Yesterday I gave the lowdown on two drinks our family have incorporated into a healthier lifestyle, along with the recipe for lemon water and a promise that one for golden milk would soon follow. I won't give you the whole why this is awesome for my family spiel again (you can read yesterday's post here), instead here are the benefits of golden milk, and my own personal recipe. This is another drink that is causing a lot of buzz on the internet. South Asia has known about the powers of turmeric forever and we in North America are just catching on. Turmeric is the spice (or root) that gives golden milk it's rich colour and one of the components that make it so great for your body. Google 'golden milk' and you'll get a plethora of hits, most giving you the standard recipe of: coconut milk, turmeric powder and honey. On it's own, this combination has some benefits, but with the addition of a few simple ingredients, you can pack so much more punch into your evening drink. About 90% (if not more) of the recipes call for turmeric powder. It is a fantastic spice and can be used that way if you prefer or if you do not have access to fresh. I will always choose the fresh option, picking up a whole bag of the root whenever I find it, however I do have ground turmeric in my spice cabinet and will use it when fresh runs out. Same goes for the ginger, although it is really easy to find in most stores. A note about the ingredients: feel free to use cow, goat, coconut, almond, soy, or whatever type of milk you prefer. We started out with coconut milk, but we moved to cow's milk, as I find that we get a richer, creamier drink. The black pepper is added in because with it your body is able to absorb an astonishing 2000% more of the available curcumin in turmeric. Shocking, I know, what that little tiny addition will do. If you read yesterday's post you'll already know this, but I'm saying it again just in case: it is really important to mix the honey in after the milk has cooled slightly. High temperatures will kill the beneficial bacteria in it. Also, try to use raw, unpasteurized whenever you can. The difference in benefits is astounding when you remove the pasteurization (high heat...) process. To see yesterday's chart regarding this topic, click here. Golden Milk 2 cups milk sliver fresh ginger 1/2" chunk fresh turmeric 2 whole black peppercorns pinch cayenne pepper 2 tsps honey 1/4 tsp maca powder 1/2 cinnamon stick (*note* I use a nutribullet for the first part. You can forgo the blending part and just chop smaller pieces and put everything together in your saucepan as is) Add 1 cup milk to blender. Add ginger, turmeric, peppercorns, cayenne and maca. Blend for 30 seconds. Place this along with remaining milk and cinnamon stick into a saucepan. Allow to cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for about a half hour. Do not boil. After a half hour, remove from heat and allow to cool about 10 minutes. Strain into 2 cups and stir in 1 tsp honey each. Drink warm. Why drink this? Once you read all these benefits, you're going to wonder "Why am I not drinking this?" Yesterday we learned about the benefits of ginger and honey: Ginger improves the absorption of essential nutrients, helps relieve gas, bloating & nausea, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Honey helps prevent cancer & heart disease, reduces ulcers and gastrointestinal disorders, has anti-bacterial & anti-fungal properties, reduces coughs & throat irritation, regulates blood sugar, gives you great skin and is a probiotic. In addition to those benefits, in each cup of golden milk you'll get these boosts also: Turmeric boasts anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antiseptic, & analgesic properties, boosts immunity, is an anti-carcinogenic, helps maintain cholesterol levels, promotes digestive health, detoxifies livers, regulates metabolism, lowers triglycerides, helps give you beautiful skin, and can help with high blood pressure, and improve memory & brain function. Maca is rich in vitamin B vitamins, C, & E. It provides calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous & amino acids. It can boost to your libido, balance your hormones & increase fertility. Can alleviate cramps, body pain, hot flashes, anxiety, mood swings, & depression. Energy levels may increase, along with an increase in mental energy & focus. It helps restore red blood cells, which aids anemia & cardiovascular diseases. May help clear up acne. Cayenne has the ability to ease upset stomach, ulcers, sore throats, spasmodic and irritating coughs, and diarrhea.It's an anti-cold and flu agent, has anti-fungal properties, can help prevent migraines, anti-allergen, digestive aid, helps reduce atherosclerosis, detox support, joint-pain relief, anti-bacterial properties, boosts metabolism, help balance LDL cholesterol & triglycerides, & helps prevent tooth & gum disease. Cinnamon helps with heart health, blood sugar regulation, better brain function, & improved motor function. So I ask you again, why aren't you drinking this? Trust me, your body will thank you!
