Fresh Thai Non-noodle Salad

As I said in my last post, I have been "inspiralized" lately and am in love with my Spiralizer.  If you don't know what one of these is....this is it.

And this....is what it does.

Basically, a Spiralizer is a tool that can be used to turn fresh vegetables into noodles.  Most come with an assortment of blades which allow you to make different sizes of noodles, from spaghetti to linguine really.

The trend started with the carb adverse (which I am not) then those of us looking for a way to get more vegetables into our diets discovered them. Now its become a real trend in restaurants who will spiralize anything from rutabega to beets to sweet potatoes in dishes.  They are a great substitute for those who cannot tolerate gluten also.

Check out this cool take on Chicken Parmesan with Rutabega Noodles at the Inspiralizer site.  I think this looks amazing.

Right now, my favourite thing to spiralize is zucchini and cucumbers. The combination together is actually really nice and fresh. But I have done carrot and sweet potato noodles with some success. What I am really trying to do is get more raw into my diet. And those other more starchy noodles do require some cooking. Zucchini and cucumber...nope. But I will say this really works best with English cucumbers and not field cucumbers. The centre section with seeds really impairs the ability of the machine to do its work, and the centre is the softest part making it impossible for any noodle to come out in the right shape.

So a few weeks ago, I had lunch at Cruda Cafe and ate this....its their vegan raw Pad Thai.  Honestly, it was ok.  It definitely needed salt and the sauce was lacking in flavour. It just lacked that saltiness that Thai fish sauce brings.

My friend Julie, who is a vegan, gave me the idea of using miso so Ii am going to give that a shot later, but for now...here is my non-vegan (due to the Thai fish sauce) improved version of Cruda's Raw Pad Thai.

Fresh Thai Non-noodle Salad

(Serves 3-4 as a side dish)

What you need:

Salad:

1 medium sized zucchini

1/2 English cucumber
1/3 red pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 cup of cilantro

1/4 cup of cashews for garnish

Sauce:

4 tbsp almond or cashew butter
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
2 tsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 tsp ginger, fresh
1 tsp garlic
Juice of half a lime

What to do:

First...spiralize your vegetables....  Using the spaghetti setting or blade on your machine, run your cucumber and zucchini through it, one at a time, combining both in a large bowl.

Next, make your sauce.  Combine all sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender.
If you like, double the recipe because this will keep well in the fridge and can be tossed with many different vegetable combinations or be used as a dipping sauce for fresh spring rolls.

Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sauce to your noodles and toss. Sprinkle with cilantro and cashews and serve!

Ceviche

I always get asked about my lunches and snacks at work. As you can probably guess, I am not much of a sandwich girl and I really do try to bring my lunch to work as many days a week as I can. That means I have cook a bit on Sunday to get me through to Tuesday and then refresh again then for the next few days.  Or I make extra dinner so I can have planned overs.

This is what I made today to take for my lunch for the next couple of days - Ceviche.  Ceviche is a marinated sea-food dish very popular in Central and South America.  I know...sounds fancy and complicated but it really isn't.  There is some chopping involved - really dicing -  but besides that, the dish really comes together incredibly fast and makes a great light lunch or a great appetizer served with nacho or plantain chips.

Typically the fish or seafood is used raw (hearts of palm make a great vegan substitute!) and is marinated in citrus - generally lime - which it is said "cooks" the fish.  Really what happens is a chemical reaction where the citric acid denatures, or changes, the proteins in the fish by altering it chemically and physically, turning the flesh firm and opaque so it looks like it has been cooked with heat.  A great thing to make in the summer when it is often too hot outside to think about turning on the oven.

You can use many different kinds of fish for this dish, such as snapper, tuna, salmon, mahi mahi or another flakey white fish, but just make sure it is very fresh.  Same for shellfish...shrimp and scallop ceviche is amazing - just ask my friends who come to my Christmas party - but it is best to stay away from frozen varieties if you can.  Your result will be ok with frozen but fresh is always best.

When I need fresh shrimp, the only place I know who sells it is Diana`s Seafood in Scarborough, and they don`t always have it.

Whatever kind of fish you are using, it’s important to cut it up into a small dice to ensure the most surface area is exposed to the citric acid. I would generally say a 1/4 inch dice is about the perfect size.
A flakier fish like snapper doesn`t really need to marinade long...maybe 20 minutes? But more dense fish like tuna or mahi mahi will take about an hour to "cook". Today I am using mahi mahi. And don't worry if it sits overnight or even for another day.  It will be fine.
 

