Zesty & Spicy

If you like food, we'll get along *^_^*

Kimchi & lobster pancakes

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Every time I get the chance to eat at ChezBong in Chinatown, the Korean green onion pancakes is something I almost always order.  What’s being presented to you, today, isn’t an authentic Korean recipe but it’s been inspired by the savoury pancakes recipe you can find in Maangchi‘s cookbook.  It’s been said on Twitch already but, thank you so much again to the sweet reader who bought me this book, so much deliciousness in there from such an incredible lady.

So here it is… my twist on the beloved Korean green onion pancakes made with homemade kimchi, lobster, grilled corn and the obvious: green onions.

Bon appétit!

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Oranges & tahini breakfast bowl

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My new obsession is those fancy breakfast bowls we can all admire on instagram.  It’s not something new, I’m just late to the party.

Hours and hours “wasted” or “invested” looking at those edible art pieces until finally finding the motivation to make one.  This is a savoury version with a creamy and garlic infused polenta dressed with green onions, Italian parsley, a sunny side up egg, grilled shiitake mushrooms & plantains.  To complete the look, you top it with an oranges & tahini dressing that has a hint of harissa, soy sauce and honey.

The black sesame seeds are optional but they look pretty sooo… the choice is yours.  Enjoy!

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My ultimate vegan sandwich

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This is another amazing way to use the seitan we’ve created the other day.

Lately, it’s my go to sandwich at either breakfast (I ate one a few minutes ago), lunch or dinner when I don’t feel like breaking my head much and want something that will keep me full for hours.  It’s honestly massive and kind of hard to bite through it but, obviously, nothing worth having comes easy in life right? XD

Joke aside, when I get sandwiches this high in restaurants, it makes giggle because there’s no way to look proper while eating this and it becomes a great exercise of “no giving a shit” because nobody looks cute trying open their mouth way too wide to fit an enormous sandwich in it.  You clearly don’t have to make it that big but, like they say…. go big or go home!? XD

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Under 20 minutes seitan pasta for one

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After throwing you in to the seitan world, it would be a good idea to give you a little inspiration on what you can make it it.  If you’ve made a batch of my homemade seitan recipe already, this super quick pasta dish might be right up your alley.  It literally took me under 20 minutes to get everything ready and it was also eaten in a record time.

Some things in life shouldn’t be complicated and this is the perfect example.  Hope you enjoy this dish.

20 minutes seitan pasta for one
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Quick & Easy
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Serves: 1-2 portions
Ingredients
  • ½ tablespoon of oil (I used avocado)
  • 1 green onion, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh cream
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ⅛ cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes
  • ½ heaping cup of small cubes of homemade seitan
  • 1 tightly packed cup of cooked buckwheat penne (or any cooked pasta you like)
Instructions
  1. - Start with heating the oil in the pan and drop the seitan cubes. Grill for 3 minutes.
  2. - Add the onions and garlic, keep grilling for another 3 minutes
  3. - drop the rest of the ingredients, cook for an extra 3-4 minutes
  4. - serve and enjoy!
  5. makes 1 big portion or 2 small ones

 

Basic, baked seitan recipe

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If you’re an adept of vegetarian or vegan dishes, you’ve probably came across seitan at least once in your life.  It’s a very versatile animal free protein made with vital wheat gluten (basically straight gluten flour) and it can be flavoured countless of ways to make it taste like chicken, beef, unicorn (lol)…you name it.

This is my personal baked seitan recipe that I use in almost everything but, I don’t think I could classify the taste under “beef” or “chicken” because it really has it’s own flavour profile.  It’s beyond amazing in a vegan gyros, in stir fry and even as a bacon replacement.  You can freeze it easily and it will keep for a decent amount of time in the fridge.  If you’ve already made a batch of my homemade vegetable broth, you’re already half way there for this one.

The classic way to make seitan is to boil it in the broth but I’ve had better results doing it this way because the end result is nice and soft compare to many other recipes out there who give you a very hard like rock seitan.

So let’s start!

Basic seitan recipe
 
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*As you mix, time is important because the flour will start absorbing the liquid and you want to make sure that all the flavours are well mixed in and there's no more white clumps of flour. It's totally ok to use your hands, at the end, to really mix everything in.
Author:
Cuisine: Vegetarian / Vegan
Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • Spice mix:
  • - the seeds of 1 black cardamom pod
  • - ½ teaspoon of dried, minced onions
  • - 1 teaspoon of dried, minced garlic
  • - ½ teaspoon of dried marjoram
  • - 1 teaspoon of dried basil
  • - 1 teaspoon of regular paprika
  • - 1 teaspoon of smoked Spanish paprika
  • - ½ teaspoon of salt

  • 1½ cup of vita wheat gluten flour
  • 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 2 cups of homemade vegetable broth
Instructions
  1. - Pre-heat your oven at 325F, line a GLASS loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. - In a mortar, crush the spice mix until powdered.
  3. - In a mixing bowl, add the vital wheat gluten flour and mix in the crushed spiced BEFORE adding the last two wet ingredients.
  4. - Add the tomato paste and the broth, start mixing*
  5. - Transfer the mixture in the loaf pan and press it gently with your hands to form the loaf and remove as many air pockets as possible. This is not an exact science but you just need to shape it a bit. The mixture will keep a very soft like texture and will harden once cooked.
  6. - Bake for 1h covered and then an extra 30minutes uncovered.

 

Bagel, veggies, eggs & goat cheese

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Saturday’s brunch is a real thing and this fuss free recipe is going to be perfect to serve at any time today.  Breakfast, lunch or dinner… isn’t it always the perfect time for beautifully grilled veggies, poached eggs and melted goat cheese?

Yup, I thought so too.

So don’t spend your entire day in the kitchen today (unless you’re an obsessed foodie like me) and eat delicious food that will keep you happy and healthy for your big relaxing day.

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My first Ramen noodles

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After spending a decent part of my day learning about these alkaline noodles and why the use of kansui and/or sodium carbonate is so important in the process, I was eager to apply my new findings to make my own ramen noodles.  This is my first attempt, after being inspired by other online at making these delicious noodles.  As you’ll be able to tell, it’s very simple to make them and so much more rewarding than buying them at the store… although it’s a little more labor intensive.

Ready for a quick kitchen work out?

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Egg Parmesan “Pasta” Breakfast

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EggParmesanPastaBreakfast-11

I felt a little wild after watching all those cooking shows on Netflix and this is where this dish comes from.  You often see big chefs trying to re-invent dishes in order to enhance their guest’s experience through confusion and technique so my mind went… why not making a breakfast that looks like dinner!?

….right?? 🙃 Why not.

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Wild Rice, Black Olives & Sun Dried Tomato Salad

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WildRiceTomatoSalad02

Simple salad made with whole ingredients for lunch today because simple is often best.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a fan of wild rice and guess what??!!  It’s super healthy for you!

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