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As I move my family towards a healthier home little by little, we've also started to drink 'concoctions' (as hubby calls them) in the morning and evening as a small step on that path. Currently we drink honey lemon water each morning and golden milk each evening and we've seen a few changes since this has become routine. Hubby has lost a few pounds (ten at last count, I believe) and I have had some success in that area also. To be more specific, at the beginning of this year I caught a particularly nasty bug - one that had me wishing I could just die - and over the course of the four days that I feared leaving my home without wearing an adult diaper (I know, TMI), I lost sixteen pounds. Crazy, right? Well, that's what happens when you're petrified of putting anything into your body (like food), but your body still feels the need to get rid of everything that is still in there. Usually after such an illness, I'll put it all back on (and then some because I'm so happy to be able to eat again) but that was not the case this time around. Four pounds returned, but here I am, a month later, and that is all I've put back on. We're not eating any differently than before and definitely not getting more exercise (although we both know we should), so we're laying this good fortune at the doorstep of the honey lemon water we drink each weekday morning. Yes, I said weekday. On weekends we all wake up at different times (my teenager just in time for brunch, usually) and since you can't have coffee for an hour after the lemon water, it makes for a tricky situation. So we forgo our 'concoctions' on the weekends. We've been taking our honey lemon water since before Christmas last year. The second one we drink each weeknight is golden milk. I found out about the health benefits of this drink and a pretty good recipe online and we've been drinking this for about a month. I've tweaked the standard recipe slightly and will give you my version tomorrow. There is one really glaring benefit we've found with this one, and I can only attribute it to the golden milk because we did not have this benefit while drinking only the lemon water, and it happens within days of starting it. We smell better. I know that seems a really odd thing to say, but you don't realize what a benefit it is until you live it. No one likes to talk about personal odor issues, most of us are embarrassed by it, and do our best to mask it. Hubby didn't have much of an issue to begin with, he is blessed to only have to wear deodorant on the stickiest of summer days. I am not so blessed, and my poor son got my genes in this respect. Since he hit puberty, it has been a major issue. People may think he doesn't bathe or wear deodorant, but he does and it still doesn't help. My body is so good to me that I have to put on deodorant the second I get out of the shower or I already smell. Not fun, and not good for a person's self-esteem. I am quite aware of the correlation between deodorant and breast cancer, but it came down to do I want to lose one or both boobs later in life or stink to high heaven now. I did think about it every time I applied deodorant. It sucked. Here's the fantastic change: we don't stink anymore! I can (and do, lol) actually go an entire weekend without showering or putting on deodorant. I now know freedom, people. It is quite liberating. So, enough about our family's bodily functions, weight loss and level of stinkiness. I wanted to share my two daily drinks, but there are quite a few new ones that I'd like to try out over the course of 2015 and I may do another post like this one with my happy results. Lemon Water I'll start with this one because it's pretty much the most widely known drink with health benefits and also because its the one I start my day with. There are many different variations of this one, and we started with the basic: Hot water with a half a lemon squeezed in. If you google this one, you'll find recipes galore. My suggestion is to start with water & lemon sweetened with some honey. Next, add some mint. Lastly, try out the recipe below. **note** It is really important to add the honey AFTER the water has cooled slightly. Hot water will kill the beneficial bacteria. **note** Due to the acidic nature of the lemon, do not drink coffee or brush your teeth for one hour after consuming. 2 cups water 1 lemon (organic if you can, otherwise, wash it with soap & water) 2 tsp honey (organic, raw, unpasteurized is best) sliver fresh ginger 4 leaves fresh mint Toss mint leaves into a saucepan and muddle slightly. Add water. Slice lemon and add along with ginger. