The Gourmet Goddess

Leftover Veggie Hash

2012-02-24T14:19:00.000-04:00

Okay, this might seem like a no brainer but it's worth a discussion. Tomorrow morning I'll head to the market to stock up on veggies and fruit. This means I need to empty out as much space as possible in my fridge. It's Friday night. Perfect night for Steak. So I'm combining my needs with my wants and making a Swedish inspired Pytti y Panna which is just a hash topped with a sunny side up egg on top.

Here's some hash basics
All your veggies should be cooked or par cooked.
Dice everything up in 1/4 -1/2 inch squares, including your meat.
Heat some butter and olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
Toss in your onions and meat first and cook until browned.
Don't overcrowd the pan! You can always do separate batches, just take out the finished food, keeping it warm while you do the rest of the food.
Take all the food out of the pan and use it to cook the eggs instead of dirtying another pan plus you get the leftover yummy flavour bits in the eggs.

Some items you can put in a leftover veggie hash:
Onions, Potatoes (I know, how obvious), beets, turnip, carrots, parsnip, squash, cabbage.
Use whatever meats you have on hand, precooked or not... beef, pork, chicken, sausage, bacon, ham...
Top with a sunny side up or poached egg!
Serve with Worcestershire Sauce, A1 or steak sauce, pickled beets and/or veggies.
Oh yum!

If you're making a hash out of holiday leftovers toss in the cranberry sauce - seriously, it's delish! And top with leftover gravy!

Ravioli Soup

2012-02-24T13:08:00.000-04:00

Want a simple, quick, cheap soup to make next week? Well here you go. You're welcome.

Disclaimer! Because you open a bunch of cans and packages to make this dish it has the potential to be VERY high in sodium (as in like... you're entire daily content!) so be sure to use no salt added tomatoes and black beans and low sodium broth (I made homemade with no added salt so I can control the overall sodium content when I use the broth in dishes).

Ravioli Soup
Serves 4 -6

Ingredients:

28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (low or no added salt)
19 ounce can of black beans (low or no added salt), drained and rinsed
900ml or 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, or a mix of oregano, thyme and rosemary
350g cheese ravioli
2 cups fresh spinach or 5-6 chunks of frozen spinach (the frozen spinach I get comes in chunk!)
Parmesan cheese to top each bowl

Instructions:

In a large saucepan heat the tomatoes, black beans, broth and seasoning over medium high heat until it comes to a boil
Add in the ravioli and boil until the ravioli comes to the top, about 3 -5 minutes
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the spinach.
Serve in bowls topped with a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese.

This soup does not keep really well as the ravioli will continue to absorb liquid. I have had luck with it in the fridge for a couple of days but eat it quickly! Luckily it's very popular as a lunch item around here.

Enchiladas

2012-02-19T12:34:00.000-04:00

The life of a blogger...
I caught Julie and Julia last night on the telly. I wonder, do people still get famous from their blogs? Do all of us foodie bloggers hope we'll magically get a book deal?! Or better yet, a tv show on the food network? I started my blog hoping for all those wonderful things but alas, fame did not come knocking. Instead my blog became a place I could send people when they asked for a recipe. I still do that but these days I keep my blog more for me than anything or anyone else. It's become my recipe database. One of the biggest complaints my mother used to have was that I'd make a dish out of my head and then it was never to be seen again so I started writing them down so I could recreate my own dishes. Thankfully the techno world intervened and now instead of going through mountains of paper (okay, I have all my handwritten recipes in a binder, all neat and tidy but still...) I can use that handy dandy search tool right up there in the top left corner. I may never be famous but I'm a heck of a lot more organized. I keep a knitting/craft blog too but I'm way more slack about updating it. And guess what... I tend to forget what I've made for whom because I don't blog it! My blogs have become my memory bank! Awesome.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog entry.

I made some enchiladas this week and they were really tasty, cheap and healthy (seriously full of fiber!). All my requirements for a recipe to repeat so here it is.

Enchiladas
Serves 4 -6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
2 mexican sausages
4 green onions, chopped and separate the white parts from the green parts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup corn
1 roasted red pepper (you can use fresh, red or green), diced
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp lime juice
6 whole grain 6-7 inch tortillas
1-2 cups of salsa (I didn't measure so I'm guesstimating here)
2 cups shredded cheddar

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat
Remove the outer casing from the sausage and break it up in the pan. Cook until browned
Add in the white parts of the onion and garlic. Saute for a minute.
Add in the rest of the ingredients up to and including the lime juice.
Cook for a minute or two until blended and heated through
Divide the mixture into 6 portions
Pour a bit of salsa in the bottom of a 8 X 11 inch baking pan, just enough to barely cover the bottom. Add a tablespoon or two of water if your salsa is really thick.
Spread each portion in a tortilla, roll it up and place it seam side down in the baking dish
Top with a good spread of salsa over each enchilada
Sprinkle with the cheese
Spray the shiny side of a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray
Cover and bake for 20 minutes
Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
Serve with some sour cream, guacamole, avocado slices or a drizzle of ranch dressing.

ps. the leftovers freeze really well!

