Our Lunar New Year feasts have been more intimate the past two years, and this years’ celebration will be on the smaller side as well. While it’s been a challenge not seeing our extended family as regularly as we’re used to, Stephen and I have been taking the extra time at home to try out new recipes and cook with Alivia. Since we’re eating out less, we’ve also been able to splurge on quality ingredients for our cooking adventures like Canadian lobster.

What I love about cooking with lobster is the versatility and range of products available. From whole fresh lobsters, to frozen to processed, it’s easy to choose the option that works best for both the recipe and the amount of preparation time I have. Stephen’s a master at steamed whole lobster, Lobster Rolls, and more involved dishes like Lobster Pappardelle, and Ginger and Green Onion Lobster. This recipe for Lobster Tail Baos falls high on the delicious scale and medium on the difficulty scale. Using frozen lobster tails cuts down the preparation time and makes planning easier without having to worry about procuring fresh lobster. The tail meat is buttery, sweet and delicious!

The Canadian lobster fishery is an international leader in sustainability and is constantly assessing the health and stability of the Canadian lobster population. There is a limited number of licences issued and a limit on the number of traps as well. Lobsters below the minimum size are not harvested and some Licensed Fishing Areas also have maximum size limits to protect large lobsters who produce a higher amount of eggs.

For more information about Canadian Lobsters, tips and recipes, visit https://lobstercouncilcanada.ca.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with The Lobster Council of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

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Lobster Tail Baos

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 4 baos

Ingredients

• 4 frozen baos
• 200g of frozen lobster tails (2-3)
• 3 tbsp potato starch
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup of wakame salad
• 1/4 cup of cucumber slices
• 1 tbsp of roasted white and black sesame seeds

Instructions

1. De-shell the lobster tails and cut into 1 inch chunks. Mix together potato starch, cornstarch and salt, then toss and thoroughly coat lobster chunks in the mixture.
2. Steam the frozen baos as per package instructions and set aside, keeping them warm in the steamer.
3. Deep fry each piece of lobster for 2-3mins in 350°F oil until the internal temperature reaches 140°F, set aside.
4. Mix together the kewpie mayonnaise, ketchup and honey.
5. Assemble each bao with mayo sauce, chunks of lobster, wakame salad and cucumber slices. Drizzle more mayo sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

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Lunar New Year has always been my favourite annual celebration. The sweets, the feasting, the Chinese variety shows, the family gatherings, the awkward phone calls to grandparents and of course the red pockets. My family moved to Canada when I was 5 years old, so my memories of new years’ in China are fuzzy, but we made our own traditions and they’ve continually evolved since getting married and becoming a mom. What’s stayed consistent is being surrounded by family and good food. One of my new favourite centrepiece dishes is Green Onion and Ginger Lobster with E-Fu Noodles. This dish is often featured on menus for special occasions like Lunar New Year and weddings, as the noodles represent longevity, and is an impressive entree for any home chef to master!

I love making this dish with fresh whole Canadian lobster, which is available year round. We cook with whole lobster quite often at home (lobster rolls, lobster mac and cheese) so Stephen is comfortable handling and taking apart a lobster, but if you’re not, most grocers will be able to help out or there are lots of frozen, pre-processed lobster options to choose from as well. The lobster meat is deliciously sweet and buttery. When taking apart the lobster, be sure to save the tomalley, my favourite part, which is used to make the rich, savoury sauce that gets soaked up by the e-fu noodles.

In addition to being delicious, lobster is low in fat and carbohydrates, and high in protein, with lots of Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12. In Canada, lobster seasons are staggered throughout 41 fishing areas to take advantage of peak moulting periods for each area of water, ensuring Canadian lobsters are harvested when hard-shelled, preserving the ideal taste and nutritional value.

