Bellygasm

Summer Lentil Soup

Let go my Lentil! I'm so excited. As a soup lover, I will choose a cup of hot savory soup over, say, a bowl of ice cream any day. In honor of the summer and the bounty of fresh vegetables, I have an easy lentil soup recipe that is so good you'll start to stock up on lentil beans (red, beluga, yellow) on your next trip to the grocery.

Depending on the stock you prefer to use, it can be a simple vegetarian lentil soup. For this recipe, I think green lentil is best because I use more tomato than in a typical French lentil soup. I always like to have as many different color on the plate, in this case, bowl as possible. Another reason why I think it's the best lentils soup ever is because it's pretty low fat so I indulge myself to multiple servings.

P.S. It actually get's better the next day so make sure to save some for leftover.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup of purple onion, diced
1 cup of white onion, diced
1 1/2 cup of carrots, diced
1 1/2 cup of celery, diced
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
5 cups of broth (chicken or vegetarian)
1 tablespoon of celery salt
1 tablespoon of dry thyme
4 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Celery leaves 4 garnish

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add carrots and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add celery and sauté for another 2 minutes. (Tip: Sometimes I like to layer in the flavors one at a time to add complexity)
4. Add garlic sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add thyme, celery salt, and 1 1/4 cup of green lentils. Stir to blend evenly.
6. Add crushed tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Stir and bring it to a boil.
7. Cover and lower heat to low-medium. Simmer for about 45 minutes.Finish with balsamic vinegar and celery leaves for garnish.

Singapore-Style Shrimp with Sweet & Sour Pineapple

I'm such a junkie for Singapore noodles (星洲炒米粉) that I order it whenever I see it on a menu. I read from a Chinese cookbook once that it's a Cantonese invention. Do you think it's true? In any case, whoever came up with it is a mad genius. As an homage to my favorite noodle dish, I created this easy shrimp recipe that is so healthy and delicious that you will want to make it again and again.

In the summertime, I love to feature fruit as a central ingredient in a recipe. For this Singapore-style shrimp recipe with sweet & sour pineapple, I prefer to use canned pineapple for the guaranteed sugar level. The sweetness from the pineapple and the smokiness from the Madras curry are a quintessential match made in food heaven. I just imagine the two flavors dancing cheek-to-cheek inside my mouth like a sizzling couple on Dancing with the Stars.

As an added bonus, my recipe for shrimp stir-fry is simple to prepare yet complex to the taste. Serve it on a bed of jasmine rice for a complete and well-balanced meal.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound of large shrimp, peeled, de-veined, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sherry or white wine
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper (preferably white pepper)
1 tablespoon of ginger, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of canola oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 medium carrot, julienned
2 cups of pineapple chunks, drained (reserve 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice)
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon of Madras curry powder
1 tablespoon of red-wine vinegar

Preparation

1. Whisk and dissolve sugar, soy sauce, sherry, white pepper, water and cornstarch. Add shrimp and marinate for 20 minutes and drain.
2. In a large wok or heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic, be careful not to burn.
3. Add shrimp and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Cook in 2 separate batches if necessary to avoid crowding and steaming. Remove promptly and set aside.
4. Add remaining oil to stir fry onion for a minute. Add carrot, pineapple and bell pepper to stir fry for another minute. Remove and set aside
5. Return shrimp, pineapple and vegetables to wok. Add curry and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes until heated through. Add pineapple juice, vinegar, and toss quickly to combine. Salt & pepper to taste.

Suggestion:

Add a little Sriracha and you'll have sweet, sour, smoky and spicy!

Summer Salmon with Pineapple in Orange-Ponzu Sauce

Salmon is one of my favorite fish. When I was at WholePaycheck today, I was pleasantly introduced to Wild Keta Salmon. Two of my favorite salmons to eat and to cook are Wild King and Copper River Salmon. I've never cooked Keta Salmon so needless to say, I was curious. Frankly, the salmon filet was so gorgeous that I had to take it home...

For a light, summer fish recipe, I grabbed a fresh pineapple. The pineapple that I picked was so succulent, sweet and ripe that I need something salty and tart for balance. One of my favorite sushi restaurants in LA, Sushi Zo, pair certain fish with a dash of ponzu, and the first time I had it was a revelation. Naturally, when I saw the bottle of ponzu soy in my fridge, I knew it'd make a perfect sauce for my summer salmon recipe with pineapple. I'm happy to say my latest recipe for salmon is a little slice of Hawaii. Aloha!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

4 Keta salmon fillets (for medium or medium rare, at least 1 1/2 inch thick prevent overcooking)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 carrots, julienned
2 stalk of celery, julienned
1 tablespoon of peeled ginger, julienned
1 cup of orange juice
2 cups of pineapple, cubbed (preferably fresh but canned is ok, just make sure to drain liquid)
4 tablespoons of ponzu soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Preparation

To cook salmon:

1. Preheat oven to 400F with a large baking pan that fits 4 fillets without crowding and lightly brush with olive oil (Tip: this will help stick the skin to the pan but the skin will hold the fillet together)
2. Once the oven reaches the desired temperature and the pan is also heated, season fillets with salt and pepper and transfer to the baking pan in the oven to cook for approx 10 minutes for medium. Remove from oven promptly. (Tip: Simply insert a metal spatula right above the skin of each fillets and lift; the skin should be stuck to the pan, giving you beautiful skinless, salmon fillets)

To make sauce:

1. Combine orange juice, ponzu soy, rice vinegar and ginger in a small sauce pan and boil to reduce liquid by half.
2. While the sauce is reducing, saute pineapple in a skillet to warm for approx 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat to release sugar.
3. Add carrot and celery to sauté for about 1-2 minutes to soften slightly yet still firm.
4. Strain sauce to remove ginger if desired. Combine with pineapple, carrots and celery. (Depending on the sugar level in the oj & pineapple, you may need to adjust with either sugar or salt.)

Serving suggestion:
Plate salmon fillets on plate. Serve pineapple and julienned veggies on top with reduced orange-ponzu sauce.