Szechwan Slaw (CleanCuisine)

December 16, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

I intend to make this as a side on Christmas Eve alongside the crown roast of pork This is delicious and tangy with the freshly grated ginger giving it a real fresh and clean taste. It’s also great with a piece of broiled salmon as a very low fat meal

Serves 8

The Szechwan Dressing

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red chile flakes
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
salt to taste

The salad

3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
1 large red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
1/4 lb snow peas, sliced thinly and diagonally
1/8 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

To prepare the dressing

In a bowl combine the vinegar, canola, sugar, ginger, red chile flakes, cilantro and salt. Set aside

To prepare the salad

Toast the almonds until golden brown and they start to smell great! You can use a toaster oven or regular oven. It should take about 7 minutes at 350F. Set aside to cool or do in advance.

Combine the red and green cabbages, red pepper, scallions, carrot, snow peas and sesame seeds.

Fifteen minutes before serving time, toss the cabbage mixture with the dressing, as this allows the flavors to meld while keeping the crisp vegetables intact.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Poultry · Soup · Whole30 compliant

Eternal slow-cooker chicken broth

August 20, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

I was reading about this today and went straight to the freezer where I had a bag of two organic roast chicken carcasses waiting for recycling.
What a great idea and to have the slow cooker on all day every day for a week (making the house smell divine) and just top up the slow cooker with water when necessary.
When removing any broth for use, strain it through some cheesecloth or a (spare) reusable coffee filter, so that all the herbs, chicken bits and vegetables stay behind, also producing a clearer broth, then replace the used broth with more filtered water.
Do this for up to a week, extracting every bit of goodness from that chicken carcass then throw it all away and start all over again with a new roasted chicken carcass or whole chicken.

This recipe is for you to improvise. It gives a guide to what you can put in the broth, but you can make an Asian broth by adding fresh ginger, lemon grass, star anise etc

1 whole chicken (or the carcass of a roasted chicken)
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp white peppercorns
1 large onion, chopped into chunks
2 carrot, chopped into chunks
3 stalks of celery, chopped into chunks
1 or 2 leeks, chopped into chunks
bunch of fresh thyme, sage and Italian parsley, stalks and all
Filtered water

Put the chicken or chicken carcase into the slow cooker then pile in everything else, stirring and mixing together.
Cover with the filtered water and cook on your lowest setting for ONE WEEK.
After 24 hours or so, you may begin using the broth.
As you need it, simply dip a ladle into the broth to remove the stock. Pour it through some cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer.
Replace the broth with an equivalent amount of filtered water.
If you are using a whole chicken, you can remove the chicken meat as you need it and use it in other dishes, like stir fries, soups or sandwiches.

At the end of the week, strain off any remaining broth, save or freeze, then discard or compost the bones. The bones by this time will pretty much crumble when pressed between your fingers.
The softness of the bones shows that most of the nourishment (minerals, amino acids etc) have leached from the bones into the broth you’ve been enjoying all week.

Wash the insert of your slow cooker and start al over again!

Asian flavors · Fish · Gluten Free · Nuts · Poultry · Salad

Marie Claire’s Vietnamese prawn and chicken salad (CleanCuisine)

August 9, 2012February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is so light and tangy and one of the best salads I know. Well worth making and wonderful for entertaining in the summer!

Serves 4 – 6

12 oz small cooked prawns
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp fish sauce
4 tbsp lime juice
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
15 fresh mint leaves, finely sliced
1 tsp sugar
2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
2-3 carrots, grated
4 oz snow pea sprouts or other sprouts
1&1/2 English cucumbers peeled, seeded and diced
6 scallions (spring onions) , finely sliced
3 x baby cos (romaine) lettuce, finely sliced
1 -2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
optional 1/3 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
optional 1 avocado, cubed

Peel the prawns and put them in a bowl
In a small bowl, combine the cumin, fish sauce, lime juice, olive oil, sesame oil, mint and sugar.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then pour the mixture over the prawns and toss until the prawns are well coated.
Add the chicken, carrot, snow pea sprouts, optional cubed avocado, cucumber, spring onion and lettuce.
Lightly toss together then pile onto a serving platter or into individual bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds. (dry roasted peanuts)

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Tomato Terrine

December 29, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

And now for something completely different and light.

This is a very elegant starter, especially when the heirloom tomatoes are at their best.

2 carrots, chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped
1 shallot, halved
1 garlic clove
10 flat leaf parsley sprigs
10 black peppercorns
3 fresh bay leaves, or 1 dried

6lbs large firm ripe tomatoes, peeled. (a mix of colors makes the terrine look great)
1 tsp kosher salt plus more for extra seasoning
1 1/2 tbsp unflavored gelatine
1/4 cup thinly sliced chives
2 tsp red wine vinegar
non stick vegetable oil spray
sea salt

You will need two 8″ x 4 1/2 ” loaf pans

Bring the first 8 ingredients and 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the stock yields 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.
Set a fine mesh strainer over a large measuring cup and strain the stock, discarding the solids. Cover and keep hot.

