There are days when it rains and wontons call my name. It’s a craving I can’t resist, and I have yet to find a way to paleofy those thin delicate wonton wrappers. So be warned, unlike most of my recipes, this one is only paleo friendly if you skip the wonton wraps and make little meatballs of filling instead, which is still like a warm hug on a cold day. Our house got struck by lightning, I thought we were going to explode it was so loud and scary. We were about to run out the door when it happened. I’m convinced if we would’ve been outside at the time one of us would’ve been struck. Such an occasion of torrential downpour and a near zap from Thor is a definite occasion to indulge in these little pockets of flavour and texture.
We’re in the middle of our move, the house is chaos, have I mentioned that I hate moving. This is the 5th time in the last year and a half and it is decided that the next time we move it will be to our own land, to build our own earthship or something equally eco friendly and awesome. Thankfully my parents are here to help us, and give J and I ample reprieve from baby holding. We saw 2 baby moose on our way back from the new place yesterday, man they are beautiful creatures.
I really like my wonton soup infused with thai flavours of lemongrass,chilis and kaffir lime, the exceptional flavour makes up for the lack of MSG which lies in most restaurant wonton soups.
1 thai bird chili minced, or 1 tsp sambal chili sauce
1 tsp ground lemongrass or paste
2 kaffir lime leaves or 1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce
1 Tbs coconut sugar or honey
2 tsp tamari or coconut aminos
For the broth
8 C chicken stock
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 thai bird chili minced, or 1 tsp sambal chili sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
a few handfuls fresh greens-kale,mustard,bok choi, chard...
For wontons
one package medium sized wonton wraps
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbs water
Instructions
For the filling
Add coconut oil to a hot skillet, sautee onion, garlic, ginger until onion is translucent.
Add pork or chicken, chili,lemongrass, kaffir lime,fish sauce,coconut sugar and tamari and cover on medium until pork is fully cooked- about 10 minutes.
Allow filling to cool somewhat before assembling the wontons.
For the broth
Add all ingredients aside from greens to a large pot and bring to a boil.
Assembly
Typically I make a row of wonton wrappers, add a tsp of filling to the centre of each, with a little pastry brush or my finger i use some of the egg yolk and water mix to create a glue around the perimeter, fold them into little diamond shapes and repeat until all the filling is used up.
Make sure to get all the air out when you fold the wraps and they will be less likely to explode.
When you have a sufficient amount of wontons made, approx. 40 you can start adding them to the boiling broth, they only need about 5 minutes to cook, lastly add the greens.
Yes I just made that word up, Manguac, it’s great right, hilarious, it’ll be the next hummus I swear you’ll love it that much. Because what grows together, goes together, not that mangoes or avocados grow in my backyard,though maybe someday. So here goes, you’ve had mango salsa, now welcome mango guacamole, a new hero sidekick to top your grilled summer goodies. Manguac is splendid with grilled fish, BBQ chicken, pork chops, on a burger or veggie burger. I also just eat it with some fresh local greens as a salad, pack it to the beach and you are set!
An amazingly seasonal addition to this dish would be fresh local corn, honestly the corn right now is bonkers. Every summer I get that max. 1 month of the freshest, tastiest corn on the cob, I add it to everything. The best way in my opinion is grilled corn covered in butter or ghee. Yum. But grilled and added to this manguac is divine and makes it all the more delicious.
If you haven’t seen this video on how to easily peel a mango, check it out, the method of scraping the mango against a glass actually makes perfect sense.
Rrratatouille, it’s worth making, not only is it a palatable way to enjoy a smorgasbord of summer vegetable abundance, just the word ratatouille is fun to say. I love to enjoy ratatouille in a number of ways, traditionally it is a slowly stewed dish with herbes de provence, but I also love roasting it and layering the veggies all pretty like. The addition of pesto is magnifique, and unless I can find a fresh bouquet of herbs de provence I will use pesto to add the pizazz required for a special french dish such as this. You could also try adding brazil nut pesto instead of sunflower for an extra selenium boost. Now the possibilities for enjoying ratatouille are many. I love it as a simple elegant side dish with a roast chicken, or with poached eggs on top, ratatouille is also really nice with a soft cheese like chèvre and drizzled with balsamic reduction.
Heirloom tomato season is my absolute favourite, just look at those glistening sweethearts. The mad harvest is on, you can feel the end days of summer in the air. The time is now to enjoy the bounty and nourishment that summer gives us, replenish your stocks for that time that we’ll just pretend doesn’t even exist…
What I’ll miss most about summertime…
-the livin’s easy
-my baby can’t even crawl yet and I’m certain that won’t last into the Fall
-jumping in the cool but not too cool river everyday
-the abundance of local food and wild food everywhere
1/2 of a medium sized zucchini, cut into thin slices
4 medium sized tomatoes, cut into thin slices
1/2 of an onion, cut into thin slices
1 sweet pepper, cut into thin slices
Instructions
Pesto
Add basil, sunflower seeds, garlic,parmesan, olive oil and salt to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Ratatouille
Set oven to 375F
In a skillet or baking dish assemble layers of eggplant, zucchini, tomato,onion and peppers, working your way out to the edge of the vessel.
Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper and drizzle 1/2 C of your pesto over top. The seeds will get nice and toasty in the oven and the garlic basil flavour will penetrate all your lovely layers. Bake for 20-25 minutes
WordPress informs me, that it is our 6 year anniversary! What better occasion for such a divine little cardamom plum and berry tart such as this. I’ve really only been actively blogging for closer to 6 months, but the intention has always been there, I was just too shy all those years. Now here I am, baring it all, showing the world my gluten-free delights and stories about baby poo. They say the magic happens right outside your comfort zone, which strikes a chord on my heart strings. My imagination has doubled in size since I started Naked Cuisine, I’m always dreaming up the next best recipe to make your tastebuds smile. So thanks for reading, it makes me really happy 🙂
Today’s recipe is inspired by my friend Irene who I got to see today for the first time in years, it was really fun catching up, life changes so quickly but reconnecting with old friends always feels like no times passed at all. I remembered her love for cardamom, a spice which I don’t use much anymore because of J’s distaste for it. However, he is mad. Cardamom is a little green gem of deliciousness, the worlds third most expensive spice by weight only outdone by vanilla and saffron. The most amazing spices always have such brilliant flowers. You’d almost think this delicious tart was inspired by the cardamom flower, a striking resemblance. Some sort of subliminal affair.
“Flower of cardamom” by Reji Jacob
If you don’t have access to saskatoon berries you can substitute blueberry and even just use all plums. I really like a silky smooth, almost jam like filling so I strained the plums in a cheesecloth, feel free to skip this step if you like the tart peel and seeds of the berries.
1 C fresh or frozen berries (saskatoon, blueberry or blackberry)
3 Tbs coconut sugar
8 cardamom pods, seeds removed and crushed OR 1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ C toasted coconut (optional)
Instructions
Add plums and berries to a saucepan and cover on low for about 5 minutes.
Add coconut sugar,vanilla and cardamom and leave to simmer for another 5 minutes.
In a food processor or high-powered blender add almonds, raisins,salt and coconut oil. Blend until mixture is thick and uniform.
Press crust evenly in a springform pan ideally or a pie dish, coming up about an inch on the side of the pan. Set aside.
In your blender or using a hand blender puree the plums and berries. Push through a cheese cloth and combine the strained liquid with 2 Tbs coconut oil.
Spread the plum sauce evenly on your crust and place in the fridge to set for at least an hour.
Top with toasted coconut flakes.
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Happy to be a member of the rebel score over at fight back fridays on the food renegade, check it out!
This Balsamic Roast Chicken recipe is pretty enough to serve at a gathering of friends, with a nice glass of wine, but easy enough to throw together in a pinch. It’s one of my favourite ways to eat roast chicken, especially served alongside roasted fingerling potatoes and tomatoes.
Lately I’ve had a crush on balsamic, that lush black liquid mixture of sweet and tart all at the same time. I made a balsamic reduction, and the simplicity amazed me. I’ve always bought the pre made stuff and assumed it was difficult to make at home but it’s totally easy and you save a bit of coin. If you aren’t familiar with balsamic reduction, also known as balsamic glaze or syrup, it is the essence of the vinegar in sultry gooey form. It’s much sweeter than regular old balsamic, though Nigella Lawson adds additional sugar in her recipe for balsamic syrup (for use with desserts). A word of caution when making balsamic glaze, if you aren’t paying attention it can turn into one of those pots you have to throw away because whatever you burned in it is there for life. Eek. Yeah so just keep a watchful eye and it’ll be fine. The same goes for coconut oil and raspberry sauce, which I once forgot about and burnt down half of the bake shack at the restaurant I worked in. After I made this balsamic reduction we went for a little drive, for some reason I thought I’d left the burner on and we turned the car around, speeding home and praying for the house not to be on fire. Thankfully I was just being overly cautious, pretty sure balsamic would be nearly explosive in terms of fire starting foods. You can smell it strongly as it reduces, a saving grace, and if you have an overhead fan, you are lucky, my whole house infused with balsamic.
How to make Balsamic Reduction
Ingredients
-4 C balsamic vinegar
Firstly, you can make a large amount or small, double the recipe or halve it. The original amount of balsamic vinegar will reduce by about half if you desire a thin reduction or reduce it down to 1/4 if you’d like a thicker glaze like consistency. This is the basic formula, all you need to do is bring the vinegar to a simmer and stir it every now and again until it thickens up to coat the spoon and pan to your liking. Just keep a hawks eye on it, you wouldn’t want this black gold to burn.
Uses
-drizzle over sweet fresh berries
-use as a final touch on special dishes
-mix with olive oil for dipping bread or dressing potatoes
-great with pork chops and grilled steaks dishes
-serve on grilled peaches or nectarines with a nice soft cheese
-mix with melted butter to dress steamed green beans or beets
Balsamic Roast Chicken+ How to make Balsamic Reduction
Author: Chantelle
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (free run if possible)
1 lb fingerling or new potatoes
6-8 small fresh tomatoes, halved
10 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs balsamic reduction
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a roasting pan arrange chicken in the center, spread the potatoes around the chicken.
In a small bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar, reduction, olive oil, mustard, garlic, sea salt and pepper and half the basil. Pour over the chicken and potatoes evenly. Put a lid on the roasting pan and place in the oven for about an hour and a half or until internal temperature has reached 175-180F ( cooking time depends on the size of your chicken- 1½ hours would be for a 3 lb. chicken)
Place the tomatoes on a separate roasting pan and sprinkle with sea salt, roast the tomatoes for about an hour.
Serve with extra fresh basil and balsamic reduction drizzled on top.
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
