After a busy day, there’s nothing more that I want than fast food. Not the McD kind or the pizza kind. I want something I could fix ASAP without having to fret over ingredients I’m missing. You must think I just bake and eat baked goods all the time with everything that I’ve been posting lately, but I still do cook. I want to spend my time in the kitchen wisely (=quickly), making something that’s good enough to eat and enjoy, but still healthy. I mean, cutting out the part where I drink wine is eating healthier, right? Aha.

There were still fresh pasta and prosciutto from my last trip to Granville Island, and a bunch of almost- forgotten Swiss chard that commanded attention or they will take a direct trip to the food scrap recycling bin. And then there’s the leftover ricotta from my crumb cake baking, plus a lonely shallot bulb.  I’m not organized enough to have my market loot assigned into dishes and menus, so this is a regular plight: Get available and/or in-season ingredients and figure it out in the kitchen later. The pantry and fridge supplies my cooking notes, and sometimes we orchestrate some magic. This one will be added to my pile of go-to quick food, with the greens adapted to what’s in season or easily available.

Simple food can be satisfying, you just have to be willing to try. And don’t forget to check what you already have in your kitchen. Yes, that is a lesson for myself as well.

If you’re into Swiss chard, check this other recipe, too: Eggplant & Chard Lasagne. It’s a vegetarian dish that has a good chance of winning the meat lovers over. :)

Happy weekend!

   Get the recipe for Linguine with Braised Chard and Prosciutto

After a busy day, there’s nothing more that I want than fast food. Not the McD kind or the pizza kind. I want something I could fix ASAP without having to fret over ingredients I’m missing. You must think I just bake and eat baked goods all the time with everything that I’ve been posting lately, but I still do cook. I want to spend my time in the kitchen wisely (=quickly), making something that’s good enough to eat and enjoy, but still healthy. I mean, cutting out the part where I drink wine is eating healthier, right? Aha.

There were still fresh pasta and prosciutto from my last trip to Granville Island, and a bunch of almost- forgotten Swiss chard that commanded attention or they will take a direct trip to the food scrap recycling bin. And then there’s the leftover ricotta from my crumb cake baking, plus a lonely shallot bulb.  I’m not organized enough to have my market loot assigned into dishes and menus, so this is a regular plight: Get available and/or in-season ingredients and figure it out in the kitchen later. The pantry and fridge supplies my cooking notes, and sometimes we orchestrate some magic. This one will be added to my pile of go-to quick food, with the greens adapted to what’s in season or easily available.

Simple food can be satisfying, you just have to be willing to try. And don’t forget to check what you already have in your kitchen. Yes, that is a lesson for myself as well.

If you’re into Swiss chard, check this other recipe, too: Eggplant & Chard Lasagne. It’s a vegetarian dish that has a good chance of winning the meat lovers over. :)

Happy weekend!

   Get the recipe for Linguine with Braised Chard and Prosciutto

I foresee simple meals until the end of Christmas.

I’ll tell you why: I’ve wanted to be able to make all the gifts I’ll be giving for Christmas for the longest time and I think this year it’s finally going to happen. [Right, I could be crazy.] Of course, whenever I make that decision, things happen. However, I’m going to tough it out and fight my odds through the years. I’ll be sewing and baking like there’s no tomorrow.

It’s only this year that I really appreciated the fact that the Canadian Thanksgiving is in October, I have to say. It really does give me more time to prepare for Christmas, even though I’m still trying to catch my breath and hoping I make all my deadlines.

When I was in the midst of my cross-stitching frenzy, I cooked this quick stir-fry of sliced steak with green peppers and onions, eaten over a steaming bed of rice.

Heaven for the weary.

Anyway, back to the dish. This is easy to make, and you don’t really need a recipe. So below is a “guideline” to create your own recipe. It’s something you can put together with whatever you have. :)

Sorry, this is short and sweet, BUT I promise you: Donuts this weekend!

STEAK STRIPS, PEPPER AND ONION STIR-FRY
Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients

• 19 0z of steak
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 tsp oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation

1. Heat oil on medium high and saute peppers for 2 mins. Transfer to a plate.

2. Place onions in the pan and cook for 1 minute and put on another plate.

3. Heat garlic and meat sprinkled with salt and pepper. Turn occasionally and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until all the liquid from the meat is almost gone.

4. Add back the pepper and onions and toss with the meat for a few seconds before transferring onto a serving plate. Enjoy with some pita bread or place over a bed of fresh steamed rice.

