Creamy Dill Tartar Sauce

Date Published: August 5th, 2020 | Last Updated: August 5th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces
Serves: makes ~1.5 cups | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 30 seconds

You’ll never buy tartar sauce again after trying this recipe! Have it on fish and chips, tuna patties, crab cakes, fish fingers, chicken tenders…etc. The possibilities are endless! Just chop up some ingredients and mix it all together. Easy peasy! Add a can of tuna to this recipe and you’ve got yourself a fancy tuna salad!

I’ve recently conjured up this recipe to make a tartar sauce to go with our fried tuna patties (recipe coming soon) since we don’t usually keep any at home (I’m more of an aioli gal). After multiple taste tests, this recipe was the result and it is sooooo good! I may be jumping ship to team tartar.

The best thing about making our own tartar sauce is that we’ll never need to buy bottled sauce again and have it expire before we finish it and we can make as little or as much as we need. Also, we’ll never need to pay 50cents for a packet of tartar sauce at the fish and chips shop again (which is the real winner)!

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Summarized Recipe:

Creamy Dill Tartar Sauce

Date Published: August 5th, 2020 | Last Updated: August 5th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces
Serves: makes ~1.5 cups | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 30 seconds

Ingredients:

1 cup (200g) mayonnaise
2 Tbsp (30g) capers, drained and finely chopped
1 cup (180g) pickles, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp lemon
2 Tbsps fresh dill, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried dill)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar (or more to taste)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix everything together in a bowl. Adjust salt and sugar as needed.
Refrigerate for half an hour before serving for the flavours to infuse. Done!

Tip: If you want a thinner runny sauce, you can pulse everything in the food processor. To keep it thicker, chop all the ingredients finely and mix it by hand.

August 5, 2020August 5, 2020

Abby1 Comment

Sriracha Mayo

Date Published: August 4th, 2020 | Last Updated: August 4th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces/dips, easy, asian, < 15mins
Serves: 1/2 cup | Prep time: 1 minute | Cook time: 30 seconds

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If you can scoop mayonnaise out of a jar and squeeze sriracha out of a bottle, this recipe is for you. This 30 second sriracha mayo is your new go-to sauce. Think fries, burger, fish and chips, fritters, prawn toast, tuna salad, chicken salad…etc. Pretty much anywhere you use mayo you can substitute it with sriracha mayo for an extra kick!

If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Summarized Recipe:

Sriracha Mayo

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (125g) mayonnaise
1 Tbsp sriracha chilli sauce

Directions:

Mix the mayonnaise and sriracha together and serve! Easy, huh?

August 4, 2020August 4, 2020

Abby4 Comments

Za’atar Manakish (Lebanese Flatbread)

Date Published: August 2nd, 2020 | Last Updated: August 2nd, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: breads, easy, snacks, vegetarian
Serves: 8 (or 4 large ones) | Prep time: 1.5hrs (from start of dough) | Cook time: 10 mins

Jump to recipe | Watch the video

This is mine and Toby’s go-to snack. We divide a batch of basic dough and freeze them ahead of time and when we feel like snacking, we’ll defrost it for a couple hours, roll it out then spread za’atar over it and bake. It’s so quick and simple – in under 15 minutes we have freshly baked za’atar manakish. If we’re feeling a little more indulgent, we’ll sometimes use our defrosted dough to make halloumi cheese pies out – which is also super easy (click here for the recipe)!

If you’re unfamiliar, Za’atar is a blend of Lebanese spieces that usually include oregano, sumac, thyme, and sesame seeds. It’s packed full of earthy flavours with a lemon-y acidity from the sumac. I’ll admit when I first I tried it, I didn’t think too much of it, but Toby kept buying the manakish and after a few sneaky bites here and there over time, now I can’t get enough! Lots of shops sell za’atar but everyone has their own ratios of spices so they can taste vastly different depending on the brand. Our favourite brand is called “Za’atar extra” (pictured above) where we buy from A1 bakery in Dandenong. It’s on my to-do list to try and recreate their spice mix just incase we move and can’t find this brand anywhere else (I’ll post it if I’m ever successful).

