Still trying to use up that fresh dill before it goes bad. Here’s a simple salad dressing recipe:
Lemon Dill Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 salt
1/4 pepper
Whisk together ingredients and serve. I used this over couscous, very yum. To add some colour garnish your salad with grated raw beets, delicious not to mention beets are good for digestion and hinder garlic breath.
I woke up with morning with a raging cold, I hate getting sick! But when I do there are two things that make me feel better: snuggles, and chicken noodle soup. Since no one wanted to snuggle me in my delirious flu-like state I decided to go for the chicken soup instead. While I was making it, however, I ended up creating more of a noodle salad. I think because I have been researching recipes for Sunomono (photos coming later this week!) and Thai glass noodle salad my culinary instincts led me towards creating this dish.
The rice vinegar and cucumbers made this recipe stand out, and cucumbers are so delicious in a stir fry! They resemble zucchini in texture not to mention cucumbers absorb the flavours you cook with, so they are very versatile.
I thew this together based on what I had in my fridge, so you can use any veggies you fancy. I wrote out the “recipe” to give you an idea for a quick lunch.
Chicken Noodle Salad
Serves 1
1 Packet of noodles
1 Chicken bouillon cube
1 Green onion
1 Garlic clove
Stir fry veggies of choice
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Sliced chicken
I wasn’t feeling too hungry to I sliced up about 1/4 of a cucumber, 1/4 of a celery stick and a little red onion for flavour.
In a small pot I added the bouillon cube to 1 1/2 cups of water. When the water boiled I added the noodles and cooked for about 5 minutes, just enough time to start frying my veggies.
I heated a bit of oil in pan to fry up the garlic, green onion, celery, onion, and cucumber. My boyfriend bought a rotisserie chicken and I shaved off a couple of pieces to through in the mix as well. Next I drained the noodles and added them to the veggies. I then added about 1 1/2 tbsp of rice vinegar ( it taste so good) and a couple splashes of soy sauce to the mix, stirred to get the noodles evenly coated, and served. I topped with sesame seeds for that authentic touch. This was good hot but would be just as good and maybe better served cold, so next time I’ll make enough to save for lunch the next day as well.
Quick, simple, filling, and had me feeling better in no time. Happy Eating!
It’s my birthday! To celebrate my 25 years and to encourage myself to eat healthy this month I made an easy avocado cucumber salad that is quick to make and really good to eat. I only had my camera with me so the photo quality isn’t the best, so make it yourself and see how yummy it looks.
Quick Cucumber Avocado Salad
1 ripe avocado, halved and then chopped
1 small ripe tomato, chopped
1 small cucumber, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or finely chopped
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste and lots of Pepper
And that’s about it! combine your ingredients in a bowl to mix before serving, or make it right on the plate as I did. This recipe just sort of evolved as I rummaged through my mom’s fridge picking and choosing what ingredients were available. I served this fresh salad as a side to some reheated rice and the two worked perfectly together. I didn’t use soya sauce but the lemon and tomato juices added lots of flavour to the rice. I love using lemon juice; it’s a great substitute for butter on rice or potatoes and adds a zesty flavour. For the same reason I love using raw garlic, mmmmm. It’s my birthday, so you all have to put up with my garlic breath. Happy Eating!
P.S. Adding a slice of cucumber to your glass of water gives it a refreshing twist. Try it!
Birthday Flowers
Couscouse salad with cucumber, tomato, red beans and cilantro
I spent a beautiful afternoon with my cousin today; we went to a hatha yoga class at her studio, then back to her’s for afternoon tea. Had I been thinking ahead I would have brought a camera to take pictures of the delicious lunch she made: turkey soup with a plate of fresh baby tomatoes, cucumber and cheese, followed by a slice of her carrot cake. I haven’t been to yoga in a couple of months and getting back on the mat felt great, especially with the positive energy exuded by my cousin. She sees the beauty and love life has to offer us even in our hardships and inspired me to come back and create beauty in my life. Of course this meant a meal!
Whilst yogaing, our teacher played “Here comes the Sun” by the Beatles, and it couldn’t have been more of an appropriate song for the day and our moods. I encourage you to put it on while reading, I’m listening as I type, and even provided a link.
I came home and made couscous salad, something I can enjoy for the next couple of days and bring over to my Mom to show her that I can make healthy meals. To cook the couscous I brought to a boil:
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
** These were the ingredients on the couscous package, but I found 1/4 tsp of salt was too salty. I made another batch to dilute it, this time I left out the salt and substituted butter for olive oil. There really wasn’t much of a different flavour wise.
uncooked couscous
When the water boiled I added the couscous, stirred, removed the pot from the heat, covered, and let stand for 3-5 minutes. When the couscous was cooked I fluffed it with a fork to separate the grains.
In a large bowl I added diced cucumber and tomatoes to the couscous. Couscous salad traditionally calls for parsley but I had coriander on hand so I finely chopped that up too. For a dressing I mixed together:
2 minced garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp lemon juice
A splash of vinegar (not sure exactly how much I used, maybe 2/3 a cap full? I go by taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
I also added a couple scoops of red beans for fiber.
Couscous salad with olive oil and lemon garlic dressing
