Time for a few changes

You'll notice a new layout, as well as new colours (though I stayed in the same colour scheme). I wanted to change some things on here, like adding labels (on the left) and allowing readers to share posts on Facebook and other networks. I hope you like the change!

On dogs and babies

Our dog Darwin is growing very quickly, as dogs are wont to do. These little paws walk farther than they used to. When he was a young puppy, though, it struck me how similar raising a young dog is to raising a young child – in the sense that it’s like a preview in preparation of the main event, not in the sense that it’s as hard or as rewarding, of course.

You see, when you have a two-month-old puppy in your apartment, you must focus all your attention on him. Simply being home, as in working from home, is not enough: the puppy needs attention, sure, but also constant supervision. Are all electrical wires out of the way? Is he about to chew on that table leg? Did he just piddle on the floor? Where can you safely set up your ironing board? Our dog was a good puppy, though, probably in part because we watched him like a hawk at first and redirected his attention when it was inappropriate (“Chewing on our things is not appropriate; chew on this toy we bought you instead – good boy!”).

It took a while for the potty training. Again, a few months is still much faster than it happens for babies, but at least babies don’t walk around your home without diapers like a ticking time bomb! (Darwin has only had one little accident in the past month and a half, so even though there were days when we wondered how we would get through it, everything settled into place and we don’t regret getting him one bit.) Still, you definitely spend quite a bit of time cleaning up pee, poop and vomit. You have to get up in the middle of the night for potty breaks. It definitely tests your patience. You discuss food intake and bowel movements like you discuss the weather. You have more questions than you can answer yourself, so you end up talking to your veterinarian a lot (luckily, in our case, our veterinarian is also one of my best friends – I can’t even tell you the time she spent giving me information out of her office!). You buy more accessories than you ever thought you would, and you trip on toys every day. With a long-hair breed, vacuuming is a must, but on the bright side, Darwin is great at licking anything off the kitchen floor before it becomes sticky!

You’ll notice that when you walk a puppy, all the passersby suddenly want to come pet your dog and coo at him – you’ll probably get the same sudden attention if you push a baby around in a stroller. Of course, everyone then thinks it’s okay to give you unsolicited advice and to comment on your methods (feeding, disciplining, potty training, etc.), regardless of whether they actually have dogs (or children) themselves! You end up learning the names of the other dogs who live on your street, but not the names of their humans (just like you know the names of the other kids at the park, but not their parents’ names). And you see the street itself in a completely different way. What seemed safe and clean before is now suddenly littered with broken glass, cigarette butts, trash-can juice, toxic pesticides and poisonous mushrooms. And of course, puppy wants to put everything in his mouth!

One thing that is different than with children, though, is that you get to pick your dog. Of course, the way you interact with him as you raise him has a lot of impact, but you get to pick a dog knowing the characteristics of the breed and choosing an individual with an energy level that matches yours. One thing that bugs me is when people mention how calm our dog is and say it in a tone that suggests that this was divine intervention and that we really have no idea how much we lucked out. Well, the truth is that the Engineer and I specifically picked a labernese, a breed that is known for its calm temper, and then on top of that we picked the calmest puppy of the litter – so we didn’t end up with a calm dog as a random accident. If anything, it would have been surprising had his disposition not been so mellow!

Vegan Chocolate Orange Ginger Cupcakes

Once we had settled in to our rental apartment in San Antonio, it wasn’t long before I had a craving for a chocolate dessert. I started by making so-called triple-threat dark chocolate cookies, though I have to admit I used margarine instead of butter, parchment paper instead of wax paper, and I only had a little baking sheet. The presentation of the cookies therefore left a little to be desired. They tasted good, but not marginally better than any other triple-chocolate cookie I’ve tried, so I won’t be keeping that recipe.




