Kale and Quinoa Salad with Almond Butter Vinaigrette and Purple Sweet Potato

Dressed in a mouthwatering vinaigrette made with creamy almond butter, this colorful, crunchy Kale and Quinoa Salad will have you full for hours and feeling oh so good!!

It hasn't been long since I began striving for a diet rich in whole foods, whole grains, proteins and fiber. When dining out and crappy food at work gets too morbid, I develop fervid cravings for a day or two of "vegging out" - not so much being a couch potato, but going happily meatless, high fiber, and low carb where possible.

So when my gorgeous, one-and-only vegan cousin Kathleen suggested a modern vegetarian restaurant as a venue for reunion on my recent, much overdue visit to Toronto, I was all up for it. Needless to say, I was eager to detox after a strenuous 15-hour flight. 

A cousinly reunion at Fresh, Toronto, Jun 2014

Five years since my last seeing my cousins, our party has merrily multiplied with Kathleen and Matt both marrying this year, and Jon and William both in relationships. Some time amidst our chatter catching up and acquainting with their new partners, our platters and bowls arrived, throwing all of us off with their colours, portions, and aroma as I raised my camera in a frenzy (of course). 

As I chomped into my bowlful of greens, I thought to myself in between moans, "hey, I can totally do this at home." Much like their vivid colours, kale greens are intense in flavour with a mild bitterness and are best complimented by strongly flavoured ingredients like roasted nuts and nutty or sesame-based dressings. So here, a wholesome recipe inspired by my cousin's favorite dish at Fresh, Toronto - perfect for those days when veggie cravings hit.

Dressing:
3 Tbsp almond butter 
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 
1/2 Tbsp honey, or maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tspn kecap manis (not pictured; optional)
1 tspn minced garlic
2-3 Tbsp warm water 

Salad: 
Kale, shredded
Quinoa, cooked according to package instructions (I used organic red quinoa)
Cucumber, shredded
Goji berries, aka. wolfberries
Almonds, toasted and chopped

Sweet potato, grilled or boiled (optional) 

To prepare...

Make the dressing first to allow flavors to mingle. Whisk together all dressing ingredients, adding water until desired consistency is reached.

Mix together all salad ingredients and toss with dressing. Serve sweet potato alongside.

Note: Fresh and raw kale from your farmers market or groceries works excellently for this salad. If you find your kale too tough or acrid to the bite as in my case using packaged and pre-shredded kale indicated for cooking, simply boil some water, turn the heat off, then immerse the leaves for no more than 20 seconds. The leaves will turn brilliantly green while preserving their nutrients. Drain, reserving the boiled water, and run the leaves under the tap to cool. Use a salad spinner to remove excess moisture if desired. The spines will take longer to soften, simply leave in the hot water and add to salad when ready to serve. Enjoy!

[Any thoughts or comments? Please share with me! Check out my Facebook Fan Page!]

Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Homemade Nước chấm

Summer is here! Are you finding it too hot, too muggy for an outdoor barbecue? Too lazy and time-strained to cook up a feast for your summer parties? If you are scratching your head for novel home-entertaining ideas, or simply looking for a fresh and light meal at home -you might just have found your answer here.

Ever since visiting my Vietnamese-born friend's home one summer in Brisbane for a family-style brunch, I've been hooked to a fascinating new world of cooking - a distinct food culture that is by no means foreign, yet little explored at home till then. 

Most in Hong Kong are accustomed to, even weary of, suspiciously MSG-laden phở and substandard Vietnamese fare in deplorably localized Vietnamese eateries across the city. Menus vary little one from another. And the bounty of fresh herbs and condiments so essential to Vietnamese cuisine are especially hard to come by in this expensive city.

There in Brisbane, in the brightly sun-lit kitchen, I had the privilege to experience Vietnamese home-cooking at its freshest, and most authentic. Preparing Gỏi cuốn (fresh Vietnamese summer rolls) hands-on with my friend and his mother was like taking an exclusive backstage tour to a remarkable cuisine, whose astonishing simplicity juxtaposes with the complexity of its flavors. The key lies in the freshness of ingredients and balancing of the five fundamental taste elements. When my friend returned from the garden with bunches of freshly harvested Vietnamese mint (and another pungent herb I still could not name) and retrieved their family stock of hoisin dipping, I knew I was in for a real palate-opening experience.

The filling of Vietnamese summer rolls traditionally consist of prawn, pork, vermicelli, and a rainbow of vegetables. Fillings vary according to taste and preference, which makes this dish highly adaptable and thus an excellent choice for DIY parties. It involves minimum cooking; simply prepare the dip, prep all the fillings, set a basin of water in the center, and let the fun and bonding begin as friends and family get their hands on creating their own summer rolls. Vegetarians go nuts!

