Seafood Stew

Although the list of ingredients look a bit long, the soup is actually simple to make.  It requires a quick sauté of the garlic and onion and then put the rest of the ingredients into the soup pot together.  I personally found this soup tastes much better the day after, when the potatoes break down more and create a creamier texture.  Enjoy this wonderful soup and stay warm!

INGREDIENTS:

3 pcs White Fish Fillets, cut into big chunks

10 Baby Squids

6 Oysters

1 small pc Smoked Salmon

4 Small Potatoes, cubed

1 Onion, peeled and cubed

1 Canned Tomatoes, halved

1/2 head Garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

2 Scallions, cut into sticks (optional)

2 cups Seafood Broth ( I used Campbell)

2 cups Water

3 tablespoons White Vinegar

2 Bay Leaves, dried

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper, ground

2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. To clean the squid, pull the tentacles away from the tube.  Remove the transparent soft bone inside the tube.  Remove the eye balls and ink bag.  Also, remove the teeth that are hidden under the tentacles.  Cut the tubes into thick rounds. Set aside.

2. To clean the oysters, add about two teaspoons of cornstarch on top of the oysters.  Very gently rub clean the black lines off the oysters to remove all the dirt.  Rinse the oyster with water.  Set aside.

3. In a soup pot, add vegetable oil, onion and garlic.  Sauté them over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the mixture is fragrant.  About 10 minutes. 

4. Turn up the heat to medium-high.  Pour in seafood broth and water.  Add tomatoes, potatoes, and bay leaves.  Cover the lid; boil the soup for about 15 minutes.

5. Add fish fillet, oysters, squids, and smoked salmon into the soup.  Continuously cook it over high heat until the soup reboils.  Season the soup with salt to taste.

Simplest Crunchy Pan-fried Sardine

Fried fish is one of the simplest but the most satisfying recipes I love to have over a bowl of hot rice.  The lemony juice is optional, but it brings tremendous difference in the flavour of sardines.  I enjoy these little fishes with bones, fins and tails everything except the head part.  What about you?

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 Sardine (I used frozen)

1-2 teaspoons Cornstarch

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/3 Lemon

DIRECTION:

1. To clean the sardines, slit open the belly with a knife and remove the guts.  Remove the gills and descale the sardines.  Rinse them well under running water and then pat them dry with paper towel.  If you are using frozen ones, let them thaw at room temperature until they become soft again before cleaning them.

2. In a non-stick frying pan, add vegetable oil.  Heat it up over medium heat.  Meanwhile, coat each sardine with a thin layer of cornstarch.  When the oil is ready, carefully lay them into the pan.  Fry until they are crispy and slightly brown; about 5 minutes.  Flip the sardines onto the other side; fry for another 5 minutes.  Remove them from the heat.

3. To serve, squeeze the lemon juice over sardines before eating.

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Mushroom Sauce and Sausage

Although spaghetti squash has the word "spaghetti" in its name, its texture is nothing spaghetti like.  Instead, the texture is rather like grated carrot.  The first time when I cooked it, I was so hoping it would taste like spaghetti in someway.  However, neither the texture or flavour.  I was quite disappointed.

Years later when I tried this squash again, I told myself to consider it as a squash and it will certainly taste like one.  Then, I focused on the roasting part to make it rather crunchy and not something called "al dente".  The flavour starts to make sense in this delicate squash. I hope this experience will give you some inspiration to create your own healthy plate of spaghetti squash.

The longer the squash is roasted, the softer the texture will become.  My family and I like it more crunchy so I roast the squash for 20 to 25 minutes.

The seeds in the squash are edible.  I generally like to roast them along with the squash and then add them back to the dish.  It may sound unusual for some, but I like the extra crunch and nutty flavour they bring.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Spaghetti Squash

5 Italian Sausages, cut into bite size

10 White Button Mushrooms, slices

1 sprig Sage, fresh

1/2 head Garlic, peeled and chopped finely

1.5 cups Milk

2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour

Black Pepper and Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds.  Sprinkle the squash with salt.  Place them on a roasting pan with cut side up.  Roast them until the tops start to turn golden brown; about 25 minutes.  If you are using the seeds, wash the seeds and place them on the roasting pan around the squash when roasting.

2. Once the squash is ready and cool enough to handle, with a fork, remove the strands of squash from the skin.  Set aside.

3. To cook the sauce, heat up about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and sage; fry until fragrant.  Add sausages; continuously fry until they are nearly cooked.

4. Add mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Dust the flour evenly over the pan.  Slowly add in the milk; stirring constantly.  The mushrooms will release water, so the sauce will initially look thin.  Continue to cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt to taste.  Remove the sauce from the heat.

5. Ladle some sauce over the spaghetti squash and serve.  

Kid-friendly Chickpea Hummus

The traditional hummus contains tahini, but tahini has a slightly bitter aftertaste that not all people like.  My son doesn't really like tahini so I use mayonnaise here.  It is not a super healthy recipe since I admit it calls for mayonnaise.  However, the kids are really going to enjoy this chickpea packed snack.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Canned Chickpea, rinsed and drained

2 Garlic Cloves, peeled

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

1/3 Lemon of Juice

3 tablespoons Water

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTION:

1. In a food processor, add all ingredients.  Process until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.

2. Before serving, sprinkle some sweet paprika and extra olive oil if desired.  Serve it with pita, naan, cucumber, carrot, or blanched beans.

Stir Fried Barley with Salmon and Tofu

Barley is a staple in our household.  We love both pot barley or pearl barley.  We like to add it to salad greens, add it into soup, or make flavoured rice.  This salmon and tofu stir fry is the recipe my 6 year old son loves best that he said he wants to pack for lunch everyday.  It's composed of pressed tofu, salmon and Brussel sprouts.  Feel free to substitute other ingredients that you enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Pot Barley

3.5 cups Water

1 Salmon, deboned (I keep the skin)

3 squares Pressed Tofu

10 pcs Brussel Sprouts

4 Stalks Green Onion

SEASONING:

4 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1-2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1 tablespoon Sugar (option)

3 tablespoons Ketchup

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. To cook the barley, rinse it with two changes of water; drain.  Combine the barley with the 3.5 cups of water.  Bring it to a boil over high heat and boil until the water is half absorbed.  Cover the pot with the lid and turn the heat to low.  Continuously boil for another 20 minutes and the water is totally absorbed, remove the pot from the heat.  Let it stand for 10 minutes before fluffing it.

2. In a non-stick frying pan, add some oil.  Lay the salmon in it with its skin side down.  Fry it over medium-high heat until the salmon is fully cooked.  Break apart the salmon with a spatula.

3. Add cooked barley, tofu, and brussel sprout. Stir fry until it heats up and then add the seasoning.  Stir fried for another 10 minutes and remove it from the heat.  Serve immediately.

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.

Lemon Brown Rice Salad

Do you often have extra brown rice in the fridge? I do because I tend to cook a larger pot for multiple recipes that call for day old rice, just like this one.  It is still delicious to use freshly cooked rice, but the day old one will give you a more al dente texture.  Adjust the lemon juice amount to suit your tastebuds.  This substantial salad is good to serve with pan fried fish.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups Indian Brown Basmati Rice, cooked

1 cucumber, seeded and cubed

Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cubed

1 handful Parsley, leaves and stems, finely chopped

DRESSING:

1/3 Lemon of juice

1 Lemon of zest

5 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1/3 teaspoon Salt

2 flat tablespoons Brown Sugar

DIRECTION:

1. In a large bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and whisk well.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and then stir until they are well coated with the dressing.