Weekend Frittata

---

As Tori suggested, I am going to continue my rebellious foodie rampage and go completely off the Asian-path for food this weekend. When I think of the weekend, I think frittata! I take all sorts of leftover ingredients and turn it into one bit eggy and cheesy pancake with turkey bacon on the side.

My sister Shannon taught me how to make a frittata years ago when she came to visit me in BC. At the time I had no idea what a frittata was and she put one together with rice, cheese and I can't remember what else but it I remember it was delicious! I have been making them ever since, thanks Shannon!

Turns out my broken frying pan which is missing a handle has a purpose after all! I can put it into the oven no problem. For those of you whose pans are not broken, try using a cast iron skillet or a saute pan that is safe for the oven.

I cracked five eggs into a bowl with a little water and whisked it up until it was nice and frothy. For herbs I used what I had, Italian flat leaf parsley.

I had made these potatoes earlier in the week and they were cooked well but absolutely tasteless! I did not want all that hard work chopping to go to waste so I added some seasoning salt and sauteed these homemade hashbrowns (you could use frozen or rice like Shannon did or whatever) with some red onion I had lying around.

When nice and golden brown, I added the egg mixture to the hot pan.

When the egg mixture looked mostly cooked, just uncooked on the top, I added the herbs and some good quality old cheddar. I put it in the oven on the bottom rack at first so the herbs would not scorch, probably at 350F, then when it looked closer to being cooked I broiled at a distance until it look fully cooked.

This was the best frittata I have made to date! The cool thing is they will always be different because it is so flexible to make. You could add roasted red pepper, mushrooms, change the cheeses, use a combo of cheese... Yes, it is a cholesterol bomb but it is a weekend treat I do not make very often, to my husband's chagrin! He thought he had died and gone to heaven when he ate this dish and I must admit, so did I.

Mac & Cheese: Take 2

---

Is there a meal more North American and less Pan-Asian than Mac & Cheese? Nope, I don't think so! Still, last week I promised that I would make a less-baked version of Ina's Adult Mac & Cheese so I am sharing it here even though it throws my month of Asian-inspired cuisine to the wind. As a result, I may continue do so here and there since I have already screwed it up once!

So last week I baked the macaroni and cheese for 30 minutes like the recipe told me to and it was very dry! Still, the best mac and cheese I have ever had but super dry. This week I just put the casserole dish under the broiler and it took about five minutes to brown. I still had smoothies and salad to make so I turned off the heat and let the dish sit there for about five minutes before taking it out.

I think I have come to the conclusion I just can not make small salads! Look at that, so big, LOL.

Well it was definitely creamier! The only problem? Way too powerful! Holy cow the blue cheese was all we could taste. My recommendation would be to bake it for 15 minutes to let the blue cheese cook and mellow, then broil it. My husband and I agreed that even last week's version was very dry, the sauce this week was unpleasantly strong.

I keep hearing about Martha's Perfect Macaroni & Cheese via all my awesome online friends so I will tackle that recipe next but not for a while, I think I need to take a break from this decadent meal and I am sure my arteries agree!

Veggie Potstickers

---

Well it is about time for me to get to some Chinese cooking isn't it? Dave Lieberman's Veggie Potstickers are the first dumpling-type treats I ever made. Getting to see him make them and show me just how to do it got me over my anxiety of making something that seemed so difficult and made me realize it is no big deal. Time consuming? Yes. Difficult? No. Get the recipe here.

First, I just have to say, this is a Napa cabbage. Or what my grocery store refers to as a Chinese cabbage. The recipe calls for an entire head of cabbage which I did the first time and then ended up with twice as many potstickers as the recipe calls for. This time I only used half a small head of Napa cabbage which I thinly sliced.

The rest of the filling includes leeks, garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy, ginger and carrot. Refer to the recipe for all the details but remember, the filling can be anything you want. Want mushroom potstickers? No problem! How about shrimp? Of course! Made to order, I love that about cooking for yourself. These are terrific just as they are and cabbage is so good for you and Napa cabbage seems to be less overpowering to cook than every-day cabbage.

Ah yes, the fun part! OK, get out your wonton wrapper and use your finger to water the edges. Put about 1 tbsp of the cooled filling inside. Take opposite corners and stick them together.

Take the other opposite corners and stick them together and close the seams to make a pocket. Even with just half a head of cabbage I still managed to make around 20 potstickers which was all my back could handle. Ouch!

You begin first by getting your frying pan and oil very hot and then letting the dumpling sit for a couple of minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of water and immediately cover the pan with a lid. This will help release the potstickers from the bottom of the pan and steam the dough and heat the filling at the same time.

When you lift the potsticker they should be nice and brown on the bottom, so tasty!

I had these yesterday with Dave's recipe for Asian Dipping Sauce but I recommend making it with a more-salty soy than tamari. I also made my own homemade sweet and sour sauce but will cover that recipe on another day. For now, leave me be with these delicious treats. They are all mine!