For more information about Canadian Lobsters, tips and recipes, visit https://lobstercouncilcanada.ca.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with The Lobster Council of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

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Green Onion and Ginger Lobster with E-Fu Noodles

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• Frying the Lobster:
• 2-3 lbs lobster
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 tbsp potato starch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Lobster, Sauce and Noodles:
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 6 slices of ginger (2 thumb size knobs)
• 4 stalks of green onions
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups water
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1/4 tsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
• 140g E-Fu noodles

Instructions

1. Prepare the fresh lobster into 2 inch chunks, lightly batter with cornstarch, potato starch and salt.
2. Deep fry each piece of lobster for 2-3mins in 350°F oil until the internal temperature reaches 135°F, set aside. Cook in batches as needed. The lobster will cook to 140°F when making the sauce.
3. Cook the E-Fu noodles as per package instructions and set aside on a serving plate. Tip: Undercook the E-Fu noodles a bit as it will continue to cook when the hot lobster is served on top.
4. To prepare the sauce, whisk together the cornstarch, water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and chicken bouillon powder.
5. In a large wok, heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil, add garlic and ginger, and stir fry until aromatic. Then add in the fried lobster, cooking wine and sauce ingredients, stir fry until the sauce thickens and serve over the bed of E-Fu noodles.

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When putting together a nabe style hot pot, I like to include lots of leafy greens like napa cabbage or spinach and quick to cook vegetables like winter melon and enoki mushrooms. Rice cakes and udon are also great additions. As the pot is served still simmering, and often continues to cook at the table, it’s important to eat the ingredients in order of cooking time. The turkey breast needs to be sliced thin, so it’s ready when the vegetables are. The best way to do that is to freeze the breast until it is firm, but not rock hard before slicing. As the nabe is enjoyed, more ingredients can be added, or rice and noodles in the remaining broth.

For more inspiration and recipes featuring turkey, visit www.ThinkTurkey.ca

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Turkey Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

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Miso Turkey Nabe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

For the Broth:
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/4 tsp kombu (dried kelp), equals to a 2-inch square piece
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp soy
• 2 tsp dashi powder
• 3 tbsp miso
For the nabe:
• 200 grams thinly sliced turkey breast
• 3-4 leaves of napa cabbage
• 1 cup Korean rice cakes
• 1 cup winter melon, sliced
• 3-4 baby bok choy
• 1/2 cup enoki mushrooms

Instructions

1. Over medium heat, add to a pot 4 cups of water, kombu, rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, sake, mirin, soy and dashi powder. Using a whisk or spoon and strainer, whisk the miso paste into the broth over the heat. Stir well.
2. Add in napa, rice cakes, winter melon, bok choy and enoki mushrooms, and bring the pot to a boil. Keep heat on simmer and add in thinly sliced turkey breast until cooked through. Serve pot immediately as is.
3. Optional: If serving with a tabletop stove, as the dish is enjoyed, more ingredients can be added and cooked at the table.

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For this simple recipe, we added protein by using slices of turkey deli meat. Any kind works, as well as pre-cooked turkey meat. The turkey adds a savoury flavour to the broth, while keeping the dish light. I always try to fit a healthy protein into our breakfast, which helps keep Alivia energized until snack time. I like my turkey deli meat cut into thin strips, while Stephen prefers his in whole slices. Everything comes together in under 15 minutes and is a lovely way to start the day.

For more inspiration and recipes featuring turkey, visit www.ThinkTurkey.ca.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Turkey Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

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Turkey Deli Macaroni Soup

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 11 minutes

Serving Size: 3-4

Ingredients

• 2 liters of water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas and chopped carrots
• 200g macaroni noodles
• 100g turkey deli slices
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill a pot with 2 litres of water and bring to a boil. Add a bouillon cube to the pot, white pepper, then whisk to dissolve.
2. Add frozen peas, carrots, and macaroni to the pot. Cook the pasta by following the instructions on the packaging (8-12 mins).
3. Add the turkey deli slices, optional to chop into strips and serve into bowls.
4. Garnish with sesame oil and chili oil (optional).

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Stephen and I have used our FoodSaver® vacuum sealer for years now, and it’s one of our most useful kitchen devices. From sealing bulk groceries in the freezer to keeping spices fresh for the pantry, the FoodSaver® keeps food fresher for longer and without any freezer burn.

