Broccoli Cheese Soup

This soup ended up being quite rich. It's best served in small portions. It really isn't a low calorie kind of soup.

Ingredients:
3 lbs broccoli, in small pieces, stems cut into bite size pieces and separated from florets
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1.5 cups heavy cream
1 carrot, diced
4 pints chicken stock (or milk works too)
2 small russet potatoes, peeled and chopped in small pieces
3-4 cups grated cheddar cheese

Method:
1. In a large stock pot, melt the butter and whisk the flour into it.
2. After about 1 minute of cooking the butter and flour through, add the cream slowly, whisking to reduce lumps.
3. Add the chicken stock or milk and add the broccoli stems, diced carrots and the cubed potatoes.
4. Cook until the broccoli stems and potatoes are soft. Try to crush the potatoes with the back of a ladle of a potato masher. This gives the soup a thicker consistency.
5. Add the cheddar cheese and broccoli florets and cook for 1 more minute, until the florets are soft and the cheddar is melted.
6. Serve with some crispy bread or just by itself

The Freshest Salsa Ever

I used to dislike salsa because I had always had the kind that was out of a jar. It had no "zing" and it was mushy without much taste to it. My mexican friend showed me how he made his salsa.

Ingredients:

4 large sized tomatoes, diced with seeds and watery parts removed
2 limes, zested and juiced
8 grinds of black pepper
1 tbsp salt
1.5 sticks of celery, diced
1.5 green pepper, diced
6 dashes Tobasco (or to desired spiciness)
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 onion, diced

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large jar and give it a good shake. Test for flavours, but make note that the flavours will absorb into the salsa more if you give it 10 minutes marinading time.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup Yogurt

6 tbsp tandoori masala

10 drops of red food colouring

15 pieces of chicken upper legs and lower legs

1 lemon

salt and pepper

Methods:

1. Peel the skin off of the chicken and make several deep cuts into the meat (to the bone) so that the marinade can penetrate the meat more easily

2. Marinade the chicken with lemon juice (tenderizer) and salt

3. Mix the yogurt, tandoori masala and red food colouring with salt and pepper. You can adjust hte red food colouring to your liking. I notice that the chicken gets darker red as it cooks. This is the colour of my chicken before I cooked it.

4. Marinade the chicken in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight is best.

5. Before cooking, take the chicken out of the fridge for 1 hour so that the chicken can come to room temperature

6. Grill over a charcoal barbecue or put it in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until just cooked.

Oyster Motoyaki

This has got to be the easiest recipe ever! It's great for when you have guests over because it looks so complicated, but it only really takes 5 minutes of preparation!

Ingredients:

4 fresh large oysters

2 tablespoons of dark miso paste

1/2 cup japanese mayonnaise (I use Kewpie brand, see above)

3 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tablespoon of sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to the broil setting

2. Shuck the oysters. Remove the top (the flat side) and loosen the oyster from its shell. If you're having trouble with this, it helps to throw the oysters in the oven for 5 minutes so the shells open up a little first.

3. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

4. Top the oysters with the mayonnaise mixture. Salt is not necessary because the mayo already has salt in it.

5. Put the oysters in the oven on a rack that is a little higher than the middle of the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the top of the mayonnaise is golden brown.

6. Serve immediately, because cold oysters will taste fishy and unfresh.

Herb Roasted Chicken with Bread Stuffing

Serves 6-8 people
I've also tried a version of this recipe in which I put herbed butter under the skin of the chicken. It was even better! For the herbed butter, I just mixed up a stick of butter with the chopped poultry herbs

Ingredients:
2 whole chickens, giblets removed and wings tucked under
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 loaf of crusty french bread, in crouton size pieces
1 lemon
2 carrots, in big pieces
2 zucchinis, in big pieces
1 pound of baby potatoes, cut in half
1 onion, diced
1 bag of poultry herbs, chopped (available at Superstore. I believe it has rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley) or dry herbs
2 tablespoons of dried rosemary
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method:
1. After cleaning the chicken, season very liberally with salt, pepper, and the poultry herbs. (Make sure to get the inside cavity too.)
2. While the chicken is marinading, heat a saute pan with a little bit of oil and add the garlic, onion, bell peppers and the french bread. Season well with salt and pepper and a little bit of thyme, if desired. Squeeze some lemon juice over the mixture and let cool before stuffing the chicken.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
4. Toss the carrots and potatoes with the olive oil, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Place them in the bottom of a roasting pan.
5. Stuff the chicken with the bell pepper mixture and tie the thighs together for even cooking and to keep the stuffing from falling out.
6. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the bottom of the roasting pan.
7. Bake for approximately 2 hours. You will know that it's cooked when the juices run clear (not bloody) and when the thickest part of the meat (the thigh) is cooked.
8. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, throw in the zucchini (and make sure to toss it in the oils/juices at the bottom of the pan, otherwise they'll dry out..

Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Cha Gio)

This recipe uses authentic banh trang wrappers. You can feel welcome to use the chinese spring roll wrappers, but I think these spring rolls taste much better with the banh trang.

Ingredients:

1 package of Banh Trang wrappers (see photo above)

2 pounds of lean ground pork

1/2 pound of shrimp, minced

1 cup of carrot, grated

4 cloves of garlic, minced

10 wood ear fungus, rehydrated and sliced

1 cake of mung bean noodles, soaked in warm water

2 egg whites

5 tablespoons of fish sauce

6 shallots, minced

1 tsp of sugar

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of canola oil

Canola oil, for frying

Method:

1. Mix together the pork, wood ear fungus, mung bean noodles, garlic, carrot and shrimp in a large bowl

2. Season the mixture with the fish sauce, sugar, and desired amount of salt and lots of pepper.

3. Mix in the egg whites (this is our binding agent) and mung bean noodles.

4. In a shallow fry pan, heat about 2 centimetres of water until it is steaming, but not boiling.

5. Soak a sheet of the banh trang in the hot water until it soft. It should take about 5-10 seconds, depending on how hot the water is.

6. Place the softened sheet of banh trang carefully on a cutting board or plate, careful not to tear it.

7. Place about 3-4 tablespoons of the cha gio filling on one side of the wrapper and wrap them as tightly as possible while folding in the sides, to create the spring roll shape. Important: Don't overfill the spring rolls and make sure that your rolls are even. This allows for quick and even cooking. Repeat until you have made all your spring rolls.

8. Allow the spring rolls to sit for 10 minutes before frying. I made the mistake of not letting it rest before frying and the oil was popping like crazy!

9. In a large stock pot or deep fryer, if you have one, heat the oil to 375 - 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

10. Place the spring rolls into the oil and fry them until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.

11. Drain the spring rolls on a paper towel and cut into bite size pieces.

12. Serve with the nuoc mam cham dipping sauce immediately. If you let them sit too long, the wrappers will become chewy.

Nuoc Mam Cham Dipping Sauce

This sauce should be served as a dipping sauce for the spring rolls. I like to make a big batch and keep it in my fridge in a jar so I can just boil some vermicelli and mix it with my nuoc mam when I'm hungry for a quick snack!

Ingredients:

2 red chilies, sliced or chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced

4 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 can of coconut juice

Method:

1. Heat the coconut juice in a saucepan and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve.
2. Turn the heat off, add fish sauce, lemon juice, minced garlic, and chopped chilies.

Grilled Miso Black Cod

This recipe is delicious and fool proof because it is almost impossible to overcook black cod. I use a dark miso paste because it has a stronger flavour than that of the lighter colours.

Ingredients:
2 fillets of black cod, skin on.
1 cup of japanese soy sauce (I just use Kikkoman)
1 cup of dark miso paste
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
5 tablespoons of brown sugar
Mesquite wood chips

Method:
1. In a large freezer bag, mix the soy sauce, miso paste, onions, garlic, and brown sugar.
2. Marinade in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours.
3. Place 1 part soaked mesquite wood chips on a piece of tin foil and 2 parts of dry mesquite wood chips. Fold up the tin foil and seal the sides to create a little packet of woodchips. Prick the top of the package (violently!) with a fork so that smoke can escape.
4. Heat one barbecue grill to high and leave the other side off. Place the woodchip packet under the grill on the side that is on and close the barbecue so that the heat can start the smoking process.
5. Place the black cod fillets on a piece of flat tin foil and place it on the grill. The reason for the tin foil is so that the black cod does not fall apart into the grill.
6. Close the lid and smoke for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the black cod is flaky.
7. Remove from the grill and serve immediately!

Authentic Buffalo Chicken Wings

This would be the perfect food to go with beer. It's pretty spicy, so you'll need something cold to wash it down. In order for them to be authentic, they must be served with the celery and blue cheese dip!

Ingredients:
42 chicken wings and drumettes
8 tablespoons of butter
8 tablespoons of Louisiana Hot Sauce (I go with Frank's Hot Sauce)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
Oil, for frying

Method:
1. Season the chicken wings with the salt and coat in flour.
2. Fry for about 7-8 minutes, or until cooked and crispy.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and mix in all remaining ingredients.
4. Remove the chicken wings from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
5. Toss the chicken wings into a large bowl and coat with the hot sauce mixture. Don't drown them. Put just enough of the hot sauce to evenly coat the wings.
6. Serve with a crudite of carrots and celery with a blue cheese dip, if desired.