Fat-free Pumpkin Pie 南瓜派

每年到了十月初 南瓜陸陸續續地進駐大街小巷: 從放在房子外作為裝飾的雕刻南瓜 一直到在超市處處可見一顆顆 大大小小的橘紅色南瓜 散佈著萬聖節即將到來的訊息

今年萬聖節 恰巧遇上期中考 所以也不能穿上怪裡怪氣的costume 向小朋友般唉家挨戶地大聲叫著Trick or Treat!

南瓜在我的印象中其實是蠻模糊的 以前總覺得瓜類都大同小異

日本南瓜Japanese squash 特有的甜味讓我喜歡它更勝於南瓜 不過就如同地瓜 日本南瓜在我的心中是香香甜甜 而且溫暖..像它的顏色一樣的食物

媽媽總是蒸 或煮南瓜湯 雖然是很適合秋天的菜 不過既然是南瓜節 就是要吃點南瓜派...
所以囉 我又開始上網找尋完美的南瓜派 改了一下食譜後的結果出爐

外觀還不錯...我省略了派皮 但是在烤的時候外圍自然會比較接近咖啡色 也比較硬一些所以吃起還蠻有層次感 黃澄澄的南瓜餡很符合這個節日的氣氛 楓糖漿的甜味滲入裡面 淡淡的香味 不會甜膩 肉桂味也自然的散發出來 鬆鬆軟軟 綿綿密密的口感 混著一點點南瓜籽 有點脆脆的 是很配的組合

冰起來或加熱吃風味完全不同
冰的話 有點像乳烙 涼涼的南瓜泥 濃濃的化在舌苔上

不過我比較喜歡熱熱的吃 hmmmmmm~

it's dangerously addictive!　A lot of substitutions and experimenting were taking place in the kitchen, but I must say it turned out really well!

Guilt-less Pumpkin Pie

A (first 5)
1 1/4 cup non-fat yogurt

2 egg whites

2tbsp water

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cups pureed or mashed cooked pumpkin (or winter squash)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp. ginger powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 9-inch deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. Put ingredients under "A" in the blender, and blend well.

Add the pumpkin, and puree. Add the remaining ingredients and blend on high for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides a couple of times until a smooth consistency is achieved.

Decrease temperature to 350F. Pour into a pie pan and bake for about 60 minutes or until soft when pressed with the fingers (it will remain somewhat moist in the center, but it shouldn't be uncooked.)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the counter. Refrigerate until chilled before eating.

Tip: To prevent the custard from cracking, place the pie pan in a shallow dish of water while baking. This will give the pie a lighter and more souffle-like texture.

Makes 8 servings, each containing 154 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; 3g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 264mg Sodium; 3g Dietary Fiber.

original recipe from Fatfree VeganKitchen

Very Berry Cheesecake

那天Sue阿姨邀請了我們去她家作客 又可以大快朵頤一番

Sue阿姨每次總是會準備一桌滿滿的料理 五花八門令人食指大動

而我也深深佩服她無窮的創意 所以我決定也要自己試試媽媽最喜歡吃的Cheesecake

當然囉 說到Cheesecake 香醇濃郁的乳酪香在舌頭上散開的滋味應該很少人能夠抵擋吧 媽媽總會沏一壺茶 享受我們幾個人的下午茶時光

不過.....Cheesecake隱藏著的乳製品----脂肪令人膽顫心驚

所以我很絞盡腦汁 反覆看了食譜 才想出了無糖 低脂的起士蛋糕!

前些天找到了一個純素食主義的網站 和另一個讓我心動的食譜

無糖 低脂 完全不加麵粉 用豆腐替代乳酪(cream cheese)的 "起士"蛋糕

找一天會來試試 應該又會有出乎意料的心得喔~

這次是用藍莓 和蔓越莓做成的蛋糕 利用天然水果的香甜補足細砂糖

牛奶的部份用無脂優格和香草 以及柳橙汁和皮提味

不過令我最高興的是 我們全家都參與了 在廚房裡耗了一個晚上

成品就是包含愛與感動的起士蛋糕!

