good recipes

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

STIR FRY SAUCE

2 Tbsp soy sauce $0.18

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil $0.33

1 Tbsp sriracha* $0.05

1/2 Tbsp brown sugar $0.02

STIR FRY

1/2 head green cabbage $1.78

2 carrots $0.22

3 green onions $0.17

1/2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil $0.02

1/2 lb. lean ground beef $3.90

2 cloves garlic $0.16

1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger $0.13

Pinch of salt and pepper $0.05

GARNISHES (OPTIONAL)

1 Tbsp sesame seeds $0.08

1 Tbsp sriracha $0.05

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the stir fry sauce first. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, and brown sugar. Set the sauce aside.

Shred the vegetables so they are ready to go when you need them. Cut one small cabbage in half, remove the core, and then finely shred the leaves of one half the cabbage (4-6 cups once shredded, save the other half for another recipe). Peel two carrots, then use a cheese grater to shred them (1 cup shredded). Slice three green onions. Mince two cloves of garlic. Peel a knob of ginger using either a vegetable peeler or by scraping with the side of a spoon, then grate it using a small-holed cheese grater.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add the cooking oil, ground beef, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the beef until browned (about five minutes).

Combine marinated chicken, cucumber, cilantro, mayo, and pickled veggies in a wrap.

Pickled veggies: Put carrot & daikon pieces in a mixture of 1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar, and 1 tbsp sugar.

Serves: 2 - 3

INGREDIENTS

Vinaigrette

3 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)

3 tbsp rice vinegar (aka rice wine vinegar)

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or canola or any other neutral flavored oil)

1 tsp sugar

1½ tsp fresh ginger, grated or very finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp black pepper

Salad

1½ cups red cabbage, finely shredded

4 cups Chinese cabbage (Nappa Cabbage), finely shredded (Note 2)

1 cup carrot, finely shredded

2 cups chicken, shredded

½ cup scallions / shallots, finely sliced on the diagonal

Garnishes

½ to 1 cup crunchy noodles (I use Chang's) (Note 3)

2 tbsp peanuts, roughly chopped

1 tsp sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the Vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake. Set aside for 10 minutes or so for the flavours to meld.

Place the Salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Drizzle over dressing then toss. (Note 4)

Just prior to serving, sprinkle over most of the crunchy noodles, reserving some for garnish. Toss quickly, then garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds and remaining crunchy noodles and serve immediately.

NOTES1. Light soy sauce is lighter in colour and flavor than ordinary soy sauce but is saltier. If you don't have light soy sauce, you can use ordinary but adjust as follows - instead of using 3 tbsp of light soy sauce, use 2 tbsp ordinary soy sauce + 1 tbsp water + ¼ tsp salt + pinch of sugar.

2. You can substitute with ordinary green cabbage.

3. You can buy crunchy fried noodles in the Asian section of supermarkets. I don't even know if you can get them in Asian grocery stores! They are cheap - just over $1 for a packet. You can use any crunchy fried noodles - thick or thin. I use a brand called Chang's (yellow packet).

4. At this stage, you can serve immediately or set it aside for up to 15 minutes. The cabbage will wilt slightly and that's ok, it takes on a texture a bit similar to coleslaw i.e. a tiny bit limp/pickled. But don't leave it for much longer than 15 minutes otherwise it gets too limp and soggy.

5. If making ahead, keep the dressing separate from the salad until ready to serve.

6. David Chang's original recipe for this Vinaigrette has slightly different ratios for the ingredients, most notably, much less oil. This is because he uses his Vinaigrette for meats and seafood. He notes that it is too tart for salads which is why I increased the oil, mainly by adding sesame oil for the extra sesame flavor. But it is still not as oily as traditional salad dressings which typically have a 1 to 3 ratio of vinegars to oil.

Nutrition per serving assuming 3 servings, chicken breast and 1/2 cup of crunchy noodles are used

Yield: 1

Ingredients

For the overnight oats

½ cup rolled oats

⅓ cup yogurt

⅓ cup milk of choice

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 - 2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 small red apple, chopped

Toppings

2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

2 teaspoons honey

Directions

In a bowl or container, mix together the rolled oats, yogurt, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Stir in the peanut butter and chopped apple.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or put the lid on the container) and leave in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, stir the oats well. If the oats are too thick, mix in some extra yogurt or milk.

Yield: 2

Ingredients

For the overnight oats

1 very ripe banana

1 cup Greek-style yogurt

½ cup cold coffee

¼ cup milk

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅔ cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon chia seeds

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 - 2 tablespoons date caramel, or 2 - 4 chopped dates

Toppings

Yogurt

Date caramel or caramel sauce

Coarse salt (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl or container, mash the banana thoroughly. Stir in the yogurt, coffee, milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract.

