kicking sesame rice noodles

this recipe has three parts, first marinate and cook the chicken, next make the dressing and prepare your vegetables, lastly cook your noodles. put it all together and you have a delicious light summer salad.


Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Ingredients for marinade:
1 Tbsp. peanut oil
2 Tbsp. gluten free soy sauce
1 Tbsp. chinese black vinegar
2 Tsp. sesame oil
4 cloves garlic , pressed
1 Tbsp. ginger, minced
Directions for chicken:
Place ingredients in a glass dish and mix, add chicken breasts, cover, refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. remove from marinade and grill on hot barbecue until an instant read thermometer reads 165 when inserted into breast. slice into thin slices.

Ingredients for kicking sesame dressing-
8 cloves of garlic,pressed
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
4 Tbsp. Chinese sesame paste (or peanut butter)
5 Tbsp. sesame oil
5 Tbsp. gluten free soy sauce
1/4 cup sake
1 1/2 Tbsp. Chinese black vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp sucanat
3 Tbsp. water

process in food processor or blender until smooth.



Ingredients for noodle salad:
1/2 pound flat rice noodles, cooked and rinsed under cold water and tossed with a little sesame oil
2 english cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded and grated or julienned
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed
1 1/2 cups of your cooked chicken breasts, sliced
3 tablespoons green onions, sliced
Spicy sesame dressing to taste

Directions:

1. arrange the noodles in individual bowls
2. toss cucumbers, red peppers and bean sprouts and arrange on top of noodles
3. add some sliced chicken, the green onion and top with kicking sesame dressing to taste.

Sweet Pea salad with Chili Lime tiger prawns and garlic/lime baby potatoes

salad adapted from this recipe
we always make extra for leftovers. There is plenty of extra salad dressing here, will keep well for 4 days in fridge. Prawns are big, 10 of them could easily serve 3 or even 4 people.

Sweet Pea Salad with Chili Lime Shrimp-
Ingredients:
10 Tiger prawns
6 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 1 hour

Shrimp Marinade-
Ingredients:
2 limes - the juice of
1 Tbsp. Rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. sucanat
1/4 cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. hot red chilli, finely chopped
1/4 cup peanut oil

Sweet Pea Salad-
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar peas, washed
1 1/3 cups mixed baby greens, washed and dried
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 yellow pepper sliced thin

Dressing:
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. ginger, peeled and minced
2 large shallots, minced
1/4 cup Rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup extra virgin Olive oil
2 limes, juice of
1 Tbsp. tamari soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
1. combine marinade ingredients for prawns. Place prawns in a lidded container, pour marinade over prawns, seal and refrigerate for 30 minutes
2. Preheat barbecue to high and oil grill
3. remove prawns from marinade, discard the used marinade and place 3 prawns on doubled up skewers
4. season with salt and pepper
5. oil the grill and barbecue the prawns for about 1 1/2 minutes per side (or until cooked through)
6. serve with Sweet Pea Salad (see directions below) and garlic/lime baby potatoes (see below)

Sweet Pea salad directions-
1. place sweet peas, baby greens and peppers in a large bowl
Dressing-
1. combine ginger, shallots, vinegar, honey, olive oil, lime juice, red pepper flakes and tamari soy sauce in a bowl.
2. whisk vigorously while slowly adding the sesame oil.
3. salt and pepper to taste
4. pour two Tbsp. dressing (or to taste) over salad ingredients, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and serve with Chili Lime prawns

Garlic/ Lime baby potatoes (you will want to make these before you barbecue the prawns, they will stay nice and hot in the foil packet)

Ingredients:
1 lb. organic baby potatoes
1 large organic carrot, sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped
3. Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper
1 lime, juice of
3 cloves of garlic, pressed

Directions:
1.Partially cook potatoes on high for 5 minutes in microwave, or partially boil them.
2. combine all the ingredients together in a bowl. lay out a large piece of foil and spoon the potato mixture into the foil. wrap tightly to form a packet.
3.Barbecue on high for about 15 minutes( or until cooked through and browned). turning frequently.

