Tag Archives: vinegar

Banh Mi

Posted on August 24, 2011 | 4 comments

Otherwise known as the Vietnamese sub. This is one of those times that food network helped me find a new food to try. The show that clinched me having to try these subs featured a food truck named nomnom (you can already see why my curiosity was piqued.). Everyone flocked around this truck to get their unique sandwiches. I had to try it. So on our next visit out to Vancouver we hit vietsub, which many claim makes the best banh mi in Vancouver. I’m not a connoisseur yet but that was definitely one tasty sandwich.  It was spicy, the pickled veggies had a delightful crunchy pungency that coupled blissfully with the creaminess of the dressing. Oh yes, I am a banh mi fan. I can’t go toddling off to Vancouver everytime I crave one though. So, this is my attempt at my bon ami the banh mi.

  • 2 sub buns
  • 1 tbl light mayo
  • 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce (optional, I like my bahn mi to bite back)
  • 2 tbl liverwurst
  • 2 tbl fish sauce
  • 2 tbl soy sauce
  • 2 tbl canola oil
  • 2 tbl brown sugar, unpacked, divided
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 lb thin flash fry top sirloin steak
  • 1 carrot, thinly julienned
  • 2 oz daikon radish, thinly julienned
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbl rice wine vinegar
  1. Combine the mayo and sriracha, cover and refrigerate.
  2. Combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, canola oil, 1 tbl sugar, garlic and pepper in a bowl. Add the flank steak. Cover, refrigerate and allow to marinate for atleast 4 hours.
  3. Combine the carrot, daikon, remaining sugar, salt, and rice wine vinegar in a bowl. Cover, refrigerate and allow to pickle for 4 hours. Turn once during this process. Drain.
  4. Heat a skillet to medium. Sear the steak for 2 minutes on each side. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain.
  5. Cut open the rolls, spread the cut top side with half the spicy mayo mix and the bottom half with 1 tbl of liverwurst.
  6. Top with the beef and the pickle mixture. Repeat with the other bun. Serve.

Serves two bon ami. Each serving (without bun) contains 216 calories, 10.8 grams fat, 1.4 grams fibre, 8.7 grams carbs, and 20.3 grams protein. Check out that protein! This is a great post workout treat.

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Posted in Comfort Foods, Craving Buster, Dinner, Lunch

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Garlic Scape Vinaigrette

Posted on June 22, 2011 | 2 comments

A good wander over to the farmers market yielded these tasty little gems called garlic scapes or garlic greens. These are basically the flower stem of a garlic bulb. They give you that garlic flavour without too much garlic bite. They have a really short season though so grab them when you can! They do freeze nicely though. I love garlic dressings, my mom makes a Croatian salad that I just adore that has a lovely simple garlic dressing. In my opinion the bitier the better. For those who want milder garlic joy though a garlic scape dressing would definitely be the way to go.

  • 3 garlic scapes or more, chopped
  • 1 cup vinegar of choice (in this version I used malt)
  • 1 tbl extra virgin avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tsp honey
  1. Add the ingredients to a blend and blend until smooth.

I love how simple salad dressing can be! Makes 8 servings (2 tbl each). Each serving contains 19 calories, 1.1 gram fat, no fibre, no protein, 3 grams carbs. Aren’t those the best salad dressing nutritionals ever? It doesn’t take much to go far with this dressing. Now that salad season is upon us this is definitely the time to hit the farmer’s market and get those ingredients to start making your own dressings and salads!

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Posted in Dinner, Ingredient, Lunch, Sidedish

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Hardcore Hobbit: Mint Sauce

Posted on March 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Not to be confused with mint jelly. I demand to be minty! This is such a nummy sauce filled with flavour for drizzling over all sorts of meats. Great on lamb, pork, beef, game meats especially are great for this one! In the game you make mint sauce out of mint, mixed spice, and vinegar. So simple and so tasty. You can make this the day of as long as you allow it to sit at room temperature atleast 3 hours before serving. Otherwise, this delicious sauce is great for storing. Bring it out with a flourish when a delicious meat that demands to be minty graces your table. You wouldn’t want to deny freshmaker now would you? If you know what I’m talking about give yourself a big pat on the back for your comic reading prowess. Hehehe. If you don’t it’s o.k….be free little poptart. *sigh* I know…geek.

  • 1/2 cup malt vinegar
  • 1 tbl brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped mint
  • 2 tbl finely chopped tarragon
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  1. Combine the water and sugar in a bowl. Bring to a boil while stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves completely.
  2. Add the vinegar, mint, tarragon, and pepper. Allow to cook for 1 minute then remove from the heat. Allow to steep for atleast 3 hours before serving.

Makes eight servings. Each serving contains 11 calories, no fat, no fibre, 3 carbs, and no protein. Just drizzle away!

O.k…..one more….I thought we were having stovetop? I want none of this soul toast.

Alright, now I have to dig through my comics and read that one again. Goodtimes.

 

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Posted in Ingredient, The Hardcore Hobbit

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