Raw Oysters

This is not for everyone.  Especially Aki who is allergic to them, but ironically worked as an oyster shucker for a couple of years!  Customers would come up to him and ask what he likes and would recommend, and he would say things like, "people really like this or that."  They would also tell him that he can do more with his life and should go back to school to get a better job.  He would nod agreeable, but fail to disclose that he was actually doing his Masters.  Anyways, enough of an intro....here is a nice picture of a very pretty oyster!    Just open them up using a shucker and some muscle, and then you can top it with a bit of lemon juice or seafood sauce if you would like.  Then, slurp it back and say....AAAHHHH! 

PS.  We thought the shell was so pretty we washed and saved it, and now store TTC tokens in it!  Also, we like to get our seafood in Scarborough at a store called Diana's (Warden & Lawrence).

Pickled Beans (& Carrots)

Green beans, yellow beans, sliced carrots

1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1 cup white vinegar

3 garlic cloves
whole peppercorns
chili flakes
dried corriander
dillseed
dehydrate onion flakes

Boil water, then add salt and stir until dissolved. Add in vinegar (and be sure not to inhale too close to the pot!).  Place beans in a large jar and pour in hot liquid mixture to cover beans.  Add in the rest of the spices, to your liking.  Place lid onto jar and allow to cool to room temperature.  Put jar in fridge and wait 2 weeks before eating.  (You really do need to wait 2 weeks before eating these!  Perhaps hide it in the back of your fridge so that they do not tempt you on a daily basis.)

Important note:  Since this is not a canning recipe, you cannot leave this product at room temperature.  Please be sure to store it in the fridge!

Healthy Muffins

Well, as healthy as muffins can get.  This recipe is adapted from Chatelaine.

Streusel Topping
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp butter

Muffins
3/4 cup flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup quinoa flakes or ground flax seeds
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup green yogurt
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp lemon zest
170g blueberries or strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line muffin tin with paper. 

For streusel....
Mix flour and sugar with zest.  Add butter and blend with hand until crumbly.  Set aside.

For muffins....
In large bowl, mix flours, quinoa flakes/flax seeds, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In medium bowl, whisk egg; then stir in yogurt, oil, and zest.  Stir egg mixture into flour mixture, until just combined.  Stir in blueberries/strawberries.  Spoon into muffin cups.  Sprinkle tops with streusel mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

Lattes for Everyone!

My brother gave us a refurbished cappuccino machine (only $40!) and it looks sooooooooooo cool!  Who knew it would look so cool?  Not I!  Anyways, it works pretty well too.  So far we have made cappuccinos, lattes, espressos, vietnamese coffee, and green tea lattes.  Our milk consumption has risen exponentially.  (I considered rephrasing that last sentence in order to sound less nerdy, but have decided to embrace the nerdiness instead).  Tah dah!

One-dish Chicken & Vegetable Meal

The title says it all.  This one was a team effort.  I pre-heated the oven.  Aki marinated boneless chicken legs in olive oil, crushed garlic, oregano, and basil, for a couple of hours.  I sliced the veggies - carrots, zucchini, and potatoes (using my fancy wavy knife).  I tossed the veggies with the olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme, and placed them into a baking dish.  Aki placed the the chicken on the veggies, I opened the oven door, and he placed the dish into the oven.  An hour or so later....voila!

Rice Wraps

Otherwise known as Vietnamese fresh spring rolls.  These are pretty expensive if you buy them pre-made at restaurants - probably due to the labour involved.  However, the labour is actually half of the fun, if you make them one-by-one as you eat them! 

Step 1:  Take dry rice wrap and place in warm/hot water until just softened. 

Step 2:  Place filling into centre of wrap.  Filling can include cooked thinly sliced meat or shrimp, thinly sliced cucumbers, thinly sliced carrots, cooked vermicelli noodles, thinly sliced lettuce, and hoison sauce.  The sauce is very important.  These items can be found at an Asian supermarket. 

Step 3:  Roll it up!  Eat it!

The Most Delicious Tomato Salad

This is the most delicious tomato salad I have ever had.  Aki's Mom made it.  The tomatoes were from Highland Farm, and were very fresh and sweet.  The cheese is goat feta and was very flavorful, without being too salty.  The basil was from Jean Talon Market in Montreal.  The best part were the olives - all the way from their friend's mother's garden in GREECE!  They released a nice olive oil all over the salad.  MMMMMMMMM!

 (Yes, the picture is upside-down).

Sausage Rapini Pasta (Mercatto Wannabe)

 This is my version of the orecchiette fennel sausage, rapini, peperoncini dish at Mercatto.  Instead of orecchiette I used spaghettoni.  The brand of pasta that we usually use (and is very delicious) is Barilla.  I forget what type of sausages I used, but they were from Longo's, as was the rapini.

1.  Cut sausages into bite-sized pieces and pan fry.  Mash with potato masher.  Place into large bowl.
2.  Cut rapini into thirds or quarters, and steam.  Be careful not to overcook.  Place into the bowl.
3.  Cook pasta.  Drain and place into the bowl.
4.  Add a generous amount of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of chili flakes to pasta and mix well.

That's it!  Congratulate yourself on a job well-done and place the $15 per serving you saved into your piggybank.