Simple Assorted Vegetable Fried Rice: 蔬菜蛋炒飯

今天午餐吃什麼? 冰箱裡剩的飯怎麼辦? 相信許多人第一個反應就是: 炒飯! 既簡單又豐富的炒飯其實是大有學問的. 不過對我這個不精通廚藝的人來說 炒飯就是一到香噴噴 又變化無窮的主食.... 沒有一定要加的材料 沒有規則 可你讓我盡情的"玩"! 所以總是懷抱著期待的心情去做滿每一盤炒飯 因為每一次的結果都讓我驚訝! 這可能就是炒飯的魔力吧~

Assorted Vegetable Fried Rice

1 bowl of rice*

1/4 cup of chopped carrots,

1/4 cup of chopped celery

1/4 cup of chopped or sliced onion

1 egg*　(optional: you can pre-scramble the egg and set aside)

a pinch of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder to taste

1/2 cup vegetable broth or simply water

a tiny dash of soy sauce for colour

2 minced/chopped garlic cloves

Heat a skillet and add about 1tsp of canola oil. Put in the chopped garlic cloves and onion and stir-fry until golden brown. Add all the vegetables, and the broth or water and bring to a boil. Wait until the veggies soak up the broth, then add the rice and combine well

Before serving, add salt, black pepper, and all the powder ingredients for taste
Then lastly the soy sauce for colour (otherwise it'd be too salty)

There you go!

* I personally prefer brown rice with assorted grains as in the pictures ( I buy the multi grain mixtures separately ; they come in packages at supermarkets, and just mix them with the rice before cooking)

It's just one of those days:懶人的晚餐

那天從學校回來後 有點懶散 可能是那時候剛開學的緣故吧

冰箱裡可說是"塞"滿了菜 水果 冷凍庫裡也是 肉類 海鮮 高湯應有盡有

可能是我面臨太多選擇時 反而無從下手

隨意清炒了高麗菜 烤了一種印度麵包Naan 配上Sue阿姨貼心送的南洋咖哩,跟我們平常煮的日式咖哩很不一樣 裡頭有很多香料 玉桂葉 和濃郁的椰奶香

換換口味 感覺也不錯 但如果是我自己下廚 我還是會喜歡煮日式的吧 加點蘋果 香香甜甜的味道夾雜著辛辣 很符合日式咖哩帶給我的印象~

Tomato salad with Cucumber Slaw

這道菜的誕生是一件還蠻奇妙的際遇. . . 記得那天天氣有點炎熱 想吃點清爽的口味 但又不想做沙拉 所以就開始翻冰箱裡的蔬菜: 找到了番茄 胡蘿蔔 小黃瓜 還有芥蘭 和一些零碎的調味料 所做出來的就是這個:(將將將將)

Tomato Salad with Cucumber Honey-mustard Slaw

1 tomato, sliced

1/4 cucumber, cut into cubes

1/4 carrot, shredded

For the tomato:

1/3 tsp olive oil ( just for the flavour of olive oil that's all)

1/2 tsp basalmic vinegar

a pinch of rosemary

Mix the olive oil and basalmic vinegar. Thoroughly coat the slices of tomato with the mixture. Let sit (for soaking up flavour) then add the pinch of rosemary

For cucumber and carrot:

Fat-free honey mustard dressing

When I made this, i didn't have it, so:

2 tsp honey (melted)

1 tsp mustard

Mix well honey and mustard, then add to the carrot and cucumber mixture in a bowl; continue to mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste

This salad is my own invention; so simple and easy, but refreshing and cool.

To serve:

place a slice of tomato on a place. Add a spoonful of cucumber slaw, then top off with another slice of tomato. Drizzle some remaining basalmic vinegar/olive oil mixture around the tomato for presentation!

Bon appetit!

Oh-so-easy Japanese Cold Noodles

我最愛的食物非日式料理莫屬了 那天剛好買了些蕎麥麵 冰箱裡也恰好有從台灣千里迢迢帶回的日式醬汁 就決定做久違的日式冷麵 再簡單不過了

在台灣的時候 從來沒有特別想念這道麵 可是在Vancouver 家裡就覺得別有一番說不上來的味道 最近常常"突然" 想吃ㄧ些以前在台灣隨手可得的東西 自己做好了 就又覺得特別幸福

Japanese Cold Noodles

sauce

3 tablespoons usukuchi shoyu (Japanese light soy sauce)* light or regular

if you are using the condensed version, add water accordingly

1tsp rice vinegar

a bit of mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine) *optional, or can use lime juice

Green onion, chopped

wasabi! and a bit of chili powder if you like

2　bundles of somen ( or any other kind of Japanese noodles you prefer)

Bring water to a boil over moderately high heat. Add noodles and 1 cup more water. When water returns to a boil, add 1 cup cold water and bring back to a boil. Simmer noodles until just tender and slightly translucent, about 2 minutes. If noodles are not tender, add 1 cup more water and return water to a boil.