I foresee simple meals until the end of Christmas.

I’ll tell you why: I’ve wanted to be able to make all the gifts I’ll be giving for Christmas for the longest time and I think this year it’s finally going to happen. [Right, I could be crazy.] Of course, whenever I make that decision, things happen. However, I’m going to tough it out and fight my odds through the years. I’ll be sewing and baking like there’s no tomorrow.

It’s only this year that I really appreciated the fact that the Canadian Thanksgiving is in October, I have to say. It really does give me more time to prepare for Christmas, even though I’m still trying to catch my breath and hoping I make all my deadlines.

When I was in the midst of my cross-stitching frenzy, I cooked this quick stir-fry of sliced steak with green peppers and onions, eaten over a steaming bed of rice.

Heaven for the weary.

Anyway, back to the dish. This is easy to make, and you don’t really need a recipe. So below is a “guideline” to create your own recipe. It’s something you can put together with whatever you have. :)

Sorry, this is short and sweet, BUT I promise you: Donuts this weekend!

STEAK STRIPS, PEPPER AND ONION STIR-FRY
Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients

• 19 0z of steak
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 tsp oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation

1. Heat oil on medium high and saute peppers for 2 mins. Transfer to a plate.

2. Place onions in the pan and cook for 1 minute and put on another plate.

3. Heat garlic and meat sprinkled with salt and pepper. Turn occasionally and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until all the liquid from the meat is almost gone.

4. Add back the pepper and onions and toss with the meat for a few seconds before transferring onto a serving plate. Enjoy with some pita bread or place over a bed of fresh steamed rice.

Some of you might find the concept of eating avocado outside the constricts of a vegetable salad or a Mexican dip bizarre. On the contrary, when I moved to North America in the late ’90s, I had a mental gag when I discovered that my beloved avocado was made into anything other than a dessert — fresh spooned out of the skin, as an ice cream or a filling shake. Worse, it was sometimes being touted as something really fattening. Yikes.

This is my all-time favorite way of eating avocados: sprinkled with sugar and powdered milk (preferably Nido) and straight into my mouth. Creamy, dreamy dessert!

I'll eat you without dieter's remorse.

Have you tried this before? What other food do you eat differently than others do?

On a sweet avocado related note, I was more than thrilled to learn that avocado can be used as the chocolate fudge cake icing in a raw diet. It does taste so rich and good as a ganache!

Sorry Fuss-Free Friday was late. I have to admit that the day just crept up on me this afternoon. If you have other fuss-free recipes to share, please leave the link in the comments section. Thanks and enjoy your weekend!

Some of you might find the concept of eating avocado outside the constricts of a vegetable salad or a Mexican dip bizarre. On the contrary, when I moved to North America in the late ’90s, I had a mental gag when I discovered that my beloved avocado was made into anything other than a dessert — fresh spooned out of the skin, as an ice cream or a filling shake. Worse, it was sometimes being touted as something really fattening. Yikes.

This is my all-time favorite way of eating avocados: sprinkled with sugar and powdered milk (preferably Nido) and straight into my mouth. Creamy, dreamy dessert!

I'll eat you without dieter's remorse.

Have you tried this before? What other food do you eat differently than others do?

On a sweet avocado related note, I was more than thrilled to learn that avocado can be used as the chocolate fudge cake icing in a raw diet. It does taste so rich and good as a ganache!

Sorry Fuss-Free Friday was late. I have to admit that the day just crept up on me this afternoon. If you have other fuss-free recipes to share, please leave the link in the comments section. Thanks and enjoy your weekend!

Earlier this week, one cool afternoon when the sun was still up and the nearby running track oval was empty, I was doing my usual afternoon jog, getting back to my regular schedule after a couple of weeks break. It was just Mother Nature and I. You know when dogs stick out their faces out from a moving car and you can see happiness on their faces (and a shampoo commercial in there somewhere)? That’s sort of how outdoor running feels to me, wind against my skin and combing through my hair, foot to earth one step at a time. I was on my 8th lap, feeling all Zen and going with the flow, when I opened my eyes in slow-mo and my brain started screaming: “HOLY SH**…IT’S COMING AT YOU!!! WATCH OUT DON’T OPEN YOUR MOUTH…!!!” SPLAT. PBBBTTTT. Gigantic dragonfly recomposes itself mid-stumbling-flight and I in the verge of punching my fist up to the skies and breaking into insane laughter. Way to ruin the moment Mother Nature!

