Mangez les pizzas! 手工pizza派對

距離上一次做pizza已經將近一年了吧! 愛吃菠菜pizza的弟弟，一個人可以輕鬆解決一大個; 在這種物價飆漲的年代, 現成的pizza實在貴的另人咋舌。於是在我苦口婆心的"勸說"之下, 媽媽跟弟弟終於點頭答應嘗試手工pizza囉! 我們延了一個多星期才動工, 我考慮了很久卻遲遲未著手於pizza實驗的原因就是小小的懶惰。 無論如何, 今天一定要來個三人溫馨手作pizza派對。 從麵皮開始做起的我, 捏捏, 揉揉,玩地不亦樂呼。麵團成形後我很高興地拍拍手, 等個一小時半到膨脹約一倍之後, 就可以徵召媽媽跟弟弟進廚房囉 !

Pizza Dough 麵皮

材料:
3cups all-purpose flour/ bread flour 中筋麵粉或全麥麵粉
2tsp active dry yeast 快速酵母
1cup warm water 溫水
1 tsp salt 鹽巴
1tsp sugar 糖
1tbsp E.V.O.O. 橄欖油或葵花油

作法
1. 在碗中倒入1杯溫水。灑上快速酵母後輕輕攪拌一下, 靜置5分鐘 (表面會起泡)待酵母溶解。
2.麵粉、糖、鹽慢慢和在一起後加入油, 放入酵母水,手揉10分鐘麵糰，整圓，基本發酵60分鐘。
3. 發酵約60分鐘後的麵糰會膨漲成一倍大。切成4等份後整型, 麵糰桿成圓型，厚度1公分, 醒5-10分鐘。 接著就可以放toppings啦!我們今天做了兩種口味, 弟弟的豪華版和我的秋季彩色蔬菜版
先塗上 番茄醬料當底, 接著層層疊上切好的蔬菜 (弟弟加了很多很多培根)之後放入預熱450F的烤箱裡約15-20分鐘, 只要看起來麵皮呈金黃色有點酥酥脆脆的感覺就可以囉! 再要出爐前的五分鐘, 打開烤箱, 鋪上起司, 烤到起司融化就可以囉!

Pizza平安出爐, 而且很有手工pizza的"feel"。 我的皮薄,一刀切下去有麵皮喀滋酥脆的聲音喔！ 弟弟的比較像美式pizza, 皮很軟很有彈性, 賣相也很美, 料多又實在歡樂輕鬆的 Pizza Party就是這麼簡單喔！

Cauli-fredo 白花椰菜青醬?!

Sometimes I do not know what I am getting myself into. Fettuccine Alfredo? I haven't had it in a few months, but I was not about to make it at home simply because I know what goes into the sauce. Then I came across a recipe from the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen which seemed to be perfect for replacing the creamy but extremely unhealthy Alfredo. And the answer is a sauce made from cauliflower! YES, c-a-u-l-i-f-l-o-w-e-r!

Cauliflower makes a good, creamy sauce with no fat, no soy, no gluten, no "bad carbs," and is a great way to "hide" vegetables in a meal. I decided to test the recipe last night. I cooked the cauliflower with garlic, oregano, and sautéed onion. After the sauce was blended and seasoned to my liking, I tossed it with some spaghetti (since I had no fettuccine at home) and broccoli and topped the whole thing with some carrots.

Cauli-fredo with Broccoli

1 head cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
4 cups vegetable broth

4-6 cloves garlic

1/2-2 tsp. oregano

1/2 onion

pinch cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sauté the chopped onions with a pinch of salt until they reduce into a nice brown mass, about 15-20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes. Using the lesser amounts of each seasoning, place all the remaining sauce ingredients into a large saucepan and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is very soft, about 15 minutes. When it's completely tender, use a blender to puree the cauliflower to a smooth sauce. Check the seasoning of the sauce, and add more to taste. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken while you prepare the pasta.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the pasta. Add the broccoli florets about 2-3 minutes before the set cooking time for the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and broccoli and return it to the pan. Stir in the cauliflower sauce.