Side story: This dish has sentimental value to me. When I first started dating Toby (my now fiancé), he took me to a small Lebanese bakery shop in Werribee called A1 bakery and ordered two cheese pies and an “oregano pizza” as he called it. Between the two of us, I’m usually the one introducing him to good restaurants and new foods. This is the first place he took me to that really impressed me. The halloumi cheese pies were to die for but the “oregano pizza” was just okay for me. As time went on, we’d keep going back to the bakery and the “oregano pizza” really grew on me (which we later learned the proper name was: za’atar manakish). After we moved out of the Werribee area, we had to drive 40mins to the closest A1 bakery in Dandenong to get the cheese pies and manakish, but it was worth it. It was magical every time. At our last trip, Toby surprised me with a packet of za’atar seasoning that the bakery sold and suggested we try making it at home during quarantine for some fun. After reading through a handful of recipes online, I made a compilation of them all and combined it into this recipe. We made it for the first time a few months ago and it came out A-MAZING! We’ve made it countless times since.

Back in 2018: Toby would take me to A1 Bakery for Za’atar Manakish and cheese pies all the time when we lived near Werribee

The recipe is a bit word-y but it’s actually super easy once you make it. The dough is made from the basic dough recipe which gives it a beautiful fluffiness if you roll it out thick and a nice crispy crunchy texture if you roll it out thin. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! If za’atar isn’t your jam, you can always turn the dough into halloumi cheese pies :D.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

One dough ball from the basic dough recipe (click link to follow recipe)
1/2 cup za’atar (Lebanese spice mix)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Make one dough ball from the basic dough recipe and let it proof for 1 hour until doubled in size (click here for tips on how to proof your dough in the oven). Once risen, punch the dough and knead a couple times on a floured surface to get rid of any air pockets. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (or bigger if you prefer your manakish larger) and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

In a bowl combine the za’atar with the olive oil and mix.

After the dough has rested, knead each ball a couple times on a floured surface then roll it out to 5mm thick (or to preference – the thinner you roll it, the crispier your flatbread and the thicker it is, the more fluffy it will be). Transfer the dough onto a greased baking tray. (It’s important to transfer the dough to the tray FIRST before spreading the za’atar otherwise it may get a little messy!)

I prefer mine a little crispy so I roll it out thinner here. If you want it fluffier, roll it thicker.

Mix and spread your za’atar mixture over the dough and bake in the oven at 200˚C for 7-10 minutes until the edges are golden. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving so the olive oil gets soaked into the bread. Enjoy!

Tip: If you don’t want to make an entire batch, you can freeze the divided dough balls by wrapping them in cling wrap and just defrost the dough a few hours before you want to use it. You don’t need to rest it, just roll it out and spread za’atar over it (use roughly 2 Tbsps of olive oil + 2 Tbsps za’atar per flatbread). This makes a quick and easy late night snack!

Did you try this recipe? I’d love your feedback or any comments on what you thought! Leave a message below and follow me on facebook and instagram (@polyphagicabby). 🙂

Watch the Video Tutorial!

Summarized Recipe:

Za’atar Manakish

Date Published: August 2nd, 2020 | Last Updated: August 2nd, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: breads, easy, snacks
Serves: 8 (or 4 large ones) | Prep time: 1.5hrs (from start of dough) | Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

One dough ball from the basic dough recipe (click link to follow recipe)
1/2 cup za’atar spice mix
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Make one dough ball from the basic dough recipe and let it proof for 1 hour until doubled in size (click here for tips on how to proof your dough in the oven). Once risen, punch the dough and knead a couple times on a floured surface to get rid of any air pockets. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (or bigger if you prefer your manakish larger) and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
In a bowl combine the za’atar with the olive oil and mix.
After the dough has rested, knead each ball a couple times on a floured surface then roll it out to 5mm thick (or to preference – the thinner you roll it, the crispier your flatbread and the thicker it is, the more fluffy it will be). Transfer the dough to a greased baking tray.
Mix and spread your za’atar mixture over the dough and bake in the oven at 200˚C for 7-10 minutes until the edges are golden. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving so the olive oil gets soaked into the bread. Enjoy!

