Homemade Sorbet – Without an Ice Cream Maker

Homemade strawberry sorbet in an egg dish

 Sorbet: Fruit, water, sugar.

I think you can manage.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 pint of strawberries – hulled and sliced
• 1/3 sugar – more or less depending on the sweetness of your strawberries
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice – optional

Step 1: Put all of the ingredients into a medium-sized sauce pan.

Step 2: Stir over medium – low heat for 10 minutes or until strawberries become soft.

Step 3: Remove from heat. Puree in a blender, or by using a hand blender. 

Step 4: Pour into a large shallow pan or dish and put in the freezer.

Step 5: Every half an hour, check the sorbet. Take a spoon and drag it over the sorbet so it remains light and fluffy. Repeat until frozen.

Step 6: Serve! If it gets too hard, let it sit for 5 minutes before serving and then scoop it up.

* The texture of the sorbet with this method isn’t the same as using an ice cream maker, but it’s still just as delicious and refreshing. I’ll use the money I’d spend on an ice cream maker to buy more liquor. Win.

ENJOY!

I just had a really great idea. Add VODKA! Duh, why didn’t I think of this before?! Headed to the store right now. Strawberry Sorbet – Round 2: not for children.

Pork Skewers- AKA Shish Kabobs

Meat on a stick!

This can be made with pretty much any combination of meet and veggies you have in the kitchen. Just stay away from house pets.

This was the combination that we came up with:

Ingredients:

• Marinated Pork steaks
• Halloumi – Semi-hard grillable cheese
• Eggplant and red pepper marinated in oil, salt and pepper

So easy and fun to make! Use whatever you have in the kitchen and make your entire meal on a stick. No dishes needed. Maybe I’ll make every meal on a stick..

Cabbage Soup – Surprisingly good?

 

I don’t know how much there is to say about Cabbage soup, other than it’s surprisingly delicious.

I don’t normally buy cabbage, ever, but lately I’m kicking myself for not buying it sooner. It’s so delicious and generally absorbs flavours really well. The texture of cooked cabbage is really satisfying if you’re trying to have a hearty meal without the meat. And from what I’ve seen on healthy eating websites, it’s pretty decent meal for people trying to lose weight.

Try it out, I dare you.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsb olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic – minced
• 1 yellow onion – chopped
• 2 carrots – peeled and chopped
• 1 zucchini – chopped
• 1/2 head of cabbage – chopped
• Handful of fresh or frozen spinach
• 1 litre of vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes
• Oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: In a large soup pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 3 minutes.

Step 2: Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 30-40 minutes until everything is extra delicious.

Step 3: Eat it.

ENJOY!

Ode to Finch’s

Finch’s – an amazing tea and coffee house in downtown Vancouver. Haven’t been? Make it your business to go. This place makes sandwiches that can’t even be called sandwiches. I think it would be more accurate to call them “works of mouthwatering art”. I only had a few chances to eat here, but if I was living in Vancouver again it’s safe to say that a lot of my money would be spent at this place.

While I have somewhat recreated my favourite sandwich from Finch’s, I’ve decided to take that sandwich recipe and leave out the bread which has resulted in this amazing salad.

If you can’t get to Finch’s, this may be the best alternative.

Ingredients

• 1 pear – washed, cored and sliced
• 70 g. prosciutto or serrano ham – torn into bits
• Gorgonzola – cut into small pieces (or bue brie)
• Mixed green salad
• Walnuts

Dressing:

• 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Step 1: Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

Step 2:In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Toss again to coat and serve immediately.

Spice up your life

Szechuan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, or Szechwan cuisine:

A style of Chinese cuisine originating in the Sichuan Province of southwestern China that has bold flavors, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chili peppers, as well as the unique flavour of the Sichuan peppercorn.

And it’s fun to say.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 red chili pepper – minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger – minced (or ½ tsp ground ginger)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 400 g (12 oz) cooked shrimp, tails removed
• 1 head of broccoli – cut into florets
• 2 cups of cooked rice
• 1/4 cup sliced chives

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the first seven ingredients and set aside.

Step 2: In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and stir for 20 seconds until fragrant (make sure the heat isn’t too high or you’ll burn the garlic).

Step 3: Add the shrimp and the sauce mixture and stir until the sauce becomes slightly thickened.

Step 4: Remove the shrimp to a plate. Cook the broccoli for two minutes in the pot of boiling water (or until slightly tender). Drain well and plate.

