Overnight Quinoa and Oat Porridge with Apple Pecan Pie Topping - hot method 蘋果派免煮燕麥粥

I love cold cereals, but on freezing cold days like we have in Quebec (when it starts to go below -5C), it's no fun to wake up shivering and then have to swallow a big bowl of cold cereal first thing in the morning! I'd say it's time to make some adjustments in our habits to fit the winter. What do you say? As we all know, a good breakfast is an important start to the day. Especially when the weather is cold, my body often screams for hot food in the morning. Growing up in Taiwan, I was always given warm or hot food by my mom in the winter. There's something comforting about that, and further, I was told that eating cold food would only make your body work harder to stay warm.

Warm Quinoa Turmeric Cauliflower Salad with Cranberries, Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese 藜麥薑黃花椰菜、蔓越莓與榛果沙拉

 

During the past few months in Taiwan, one of the grains I really missed having was quinoa. It's not something you can find easily there, since it's not what we cultivate, nor is it in our diet. I love quinoa for its rich nutrients and nutty taste. Since it's a superfood, I can simply pair it with other vegetables and enjoy it as a light healthy meal. How convenient!

In this recipe, I chose to pair the quinoa with cauliflower. I know what you're going to say - it's not most people's favourite vegetable, and guess what? Nor is it mine! A lot of the poplular Fall quinoa salads are often made with butternut squash or kale, so I really wanted to make the salad with a not-so-popular vegetable. It's always more challenging for me to use some ingredients that I don't necessarily like so much, and transform them into something I like. 

Simple Pickled Butternut Squash 涼拌冬南瓜絲

In Taiwan, I grew up eating a lot of pickles as condiments or as appetizers, especially in the summer, since most pickles are refreshing and cooling. Unlike the western style of pickle, they're not always pickled in vinegar, nor are they always made over a long period of time. In fact, most of my mom's pickles were made within just thirty minutes to an hour. The pickles that you see most often in Taiwan are cucumbers, cabbages and radishes. My mom loves making different types of pickled cucumbers; sometimes she makes them with sea salt, sometimes with salted plums, both of which I love!

Chicken Over Rice Taiwanese style 雞肉飯

So here I am, after three months in Taiwan, I'm finally back! I know it's been too long to be away from the blogging world. I tried here and there to post something in between, but alas, no recipes. I can't tell you how much I missed writing and taking photos for my recipes, but I had no choice; I had to return home for some important family matters. It was a difficult time for all of us, and while there, I went through many different emotions: there was sorrow, relief, joy, tension, grief. It's hard to describe, it changed everyday. Thankfully, those emotions are slowly diminishing… Having gone through it, it's now time to go forward.

From Fostering to Adopting, Part 1 – My Story 從代養到領養, 1: 我的親身體驗

 

After adopting Soji many years ago, who was a rescued cat, we decided that instead of buying an animal, we’d adopt. Almost 10 million pets are euthanized in shelters in the US alone every year, and among them, most are cats. Since a lot of animals enter the shelter everyday, space is very limited. Unfortunately the ones who don’t get adopted within a certain amount of time are often euthanized, unless it’s a no-kill shelter. Offering foster care or adoption to your local shelters can make a whole lot of difference to the shelters, to the animals, and even in your own life! This is one such story, my own.

Atayal Kitchen in Wulai 烏來泰雅廚房

 

 

  

Sometimes we can’t know that a certain place we visit may become one of the most meaningful memories later on in our lives. A few months ago, I wrote about the fish market town of Wanli, and just like Wanli, Wulai has a special place in my heart as well. It was one of those places that my father used to take us to visit a lot when we were growing up, and it was also one of the last places he took us to. When I went back to visit him last year because of his illness, despite his health condition, he was very eager to take us there to walk around Wulai Old Street and taste some native Taiwanese food.
 

Wulai Old Street 烏來老街

Entering the Wulai Old Street, we saw two choices for sausage vendors. One of them had an advertisement that said they were featured on TV, accompanied by a very long line of people. Since I tend to like rooting for the underdog, and as the weather was quite hot, we decided to go to the one across from the famous one to give their sausages a try. Though I can’t compare theirs with the other’s, it turned out to be quite good! It was nicely seasoned, juicy and not greasy, and was made with 100% wild mountain boar.


