Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

I just cannot get enough of the Asian food Katie and I learned how to make while we were away. Vietnamese fresh spring rolls are probably one of my favorite things to eat. And they aren't that hard to make, once you figure out where to get rice paper (turns out its actually found in most grocery stores in the Asian food isle). So here is an authentic recipe for Vietnamese spring rolls with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.


Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls with Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients
For the spring rolls:
2 large carrots
1 cucumber
4 rice papers, large size
12 mint leaves
2 tbsp dried onion flakes
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves or green lettuce leaves
8 large shrimp, cooked (or 12 small shrimp)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar

For the dipping sauce:
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 red chili, diced (or a small spoonful of chili paste, depending on how spicy you want the sauce to be)
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1 tsp rice wine vinegar

With a cheese grater grate the carrots. Peel the cucumber and grate it until you reach the seeds. Keep turning the cucumber until it is fully grated with only the core remaining. Discard the core. In a bowl combine the grated carrot and cucumber, vinegar and sugar and stir. Set aside.

For the dipping sauce, in a small bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, lime juice and chilies and stir. Set aside to serve with the spring rolls.

Take one rice paper and wet it under very cold running water. Lay the rice paper on a flat surface and wait about 1 minute until it is fully soft. Meanwhile, take the carrot/cucumber mixture in your hands and squeeze out all the excess liquid. Put the mixture in a separate bowl once all the liquid has been squeezed out. Take about 1/4 of the mixture and arrange it at one end of the rice paper, leaving about 1 inch from the edge on all sides (see pictures). Arrange 3 mint leaves and 1/4 of the spinach or lettuce on top of the cucumber and carrots. Sprinkle with dried onion flakes. Roll the rice paper over once. Fold over each side (again, see pics) and place 2-3 shrimp on top of the roll and. Now keep rolling the rice paper until the roll is finished.  Repeat with the other 3 rice papers until all the rolls are finished. Serve 2 per person with the sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Variations:
Instead of shrimp you can also use crab or fried pork. Sometimes I add cooked vermicelli rice noodles which make the rolls more filling. You can put almost anything you want inside the rolls, so get creative!

You can find rice papers in most grocery stores in the Asian food isle

Grate cucumber until you get to the seeds

Sweet and sour dipping sauce

Add the carrot, mint, dried onion and spinach leaves

Roll the rice paper over once

Fold over both sides

Add 2 or 3 shrimp

Continue to roll until the end of the rice paper

Serve with sweet and sour dipping sauce

Roasted Tomato and Macaroni Soup

Sometimes the best addition to a meal is a delicious soup. It also helps that left overs taste even better and make the best lunches. Here is my recipe for Roasted Tomato and Macaroni Soup...

Ingredients
8 Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 large or one small cooking onion, sliced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup uncooked pasta
Cheese for topping
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºC. On a baking sheet lined with with aluminum foil arrange the tomatoes, garlic and sliced onion, season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper and bake for 30 minutes. Add the vegetables and the rosemary to a food processor (or blender if you don't have one) and puree until smooth. In a cooking pot bring the stock to a boil and add the pureed mixture. Add the macaroni and cook for 8-10 minutes. If there is a lot of caramelization from the veggies still on the pan, pour a little water onto the pan and stir, then add this juice to the soup. Serve the soup with cheese sprinkled on top and enjoy!

Fresh Roma tomatoes

Roasted Veggies

Add some strong cheddar to make this soup even better!

This soup goes great along side fish or a sandwich for dinner and with a piece of crusty bread for lunch!

Low Cal Mini Banana Breads

Sometimes I find it impossible to stick to a healthy diet and keep motivated to hit the gym. Last night I found myself faced with a container of peanut butter cookies (Thanks a lot Lolo, although they were delicious!) and I couldn't help myself. I think one of the toughest hurdles is the post-night-out cravings for anything deep fried, made with cheese or made solely out of sugar. But I have learned my lesson. In order to beat these cravings and stick to my plan of staying healthy I need to be prepared! So here is a recipe for low fat, low cal banana breads (one of my favorite desserts/snacks) that won't make you feel bad if you eat one (or two!). I didn't make them with chocolate chips this time, but adding in a cup of chocolate chips to the recipe will make them extra delish!

Low Cal Mini Banana Breads

Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch kosher salt
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
1/4 cup Splenda
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºC. Line 12 muffin tins with muffin papers or spray lightly with cooking spray (I recommend using cooking spray because the breads tend to stick to the paper). In a bowl mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together. In a separate bowl combine the Splenda, egg, vanilla, apple sauce and bananas. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about 1/3 at a time. If you are using chocolate chips stir them in. Spoon the mixture into the muffin trays and bake for 15-18 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. Let the mini breads cool slightly, then serve!

Note: the bananas should be past a point of raw consumption if you want to get their full flavour. They should be almost fully black. You can store bananas in the freezer when they are over-ripe and you can thaw them before use. I used about 6 bananas for this recipe and I heated them on high in the microwave for 4 minutes and then cut the ends off and squeezed the banana out.

