Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and I’m back this month on Ask Anna to share with you a brand new mocktail perfect for Dry January.

Apple Cider Lime Soda Mocktail

So many things have been happening lately. Our days have been filled with prepping for the arrival of our baby boy. It’s exciting but also overwhelming as we try to navigate this new part of our lives. Plus, trying to recuperate from the holidays. So much has been going on that we’ve lost track of time, and now a new year is already here!

I’ve been working on some new mocktails so today I want to share this apple cider lime soda. It’s simple, it’s delicious, and it’s perfect year round, or for Dry January. I mean, how can you resist? Just the warm flavors of apple cider, the hint of citrus, the bubbliness of the club soda makes this drink perfect for cold January evenings.

I like to top the drink with mint leaves and a cinnamon stick. Other options are star anise and lime wedges. Just for a little bit more festivity. While this version is made to serve one, you can easily scale the recipe up to share with others.

To make this drink, add apple cider to a glass, add fresh squeezed lime juice. Add crushed ice to the drink. Top with club soda. Garnish with star anise, cinnamon sticks, mint leaves, or lime wedges. Serve the apple cider lime soda immediately cold.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking with a Wallflower

Apple Cider Lime Soda

 

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Apple cider and lime juice topped with sparkling club soda. This apple cider lime soda is simple, delicious, and perfect for fall.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Beverage

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• Juice of one lime (2 tablespoons)
• ¾ cup apple cider
• ½ cup club soda
• Crushed ice
• Mint leaves
• Cinnamon stick

Instructions

1. Add apple cider to a glass, add fresh squeezed lime juice. Add crushed ice to the drink. Top with club soda.
2. Garnish with star anise, cinnamon sticks, mint leaves, or lime wedges.
3. Serve the apple cider lime soda immediately cold.

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Here are some other fun Mocktails to try!

Sparkling Pomegranate Apple Lemonade

Sparkling Cherry Limeade

The post Apple Cider Lime Soda Mocktail appeared first on Ask Anna.

Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower and this month I’m back on Ask Anna to share this Peach Mochi with you.

It’s been a little rough the last few weeks. My husband and I have been taking turns being sick, and the recovery period has not been fun. We missed days of work, but it meant that I had time to create new summer recipes for you.

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with mochi. They’re easy to make. They have a softness to them but also a chewy texture. Sometimes they’re flavored, like with matcha or chocolate or strawberry. And sometimes they’re filled with a paste like black sesame or red bean. You can fill them with ice cream, which you can find almost anywhere these days. Or wrap mochi in fresh fruit.

Mochi filled with fresh fruits can come in strawberry and mango. Those are the most popular. But since it’s summer, I thought I’d use a ripe peach. You can keep the skin on if you like, but for this recipe, I took the skin of a yellow peach off.

To make this peach mochi, cut opposite sides of the peach so that they’re whole pieces. Set aside for now.

Toast a small amount of glutinous rice flour in the oven or toaster oven for about 5 minutes. Set aside for now.

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour and sugar. Then add water and then mix until everything is combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a microwave safe plate. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute, stir with a wet spatula, and repeat two more times. The mixture will turn a little translucent as it cooks. Set aside to allow it to cool.

Dust the work surface with toasted glutinous rice flour. Transfer cooled mochi to work surface and dust the top of mochi with more toasted glutinous rice flour.

Divide the mochi into four equal portions.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the mochi until thin. If the mochi sticks to the rolling pin, dust more with the toasted glutinous rice flour.

Place a piece of the peach in the middle of the rolled out mochi and wrap the mochi around the peach. Use your fingers to pinch the edges of the mochi together to seal the peach inside.

Serve the peach mochi the same day for best taste.

Enjoy!