Miso Soup

---

I must admit something, this is not authentic Japanese miso soup. It does not have dashi, green onions or tofu in it but it is my every-day version of this delicious and healing soup. My mom introduced me to miso soup years ago at an area called The Grange in downtown Toronto. I had never tasted anything like it. It was exotic, soothing and downright unusual! Since then, when I get a craving for this healing dish I just have to make some myself since finding it anywhere outside of mega cities will be almost impossible. If I can make this, you can make it! Let's travel to Japan together.

These are the basic ingredients for the soup: miso, broth, mushrooms, onions, ginger, greens, onions (I used shallots because that is what I had) and noodles. The high protein content of the miso and the kamut noodles helped make up for the missing tofu but if you have tofu, use it!

Finely dice the holy trinity of healthy cooking: garlic, onions and ginger. Saute them gently in olive oil for a couple of minutes.

Add some chopped mushrooms and just cook the rawness out of them before adding some soy sauce. In Asian cooking they use their salty sauces as seasoning so you do not have to add salt as you cook.

Add a low-sodium stock, your greens and your cooked noodles.

Do not cook your miso! Instead add some of the broth to the paste and whisk until smooth. Then add the rest of the soup. If you cook the miso you lose the healing properties! And I suggest a medium miso, the light ones taste very yeasty and the very dark ones are too strong. I like the medium reddish miso so that is what I personally recommend.

It may have been bright yesterday but wow, was it ever cold and chilling to the bone. All those greens, noodles and miso put me back on the path to good health. Miso soup can be made many ways, make it your own! I had a friend who would just warm up broth and add it to the miso and have that plain soup as breakfast every morning. Miso is a super food that can not be replaced by anything else. Every time I taste it, it takes me back to hanging out with my mom in Toronto with a little dash of Japan sprinkled on top.

Food is transformative. Food is magic.

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Steak

---

I was inspired to make this dish thanks to Five Ingredient Fix's recipe for Chilled Peanut Soba Noodles. I changed a lot of elements to the preparation of this dish but it is still super easy and requires few ingredients. It has a Thai-flare to it so I thought it would be the perfect place to begin our Pan-Asian foodie adventure. As I said, no borders!

This spicy peanut sauce definitely helps me escape the February cold and takes me some place warm and beautiful.

You begin with a 1/4 cup of peanut butter, a 1/4 cup of rice vinegar and 1 tbsp of soy sauce (I recommend Tamari light) and a smidge of hot sauce. I used Sriracha and just a tiny bit because I am a wuss when it comes to heat but a little rocks.

See that little red dot? That is how much hot sauce I use.

When you first start whisking, it will look like this, awful I know! But keep whisking!

Soon it will get nice and creamy.

Just so you know, that is not enough noodles. The original recipe calls for 8 oz of noodles but I usually like more sauce than most people so I am always experimenting. Just a bit more than this would have been perfect. I used a high fibre spaghettini noodle instead of Soba noodle, they are more economical and help fill me up quickly so I do not eat too much of this dish which would be more than easy to do. I am a noodle fiend!

I like to strain the noodles, I do not rinse them and while they are hot, put them in the room temperature sauce and toss. Personally, I have had them cold like the original recipe prepares them and personally think that having them warm or at room temperature is the better way to go. I added some barbecued beef slices on top but I have made this with shrimp and chicken before so do as you please! I personally think the beef if the most tastiest version.

I want that bite right now! It is very rare that I make a dish twice in a lifetime. This dish? I make twice a week! I swear, I do. I love it. It is my perfect lunch because I can make it fast and with leftover protein from the night before. I must admit that lunch is the meal I miss the most often so I am very grateful for this recipe. For additional Thai flavouring you could add chopped peanuts, deep fried tofu, green onions...

If you follow me on Twitter or are a fan of my Facebook page, these are the spicy noodles I keep raving about! I hope you give them a shot, the sauce is perfectly balanced and if you can get just the right amount of heat and noodles, you will love these.

A delicious lunch ready in five minutes that takes me away from this cold reality gets my stamp of approval. Big time!

Gung Hei Fat Choy!

---

I love this display in my grocery store. Makes me miss Vancouver where we lived in an area I called Little Chinatown, where I could pick up anything and everything for cheap every day!

...Which means "Happy New Year" in Chinese. We are not quite there yet but it is not far away! This year The Chinese New Year is not until Valentine's Day but I wanted to celebrate all month. With FOOD! Yup, I want to make Asian-inspired food this month and I invite you to join me. Thankfully my Superstore is celebrating with me and has many Asian food items on sale:

So if you are like me and have oyster and fish sauce but rarely use them, or if you have always wanted to buy and try them, join me this month in discovering Asian cuisine. No boundaries! If there is an Asian element to the dish, I want to hear about it. Is there something you have always wanted try? Let me know! I am planning on making pot stickers, rice paper rolls, dumplings... but would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. I must mention that I do not deep fry foods or eat pork but other than that, bring it on!

May the Year of the White Metal Tiger be bold and exciting for everyone, especially when it comes to flavours in our food!