Drain noodles and rinse well under cold water. so it's more chewy!

Mix all ingredients for sauce

To serve:

Divide noodles among bowls/ plate

Divide sauce among small bowls

Dip each mouthful of noodles in sauce and ENJOY!! In Japan, people make loud noises (meaning it's delicious) when eating cold noodles, in order to suck up the flavour of dipping sauce accompanying the noodles!

Korean Spicy Rice Cakes 韓式辣年糕

每次看韓劇總是會不知不覺得被劇中食物吸引, 尤其是看起來紅紅辣辣的辣年糕

拌一拌似乎很美味的樣子 hmmm....
所以我那天特地去了North Rd.上的韓國超市 買了韓國辣椒醬跟一些年糕條 準備做我記憶中的辣年糕!

為了買材料我還請了韓國的朋友幫我寫了一張單子 (誰叫我看不懂韓文呢) 不過聽在超市工作的韓國媽媽說的作法 應該不會很困難

懷著不知道會做出什麼樣成品的心情 下廚囉!

This is a tale of Korean spicy rice cakes inspired by Korean television series. Whenever I watch a Korean drama, spicy rice cakes seem to creep onto the screen; it's as if someone, at one point of the show, just has to prepare spicy rice cakes and eat it standing by the kitchen stove, or casually sitting around the dining table. I guess it might be a kind of comfort food for them. Inspired, I decided to make a trip to a local Korean supermarket. After asking my Korean girl friend to write down the ingredients ( in Korean), I took the list and went to the store (I was so eager and excited) The lady who works there gave me a brief description of the recipe, so here's my version of the classic Korean dish based on the recollection of my memory. It actually turned out quite yummy!

Korean Spicy Rice Cakes

Chinese cabbage, sliced or shredded (again lettuce can be used as substitute)


1 Green onion, cut into pieces

1/2 white onion, sliced

1 pkg ( I used about 15) rice cakes

1 sheet of fish cake (or any hot pot ingredients like fish dumplings)

240cc water

1tsp white sesame seeds ( for added flavour)


Sauce

4tsp Korean Hot Pepper Paste** (Gochujang)

Hot Pepper Powder (can use chili powder as substitute)
pinch of Sugar(personal preference) i used about 2tsp

1tsp minced Garlic

Rinse the fish cakes in hot water. (To clean the oil coating from its surface) and cut into medium-sized pieces
Pour the water into the pot, bring to a boil.
Then add the sauce and rice cake and stir well. When the water has boiled and decreased to about 2/3 of the original amount, stir in the fish cake and combine well. ( the mixture will start to thicken due to the stickiness of rice cakes and paste)
Add all the other ingredients:veggies, when the water has boiled to about 1/2 of original amount. (reduce the heat to medium/ low to make sure the vegetables stay cripsy and not soggy) Stir them well.


I like to serve it as a side dish rather than as the traditional way of serving it as a main dish.
I then found a food blog after i'd made the rice cakes, and I think I did an OK job as a first-timer!

http://mykoreankitchen.com/category/rice-cake-meals/

材料　
韓式年糕　１２片
甜不辣　或竹輪

洋蔥絲 (1/2顆)
高麗菜 切絲
蔥1根
韭菜 切段

醬料
韓式辣椒醬 4tsp
辣椒粉 少許
砂糖 2tsp 個人喜好


1. 水煮開.加入調味料拌勻 要散開喔 加入年糕

2. 當水煮滾後 至水少掉1/3時放入甜不辣繼續炒

3. 待水減至1/2時 放入切好的洋蔥 高麗菜 韭菜 跟蔥 轉中小火拌勻 不要讓菜煮爛 要保持脆度

大功告成啦!! 很簡單吧!

Korean Seafood Pancake 韓式海鮮煎餅

台灣最近燒起了一股韓流---韓國餐廳也林立街頭

在Vancouver也有蠻多韓國移民 所以要購買韓式料理的材料其實非常方便

想做這道菜其實已經有一段時間了 終於在一天晚上 不知道要煮什麼晚餐的時候突然想到 "喔 冰箱裡還有海鮮 跟高麗菜!" 隨性的在廚房裡做出來的韓式煎餅!