Peach Mochi

 

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Ripe peaches wrapped in soft and chewy mochi. This peach mochi is simple, delicious, and the perfect summer dessert.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup glutinous rice flour, for toasting/dusting
• 2 large ripe peaches, cut
• ⅔ cups glutinous rice flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ⅔ cups water

Instructions

1. To make this peach mochi, cut opposite sides of the peach so that they’re whole pieces. Set aside for now.
2. Toast a small amount of glutinous rice flour in the oven or toaster oven for about 5 minutes. Set aside for now.
3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour and sugar. Then add water and then mix until everything is combined.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a microwave safe plate. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute, stir with a wet spatula, and repeat two more times. The mixture will turn a little translucent as it cooks. Set aside to allow it to cool.
5. Dust the work surface with toasted glutinous rice flour. Transfer cooled mochi to work surface and dust the top of mochi with more toasted glutinous rice flour.
6. Divide the mochi into four equal portions.
7. Use a rolling pin to roll out the mochi until thin. If the mochi sticks to the rolling pin, dust more with the toasted glutinous rice flour.
8. Place a piece of the peach in the middle of the rolled out mochi and wrap the mochi around the peach. Use your fingers to pinch the edges of the mochi together to seal the peach inside.
9. Serve the peach mochi the same day for best taste.

3.5.3251

Andrea

Cooking With a Wallflower

Here are more delicious summer recipes!

Cherry Lemonade

Gluten Free Summer Recipes

The post Peach Mochi appeared first on Ask Anna.

Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower. I’m back this month on Ask Anna to share with you a brand new recipe perfect for the summer.

We don’t have that many hot days in San Francisco. But when we do, during warm summer days, I really prefer meals that don’t require much cooking. The simpler the meal, the better. Mostly because a hot kitchen on already hot days is not my favorite place to be. For this month, I wanted to share with you this honey garlic soy avocado cucumber salad.

This salad is sweet and tangy and even a little spicy. You can easily customize the sweetness, tanginess, and spiciness to your level of comfort. It has all the ingredients that you probably have on hands. And it’s super easy to make.

Is there any particular dish that you like to go to when it’s hot out and you prefer not to have to turn on the stove or the oven?

In a small bowl, add minced garlic, Thai chili, scallions, lemon juice, soy sauce, water, honey, red onions, and black pepper. Stir to mix all the ingredients together. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.

In either a Tupperware or a medium sized bowl, add sliced avocado and cucumbers.

Pour the spicy honey garlic soy sauce mixture over the avocado and cucumbers. Allow the avocado and cucumbers to soak in all the flavor.

Best served cold so I would either use avocados and cucumbers that came from the fridge. Or refrigerate the avocado cucumber salad for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Serve the honey garlic soy avocado cucumber salad cold with rice or noodles.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking with a Wallflower

Honey Garlic Soy Avocado Cucumber Salad

 

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Avocado, cucumbers, and red onions tossed in a sweet and tangy garlic sauce. This honey garlic soy avocado cucumber salad is simple, delicious, and refreshing, perfect with rice or noodles.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Side

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Thai chili, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sesame seed
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
• 1 large avocado, sliced

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, add minced garlic, Thai chili, scallions, lemon juice, soy sauce, water, honey, red onions, sesame seeds, and black pepper. Stir to mix all the ingredients together. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.
2. In either a Tupperware or a medium sized bowl, add sliced avocado and cucumbers.
3. Pour the spicy honey garlic soy sauce mixture over the avocado and cucumbers. Allow the avocado and cucumbers to soak in all the flavor.
4. Best served cold so I would either use avocados and cucumbers that came from the fridge. Or refrigerate the avocado cucumber salad for at least 20 minutes before serving.
5. Serve the honey garlic soy avocado cucumber salad cold with rice or noodles.

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Here are some other easy summer recipes!

Sweat Tea Popsicles

Summer Caprese Tart

Peach Glazed Shrimp Skewers

The post Honey Garlic Soy Avocado Cucumber Salad appeared first on Ask Anna.

Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and this month I wanted to share with you a brand new recipe perfect for weeknight dinners.

We’ve been working longer hours lately so we’ve been doing a lot of meal prepping. And if we didn’t meal prep, then we’re always on the lookout for quick and easy meals. For dinners that don’t take long for us to prep and cook. And one of our favorites? Fried rice.

Fried rice does not need to be fancy. All you really need is leftover rice that has been dried out in the fridge overnight. Maybe some garlic and onions and soy sauce. This is the simplest version.