走進烏來老街口馬上就聞到香腸的香味，左手邊的雅各香腸，因為之前受電視採訪已被炒熱，所以大排長龍。然而在這樣炎熱的氣候下，已汗流夾背的我實在沒有什麼耐心去排隊 o(´^｀)o，況且對面的月球香腸其實看起來也很不錯，就決定嚐試較不起眼的這家。我們選擇的是蒜味，它外層烤的很香，肉餡扎實且不會太鹹或油膩，是100%山豬肉做的~

Blueberry Earl Grey Iced Tea 藍莓伯爵冰紅茶

 

 

 

Wait! If you just made my Blueberry Earl Grey Tea Jam, don't wash that pot yet. This is a very simple and quick recipe that you can make from your leftover tea bags of the blueberry earl grey tea jam. My mom always tells me to reuse food if it's possible, and here is a perfect example of how you can do so. I hope you enjoy both the jam and the iced tea, and I especially want to encourage everyone to think of ways to reuse some of the food that we normally throw away! (*＾▽＾)／

Blueberry Earl Grey Tea Jam 藍莓伯爵茶果醬

Making many different varieties of jam during the summer with fresh berries can be a lot of fun, but without any special flavour, it can be a little boring to me. I especially love trying out flavours that I don't often see from the stores. Since I'm a tea lover, I thought I'd try to make my blueberry jam this year with Earl Grey tea. I've never seen a blueberry and Earl grey tea jam before, so I was a bit skepticle first but as I was cooking the mixture and with the wonderful smell coming out, I knew that my decision was a good one (“⌒∇⌒”) It's a perfect accompaniment for a simple piece of bread, crossiant, or scone, plus you can also make a delicious blueberry Earl grey iced tea from this recipe!

Garlicky Spice-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Vegetables 百里香蒜味燒烤雞

I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer. We've been lucky to have this fantastic weather so far; it's neither too hot nor too rainy, just perfectly comfortable - great BBQ weather for entertaining friends! But what about for those rainy summer days, or perhaps you don't own an outdoor BBQ? For my post this month, I decided to write a grilled chicken recipe that can be made indoors, without loosing any of that deep flavour and tender texture. As an added plus, it makes a great accompaniment to my summer slaw - they are happy together, and your tummy will be, too!! So I welcome you to head over to Foodies In Quebec City to learn how to make this deliciously defiant indoor "BBQ" grilled chicken.

今年魁北克的夏季非常的涼爽，雨不多也不會太熱，很舒適。這種氣候之下烤肉是再適合不過的了！我決定這個月在Foodies In Quebec City寫個燒烤雞肉食譜，順便和我的涼拌高麗菜食譜一起搭，想看食譜的朋友們請到那裡閱讀百里香蒜味燒烤雞。這個食譜的做法簡單，而且可以讓你在任何的季節都能輕鬆的在家裡做出來喔~

Summer Slaw 涼拌高麗菜沙拉

There are many reasons why I love to eat my vegetables raw in the summer: it requires no cooking, no grease, it's refreshing, and most importantly, it saves time! It also allows you to enjoy all the beautiful summer fruits and vegetables in their simplest and purest form, which I often prefer. 

A typical coleslaw is usually made with shredded cabbage and carrots. Here, besides the cabbage, I used one of my summer favourites - rhubarb, along with kiwis. Because of this, the salad contains a high amount of vitamin A, C, and K. Instead of the typical creamy, high-calorie mayonnaise-based dressing, I just used lime juice. Together with the mint, it really brings out the summer flavours. 

Coping With the Loss of Your Pet 走出失去寵物的悲傷, 2

I know you might think I were crazy if I told you that I believe in animal communicators, but I ask you to continue to read with an open mind. After my baby angel, Soji, left us, without even discussing it with each other, my husband and I both knew what we were going to do next - yes, consult with an animal communicator! Soji's last veterinarian, Dr. Anne-Marie Gagnon, is a holistic vet who was able to communicate with Soji on the surface level and send her energy to help her during her sickness. When we spoke to her on the phone and asked her if she knew anyone who could help us, she kindly recommended us to someone she knew, Susan Hamlin.