Orange, Dates and Spinach Salad with Lemon-Cardamon Dressing

I wasn't sure about this recipe at first. Two reasons: orange and cardamon dressing. Neither Adrian nor I like orange much - it's not one of those fruits that we normally go for. Why did I choose this recipe? It's because there was one extra orange from the Orange-Pan Glazed Tempeh recipe I did the other night.

Cardamon dressing? Haven't even heard of it. I don't even cook with cardamon that much except for the occasional ethnic foods such as this. Therefore my association with cardamon is either Indian or curry. Very shallow. But what do you know? It's always good to jump into unknown territory just to be taken by surprise. Good surprise.

I could tell Adrian was not fond of the orange from the way he picked them out. But overall he liked the salad. It's especially good with the dates. It's a recipe worth making and remaking.

Ingredients:
(serve 2 as a side)
For the dressing:

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (Lemon juice + whole milk)
  
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

• 1 bunch spinach, rinsed, dried and chiffonade
  
• 1 large orange, sliced into halves and pull apart into sections, retain the shells
  
• 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• 1/2 medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 pitted dates, chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1. In a small bowl, place the sliced onion and pour the reserved lemon juice over it. Set aside.
2. For the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
3. For the salad, toss all of those ingredients together, including the lemon juice-soaked red onion.
   
4. Toss and coat the salad with the dressing. Scoop over reserved shells to serve.
   

Dinner and Breakfast Tempeh

I was very surprised not many people know about tempeh. I first heard of it when I was in college. A couple of Indian friends were eagerly anticipating this thing that Hanisha was going to bring back from Indonesia. "What is it?" I asked. My college mates were astonished. "You don't know tempeh?" As if I had committed the greatest sin. Then they went on to describe at length what a delicious delicacy tempeh was. I learned that day tempeh was an Indonesian thing. Period.

Two and a half years ago, when I got married to Adrian and subsequently moved to Bangkok, I started cooking. Back then with little to zilch experience in the kitchen, I visited 101 Cookbooks religiously. Everything I cooked was from Heidi Swanson. I'm proud to say I have outgrown that phase. Nevertheless 101 Cookbooks still serves as my inspiration from time to time.

One of the recipe I took from 101 that I liked very much was this TLT Sandwich recipe. I have always wanted to make it again since then. Unfortunately for reason unknown to me, tempeh was only available during the Thai vegetarian month. I waited. A year later, no sign nor sight of tempeh anywhere. Have they stopped selling? I was very disappointed and frustrated. Local people whom I asked have no clue what I was talking about. Some good-hearted ones directed me to the Vegetarian Society in JJ Market but to no avail. Sigh.

From left: Adrian tucking in to his famous Malaysian foods, mamak-styled. Me savoring local nyonya foods at an antique house in Jonker Street.

(L) Old man preparing teh tarik ("pulled tea"). (R) Haven't seen this boiler for ages!

When Adrian and I went back to KL to visit my family, we took a detour to Melaka - the historical state of Malaysia that was adorned World Heritage site status by the UNESCO in 2007. The trip started in order to satisfy Adrian's curiosity about this place - many people have mentioned it to him. It somehow ended as a history refreshment course for me. There were a few things that upset me, such as the building of shopping malls on the once recreational field near Porta De Santiago (which was wrongly called A'Farmosa by Lonely Planet, said our tour guide at the Red House museum). Its short fall was compensated by the boutique hotel - Courtyard@Heerem - that we stayed a night at, and the guided tour at the museum.

The Geographer Cafe and the curried tempeh.

There was also the sampling of nyonya foods and not to forget a tempeh dish from Geographer Cafe. It was a kind of finger foods, fried with curry powder. It was so good it reignited my desire for tempeh, and I vouched to buy some to bring back to Bangkok.

Unlike traditional tempeh, which is made from fermentation of cooked soya beans, this is of black beans.

Upon our return to KL, our first stop was to Just Life organic store. There, right in front of me, was 5 packets of freshly made, newly arrived organic black bean tempeh! I was ecstatic. I took all of them. Naturally I had been excited to cook with tempeh since then.

I took a quick search in 101 and found a couple other tempeh recipes that I wanted to try. I decided to make the Orange-pan Glazed Tempeh. This recipe features a simple ginger and garlic-spiked orange glaze that smells like a gingered duck dish that my grandmother used to make. Adrian thinks it's just like teriyakki chicken. The beans also make the tempeh looks awfully a lot like meat.