Of course I was not expecting this healthy version to even resemble the taste of the classic fettuccine Alfredo. But it tasted surprisingly good: the cauliflower forms a light yet slightly creamy sauce and to me tasted so much better simply because of the healthy factors : D

Multi-grain Sushi Roll/ Kimbap: 紫米五穀壽司捲

這幾天在家唸書 突然好想吃壽司 我想應該是綜合日本御飯糰 韓式綜合捲和台灣飯糰等想法 最後把他截長補短變呈現出這個玩意: 我的紫米壽司
除了鋪了一層五穀紫米之外 裡面包著營養的各式配料 不油不膩 清爽沒負擔

I was experiencing another craving for sushi rolls the other day, but I was not planning on going to a sushi restaurant anytime soon. So I took the ideas of Japanese make sushi rolls, the Korean kimbaps, and the Taiwanese rice balls, and "fused" them to make my multi-grain rolls stuffed with healthy and yummy fillings like celery, carrot, egg rolls, lettuce, cucumber, and imitatoin crab meat. Sprinkled with sesame seeds, it has a savory taste and the smell. Then again in my opinion, anything can go into a sushi roll ：). Experiment, and it might turn out to be a pleasant surprise!

For a recipe of Kimbap, check out the post on My Korean Kitchen

Baby Sardine Pasta 青蔥蒜味吻仔魚義大利麵

Very simple seasoning: garlic, finely chopped onions, olive oil, red pepper and salt , but surprisingly tasty. When it is ready, generously sprinkle with chopped green onions.

這一盤麵就真的蠻有水準的 麵條(煮熟後快速用冰水沖洗)非常Q 而且橄欖油浸潤了麵條 口齒留香 爆香的蒜頭和已經煮到金黃色的洋蔥 也有提味的效果 真的好好吃啊~~~~~~~

Avocado Kiwi Cranberry Salsa 酪梨奇異果蔓越莓salsa

嗯~ 這道菜非常清爽 酸酸甜甜的奇異果和一點點檸檬汁 搭配濃郁的酪梨 最後加上一點蔓越莓乾 :D

Avocado Kiwi Cranberry Salsa

1ripe kiwifruit, peeled, carefully chopped
1/4 cup craisins

1/2 avocado, peeled and chopped

thinly sliced green onion
chopped fresh or pickled jalapeño (adjust to taste)

chili peppers (no seeds)
chopped fresh cilantro

lime juice and grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the kiwifruit, craisins, avocado, green onion and olive oil in a medium sized bowl. Starting with a small amount chopped jalapeño, gently fold in and add more to your desired level of heat. Add cilantro and lime juice with grated orange zest. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Vegan Mini Crustless Tofu Quiche 迷你蔬菜豆腐派

I managed to get a few packs of tofu on sale at the Asian supermarket last week, and since I am cooking only for one, I get to try a variety of tofu recipes in small portions. I love tofu so much not only because it is healthy, but also because it is so versatile. Basically I can cook it with anything, and it will usually end up tasting alright. But I wasn't expecting this recipe from the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen to turn out so well; the crustless tofu quiches are light yet packed with flavour, and resemble more of vegetable fritters than the ordinary quiches. And the small size makes them a great side dish and an extra something something for the lunchbox. I served them for dinner along with wasabe broccoli, multi-grain rice, and pan-seared tuna steaks. So here is my version of the quiches: (I basically omitted the cashew butter/tahini in the original recipe)

Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches
olive oil spray

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup bell pepper

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (or one green onion) or spinach, thawed

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)

1 12.3-ounce package light firm tofu, drained of water

black pepper to taste
1/4 cup plain non-fat soymilk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray. Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with olive oil and sauté the garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the spinach, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from the heat.
Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon equally into the 12 muffin cups: it will fill regular muffin cups about halfway.
Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 F. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean--about 20-25min. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. 4 mini-quiches contain: 96 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (23% calories from fat); 11 g Protein; 8 g Carbohydrate; 0 mg Cholesterol; 459 mg Sodium; 2 g Fiber

Can you save these croquettes?