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix in honey, pour into glasses (use a strainer) and consume warm. (Quick, simple recipe for busy mornings at the end of this post) Why drink this? Seriously, this one glass packs a punch! Lemons are known to replenish body salts, aid in the production of digestive fluids, maintain eye health, helps prevent wrinkles & acne, help balance calcium & oxygen levels in the liver, potassium levels nourish brain and nerve cells, help reduce pain and inflammation in joints, help prevent common cold and some infections & diseases by helping slow the growth & multiplication of bacteria, balance pH levels, flush out toxins, and is a great source of vitamin C, citric acid, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Ginger improves the absorption of essential nutrients, helps relieve gas, bloating & nausea, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Mint relieves indigestion, gas, morning sickness, menstrual cramps & pain, anti-bacterial & anti-inflammatory properties help fight oral infections, great for skin & clearing up acne, Helps prevent asthma & allergies, boosts immunity, fights stress & depression and helps fight cancer. Honey helps prevent cancer & heart disease, reduces ulcers and gastrointestinal disorders, has anti-bacterial & anti-fungal properties, reduces coughs & throat irritation, regulates blood sugar, gives you great skin and is a probiotic. Whenever you can, go for raw, unpasteurized honey, there are way more benefits. If you can, find a local beekeeper and purchase your honey from them. You are supporting your community and you know what you're getting. Just so you know, honey technically cannot be called 'organic' in Ontario (I'm not sure about other provinces) because the bees are flying around and can ingest pollen from anywhere. I have included a graphic I found online which gives you an idea why raw is better: I highly recommend that you incorporate at least a basic version of this drink into your morning routine. I know it's not easy - we're all so busy and time is at a premium - but it's such a simple way to do something good for your body. Some mornings are busier than others, and a way to make this quickly (which I do some mornings) is this: Boil water in your kettle. Pour water into each glass & add juice of one half lemon. Add enough cold water to cool slightly. Mix in 1 tsp honey. This method is per glass. Here you have the basics: honey & lemon, and it's quick. Don't give up your health to save ten minutes! Come back tomorrow for my Golden Milk recipe!
What a lovely little treat! Everytime I open my cupboard, there's a can of pumpkin staring me, crying out to become something other than a can of pureed pumpkin. I start stocking up on canned pumpkin as soon as they start going on sale around Thanksgiving in anticipation of all the pumpkin flavored goodies I'm going to bake, and I inevitably end up with a can or two left over after the season is over. This is one such can, and I was trying to figure out what to do with it. I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie, but I can stand it in low doses. I have previously posted my Pumpkin Cheesecake Rounds (click for recipe), which pairs two things I really don't care for into something I can enjoy, but this is almost straight-up pumpkin pie, so I re-worked it just a smidge and used a few pantry items that were kinda' crying out to be used to make something yummy. They're not at all sweet, so if you have a major sweet tooth, I suggest upping the sugar, but pumpkin pie isn't supposed to be super-sweet anyway. This recipe will make 8 little guys, perfect for a little treat after dinner, or you can use 6 ramekins and make them a little thicker. Let us begin: (scroll to the end for the full list of ingredients and directions) Mix all the crust ingredients together and gently and evenly (some of mine were a little more even than others) press down into the bottom of your ramekins. Bake these for about 5 minutes to set them. Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine the filling ingredients (add another tsp or two of sugar if you like). Remove the crusts from the oven and spoon filling on top. With 8 ramekins, you'll use about 2 rounded tablespoons each. Add just enough water to the baking sheet to just cover the bottoms. This helps them not to dry out while baking. When they're done, remove them and cool on your counter for about 10 minutes. Then, move them to the fridge. They're cool and ready in about a half hour! Now you can eat them naked (your own clothes are also optional, I suppose), or you can top them with whipped cream or anything else you enjoy. I used whatever I found in my kitchen and they taste yummy! First layer: Laura Secord Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. Second layer: Freshly whipped cream. Finally: Sprinkled with mixture of chopped hazelnuts and crushed hazelnut wafers. Serves 8
INGREDIENTS For the Crust: 1/4 cup butter, melted 1/4 cup shredded coconut 1/4 cup coconut flour For the Filling: 1/2 brick cream cheese, softened 1 cup pure pumpkin puree 2 tsp sugar 2 eggs 1/4 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cardamom 1/2 tsp cinnamon For the Whipped Cream: 1 cup heavy cream 1-1/2 tsp vanilla 2 tbsp icing sugar DIRECTIONS
