An amazing find .. this salad was a highlight of our Chinese New Year dinner. When almost everything else is fried, oozing with corn-starchy gravy (yumm!) or doused in Szechuaan peppercorns, this fresh, crunchy and colourful dish becomes a highlight.

Directions: 

1. In a pressure cooker*, cook the bay leaves and the onions, until soft. (Don't close the pressure cooker yet.)
2. Then add the green pepper, and pimento.
3. Stir in the flour. 

4. Add in the carrots, lentils, tomatoes, water and salt.
5. Cover, and bring up to pressure over medium heat.
6. Lower the heat (the soup will burn otherwise)  and continue to cook for about 20 minutes.

Serve with a crusty baguette, rice, or pita bread. Here, we served it with our baked potato bites and a sprinkling of feta.

*If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can use a large pot, but you will have to simmer the soup for about 2 hours.

Have to admit, I was into all things paleo when it first burst into the scene. Can't imagine life without cakes and cookies, but was willing to try substitutions wherever convenient. This was one of them, fried rice without the rice, much less the carbs, sounds amazing to me.

Making traditional fried rice requires you to have a batch of rice already made and preferably cold from the fridge before you begin. Meaning, you pretty much have to plan to make it the day before and cook a double batch. That's all fine and well, unless of course, your fridge is always full, like mine.

Cauliflower fried rice, on the other hand, can be made almost instantaneously. Okay, it wasn't that quick... it isn't like chucking a boxed dinner into the microwave (and we hope to never have to resort to that). But with a few minutes of prep involving onions, garlic and ginger, you will elevate this dish to the indiscernible. Then it's just your fillings, chicken or not, the all purpose frozen carrots/corn/peas mix, some soya sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste, and done! Seriously, that simple.

None of the kids saw me prepare this and when I announced it was dinner time, they happily marched to the kitchen and started dishing it out from the wok. I said nothing throughout, waiting, waiting ... for one of them to notice something, say something, for crying out loud!! Nada ... They were just happy I made fried rice! We conversed throughout the meal and not one of them noticed what was, er, different.

Only after the dishes were piled on the sink did I confess. Looking around at the surprised and slightly disappointed faces, I had to laugh. They looked at me as though I had cheated them out of a great dish. After reassessing the damage, they too had to agree that it wasn't bad at all and they hardly noticed the difference. So yes, I will be making this again and again.

The recipe makes a meal for 6 to 8 people. Cooking for yourself or for 2? Halve it and you will have leftovers, which you will be thankful for.

Ingredients:
2 cauliflower heads
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece of ginger, minced
6 eggs only because I like fried rice with lots of yellow egg bits :)
900 g of frozen peas, carrots and corn
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil

Directions:
1. Cut the cauliflower into chucks and process it in a food processor until they're about the size of quinoa.
2. To a large pot over medium heat, add oil, then the cauliflower, stirring frequently to prevent the cauliflower from burning. Remove and place it in a large bowl.
3. To the pot, add a little bit more oil, then sweat the onions, garlic and ginger.
4. Add the carrots and the peas to the pot. When cooked, add this to the large bowl containing the cauliflower.
5. A bit more oil, then crack the eggs, scrambling them until almost cooked.
6. Return the cauliflower and vegetables into the pan and mix well.
7. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper, and continue to stir.
8. Taste and adjust as needed.

Enjoy, knowing you are having a no carb meal!

Why serve a plain Jane rice when you can always amp it up?

A twist on the regular chawal served with curry or other Sindhi dishes, this one packs a punch with caramelized onions and a hint of chili and garam masala.



Ingredients:
3 cups long grain rice
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 2-inch piece cinnamon bark
2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp red chili powder
6 cloves
1/2 tsp salt
6 cups water

Directions:
1. Wash rice in 2-3 rinses, then soak for 10 minutes.
2. In a pan, heat oil, then stir fry onions with the bay leaves and cinnamon, until onions have softened and the cinnamon has released its flavour.
3. To this, add garam masala, chili powder and cloves.
4. Transfer rice, and onions and spices, to a rice cooker, add water and salt and cook.

Serve with a host of Indian mains, the Sindhi curry, in particular.

Here I am ... channeling my inner Julia Child with her Soupe à l'Oignon. 

Who doesn't love a comforting and warming bowl of exquisite flavours brought about by the humble onion and a generous splash of red wine? Who doesn't love a spoonful of aromatic broth with slivers of caramelized onion? And what about the slight crunch of a baguette along with the ooze of creamy gruyere? Swoon! 

