BCLiving

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RECIPE: 3 Easy Salad Dressings From Scratch for BC Living

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3 Easy Salad Dressings From Scratch
for BC Living
August 2022

Homemade Salad Dressing 
Store-bought salad dressing just can’t hold a candle to making it at home. It’s so much fresher, preservative free, and far, far less sugar than most bottled up dressings. 

I’ve put together three different kinds for you, two of which are (or can be made) vegan, and you probably have a majority of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. 
 
 
Balsamic Dressing 
The easiest dressing to make for sure and versatile on a variety of salads from a regular garden salad to a strawberry spinach one. 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
 
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar  
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil  
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard  
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme  
- Salt and pepper 
- Optional: 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup if you prefer sweeter 
- minced garlic 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
Whisk or shake in a closed mason jar until fully combined. 
 
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Blue Cheese Dressing: 
I don’t have it that often, but when you get a nice, cold, wedge of iceberg lettuce with some blue cheese dressing and bacon bits – it's a slice of stinky cheese heaven. 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
- 100g blue cheese (plus more for crumbling) 
- 1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/3 cup of milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar) 
- 1/3 cup sour cream  
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise   
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder 
- salt and pepper to taste 
 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
(If making the homemade buttermilk, at the milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes first before continuing.) 
 
Combine everything but the blue cheese into a bowl – stirring until smooth. Crumble in the blue cheese until you have your desired amount, and then taste for seasoning. 
 
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Buttermilk Dressing: 
This can be made vegan easily (vegan butter milk and mayo), but it’s also great on a with a warm chicken breast mixed in. 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
- ¼ cup buttermilk (or 1/3 cup of milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar) 
- ¼ cup of mayo 
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar 
- 1 small shallot, finely minced 
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
- 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped 
- salt and pepper 

 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
(If making the homemade buttermilk, at the milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes first before continuing.) 
 
Place all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine. If the dressing is too thick you can add a small amount more of buttermilk, or water. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper as needed. 

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RECIPE: Jerky From Scratch for BC Living

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This might seem like a lot of work, but believe me, if you’re a jerky fan, making it from scratch is so much better than anything you’ll by covered in plastic. 
 
Main tips include getting the right cut of meat (here’s a description of possible cuts – I used eye of round, because I might as well if I’m going to the effort), removing any fat, cutting it evenly (the butcher might do this for you if you ask them), and watching it while it’s dehydrating. If you do this, you’ll have a tasty snack that you can take on hikes, camping, vacuum seal for later, or just have on hand when you’re hungry. 
 
The spices in here are optional, maybe try mixing the base and then marinating a few in the spicy bowl, and seeing which you prefer. There’s some trial and error to it all. 
 

INGREDIENTS 
 
- 3 pounds chosen beef cut 
- 1 cup soy sauce (low sodium, I used Bragg’s)  
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce  
- 1 tsp liquid smoke  
- 1 tbsp of brown sugar or honey (optional) 
- 1 tsp onion powder 
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
- 2 tsp ground black pepper (coarse) 
- 1 tsp salt  
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional) 
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
 
After removing and fat, using a very sharp knife, cut the beef into even slices – some can be round-ish and flat, and others can be long, but make sure it’s consistent. You can try freezing the beef for a while to make slicing easier. 
 
Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl – with optional spices – until combined and then add the beef and mix well until coated. Cover and place in refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. 

If you have a dehydrator, follow the instructions on your machine. 
If using your oven, set to 175F, line baking sheets and place an oven proof wire rack over top of them.  
 
Evenly space your jerky, in a single layer. For the oven bake for 3-4 hours, rotating the pans after 2 hours of cook time. If using your dehydrator, the time will vary based on the machine, but might be up to 8 hrs. 
Check often, you want it to be firm, and dry, but still flexible. 
 
Store in a sealed container and it should be good for a week at room temp, a month in the fridge, or vacuum seal it to extend the life even further. 

