Cherry-Berry Watermelon Soup

What you’ll need for 4 servings!

• 1 medium watermelon
• some blueberries
• some strawberries
• some cherries

Chill your watermelon overnight!

1. scrape all the watermelon flesh out with a spoon and pulse it couple of times in the food processor and strain
2. save the flesh for something else if you like
3. wash and slice the strawberries, put aside
4. wash the blueberries, put aside
5. wash the cherries and remove the stones
6. pour the watermelon juice into 4 soup bowls
7. add some berries and cherries and voilà

Stay Healthy and Enjoy!

Monika Baechler

Monika’s Barbecued “Tripple B’s”! Boneless Bad Boys

Are you a Sucker for Barbecue Chicken Wings but don’t care for the fat, cholesterol and the belly fat that comes with it? Worried letting your small kids eat wings because of the bones and fat?

Let me show you a great Fake Barbecue Chicken Wing Recipe that wont leave you begging for a pack of Zocor and an appointment with a Cardiologist!

These “Wings” are not even wings, they’re actually deboned skinless chicken thighs. You wont hear any complaints from anybody if you serve up these “Tripple B’s” boneless bad boys!

Buy some deboned thighs from your butcher or at the market (buy the best quality you can afford).

1. clean the thighs (6 full thighs) and get rid of all the visible fat and joint residue
2. Cut in half, so they look like little chicken wings
3. place all of them in a zipper bag
4. mix the marinade

My marinade is not oily or fatty. This tasty marinade relies on  fresh ginger and garlic salt for it’s mouthwatering taste.

• 2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger (freshly grated)
• 1 tbsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• place in the zipper bag with the chicken
• remove most of the air from the bag, close the bag and massage the chicken with the marinade
• place in fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight

Let’s get cooking!

1. preheat your oven to 400/200
2. line a sheet with baking paper
3. place 1 tbsp of EVOO into a skillet, brown the chicken from both sides (work in two batches)
4. place the chicken onto baking sheet
5. I used Bull’s-Eye Barbecue Sauce, Sweet and Sticky
6. Brush the chicken with the barbecue sauce
7. bake for 20 minutes
8. remove from oven, turn the chicken and brush some more sauce over the thighs
9. back into the oven for another 20 minutes
10. remove and let stand for about 10 minutes
11. They are ready to enjoy!

You can also finish them on the grill, if you prefer! Enjoy

Stay Healthy!

Monika Bachler

P.S. Let me know how they turned out, Thanks!

Monika’s Wakame Salad – How to make Seaweed Salad at home

If you love Sushi as much as I do and Millions of North Americans as well as Millions around the world, then you must know the bright green colored wakame salad.

My family always ends up fighting over the little wakame salad box because it’s so darn tasty! You probably wondered why you can’t find wakame seaweed in the Asian grocery stores to make your own seaweed salad at home.

What is Wakame?

Sea farmer in Japan and Korea have grown this healthy treat for hundred of years. Wakame is a sea vegetable which is mostly used in soups and salads.

It’s a bit tricky to find things at the Asian markets and grocery stores, everything is written in Japanese or Chinese. There is no sign on the wakame seaweed stating “This is the thing you need to make your own seaweed salad you like out of the sushi case”! And, they don’t tell you, that they mix the wakame with some Agar Agar. The chewy more translucent strand in your wakame salad are agar agar strands. Agar-Agar is a natural vegetable gelatin counterpart. White and semi-translucent, it is sold in packages as washed and dried strips or in powdered form. Agar Agar is made up of 80% fiber so it makes a wonderful intestinal cleanser and regulator. Most Asian gelatin desserts are made with Agar Agar.

Now that you know that seaweed comes in a dehydrated form, you’re ready to find the right kind of product.

You’ll go “Wakame” for this seaweed salad recipe!

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 of the 2oz pack of Wakame (dehydrated sold in bags in the nori section)
• 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp and 1 tsp of vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup less 1 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Toasted Sesame
• little Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp or to taste Sea Salt
• Agar Agar (optional)

Prepare your salad:

1. soak your Wakame in some warm water (please use drinking water, not tap)
2. keep the wakame submerged in water for about 5 -6 minutes, the seaweed will expand enormously
3. meanwhile, prepare your dressing
4. mix the rice vinegar, oils, salt, sugar, sesame seeds (red pepper flakes optional) and set aside
5. drain the wakame and press the water out.
6. take the drained wakame and cut into strips with a very sharp knife.
7. mix with the prepared dressing and let it cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
8. adjust your dressing to taste, more sugar or more sesame seeds or oil…

Wakame Salad is perfectly fine on its own or with lunch or dinner and sushi of course. It keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days and freezes well too.

Stay Healthy and Enjoy!

Monika Baechler

P.S. Let me know how your wakame salad turned out and what you pared it with, thanks.