In every other dish, this aromatic bulb takes an important, but supporting role, in making it rise out of the ordinary. However, in this soup, the modest onion is now front and center, and is the star. Boy, does it shine! But to assume it's just going to come together really quickly ... naah! not gonna happen. This baby needs to be coaxed out to caramelize its sweet juices over a few hours. Time, my friends, is the ultimate ingredient here. Dominique Ansel was spot on in this one!

Hope I didn't scare y'all off there. Yes, it takes hours. This time it was 4 hours to be exact, but really, once most of the prep is done, it's just a matter of a stir and a shake while you ... er ... bake a cinnamon streusel coffee cake, and clean the kitchen, and do your laundry. (You can tell I was really productive that afternoon).

Can you do it in the slow cooker? Of course you can! I just didn't think it would take on the complex flavours that one would get in a Dutch oven or even in my heavy bottomed stainless pot. Tried them both and I'll probably stick to my cast iron Dutch oven from now on. (My daughter will tell you that I forgot to stir for 15 minutes or so and some slivers burnt on the stainless pan, on a low heat on a covered pan). Can't help but be partial now ;) What did I take from Julia? The addition of flour to make it a little 'heavier' aka 'comforting' and the best part ... Brandy! Even though wine was already involved, a generous amount, I may add, that bit of brandy (and I tried it with and without) took it to a another level. If I mentioned that onions were the main actor here, that bit of Brandy is going to make it win the Oscars. I'm sold!

What I didn't? I took a pass on the raw onions before the gratinée and I subbed the beef broth with chicken and veggie broth. Also, instead of just one type of allium, I used most yellow, but some red and a few shallots.

Recipes, after all, are just suggestions, and you can most definitely put your spin on any recipe, even if it's Julia's ;)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
6 large onions (about 1.5 kg) yellow and red, sliced
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup flour
8 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable)
4 bay leaves
1 tsp sage
1 cup red wine (Julia used white), optional
1/2 cup brandy, optional

8 baguette slices, toasted
2 to 3 cups Gruyére cheese, grated

Directions:
1. On medium heat, melt butter and olive oil in a cast-iron Dutch oven.
2. Add onions, stir well, and cover until the onions have started steaming, about 15 minutes, on medium-low heat.

3. Season with salt, sugar, and a generous amount of black pepper.
4. Stir to coat evenly, turn up the heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, stirring every now and then, for about 1 hour.
Cook until the onions are completely cooked down and are an orange-amber in colour. The water should also be evaporated. If it looks like it's burning on the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down a little.

5. When the onions turn a light brown walnut colour, add the flour and stir for a minute.
6. Slowly add the broth while stirring it in, followed with the bay leaves and sage, and the red wine.
7. Partially cover the pan, and simmer for 1 hour until the broth has reduced slightly.

8. Taste, season, and go ahead and add that splash of brandy.

To gratinée:
9. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
10. Place the slices of baguette on it and bake for about 15 minutes depending on how crispy you like it. Remove from the oven.

11. Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls, placing these bowls on the same parchment lined paper.
12. Place the baguette slices onto the bowls, topping with the grated cheese.
13. Broil until the cheese melts.

Serve right away.

Needless to say, it was gobbled up at Go! And the honey and orange flavors marries beautifully with the warm spices of chai.



This recipe was quadrupled - yes... quadrupled - to make 6 dozens.

Ingredients:
200 grams unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
400 grams unbleached all purpose flour, plus extra to dust

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt
160 g honey
Finely grated zest of 4 oranges
4 large eggs
200 grams caster sugar
150 grams icing sugar, sifted
Juice of 2 oranges

Directions:
1. Butter and flour your madeleine pans. I tried both silicone and metal and I must say, metal wins.

2. Melt butter and honey in a small saucepan until warm, not boiling.

3. To the pan, add the orange zest and leave until slightly cool.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

5. In a large bowl, beat egg and sugar until light and fluffy, and doubled up in volume.

6. Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 350F.

7. Carefully mix in the butter mixture until combined.

8. Fold in the flour until no lumps remain. The batter will be a bit thick.

9. Scoop spoonfuls into the cavities, don't smooth them out.

10. Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden.

11. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert into cooling rack to cool completely.

12. In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and the orange juice to make a glaze.
13. Brush the glaze all over the fluted side of the madeleines.
14. Do your best to leave it aside to set completely, lest the kids seek them out and devour these beauties.