Since I now cook for myself, I have been diligently looking for sources of great recipes I could try at home. Thankfully a couple of weeks ago, I came across this fabulous and very healthy food blog the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. I have been a regular visitor ever since.

Although I'm not vegan I love reading and trying out Susan's recipes that always look deliciiiiiiious!

When I read about her contest to "save" the Thai Pumpkin Croquettes I instantly wanted to give it a try. (that was when I realized that I haven't had croquettes in a really long time). Because of schoolwork I did not plan on going grocery shopping this week, so instead I started rummaging through the fridge and the cabinets in an attempt of finding ingredients which, I think, could be incorporated into the original recipe. However, that turned out to be quite a challenge since I realized that I don't even have half of the things listed on the recipe. But this little discouragement was NOT going to stop me from making my own version of croquettes (which I have never made) Luckily I managed to buy some organic potatoes at the UBC fall farm market on campus.

So here they are: SOS! Croquettes

Makes about 13

1 medium size organic Russet Potato

1 small (I used a really tiny one) purple potato

1/4 cup purple yam (optional; it adds to the sweetness)

1/3 cup cooked pre-cooked green beans ( because that was all I had left)

1/2 medium size white onion, chopped into small pieces

1/4 cup carrots, shredded/grated

1/2 red delicious (or any kind other than Granny Smith) apple, grated

1 teaspoon grated lime zest, and a little bit of lime juice

a pinch of cilantro and basil

1/4 package of 300g low fat silken tofu

black pepper, white pepper to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/4 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4cup nonfat soy milk

11/4 tablespoon soy sauce

a little bit of light E.V.O.O.( or regular olive oil)

*Optional

Breadcrumbs ( I just made my own by toasting 1-2 slices of wholewheat toast and crumble them)

1. Peel the potatoes, and put them into a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. Cut into chunks and steam them until soft (when I poked them with chopsticks they broke apart) Or you can prepare them as you would with mashed potatoes.

2. Heat a skillet. Add a few small drops of E.V.O.O. and add the minced garlic. Saute until golden brown, then add the onions and cooked green beans. Add a bit of black pepper and white pepper as well as the soy sauce; cook until onions become soft and tender. Remove from heat

3. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a large mixing bowl, mash both potatoes. Add the silken tofu and mash well. Add the onions and green beans from step 2, and combine well.

4. Add the grated carrots and apple. Mix well, and finally add the cornstarch and soy milk. Mix well.

5. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with oil. Using your hands, form the mixture into little two-inch discs. ( I made about 13 discs)

6. Bake for 20 minutes, and then turn over and bake until browned, about 15minutes.

*Before forming them into croquettes, you can coat the individual mixture with breadcrumbs if you like. I tried both, and I preferred the ones without breadcrumbs while my friend liked the ones with ( since she said it was a bit more crunchy and imitated the fried croquettes that she loves)

Unfortunately I have no red curry paste, but I do have brown curry. I made the Thai dipping sauce using Susan's recipe, but since I have a block of brown curry and some leftover onion chunks I decided to make another sauce with it.

Brown Curry Dipping Sauce

2 teaspoon E.V.O.O.
onion ( some leftover from the croquettes)
1 small block of brown curry+ 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth

some red hot pepper flakes
a bit of rice vinegar
pepper to taste

1. heat E.V.O.O in a small saucepan. Saute the onion until soft. Add the hot pepper flakes

2. Add brown curry and water

3. cover the pan and bring it to a boil.

4. add a drop of rice vinegar and some black pepper to taste

Voila! It is ready! I served them with some sliced cabbage on the side, and really liked them. The addition of apples was a delightful and pleasant surprise; not only did they add texture to the croquettes, but they also brought out the spiciness and accentuated sweetness of the onions and gave the croquettes a nice aroma different from those I've had in the past. I wanted to use eggplants somewhere and maybe took out one of the other ingredients, but unfortunately ran out about 2 days ago :(

Thank you Susan for such a great blog! I had fun making the croquettes, and I think I'll try out others' recipes as well!

afterthought: Maybe I'll use pumpkin (since I LOVE them so much) next time and modify OTHER ingredients in the recipe