Superbowl Chicken Drumsticks and Sweet Potato Fries

2012-02-02T14:26:00.000-04:00

Here are my first thoughts on my Superbowl menu. I keep getting emails, watching cooking shows and visiting websites that are full of ideas for Superbowl eats. But I have all the ingredients for these dishes so I'm trying to stick with them. Did you know that in the US Superbowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day after Thanksgiving?! That's some serious eats!

You have to marinate the chicken overnight so all you have to do on game day is toss them on a pan. You can prep the fries in the morning so come game time you can just toss them on a pan. Nothing more than "tossing" to be done when you're busy with the games and/or guests!

Tandoori Drumsticks
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 - 1.5 lbs chicken drumsticks (at least 2 per person)
1cup yogurt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 cardamon pods (or 1/2 tsp ground)
1 tbsp chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
red food colouring (optional)
juice from one lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Remove the skin from the chicken drumsticks
Mix the yogurt through red food colouring in a dish big enough to hold the drumsticks
Toss in the drumsticks and marinate overnight
An hour or so before you are going to put the drumsticks in the oven, mix in the lemon juice to the marinade and drumstick dish
Preheat the oven to 425F
Remove the drumsticks from the marinade and place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil
Bake until the drumsticks are cooked through, about 50 minutes
Sprinkle on the fresh chopped cilantro and serve!

Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.5 -2 lbs sweet potato, scrubbed clean and cut into 1/2 inch thick strips
1 tbsp olive oil
1 beaten egg white
1 tsp curry powder
Ranch dressing for dipping

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425F
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or cover the bottom with parchment paper
Toss sweet potato strips in a bowl with the olive oil, egg and curry powder
Spread the potatoes on the baking sheet
Bake for 10 minutes, turn, bake another 10 minutes.
Serve with the ranch dressing on the side for dipping

Chicken and Leek Pie

2012-01-29T20:06:00.000-04:00

Two blog posts in one day?! This recipe was soooo delicious that I absolutely had to blog about it right away. I was just going to comment on Jamie Oliver's website but then I started reading the 200+ comments.... In the future I will use the comments to verify how good an online recipe is. I didn't need to add my "holy crap this was awesome", it was already well said.

So here's the basic recipe. http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/turkey-recipes/turkey-sweet-leek-pie

And here's what I did differently.
I used 2 1/2 Chicken breasts, diced up and tossed in to cook with the leeks.
I added Summer Savoury since it just screams comfort, roast poultry dinner to me
I halved the liquid (2 c) since I don't have a decent sieve to drain it with and didn't really want the extra work.
Right before I put the leek/chicken in the baking dish I added in 6 small grated carrots. I used rainbow carrots. The purple ones turned the mixed dark and the meat a bit pink which was just interesting really.
I just used the plain puffed pastry, leaving out the chestnuts and sage.

No way will this serve 6. It was so good I went back for a second half portion. And I NEVER go back for seconds. I might get 4 servings. You have got to try this one. Seriously. It's unbelievable. I'm not kidding. Really.

The Weeks Menu

2012-01-29T12:10:00.001-04:00

One of the things about doing a "reset" menu is that it should get you back on track for healthy eating. It seems I sort of petered out on week 2 but I didn't. I've incorporated the ideas from the menu or 'reset' into my dailyliving . Or you could say I'm back on track.... yup, that was the point of the whole thing.

Now this being said, yesterday I could not figure out what to have for dinner. Luckily it was market day so I was hoping I would come across something to inspire me. You wouldn't think I'd find much inspiration in the limited offering at the market in the dead of winter but yes indeed! Not only was I inspired for last night's supper but I came up with a whole menu for the week as I wandered around the market. I love it when a plan comes together.

Here's my week. I hope you find inspiration and healthy eating too.

Maple Sausages with Fingerling Potatoes, Swiss Chard and Golden Beets.
Chicken and Leek Pie with Rainbow Carrots
Souffle with Farm Fresh Free Range Eggs and a Large Garden Salad
Shepard's Pie with Ground Lamb and Pork and Potato and Butternut Squash Topping
Pad Thai with Shrimp and Tofu
French Onion Soup (from my freezer) with Garlic and Onion Bread Toasts and A Salad
Spaghetti Bolognese with Free Range, Grain Feed Ground Chicken.

For lunches I bought some fresh whole wheat pita bread. I'll make some hummus for hummus, veg and feta pitas. Plus I have some leftover Minestrone soup.

