Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

Daughter #1 introduced us to a small Thai restaurant on Yonge St in Toronto across from Ryerson College. Salad King is always crowded and the food is superb. You can order your food with a hotness (chili) rating of 1 to 20. We settle for a "5" and this is fairly spicy.

I have come to love fresh rolls. Various ingredients are wrapped in rice paper (available at our larger supermarkets) and the rolls are served with a vinegar sauce. They can be filled with combinations of rice vermicelli, shrimp, tofu, basil or mint leaves, sprouts and are not fried. The rolls at Salad King are filled with pickled carrot, mango and cucumber sticks.

Three or four of these make a very satisfying lunch for work. Mine do not look as perfect as the picture above of the ones we bought, but I am getting better at rolling them. I find grated carrot easier to manage than carrot sticks. Choose a firm, ripening mango and slice it in thin sticks. Slice the cucumber the same way.

Here are two YouTube links to demonstrate how to roll rice paper and how to make dipping sauce.

Aloo Gobi

This recipe is featured in the movie Bend it like Beckham, a favourite soccer movie of our daughters. They also like Indian food and this dish in particular. A few modifications are shown in italics.

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces (skip the onion for daughter #1)
Large bunch of fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped (skip the coriander for daughter #3...I use it as an optional topping at serving time)
Small green chilies, chopped into small pieces (or one teaspoon chili powder)
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths (I cut it smaller than this)
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
1 large 28oz can of diced tomatoes with juice (I use a small tin of tomato paste instead and thin with a little soymilk during cooking)
Fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Fresh garlic, chopped
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Teaspoon whole mustard seeds
2 Teaspoons Turmeric or curry powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Garam Masala (available in spice row at bulk stores and supermarkets)


Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.

Add the chopped onion and one teaspoon of cumin seeds/mustard seeds to the oil.

Stir together and cook until onions become creamy, golden, and translucent.

Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.

Add chopped chilies (according to taste)

Stir tomatoes into onion mixture.

Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.

Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few tablespoons of water or milk (ensuring that the mixture doesn't stick to the saucepan).

Ensure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.

Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).

Add two teaspoons of Garam Masala and stir.

Add one tin of drained chickpeas.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry. Add yogurt, raisins and chopped almonds if desired when serving.

Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

Tastes even better the next day!

Crockpot Refried Beans

This is a very easy and low fat method of making refried beans. The beans can be eaten in many ways including taquitos, layered dip, or with tortillas and tacos. I like them for lunch as a dip for cut up raw vegetables. My family in Mexico use peruano beans for this recipe. They are exceptionally tender and delicious. I have never found them in Canada, but we buy several packages at Krogers if we cross the border into Michigan. Pinto beans can also be used.


I use my small 2 quart crockpot and add

1 lb washed and sorted beans. This fills the pot half way.
1/2 tin (2 oz) jalapeno peppers, nacho size
1 tsp of salt or to taste
1 chopped onion (optional)

Add water to the top of the pot and cook on high or low until beans are tender. Add more water if necessary It takes about 4 hours on high in my pot. The beans do not need to be soaked before cooking.

Mash the beans or pulse them in a blender or food processor. Freeze any beans you will not use in the next 2-3 days.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

I have been asked to make this recipe for a church luncheon this weekend. I have been supplied with a six pound pork roast and will cook it overnight. I am not a pork person, but will add this recipe for meat lovers everywhere.

Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwich

Makes 8 servings

1 pork shoulder roast (about 2 1/2 pounds)

1 bottle (14 ounces) barbecue sauce (not smokey or too hot)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 medium onion, chopped

1: Place roast in CROCK-POT® slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 10 \12 hours or on HIGH 5 to 6 hours.

2 Remove roast from CROCK-POT® slow cooker; discard cooking liquid

Shred pork with 2 forks. Return pork to CROCK-POT® slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and onion. Cover; cook on HIGH 1 hour or on LOW 2 hours.

3. Serve shredded pork on hamburger buns or hard rolls.

Tip : For 5-, 6-, or 7-quart CROCK-POT® slow cookers, double all ingredients except barbecue sauce. Increase barbecue sauce to 21 ounces.

From CROCK-POT® SLOW COOKER BEST-LOVED RECIPES