top it with Parmesan shavings and freshly ground pepper.

Maple Baked Acorn with Raisins and Candied Walnuts

Pin It My mom was the first person to show me how great a baked squash can be. She slices acorn squashes and bake them with a little olive oil and salt. Very simple and yet tasteful. I decided to make it a little different, adding sweet maple syrup and cinnamon. I used candied walnuts that I keep in my pantry, but regular ones will do just fine too. This is a beautiful dish that would certainly impress guests. It can be a side dish or a main vegetarian entry.

Maple Baked Acorn with Raisins and Candied Walnuts Recipe:

Adapted from this recipe

You will need:

1 acorn squash

maple syrup

cinnamon

butter

raisins

candied walnuts *(recipe bellow), or any other type of nuts

salt and pepper

Cut off stem and bottom of the acorn, so it has a flat surface on each end. Half the acorn and scoop the seeds and pulp out. Place the halves on a greased baking sheet and fill each one with 1 tbsp of syrup, 1/2 tbsp of butter, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix it up and spread around the edges (I used a brush for it). Place the nuts, chopped as well as the raisins inside the squash cups.

Bake it at 350F for about 40-45 minutes. Every once in a while, if the squash edges are getting too dry, baste it with the syrup mixture, either using a brush or a spoon.

If you are cooking for one person only, make only 1 half of the squash.

Candied Walnuts Recipe:

I favour this recipe (found at the foodnetwork site) over many others from different chefs simply because the nuts are bakes and not deep fried.

1/4 cup powder sugar

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp salt

4 oz walnuts (about 1 cup)

Mix all ingredients except walnuts. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the walnuts for about 4 minutes. Drain well and immediately roll the walnuts in the sugar mixture. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes, watching carefully because the sugar can burn quickly. Store in an airtight container.

Grape Gratin

Pin It Here is a dessert that won't take you anytime to make, it's almost impossible to get it wrong and yet, it would impress guests and family members alike.

A little note: if you are the kind of person that doesn't like cherry tomatoes because they burst in your mouth, you are probably not going to like this dessert either...
What you'll get here is a combination of warm grapes bursting in your mouth, a creamy mixture with a hint of vanilla and (my favourite part) a crunchy sugar topping!

Grape Gratin Recipe:

You will need:

Seedless grapes
Sour Cream
Plain Yogurt
Vanilla Extract
Brown Sugar

Pick a baking dish and place grapes on the bottom on a single layer, as snug as possible. Mix equal parts sour cream and yogurt. Add some vanilla extract (the amount will depend on how much you are making). Top grapes with this mixture and sprinkle brown sugar all over it.
Bake it in a hot oven until the top is golden brown. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving it.

This dessert can also be made in individual gratin dishes, I imagine it would look very nice at a dinner party.