No Crust Spinach Quiche

Need a quick and healthy dinner idea? Have some spinach on hand (we all usually do!)? This quiche is quick and easy to make and there is always enough for lunch the next day!

Spinach and Cheese No Crust Quiche

Ingredients
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
4 mushrooms, sliced
2 eggs
8 egg whites
1 cup grated low fat mozzarella (use sharp cheddar to get a cheesier flavor. And if you're not concerned about calories add an extra cup of cheese)
1/4 cup Brie cheese, cubed
Salt and pepper

In a mixing bowl add the spinach, mushrooms, eggs, egg whites and cheese and stir them until well combined. Season with salt pepper. Spray a Corningware oven safe dish with cooking spray and poor in the quiche mixture. Bake at 400ºC for 45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Slice into 4 and serve hot. This dish goes well with a salad or fillet of baked fish. Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

Ground turkey...there it is in the meat isle of your grocery store. Oh look its even on sale. I think I'll buy some. Now...what should I do with it? Let's just put it out there that I am a HUGE fan of red meat. But after spending last week learning about myocardial infarcts and atherosclerosis ground turkey is calling my name. Its lean and packed with protein and if you know what to do with it, it can even taste good. So here is my recipe for turkey chili that is packed with vegetables and great flavor!

Turkey Chili (serves 8)

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 zucchini, diced
1 cooking onion, diced
2 small or 1/2 medium sized eggplant(s) diced, skin on (or off if you really hate it)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili flakes (more if you like it spicy)
Salt and Pepper

In a sauce pot heat the olive oil and add the garlic and onions. . Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a frying pan fry the turkey until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and eggplant and cook for another 3 minutes. Finally, add the mushrooms and cook for one minute until they become soft. Add the cooked turkey to the sauce pot and pour in the can of tomatoes and kidney beans, cumin, chili flakes and powder and stir until combined. Let the chili simmer for about an hour and serve with a spoonful of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Note: you can freeze this chili in plastic containers because this recipe does make a lot. It should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Thai Red Curry Chicken and Shrimp for Girls Night

After deciding that post vacation I need to shed a few pounds, I decided to take the recipe I learned in Thailand for Red Curry and lighten it up a little bit. And who better to share it with than my girls? So here it is...

Thai Red Curry (serves 4)
Ingredients
1 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed of all fat
16 medium sized shrimp
3 small or 1 medium sized eggplant(s), cubed
1 can baby corn
1 tbsp basil leaves (Thai basil if you can find it)
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn (I found them at Garden of Eden on ave. du Parc btu they should have them at other Thai or Asian food stores)
1 tbsp of Thai Kitchen red curry paste (add another tbsp if you like it really spicy)
1 can coconut milk (try to find the reduced fat one if you want to make it even lighter)
1 cup skim or 1% milk
1tbsp brown sugar
1-2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp olive oil

In a cooking pot heat the oil on low heat and add the curry paste for 1-2 mins. Add a small amount of coconut milk and stir. Add the chicken and stir until the chicken is white and opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut milk and the skim milk, eggplant, baby corn and kaffir lime leaves and stir occasionally. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and then add the sugar and fish sauce. Serve with chopped basil and steamed rice.

Note: you can find Thai Kitchen red curry paste at most grocery stores in the Asian food isle. 

Girls Night

Grilled squid aka heaven

I've been feeling quite sick lately and haven't been up to my usual domesticated lifestyle of reading Foodtv.ca, watching Food Network and cooking up a storm. Today was the first day since I've been home from Asia that I actually feel like cooking. After picking up some cheap groceries at PA's on Fort (best place ever), and finding out that squid was on special, I decided to make grilled squid that way they do it seaside in the Gili Islands. So here is my version. Its fresh, healthy and if I do say so myself - delish!

Grilled squid with Thai dipping sauce

Ingredients 
4 small - medium sized squid
2 tbsp non hydrogenated margarine or butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed

For the dipping sauce:
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp brown sugar
Juice from 1 lime
Fresh chilies or chili paste to taste

To prepare the squid for the grill wash them in cold water and pat them dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife fillet the squid and make incisions in each direction about an inch apart but not cutting all the way through. The slices should resemble a checkerboard. This makes the squid lie flat on the grill and makes it easier to cut once served. In a small dish add the butter and garlic and microwave on high for 30 seconds until melted. Brush a preheated grill with the garlic butter and arrange the squid so that they are evenly spaced out, then brush the squid with the remaining garlic butter. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side until grill marks appear and the squid is white and no longer opaque. For the dipping sauce combine the lime juice, sugar, garlic and chilies in a bowl and whisk together. Divide into two small ramekins to serve. Serve the squid straight from the grill with Thai dipping sauce.

Garlic butter

Fresh squid

Fillet that squid!

Cutting the checkerboard

Squid brushed with garlic butter

Done!

Grilled squid served with grilled vegetables and brown rice