I did find a great keeper, though: these chocolate orange ginger cupcakes that happen to be vegan. They were easy to make in a single bowl and were delicious even without frosting (which I couldn’t make anyway without my electric mixer). I used a bit of ground ginger instead of grated fresh ginger, but my orange zest was wetter than it would have been if I had used my regular zester, so I think the consistency overall was the same and the ginger taste was more subtle. And they plumped up beautifully! I preferred these cupcakes when they were still warm from the oven and the top was crispy, but they did stay moist for several days. I’m making them again for a barbecue this weekend, and I’ll definitely be making them after that too. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes, so you could scale it back or freeze some if you want.

3 cups all purpose flour (organic unbleached if you have it)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups natural cane sugar (I used vegan cane sugar)
1 2/3 cups water (or cold freshly brewed coffee)
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (or a few tsp ground ginger)
4 Tbsp zested orange peel (from 3 or 4 oranges)
1 Tbsp orange juice
4 Tbsp cider vinegar



Preheat oven to 375 °F. Line 2 muffins tins with 24 paper liners.

Mix all dry ingredients and whisk to combine.



Add water, oil, vanilla, orange juice, ginger and orange peel. Stir to combine.



Add vinegar and stir quickly to combine.



Things will be slightly foamy and lighter in color. Once the mix turns slightly darker again, you know you've incorporated all the vinegar and you're set to pour it into muffin tins (or even two cake pans).




Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to sit in pan for 5 minutes, remove and place on wire rack until completely cool.






Frost as you wish.

Aidez Zero8!

Malheureusement, les temps sont durs pour bien des boutiques et des restaurants spécialisés en cuisine sans allergènes, y compris Zero8. Ce restaurant est non seulement excellent, mais c'est également le seul en son genre à Montréal (voire au Québec). Si j'étais en ville, je ferais mon gros possible pour y aller, mais je n'en ai pas la possibilité...

Si vous avez le temps (et un peu d'argent), n'oubliez pas d'aller encourager Zero8!

The Cove

Last night, the Engineer and I had dinner at The Cove, a relatively well-known place in San Antonio. It’s a restaurant and bar, but also has a laundromat, carwash and playground and it doubles as an art gallery and venue for live music. The food they serve is sustainable, organic and local; they have Vegan Thursdays as well as gluten-free options daily. Just with that, I’m impressed.

The Cove is known for its fish tacos, but we opted for the burgers. The Engineer had the lamb burger (Guy Fieri, from The Food Network, said it’s the best he’s ever had); he really liked it, but it was too spicy for me. I had a bison burger with sweet potato fries. I was a little disappointed by how thin the patty was, but it was a good burger. The regular fries were better than the sweet potato ones, which I found a bit gummy. I also had some homemade ginger ale, but it was a little too strong and not quite sweet enough for my taste. The salads looked wonderful, though, so that’s what I’ll try next time.

This restaurant hasn’t quite wowed me with its food yet, but I do like their principles. It’s a nice quirky place to visit in San Antonio.

Filets de porc aux poires, au miel et au balsamique

J’ai découvert quelques blogues culinaires francophones récemment (je mettrai bientôt à jour ma liste de liens à droite). Dans Les carnets de Miss Diane, j’ai trouvé cette recette de filets de porc aux poires, au miel et au balsamique. J’ai utilisé deux filets de porc au lieu d’un seul (c’est tout aussi simple à faire, mais ça donne des restants). C’était délicieux, et vraiment parfait pour notre petite cuisine louée et pas très bien équipée! Je recommande fortement cette recette.



1 ou 2 filets de porc
2 ou 3 poires
2 c. à soupe d'huile d'olive
2 c. à soupe de miel
1 c. à soupe de vinaigre balsamique
quelques branches de thym frais

Préchauffer le four à 400 °F. Parer le filet de porc et le couper en tronçons d’environ 1½ pouce (3 cm) d’épaisseur.

Dans une poêle allant au four, faire chauffer l'huile d'olive sur feu moyen et y faire revenir le porc, côtés tranchés, jusqu'à ce qu'il soit doré. Le retirer de la poêle et faire revenir les poires, épluchées et coupées en lamelles, dans la même poêle. Les cuire jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient tendres.

