Seasaltwithfood

Fancy having some gazpacho to cool you down in this scorching summer heat? I made the soup in the morning, had it chilled, and served it up for dinner. We have had some real sweltering weather here in Vancouver this summer. So, this soup was just what we needed, light, cool, and delicious - perfect! Do try the recipe, and have a good weekend. Recipe adapted from Traditional Spanish Cooking by Janet Mandel Andalusion Gazpacho - Gazpacho Andaluz (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 75 g (3 oz) Bread, crust removed 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) Ripe Tomatoes 3 Garlic Cloves 2 tsp Sea Salt 1/4 tsp Ground Cumin 6 Tbsp Olive Oil 5 Tbsp Wine Vinegar about 300 ml ( 1/2 pint) Water For the garnish 100 g ( 3 1/2 oz) Green Peppers, finely chopped 100 g ( 3 1/2 oz) Cucumber, peeled and finely chopped 1 Small Onion, finely chopped 1 Small Tomato, finely chopped 2 Slices Bread, toasted and diced Method Put the bread to soak in enough water to cover for 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess water and put the bread in a blend...

Snow peas are available all year round. As with all legumes, they have lots of health and nutritional benefits. A quick and simple stir-frying is the best way to enjoy them. So, here is the recipe for stir-fry snow peas with scallops. Enjoy. Stir-Fry Snow Peas With Scallops (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 200 g Snow Peas 4 Sea Scallops, thinly sliced 2 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced About 3 Thin Slices of Fresh Ginger 1 Tbsp Peanut Oil Freshly Ground Black Pepper Sea salt to taste Sauce 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce 2 tsp Light Soy Sauce 6 Tbsp Water 1/2 tsp Corn Flour Method Heat the oil in a wok and cook the garlic and ginger on low heat. Remove the garlic and ginger when they are fragrant and golden in color. Turn the heat on high. Toss in the snow peas, scallops and the cooked garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for about a minute and add in the sauce. Bring it to a quick boil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

This is a delicious Vietnamese appetizer. It is part of a popular dish known as Beef in Seven Ways, featuring multiple beef courses. If you are are unable to get pepper leaves, you can substitute it with grape leaves. The beef rolls are typically served with table salad and a dipping sauce. The salad consists of either red or green leaf lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, and some Vietnamese herbs. As for the dipping sauce recipe, you can find it here .

I came across some colorful and pretty Heirloom tomatoes at a local fresh produce store recently. The variety of colors were so pleasing that I just had to get some. So, I painstakingly picked out some of these tomatoes and turned them into this beautiful salad. I just used some lemon juice as dressing for the salad and topped it off with some fresh basil. The tomato salad tasted fantastic and not to mention, very healthy as well. Heirloom Tomato Salad (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 8 to 10 Heirloom Tomatoes (mixed variety), sliced A small bunch of Fresh Basil Leaves Dressing 6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3 Tbsp Freshly Squeeze Lemon Juice Sea Salt to taste Some freshly ground black pepper Method Prepare the dressing. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper and whisk and blend until emulsified. In a large serving plate, arrange the tomatoes in circle and top with some Basil leaves. Drizzle some lemon dressing over the tomatoes and serve immediately.

These Madeleines look cute, don’t they? I must agree with the author of the cookbook. By allowing the batter to rest in the refrigerator for 2 days in advance, it does help to form the hump that is characteristic of Madeleines. I baked these using a silicone Madeleines pan. Silicone pans are great for baking as it does not need to be greased. The Madeleines comes out easily from the pan. Recipe adapted from Baking From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan Traditional Madeleines (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 2/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour 3/4 tsp Baking Powder Pinch of salt 1/2 Cup Sugar Grated zest of 1 Lemon 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract 3/4 Stick (6 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled Confectioners' sugar, for dusting Method Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Working in a mixer bowl, or in a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the eggs to the bowl. Working...

To all readers in the Vancouver, BC area: BC Blueberry Council in conjunction with UBC , is having their “First UBC Blueberry Fest” this month. If you love blueberries like I do, you may want to go check out the fest. It should be fun and will be a good way to learn more about BC Blueberries and it’s special place in the BC and Canada's economy. For instance, did you know that BC is the largest producer of highbush blueberries in Canada? Over 17,000 acres and almost 80 million pounds produced, makes BC the second largest blueberry producing region in the world and growing steadily. So, do come join the fest and learn more.. Here are the details: UBC presents its first UBC Blueberry Fest! When: Tuesday July 28, Wednesday July 29 & Thursday July 30 from 9AM-1PM each day (rain or shine) Where: UBC Bookstore Plaza (6200 University Boulevard and East Mall) Supported by the BC Blueberry Council and the UBC Bookstore We will be promoting BC Blueberries with a fantastic supporting ...

Like most people, I just love having a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. It’s probably one of the easiest soup to cook. It takes a bit of time; but, I usually make the effort. I think nothing beats delicious, healthy homemade soup. Right? On that note, I hope I can encourage you to try cooking this hearty soup at home. I am sure you will enjoy it! For the main ingredient, do try to opt for organic/free range chicken, if possible. They are much tastier than the regular chicken, in my opinion. As for the pasta, you can use any variety or shapes of your choice. Enjoy! Chicken Noodle Soup (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 1 (about 1.8 kg) Organic Chicken, whole 120 g Dried Pasta 1 Medium Yellow Onion, quartered 2 Stalk Celery, chopped 2 Carrots, chopped 5 Sprigs Thyme 1 Dried Bay Leaf 2 tsp Whole Black Peppercorn 16 Cups Water Sea Salt to taste Method Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the chicken for about 8 to minutes. Drain and discard the water. In a...

