food allergies – Fusion Sweets

Summer Garden Salad Recipe — Cool down with this refreshing salad for lunch.

I love summer but one of the last things I want to do when it’s 90F with 90% relative humidity outside is stand in front of a hot grill or stove.

This salad is the perfect lunch or dinner side dish. It captures all the flavors of summer in one bowl.

Who says salads need to have lettuce?

This is our second year in our new home and the first summer since we’ve set up our little garden in the city. Our tiny lemon tree that was gifted to us last year has begun to bear fruit and the veggies we planted in January are ripe and ready for the first harvest of the year.

We challenged ourselves to make a dish using only vegetables grown from our garden. The only store-bought ingredients we used in this salad is a bottle of olive oil, black peppercorns, and grey sea salt. Short of harvesting our own sea salt and pressing our own olive oil, this salad is as local and seasonal as you’re going to get in Hong Kong.

While tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers thrive under summer sun, lettuce plants bolt and turn bitter. Not a problem! The best parts of any salad are always the toppings anyways.

You’ll notice that all the vegetables in this recipe are crunchy and full of juicy goodness. This dish is not only full of flavor, but it’s the perfect way to hydrate and re-energize after a hot summer afternoon.

With all the flavorful ingredients, there’s no need for any additional dressing. Keep the recipe simple with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper or dress it up with your favorite herbs.

Oregano, thyme, and basil work well and add just that bit of something to the dish. Turn this salad into a salsa with a sprinkle of cumin and fresh cilantro. An endless combination of spices and flavors makes this one of my favorite recipes to turn to during the summer.

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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Summer Garden Salad

A refreshing flavor packed salad that’s easy to make and perfect when it’s too hot to cook.

Ingredients

Cucumber – 1 cup, sliced
Tomatoes – 1 cup, sliced
Sweet Bell Pepper – 1 cup, sliced
Olive Oil – Drizzle, about 1 tablespoon
Lemon Juice – 1 wedge
Salt and Pepper – To taste
Herbs (Basil, Oregano, Thyme) – To taste

Instructions

Slice all the vegetables thinly and place in a large bowl. We want to release their flavors and coat them thoroughly in spices and dressing.

Drizzle your vegetables with the lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle salt, black pepper, and spices to season your salad.

Gently toss your salad. Make sure the juices and oil is mixed evenly and all the vegetables are seasoned well.

Details

Prep time: 15 minutesCook time: 0 minutesYield: 1 bowl

Nothing says “it’s the holidays” to me more than eggnog. What’s better than this rich creamy ambrosia?

I just love how the flavors of sweet cream and nutmeg meld together and the mixture coats the back of your throat. And add a dash of rum… gah!

This is the one holiday food I’d look forward to every year so you can imagine how I freaked out when I developed an allergic reaction to eggs two years ago.

After a sad nogless Christmas last year I’ve decided enough is enough. This is my version of an egg free eggnog that approximates the creamy mouth feel and flavor of the real thing.

To get the thickness and gel like mouth feel of eggs I used a mix of cornstarch and gelatin. Lecithin granules provide the richness and creaminess of egg yolks. You can find regular lecithin granules at Whole Foods or online.

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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Eggless Eggnog

A rich and creamy egg-free holiday Eggnog for those of us with egg allergies. Cream, gelatin, cornstarch, and lecithin imitate the mouth-feel of egg yolks.Possible toppings: grated nutmeg, cinnamon, toasted coconut, caramel sauce, orange zest, sliced almonds.

Ingredients

Cornstarch – 1.5 Tbsp (12 g)
Powdered gelatin – 1.5 tsp (6 g)
Lecithin granules – 1 T (8 g)
Salt – 1/4 (7 g) tsp
Nutmeg – 1/4 tsp grated
Cinnamon – 1/4 tsp grated
Allspice – 1/8 tsp ground
Vanilla bean, scraped – 1/2 bean
Granulated sugar – 6 Tbsp (80 g)
Whole milk – 1 cup (240mL)
Heavy cream – 1 cup (240 mL)

Instructions

In a medium saucepan dissolve and mix the lecithin, cornstarch and gelatin in 1 cup of cold milk. Use an immersion blender to break up the lecithin granules. Once all the clumps have been dissolved, add sugar, cream, spices, vanilla, and salt.

Over medium heat bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir the entire time or you will get a clumpy mess on the bottom of your pot.

After about 5 minutes you will see bubbles form on the surface. The mixture will start to thicken. Turn off the heat after 5 more minutes.

Let the eggnog cool to room temperature and store in the fridge. Best if chilled in the refrigerator for a couple days.

Details

Prep time: 2 hoursCook time: 15 minutesYield: 2 large mugs