Remettre le porc dans la poêle, ajouter le miel et le vinaigre balsamique et cuire le tout pendant 2 minutes. Parsemer de quelques branches de thym frais et enfourner pendant une quinzaine de minutes, ou jusqu'à ce que la viande ait atteint 160 °F au thermomètre. Servir sur des assiettes chaudes et accompagner d'un légume vert.

J’ai servi sans accompagnement le premier soir, mais le deuxième, j’ai faits rôtir des légumes. Je ne pensais pas publier de recette pour cela, car je n’ai fait qu’assembler le plus possible de ce qui restait dans le frigo, mais l’Ingénieur a tellement aimé qu’il a insisté pour en avoir une version écrite. Donc : j’ai mélanger de petites pommes de terre nouvelles en cubes, un poivron rouge en cubes, des tomates cerises, des gousses d’ail, du thym frais et du romarin frais. J’ajoute un peu d’huile d’olive, du sel, du poivre, et je mélange bien. J’enfourne dans un four préchauffé à 425 °F et je fais cuire de 30 à 45 minutes. C’est tout! Adaptez selon ce que vous avez sous la main (j’utilise souvent des herbes de Provence, mais je n’en avais pas ici).

Pan-Fried Rosemary Garlic Potatoes

I found this recipe on The Kitchn – that site is really a lifesaver. I adapted this as a simple side dish and served it with miso chicken, which was delicious even though I don’t have my food processor to make the recipe as I normally do. The potatoes stole the show, though, and we ate every last piece. I therefore recommend 2 lbs of potatoes as a side dish for 4 people – you won’t regret it! I’ll have to add these to my everyday repertoire, though the Engineer and I have decided that these are good enough for company.



1 lb new potatoes, skins on and diced into ½-inch cubes
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
handful of rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and left whole, approx. 2 Tbsp
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add potatoes and salt and stir over medium heat. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are browned. Turn heat to medium-high and add garlic, rosemary, and pepper. Brown for about 3 minutes and serve hot.

Tacos de papa

Tacos de papa is Spanish for “potato tacos” (not French for “Dad’s tacos”). I decided to make this as our first meal in San Antonio, to detox a bit from all the unhealthy food we’d had on the road and to eat something with a little Tex-Mex influence. It was presented on The Kitchn as an “easy weeknight dinner”. Easy, sure, but weeknight? Good thing we were still on vacation. Granted, I always have a leisurely pace in the kitchen (especially when it’s not really my kitchen, as is the case in our rental apartment), but what with all the chopping and cooking, it took almost two hours – and that’s with store-bought tortillas and no poblano peppers! It was really good, though, so I’ll keep the recipe, but it’s not what I’ll make if I’m in a hurry.

10 fresh corn tortillas
2 large red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut in ½-inch cubes
4 ½ Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chopped onion
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 ear white corn, stripped of kernels
2 scallions, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
fresh cilantro, to taste (or some ground cumin if you dislike cilantro)
1 lime
fresh avocado, diced



In a skillet, pour 3 Tbsp of the olive oil, add the potatoes and fry them until crispy and brown on the outside and cooked inside.

While the potatoes are cooking, pour the remaining 1 Tbsp of the olive oil to another skillet and cook the onions, garlic, celery, bell pepper, and corn. Add salt and pepper to taste; juice the lime, add it to the skillet and cook on low for 5 minutes. Stir well.



Heat a large skillet or griddle and warm up the tortillas on each side, about 5 minutes per side (warming them helps to soften them).

To assemble the tacos, place some potato on the tortilla, then the veg/lime mixture, and top with scallion, cilantro, and avocado.

As a bonus: did you know that to prevent an avocado from browning, storing it with a red onion (or leftover shallots, in my case) works better than lemon juice or tight wrapping?