August 2, 2020August 7, 2020

AbbyLeave a comment

Tonkatsu Sauce

Date Published: August 1st, 2020 | Last Updated: August 1st, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces, asian
Serves: 1/3 cup (enough for 4 tonkatsu dishes) | Prep time: 2 mins | Cook time: 2 mins

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Here’s a recipe for an easy peasy tonkatsu sauce so you’ll never need to buy bottled sauce again (especially if you live ages away from the nearest Asian grocer like me). As the name suggests, tonkatsu sauce is most commonly used drizzled over a tonkatsu (a pork cutlet coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried). It’s a tangy flavourful sauce that gives tonkatsu its iconic flavour and it only takes a minute to make. This recipe makes enough for 4 tonkatsu dishes. You can double or triple the recipe and store it in an airtight container for a couple of weeks in the fridge. If you’d like to learn how to make a katsu, follow the recipe here.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 Tbsps ketchup
1 3/4 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 1/4 tsp oyster sauce
2 1/4 tsp sugar

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust to personal preference. Done!

Tip: if you fine that the sauce us a little grainy from the sugar, you can warm it up in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir until the sugar melts.

Summarized Recipe:

Tonkatsu Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbsps ketchup
1 3/4 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 1/4 tsp oyster sauce
2 1/4 tsp sugar

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients into a bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust to personal preference. Done!

To make a katsu to pair with this sauce, follow the recipe here.

Tip: if you find the sauce a little grainy from the sugar, microwave it for 20 seconds and stir until the sugar dissolves. Serve when cooled.

August 1, 2020August 2, 2020

AbbyLeave a comment

Spring Onion Ginger Oil

Date Published: July 31st, 2020 | Last Updated: July 31st, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces/dips, asian
Serves: ~1 cup (enough for 4 ppl) | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 5 mins

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This is hands down my all time favourite dipping sauce. It’s a common dip served in many Asian restaurants usually alongside a poached chicken. It’s a flavour BOMB and you only need a few ingredients to make it. This sauce is quite salty eaten on its own and along with its strong flavours, it will overpower most things, thus it really only goes well with lightly flavoured food. My favourite dish to use this sauce is with Hainanese Chicken Rice but I’d also happily drizzle this sauce over a bowl of plain white rice and an egg. Oh baby!

I’ve tried making this sauce since forever but never got the proportions right until now. I nearly uprooted all the spring onions in the garden to make this sauce! I’m seriously OBSESSED with the flavours in this sauce.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1 Tbsp ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil (or any neutral-tasting oil)

The recipe makes roughly 1 cup of sauce which is enough for our family of 4 when served with Hainanese Chicken but feel free to adjust as you need.

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together ginger, garlic, spring onion, salt. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil on MED-HIGH heat until it JUST starts to lightly smoke.*

Add in all your ingredients (ginger, garlic, spring onion, salt) and quickly stir for 20 seconds. Turn off the heat and let the ingredients continue to steep in the hot oil until cooled.

*Note: If you let your oil become too hot, it will splatter when you add in your ingredients (be careful!) – just take the pan off the heat for a minute to let the oil cool then add your ingredients. I find that the flavours aren’t as strong when the oil is too hot. It tends to deep-fry the ingredients rather than let the flavours infuse out. Just take the pan off the heat for a minute to let the oil cool down then add in your ingredients.

Done! Serve when cooled.

