Springtime Spring Rolls

Springtime is here!

(Or at least the weather is!) 11 degrees 3 months from now will be tragic, but for now I LOVE it!

Another good sign of spring's arrival is the increase in students appearing (out of hibernation) around campus. All of a sudden students are assembling themselves where the sun and fresh air is. Good news travels quickly apparently when it comes to weather.

Something else that spring brings? For me, I feel a sudden desire to put the stew cookbook back on the shelf, and to dust off those which contain lighter options. And this week, a trip to the local market introduced me to a great one: spring rolls!

These little babies were vegetarian concoctions but I know you can also make them with meat, like chicken or shrimp.

They came with a sensational peanut sauce which I haven't tried to re-create yet. (Partially for fear of failure and also for lack of ingredients.) But I knew that I just had to try em, so the next time I went to the grocery store I picked up the ingredients I needed and some sweet chili sauce for dipping. Sweet chili sauce is often used for spring rolls, so I knew that it would be tasty. I still crave that peanut sauce though...

Now you can try them at home too! You will wow your friends with a new hunger satisfying snack/meal that appears difficult to make, but in reality, is reeeeallly simple.

Here's what you do...

Ingredients:

(per 1 spring role)

1 rice paper wrapper--22 cm in diameter(you can find these at your local supermarket), soaked and softened

1 lettuce leaf

1 tsp shredded carrot

1 small spear of cucumber (about 2.5 inches long)

a few sprigs cilantro

a few rice noodles, cooked

a dipping sauce of choice (I used a thai sweet chili sauce)

Directions:

1. Soak the rice paper wrapper in water until soft an pliable (about 30 seconds), and place onto a plate or cutting board.

2. Place the lettuce into the centre of the wrapper, followed by the cucumber, carrots, a few cooked rice noodles and cilantro.

3. Follow these directions for proper rolling techniques.

Gluten Free Pizza with Pizazz!

So I’ve had a craving for pizza for like... .two weeks. So I finally bit the bullet and made what I thought would be a really complicated recipe, but it turned out to be super simple AND I had most of the ingredients I needed!

The secret to this delicious delicacy is the crust. Its not ORDINARY pizza crust.... because its much MUCH better! Its a two cheese baked rice crust and it is ynummy!

So, y’all ready for this amazing pizza that might turn YOU off of gluten too?

As the Iron Chef says... ALLEEEEEEE CUISINE!

What You’ll Need:

Crust

¾ cup Uncooked Brown Rice or 1 ½ cups Cooked Brown Rice

¼ cup Mozzarella Cheese

1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

1 Egg White

Toppings

¼ cup Tomato Sauce

¼ cup Red Pepper

¼ cup Zucchini

2 Tbsp Red Onion

2 oz Pepperoni

¼ cup Mozzarella Cheese

Pinch of Oregano, Salt and Pepper.

1 Tsp Olive Oil

Crust

1. Cook ¾ cup rice and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grate ¼ cup of Mozzerella cheese, and mix with 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese. Add 1 ½ cups of cooked brown rice, and egg white. Mix well.

3. On a greased baking sheet, mound the rice-cheese mixture and spread out evenly and gently with your fingers. The crust will be about ½ inch thick and will make an 8 inch circle.

4. Bake for 20 minutes.

Toppings

1. Chop Red pepper, zucchini, and red onion.

2. Sautee with 1 tsp of Olive Oil until tender. Add Oregano, salt and pepper.

3. Spread tomato sauce and sautéed vegetables on top of the baked crust, and add pepperoni and cheese.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

5. Enjoy with a glass of red wine!

See? That wasn’t so hard! And I promise you won’t even miss the gluten with the scrumdidilyumptious crust!

MAKE YOUR OWN YOGURT!

What is the most satisfying thing you can do with a liter of milk?

CULTIVATE YOUR OWN BACTERIA CULTURES!

As a girl living on her own, trying to eat healthy can be an expensive task! Especially since it seems like produce, milk and cheese always seem to be on sale, RIGHT after I buy them! Now, I'm lactose sensitive, so I don't drink regular milk, but for some reason yogurts and cheeses doesn't bother me. Needless to say, yogurt is one of my staple foods and I go through one to two containers a week. It can get pricey at $4 per 500ml container!

So my wonderful, beautiful, thrifty mother told me to make my own! Its SUPER easy and although I was terrified I was going to give myself food poisoning, the yogurt turned out better than a lot of grocery store brands I have tried and it only cost me $1 to make a liter of it! And the possibilities are endless! Yogurt can be a great breakfast, with sliced strawberries and Gluten Free Granola, or afternoon pick me up in a Seasonal Fruit Smoothie, or dinner in a tasty Greek Tzatziki on a Falafel, or in desert in a delicious Blueberry Flan!

So, if you think you've got it in you, lets make some yogurt!

What You Will Need:

3 tablespoons of Natural Unflavoured Yogurt (ie. No gelatin or corn starch or thickening agents basically, you want the ingredients to be milk and bacteria cultures)

1 liter of 1% or 2% milk (I used 2% for a creamier yogurt)

Thermometer

1. Using a double broiler (or a medium sized pot and a heat resistant glass bowl) heat your milk to 180 degrees. 180 degrees is the temperature that milk begins to froth on its own.

2. Take your yogurt out of the fridge, and let warm to room temperature. While you are heating your milk, pour boiling water into the containers you are planning on using to sterilize them. I used several small containers that I could easily grab on my way out the door.

3. Once the milk has reached 180 degrees, remove it from the heat and cool to 110 degrees.You can either do this by putting it in an ice bath, or being patient. (I used an ice bath).

4. Once it has reached 110 degrees, add the three tablespoons of yogurt and mix well. Pour into containers and seal with either lids or plastic wrap.

5. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place for 8 hours (overnight). I used my radiator, but you can use an stove with a pilot light or put in a heating blanket.

6. Chill for a few hours and enjoy!

7. Add any sweeteners or flavors you want! But make sure you leave at least 3 tablespoons for your next batch!

Makes 1 liter of yogurt, and lasts for 1-2 weeks!

Image from http://manolobig.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/yogurt-gallery-x.jpg