I always get asked how I come up with my dishes? So, I’d like to post my dinners while they’re fresh in my mind and may be quite random.
Sometimes I have a clear vision, sometimes I don’t know till I plate!
Here are 6 tips to help you…based on my dinner tonight
1) sometimes combining is better than served separately. This definitely worked with the lentils and quinoa for flavor, texture and color.
2) if it looks awkward, change it up!
Initially, I sliced the avocado but they were huge on the plate, so I chopped them up.
3) add flavor
my homemade vinaigrette did the trick, the avocado wasn’t quite ripe enough but the dressing really helped.
Spice rubs are so handy to sprinkle on any kind of protein for grilling. Instant flavor for organic chicken thighs.
4) add texture
scallions were crispy
goat cheese and avocado were soft and creamy
tomatoes were softish and moist
quinoa and lentils were crunchy
chicken was tender and succulent
5) add color
Tomatoes always brighten up any dish and make a nice pop of color! Also opposite colors are good so they stand out like dark green lentils and beige quinoa.
6) presentation
The important thing is when it looks nice, you’ll want to eat it.
It’s always 3 essentials: flavor, texture, color in that order and lastly presentation!
I hope this gives you an idea of my thought process when putting together a dish, give it a try and share what worked for you?
Tips
3 Ingredient Broccolini
Blanching in a wok is the fastest, easiest method to cook vegetables that have hard stems and when you have a lot of them! A wok is a perfect vessel, it has a wide opening and deep reservoir to hold the water and quantity of vegetables. Alternatively, use a wide deep pot if you don’t have a wok.
Ingredients:
2 large handfuls of broccolini
few squirts of olive oil
salad dressing of your choice (I used store bought French vinaigrette but usually my own homemade vinaigrette)
How to do it…
1) Boil water in wok till rolling boiling, put a wok lid on.
2) Add few squirts of olive oil. Best trick to keep vegetables from turning grey.
3) Use fork to test stem for doneness how you like them, I like mine pretty crunchy
4) Empty wok of broccolini into colander, either run under cold water or put in an ice bath to stop from cooking
5) Squirt dressing all over, serve with whatever dinner.
Let’s Lunch is a virtual themed lunch from food bloggers all over the world! Join by posting a comment below or on Twitter using #LetsLunch. There’s also a private Facebook group where we hang out. Check #LetsLunch posts below for other easy 3 ingredient yummies…
Gluten Free Almond Cookies at The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook
Mango Coconut Chia Pudding at HapaMama
Trinidadian Mango Chow at Spicebox Travels
Filipino Sticky Rice Logs at Asian in America
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies at Hot Curries and Cold Beer
Chicken and Dumplings at A Cook and Her Books (use Pamela’s Artisan Blend in place of AP flour for gluten free)
Turkish Sesame Sweet at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Roasted Asparagus at Glass of Fancy
Mac and Cheese and Peanut Butter Cookies at Tea and Scones (use Bionaturae pasta for gluten free)
3 Ingredient Broccolini at Be a Wok Star
Wok Curry Salmon Video
Happy New Year! I’m excited to share my first video Cook Like a Wok Star using My Spice Sage’s curry powder that’s included in my Wok Star Kit! Love to hear what you think, all feedback is welcome. My video series will be short tips and tricks and all things to help make you a Wok Star without recipes or measuring! Curry powder is one of my favorite spices, it’s so versatile, has an intense flavor, perks up anything you sprinkle it on, especially leftovers and is a staple in my kitchen! Once you try it, it’s addictive, you’ll want to add to everything. For more details about My Spice Sage, click here and here.
I took some ‘behind the scenes’ photos…
Note about the production of the video: Thanks to ALNO, the beautiful German kitchen design showroom for sponsoring this shoot, I’m so excited they are hosting my cooking classes! This video was shot, directed and edited by Zara Elizabeth who also happens to be a super Wok Star in her own right and has assisted in my classes and a huge fan of my Wok Star project. I’m so proud she won a family cooking competition using her Wok Star Kit and stove making the two dishes she learned in class, Rainbow Lettuce Wrap and Tilapia in spicy brown bean sauce. We’ll be hard at work updating my class DVDs and it’ll be refreshing to produce them from a different perspective now she’s been through my class.