The other thing to remember is to chop the rest of your ingredients in the same sized dice as the fish. That way you get a nice consistent sized bite. As for what you add to the fish...that is up to you.

The ancient Incas merely added chili pepper, salt and citrus. For my variation today I am adding avocado, tomatillo, red onion, jicima and some red pepper for colour.  This really extends the small amount of fish.  Oh...and I added cilantro.  I love cilantro. Same as Gwynie P. ;-)

Ok..so what are tomatillos and jicama, right?  Well, this is tomatillo...they are really like a small green Mexican tomato. They are quite tart and have a texture more like an apple than a tomato. Love them. But please...if you can't find them just use a regular tomato. The tomatillos you get in a can will not work well.

Jicima (said hee-kah-mah) is a Mexican tubor that grows on the root of a climbing pea plant.  It looks a bit like a turnip, and has a crisp off-white centre that - again - has a texture rather like an apple but tastes kind of like a potato, but a bit sweet.  Actually, I would say it really is kind of like a cross between a very mild apple and a potato.  An apple potato basically.  Whatever it is it adds a nice crunch to salads and can be eaten raw.

That's a jicima beside the red onion.  It actually goes pretty far so I am going to try to make a slaw with it later in the week. Stay tuned!

What you need:

200g fresh fish, diced
1/2 ripe avocado, diced
Small piece of red onion (about 1/4 cup), diced
1 tomatillo, diced
1/4 small jicima, peeled and diced
1/4 cup cilantro, washed and diced

Juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp sea salt

What to do:

Chop all of your ingredients into a 1/4 inch dice.

Combine in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

Serve with nacho or plantain chips.

Or, as you will see in another post that will come up shortly, I have become "Inspirilized" and use my Spiralizer quite a bit lately to make zucchini and cucumber spaghetti.  I am going to serve this over my vege-ghetti.

Deviled Eggs 2 Ways

Two dozen eggs later I am left with quite a few eggs to make use of.  I decided to toss the ones that were baked and cooked from cold water as I just can't stand the smell of sulfur in my eggs. And the difficulty peeling...argh! Bugs me.

So to use up my eggs I have 2 super quick deviled egg recipes for you.  

The first is a riff on David Chang's Kimchi-Bacon Deviled Eggs from the Momofuku cookbook, one of my favourite modern cook books.  I've made this so many times now that the recipe has kind of become my own and I do tend to make it to my taste now (and the taste of my family and guests) and bump up the amount of kimchi, mint and bacon (you can NEVER have too much bacon). 

I know this flavour combination sounds a bit weird to many of you but trust me....it works.These fly off the plate every time I make them.  

Kimchi-Bacon Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

Yolks of 6 hard-cooked eggs

1/4 c cooked crumbled bacon

1/2 c kimchi, finely diced

2 green onions, sliced thinly

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp mint, finely chopped

1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine everything in a bowl until smooth and combined.  Drop spoonfuls about 1 tbsp each into your egg white halves.

The second was a bit of a whim for me and sounded kind of original, but I have since learned that quite a few other food bloggers have had a similar "original" idea as me.  Oh well...  In any event, the Guacamole Deviled Eggs were also a hit with the fam Easter Sunday at lunch, and are definitely something I will make again.   

Guacamole Deviled Eggs

Yolks of 6 hard-cooked eggs

1/2 ripe avocado, mashed

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1 glove garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine everything in a bowl until smooth and combined.  Drop spoonfuls about 1 tbsp each into your egg white halves.

Really eggs are a blank canvas waiting for you to throw an idea at them, so let me know if you have a favourite food or sandwich combination and I will see if I can turn it into a palatable deviled egg. Oooo!  Just came up with one...Reuben eggs... Montreal smoked meat or pastrami with sauerkraut! What about duck confit eggs??? 

Or maybe...you tell me....

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus

Cauliflower really is a wonder vegetable. I have never come across a vegetable that has so many applications in cooking and also has such amazing rich nutritional value.

People rave about how good broccoli is for you - and it is - but it really has limited applications compared to cauliflower. You can eat cauliflower raw, add it to salads, roast it, rice it (yes I said rice it) and even purée it for a healthier version of mashed potatoes. Can't do that with broccoli...nope.

On top of its versatility, this this cruciferous veggie is low in fat, low in

carbohydrates but high in fibre, vitamin C, as well as being nutritionally dense in antioxidants, and other phytochemicals.