Summarized Recipe:

Spring Onion Ginger Oil

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil (or any neutral-tasting oil)

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together ginger, garlic, spring onion, salt. Set aside.
In a skillet, heat the oil on MED-HIGH heat until it JUST starts to lightly smoke. Add in all your ingredients from step 1 (ginger, garlic, spring onion, salt) and quickly stir for 20 seconds. Turn off the heat and let the ingredients continue to steep in the hot oil until cool. Done!

Click here to learn how to make Hainanese Chicken Rice to pair with this sauce!

July 31, 2020August 2, 2020

AbbyLeave a comment

Sloppy Joes

Date Published: July 31st, 2020 | Last Updated: July 31st, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: mains, healthy/low cal, kid-friendly
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

Jump to recipe | Watch the video

Sloppy Joes – a classic American dish made of beef (or pork) mince, onions, green peppers/capsicums and a buttload of ketchup. This recipe is super easy, doesn’t need any fancy ingredients, and only requires one pot. The best part about this recipe is that it’s also surprisingly low in calories (roughly 200 calories per serving without the bun) yet still filling.

If you’ve never had a sloppy joe before, it’s kind of like a sweeter spaghetti bolognese but without the spaghetti, sandwiched between a hamburger bun. You can’t eat it without making a mess – hence the “sloppy” in the name. It’s a popular dish in North American and is commonly served to kids and picky eaters due to its simple flavours. It’s not the dish for date night nor a dish to impress foodies, but it’s easy, filling and satisfying. It would actually be really good to bring to a BBQ lunch and you can cook up a big batch in no time.

It’s a pretty straight forward recipe but you can watch the video below to guide you through if you need any help.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

*I doubled the recipe in the photo so it’ll look much more than what you need*

500g lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper/capsicum, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp yellow mustard
1.5 cups ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a pan over medium heat. Drain off any excess liquids.

Add in the onion, garlic, and bell pepper/capsicum. Cook until soft.

Drain out as much liquid and oils as you can. I only had regular mince meat in my freezer rather than lean so I had quite a lot of fat to strain!

Drain off any excess liquids and oil.

Mix in garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins.

Season with salt and pepper, add more sugar or ketchup if you prefer it “sloppier”.

Serve over hamburger buns. Done!

Watch the Video Tutorial!

Summarized Recipe:

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

500g lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper/capsicum, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp yellow mustard
1.5 cups ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
hamburger buns

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a pan over medium heat. Drain off excess liquids if any.
Add in the onion, garlic, and green pepper/capsicum. Cook until soft. Drain off excess liquids and oil.
Mix in garlic powder, mustard, ketchup and brown sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins.
Season with salt and pepper, add more sugar if needed or more ketchup if you prefer it “sloppier”.
Serve over hamburger buns. Done!

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020

AbbyLeave a comment

Good For You Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Date Published: July 30th, 2020 | Last Updated: July 30th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: healthy, < 30mins, quick & easy, snacks
Serves: 8 cups (16 servings) | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

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Ohhh granohhhhla! I love making my own granola. I love the smell that fills the kitchen as it bakes and I love that I can put in whatever I want and feel good about it. I’ve adapted this recipe from Erin Lives Whole which and changed it up to better accommodate my taste (read: making it chocolate!) – don’t worry, I’ve kept all the good stuff in there so I can still enjoy this relatively guilt-free. I’ve also doubled the recipe because Toby and I go through it so quickly.

In the vet world you don’t always get to have your lunch break, so I usually pack a small container in my bag just in case and sneak in bites here and there between consults. It’s perfect to keep me satiated for the rest of the day and I don’t have to worry about heating it up or taking time to prepare it – just add milk! This recipe has saved so many people from a hangry vet 😜.