There is a huge Korean population in Vancouver, which means Korean food items and ingredients are quite accessible. The Korean seafood pancake is undoubtedly one of the most popular and well-known item on the menu at any Korean restaurants. I personally prefer the seafood variation, but once you make the batter, you are free to add anything you like! The typical toppings are vegetarian, seafood, and beef. Pre-made batter that comes in packages is also available in Korean supermarkets. This dish could be served as a main dish for a quick and easy lunch or dinner; it's flavourful and filling. Healthy if you go easy on the oil : )

Korean Seafood Pancake

【材　料】
高麗菜 30g 切絲

紅蘿蔔 20g 切絲

蔥 1根 切段
海鮮: 蝦仁 魚片 墨魚

沙拉油 2tbsp


麵糊：
中筋麵粉 150公克
在來米粉 30公克
水 150㏄

【調味料】
鹽 1/2茶匙
糖 1/4茶匙

1.將所有麵糊材料調勻成麵糊，靜置約20分鐘備用
3.所有海鮮川燙後 洗淨 瀝乾備用
4.熱鍋，加入1大匙沙拉油，爆香作法2的蔥段，再放入高麗菜絲、紅蘿蔔絲、作法3的材料，及所有調味料，以大火炒約2分鐘後撈出瀝乾水分。
5.平底鍋熱鍋，加入1大匙沙拉油，先取1/3作法1的麵糊做底，以小火煎約2分鐘至硬，再將剩餘2/3的麵糊和作法4混合，放入煎好的餅皮上，翻面微微壓扁麵餅使黏合，並不時搖動鍋子轉動麵餅，煎約4分鐘後再翻回煎至金黃即可。

orginal recipe from: http://www.ytower.com.tw/



Korean Seafood Pancake

Chinese cabbage 30g * ( or lettuce as substitute)

Zucchini 10g

Carrot 20g

Green onion 1

Seafood of your choice: fish fillet, shrimp, scallops, cattlefish, etc

2 tbsp Canola oil ( original recipe asks for 4)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar (optional)



For batter:

All-purpose flour 150g

Rice powder 50g

Water 150cc

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, and let sit for 20minutes



Toppings:

Heat a skillet/pan, add 1tbsp canola oil. put in the chopped green onion, then the chinese cabbage, carrot, and seafood ( you can put it in boiling water first then add it to the veggie mixture-- personally i prefer it this way), sautee for about 2-3 minutes under high heat. Remove from stove and drain moisture

Add 1tbsp canola oil in to a pan, then add 1/3 of batter mixture once the oil is heated. Fry under low heat for 2 minutes until it appears to be hardened ( kind of like making pancakes!) then add the remaining 2/3 batter and all the toppings.

Flip over and gently press down the pancake so everything will stick together, do this for about 4 minutes. Flip it over again and fry until golden-brown



sauce:

this is optional, or you can simply use soy sauce, hot sauce, or any sauce of your choice

Korean-style hot sauce/pepper paste 100g

Vinegar 50cc

Lemon juice 1tsp

Garlic cloves (chopped) 1tbsp

White sesame for added flavour

Mix everything well.

Then voila!

Low-fat Cranberry Pecan Scones

Whenever I step into a boulangerie or coffee shop in search of a filling breakfast or some treat to go with my coffee or tea I usually find myself to be the most indecisive person there is on the face of this planet. "Should I get a croissant?" "NO, too much butter and too fattening", this little voice seems to whipser into my left ear. "But you know it's just one croissant", this other little devil smirks.

Yeah ok, I was probably just imagining things. But I constantly crave for the texture of scones, but since they are typically loaded with fat I never dare to grab one on the go. Thankfully that other day I came across this recipe, so I made some slight modifications to make this version that is bursting with yet more cranberries. (I just happen to have them frozen in the fridge)

So I'm ready to start the experiment:

Cranberry Pecan Scones

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries *( if frozen make sure they are defrost and dried off the moisture) Feel free to add dried cranberries to enhance the texture

1 tbsp water

1/8 cup Splenda

1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour ( or all purpose)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg white

2 tbsp, reduced-fat, soft tub margarine

1 cup non-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup whole pecans, chopped ( or nuts of your choice, optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a baking sheet with some oil spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, Splenda, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add the margarine and keep mixing.

In a small bowl, combine egg white and yogurt. Add to the flour mixture.

Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Knead the dough for 10 minutes.

Separate the balls into 6 balls; press down on each bowl to create a flattened circle. Spread the craberries evenly inside, and "close" the ball.

Srinkle with chopped pecans and remaining cranberries.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown ( insterted toothpick should come out clean)

Makes 6 pieces.

* I used both cranberries and blueberries in this recipe

Side note: if you want the chunkier texture, stuffed scones, you can simply substitute the filling with cranberry jam ( make sure it's all natural with no added sugar) or make your own cranberry sauce as follows:

Cranberry sauce

Pour the cranberries into a small saucepan.