And its pretty. Whether you roast this brassica whole (really delicious), cut it into steaks, break into florets to substitute for wings, cauliflower just looks well..like a flower. Ok...maybe a brain flower but a flower none the less. Cauliflower also comes in white, orange, purple and green. Broccoli? Um...green. Cauliflower wins!

Today I am exploring yet another way you can use your cauliflower....as a base for hummus. For anyone who is trying to go full-on Paleo, or reduce their carbohydrate intake or if you are just plain allergic to chick peas, this is a great recipe to try.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower cut into florets

⅓ cup tahini
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely
3 tablespoons lemon juce
½ - 1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with a silpat mat or spray with cooking spray.

Place cauliflower florets on baking sheet, and spray with a bit of cooking spray and a sprinkle with some good quality sea salt. 

Roast in oven until tender and caramelized, about 30-35 minutes depending on the degree of caramelization you are looking for.  I like to go longer on mine....maybe even to 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

In the bowl of your food processor, add cooled cauliflower, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil . 

Process until mixture is smooth and has the consistency of a commercial hummus.  If you find your mixture is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time to to thin to the desired consistency.

Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. 

The results are in!

So which method worked best?  I know....its killing you, isn't it? Well you will have to read down to see!  I have rated each method on 4 critieria:

How easy were they to peel?

Did the eggs have divots or flat bottoms?

Were the yolks perfectly cooked?

Was there any sign of nasty grey sulfur ring?

Here's the results!

Method 1 - Oven baking

How easy were they to peel?  The eggs were ok to peel, but I wouldn't say easy and the shells did stick to the eggs making them a bit difficult to remove. 

Did the eggs have divots or flat bottoms?  A few of the eggs were misshapen, mostly on the bottom but that could be due to the age of the eggs. 

Were the yolks perfectly cooked?  The yolks were perfectly cooked.

Was there any sign of nasty grey sulfur ring?  Sadly yes....the nasty grey sulfur ring affected some of the yolks...not always the entire yolk but you could see some grey on every egg.

Method 2 - Boiling from Cold

How easy were they to peel?  These were the hardest to peel, so I don't really think pricking the eggs or adding the baking soda made any difference.

Did the eggs have divots or flat bottoms?  Yes some of the eggs were misshapen but again, I can't attribute that to the method

Were the yolks perfectly cooked? Yolks seemed a bit dry but all were cooked.

Was there any sign of nasty grey sulfur ring?  Boo....grey sulfur ring on every egg.

Method 3 - Steaming

How easy were they to peel?  These peeled like a dream!  Shells came off like nothing.

Did the eggs have divots or flat bottoms?  Nope.  Perfectly round eggs with a nice creamy white.

Were the yolks perfectly cooked?  Yolks were cooked to a perfectly sunny yellow.

Was there any sign of nasty grey sulfur ring?  None what so ever!!!

Method 4 - Cold Eggs to Boiling Water

How easy were they to peel?  Very easy to peel...pretty much as easy as the steamed eggs.

Did the eggs have divots or flat bottoms?  No strange shapes or divots...maybe that was a result of the age of the eggs in the other batch....hmmmmm.

Were the yolks perfectly cooked?  Some were and some were a wee bit under-done but that isn't too much of an issue since they were being mashed.

Was there any sign of nasty grey sulfur ring?  None what so ever!!!

So, hands down the winner was steaming the eggs.  Adding cold eggs to already boiling water came in a close second and I could just cook them for another minute or so and they would have been perfect.

According to Kenji, the steaming method is so successful because steaming is a very gentle cooking method and the steam cooks them evenly.   And a hot start just generally produces easier to peel eggs.

In all cases, plunging the eggs immediately after cooking is supposed to ensure that they come out perfectly shaped with no air space indentation on their fat end.  Hmmmm.  50% success rate there.

The Egg-speriment continues

In my post on Friday Its an Egg-speriment!, I cooked 2 dozen eggs in 4 ways to see which method produced the best quality hard-cooked egg.  Notice....I am no longer calling them hard-boiled eggs, so that might give you a hint which worked best.

Here's what I did:

Method 1 - Oven Baking

Touted by Alton Brown as his method of choice, especially if you need to do more than 1 dozen at a time, baking eggs is pretty simple.

Basically, you set your oven to 320 degrees F and place your eggs either in muffin cups or on a broiler pan covered in a damp kitchen towel.  Then bake your eggs for 30 minutes.

Before baking

After baking

When the eggs are done you immerse them in an icebath until they are cool enough to handle, then you can peel.  

