cauliflower mushroom risotto w/ prawn rainbow chard

leftovers are underrated… especially when you have fabulous leftovers to start.

here’s a simple way to repurpose and reinvent creamy cauliflower & mushroom risotto from a previous yumyumyummers recipe. just add some prawns and some rainbow chard and you’ve got a brand new dish. gotta love leftover redux.

the prawns:
– heat up 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in large pan on medium heat
– brown 1 large shallot (peeled, rough chop) w/ 1 tsp fennel seed in pan
– add 1.5 cups raw prawns (deveined, deshelled) to pan
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– add a dash of sea salt
– sauté prawns & stir ingredients for 1-2 min until partially cooked

the chard:
– wash & drain 1 bunch of organic rainbow chard in colander w/ cold water
– remove stems from chard
– add chard to pan w/ prawns
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– sauté for 2-3min until leaves are wilted and a darker shade of green, and until prawns are cooked through

the risotto:
– add leftover creamy cauliflower & mushroom risotto to prawns & chard in pan
– fold ingredients together until well combined and risotto is warm

food styling:
– for a more rustic look (and for portion control!), i like to dish up creamy risotto into small individual ramekins.
– for for a sharing feast, place the creamy risotto in a large, shallow serving bowl.
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– season w/ freshly ground nutmeg

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coconut pad thai

this is definitely not your average pad thai. did the coconut & pistachios give it away? :)

in the spirit of culinary experiments — and in appreciation of fusion cuisine — i thought i’d add a tropical twist to this pad thai with some light coconut milk and crushed pistachios. tasty, indeed. not too shabby for my first go at cooking pad thai.

the prawns & the coconut:
– heat up 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in large wok on medium heat
– add 2 sprigs of green onions (rooted stems removed, rough chop into sliced rounds)
– add 1.5 cups raw prawns (deveined, deshelled) to wok
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– add a dash of sea salt
– add 1/2 can light coconut milk
– sauté prawns & stir ingredients for 1-2min until partially cooked

the tofu & veggies:
in the same wok, add the following ingredients to the prawns:
– 1/2 orange bell pepper (pitted, sliced)
– 1/2 yellow bell pepper (pitted, sliced)
– 1/3 green zucchini squash (sliced rounds)
– 1/3 yellow zucchini squash (sliced rounds)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– sauté for 1-2min & stir regularly
– then add 1 cup raw tofu (chopped into bite-sized chunks)
– add 1/8 cup fresh cilantro (stems removed, rough chop) to wok
– stirfry ingredients together in wok until coconut milk is well combined

ouzo prawns & fennel arugula salad

it was one big fat greek farewell dinner. one of my besties is moving out east this week (tear). so i cooked up another culinary experiment in celebration of good friendship and, of course, good food & wine. no plate-smashing that evening — just plenty of yummy noises and lots of laughs!

this is part one of a two-recipe post. to start: ouzo prawns & fennel arugula salad. opa!
stay tuned for part two: moussaka!

fennel again, you ask? well, apart from being on a fennel kick, i thought that the anise flavour of fennel would pair nicely with the licorice flavour of the traditional greek aperitif, ouzo. if you prefer to skip the ouzo in this recipe, there will still be a decent amount of licorice flavour from the fennel alone.

the fennel:
– remove 1 fennel bulb from green stems & fronds
– slice bulb into quarters along the vertical and remove the inner core
– slice fennel into thin sticks

the prawns:
– heat up 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in large wok on medium heat
– add 1.5 cups raw prawns (deveined, deshelled) to wok
– carefully drizzle 1 tsp ouzo over prawns (optional)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– add a dash of sea salt
– sauté prawns & stir ingredients for 1-2min until partially cooked

– then add 2 tomatoes (rough chop) to prawns
– sauté prawns & tomatoes for another 2-3min until cooked
– remove from heat. prawns & tomatoes best served warm w/ the fennel & arugula.