San Antonio Tidbits

Since our arrival in San Antonio, we have been able to try some of the local cuisine. Or, to be more specific, some chain restaurants that are non-existent in Quebec (we’ll get around to the local Tex-Mex restaurants, don’t worry). We also noticed some differences in everyday things, like all the delicious gourmet candy available at the corner store (some of it was Latino, but a lot was actually Asian, for some reason). We saw a Double-Down sandwich at a KFC in Kentucky (up until then, those sandwiches had been the stuff of legends to me – legends as in “unverified accuracy”, not “legen-wait for it-dary”). Even brand-name chips have different flavours, like limón (good, but I prefer our good old ketchup flavour).



We had burgers at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Just before I left Montreal, I learned that a location is supposed to open in the Old Port. It’s recently beat out all the other fast-food burger chains in a consumer-vote face-off on A Hamburger Today (below is a chart of the participants, filled out right before the winner was declared). Five Guys makes good burgers, grilled when you order them and topped with everything you want, but they are definitely in the fast-food end of the spectrum. Their fries are ridiculously good and plentiful, though. I must mention that they serve free bulk peanuts in the restaurants, with the weird warning not to remove them from the premises for fear of allergens. So... it’s okay as long as they’re still on the premises, next to the food?



We also tried Chipotle. This chain is technically fast food, in the literal sense – it’s prepared quickly. But it’s healthy: most of the meat is naturally raised (fed a vegetarian diet without hormones or antibiotics, and pasture-raised when possible), vegetables and legumes are from local family farms and organic when possible (and fresh – I believe only the corn is frozen during off seasons), and they were trying out soft tortilla shells made with a 3,500-year-old recipe. The guacamole is awesome; I had a pork burrito which I loved (and I can’t believe I ate the whole thing); the Engineer had a chicken burrito and declared himself thoroughly satisfied. We heartily approve of the place and will definitely be back.

I’ll quickly mention Sugarbakers, which is not a chain. It’s a cafe and bakery where they serve breakfast and lunches, but I went in there lured by the (what else) red velvet cupcake. It was really good, and the highlight of my day.



(On a side note, San Antonio is the only place so far where I’ve seen sunscreen with an SPF this high... I came here with an SPF 75, and it’s done a good job so far, but I shudder to think that this might become the norm for the fair-skinned like me!)

Last taste of Montreal

The Engineer and I did a bit of a “goodbye tour” of Montreal in the early summer. We do plan on coming back to Montreal every summer, so it wasn’t like our last meals ever in town, but there were a few places we just had to visit one more time before we left. We used the takeout counter at Schwartz’s for some smoked meat sandwiches with fries and Cott’s black cherry soda (and we bought a jar of steak spice, of course!). We also had one of Amelio’s white pizzas, which are the best in Montreal (and I just now realized that Amelio’s has a second location, in Outremont, so hopefully the quality is there too).



We also had two Itsi Bitsi cupcakes: Caribbean Chocolate (which was supposed to have mango icing, but it tasted more like an orangesicle) and Turkish Delight with Raspberry frosting. The latter was good, but neither one was really great.



The consistently great cake/cupcake shop is Cocoa Locale. I tasted the chili brownie. I’d been waiting for a while to have Reema’s brownie – you see, Cocoa Locale’s menu changes daily, but unless you call ahead, you just don’t know what the day’s offerings will be. I had already tasted the Olive et Gourmando brownie, which is widely accepted as the best in town, but I disagree: it’s small, very light brown, is more fudge than cake and is overpriced. I make better brownies at home. But Reema’s brownie... Now there’s the best commercial brownie in Montreal. It’s dark brown, made with Valrhona chocolate, frosted and dusted with red pepper flakes. It’s rich, but not too much, and the heat of the pepper is a nice touch. I’m really glad I got to taste it before I left.

Maison Kam Fung

This restaurant review has been languishing on my hard drive for longer than I care to admit. I wanted to go to this restaurant a second time and try more dishes, because I had liked it so much. But somehow, I never found the time (or the right group of people, since dim sum pretty much requires a group). But I’ve decided that this is doing no one any favours, especially since the place I used to talk about (Lotté Furama) had closed after the quality became questionable. So, even though this is dated, here’s my review.

