Thai Noodles and Veg

This tasty dish is rich, warm and packed with lots of fresh veg.

Soak and drain the rice noodles:

Prepare the seasonings: curry paste, peanut paste, lemongrass, salt, red curry paste:

Cashews for protein:

Chop the veg - carrots, onions, green onions, lettuce, sweet peppers:

Heat a can of coconut mild; add the seasonings and veg:

Promptly add in the noodles and cook until done:

Warm yet spicy comfort food!

Southwest Burger Wraps

A hearty wrap is the way to go when you're hungry.  This is composed of refried beans, veggie burger, lettuce, salsa and tomatoes. I also made a three colour coleslaw to add extra vege.

Roast Roots and Chèvre

Fresh from the spring garden, carrots, beets and greens.

Start by cleaning and peeling the produce.

Place in a lined baking dish, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast at 175C (350F) until fork tender.

Depending on taste, serve warm, or allow to cool before plating with fresh greens and goat's cheese.

Roasted Cauliflower

A cauliflower roast plated on quinoa and garnished with pistachios.

First, hack up the cauliflower, sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

After baking at 350F for ~20 minutes, you may want to broil it to add colour.

(nom)

Serve with prepared quinoa and garnish with salted pistachios.  Nutty, roasty and filling.

Veggie Bars

First, bake the crescent rolls - flat.

Mix ranch dressing powder in unflavoured Greek youghurt.

When cooled, spread the crescent rolls with the youghurt mix and top with fresh veg: alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, carrots, green onions and tomatoes.  Top with pistachios.

Doughnuts

Fried carbs!!!!

Regular dough recipe with the addition of more sugar, barley malt powder, a whisper of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mix, let raise and roll to 6mm (.25 inch).

Use a doughnut cutter or, simple ring cutters.

Peel the sheet of dough away leaving the cutouts.  Re-roll the dough or form to other shapes.

Peanut oil is one of the best frying oils.

Use a deep fryer, or a pan and thermometer.  175C or 350F seems to work best for me.

Place gently in the oil and flip them as needed when they're that magical golden brown colour.

Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.  I also place newspaper underneath the paper towels to absorb more oil.

Make a glaze of icing sugar, vanilla, salt and water (or soy milk).

Mmmmm, sugar...

Dip the fried dough in glaze.

I also added cocoa powder and coffee to glaze and make a nice mocha drizzle.

Indulge, doughnuts are vegan ;) Mind = blown.

Bacon Pancakes

Bacon Pancakes.  Makin' Bacon Pancakes:

Put the facon (fake bacon) on the griddle and spoon the batter over:

Serve with some scrambled eggs and tomatoes:

Bitter Melon

If you're Piony, there's one thing that cures all ailments: bitter melon!  It's kinda like a cucumber, but it has a distinct bitter base flavour. Start by sauteing diced onion and adding the sliced bitter melon.

Pour over beaten eggs and continue to cook until done through - like a frittata.  Once done, top with shiitake and tomatoes.

Pad see ew (Phat si io)

This was more experimental - I'd only had a taste at a restaurant.

Start by soaking rice flake noodles (square rice noodles).  Create a broth of fresh tomato puree, soy sauce, crushed peanuts, diced onion and a bit of water.  Bring it to a boil and drizzle in a beaten egg.  Add the rice flake and a bit of coconut oil.

Keep it stirred until it's tender - serve promptly.

It's an amazing flavour - serve with fresh tomatoes and Thai basil.

Square Linen Selvedge Tie

Double-lined square linen tie.  I love the look of the selvedge, so I left it on. Because it's so heavy, I made it extra long (otherwise it won't tie, in the Windsor fashion).

Apricot and cranberry scones

Mix chopped dried-apricots and dried cranberries.  Rehydrate with orange juice.  Add a grating of orange zest and a slash of vanilla essence.

Mix the flour and fat - here it's coconut oil with.  A little salt, sugar and baking powder and it's ready to have the soy milk added.

Form into a round flat (2cm thick) loaf.  Bake at 175C  (350F).

These are not the modern American scones, sugary, eggy and greasy.  These are more like the English mildly sweet biscuits.

Soufflé au fromage

A cheese souffle made with gruyère; seasoned with turmeric, smoky paprika and onion powder.

Lemon Poppy seed Muffins

Using the regular cake ratio recipe 1:1:1:1 (flour, egg, sugar, butter).  Flavoured with lemon essence, vanilla and poppy seed.

Served with whipped cream and julienned kumquat.

Kale Chips

Fresh picked from the garden.  Coated with olive oil and sea salt.

Spread on parchment or a baking mat.

Bake at 175C (350F) until crisp - guilt free deliciousness.

Winter salad

Fresh grown salad in winter?!  That's the way how I grow.

Fresh: lettuce, beet leaves, broccoli, carrots, onions

Strawberries and Fried Shortcake

Happy Valentines Day from jLAmode! [vegan]

Here's a vegan and dairy version of a classic - with a twist.  Rather than baking a shortcake, fry it!

First, add sugar to diced strawberries to begin the maceration process - it draws the liquid out of the berries making a natural, flavourful syrup.

Combine flour, malt, sugar, coconut oil, salt, baking powder and nutmeg.

Add soy milk and vanilla extract and mix just until combined.

It should be a very thick batter.  Scoop spoonfulls into medium hot oil and fry until golden brown.

Drain and allow to cool for a few moments.

Plate with strawberries and soft-whiped cream (or omit for vegan)

[dairy]

Rice and beans

Black beans and rice is a delicious meal.  I decided to turn the tables and make:White beans and black rice:

Seasoned with sugar, olive oil and black truffle salt

Reconstructed Burrito

Layers of refried beans, guacamole, lettuce and salsa; separated by pan fried flour tortilla.

Roasted Tomato and Fennel Soup

I've never cooked with fennel, so I though I'd give it a go.

Start by roasting some tomatoes and red peppers.

Then saute onions until caramelized (I added beet leaves for extra red colour).

Make a broth (I used carrots, fennel bulb, mushrooms, kale)

Blend the roasted tomatoes and peppers along with enough broth to make a proper soup)

Roast a slice of fennel bulb for each serving.  Finish caramelizing the fennel in a frying pan.

Thai Green Curry (winter)

That curry is unbelievably good.  It can range from mildly warming to a searing sweat-inducing  spice.  Served with brown jasmine rice and cashews.

For a hot moderately hot curry, start with 2 tablespoons of curry paste, a teaspoon of crushed peanuts or crunchy peanut butter and a teaspoon of salt.  Add these ingredients to a can of coconut milk and simmer.

The oil will start to separate out of the coconut milk when it's ready.

Add sliced or julienned vegetables, bamboo strips and Thai basil.Unfortunately, in the winter, basil doesn't grow.  This dish is prepared with carrots, onions, peppers, napa cabbage and fennel.

In the summer, I'll post a proper green curry.