Morsels of Life

Basic Pizza Crust

We had a hankering for pizza and some extra time, so I figured I could go ahead and make a basic pizza crust. I like this pizza crust even though it is so simple and straightforward (or should I say, because it's so simple and straightforward)! Since this is a basic pizza crust, it goes well with just about any pizza, and you can easily customize it when you're making your pizza. Since it does take a while to make the crust, I sometimes like to make enough for a few crusts and then freeze for later.

What's your favorite kind of pizza?

Basic Pizza Crust

by CJ Huang

A basic pizza crust made from scratch and suitable for just about any pizza. Make a few extra and freeze!

Prep time: 60 minutes
Cook time: optional
Total time: 60 minutes
Yield: 2 pizzas

Materials:

Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
	4 cups		flour	I used half whole wheat and half white.
	2 teaspoons	1 packet	yeast
	1 teaspoon		salt
	1 tablespoon		sugar
12 ounces			milk, warm

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Form Dry Team by combining flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
	3. Add in milk, mixing until dough formed. You may need to add a bit more milk or flour to form the dough.
	4. Cover the dough, and let it sit in a warm spot until doubled in size. Freeze for later use or roll out and make a pizza! (Optional - I like to pre-bake my pizza crusts since it results in a more crisp crust.)

Salmon Fried Rice

We hadn't made fried rice in a while, and we both had a hankering for it, so I decided to make some. And then I went for Salmon Fried Rice since it was Saturday - seafood day. Two birds and all, right? I know last time, I said Fried Rice is good for using up ALL the things. However, it's also good when the refrigerator's empty. Just some eggs, rice, and mixed frozen vegetables, and you're good to go! (And in this case, salmon. Because you know, Salmon Fried Rice. A quick and enjoyable meal. Only thing I forgot was adding a bit of leftover bok choy into the mix. Yummy!

What's your favorite fried rice add in?

Salmon Fried Rice

by CJ Huang

Quick, simple, and healthy. Make this Salmon Fried Rice with leftover odds and ends or when you're low on groceries.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
393 grams		3 cups		rice, cooked and cooled	I used a mixture of white rice, brown rice, and barley.
194 grams	6.843 ounces		2	salmon fillets, cubed
			2	eggs
		1 teaspoon		ginger, grated
171 grams	6.032 ounces			vegetables, diced
		1 tablespoon		soy sauce
		1 tablespoon		green onions, sliced	optional, for garnish

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Slightly scramble eggs.
	3. Mix in rice and soy sauce, making sure to fry the rice a bit.
	4. Make a hole in the middle and add in salmon.
	5. When salmon is mostly done, add in veggies, and cook until everything heated.

Linked to: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Traffic Jam, Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Handmade and Otherwise, Saturday Sparks

Coconut Walnut Bars

Since we're all about great timing around these parts, we decided to try the "no added sugar" thing while James was at Jumpmaster school. You know, so I'd have to make all his snacks and stuff when we're already busy and short on time. Like I said, we're all about great timing around here. With everything going on, I went for simple when making these coconut walnut granola bars. Obviously coconut shreds and walnuts; some dried dates for sweetness and binding, and a bit of oatmeal for bulk and keeping everything together. Throw it into a food processor, squish it into a baking dish, bake, and you've got some simple flavorful coconut walnut bars (with no added sugars)! I only made 5 bars this time since I wanted to try out the recipe, but you could easily scale up the recipe to increase efficiency. :)

What are some of your favorite granola ingredients?

Coconut Walnut Bars

by CJ Huang

Make your own super simple coconut walnut bars with dried dates for a bit of sweetness.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 5 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
56 grams	2 ounces	1/2 cup		walnuts
46 grams	1.625 ounces		7	dried dates
		1/2 cup		oatmeal
		1/4 cup		coconut shreds	I used unsweetened.
		5/8 cup		water

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Pulse together walnuts, coconut, and oatmeal until crumbly.
	3. Add in dates, and continue to pulse together.
	4. Add in water until all materials stick together.
	5. Press firmly into a greased baking dish. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Fiesta Friday, Saturday Sparks, Meal Plan Monday, Traffic Jam, What's for Dinner?, Hearth and Soul, Over the Moon, Tuesdays at Our Home, Inspire Me Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, Your Whims Wednesday, Party in Your PJs

Garlic Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes and Greens

Tomatoes and greens flavored up with garlic and onion, then cooked with shrimp for a quick, easy, and tasty garlic shrimp pasta.

