Roasted Beet Root and Blood Orange Salad | 紅菜頭血橙沙律

The other day I found some blood oranges at the supermarket. Without hesitation, I got a couple of them. They were sweet and beautiful. Adding them into a salad gave an exotic looking and certainly brought some colour to the ordinary green.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Blood Orange, medium

2 Beets, small

1/8 Red Onion

2 cups Baby Arugula

DRESSING:

2 tablespoon Whole Grain Dijon Mustard

4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon White Vinegar

1 tablespoon Raw Honey

small pinch of Sea Salt

材料：

2 個  血橙，中型

2 個  紅菜頭，小型

1/8 個  紅洋蔥

2 杯  芝麻菜

汁料：

2 湯匙  全粒芥末籽醬

4 湯匙  初榨橄欖油

1 茶匙  白醋

1 湯匙  純蜜糖

少撮  海鹽

INSTRUCTIONS：

1. Pre-heat an oven to 450F.  Clean beets with a brush; pat dry.  Wrap the beets with foil and roast the in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are soften.

(Roasting time vary.  It depends on the size of the beets)

2. Remove the skins of the blood oranges; cut the oranges into rounds or semi-circles; set aside.

3. Thinly slice the onion.

4. Arrange the vegetable ingredients on a serving plate.

5. In a mixing bowl, mix the dressing together until well blended, and then spoon it evenly over the vegetables.  Serve immediately.

做法：

1. 預熱焗爐至450F。擦洗紅菜頭、抹乾，用剔紙包好。放進焗爐烤若20分鐘或至其變軟身。

(烤焗時間會因紅菜頭大小會有明顯出入)

2. 切去橙皮；將橙切成圓片狀或半圓形。

3. 洋蔥切幼絲。

4. 蔬菜排盤。

5. 在一只碗內，把汁料拌勻；用匙把其平均舀上蔬菜上。即成。

Strawberry Poppy Waffle

The waffle machine is my new addition in the kitchen and I love it.  I like that it doesn't require so much attention like pancakes and no more flipping.  All I need to do is to add the batter in the centre, close the lid and allow it to cook until the light comes on to tell me it is ready.  Every Saturday I will make a large batch of waffles that is enough to last for the week.  This week, we added some freshly mashed strawberries and they were delicious!  My husband said he couldn't believe how strong of a strawberry flavour that little piece of waffle could contain.  To serve, we always use maple syrup, but feel free to use other substitute.

INGREDIENTS:

6 Strawberries, mashed

2 Eggs, beaten

1/3 cup Butter, melted

2 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup Milk

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup Pastry Flour

1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds

small pinch of salt

DIRECTION:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and mashed strawberries until they are incorporated.

2.  Add the rest of the ingredients; mix well.  The batter should be very thick and gluey.

3. Heat up the waffle machine to medium heat.  Add two big spoonfuls of batter in the centre, and cook according to the machine indication.  Serve with maple syrup.

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.