Featured below is my adaptation to what I have enjoyed at my friend's, based on what's available. I took ample liberty in assembling my filling. Substitute or leave out as you wish.

To prepare...
Vietnamese rice paper (Bánh tráng)

 1. Wash and prepare 1 bunch of fresh mint and fresh cilantro. These two indispensable aromatics work magic together and feature dominantly in Vietnamese cuisine. For extra fireworks, add Thai basil. Here I use Italian basil that I grow on my rooftop garden.

2. Wash and prepare bean sprouts and 1 head of butter lettuce, ribs removed.

3. Thinly slice carrot and cucumber into matchsticks. I like to run mine in a handheld mandolin slicer to make life a tad easier.  

4. Follow package instructions and cook thin rice vermicelli, drain and set aside to cool. I came across a rare brown rice variety at my grocery and snatched a pack in substitution of its less wholesome, white counterpart.

5. Prepare wood ear fungus, either fresh or dried. This unusual fungus adds more crunch and color than taste to the rolls, and is an excellent source of dietary fiber and iron. I always keep a pack of dried, shredded wood ear fungus in my pantry, as they are easily reconstituted with water.

6. Not your typical choice of protein for a Gỏi cuốn filling, the Chả lụa - or Vietnamese pork roll - is a great alternative to poached lean pork or prawn. I have a roll that I bought from Ho Chi Minh City - with unmistakable notes of nước mắm and cracked black pepper - which is far superior in flavor to the disappointingly bland and rubbery ones often served in Vietnamese restaurants in Hong Kong. Leave out the meats for a vegetarian version. 

7. Make the dip to tie together all the vibrant flavors. At my friend's home we served the summer rolls with a traditional hoisin dipping with ground peanuts, but here I choose to serve the dish with nước chấm, which is essentially a dip combining white sugar dissolved in warm water, minced garlic and Thai bird-eye chili, and adjusted to taste with fish sauce and fresh squeezed lime. 

To make your own summer roll...

Dip a sheet of rice paper in water and wet evenly. Lay on flat surface and begin building your filling across the sheet starting with the lettuce. Roll the stretchy rice paper over the filling and tuck everything underneath; fold the sides inwards and finish rolling like you would a burrito. Practice makes perfect.

Dip the finished roll in nước chấm and take a big bite and set off the fireworks in your mouth. A light yet very fulfilling dish that puts summer in its name.

[Any thoughts or comments? Please share with me!]

Watermelon Salad with Feta, Olives, and Fresh Mint

 

Probably my most surprising discovery this year, this watermelon salad melds together such interesting flavors and seemingly incongruous ingredients that are sure to raise a few eyebrows - that is, until you've tried a mouthful.

As temperatures rise over the course of summer, watermelons become a household staple, prized for their refreshing and thirst-quenching sugary flesh. In my fridge sit a half watermelon, a lemon, and a bunch of mint begging to be wed into a watermelon-mint cooler, but I thought, "why not make a salad for lunch?" A little bit of research swiftly confirms I have what it takes to make the most uncanny summer salad - all you need is a step out of your comfort zone and I assure you, as Nigella did to me, that you'll be delightfully surprised.

To prepare...

1. Very finely slice 1 small red onion. In a small bowl steep onion in the juice of 1 lemon. The lemon juice will bring out the transparent pinkness of the onion and cut the rasp. Fearing raw onion-breath? This will do it. Tried and true. Alternatively, use limes.

2. Cut watermelon into large bite-sized chunks and dice feta cheese. Place in a large shallow bowl. Roughly tear a handful of fresh parsley sprigs, add to the bowl along with a bunch of fresh mint, chopped.

3. Tip the now beautifully hued onions, along with the pinkish juices into the bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil, a handful of olives (Kalamata or green - whichever you have, whole or sliced - I prefer whole), and very gently toss. 

4. Add a final touch of ground black pepper - and bam! Savour the mellow crunch and juiciness of watermelon with uplifting mint and parlsey, dancing in tango with the saltiness of olives and creamy feta and dressed by the tang and aroma of "pickled" red onions.

An astonishly simple salad that brings together flavors that will redefine your boundaries and transport you to Mediterranean sunshine...!

Adapted from Nigella's recipe as featured in Nigella Summer

[Any thoughts or comments? Please share with me! Go to my Facebook Fan Page "The Penthouse Kitchen" and LIKE!]