Seaweed Cucumber Salad

"Cool as a cucumber" takes on a new meaning with this great dish I "recently" found. As we're heading into warmer weather, I thought I'd make this cucumber salad. Cucumber salads are all more or less the same; though delicious, the formula can get a bit dull. This recipe from Sustainable Pantry, however has a decidedly Asian twist with the incorporation of sesame oil and seaweed. Don't let the seaweed turn you off; in addition to all the nutrients and health benefits seaweed provides, it has a wonderful flavor reminiscent of the ocean's bounty. This flavor, combined with the intoxicating aroma of sesame seed oil, makes for a multi-layered experience. The cucumbers bring their familiar cold crispness, contrasting the slightly chewy texture of the seaweed. Sesame seed oil, sweet cucumber, tart vinegar, and seaweed combine well for a distinct and enjoyable dish.

I used frozen hai dai (海帶) and dried wakame along with a little hijiki when I made this cucumber seaweed salad. Hai dai is a Chinese salted kelp, and the same one I used in Miso Soup and Bean Sprout Soup. (You can see what it looks like in those pictures.) It's the thicker kind you can usually find at the Asian grocery tied in knots or sliced. I'm not sure of the proper English name, but here's the Wikipedia link. Wakame is a Japanese seaweed often used in Miso Soup. For the Hai Dai, I just chopped it up, and for the wakame, I just crunched it up a bit more. I didn't rehydrate the wakame before using since I figured it'd be tastier if I let it hydrate in the cucumbers/rice vinegar/sesame oil instead of water. Plus, then you don't have to worry about draining the salad or having pools of liquid at the bottom since the seaweed will soak it up! Now, there's a multi-tasker. :)

What are your thoughts on seaweed?

Seaweed Cucumber Salad

by CJ Huang

Crisp cucumber, smooth sesame oil, tangy vinegar, and tantalizing seaweed makes for an unforgettable summer dish.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes + cooling/marinating time
Yield: 2 servings

Materials:

Volume	Number	Material	Notes
	1	cucumber, sliced and quartered
1 teaspoon		sesame oil
1 tablespoon		rice vinegar
		seaweed	to taste

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials and shake together.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, BFF Open House, Artsy Fartsy Party, Traffic Jam, Handmade and Otherwise, Meal Plan Monday, Saturday Sparks, What's for Dinner?, Over the Moon, Hearth and Soul, Tuesdays at Our Home, Inspire Me Monday, Your Whims Wednesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, Homestead Blog Hop

Tom Yum

Tom Yum Noodle Soup - a Thai style hot and sour soup with shrimp, tomatoes, and shiitake mushrooms.

Asian Avocado Dip

With the recent sales on avocado and my desire for some sort of dip or dressing, I thought I could make something similar to Asian Dressing, but thickened with avocado so we could use it more like a dip. (Although it still works as a thick, yummy dressing.) I also used quite a bit of ginger because it's yummy. :) To make the dip, just throw everything into a food processor or blender and process or blend until desired consistency reached. I used a food processor, and a blender would result in a slightly thinner feeling, but smoother dip.

What's your favorite Asian flavor?

Asian Avocado Dip

by CJ Huang

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
28 grams	1 ounce	2 tablespoons		rice vinegar	Lemon or lime juice also make good substitutes.
31 grams	1.125 ounces	2 tablespoons		soy sauce
8 grams	1/4 ounce	2 teaspoons		sesame oil
6 grams	1/4 ounce	1 teaspoon		honey mustard
3 grams	1/8 ounce	1 teaspoon		onion, powdered
13 grams	1/2 ounce	2 tablespoons		sesame seeds, toasted
13 grams	1/2 ounce	2 teaspoons		honey
11 grams	3/8 ounce	2 teaspoons	2 cloves	garlic, minced
55 grams	1.875 ounces			ginger	Sliced, grated, or minced will make the blending/processing easier.
3 grams	1/8 ounce			chili pepper flakes
			1	avocado

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Place all materials into food processor and process until desired texture reached.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, Thursday Favorite Things, BFF Open House, Traffic Jam, Meal Plan Monday, Handmade and Otherwise, Fiesta Friday, Saturday Sparks, What's for Dinner?

