Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimps

Fresh spring rolls are a delicious and healthy appetizer. They are a nice change from the fried rolls (eggrolls) which are served warm. For this recipe, I added shrimps in the rolls for a more complete dish but you can replace them with fried tofu if you like. Enjoy!

Serves 2 (2 rolls per person)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 oz (75g) dried rice vermicelli
- 4 jumbo shrimps, cooked, peeled and sliced half lengthwise
- 1 romaine heart (or other lettuce you like), leaves separated, rinsed, and dried
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 4 rice-paper wrapper
- 1 small Persian cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1 bunch fresh mint
- 1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped

- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic chili sauce

Place the rice vermicelli in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes. Drain well.
Fill a bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper at a time into the water for about 15 seconds or until soft.
Place the wrapper on a flat surface. Top the central part of the wrapper with vermicelli, cucumber, carrot, peanuts, mint, lettuce and two shrimp halves.

Fold the lower part of the wrapper on the ingredients and roll tightly, folding in the sides. Put on a plate, cover with a damp cloth and repeat.

For the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.
Serve with the spring rolls.

Lemon-Ginger Steamed Chicken

The recipe I'm going to share today is very healthy and perfect if you are on a diet. If you are not, it's okay because steamed chicken is delicious and you'll want to have some anyways :-) Steaming is a great way to keep all the flavors and the nutrients of the ingredients. This recipe is an example of how you can use steaming for everyday cooking.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 pound (about 450g) chicken breast
- 1.5 inch (3.5 cm) ginger root, cut into thin slices
- 1 organic lemon, cut into slices
- salt and pepper
- olive oil (optional)
- some mint leaves, chopped

You should use a tall pot with a steaming basket. At the bottom of the basket, place one sheet of parchment paper. Make some holes in it.

Evenly layer the lemon slices in the basket and then layer on top the ginger slices like this:


Cut your chicken breasts in slices (not too thin) and layer them on top of the lemon and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and, if desired, sprinkle a little of olive oil.

Start steaming for about 15 minutes.
When it's cooked through, serve the chicken immediately with slices of lemon and ginger. Top with freshly chopped mint leaves. You can serve with rice or vegetables.

Apricot-Melon Smoothie: Delicious morning shot

Smoothies are great for summer: fresh, natural, and healthy, they provide you with a real good amount of vitamins, and are great in the morning to start your day.
You can make a smoothie with any fruit and vegetable you like, add herbs, sweetener (agave syrup is ideal), etc. If you do not know how which ones to choose, pick them for their colors!
It is recommended to drink your smoothie right away after making it, to keep all the vitamins.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: none
Difficulty: *
- you'll need a blender -

Ingredients:
- 3 apricots
- 1/4 small melon
- 1/4 teaspoon lime juice
- agave syrup (optional)
- water

Wash the apricots and cut the melon into small pieces. Place them in a blender with a little bit of water and the lime juice.
Start blending for 30 seconds. Check the taste and texture: if it is too thick, add a little bit of water and if you like, a little bit of agave syrup.
Blend again for 5 seconds and enjoy!

Note: if you want your smoothie extra cold, crush 1 or 2 ice cubes in the blender before adding the ingredients. You probably won't have to add water to the smoothie in this case.

Grilled Lime-Ginger Marinated Scallops

Tired of traditional BBQs? This summer, try grilling scallops for a change! They cook very fast and are delicious on the grill. Big and juicy scallops are preferred because they are much easier to handle and they will not break up during cooking. I did not do it this time but you can thread the scallops onto skewers, it will be even easier.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes + 2 hours marinating
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 10 big scallops, fresh or thawed
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 0.5 inch grated fresh ginger (about 1.3 cm)
- juice of 1/2 lime
- zest of 1 lime
- 3-4 basil leaves, chopped
- salt and pepper

Start with the marinade: grate the ginger root, zest the lime (keep some zest strands aside to top your dish before serving) and mix with all the other marinade ingredients. Check the seasoning.

Pat dry the scallops to absorb all the liquids.