Set a fine mesh strainer over another measuring cup. Cut each peeled tomato into 4 wedges. Place wedges, cut side up, on a work surface. Cut away seeds and pulp from the tomato and transfer to a strainer.
Place the filleted tomatoes on a double layer of paper towels to drain; sprinkle with 1 tsp kosher salt. pat tomatoes with more paper towels. let stand for 30 minutes.

Press on the seeds to yield 1/2 cup of tomato juice. Sprinkle gelatin over the juice let stand for 10 minutes to soften. Add to the hot stock, whisk vigorously to dissolve the gelatin. Stir in 1/4 cup chives, vinegar and kosher salt to taste.

Spray 1 loaf pan with non stick spray, line with plastic wrap allowing for a 3″ overhang on each side.
Smooth out the plastic to remove any wrinkles as they will show on the finished terrine.
Pour 1/2 cup stock into the prepared pan. Chill until set, about 40 minutes. Arrange 1 layer of tomatoes in the pan, pressing down gently, then drizzle 2 tbsp stock mixture over. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes and stock. Pout the remaining stock over the fill the pan.
Cover the terrine with plastic wrap. Place on a small rimmed baking sheet.
Place the second loaf pan on top of the terrine, weigh down the terrine by placing 2 – 3 small canned goods in the top pan (some liquid mixture in the bottom pan may spill out). Chill the terrine until set, about 6 hours.
Do ahead. This can be made 2 days ahead but keep it chilled.
Uncover the terrine when ready to serve and invert onto a platter. Remove pan and plastic wrap.
Slice the terrine and transfer to the plates. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with chives and sea salt.

Do-ahead · Fruit · Gluten Free · Grains · Nuts · Salad

Quinoa, beet, feta and caper salad

October 8, 2011July 30, 2023 Belinda1 Comment

I had a version of this at Hugos restaurant in Hollywood and absolutely adored the combination of flavors. I rushed home, via the supermarket and immediately made a version of it that is actually better!
I don’t want to dictate measurements too much as you can pretty much improvise.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water or chicken broth. (I like to use chicken broth as it gives more flavor)
4 large beets, roasted, peeled and chopped small (1/2″ size cubes)
finely chopped red onion and scallions
small cubes of peeled raw carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
finely chopped fresh Italian parsley and fresh mint
1 tbsp capers, drained, but keep the liquid to use in the dressing.
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese
1/2 cup lightly toasted walnut pieces
cayenne pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
good balsamic vinegar
freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Roast the beets individually wrapped in aluminum foil and a few drops of water per beet so as not to dry out while they’re cooking. They will take about 1 hour or even more. Pierce each foil parcel with a fork or skewer to test they’re cooked, then remove and peel when a bit cooler.
Chop the beets into small cubes.
Cook the quinoa in boiling water or broth for 15 minutes until all the liquid has gone, then put into a large bowl and allow to cool.
Add the chopped beets, chopped onions, chopped herbs, raisins, capers, crumbled blue cheese, walnut pieces and mix well.
Pour in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and season well. Add some caper juice, a little cayenne pepper and mix well.
Leave the salad in the fridge for 1 hour for the flavors to mingle.

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Grains · Vegan · Vegetable-related

My brown rice salad with two sesame flavors

October 8, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

This has a wonderful nutty flavor and is very moreish.

1 cup (at least) uncooked long or short grain brown rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 cup peeled and coarsely shredded carrots
A good handful of chopped cilantro
1/2 cup thinly sliced trimmed scallions
1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and let stand, uncovered until cooled.

Whisk the oil, lemon juice and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the cooked, cooled rice, carrots and scallions and cilantro. Toss to blend and season if necessary.

Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and sesame seeds, toss once and serve

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Vegan · Vegetable-related

Carrot puree with ginger and orange

August 23, 2011June 11, 2024 Belinda

This is one of our favorite side dishes.

Serves 8

3 lbs carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
4 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 stick butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 1/2 tbsp peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp grated orange zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cook the carrots and 3 tbsp sugar in a large pot of boiling salted water until the carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes.
Drain well. Return carrots to same pot. Stir over medium heat until any excess moisture evaporates.

Meanwhile, bring the orange juice to a simmer in a heavy, small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, ginger and orange zest, whisk until the butter melts.
Whisk in the lemon juice and remaining 1 tbsp sugar.

Puree half the carrots and half the juice mixture in a food processor until smooth. transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining carrots and juice mixture.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead)
Cover and refrigerate.
Re-warm carrots in a microwave on high for about 4 minutes or re-warm in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.