So I guess my self-imposed social media exile wasn't quite as over as I thought a month ago! Truth is, the winter brings me down, it's usually dark and dreary and cold and snowy and slushy and cold. I just really do not appreciate this season. But, I have things to post so I thought I would start with this little gem - my breakfast this morning. It was freshly baked this morning because I really wanted to bake it last night for dessert, but I was busy all day and started it a little too late. I saw a really delicious looking lemon pull apart cake on Pinterest, but I knew I wanted to incorporate some of the frozen wild blueberries I had leftover from another baking session. And maybe make it a little less complicated, you know, simplify my life. So last night I made and rolled the loaf and put it in the pan, covered it with plastic and let it slow rise in the fridge overnight. This morning I set my alarm a half hour earlier, got up and popped it into the oven. A half hour later, voila! delicious breakfast! Without further ado, here is the recipe, which is adapted from Janette's Lemon Scented Pull-Apart Loaf on thewhimsicalcupcake.wordpress.com, I used a lot of her ideas to come up with this easier version. INGREDIENTS:
For the dough: 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup 1% milk 2 oz unsalted butter 1/4 cup water 1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 eggs, at room temperature 3 rounded tbsp defrosted wild blueberries, with juice For the lemon filling: 1/2 cup granulated sugar grated lemon zest of 3 lemons 2 oz unsalted butter, melted For the icing: 1/2 brick cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1 tbsp whipping cream juice of 1 lemon DIRECTIONS: 1. In a mixer bowl, stir together the sugar, yeast, salt & 2 cups of the flour. In a small saucepan, heat the cream, milk & butter over low heat just until melted. Remove from the heat, add water, and set aside about 1 minute to cool slightly. Add the vanilla extract. 2. Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup of the remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add blueberries & juice and 2 more tbsp flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds. 3. Sprinkle a work surface with 1 tbsp flour and center the dough on the flour. Knead gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about 1 minute, adding an additional 1 to 2 tbsp flour only if necessary to lessen the stickiness. If you add too much flour, just add a little more blueberry juice to soften it slightly. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes. While the dough is rising, make the filling. 4. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar and the zest. Set aside. 5. If you're baking this immediately, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 deg. Lightly butter or spray (I used Pam Coconut Oil spray) a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. 6. Gently deflate the dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a long rectangle. Evenly spread filling, going all the way to one end and leaving about an inch and a half on the other (for rolling purposes). 7. Roll up the dough, starting from the end where you got the filling all the way to the edge. Place in your pan, seam-side down. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes. If you're going to make this tomorrow, at this point, cover the the pan tightly with plastic rack and place in the fridge overnight. 8. If you're doing this the next day, preheat oven to 350 deg, remove loaf from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature before continuing. Bake the coffee cake until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Make the tangy cream cheese icing 9. In a medium bowl, vigorously mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the milk and lemon juice until the mixture is creamy and smooth. 10. Slip a sheet of waxed paper under a cooling rack to catch any drips from the icing and remove loaf from pan to rack. Coat the top of the warm cake with the icing to glaze it, add more blueberries if you have them. 11. Enjoy! Yesterday I Instagramed this absolutely amazing sandwich I made for dinner & promised the recipe today. It's called a Muffaletta and I first saw it on (where else?) Pinterest. I thought it looked so good and decided to give it a whirl. I was going to add herbs, garlic and olive oil to my peasant bread, but decided to bake actual focaccia instead. Before I regale you with my tale of Muffaletta, here for your perusal is the link to the focaccia recipe (which I did not change at all, it was so easy & yummy) and the muffaletta recipe (which I changed only slightly). This sandwich is super hardy and makes a great dinner, would impress when brought to a pot-luck, delight on a picnic (something that won't happen in this country for a few months) or hey, Superbowl isn't too far off! This took a looooong time to make. Mainly because I baked my own bread and that took two hours, but also because I totally forgot about the whole refrigerating and resting times need for the sandwich. All told, it took me about four hours start to finish. You can cut it down by following the steps outlined below. If you are using store-bought bread, totally ignore this and start with the actual sandwich recipe. Please note that I used dried herbs because I was out of fresh. If you happen to have them, use 2 tbsp chopped fresh.