Pour the marinade in a plastic freezer bag (like Ziploc®) and add the scallops. Close the bag and gently shake it to coat the scallops with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
If you chose to make skewers, place them in a large flat pan and turn the skewers from time to time to make sure the marinade coats each side of the scallops.

Heat the grill; grease it with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. When hot, start grilling the scallops. It will be pretty fast. Make sure the scallops don't stick to the grill and turn them after 4-5 minutes. Continue grilling on the other side for about 4 more minutes.

Just before serving, top with the remaining zest strands and/or chopped basil. Enjoy with a fresh salad.

Low-fat Lemongrass Chicken Skewers

Ideal for summer, this recipe is very simple and healthy. You can cook on a barbecue or simply pan-fry. Serve these delicious chicken skewers with a mango sauce and some rice or a baby green salad.
Happy cooking!

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes + 4 hours marinating
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
4 chicken thigh fillets
1 1/2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons green curry paste
Grated rind of 1 lime
2 stalks lemongrass


Mango salsa:
1 mango (small to medium size)
Grated rind of 1 lime
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

Cut the chicken fillets half lengthways. Combine the brown sugar, lime juice, curry paste and grated lime rind. Add the chicken, mix well and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, covered.

Trim the lemon grass to measure about 20 cm (8 inches). Leave the root intact. Cut each lengthways into four pieces.

Cut two slits in the chicken and thread onto the lemongrass. Repeat with the remaining chicken and lemongrass.

Barbecue or pan-fry until cooked through.

For the mango sauce, stir together all the ingredients and serve with the chicken.

Mini Herb and Hazelnut Goat Cheese Balls

This fresh appetizer is great if you have a party with a lot of people. You can prepare the Goat Cheese Balls in advance and create a lot of variations, depending on the likings of your guests.
For this recipe, I used hazelnuts but at the end of this post, I'm sharing more ideas to garnish your cheese balls.

Serves 8
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: none
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 log of herb & garlic goat cheese (or use a regular goat cheese and mix with 2 crushed garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of herbes de provence - or savory)
- 10/15 hazelnuts

Prepare your herb and garlic cheese if you did not find one ready: mix the cheese, the herbs and the crushed garlic with a fork, until smooth.
Crash the hazelnuts and chop finely. Spread the hazelnut pieces on a flat baking sheet or plate.

For each cheese ball, take 1 big teaspoon of goat cheese. Form a ball with your hands and coat it in the hazelnut pieces. Proceed in batches and place the cheese balls on a plate.

Other ingredients to coat the cheese:
- freshly ground pepper
- spices: paprika, ground cinammon, ground cumin, ground coriander...
- any type of nuts, finely chopped: walnuts, brazilian nuts, pecan nuts...
- dried fruits, finely chopped: apricots, prunes, raisins, peaches, cranberries...
- seeds: flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds (white and black)...
and more!

Pineapple Cocktail

Special drink for a special occasion... or not! If you have friends coming over or if you feel like trying the taste of the carribean, right in your sofa, prepare this exotic cocktail in only 5 minutes. Of course, it's better to buy fresh pineapples in season (summer) to preserve the natural cycle. In winter, you can use canned fruits if you can't wait!

Cantaloupe with Port

This appetizer is one of the simplest you'll ever make. There is no cooking time and it's ready in 5 minutes. The condition is to have a well-ripened cantaloupe and a good-quality port. The combinaison of both ingredients makes a sweet and original appetizer which your guests will remember.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: none
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 2 cantaloupes, well-ripened
- 3/4 teaspoons port for each serving
- salt and pepper

Cut the cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds using a spoon.
Scoop round balls of cantaloupe out of each half with a melon baller or a small round spoon. You can also cut the cantaloupe into squares (simpler).
If you like, you can reserve the halves and use them as serving bowls. Otherwise, fill 4 regular bowls with the cantaloupe balls/pieces.
Drizzle 3 to 4 teaspoons of port on each bowl. You can add more if you like :-)
Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour since this appetizer is better served chilled.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper just before serving.
Let me know how you like it, it's a wonderful summer dish.