This recipe for Grilled Turkey Rice Noodle Bowls, inspired by the traditional Vietnamese dish, Heo Nuong Xa, is one of my favourites for the summer. Featuring grilled turkey breast, so there’s no need to heat up the kitchen, and served with cold noodles and lettuce, the dish is refreshing and satisfying. We usually marinate the turkey overnight, but using FoodSaver®’s Preserve and Marinate Containers, only a few minutes were needed to infuse the turkey full of flavour. The marinade has plenty of garlic, onions, fish sauce and brown sugar, which makes the turkey breast perfectly caramelized when grilled.

We like to cook enough turkey to assemble bowls for lunches during the week. With the FoodSaver® Cordless Handheld Vacuum Sealer and FoodSaver® Vacuum Seal Zipper bags, meal prep was made even easier with pre-packing the cooked turkey, and individual portions of cooked rice noodles and chopped lettuce. This helped keep our meals fresh even after days in the fridge. I liked how small and compact the handheld sealer was, powerful without taking up much counter space.

For more inspiration and recipes featuring turkey, visit www.ThinkTurkey.ca

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Turkey Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

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Grilled Turkey Rice Noodle Bowls

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

For the Turkey:
• 400g boneless, skinless turkey breast,
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 Tbsp chopped onion
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of fish sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
For the Nuoc Cham Sauce:
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
For the Bowls:
• 500g rice noodles, thin
• 4 cups of lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup of cilantro, chopped
• 4-6 perilla leaf, chopped
• 1/2 cup quick pickled radishes (optional)
• 1/2 cup of nuoc cham (optional)

Instructions

1. Into a FoodSaver®’s Preserve and Marinate Containers, add sliced turkey breast, baking soda, chopped onion, minced garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch and canola oil. Set to Marinate Mode and seal using the FoodSaver® Cordless Handheld Vacuum Sealer. Let marinate for 12 minutes in the fridge.
2. While the turkey marinates, make the Nuoc Cham sauce by combining hot water, white sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and minced garlic in a jar. Shake to thoroughly mix and set aside.
3. Grill the turkey breast until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
4. Cook the rice noodles according to packaging and run under cold water.
5. Slice the cooked turkey breast.
6. Assemble bowls with rice noodles, chopped lettuce and cooked turkey breast. Top with cilantro, perilla leaf, pickled radish and 1-2 tbsp of nuoc cham.

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Congee and rice rolls, the kind of comfort food I crave during cold weather, stress, or simply when it’s been awhile. When I noticed Millstone Rice Rolls pop up on Uber Eats this year, I was checking all of those boxes and so ready to order.

Ordering: I ordered via Uber Eats for delivery and it looks like they are available on DoorDash and SkipTheDishes as well. Looking at their website today, it’s also possible to order via Snappy. A popup opens to the order link when you first load the webpage and you can refresh to get the link again. Searching on Google, I also saw the “order pickup” button on their location listing.

Food: For Stephen, Alivia and I, we ordered a Fried Dough Fritter, Street Style Offal and 3 Rice Rolls (BBQ Pork, Special Minced Pork and Pork Liver). If you can, order directly from the restaurant to pick-up to avoid Uber’s $1-$2 markup and service fees. The rice rolls were fantastic, a great texture, seasoned proteins and plenty of sauce on the side. At first glance, the Special Minced Pork didn’t look the most appetizing, but it was our favourite for taste. I liked the pork liver as well and Alivia enjoyed the BBQ pork, a safe toddler friendly option. I loved the texture of the cheung fun, not too thick, not too floury, with the perfect amount of slurp and bite. The style of cheung fun served was scrunched vs rolled with the topping inside, and I really liked it.

The Street Style Offal had a good variety and was on par with our usual dim sum spots. The chili oil that was served with it, amazing. So much heat with lots of spice. Millstone’s dough fritters are fried fresh daily. They were soft and spongy on the inside with a crispy exterior, even with the travel of delivery. Overall, lunch from Millstone was filling and flavourful. I look forward to being able to dine in.