INGREDIENTS: 1 loaf focaccia 150g hot Genoa salami 100g capicola 100g mortadella 200g proscuitto 1 pkg sliced mozzarella 1 pkg sliced provolone SPREAD: 1 cup chopped green olives (with pimiento) 1 cup chopped black olives 1/2 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts 1 roasted red pepper, chopped 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes 4 green onions, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup chopped fennel 2 tsp dried parsley 2 tsp dried oregano 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 3/4 cup olive oil DIRECTIONS: Place all the spread ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Put them in the fridge to marinate for about an hour.
You may be wondering where I hit my head to even be considering strawberries and butter together, but hear me out. I (unsuccessfully, thanks to a bum oven) made popovers last weekend. While I was trying to figure out what went wrong, I stumbled upon a comment where the person said they enjoyed their popovers with strawberry butter. I immediately thought that was a fantastic idea. David was not so sure about it, but since I do all the cooking, baking and general experimentation in the kitchen, he didn't have much of a choice. I had intended to make my own butter to really elevate it, but I was a little pressed for time, so I went with the butter already in my fridge. This is really easy to make and tastes divine! My kids beg for it, and David was using crumbs to wipe up the little bit that was left on his plate. It's really that good. You can use it on pancakes, waffles, toast, crumpets, biscuits, popovers, you get the idea. Although this picture I took shows my cubed butter in the Nutribullet jar, I would advise against using it. It just doesn't mix it around enough and I had to stir it and push it around numerous times to get the correct consistency. I would also suggest a taller bowl when mixing in the strawberries - I make this mistake all the time - otherwise everything just splatters everywhere.. Without further ado, I present to you: Strawberry Butter INGREDIENTS: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 4 medium-large ripe strawberries, chopped 1/4 cup fine sugar 1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan salt Cream together the butter, salt and sugar using a blender or food processor. Transfer to a TALL bowl - ignore my mistake above and you will not have splatters all over your kitchen. Add your strawberries. Mix it all together, you want chunks of strawberries, but not too many. I used the whisk attachment on my handblender, it worked really well (except for the aforementioned splatter). Voila! You have strawberry butter. I got about 3 cups worth. We used one right away and half of the second on day two. The third is in the freezer right now, but will come out on Saturday when I have family over for the boy's birthday party. I'm thinking scones... The original recipe can be found here.
Last week I posted pics on Twitter and Facebook of this drool-inspiring cake I saw on Pinterest created by Elizabeth, the Sugarhero. I just had to try to make this awesome dessert because, let's face it, you can't go wrong with donuts & coffee! Mine did not turn out as high or as pretty as hers, mainly because I didn't embellish it much. I ran out of mousse, so I only got three layers. I considered making another batch but decided to just go with what I had. I was actually under the weather this weekend and this cake is pretty labour-intensive. I made some other errors also, but all in all, I think this cake is pretty delish. First off, I made the donuts a little too big. I thought I had found the absolute smallest cutting instruments I had when I cut the donuts. It was only after I had cut out all of them and was doing a little cleanup before frying that I found something that was smaller. After all that time spent cutting out almost 40 small donuts, I was not about to start all over again. The donuts themselves were good, but I was the only one with that opinion in this house. Bear in mind that Old Fashion Plain from Tim Horton's are my fave, so that may have something to do with it. My husband said they were a little too 'eggy' and my son said they had no real taste. In their defense, they were too 'eggy' probably because I didn't read the recipe correctly and used three whole eggs instead of just the yolks. As for the taste, they did have flavour, but it was really mild and I think that's the point because they're going to be covered in cocoa mousse and chocolate ganache. As for the mousse - absolutely the best, most flavourful mousse I've ever eaten! So simple and so amazingly delicious, I'll definitely make it again just as a dessert on it's own. A word of caution, though, for the love of God, use a deep bowl when whipping the mousse! I used a shallow one because, you know it's my first time ever in the kitchen and I don't know better (!) and got cream and mousse all over myself, my counters, the wall and the small appliances I keep on my counter. What a mess to clean up. I did make one (purposeful) change to the recipe here - I used fine ground sugar instead of icing sugar. I read that was the type Gordon Ramsay uses for his mousses, and now I know why. Turned out amazing. I'm not going to re-write her recipe here - it is amazing on it's own and she wrote it with very clear and easy to read directions - even the part about egg yolks that I missed. So go to Sugarhero.com (the link will open in a new window) for the whole recipe and lots of beautiful pictures of the original cake. Elizabeth's photos are absolutely gorgeous and make mine look like they were taken in low light with an ipad... oh wait, they were!