My son was eager to work on the next baking project since his first baking experience with me was such a huge success. In response to his keen interest, I quickly organized another baking session with him. This time, we chose to bake the Perfection Pound Cake recipe from the same cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. Interestingly, whilst helping out with the preparation, he suggested that we add some blueberries in the cake. I agreed and so he gently folded in 1-½ cups of blueberries into the batter. Our blueberries pound cake turned out great, a fantastic combination. Delightful. Recipe adapted from Baking From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan Perfection Pound Cake With Blueberry (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 1/4 tsp Salt 2 Sticks (8 0z) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 1 Cup Sugar 4 Large Eggs, at room temperature 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract 1 1/2 Cups Blueberries (Optional) Method Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325˚F. B...

Fancy some General Tso’s chicken? That was exactly how I asked and confused my kids. Their immediate response were like…huh, who is that?? Well, names aside, this General’s chicken does taste really good. :-) According to the author of the cookbook, this is a Hunanese version of the General Tso’s chicken, the other is from Taiwan. There isn’t a lot of difference between the two, just that the former uses black vinegar and the latter uses white vinegar. I like both versions of vinegar. So, next time I’ll try cooking the white vinegar, Taiwan version. Recipe adapted from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook By Fuchsia Dunlop General Tso's Chicken (Changsha Version) (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 4 Boned Chicken Thighs with skin (about 12 oz) 6-10 small Dried Red Chilies 3/4 inch Piece Fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced 1 Tbsp Double Concentrate Tomato Paste-mixed with 1 Tbsp Water 3 Scallions, green parts only, sliced 1 tsp Sesame Oil Peanut Oil for cooking For the marin...

I had a fabulous time baking these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with my son. He had craving for these lemony muffins, and so, I thought I’d coax him to help me in the kitchen to realize this recipe. Surprisingly, he agreed! So, I wasted no time by tasking him to do all the measurements, stirring, icing, and even monitoring the oven. I’m glad I got him involved as he had so much fun and was so proud of his “baking skills”! :-) Fortunately, all turned out well, the muffins tasted great. I must admit that baking together with him was a very enjoyable experience indeed! Recipe adapted from Baking From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 2/3 Cup Sugar Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour 2 tsp Baking Powder 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/4 tsp Salt 3/4 Cup Sour Cream 2 Large Eggs 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1 Stick (8 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled 2 Tbsp Poppy Seeds For The Icing 1 Cup Confectioners' Sugar, sifted 2 -3...

Today’s post is an addictive Grilled Honey, Lemon, and Soy Chicken Wings recipe. I hope most of you will appreciate honey grilled meat. I know some people dislike it; but, I happen to just love it. So, whether you like it or not, I hope you will give this recipe a try when you have the grill fired up next time. Just so yummy, hard to describe with words. Happy cooking and have a good weekend! Grilled Honey, Lemon And Soy Chicken Wings (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 1 kg (about 16-18) Chicken Wings, tip off Marinate 3 Tbsp Honey 5 Tbsp Lemon Juice 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped 1 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce Some freshly ground Black Pepper 2 Tbsp Peanut Oil Method Marinate the chicken wings for about 4 hours. Preheat the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat. Arrange the chicken wings in a large disposable foil pan. Grill the chicken for about 20 to 25 minutes with the lid closed. Remove the chicken from the pan. Grill the chicken on direct h...

These sweet and sour spare ribs appetizer are really yummy and “finger licking good”, I might add! You can consider to serve them as a main course, if you prefer, by doubling-up on the recipe. I am sure many of you are well aware that this dish goes very well with just some plain steamed rice. :-) Recipe adapted from Revolutionary Chinese Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop (Printable Recipe) Sweet And Sour Spare Ribs Ingredients 1 lb Meaty Spare Ribs, cut into bite-size sections 2 (1 oz), Pieces Fresh Ginger, unpeeled and crushed 4 Scallions, white parts only, crushed 1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine Sea Salt 2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce 4 Tbsp White Sugar 1 Tbsp Chinkiang Vinegar 1 tsp Sesame Oil Peanut Oil for cooking Method Place the ribs in a saucepan of water and bring to a boil over a high flame (heat). Skim the water, then add one piece of ginger, 2 scallions, the Shaoxing wine, and salt to taste. Boil for 15 minutes, until the meat is cooked and tender; strain and set aside, reserving the cooking liquid. O...

Here is the deep-fried Wonton recipe for you to consider trying and another simple picture guide to wrap the Wonton. Enjoy! Deep-Fried Wonton (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 30 pcs Wonton Wrapper Oil for deep-frying Chili Sauce for dipping Filling 150 g Ground Pork 100 g Peeled Shrimps, finely chopped or minced 3 Water Chestnut, finely diced 1/2 tsp Minced Fresh Ginger 2 tsp Corn Flour A pinch of Ground White Pepper 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 1 tsp Sesame Oil 2 tsp Soy Sauce Method Combine the wonton filling ingredients and mix well. Place about 1 to 1 ½ tsp of filling in the center of the wrapper and wrap firmly. Deep-fry the wontons over low to medium heat for about 3 minutes or until the wontons are golden brown in color. Drain on a paper towel and serve with chili sauce. A simple guide on how to wrap the wonton. Place 1 portion of the filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. Lift up to form a triangle. Gather all the corners to the center, dap with a little water and press firmly.

After quite a few requests from my kids, I finally got around to make some Wonton soup and deep-fried Wonton for them recently. Actually they are quite easy to prepare and yet so tasty, as many of you will know. So, today I’m posting a Wonton soup recipe with a simple picture guide on how to wrap the Wonton. I hope you will have fun making them. Do watch out for the deep-fried version’s post here within the next couple of days.