Homemade Crab Cakes

I had crab cakes once in a restaurant and always wanted to try to make some myself. I did this week-end and I'm pretty happy with the result. They turned moist, tender inside and crispy outside. Served with a green salad, it's a great dish to eat while watching a good movie!

"Eggs Mimosa" (Deviled eggs), cute appetizer

This recipe is called "Mimosa eggs" (oeufs mimosa in French), probably because the egg yolk gives the mimosa color to your plate. You probably know it better as Deviled eggs. This appetizer is one of the easiest existing and you need a minimal number of ingredients to prepare it. I usually serve the Mimosa eggs atop a Belgian endives salad because I like the way the egg tastes with endive but any type of salad works.

Serves 2
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon regular mayonnaise or Vegenaise (vegetarian mayonnaise, without eggs)
- salad: Belgian endives, red and green oak salad, spinach salad, or any other salad you like
- paprika (optional)

Boil the eggs for about 10 to 12 minutes. The egg yolks need to be hard.
Let them cool and divide them in two, lengthwise.
Remove the egg yolks and set aside. Fill the holes of the egg whites with mayonnaise and crumble the egg yolks on top of the mayonnaise. You can also divide the yolks in two and place them directly on top, without crumbling them.

Prepare your salad and lay it in your plates. Place the eggs on top and sprinkle paprika over the eggs.
Serve right away.

Primavera, Mushroom, Seafood Risotto... Invent your own!

Risotto is an incredibly flexible dish which you can adapt according to your envy. There are some basic principles and techniques to know which I'm going to explain but it is not difficult to prepare.
Depending on the ingredients you use in your risotto, it can be an appetizer or an entree and you can make it with veggies, seafood or meat.


Serves 4
Preparation: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: **

Ingredients:
Basic ingredients needed for any type of risotto
- 400g risotto rice (14 ounces)
- 2 liters of stock (6 1/2 cups)
I prefer using chicken stock or vegetable stock. Clam juice can also be used for seafood risottos.
- olive oil or butter to fry the onion at the beginning of the preparation
- 2 tablespoons butter to add at the end of the preparation
- 1 small onion
- 2/3 cup wine or liquor (10 cl)(optional)
Any wine can work with risottos. White wine is the best bet but for more "fancy" dishes, I already used Sake or Ricard to customize my risottos.
- 2 nice handfuls of parmesan cheese (better if freshly grated)

Boil the stock and reserve it aside, keeping it very hot.
Heat the olive oil or butter in a large pan. Slowly fry the onion without coloring them, they should become transparent.
-- You might now add ingredients that need to cook with the rice, like raw vegetables, meat cut in small pieces... --
Turn up the heat and add the rice and stir so that it is coated with butter/oil.
Then add the wine and keep stirring until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
Add salt and pepper.
Turn the head down and add the stock in small batches, stirring and waiting for the liquid to be absorbed before adding more stock.
-- If you are making a seafood risotto, you can add the seafood in the middle of the cooking process here. Since seafood does not need to cook for a long time, do not add them too early. --
After about 30 minutes, the rice should be "al dente" and the texture of the risotto should be creamy. Add more stock if you feel that it's too dry.

Take the risotto out of the heat and check the seasoning: add salt and pepper if needed.
Stir in the butter and the parmesan. If you like, you can top with freshly grated parmesan before serving.

Examples of other ingredients to be used in risottos
1) Risotto Primavera: carrots, celery, green peas, artichokes, asparagus, green beans...
Cut them in cubes and add them to your preparation.

2) Mushroom Risotto: fresh or dried mushrooms like porcinis or chanterelles. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water before using them in this recipe.
For a "Japanese style" mushroom risotto, you can use shitake and/or oyster mushrooms. Sake can be used in this version.

3) Seafood Risotto: bay scallops, shrimps, calamari, ...
It's better to use fresh seafood but if you have a frozen medley for example, you can heat it in a pan first and reserve the juice to cook the rice. As mentioned above, do not add the seafood too early or it will become chewy, especially if you are using frozen seafood.

Enjoy!