Since I received this beautiful (and large!) bottle of Riesling to try out from the good people at Sawmill Creek and BzzAgent, I wanted to do more than just sample it. I wanted to use it in a way that I haven't before. With my bottle of Autumn Blush I made a really delicious sangria (see recipe here) and thought I'd 'cook' something with this one. he Riesling is in the vinaigrette and you probably wouldn't be able to differentiate between using a Riesling or a Chardonnay, but the end result was delicious and I suggest that if you are going to make this you give Sawmill Creek a try. To see what I received in my Sawmill Creek BzzKit click here. Scroll down all the way past the pictures for the ingredients list and full directions. The first step is to make the vinaigrette - I wanted it to cool while I was getting the rest made. Slice up your shallot, grind some peppercorns and bring to a boil with your Riesling. Let it boil for about 15-20 minutes, until it reduces slightly. Remove from heat, let cool a few minutes (have a glass of wine during that time... I did) then whisk in the oil, vinegar, salt and mustard. Put it in a plastic container, seal it and place it in the fridge while you make the slaw, for want of a better word. Squirt the lemon juice into your bowl of cold water and as you julienne your apples, place them into the water. This is not really done for flavoring (although they may take on a slight lemony taste), it's really just a little trick to keep your apples from going brown. Leave them in the water while you slice up your fennel into thin strips. Place your fennel, apple and pomegranate seeds into a bowl and place in the refrigerator. The scallops will cook fast - so you want everything ready to go once they start sizzling. One of my large burners on my stove is not working, so I have to make do. That is why I decided to buy pre-cooked tiger shrimp. I defrosted them and placed them in the oven on low to allow them to warm up while I got the scallops cooked. If you're doing the same, place them in the oven at about 200 deg just before you start the scallops and remove them as soon as you're done. That way they will not be overcooked and rubbery. Scallops: I put way too much oil and had the pan way too hot, so I was getting sprayed by hot oil all over the place. However, after just a few minutes... Flip over the scallops and see golden perfection. Just a few more minutes on this side and remove them from the heat. Toss your slaw with your vinaigrette and divide between four plates. Top with scallops and shrimp. Serve with a glass of Riesling & enjoy! Full Recipe - Serves 4: INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup Sawmill Creek Riesling 1 tsp ground pepper 1 large shallot, sliced 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 tsp Himalayan salt 1 granny smith apple juice of 1/2 lemon 2 cups cold water 1/2 head large fennel 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds 1 pkg shrimp 1 pkg scallops olive oil salt DIRECTIONS: 1. In a small pot bring Riesling, shallots and pepper to a boil. Let boil for about 15-20 minutes until slightly reduced. Remove from heat. 2. Once slightly cooled, whisk in vinegar, mustard, salt and olive oil. Place into a plastic container and let cool in the fridge. 3. Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl containing the cold water. 4. Julienne apple, placing strips into cold water to prevent browning. 5. Thinly slice fennel. 6. Drain apple strips and place in a new bowl along with fennel and pomegranate seeds. Refrigerate. 7. Rinse and drain shrimp and place in a shallow bowl. Set oven to 200 deg and slowly warm shrimp while preparing scallops. 8. Rinse and drain scallops. Place about a tbsp of olive oil into a pan and once hot (medium-high heat), place the scallops in a single layer. 9. Fry scallops for about 3 minutes, flip and turn off burner. Leave frying in pan for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt. 10. Toss fennel, apple and pomegranate seeds with vinaigrette and distribute evenly among 4 plates. Top with shrimp and scallops and serve immediately. The bottle of Riesling was offered free of charge from the good people at Sawmill Creek Wines and BzzAgent with the expectation of an honest review, favorable or otherwise.