I was so excited about the TLT Sandwich that I couldn't stop smiling the whole night. I even asked Adrian if he could guess what's for tomorrow's breakfast, just to tell him "I'm not gonna tell you. It's gonna be real good."

As Adrian watched me assembling the sandwich, he said "I don't think it's going to make a sandwich." I crudely replied "It's an open-faced sandwich!" No one is dampening my enthusiasm for the breakfast that I'd been waiting for two years!

As it happened, we both loved this two tempeh dishes a lot. Off I go and scavenge for more special tempeh recipes. 3 more tempehs awaiting in the fridge!

Beet and Orange Soup

This is a twist of a traditional Ukranian soup - borscht - which is also popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. You can read up here for some interesting variations and way of preparing borscht in different countries. Traditionalists may frown at me given borscht is usually served during winter. At this time of the year in Bangkok, not only there is no rain, but I'd be lucky if I manged to take a 5 minutes walk without having to sweat like a pig. I digress.

There are many beetroot soup recipes out there. The recipe that I followed suggests serving the soup with sour cream and chopped chives. Another recipe uses frozen yogurt and chive. I thought the latter sounded cool but I liked the idea of sour cream. So I froze up sour cream and chives instead of yogurt.

So this must have been the 3rd attempt to force-feed Adrian with beetroot. The soup has a beautiful intense ruby-red color. How can anyone not fall in love with it? I'm not sure if Adrian approved of the soup. He was more curious about the ice-cream looking thing than the obvious presence of beetroots. At least he didn't complain. Actually he did better: he finished the his serving of the soup.

Ingredients:

• 3 small beetroots, washed
• 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
• sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  
• Juice of 1 orange
• 2 cups miso soup
  
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup sour cream (lemon juice + cream)
  
• Chives, chopped

1. Mix sour cream with chopped spring onions. Spoon the mixture over ice-cube tray. Freeze till needed.
   
2. Bring a pot of water and beetroots to boil for about 60 minutes; until beetroots are fork tender. Remove and let cool. Peel off the skin and chop roughly.
   
3. Saute onion with a generous pinch of sea salt. Add garlic, rosemary and black pepper. Continue to saute for another 10 minutes over low heat.
4. Pour in balsamic vinegar, orange juice, miso soup, orange zest and chopped beetroots. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
   
5. Process with a blender till smooth and creamy. Separate into two serving bowls. Serve with frozen sour cream.
   

Pumpkin Goat Cheese Salad with Walnut and Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette

The key to this salad is the cranberry orange vinaigrette dressing that come with just a tinge of ginger. It is rather simple provided you have homemade cranberry sauce (not that you can't use commercial brand but why would you?) at hand. You can make a big batch of it and use it whenever you need that delicious dressing for your greens. When in hurry, simply omit the roasted pumpkins, and use fresh goat cheese instead of deep fried - I'm just in the mood for it since I made it with the Barley Pilaf. For aesthetic reason I spooned the dressing into the orange halves. You can dress it any way you like.

This dressing is a keeper.

Ingredients:
(makes 2 sides or 1 large)

Vinaigrette Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup homemade cranberry sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon natural cane sugar
sea salt and Pepper to taste

1. Whisk the juice and cranberry sauce together in a large bowl until thoroughly blended.
   
2. Add in the ginger, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste and mix. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
   

Salad:
Salad greens
1/4 large pumpkin, peeled and cut into wedges
4 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons dried cranberries

Deep Fried Goat Cheese: (optional)
60 gram goat cheese, freeze and cut into bite-sized chunks
Unbleached all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
Breadcrumb

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Coat pumpkin wedges with olive oil and salt. Bake in oven till tender.
   
3. Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs in three separate plates. Coat goat cheese with flour, egg then breadcrumbs.
4. Heat a pan with pure coconut oil. Fry coated goat cheese for 2 minutes on each side.
   
5. Pile the salad leaves either on one large bowl or two individual plates. Top the greens with roasted pumpkins, walnuts, cranberries and goat cheese.
6. Drizzle vinaigrette over to serve.
   

Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cranberry

Living in non-seasonal, tropical region of the world means many things. One of it being: expensive imported berries. Hence my attachment with affordable locally-produced frozen berries; I just wish they can bring out more frozen blueberry than they do with frozen strawberry. Nevertheless I thank the farmers up in Northern Thailand whose hard works find their way into my list of homemade's.

I have made countless bottles of homemade strawberry jam and raspberry jam from frozen local produce. This time, it's homemade cranberry sauce with dried cranberry. Making your own cranberry sauce is simple and delicious. And it’s a great winter immune system booster. Not that we have that weather spell here but it is raining a lot, and heavily so, these days. My first encounter with cranberry was its expensive juice said to contain proanthocyanidins that can prevent the adhesion of certain bacteria, such as E. Coli, to the urinary tract wall hence prevention of urinary tract infections. This anti-adhesion properties of cranberry may also inhibit the bacteria associated with gum disease and stomach ulcers.

Getting hold of fresh or frozen cranberry is a challenge; it's rare and often expensive. That's why this recipe is so good. Just bear in mind that dried cranberries are often sweetened - be cautious about how much sugar you add; it could be overly sweet. I prefer it to be on the tart side and used no more 1/4 cup of sugar.

Updated: Some serving ideas -

Use it as filling and top with the crispy walnut crust from this Apple Crisp recipe.

Serve it with pesto in this savory baked Camembert and Cranberry-stuffed Eggplant.

Ingredients

• 2 oranges, juiced
• zest of 1 orange
  
• 2 C dried cranberries
• 1/4 - 1/2 C natural cane sugar
  
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 apple, peeled and grated

1. Wash the cranberries in a bowl of hot water, to remove any oil coating. Drain.
2. Put cranberries and orange juice with 100ml water in a pan. Cover and simmer very gently for 10 minutes, until the cranberries are starting to plump up. Leave covered for an hour.
3. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon and apple, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
4. Check for sweetness and add more sugar, if necessary.

Beet and Feta Salad

Ever since the success of introducing beet root into Adrian's diet, I have been wanting to cook with more beet roots. As Dan said, beet root is a very versatile ingredients. He was generous enough to share with me some of his killer beet recipes back in his Bed Supper Club-day. They are really tempting, and equally intimidating. I'm going to stick to baby-step and experiment the home-style before I venture to the pro-style.

It's such a pain to cook beet - it takes such a long time to get it cooked! In my case, 40 minutes. What did I do as I wait? I whipped up an Apple Crisp.

The maple syrup-candied walnut was a good touch; it added some crunch to the salad. Its sweetness is a good compliment to the saltiness of feta. The orange zest, too, added a not overly whelming citrusy taste. On last thought, I threw in some sprouts (broccoli, alfalfa and pea) for variety.

Ingredients:

• beets, washed, trimmed and cut in half
• 1/3 cup of walnuts, chopped
  
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• salad greens of your choice
• 1/2 cup of orange juice, or one orange
• orange zest, grated
  
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• feta cheese, crumbled

1. Cover cut beets with water and boil until tender. About 40 minutes.
   
2. At the mean time, mix orange juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a medium bowl.
   
3. Lightly toast walnuts in a frying pan for a few minutes. Add maple syrup and stir to coat.
   
4. When beets are done, let cool under running water. The skin will slide off easily at this point. Chop into bite-sized chunks.
5. Place salad greens to individual plate. Toss all ingredients together, spoon on salad green to serve.
   

Roasted Beet with Orange and Walnut Dip

According to the Liver Detox book that I'm reading, beet root is good for toning and rebuilding the liver. Something I want to share with Nook. There has been ongoing investigation on the role of beet extract in protecting normal and diabetic livers, as well as they role on elevated cholesterol level in individual with cancer.

While the Romans used beet for fever and constipation, Roman soldiers famously coined 'take favours in the beetroot fields', as an euphemism for visiting the prostitute - beet root juice has been considered as aphrodisiac since the Roman times.

Beet root really is one of nature's many wonders - from treating indigestion to blood pressure and cancer - . Consumption of this purple vegetable also known to produce pink urine. We'll see.

So far I have successfully turned Adrian's dislike of olives and eggplants to the better. Tonight, it's a "I-hope-you-like-beet root-although-I-knew-you-don't" night. I saw the look on his face and it's understood when he said, though with a smile, "Don't take it personally if I don't eat much".

"You will like this" Says the cook.