Chili Citrus Shish Kabobs

Chili - Citrus Chicken:

1 orange, zested and juiced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 small hot chillies chopped fine
1/4 cup tamari gluten free soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes

Lemon- garlic shrimp:

3 cloves garlic , pressed
2 shallots, minced
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chili pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Vegetables For Kabobs:

red and yellow bell peppers
red onion
cherry tomatoes
mushrooms
zuchinni
baby potatoes, boiled until cooked through

Balsamic basting vinaigrette for vegetables:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
soak bamboo skewers in water for one hour before charring

Directions:

1. Using a whisk, stir together all of the chili citrus chicken ingredients (except the chicken) in a bowl. Add the chicken to the mixture and coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. Using a whisk, stir together all of the lemon garlic shrimp ingredients (except the shrimp) in a bowl. Add the shrimp to the mixture and coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.

3. Cut the vegetables into slightly larger than bite sized pieces.

4. Puree balsamic basting vinaigrette ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds.

5. arrange meat and vegetable pieces onto skewers according to your own wants. (I wanted more shrimp and Ken wanted more chicken). It really works best to skewer each type of meat and veggies separately so that you can control the cooking times. Obviously chicken cooks Waaay faster than shrimp. :)

Grill the kabobs on high on the barbecue for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning 1/4 rotation every 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chicken reads 165 with your instant read thermometer inserted. (baste vegetables once each side)

serve with brown rice and chutney.

adapted from this recipe

Curried Chicken rolls with Thai Sweet basil

so good. so delicious! It's on my fav list now.
serve as is or add some diced hot red peppers for a little kick if you can stand it.
Adapted from this amazing book

Ingredients:
24 gluten free organic corn tortillas
3 Tbsp. macadamia nut oil
2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and cut into thin 1 1/2 inch strips
5 carrots, peeled and julienned
2 turnips, peeled and julienned
2 1/2 Tbsp. Chinese sake

Home-made curry powder ingredients: blend together into a paste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 cloves garlic- crushed
1/4 cup of very finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 pound boneless , skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1/6 inch slices

Coconut sauce- blend together-
1 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. sucanat

1 cup fresh sweet basil leaves, coarsely chopped.

Directions:
1. wrap corn tortillas in foil in packets of 6 and warm in the oven at 300°F

2. heat a wok or heavy skillet over med/high heat. add 1 1/2 Tbsp. of oil and heat 30 seconds. Add the leeks and stir fry for 1 minute (until softened). Add the carrots, turnips, and rice sake, and toss lightly, cover, turn heat down to med. and cook for 2 minutes (until vegetables are tender). transfer the vegetables to a bowl ,cover, and set aside.

3. Reheat the wok, add remaining oil, heat 30 seconds, add the home-ground curry powder and cook for 20 seconds, or until very fragrant. Add the chicken, turn up the heat to high, and stir-fry until the meat loses it's pink color and the slices separate. Add the coconut sauce and cook for about 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Add the leek mixture and chopped basil, toss lightly, and transfer to a platter. To eat, spoon some of the curry mixture onto a tortilla and wrap it up.

Kiwifruit

The Kiwi Fruit- Twice the vitamin C of Oranges; amazing antioxidant properties; excellent magnesium, fiber, and potassium. It's a super fruit and I just had it for dessert. :) Happy weekend folks!

Canadian Currywurst and sweet potato fries

for a quick and delicious meal.
You will need-
Gluten free spicy Italian sausages or Bratwurst (my german friends will die at this suggestion)
organic ketchup
curry powder

grill your sausages on the barbecue on med. about 15-20 minutes until done through.
slice the sausages, drizzle with organic ketchup and spoon some curry powder on top and enjoy!

serve with sweet potato fries and more organic ketchup for a delicious treat.

I know what your saying? "Where's the greens?" - Do what I did.
Eat a large salad for lunch . Mine consisted of sprouts, grated carrots, various lettuces, and diced boiled egg. :)

Grilled Chicken Satay noodle salad

Even though there might be several parts to this recipe- you can make the Satay sauce, the Satay marinade and the Salad dressing in the morning and then all you need to do is grill the chicken and quickly cook the noodles at dinner time.