Step 5: Serve immediately with rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives if you’re feeling a little foppish.

No shrimp? Don’t fret little jelly bean. Chicken’s got your back.

Mango Chicken Avocado Paul Stephens III

Summer is coming! Time to get less fat.

Time to get your beach bod on, right? Sadly, we can no longer blame over eating on bad weather and needing “winter fat” – which is my usual excuse.

First step in healthy eating? Finding foods that don’t completely suck. May I introduce you to a salad that you won’t hate?

His name is Mango Chicken Avocado Paul-Stephens III.

EAT HIM!

Serves:2
Ingredients

• 400g uncooked chicken breast
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Mango
• a couple handfuls of mixed green lettuce
• Toasted pine nuts – optional

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp grainy sweet mustard
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp Olive oil

Step 1: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined thoroughly.

Step 2: Cut the chicken into thin strips and marinate in ⅓ of the dressing mixture for 5-10 minutes.

Step 3: Fry the chicken in a pan on medium heat until cooked and remove from pan to cool.

Step 4: Cut the avocado and mango into thin strips and layer on a plate with the chicken.

Step 5: Pile a handful of mixed salad greens on top and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Step 6: Drizzle with ½ of the remaining dressing and serve immediately.

*this is a take on Gordon Ramsy’s Mango Chicken Salad.

Nuoc Cham Sauce

A simple recipe for an amazing Vietnamese sauce.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 red chili pepper – minced
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp white sugar

Step 1: Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust the ingredients to suit your taste, if it’s too strong add a few tablespoons of water. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!

Tips:

Put it on stuff!

Vietnamese spring rollies

Ingredients

• 6 round rice papers
• 200 g (7 oz) Rice vermicelli – cooked according to package
• 1 large carrot grated or chopped into match sticks
• A few handfuls of chopped lettuce
• 18-20 Cooked shrimp – deveined and peeled
• Black or white sesame seeds – optional

Step 1: Soak 1 rice paper in a large bowl of water for 10 seconds and shake off the remaining water. Place on a flat surface.

Step 2: Add 3-4 shrimp in the middle of the paper and on top of that pile: a bit of lettuce, 1/6 of the rice vermicelli, a small amount of carrot and the sesame seeds

Step 3: Roll the paper starting at the bottom, folding the sides in half way through.

Dip in peanut sauce or check back tomorrow for my Nuoc Cham Sauce recipe.

ENJOY!

TIPS:

Serve immediately or the rice paper will become dry and tough

Don’t feel like wrapping them? Make it into a salad. Bam. Done.

Zesty Italian Wedding Soup

Soup with this much meat and cheese has to be delicious.

Ingredients

• 6 cups of vegetable broth
• 300 grams of chopped cooked sausage or meatballs
• 125 grams orzo – or other small pasta
• a handful of fresh (or frozen) spinach, chopped
•  1 carrot – grated
• The zest of 1/2 lemon
• Parmesan

Step 1: Add the 6 cups of vegetable broth to a large pot and simmer over medium heat.

Step 2: Add all of the ingredients (except the parmesan) and cook until the pasta is tender.

Step 3: Serve sprinkled with a good amount of fresh parmesan.

ENJOY!

Beef BRO Stir-Fry

Beef BRO stir-fry, compliments of my boyfriend.

This is probably the best homemade stir-fry that I’ve ever had. It has everything; beef, noodles, bro. Everything.

Kyle, if you read this.. I think you should make this again tonight. Just sayin’.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 Red onion – Sliced
• 700 grams (1 1/2 pounds) sirloin steak – Cut into small pieces
• 1.5 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 Tbsp Red wine Vinegar ( rice vinegar works as well)
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1 Head of broccoli – cut into florets
• 1 package of chili flavoured Thai rice noodles (regular rice noodles work too)
• Handful of bean sprouts – Optional

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Step 2: Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1/3 cup soy sauce. When the soy sauce is warm, add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent (6-7 minutes)

Step 3: Add the pieces of steak and saute for another 8-10 minutes. 

Step 4: In a small bowl, mix together 1.5 tbsp of sesame oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tbsp minced ginger and add to skillet. 

Step 5: Blanch the broccoli florets in the boiling water (1-2 minutes) then add to the saute mixture. Cover and turn the heat to low.

Step 6: Prepare  the rice noodles according to the package and then toss with the stir-fry mixture.

ENJOY!