Watermelon is one of my favourite fruits. While there are 1200 varieties of watermelon grown in 96 countries all over the world, the five main types are seedless, seeded, yellow, orange, and mini. The United States is the 7th largest producer of watermelons in the world and Canada imports over 300 million pounds each year, making the fruit available all year round. In addition to being a great source of hydration and nutrients, I really like how the entire watermelon is edible, including the rind!

My mom first made pickled watermelon rind for me when I was little, and I thought she was just experimenting, but it was actually a recipe from her childhood and a dish that I always wanted to make myself. This recipe for Asian Pickled Watermelon Rind is spicy, sour, salty and sweet. I love the extra prickliness from the Sichuan peppercorns and it’s an addictive side dish to congee, perfect sliced thin in a sandwich or as a crunchy snack. Cutting the rind is a bit of extra effort, but it’s worth it and a great way to reduce food waste.

How to Cut Watermelon to Save the Rind?

For more watermelon recipes, information and tips, check out https://www.watermelon.org/.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with The National Watermelon Promotion Board. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

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Asian Pickled Watermelon Rind

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 4 cups trimmed watermelon rind
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 star anise
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 4 dried red chilies
• 1 knob of ginger, sliced
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns

Instructions

1. Trim watermelon rinds, cutting off the dark skin and any soft, pink flesh until only the hard crunchy rind remains. Cut rinds into 1inch by 1/4inch segments.
2. In a small pot, add the sugar, star anise, vinegar, chilies, ginger slices, salt, Sichuan peppercorns and bring brine to a boil. Stir. Once the sugar and salt has dissolved, turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
3. Fill an airtight container with the trimmed watermelon rinds leaving space at the top. Once the brine is cooled to room temperature, pour over the rind until it covers the top completely. Spoon the Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and chili peppers on top.
4. The pickles will be ready after 12-24 hours and will keep refrigerated for at least two weeks or more.

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My love of watermelon is well known amongst family and friends. I am the one who always brings a watermelon to camping trips, the one craving it all year round and the one who easily eats a watermelon by herself every week. Alivia’s recently fallen in love with the delicious, sweet melon as well and Stephen and I are seriously pondering if we need multiple watermelons per week (so I don’t have to share). While more popular during warmer months, watermelon is in season all year round thanks to sourcing from the U.S. The Canadian market imports over 300 million pounds of U.S. watermelon annually.

How to Pick a Good Watermelon?

Watermelon makes a great snack as it’s a great source of hydration, being 92% water, and vitamins A (8% DV) and C. It’s also cholesterol, fat and sodium-free. While my favourite way to eat watermelon is scooped with a spoon, straight from the rind, there are also lots of ways to cook watermelon flesh, juice and rind. A cold pitcher of watermelon juice is a must when enjoying hot pot and watermelon gazpacho is the definition of summer next to a watermelon mojito. This recipe for watermelon sago is sweet, rich with a bit of bite. Served chilled, it’s a perfect dessert.For more watermelon recipes, information and tips, check out https://www.watermelon.org/.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with The National Watermelon Promotion Board. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

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Watermelon Sago

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

• 2L of water for boiling sago
• 1/4 cup of sago
• 1L of ice water
• 4 cups watermelon flesh
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk (chilled)
• 1/4 cup simple syrup (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large pot on high heat, bring 2L of water to a rolling boil. Add 1/4 cup of sago. Once the water begins to boil again, lower the temperature to medium heat and maintain a low boil. Boil for approximately 20 minutes until the sago turns clear and transparent.
2. When the sago is done boiling, remove from heat, strain, and place into a large bowl with 1L of ice water.
3. Cut watermelon flesh into chunks, add 3 cups to a blender with coconut milk, and pulse until smooth. For more sweetness, add simple syrup and stir well.
4. In a glass or bowl, add the remaining watermelon chunks, 2-3 tbsp of strained sago and top with blended watermelon.