Ingredients:
Satay Marinade:
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon grass, fresh, minced
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 pound, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/6 inch strips

Noodle Salad ingredients:
3/4 pound thin stick vermicelli, softened for 15 minutes in hot water and and cooked in boiling water for less than a minute.
3 large carrots grated
2 cups Boston lettuce leaves, sliced
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed
3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. peanut oil for grilling

Salad dressing-
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
juice of 2 small lemons
1 Tbsp. gluten free soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tsp. sucanat
stir everything together in a small bowl.

Directions-
1. In a medium bowl, combine the satay marinade ingredients, add the chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat your barbecue to high, apply a little peanut oil to the grill and add the chicken slices and cook a minute and a half or so each side until brown.

3. In a large bowl add the cooked noodles, lettuce, carrots and bean sprouts, pour some dressing over and lightly toss to coat. Serve in individual bowls with chicken arranged on top and Satay sauce for dipping (or pouring indiscriminately over the entire dish if it is so your desire.)

Satay sauce-
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. tamari gluten free soy sauce
3 Tbsp. finely minced ginger
3 Tbsp. sucanat
1 tsp. crushed red pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. store in a covered container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Shrimp salad rolls -with Peanut Sauce and Spicy Sweet & Sour dipping sauce

Shrimp salad rolls
Ingredients:
6 ounces vermicelli noodles, softened in hot water and cooked until just tender (a couple of minutes), rinsed under cold water and drained, cut into 3 inch lengths
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
3/4 cup fresh thai holy basil (or sweet basil leaves) finely shredded
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Spicy Lime dressing -mix together
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
juice of 2 limes
1 med jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 1/2 Tbsp. sucanat

24 round rice paper wrappers (8 inch diameter)
1 head leaf lettuce, separated, rinsed, dried and tough center bits trimmed
1 pound medium shrimp. poached in boiling water until pink, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise and deveined

we use rice wrapper rolling plates available at specialty asian stores.

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the noodles, carrots, basil, and cilantro. add the spicy lime dressing and toss to coat

2. Fill a wide shallow pan with hot water & spread a dish towel out on a work surface. Dip a rice wrapper in the water for about 3 seconds until softened and place on towel . (or use the rice wrapper plates to make things much easier for you if you are a novice. We bought ours in chinatown)

3. Place a lettuce leaf on the lower third of the rice wrapper. spoon a scant 1/4 of the noodle mixture onto the lettuce, arrange 2 shrimp halves next to each other, and roll up into a cylinder, tucking in the ends as you go. Place the roll on a platter and cover with a damp towel to keep from drying out. repeat with remaining wrappers. you will get better at it. :)
serve with the two sauces below:

Peanut sauce-

Ingredients:
1/4 cup gluten free hoisin sauce
(to make hoisin sauce- in a med bowl stir together 4 Tbsp. Gluten free soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter, 1 Tbsp. honey, 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar, pinch of garlic powder, 2 tsp. sesame oil, 2 dollops of hot sauce and a pinch of black pepper. stir well it will mix eventually)

2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. sucanat
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. macadamia nut oil
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. crushed red pepper

Directions:
1. In a small bowl combine hoisin sauce, peanut butter, tomato paste, sugar, and water and stir until smooth.

2. Heat a small heavy saucepan on high and add the oil and heat until hot (20 seconds). Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and stir for about 5 seconds. stir in the peanut butter mixture, and cook (turn the heat down slightly) for about 3 to 4 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature

Spicy Sweet-&-Sour Dipping sauce

Ingredients:

1 tsp. crushed red pepper
Juice of 3 limes or 2 lemons
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 Tbsp. sucanat
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. grated carrots

Directions:
In a medium bowl, soak the crushed red pepper in the lime juice for 3 minutes. Add the fish sauce, sucanat, and garlic and stir to dissolve the sucanat. just before serving, add the carrots. (sauce will keep coverd in fridge for several days)

Ants on a log

celery, almond butter and dried currants.
a very mature snack