So that’s one of the simplest, grounding things I do: jog or run. After completing a beginner’s running program similar to Couch to 5K and running my first 5-km race, I’ve transitioned from being all about yoga to someone who craves running. I can slip into my shirt and shorts, lace up my shoes and I’m good to go. No fuss, just get up and go. It’s easy. Sometimes, I just get smacked right in the face by bugs or insects.

And that’s how I like my Fridays, too, minus the bugs and insects.

It’s an ongoing life project to balance work,  having a life outside of work, and then blogging. I love doing all three. I don’t want to be flighty or have any one of them become a chore, because they all require time. So, in an effort to balance what could sometimes be a very insane blogging schedule when I get so much into it, I’m going to start doing what I call Fuss-Free Fridays. This is when I’ll post easy recipes. Those that you won’t have to stress about — and let’s face it, some could trigger fears just from a quick glance at the length! I won’t have to sweat writing long and winding step-by-step procedures and you won’t have to bug your eyes out reading all that. Fair deal?

If you want to join me for Fuss Free Fridays: leave a link to your easy recipe blog post in the comments OR if you don’t have a blog, leave the recipe in the comments. If there’s enough participation, perhaps we can do this on a regular basis. What say you?

Now here’s an easy one to make and something that you can just use as a loose guide for creating your own vinaigrette. Admittedly I’m not a huge salad person, but when I do fall in love with a dressing or a salad, I become loyal to it.

Let’s start the weekend right and relax. Happy Fuss Free Friday!

   Get the recipe for the Red Wine Vinaigrette

Earlier this week, one cool afternoon when the sun was still up and the nearby running track oval was empty, I was doing my usual afternoon jog, getting back to my regular schedule after a couple of weeks break. It was just Mother Nature and I. You know when dogs stick out their faces out from a moving car and you can see happiness on their faces (and a shampoo commercial in there somewhere)? That’s sort of how outdoor running feels to me, wind against my skin and combing through my hair, foot to earth one step at a time. I was on my 8th lap, feeling all Zen and going with the flow, when I opened my eyes in slow-mo and my brain started screaming: “HOLY SH**…IT’S COMING AT YOU!!! WATCH OUT DON’T OPEN YOUR MOUTH…!!!” SPLAT. PBBBTTTT. Gigantic dragonfly recomposes itself mid-stumbling-flight and I in the verge of punching my fist up to the skies and breaking into insane laughter. Way to ruin the moment Mother Nature!

So that’s one of the simplest, grounding things I do: jog or run. After completing a beginner’s running program similar to Couch to 5K and running my first 5-km race, I’ve transitioned from being all about yoga to someone who craves running. I can slip into my shirt and shorts, lace up my shoes and I’m good to go. No fuss, just get up and go. It’s easy. Sometimes, I just get smacked right in the face by bugs or insects.

And that’s how I like my Fridays, too, minus the bugs and insects.

It’s an ongoing life project to balance work,  having a life outside of work, and then blogging. I love doing all three. I don’t want to be flighty or have any one of them become a chore, because they all require time. So, in an effort to balance what could sometimes be a very insane blogging schedule when I get so much into it, I’m going to start doing what I call Fuss-Free Fridays. This is when I’ll post easy recipes. Those that you won’t have to stress about — and let’s face it, some could trigger fears just from a quick glance at the length! I won’t have to sweat writing long and winding step-by-step procedures and you won’t have to bug your eyes out reading all that. Fair deal?

If you want to join me for Fuss Free Fridays: leave a link to your easy recipe blog post in the comments OR if you don’t have a blog, leave the recipe in the comments. If there’s enough participation, perhaps we can do this on a regular basis. What say you?

Now here’s an easy one to make and something that you can just use as a loose guide for creating your own vinaigrette. Admittedly I’m not a huge salad person, but when I do fall in love with a dressing or a salad, I become loyal to it.

Let’s start the weekend right and relax. Happy Fuss Free Friday!

   Get the recipe for the Red Wine Vinaigrette

Sorry guys, it’s just been such a hectic month for me, catching up with work and with friends, getting ready for one of my closest friend’s wedding last weekend, and Dan’s visit. Things are settling down after almost two months of craziness.