For today’s recipe, the flavor of the fried rice is a little different. Black pepper mushroom fried rice is a little bit sweet and a little bit savory. Slight spicy from the freshly grounded black pepper. It gives the fried rice a little more depth in flavor. I also added items like frozen corn, or canned, and mushrooms. But you can easily add your favorite ingredients.

In a small bowl, add soy sauce, honey, water, garlic, and oil. Then whisk together until combined. Set aside for now.

In a medium sized pan, add vegetable oil, and allow it to heat over medium heat. Once the vegetable oil is hot, add onions, then stir the onions and cook them for a couple minutes.

Add mushrooms to the pan next, and cook for a few minutes until soft.

Then add the rice and corn. Pour the sauce over everything and stir until combined.

Add black pepper, and stir everything together until incorporated. Add butter just as you’re about to serve. Mix to let the butter melt into the fried rice. It elevates the flavor of the fried rice.

Serve the black pepper mushroom fried rice hot.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking with a Wallflower

Black Pepper Mushroom Fried Rice

 

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Leftover rice cooked with pantry ingredients like corn, mushrooms, and scallions in a black pepper sauce. This black pepper mushroom fried rice is simple, delicious, and perfect for a weeknight meal.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Fried Rice

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 4-5 mushrooms, roughly torn
• ½ cup corn, canned or frozen
• 1 ½ cups cooked rice, refrigerated overnight
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 stalk scallion, finely sliced

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, add soy sauce, honey, water, garlic, and oil. Whisk together until combined. Set aside for now.
2. In a medium sized pan, add vegetable oil, and allow it to heat over medium heat. Once the vegetable oil is hot, add onions. Stir the onions and cook them for a couple minutes.
3. Add mushrooms to the pan next, and cook for a few minutes until soft.
4. Then add the rice and corn. Pour the sauce over everything and stir until combined.
5. Add black pepper, and stir everything together until incorporated. Add butter just as you’re about to serve. Mix to let the butter melt into the fried rice. It elevates the flavor of the fried rice.
6. Serve the black pepper mushroom fried rice hot.

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The post Black Pepper Mushroom Fried Rice appeared first on Ask Anna.

Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and I’m back this month on Ask Anna to share with you a brand new recipe, a bright and fun, blood orange mimosa.

I hope that you guys have been staying dry these past few months. We’ve had pretty relentless rain storms since the beginning of the year. And while it’s amazing that the rain is helping us out of years long droughts and also filling water reservoirs, it’s not very fun being stuck in the rain while trying to get to work in the morning. Here’s to staying dry and enjoying all the spring wildflowers that have sprouted all over from the rain.

Citrus season is at its height during the winter months and one of my favorite citruses is blood oranges. It’s sweet, it’s tangy, and that dark bright red color adds so much festiveness to your drinks. So naturally, I want to make cocktails with blood oranges while it’s still available. Do you have a favorite citrus?

Blood orange mimosas are super simple to make. I’m obsessed with mimosas because they pair perfectly with brunch but they don’t require a lot of work. So if you have family and friends over, all you need is equal parts juice and champagne. You can easily scale this drink to serve more people. And for those who want a non-alcoholic version, you can substitute the champagne with either club soda or ginger beer. I personally prefer the ginger beet.

In a tall glass or champagne flute, add blood orange juice and top with champagne. Add crushed ice. Serve these blood orange mimosas immediately cold.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking with a Wallflower

Blood Orange Mimosas

 

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A winter inspired cocktail made of one part blood orange juice, one part champagne, and crushed ice. This blood orange mimosa is perfect for Sunday brunch with family and friends.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Drinks

Serves: 1 servings

Ingredients

• one part blood orange juice
• one part champagne
• crushed ice

Instructions

1. In a tall glass or champagne flute, add blood orange juice and top with champagne. Add crushed ice. Serve these blood orange mimosas immediately cold.

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Here are some more delicious Mimosa recipes!

Sparkling Matcha Mimosa

Apple Cider Rosé Mimosa

The post Blood Orange Mimosa appeared first on Ask Anna.