What makes this granola good for you? The natural and wholesome ingredients! Like most granolas, the bulk of this recipe is rolled oats. Oats is chocked full of fibre and has benefits in lowering cholesterol. It’s also made with coconut oil, chia seeds, honey, and natural peanut butter. Depending on the brand of peanut butter you use, each serving (1/2 cup) is roughly 220 calories. This granola makes a wonderful quick breakfast on the go when topped with some fresh fruit, or a filling snack throughout the day. You can change it up and add extras like nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips…etc. Have it with milk (regular, almond, soy…etc.), greek yogurt, or even sprinkled on top of ice cream. Mmmmmmm.

This recipe is super simple and quick to put together. I’ve added in the weights of each ingredient so if you’re feeling lazy and have a kitchen scale, you can just pour everything in one bowl to the correct weight and mix!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1 cup (280g) natural chunky peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened)*
2/3 cup (220g) honey
1/2 cup (100g) melted coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups (620g) rolled oats (also called old fashioned oats)
1/3 cup (26g) cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsps (47g) chia seeds
2 tsp cinnamon

*If you’re struggling to locate natural peanut butter or find it too $$$, you can use regular peanut butter but skip the salt and half the amount of honey (110g instead of 220g).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 165˚C (~325˚F). Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla.

Then add in the rest of the ingredients except for the oats: cocoa powder, salt, chia seeds, cinnamon.

Then add in the oats and mix until fully combined.

Press the mixture into the tray and compress it down (this will help you get chunky clusters).

Bake until golden brown (about 15-20mins).

Let it COMPLETELY cool before breaking apart (~20 minutes). If you try to break it apart too early, it will be very crumbly.

Enjoy! Store in an airtight container for 3 weeks.

Summarized Recipe:

Good For You Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Ingredients:

1 cup (280g) natural chunky peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened)*
2/3 cup (220g) honey
1/2 cup (100g) melted coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups (620g) rolled oats (also called old fashioned oats)
1/3 cup (26g) cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsps (47g) chia seeds
2 tsp cinnamon

*If you’re struggling to locate natural peanut butter or find it too $$$, you can use regular peanut butter but skip the salt and half the amount of honey (110g instead of 220g).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 165˚C (~325˚F). Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla.
Then mix in the cocoa powder and chia seeds.
Finally, add in the oats and mix until full combined.
Press the mixture into the baking pan and compress it down with your spatula.
Bake until golden brown (about 15-20mins).
Let it COMPLETELY cool before breaking apart. Enjoy! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

July 30, 2020September 6, 2020

AbbyLeave a comment

Tabbouleh (Mediterranean Quinoa Salad)

Date Published: July 28th, 2020 | Last Updated: July 28th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: salads, healthy, easy, < 30 mins
Serves: 4 as a side dish | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 5 mins (20mins including cooking quinoa)

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Tabbouleh (or tabbouli) is a simple mediterranean salad mainly comprised of whole grains, tomatoes and parsley. There are many versions of this salad out there but this one is by far my favourite and simplest. The freshness from the lemon juice and veg pairs really well with a heavy main dish such as a roast lamb. It’s also pretty good as a topping in wraps!

I like to use white quinoa in this recipe for the fluffiness, but you can sub it out for a different whole grain if you like for different textures. This recipe is super simple, healthy and filling. Feel free to add in some baked chicken breast or canned tuna or salmon for an easy lunch.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

3 cups of cooked quinoa, cooled to room temp (equates to 1 cup uncooked quinoa) – if you’ve never cooked quinoa before, it’s super simple. Just boil 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa until the liquid is absorbed. You can follow this tutorial for a step-by-step guide on how to make quinoa for some guidance if you need.
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh parsley, finely chopped (either curly or flat-leaf)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins, roughly chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed – optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1.5 tsps lemon or lime juice
- 3 tsps ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

Directions:

Make the salad dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients together (olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes) and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the salad ingredients together (parsley, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, black beans (if using)). Add your salad dressing and toss everything together. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled in refrigerator.

Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Tabbouleh (Mediterranean Quinoa Salad)

Ingredients:

Salad Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1.5 tsps lemon or lime juice
- 3 tsps ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
3 cups of cooked quinoa, cooled to room temp (equates to 1 cup uncooked quinoa) – you can follow this tutorial for a step-by-step guide on how to make quinoa for some guidance if you need
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh parsley, finely chopped (either curly or flat-leaf)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins, roughly chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed – optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Make the salad dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients together (olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes) and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the rest of the salad ingredients together (parsley, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, black beans (if using)). Add your salad dressing and toss everything together.
Salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled in refrigerator. Done!

July 28, 2020August 23, 2021

Abby1 Comment

Smoked Salmon Salad with Roasted Sesame Dressing

Date Published: July 24th, 2020 | Last Updated: July 24th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: salad, healthy, quick and easy, <15 mins, asian
Serves: 1 person as a main, or 2-3 as a side salad
Prep time: 8 mins | Cook time: 30 seconds to toss the salad

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I love this salad. It’s so flavourful, satisfying, and best of all it’s really easy and quick. You can easily customize it too. I came up with it one morning while trying to make a quick lunch for the fam and at the same time clearing the fridge of ingredients – I never expected it to turn out so good!

This recipe sounds fancy smancy but it’s the quickest most ridiculously easy salad to put together as long as you have roasted sesame dressing on hand. You can make the dressing yourself from scratch (the recipe is on my to-do list to upload, I swear), but often times I let the good people at Kewpie do the hard work for me especially if I’m in a rush or just feeling extra lazy. Kewpie does such a fantastic job with this dressing that Toby and I like to keep a 1L bottle in the fridge and use it on SO many things as a dipping sauce – I highly recommend picking up a bottle next time you’re at an Asian grocer.

Roasted sesame dressing is commonly seen in many Japanese restaurants served on their side salads in bento boxes. It’s a creamy dressing that’s packed with roasted sesame flavour. It elevates the most basic salads to another level, including this one. While you can use this dressing with virtually any salad ingredient, I found that when you pair it with smoked salmon, something absolutely magical happens. The heavy savoury smoked salmon paired with the dressing is balanced out by the fresh crisp veggies that results in a refreshing salad with a heap of flavour.

Next time you’re in a rush to pack lunch but still want something delicious and healthy, think of this salad! Or better yet, next time you’re inviting people over for a dinner party but you’ve exhausted all your energy on the main dish, you can quickly whip up this salad as a starter or a side dish to impress.

I’ve written this recipe with veggies I commonly have in my fridge as a staple in most of my salads (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers/capsicums, and cucumbers) but of course you can change it up to whatever veggies you like such as grated carrot, radishes, spinach, red onions…etc. This recipe is so easily customizable. The only thing I don’t usually pair with this dressing is cheese. I find that the creaminess of the dressing tends to overpower most cheeses so why bother adding it in – fewer calories, amiright?

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 handfuls of lettuce, washed and shredded
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
1 handful of cucumber, chopped
1 handful of red bell pepper/capsicum, chopped
50g smoked salmon, sliced – you can use smoked trout as well which I find is usually cheaper and tastes very close to smoked salmon
Kewpie roasted sesame dressing to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Feel free to customize the ingredients to whatever you like or whatever you’ve got in your fridge. The bold flavours of the salmon and the dressing makes this salad pretty forgiving with whatever veggies you want to chuck in it.

Directions:

Mix everything together in a large bowl and toss with as much dressing as your heart desires. Done!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. Let me know how yours turned out in the comments! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Summarized Recipe:

Smoked salmon salad with roasted sesame dressing

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of lettuce, washed and shredded
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
1 handful of cucumber, chopped
1 handful of red bell pepper/capsicum, chopped
50g smoked salmon, sliced
Kewpie roasted sesame dressing to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Mix everything together in a large bowl and toss with as much dressing as your heart desires. Done!