I found time this week to make this lemon curd tart. It’s summer and I need my blast of citrus-y goodness. We had such a good week of sun, but now it’s drizzling outside and a cool breeze is coming through the back patio windows. I have a cup of hot tea and a slice of lemon curd tart topped with sugared berries…I’ll say this Sunday is going well.

I’ve been meaning to make something from the Ottolenghi: The Cookbook since I bought it in May (in May!!!). It arrived a couple of days before my vacation and it just wasn’t going to happen then. Woe.

Deeba introduced me to this lovely cookbook when she gave me the recipe for these successful macarons and after that, I just kept thinking about getting it. It’s easy to get obsessed about these things, and Amazon.com is surely making a nice profit out of my compulsive Amazon Prime buying fingers. Ha!

The second recipe I’m testing from the book is for lemon curd. I used to think that making curd is tedious. It conjures up memories of my grandmother making “ube halaya” (purple yam jam dessert in the Philippines) that requires continuously standing/stirring in front of the stove for a good hour or so. I wouldn’t dream of it in the summer, especially with the 2nd floor of the house (where the kitchen is) feeling like a greenhouse. Nope, there’s no A/C here.

When I browsed Ottolenhi’s recipe for lemon curd, it seemed easier than the key lime curd recipe I used for my key lime meringue pie. After all, it didn’t need a double boiler setup, plus almost all the ingredients are already mixed together before heating. I thought I just had a free pass to a quick vacation!

Summer Quick Tip #1: Choose recipes that require less oven face time. Look for mix-all-in-one-go types.

When it comes to the crust, I like a good crust, but there was no way I was turning on the oven. I sought out my go-to graham cracker crust recipe (minus the lemon zest) to replace a sweet pastry crust.

Summer Quick Tip #2: Try a no-bake crust.

I couldn’t be happier with the results: less work for me, but the lemon curd tart still turned out irresistibly zesty and the graham crust was amazing with it. Those who don’t like it sour tarts beware, the lemon-y goodness could knock you out. :) Kind of. When you add whipping cream on top, it will be fine. For me, sugared blackberries complement it perfectly.

The first bite is god-awful. I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone! :-)

I’m kidding of course. It’s pretty damn good!

The lemon curd requires 6 hours at the very least to firm up, but it won’t stand up well until you leave it in the fridge overnight. If you want to serve it as fast as you could, do this little trick I do for anything that needs a quick setting:

Summer Quick Tip #3: Add gelatin to curd (or no-bake cheesecake) to serve it in under 30 minutes, instead of waiting for a long chilling time.

It might not be the most elegant solution, but it does work and will satisfy most dessert-loving guests. It will also keep the hostess (who forgot to prepare her tart the previous night) stress-free. If you have family like me who simply cannot wait for dessert to be served, gelatin is a godsend.

And with that, I bid you a good summer week! It’s going to be rainy here, but I’m welcoming this break from the heat. Yeah, yeah, welcome to the weather up here. :)

Get the recipe for this Lemon Curd Tart with No-Bake Graham Cracker Crust

Here in Vancouver, we are quickly shifting into summer and it is getting HOT. I don’t know if it’s because of this that I am suddenly lethargic, but this has to stop soon because I have a lot of things to do! That includes our newsletter (which is looking more like June would be the next) and the roundup of the virtual Tea Exchange party I hosted. My apologies, dear participants!

Going along this lack of energy theme, I could (figuratively) barely lift a finger to prepare anything that requires cooking these days. I feel like my body’s battery is mimicking the iPhone’s. Ha ha. I haven’t baked or cooked in a while. Perhaps all the eating out has contributed to my body blues? In any case, quick and easy isn’t so bad…

I got the idea to make this from Danielle’s Home-cured Salmon Spread & Endives. She made home-cured salmon, while I used up some leftover lox. And I didn’t follow the quantities of the recipe, I just glanced at the ingredients and made a quick mix of chopped lox, walnuts, cream cheese, a drizzle of lemon juice, a few wisps of lemon zest and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Serve that in crisp endive leaves and enjoy it with a glass of wine or fresh ice tea…mmm. They make a good summer combo.

It’s the easiest thing to make and it was surprisingly filling. Again, there’s no (strict) recipe required, only your imagination and an openness to taste.

I love being inspired by other people’s recipes, especially from food blogging friends. Although we don’t see each other that often (or most of the time, have never met in person), we could share the same feast.

Do you have any other no-cook recipes (or recipes that require little cooking)? Please share!