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RECIPE: Pretzels - From Scratch for BC Living

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Pretzels
From Scratch for BC Living
June 2022 

One of my favorite items to get at the concession stands at sporting events is a soft pretzel. Nothing against their crunchy counterparts, which I also enjoy, but a warm, soft, salty pretzel is the best. 

As luck would have it, they’re pretty easy to make at home too. It might take you some practice to get the knots twisted perfectly (but who cares, because they taste the same). 
 
Throw in some homemade beer cheese to dip on the side, or mustard if you prefer, and this is just an awesome snack. 
 
INGREDIENTS: 

- 1.5 cups warm water  
- 2 ¼  tsp (~7g) dry active dry yeast (this is about one packet) 
- 1 tsp salt  
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar  
- 2 tbsp oil 
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted, melted  
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (addition for working with the dough)  
- kosher salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling 
 
-1/3 cup baking soda 
 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
In a large mixing bowl, add the water, salt and sugar until combined/dissolved - then mix in the yeast. 
Let this stand for 5-10mins until it becomes bubbly/foamy. 
 
Add 1 tbsp of oil, and then the flour a small amount at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon until the flour has been incorporated. 
Move to a clean, floured surface, and knead until a smooth ball forms. 
 
Coat the bowl with the second tablespoon of oil, and drop the dough back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm area for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size. 
 
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and fill a large pot with water and bring to a low boil, adding 1/3 cup of baking soda. (This improves the texture and the color of the pretzels!) 
 
Cut the dough with a sharp knife into even pieces – I made smaller ones because there were more people to share with, but you can make them whichever size you want, just make sure they’re even. 
 
Roll the cut dough into long ropes, make a circle with ends overlapping, twist and pull across to the opposite end. Pinch the ends down to help keep the shape. (If you can’t figure this out, there are lots of tutorials – just do an internet search. And don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.) 
 
Place a silicone mat on a baking sheet, or grease some parchment paper and set aside. 
 
With a slotted spoon, lower 1 or 2 pretzels at a time into the baking soda bath for 30 seconds, flipping over halfway, and then remove with the slotted spoon, allowing the pretzels to drain as much as possible. 
 
Sprinkle the pretzels that just came out of the bath with your coarse salt before moving on to the next so it sticks to them better. 
 
Repeat until all pretzels are on the baking sheet and have been salted. 
 
Bake for 10-15 minutes, watching them after 10 to make sure they don’t burn (especially if they’re on the smaller side). Then remove from oven and using a pastry brush, brush them with the melted butter and add any more salt as desired. 
 
Serve warm with your choice of dip! 
ENJOY! 

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RECIPE: Green Curry Paste - From Scratch for BC Living

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Green Curry Paste 
From Scratch for BC Living
April 2022 

One of the greatest things about making curry is that you can search through your vegetable crisper and throw just about anything into it.  
It’s easily made vegetarian or vegan, you could go the chicken route, or maybe shrimp for your protein. 

BUT, if you’ve made curry paste from scratch, instead of getting one of those little jars, you might not be able to go back. It tastes so much fresher and the fragrance is killer, and thankfully it’s easy to make. 
It might not be as great as your favorite Thai spot, but it’s going to improve your home cooking for sure. 
 
The lime leaves, and lemongrass, as well as the chilies, I found at T&T and at the markets on Granville Island. Some grocery stores have one thing, but not the other, so it might be a hunt, but the reward is worth it. 
 
Makes Approx. 1 Cup of Curry Paste 

INGREDIENTS: 

- 5 cloves garlic 
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger (or galangal if you can find it) 
- large handful of cilantro (roots preferred, but stems will do) 
- 2 small shallots 
- 2 lemongrass stalks 
- 8+ Thai green chilies* 
- 2-4 serrano chilies* 
- 2 tsp cumin seeds 
- 1 tsp white peppercorns 
- lime leaves (5-6) 
 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
*If you can’t handle your spice, start with fewer chilies (and de-seed them) on your first go at making this paste. If you don’t find it spicy enough, add more the next time. 