Add the 2 tbsp water and 1/8 cup splenda, and heat over a medium flame (attention: don't burn it), stirring constantly until the mixture starts to thicken

The cranberries will melt into a chunky sauce in about 10 minutes.

Let cool

For 1 scone: Calories: 200; Protein: 6.6g; Carbohydrates: 36g; Sugar: 2.1g; Total fat: 4g
And that is a huge improvement from the scones found in coffee shops and bakeries; trust me!

Again that was my first time baking scones, so I'll keep looking for better modifications. Give it a try!

Low-fat Sugar-free Cranberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

I love pastries and breads (carbohydrates!), which often means I am constantly made to feel guilty about consuming large quantities of those little irresistible muffins.

So I decided, one night, that I was going to make my own version of healthier muffins. Eager and determined, I tried to think of ways to reduce the sugar and retain the wonderful flavour of muffins. Since my mom was an die-hard fan of chocolate, no amount of persuasion would convince her that I intended to leave them out of the recipe. So we came up with a compromise: We would make the batter, and right before adding the chocolate in, I would scoop out some of the batter and add chocolate chips to it to make cranberry chocolate-chip muffins just for her.

The cranberry muffins turned out quite successful—sweet with a tinge of tenderness and moist. And best of all, there is so much room for creativity when it comes to muffins: you can add nuts, seeds, different kinds of fruits to customize your OWN versions of the classic breakfast delights! ( or i can have muffins anytime of the day!)

一晚 我跟媽媽突然心血來潮想吃點甜的東西 所以我們就做了cranberry muffins!


Cranberry- Chocolate Chip (or not) Muffins

1 cup dried cranberries* (see note)

1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt

1/2 cup orange juice** (see note)

1 1/2 cup unbleached whole-wheat flour

2 egg whites*** (see note)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped walnuts and chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Spray the muffin pan with non-stick spray or use a silicone pan or muffin liners.

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You can add a pinch of sugar if desired

In another bowl, beat together orange juice, apple sauce, vanilla, yogurt, egg whites; stir in the cranberries, and orange zest.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add liquid. Stir just to until all flour is moistened;don't over-stir! Stir in nuts and chocolate chips if you want.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups; it should fill a bit more than 1/2 of the cup.

Decrease temperature to 325F once you put the muffins in the oven. Bake for18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.Remove muffin pan to a wire rack. Let cool for 5-10 minutes

Makes 12 muffins!

Note:

* you can use either unsweetened or sweetened cranberries; if you decide to go for the unsweetened, you can add more applesauce for sweetness, and vice versa.

** the original recipe doesn't call for orange juice; instead it uses 1 cup of milk instead of the yogurt+ orange juice combination. You can also use 1/2 c of yogurt and skim milk, OR soy milk

*** original recipe requires 1 egg, but I subsitute it with 2 egg whites

Baking tip: To make the muffins "round" aka to ensure round rising that you see at bakeries, you can preheat the oven to 500F. Once you have put in the mufins, decrease the temperature to 325F. Pay attention to baking time; it usually decreases!

What is this?

I have always wanted to document and record my various adventures with F-O-O-D. I would not call myself a sophisticated foodie who dines at the elegant and upscale restaurants ( although that idea might sound quite appealing once in a while)

I, like many, am simply an ordinary food lover. I love to go to supermarkets for grocery shopping, go home and enjoy therapeutic cooking, and in short, "play around with the ingredients I have around the house".

For me cooking is more than digging up a recipe and following the steps perfectly; it is about creativity, open-mindedness, and having FUN! I learn a lot of that philosophy from my dearest mother, who doesn't like the idea of measurements like "a tablespoon of soy sauce" or "1 teaspoon of garlic powder" although she is able to eyeball them from years of cooking experiences. At first I found it quite difficult because I always have the tendencies to be "exact", and although that is important, what is far more critical is that when cooking, you gotta expect the unexpected! And that for me is the essence of cooking, or if you call it culinary arts. It really is the most incredible form of art.

So I try to keep it simple, experiment ( I know this sounds slightly dangerous, but a lot of the times you'd be pleasantly surprised!), and just get myself immersed in the colourful world of food!

And by the way, I have tons of cravings, but I don't want the guilt that accompanies some of the tastiest yet most fattening foods out there. So I always try to look for healthy alternatives and substitutes, so I can enjoy the sinlessly delicious "guilty pleasures"

So I guess it's time to cook up a storm!