Verdict: The cook is always right.

I like the nutty, creamy flavor the toasted walnut added to the dip. Adrian likes how the orange and garlic hinder the beet root-ty taste. I actually like beet root as it is, but it feels good when he says "OK. You are right. I like this".

You can use the dip as sandwich spread, mix it into hummus for a gorgeous light pink colored dip, or simply serve as a platter with vegetable crudites, melba toast, loves, crackers and apple wedges.

I served it with strips of red and yellow capsicums, and toasted bread with spread of feta. I suspect cream cheese, tahini and yogurt would work just as well. I thought we were not going to finish the dip but I somehow discovered that the dip works as dressing for the Warm Spinach Goat Cheese Salad. They look pretty together =)

Ingredients:
makes about 1 1/2 cups

2-3 medium beets
3/4 scant cup walnuts
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp orange juice
salt, pepper
1/2 tsp orange zest

1. Wash and dry the beets. Wrap them in foil,place in a baking dish and bake in a 200C oven for 1 hour or till the beets are fork tender. Let the beets cool a little and peel the skin.
2. Toast walnuts in a pan over medium heat till they are light brown.
   
3. Place the roasted beets, toasted walnuts and all other ingredients, except orange zest in a blender. Puree till smooth.
   
4. Adjust vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste. Transfer the dip to a bowl and mix in orange zest. Serve chilled with pita bread and vegetable crudites.

Blueberry Oatmeal Crumbs

I love crumbs. i love the crunchy texture that comes with every bite. I knew I have to make something now that the cheap local frozen blueberry are back in the shelf. I fell in love with this recipe the moment my eyes set on its picture.

I don't usually mix my platter. I prefer to eat my meal in a specific "order"- whatever that means. But not this morning. I have so much faith and expectation for this recipe I made exemption for this crumbs - again, whatever that means. And as Adrian was savoring the Vegetable Casserole, I pressured him to dip into the crumbs - a behavior that would normally make me frown. "OMG! It's so good it puts the casserole to shame by one point!" And henceforth he couldn't decide which one to go in his mouth first: the savory or the sweet? The cheesy vegetable or crunchy blueberry oatmeal?

Good thing I baked a big tray of it - we still get to keep some while I share the rest with my friends. I'm pretty sure everyone approves :)

Ingredients:
For the Filling -
3 Cups frozen blueberry
1/2 brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (from 1 orange)
2 tablespoons corn flour
2 tablespoons water

For Crust and Topping -
2 1/2 rolled oat
1 1/4 all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
zest from 1 orange
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter, cubed

1. In a saucepan, heat together orange juice, brown sugar and blueberry over medium heat to boiling; about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
   
2. Mix together corn flour and water. Stir into the blueberry mixture and return to boiling. Stir until the mixture thicken. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, cover and keep in refrigeration for at least 1 hour. I kept it for overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 175C. Lightly grease a 8" square baking pan.
   
4. In a large bowl, mix together oatmeal, flour, sugar, zest and salt. Add butter cubes, using fingers, mix ingredients together until it resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Layer 1/2 the crumbs to the bottom of the baking pan. Take the blueberry mixture from the refrigerator and pour it over the crust. Top the blueberry filling with the other 1/2 of crumbs. Pressing lightly to adhere.
6. Bake at 175C for 45 minutes. Remove and cool completely before cutting into squares.
   

Maple-Grilled Salmon

It's been two months since I had any fish. Although I don't crave for it but I thought I would cook fish as my "return to kitchen" signature.

The method calls for grilling, which I don't have. If you do, good for you. Otherwise, do as I did:

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Lightly oil baking sheet and place fillet skin side down. Put baking sheet to second top rack and let broil until the fish flake easily.
   
3. Remove from the oven and place on a hot skillet. Brush the fish with marinade and cook until it becomes a syrupy glaze.
   

I was going to garnish the salmon with orange slices but I can't find fresh oranges in the store and had to resort to fresh orange juice instead. What a bummer. It would have been pretty.

Ingredients:
(yields 2 servings)

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Pour the first three ingredients into a large zip-lock bag. Add fish. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 200C.

3. Remove fish from bag, reserving the marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

4. Lightly oil the surface of a grill and place fish on top with the skin side down. Grill until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, basting occasionally with marinade. Remove fish from the grill; sprinkle with salt and pepper.