 
Grind the cumin seeds and peppercorns until fine – or use pre-ground if you must! 

Peel your garlic, ginger (or galangal), and shallots and roughly chop. 
 
Remove the tops of the lemongrass and chop the lower parts into a few small pieces. 
 
Place the garlic, ginger, shallots, spices, lemongrass, lime leaves, and chilies (de-seed if desired), as well as a handful of cilantro root/stems into a food processor.  
You can also chop everything finely and then make this in a large mortar and pestle if you have one (and the arm strength) instead but it will take a LONG time. 
 
Blend on high until the paste is as smooth as possible. Scrape down the sides every now and then. 
And you’re ready to go. 
I portioned this out and froze the leftovers for future curry meals. 
 
This is a great base for different types of curry. You can add fish sauce and shrimp paste into it. 
 
If you’re making a Green Thai Curry, y ou can add fish sauce and shrimp paste into it. And be sure to cook the paste down in some full-fat coconut milk for a little bit first so that the flavors really come together. 

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RECIPE: Pizza Dough From Scratch

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Pizza Dough From Scratch
for BCLiving
March 2022  

Some things are just better when they're made from scratch, not to mention that making something “with your own two hands” gives such great satisfaction. When you do this, you will know exactly what ingredients went into your meals, and because of that, it gives you wiggle room for dietary or taste preferences. From Scratch is the way to go... 

Pizza Dough 
 
In 2020 I gave some tips about making your homemade pizza even better, and one of the most important ones was making your dough from scratch! 

There are many ways you can do this, and much of it depends on time. But if you plan ahead you’ll get some of the best homemade pizza you’ve ever had! 
 

INGREDIENTS: 

- *1 ½ teaspoons of yeast or 1 tbsp 
- 2 cups of lukewarm water  
- 1 teaspoon of sugar  
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour  
- 3 cups of 00 flour (or AP flour) 
- 2 teaspoons of salt  
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil  
- semolina flour 
 
- pizza sauce and toppings of your choice 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
*If you are making the dough for the same day, use 1 tbsp of yeast. If you are going to cold-ferment it overnight, use 1 ½ teaspoons 
 
Place the yeast, sugar and lukewarm water in a bowl and whisk together. 
Let it sit for 15-30 minutes until you see it is bubbling and smells yeasty. 

Stir in the salt and the olive oil, and then add 2 cups of AP flour and 2 cups of 00 Flour. 
Mix loosely and add more flour until the dough isn’t wet, and then let rest for 10 minutes. 

Transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead until the dough for five minutes. 
Cover with cling-wrap or a tea towel and let sit for 10 minutes so the water can absorb more. 
After this rest, knead for 4-5 more minutes until you have a smooth ball. 

Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rest until it doubles in size. This can take anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on your environment. 

Once the dough has doubled you can cut into 3 or 4 even pieces (depending on the size you’d like), and then shape into balls. 

At this stage, if you are using it right away, let them rest on an oiled sheet pan a while longer. 

If you are cold-fermenting them, place some semolina flour on a sheet pan, then place the balls on top, and then smooth some olive oil over the top so the crust doesn’t get hard. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and you can place it in the fridge for 12-72 hours (longer it ferments, the more flavor). 

Before you use the dough, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. (At LEAST an hour). 

You can shape your dough balls either with oil or semolina on the counter. Do NOT use a rolling pin! 
Press your fingers into it to create the crust and work the dough from there. You can use your knuckles and slowly rotate the dough to stretch it out as well. 

Place semolina on a pizza peel if using a pizza stone and then place the dough on top, followed by your chosen sauce and ingredients and then place it in the oven. 

Cook the pizza at the highest temperature that your oven has, and cook for about 5 minutes (watching it the whole time) and with a few mins left after the crust has started to rise, turn the broil on to give the crust some color and cheese a bit more melt. 

Every oven is different, and the time of year and your location will make for differences in rise, so write down your progress and take notes – adjusting as you go – to find your best dough and crust. 

ENJOY YOUR PIZZA! 

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