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Although Stephen BBQs all year round, he only starts smoking things once warmer weather arrives. Last year, we made smoked Turkey Legs regularly. This year, we started thinking, what else can we smoke? Stephen came up with this recipe for Smoked Turkey Cherry Burgers that was phenomenal, and we had all the ingredients handy in our freezer. The chunks of frozen cherries added sweetness to the turkey patty as well as texture and a slight tartness. We used a hickory wood to smoke the burgers and the ground turkey took on the smoke flavour wonderfully.

Ground turkey has become a grocery staple and we always have a pack fresh or frozen in our kitchen. The natural mild flavour of turkey takes on seasoning so well and makes it an incredibly versatile ingredient. I also like how lean ground turkey is, making it an easy and healthy choice for meals. Alivia loved these turkey burgers and extra patties are a great quick lunch option for her during the week to reheat.

For more inspiration and recipes featuring turkey, visit www.ThinkTurkey.ca

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Turkey Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.

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Smoked Turkey Cherry Burgers

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 1lb of ground turkey
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion flake
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• 10 cherries, chopped
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)
• 1/2 tbsp ketchup (optional)
• 1/2 tbsp sweet relish (optional)
• 4 burger buns
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 tomato, sliced

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, spices, garlic and cherries, then mix until fully incorporated.
2. Cut 4 parchment paper squares and place 1/4 of the burger mixture onto each sheet. Form into burger patties.
3. Place patties (on the parchment paper) on a sheet pan and chill for 15 minutes in the freezer to firm up.
4. While the patties are chilling, start the smoker/bbq and set to a temperature of 275°F. Soak a handful of wood chips and place either in a smoke box or directly on the charcoal.
5. When the smoker has hit the desired temperature and the patties are sufficiently chilled, place the patties in the smoker and smoke until the burgers reach an internal temperature of 165°F (~30mins). Continue to add wood chips every 10-15 minutes or if the smoke stops.
6. Optional, combine mayonnaise, ketchup and sweet relish to make a burger sauce
7. Assemble burger on buns with smoked turkey patty, lettuce leaves, slices of tomato and burger sauce (optional).

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Ordering: Tan Da Ban is located in a food court at Shops on Yonge specializing in sheng jian bao, a pan-fried cousin of xiao long bao, that I personally like more. They are on UberEats but do not have their own website or ordering system. I would recommend calling ahead for pickup and to check availability, but not too far in advance. The first time we tried to pick up baos, we arrived just after they opened and someone had ordered an entire batch, meaning over an hour wait for any new orders. On our second successful visit, I was able to order by phone about 20 minutes before we arrived. They were kind enough to warm up our baos again on the pan, but this made the bottoms a bit oily.

Pickup: There is a limited number of above ground parking at Shops on Yonge and it can get busy. Underground parking is available. If you’re able to run in and out with someone waiting in the car, lots of people park in unmarked spots. Being inside a food court, pickup was straightforward and quick.

Food: For the three of us, we ordered 6 pork baos, 6 pork & shrimp baos and a bowl of Beef Soup with Glass Noodles. The bao skins had a great texture, thin and chewy with a perfect crispy bottom. Each bao was filled with a tablespoon of soup and the pork was well seasoned. With the pork & shrimp baos, a whole shrimp topped each meatball filling. Alivia devoured 3 meatballs and 2 crispy bottoms. I could have easily polished off another 6 baos myself. There are 7 different bao fillings on the menu including a vegetarian option. The 100% meat filling baos can be ordered in multiples of 4 or 6 and the chives, egg & shrimp, and veggie baos in multiples of 6 or 8.

The bowl of Beef Soup with Glass Noodles was a nice way to round out our meal but not a necessity. With tofu puffs, thin slices of beef, vermicelli noodles and a clear beef broth, the bowl was light and simple. It did come with a packet of chili oil that was delicious. Super spicy with tons of flavour. I would get the soup again for that chili sauce.

Overall, the sheng jian baos at Tan Da Ban were quite close to my memories of street stalls in Suzhou. If I lived in the condos above, I would be a regular customer.