Maison Kam Fung, “hidden” on the top floor of a mall in Chinatown, is known for its dim sum lunch – which is the best I’ve had in Montreal. You have to wait a while to get seats, but the restaurant is quite big, so the turnover is good and a table usually frees up within 20 minutes.

Before our group was all seated, we already had our first dish served on the table by the eager waitress: peanut dumplings, which had some pork, shrimps and coriander. We had to intercept someone later to get glasses of water, but after that, refills came easily. The carts rolling past the tables are each more appetizing than the next. We had a vegetarian noodle dish, some shrimp rice noodles, delicious steamed pork buns (I had been fantasizing about those for a long time), fried dumplings, vegetables, eggrolls, steamed rice in a lotus leaf, fried shrimp, fried squid... It’s like every cart has something new, but you eventually get too full to keep trying new dishes. And for dessert, there were delicious red bean dumplings, coconut-stuffed bread and egg custard-filled flaky tarts.

We had an absolutely excellent meal, ate until we were stuffed, and it only cost about $15 per person, including taxes and tip. I’m looking forward to going back to Maison Kam Fung next time I have the chance.

Spatule

« Spatule » est un mot-valise qui a bien des sens en cuisine! Le mot semble simple, pourtant, mais j’ai cinq types différents de spatules, avec des utilisations différentes bien sûr! L’usage du mot est bien ancré, et on peut trouver le sens précis sans difficulté selon le contexte, c’est vrai, mais j’aimerais qu’on puisse avoir des mots différents pour désigner des ustensiles à utilisations si variées... Ce serait logique, il me semble.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

If you’re like me, you probably have a bag of stale instant popcorn in the back of your pantry. It’s not so far expired that it would make you sick, but it’s definitely past its prime. You want to get rid of it; throwing it away would be a waste, but you might want to “enhance” it a bit before you eat it. Enter: peanut butter popcorn (adapted from a recipe I found as part of a peanut butter feature on The Kitchn). It’s soft and gooey, unlike crunchy caramel popcorn, and easy to make, too. It keeps overnight (and gets gooier), but is best eaten the day it is made. It’s very rich, though, so don’t make a habit of it!

1 bag popcorn, popped
fine salt
½ cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter (ideally without added sugar)
½ tsp vanilla

Pour the popcorn into an oversized mixing bowl to cool, being careful to leave any unpopped kernels in the bag (coated with peanut butter caramel, the unpopped kernels are a serious tooth hazard). Lightly salt the popcorn to taste.

Mix the honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple minutes, then remove from the heat and add the peanut butter. Stir vigorously until all the peanut butter is melted, then mix in the vanilla.

Immediately pour the peanut butter caramel over the popcorn and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon until it's all coated. Once it's mixed, you can transfer it to a serving bowl. Cover tightly after it's cooled.

Big green salad with chicken, dates and various other things

This is a recipe that I first tried months ago; I ended up not posting about it, because it felt so simple that it wasn’t really worth a recipe. I’m starting to see, however, that it was exactly what I needed at the time, and it fits my current circumstances because it is good and filling while being easy and highly adaptable. The idea for this came from The Kitchn. It’s for a green salad that the original poster made with lettuce, chicken, dates, smoked almonds and goat cheese. I used lettuce, chicken, chickpeas and dates, but some lactose-free goat cheese would have been lovely in there too, and maybe some roasted pecans. You can make this salad with whatever you have on hand – but I do recommend using the dates, they were a great touch. The quantities below are only indicative, so you can adjust them (this would make almost 10 servings, but I rarely make anything with more than 4), and feel free to substitute at will (anything here is optional, and the list is not exhaustive). You can of course make this salad without nuts or animals products if you so wish.

