Crunchy Salad Green and Strawberry Salad with Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette | 青脆草莓沙律配草莓醋汁

Although it is nearly the end of the summer the weather is still so hot and humid.  It is joyful to have a big bowl of crunchy salad that is packed with leafy greens and juicy fruit.

For the dressing, I used fresh strawberries to make the vinaigrette, adding another layer of fruitiness.  After trying this dressing, you will agree how much it goes well with the greens.

INGREDIENTS: (2 servings)

1 cup Baby Arugula

2 cups Cabbage, shredded

10 Strawberries, hulled and quarter

1 Mini Cucumber

A handful of Walnut, roasted

DRESSING:

6 Strawberries, hulled, quarter

2 tablespoons Sugar

5 tablespoons Olive Oil

3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

small pinch of Salt and Pepper

材料：(2 人份)

1 杯  芝麻菜

2 杯  椰菜，切幼絲

10 粒  草莓，去蒂，切4份

1 條  迷你青瓜

少量  合核，烤過

汁料：

6 粒草莓，去蒂，切4份

2 湯匙  糖

5 湯匙  橄欖油

3 湯匙  意大利黑醋

少撮鹽和黑胡椒粉

DIRECTION:

1. In a small mixing bowl, mash the strawberries from the dressing ingredients along with the sugar, until there are no big chunks.

2. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients; mix well.

3. On a serving plate, arrange the salad ingredients.  Drizzle the strawberry vinaigrette.  Serve immediately.

做法：

1. 在一只小碗內，加入汁料用的草莓。用搗碎器壓至無大顆粒。

2. 下所有汁料用的材料；拌勻。

3. 沙律材料在餐碟上排盤；淋上草莓醋汁食用。

Greek Salad | 希臘沙律

Greek salad is actually called "villagers' salad"; it is the simple dish that is composed of many fresh vegetables, such as cucumber, tomato, green bell pepper, and onion.  Traditionally, Greek salad does not include lettuce and any other types of bell pepper, nor the addition of elaborative seasoning other than dried oregano and a pinch of salt.  Feta cheese is always presented in chunks or a block, and it will never be crumbled.  A generous amount of olive oil and purplish black olives are a must too.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tomatoes, medium

1/2 Cucumber

1/3 Red Onion

1 Green Bell Pepper

10-15 Black Olives (I used Kalamata and Nicoise)

100 gram Feta Cheese

4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Red WineVinegar

1/2 teaspoon Oregano, dried

pinch of Sea Salt

材料：

2 隻  蕃茄，中型

1/2 條  青瓜

1/3  紅洋蔥

1 隻  青燈籠椒

10-15 粒  黑橄欖

100 克  羊酪芝士

4 湯匙  初榨橄欖油

1 湯匙  紅酒醋

1/2 茶匙  奧勒岡香料，乾燥

少撮  海鹽

INSTRUCTION：

1. Cut tomatoes into wedges; cut onion in thin slices.

2. Halve cucumber lengthwise; remove the seeds and cut it into 1/2 cm pieces.

3. Cut bell pepper in half and remove the seeds.  Cut the pepper into 1/2 cm stripes.

4. On a serving plate, arrange the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, feta cheese, and olives.  Before serving, drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and sprinkle oregano and sea salt.

做法：

1. 蕃茄切瓣；洋蔥切幼絲。

2. 青瓜切半，去籽；把其切成1/2cm塊。

3. 青椒切半，去籽；再切成1/2cm 條狀。

4. 把蕃茄、青瓜、青椒、羊酪、橄欖和洋蔥排盤。淋上橄欖油和紅酒醋；灑上奧勒岡香料和海鹽，即成。

Spicy Pickled Cucumber | 麻香醃漬黃瓜

Cantonese styled pickles usually consist of various vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, daikon, and garlic.  They are often preserved in vinegar or salted brine.

These spicy pickled cucumbers are another style of pickling.  They are quick and simple pickles that are marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce and loads of garlic.  They taste crispy and tangy, with a slightly spicy flavour, and are commonly served as an appetizer or alongside steamed rice.

Spicy Pickled Cucumber

麻香醃漬黃瓜   

Ingredients:

2 Cucumbers

2 tablespoons Salt

Marinade:

2-3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

2.5 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Fish Sauce

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

2.5 tablespoons Sugar

2.5 tablespoons Rice Vinegar

1 teaspoon Dried Chilli Flakes

材料：

2 條   黃瓜

2 湯匙   鹽

醃料：

2﹣3 瓣   蒜頭，切幼粒

2.5 湯匙   豉油

1 湯匙   魚露

1 湯匙   麻油

2.5 湯匙   糖

2.5 湯匙   白米醋

1 茶匙   乾辣椒碎

DIRECTION:

Summer Shirataki Noodles Salad ｜ 夏日蒟蒻涼麵

The school is finished and my son started his first summer camp.  It is a nature learning camp to help children experience wild animals' habitats and allow the children to get dirty.  My son loves it.  He has a great time time climbing trees, playing with mud, building shelter, and having a campfire with his new friends there.

 After the long hot day, my son prefers a light and simple dinner.  I am also not feeling up to cooking in front of the heat.  So making some cold shirataki noodles is a good idea.

Shirataki noodles are made from the tubers of the konjac plant through a drying and grounding process.  It's high in soluble fibre with little calories so it's considered as a healthy diet food and pasta substitute.  You can find shirataki in brown or white colour.  White shirataki is the original and the brown one has added seaweed.  Brown shirataki is firmer and slightly richer in taste. 

My whole family loves the smooth and chewy texture of shirataki noodles.  My son's eyes lit up when he saw it.  "I remember this.  I like this stuff. I am going to eat it all."  Then, he slurped up a forkful of shirataki.

Since shirataki noodles have almost no taste you can flavour them with any sauce or dressing according to your preference.  I use both white and brown shirataki, but I like to use the white for a creamy dessert and the brown for a savoury dinner.

The recipe below is one of my simple and delicious ways to prepare cold shirataki for a hot summer night.  

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Summer Shirataki Noodles Salad

夏日蒟蒻涼麵

Ingredients for topping:

2 packs Shirataki Noodles

1 pack Enoki Mushrooms

3 Eggs

20 Shrimps

1/2 cucumber

2 Carrots

Oil (for frying eggs)

Ingredients for dressing:

4 tablespoons Rice Vinegar

5 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

3 tablespoons Honey

4 tablespoons White Sesame, toasted

DIRTECTION:

1. Deshell and devein the shrimp.  Rinse it under cold water; set aside.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Add the shrimp.  Cook until the shrimp change colour and curl up; about 2 minutes.  Drain the shrimp and allow it to cool.

*You can cook the shells in the cooking liquid and save it as seafood broth for other recipes. 

3. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise.  Deseed it and than slice it into 4 cm sticks with its skin on; set aside.

4. Cut the carrot into the same size as the cucumber with its skin on.  Set aside.

5. Cut and discard the lower stems of the enoki mushrooms.  Remove any dirt or debris.  Set aside.

6. To make scrambled eggs, heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Beat the eggs together, and then add it into the pan.  Quickly stir the egg until it turns bright yellow and set aside.  Transfer the eggs to a plate.

7. In a bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients.  Mix well and set it aside.

8. To serve, add a portion of shirataki noodles in the centre of the plate.  Add the ingredients around it.  Last, season it with the dressing and serve immediately.  It can be kept in the fridge up to two days.