Here's a simple recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. I actually took a few pictures of the process this time, instead of just the end result. I often intend to do this, but I forget. Not this time... Makes 10-12 tacos, depending on how many shrimp you put into each shell. INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup premium sour cream (thicker than the regular) 3 tbsp mayo 1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped juice 1/2 lime 3 tbsp unsalted butter 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 lime, chopped 2 x 300g pkg shrimp, peeled, deveined & butterflied 1 tsp pepper 1 cup ea shredded red & green cabbage tortilla or taco shells DIRECTIONS: Combine the first four ingredients in a small bowl and place in the refrigerator while you get everything else ready so the flavours meld together. Melt the butter on medium-high and add the garlic. Saute for a few minutes, then add the shrimp & pepper. Saute for a few minutes longer - just until shrimp turns pink and curls. Add the lime chunks, stir and remove from heat. To assemble, microwave your tortilla for 20-30 seconds (makes them softer) and place a streak of sauce. Top with 5-6 shrimp and finish with some cabbage.
Serve with lime wedges for squirting! Delicious, easy and something the whole family will eat without complaint. I got a lovely bottle of Sawmill Creek Autumn Blush for a BzzAgent campaign and decided to do something fun with it. I drew inspiration from a recipe I found on (where else?) Pinterest. The colours in Gimme Some Oven's Rainbow Sangria were so striking and inviting that I just had to try something like that for myself. Unfortunately, my photos are never as beautiful as the ones on Pinterest, but I was really happy with the way this turned out, pretty to look at and delicious to drink. I used this 5L glass dispenser I got on sale for $14.99 at Kitchen Stuff Plus. The recipe below has quantities to fill this container. If yours is smaller, adjust quantities as you see fit. For the raspberries and grapes (or any other fruit that you will not peel) I recommend you buy organic or at the very least wash them with soap and water to get as much of the pesticides off as possible. Remember that they will be sitting in a liquid that you will be ingesting for quite some time. Remember, you can use any kind of fruit that you like - pineapples would probably be really nice in this, but I'm allergic to them so I can't add them. Also, I suggest that you wash and prep the grapes the night before and freeze them. They will keep your sangria cold without watering down your drink. INGREDIENTS 1 bottle Sawmill Creek Autumn Blush wine (1500 ml) 1/2 cup organic honey 2 cups Sprite (or 7-Up or Gingerale) 6 kiwis, peeled and sliced 4 navel oranges, peeled and chopped into chunks 3 meyer lemons, peeled and chopped 2 pints raspberries 1 pomegranate, seeded 1 bag black seedless grapes DIRECTIONS 1. In a large container (not the serving jug), combine the honey, pop and wine and stir well. 2. In your dispenser, layer your fruit: grapes, kiwi, oranges, lemons, raspberries and pomegranate seeds. 3. Pour wine mixture over your fruit and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavours to meld. Final step: Enjoy! The bottle of Autumn Blush was offered free of charge from the good people at Sawmill Creek Wines and BzzAgent with the expectation of an honest review, favorable or otherwise. |
AuthorHi! I'm Sonja and I'm glad you're here! I'm happy to share some recipes and gardening tips with you while I let you know about great (or not so great) products, services, and media I encounter. Visit my online shop at MysteriousDragonfyre.com
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