1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1 head red-leaf lettuce, shredded
1 small head red cabbage, shredded very fine
1 small endive, chopped OR 1 fennel bulb, finely shaved
6 shallots OR ½ red onion, finely chopped
1 cup dried dates, pitted and chopped in quarters
1 cup smoked salted almonds OR roasted pecans, roughly chopped
1 12-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and well drained
1 12-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and well drained
4 oz lactose-free goat cheese or smoked goat cheese, crumbled
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
avocado, cubed
cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

Dressing
3 Tbsp light vinegar, like rice vinegar or Champagne vinegar
½ cup light oil, like very light olive or safflower oil

Mix the greens and cabbage in a large bowl. Toss with the finely chopped shallots or red onion, dates, almonds, and legumes. Toss with the goat cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and avocado.

Whisk the vinegar and oil together until emulsified, then pour over the salad mix and toss.

Salade d'orge au poulet, vinaigrette à la framboise

C’est une autre recette tirée de Coup de Pouce, sûrement la dernière pour un certain temps car je n’ai pas encore pu faire suivre les numéros de mon abonnement aux États-Unis (mais pour savoir pourquoi cette recette n’est pas en ligne sur le site web du magazine, fouillez-moi). C’est une recette très simple, que j’ai trafiquée un peu ce soir-là pour faire plutôt des poitrines de poulet avec une salade d’orge sans brocoli en accompagnement. On peut aussi en faire une salade verte et y incorporer le poulet, au goût.

1 c. à soupe de beurre
1 c. à soupe d’huile végétale
2 poitrines de poulet désossées, la peau et le gras enlevé
3 tasses d’eau
1 tasse d’orge perlé (ou mondé, doubler alors le temps de cuisson)
2 bouquets de brocoli (facultatif)
½ tasse de canneberges séchées
½ tasse de noix de Grenoble grillées, hachées
1 pincée de sel
3 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
2 c. à soupe de vinaigre de framboise
1 échalote, hachée
1 c. à soupe de menthe fraîche, hachée
1 pincée de sucre
1 pincée de sel
1 pincée de poivre noir du moulin

Dans un poêlon, faire fondre le beurre avec l’huile à feu moyen. Ajouter les poitrines de poulet et cuire pendant environ 10 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’elles soient dorées et aient perdu leur teinte rosée à l’intérieur (les retourner à la mi-cuisson). Couper le poulet en lanières et réserver.

Entre-temps, dans une casserole, porter l’eau à ébullition. Ajouter l’orge et mélanger. Réduire à feu moyen, couvrir et laisser mijoter pendant 30 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le liquide soit presque complètement absorbé. Ajouter le brocoli et cuire pendant 3 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’il soit tendre, mais encore croquant. Ajouter les canneberges et poursuivre la cuisson pendant 1 minute. Retirer du feu et laisser reposer pendant 5 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le liquide soit complètement absorbé.

Pour faire la vinaigrette, mélanger l’huile d’olive, le vinaigre de framboise, l’échalote, la menthe, le sucre, le sel et le poivre jusqu’à ce que la vinaigrette soit homogène.

Au moment de servir, mettre la préparation d’orge dans un grand bol. Ajouter le poulet réservé, les noix de Grenoble et le sel. Verser la vinaigrette et mélanger pour bien enrober les ingrédients. Répartir la salade sur un lit de feuilles de laitue Boston, si désiré.

Coconut Sorbet - Plain, Basil and Saffron

Not too long before we moved, I finally indulged my cravings for homemade coconut sorbet. I found a recipe on Baking Bites (adapted from The Vegan Scoop) and used it as a base, even though I’ve now tweaked it. I call it coconut sorbet rather than ice cream, because it does not contain any dairy (though it does have the consistency of ice cream, just like Tofutti does). I also split the batch in three in order to try out the basil coconut sorbet I’d been dreaming of as well as the saffron coconut ice cream I stumbled upon at some point since.