Method 2 - Boiling from Cold

This was my usual method, based on a Martha Stewart methodology from years ago, but it had not been so successful lately for me.  Then I saw Michelle Tam at Nom Nom Paleo add the step of pricking the egg shell with a pin and adding baking soda to the water....so I thought maybe that could be the fix.

Long and short, you prick the fatter end of your eggs with a pin, just using enough force to go through the shell.

Place your eggs in a sauce pan and cover with water by 1 inch.  Add 1/2 tsp. baking soda for every 3 cups of water.  Place pot on stove, uncovered, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water is at a rolling boil, cook eggs for 1 minute

When the minute is up, take the eggs off the heat, cover the pot with a lid and set aside for 10 minutes.

When the eggs are done you immerse them in an icebath until they are cool enough to handle, then you can peel.  

Method 3 - Steaming

Serious Eats is...well...serious when it comes to The Food Lab.  If you like the science behind cooking, this is the place for you.

To do this, fill a large pot with 1-2 inches of water.

Place steamer insert on top of pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Add eggs to steamer basket, cover, and cook 12 minutes.

When the eggs are done you immerse them in an icebath until they are cool enough to handle, then you can peel.

Method 4 - Cold Eggs in Hot Water

Last method...pretty standard....but following the cooking times specified by Kenji from Serious Eats.

Half fill a medium saucepan with warm water, and bring to a rapid boil.  Lower your eggs carefully right into the water and reduce heat to the lowest simmer.  Cook the eggs for 11 minutes.  

When the eggs are done you.....yep.....immerse them in an icebath until they are cool enough to handle, then you can peel.  

For the record, for each of the 4 methods, I popped the eggs back into their carton and I left them to cool completely overnight so I was working with a consistent temperature for peeling the next day.


So what were the results....???  Well you will have to come back tomorrow to find out.

Its an Egg-speriment!

They say that being able to properly cook an egg is the mark of a well trained chef. While I am by no means a chef, I certainly have cooked a lot of eggs in my life not always with the greatest of success.

Scrambled is easy, fried a breeze....even over easy but I still don't always get the perfect boiled or poached egg.  In fact at my last Christmas party, I was going to make my famous Kimchi-Bacon Deviled Eggs, and I ended up tossing them because I just couldn't get them to peel properly. So annoying.

Then I saw post on Food 52 the other day testing Alton Brown's method for baking eggs to perfection. Basically oven boiled eggs sans the water.  That got me thinking....what method is best? Do I bake, boil, steam, go from cold water to rolling boil or from warm water to gentle boil to get the best result?

Only one way to find out....try them all.  So on Good Friday (which really was a good Friday) I bought 2 dozen eggs and tried 4 different methods.

Now this is really just a limited test but if you are really interested in a full-on treatise on boiling eggs, Serious Eats has this one for you in their Food Lab section.  They worked the hot water, cold water, old eggs, fresh eggs, steam, bake, pressure cook methods to the farthest degree possible with some very interesting results.

Me....I am doing 2 dozen eggs, 6 eggs per batch...4 different ways.

Method 1 - Oven baking. This idea came from Alton Brown, my favourite Food Network non-chef guy of all time.

Method 2 - Boiling from cold.  My usual method which has had limited success lately.  I am adding the idea of pricking with a pin, and adding baking soda to the water before I bring to boil from cold as per Michelle Tam's Nom Nom Paleo  blog, which is by the way one of my favourites that I follow.

Method 3 - From Serious Eats Food Lab - Steaming!  Never tried this....intriguing.

Method 4 - Also from Serious Eats Food Lab - Adding cold eggs to already boiling water.

Source:  www.tonis.at

One thing I will not be testing is the impact of the age of the egg I am cooking. As much as we are indoctrinated that fresh from the farm eggs are the best, they aren't always depending on what you are doing. The freshest eggs are best for baking as the structure of the egg is at its highest integrity, meaning the structure of meringues will be better and your batters will rise higher.

Definitely not the same case when it comes to boiling eggs...older is definitely better as the structure of the egg deteriorates over time making it easier to peel the egg after it is cooked. The downside of an older egg is that the chalazae (the singular is chalaza) which holds the yolk in the centre of the egg (on top and below) deteriorates, meaning the yolk might drop towards the bottom of the egg creating an off-centre appearance.

In reality, most commercially produced eggs can be in the market for up to 60 days from laying so chances are any eggs you buy in your local grocery store won't cause you any issue because they are aged already.  If you buy eggs at a market or from a farmer, it is a good idea to let them sit a week or two if you want to boil them as super fresh eggs are more likely to be hard to shell.

And with that....here we go.....