July 24, 2020September 6, 2020

AbbyLeave a comment

Classic Simple Guacamole

Date Published: July 24th, 2020 | Last Updated: July 24th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces/dips, easy, < 15mins, snacks, vegetarian, healthy
Serves: 1 large bowl | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 5 mins (not including refrigeration)

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I love guacamole. LOVE. Seriously. The creaminess of the avocados with the freshness of the tomatoes and lime juice is pure happiness in a bowl. I could easily devour a whole bowl of it myself while binge-watching something. It’s quick and easy with no actual cooking required – just chop some ingredients and mix it all up. Try to make it a little ahead of time because it tastes so much better after a few hours in the fridge to let the flavours infuse. Trust me.

Avocados are quite fatty by nature so the bad news is that the calories tend to stack up when you have too much. However the good news is that it’s good fat and has numerous health benefits so it’s actually quite good for you (as long as you don’t pair it with too many chips 😅).

My favourite way to eat guacamole is to simply have it as a dip served with tortilla chips. It’s a simple, quick and filling snack – but of course it goes amazingly on so many other things such as nachos, fajitas, tacos, burritos…etc.

I think my guacamole obsession started back in my university years in Canada with my old roommate Taryn. We’d frequently go to Gryph’s Sports Lounge/Campus Bar above the hockey rink and always order nachos with a side of guacamole. I don’t know what they put in their nachos, but it was so simple and satisfying. No fancy meats or sauces – just good ol’ nachos, cheese, sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Even after we graduated we met up a couple times at Gryph’s just to get the nachos and catch up (although from memory the last time we went there they had changed their nachos 😞).

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe!

Happy Cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

3 large hass avocados – a tip on how to choose avocados: gently squeeze them. You want them to be firm but with a slight give. If they squeeze in too much then they’re over ripe. If you don’t plan on using them for a while, then buy them more firm and leave it out on your counter to ripen. Hass avocados work best in guacamole.
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups tomatoes, diced (~2 tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups red onion (~1 medium onion), diced – you can use regular yellow onions instead but the red ones give a bit more sweetness
1 Tbsp lime juice (or more to taste) – different limes will have different sourness, so taste as you go and add more if you need (if you accidentally go overboard, add some sugar or more salt)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste) – salt enhances the flavour of the ingredients. If you’re not sure whether you need more salt, I’d recommend letting the guacamole sit in the fridge for an hour after the flavours marinate together and then taste it to adjust flavours
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or more to taste)
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional for a bit of heat)
Optional: chopped cilantro/coriander

Directions:

Peel, pit and mash the avocados in a large bowl. I find it easiest to mash avocados by using a whisk as a masher. If you prefer your guac more chunky, stop mashing when you get to your desired consistency.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients to the mashed avocados (garlic, tomatoes, onion, lime juice, salt, pepper). Taste and adjust ingredients as needed. I find that different limes have different degrees of sourness, so start with a small amount (like half a tbsp) and then add more as needed – I’ve had to add up to 2 Tbsps of juice before. It’s better to start with a small amount rather than overdo it. If you’re having some trouble adjusting the flavours, you can let it chill for a few hours first to let the flavours blend together and season it afterwards.

Ideally refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving (overnight is better) to let the flavours marinate together, then taste and adjust ingredients as needed. The difference between letting it chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight vs serving it right away is night and day. Trust me.

Enjoy! Serve on the side of burritos, fajitas, nachos, or even just with some chips and crackers as a snack.

If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Summarized Recipe:

Guacamole

Ingredients:

3 large hass avocados
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups tomatoes, diced (~2 tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups red onion, diced
1 Tbsp lime juice (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or more to taste)
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
Optional: chopped cilantro/coriander

Directions:

Peel, pit and mash the avocados in a large bowl.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients (garlic, tomatoes, onion, lime juice, salt, pepper). Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Ideally refrigerate for 1 hour before serving to let the flavours marinate together then taste and adjust flavours again as needed.

July 24, 2020September 6, 2020

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