Sticky Rice Rolls (飯糰)

Ever since my mom made us some Fan Tuan (飯糰), or Sticky Rice Rolls, Bert has been asking me to make him some. If you're like most people, you probably don't know what I'm talking about. Fan Tuan are a part of Chinese cuisine made by compressing glutinous rice around you tiao (油條), also known as a Chinese cruller or Chinese doughnut, and translated as a Chinese oil stick or Chinese fried breadstick. I wanted to make the more traditional savory version of these sticky rice rolls, so I included zha cai (榨菜) or pickled mustard stems and rou song (肉鬆) or shredded pork floss. However, I deviated from the traditional and used pork cracklins instead of you tiao. They're a lot easier to find around these parts, for one. Plus, they still provide that nice crunchy texture like the you tiao would. I've also had some Fan Tuan made with crumbled tortilla chips as a healthier alternative. If you have the materials on hand, these sticky rice rolls are actually fairly quick and easy to make. Just spread some rice (like making sushi rolls) on a piece of plastic wrap and then place your fillings down the middle and compress it all into a roll. I used a sushi mat to help form the roll. Leave the plastic wrap on until eating time to prevent the rice from drying out and hardening as well as a mess! It's certainly not the most photogenic food, but it does make up for it in yumminess. Enjoy with a nice cup of soy milk!

What's an unphotogenic food that more than makes up for it in yumminess?

Sticky Rice Rolls (飯糰)

by CJ Huang

Chewy sticky rice surrounding crunchy cracklins, shredded pork floss, and pickled veggies makes for some scrumptiously yummy, although not quite conventional sticky rice rolls.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Number	Material
842 grams	29.75 ounces		glutinous rice, soaked at least overnight and then drained
100 grams	3.5 ounces	1 small package	pickled vegetables (榨菜)
25 grams	7/8 ounce		pork cracklins
	1 ounce		shredded pork floss (肉鬆)

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Steam glutinous rice until kernels turn translucent. I like to use a bamboo steamer lined with cheesecloth or a flour sack towel.
	3. Place a layer of the sticky rice on plastic wrap. I like to place the plastic wrap on top of a bamboo sushi mat to help with step 4. Place some of each filling on top of the rice.
	4. Roll everything together, leaving the plastic wrap around the rice. You'll want to compress the roll at least a bit so it doesn't fall apart when you eat it. Serve with soy milk.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, Thursday Favorite Things, BFF Open House, Traffic Jam, Saturday Sparks, Meal Plan Monday, Handmade and Otherwise, Fiesta Friday, What's for Dinner?, Over the Moon, Hearth and Soul, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Tuesdays at Our Home, Your Whims Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, Party in Your PJs

DIY Soy Milk

Since I'm not currently eating dairy, I needed to find an alternative to add to my favorite Chai tea. Even though there's a lot of alternatives these days, I'm most familiar with soy milk. Plus, I already had all the required materials on hand - all two of them! Can you guess what they are? Yep - soy beans and water. Really, that's it! I also added a bit of sugar, but you could easily leave it out. Or you could add in whatever flavors you like - chocolate, vanilla, etc. Once you've gathered your materials, just throw everything into the blender, and blend! The longer you blend, the smaller your soy bean pieces will get, and the stronger your soy milk will be. After blending, pour everything into a filter. I like to use a flour sack towel, and cheesecloth works too. I'll sometimes take the grounds and put those back into the blender with more water to get a bit more soy milk. You can do it a few times, but each time will be weaker than the previous time. Usually 2-4 times is good. However, it also depends on how strong you like your soy milk. I've found, generally speaking, the stuff you find at the Asian grocery will be stronger than the stuff at the American grocery. This soy milk tastes much more like the Asian variety. Once you've filtered the soy milk, bring it to a boil, and you're finished! I like adding sugar while heating, but you could also add your flavorings while blending.

What's your favorite milk alternative?

DIY Soy Milk

by CJ Huang

Ever wondered how to make your own soy milk? Find out how! It's simple and requires only two ingredients.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1/2 gallon

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Material	Notes
454 grams	1 pound	soy beans, presoaked	I think I started with about 1 cup of dried soy beans.
		water	The amount you use is variable. I usually just fill the blender mostly full after adding the beans. You can also start by making a strong soy milk and then diluting it down later.
		sugar or other flavorings	optional

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Place pre-soaked soy beans into blender and add water. I usually fill the blender most of the way.
	3. Blend until everything's all mixed up.
	4. Strain solids out. You can then put the solids back into the blender with more water to get more soy milk, but each time will result in a weaker soy milk. Bring your soy milk to a boil, and then simmer, stirring occasionally. I like to add the sugar here.