Well, I’ve decided to modify the “standard” recipe by using neither shredded coconut (which, in my opinion, ruined the consistency) nor vanilla (which ruined the color and overpowered the coconut taste). I winged it on the two variations (basil and saffron), though I had the good sense to use neither shredded coconut nor vanilla in those. I do not recommend that you make these at the same time, especially if you only have one ice cream maker (I made them at the same time because I wanted to do it all before I packed up the ice cream maker and I was impatient). I used two 400-ml cans of coconut milk, for a total of about 1 quart of sorbet, but you do have a little leeway here if your cans have a different size.

Personally, the basil and saffron variations were my favourite, while the Engineer preferred the “plain” and the saffron flavours. This means I’ll definitely be making all three of them again! They were delicious, and a great alternative to grocery-store flavours.

800 ml (2 cans, approx 3 ¼ cups) coconut milk
2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
¾ cup sugar
1 handful fresh basil leaves (optional)
½ tsp saffron threads (optional)



In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the coconut milk with arrowroot starch. Whisk well to combine.

In a medium saucepan, combine the rest of the coconut milk with the sugar. Throw in the basil OR the saffron, if using. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in arrowroot starch and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat. Strain out the basil leaves, if using.




Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours or overnight.



Freeze coconut ice cream base in an ice cream making, following the manufacturers’ directions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and chill until ready to serve.

Filets de porc aux pommes sur pilaf de quinoa

J’ai pris cette recette dans un Coup de Pouce et je l’ai faite avant le déménagement. C’était vraiment très bon! J’ai utilisé du quinoa rouge et du quinoa blanc parce que je voulais finir mes réserves, mais utilisez ce que vous voulez. La texture et le goût du feta chaud était particulièrement intrigants pour moi, car j’en avais toujours mangé froid. Il n’y a pas beaucoup de feta dans la recette, alors les Lactaid ont largement suffit, mais on pourrait en mettre davantage si on veut (et omettre les noix aussi). Par contre, il a fallu que je fasse cuire le porc environ le double du temps demandé dans la recette. Je ne pense pas que mon feu était trop bas, car le quinoa au fond a un peu brûlé. Attendez-vous donc à allonger le temps de cuisson indiqué ici au besoin, ou encore mieux, mettez votre poêlon au four pour cette étape.

1 ½ lb filets de porc
¾ c. à thé de poivre noir du moulin
½ c. à thé de sel
1 c. à soupe d’huile végétale
1 oignon rouge, haché
1 pomme pelée, coupée en dés
1 tasse de quinoa rincé et égoutté
2 tasses de bouillon de poulet réduit en sel
2 carottes râpées
¾ tasse de canneberges séchées
½ tasse de noix de Grenoble hachées
½ tasse de fromage feta émietté

Parsemer les filets de porc de ½ c. à thé du poivre et de ¼ c. à thé du sel. Dans un grand poêlon, chauffer l’huile à feu moyen-vif. Ajouter les filets de porc et les faire dorer de tous les côtés pendant environ 4 minutes. Retirer du poêlon.



Dans le poêlon, ajouter l’oignon rouge et la pomme et cuire, en brassant, pendant 5 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’ils aient ramolli. Ajouter le quinoa et cuire, en brassant, pendant 1 minute.



Ajouter le bouillon, les carottes, les canneberges et le reste du poivre et du sel, et bien mélanger.



Déposer les filets de porc sur la préparation de quinoa, couvrir et porter à ébullition. Réduire à feu moyen-doux et laisser mijoter pendant environ 15 minutes (ou mettre au four préchauffé à 350 °F) ou jusqu’à ce que le porc soit encore légèrement rosé à l’intérieur, que le liquide soit absorbé et que le quinoa soit tendre. Retirer les filets de porc du poêlon. Laisser reposer la préparation de quinoa à couvert pendant 2 minutes.



Couper les filets de porc en tranches fines. Ajouter les noix de Grenoble et le fromage feta à la préparation de quinoa et mélanger. Servir les tranches de porc sur le pilaf de quinoa.