Add the rolled oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder and date caramel (or chopped dates). Mix until completely combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or put the lid on the container) and leave in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, taste the overnight oats for sweetness, and stir in additional maple syrup if necessary. If the oats are too thick, also add some extra milk.

Serves: Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

½ ripe banana, thinly sliced

½ cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 tbsp bulgur wheat

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp millet

1 tbsp buckwheat groats

1 tbsp organic cacao powder

1 cup boiling water

2 tbsp chocolate flavored whey protein powder

¼ cup milk of your choice

Optional Garnish

A dozen carob chips

Fresh coconut shavings

INSTRUCTIONS

The previous night

Bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a plastic container with a fitting lid, mix all ingredients except for protein powder and milk.

Add boiling water, stir until well combined. Put the lid on and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours)

In the morning

Stir in protein powder.

Transfer to serving bowl and add milk.

2 servings - halve recipe for just one person

1 Tbsp cacao powder

1 cup almond milk

1 Tbsp chia seeds

1 cup rolled oats, processed slightly in a blender or fp

pinch of pink salt

2-3 tsp maple syrup, grade B

1 shot (1oz.) warm espresso (if not using espresso, sub chai tea or more non-dairy milk)

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 banana, sliced

1 Tbsp walnuts, crushed

maple syrup to taste to serve

Instructions

Add 1/2 cup of the almond milk, cacao powder and warm espresso to a blender, blend on low until smooth. Once the cacao has dissolved, you can blend in the remaining non-dairy milk, spices and sweetener. You could also whisk briskly until the cacao dissolves, but you may need to warm the non-dairy milk to get the cacao to dissolve properly.

Combine chia seeds, oats and sweetened and seasoned cacao liquid in a small bowl or jar. Add a pinch of salt. Stir briskly.

Slice you banana and crush your walnuts.

In one or two serving jars, layers the mixture with the banana slices, top with the crushed walnuts.

Yield: Per one serving

Ingredients

-1/3 cup oats

-1/3 cup Greek yogurt

-1/3 cup soy milk, slightly overflowing

-1/2 banana (1/3 if it's particularly large)

-Scant 1/4 cup blueberries

-Maple syrup, to drizzle

-Granola and/or chopped nuts

Instructions

Mash banana and blueberries together in a bowl until blended together. Stir in oats, yogurt, and milk. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Ingredients

2 cups rhubarb, fresh or frozen

1 1/3 cups organic strawberries, fresh or frozen

2-4 tbsp water

2 cinnamon sticks

scant pinch sea salt

1-3 tsp raw honey, to taste

In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed sauce pan combine rhubarb, strawberries, water, cinnamon sticks and sea salt. The amount of water that you will need will depend upon whether you are using fresh or frozen fruit, as frozen fruit will give off more water than fresh fruit.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease heat and simmer on low until rhubarb and strawberries have cooked down and thickened significantly. If you allow the mixture to cook for 30+ minutes you will get a very thick, rich syrupy sauce.

makes 1 bowl of oats

1/2 c unsweetened plain almond milk

1/2 scoop unsweetened vanilla protein powder, optional

1/2 c rolled oats

1 tbsp buckwheat groats (for crunch)

1 tbsp chia seeds (for texture + fats)

1 tbsp unsweetened dried coconut (for fats)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp almond extract

dash sea salt

1/2 c organic low-fat plain yogurt (unsweetened)

Stir together protein powder, if using, and milk.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning layer into a pretty glass with desired toppings.

Topping Ideas

Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce

Organic fruit (berries, cherries and peaches are in season)

Granola (homemade or a clean low-sugar &  low-fat variety)

Unsweetened Dried Coconut

Raw or dry roasted nuts and seeds (peanut, almond, sunflower, pepita, tahini)

ingredients:

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk

1/2 c. mango, diced

1 tbsp. shredded coconut

1 1/2 tbsp. agave nectar or honey

instructions:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup / 400 ml rolled oats (preferable gluten free)

1 tsp vanilla extract or dried vanilla powder

1 3/4 cup /400 ml (about 4 oranges) orange juice

1/2 cup sunflower and pumpkin seeds

1 cup water for soaking

4 tbsp shredded coconut, lightly toasted

fresh fruit for serving

Directions

In the evening: Mix oats and vanilla in a bowl, add freshly squeezed orange juice and stir to combine. Place seeds in a bowl and cover with water. Place both bowls in the fridge overnight.

In the morning: Scoop a couple of spoonfuls of soaked seeds in 4 jars or glasses. Scoop the soaked oats porridge on top of the seeds and cover with fresh fruit and lightly toasted coconut.