Happy Eating!

Winter Minestrone and The Looneyspoons Collection (my new fav!!!)

2012-01-27T16:08:00.000-04:00

I've got a pot of Minestrone on the stove. It fits perfectly into the cancer fighting menu I was following as part of the "Detox/Reset" menu I was using to get back on track. Beans, greens, veggies of colour and some whole grain pasta! Superbly balanced and super healthy. Here's the recipe (it's under Day 4). I used Turnip instead of squash because I had a turnip that needed to be used. The leftovers will be lunches over the weekend (and maybe into next week!). Mmmm, soup is going to be awesome since it's cold, rainy and miserable here. The idea of a "reset" has been great. It's been great to refocus my eating habits just to be sure I'm getting a good balance and a pre-set menu made it so easy.

Last week I got a late Christmas gift - The Looneyspoons Collection cookbook. It's fantastic! It includes updates on my favs from the Looneyspoons cookbook back when we thought low fat was the only way to go and disregarded good fats and carbs. Plus it has the recipes the ladies had developed for Readers Digest. There were some real gems in that mag. The nutritional info is up to date and complete. The book is well indexed which is a real treat, not just by recipes but the nutritional tips and info too. If you have any bridal showers, baby showers, graduations or weddings coming up this year I highly recommend this as the perfect gift for everyone who should be cooking!

Detox/Reset Menu Week 2 - Day 2

2012-01-17T17:50:00.000-04:00

One thing I'm noticing with this menu I'm following is that there are a lot of beans as well as whole grains. I've always prided myself at how much fiber I get on a daily basis but this menu really had it covered! One thing I've learned is that adding a tbsp of beans to a salad is an easy was to up the daily intake and that's a good thing. I love it when I pick up a new and easy healthy habit!

Week 2 - Day 2

Breakfast
English Muffin with Natural Peanut Butter, Clementine, 1 cup Skim Milk

Lunch
Leftover Turkey Rice Soup

Dinner
Grilled Salmon, Braised Red and Green Cabbage, Polenta and Garden Salad
Braised Red and Green Cabbage

Slice up about 1- 1 1/2 cups of cabbage per person, both red and green
Heat 1 tsp per serving of butter and olive oil in a saucepan
Toss in a few fennel seeds and 1/4 tsp dried thyme per serving
Once the butter is melted add in some sliced red onion and saute until soft
Add in the cabbage and about 1/4 cup veggie or chicken broth per serving
Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes
Add a couple of splashes of balsamic vinegar per serving, turn heat up to medium high, leave lid off and simmer until the liquid is reduced and the cabbage is tender and sweet. About 10 minutes

Grill salmon on bbq or in grill pan on the stove (crispy skin is really tasty - give it a try!)
Follow the directions for the polenta
Mix a salad with romaine, tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, red onion, peppers, white kidney beans. Top with light balsamic vinaigrette.

Last night I had popcorn from my air popper (I love my air popper!) Tonight I'll probably have some edamame in the shell, microwaved for 3 minutes then tossed with a little salt. Tasty!

Detox/Reset Menu - Week 2

2012-01-16T17:33:00.000-04:00

I didn't blog about my weekend because everyone needs a break.... And all I made was Turkey Soup which consisted of just about everything, carrots, onions, celery, can tomatoes, jasmine rice, chickpeas, a bit of leftover turkey, my homemade broth and a package of frozen chopped spinach. It's lunch for the rest of the week. I put in some curry powder, a bit of Thai spice mix I had on hand and a couple of drops of coconut extract. Nice taste. Not really Indian or Thai but just enough to be different.

Okay, on to day. I noticed the overall menu from last week had a lot of greens, whole grains and beans. So I'm using some meals from the original menu and some of my own for this week.

Week 2-Day 1

Breakfast:
Egg with Spinach and Provolone. Whole Wheat English Menu

Heat a non-stick pan over medium high. Break egg into pan, top with spinach and cheese. Sprinkle with Garlic powder and onion powder if you want.

Lunch:
Leftover Turkey Rice soup

Dinner:
Pork Sandwiches with Avocado Spread, Refried Bean topped with Cheddar and a Southwest Salad

Marinate pork sirloin or boneless chops in lime juice and apple cider vinegar for 6 - 8 hours.
Mash 1/2 an avocado with 2 tbsp salsa and a squeeze of lime juice. set aside
Heat a pan over medium high heat. Cook the pork until no longer pink inside. Shred with a fork.
Spread 1 tbsp of the avocado mixture on half of a whole grain flat bun.
Top with 3-4 ounces of the pork.
Heat the refried beans until warm. Top each serving with a tbsp of shredded cheddar
For the salad take 1 cup of romaine greens shredded and toss with 1 tbsp corn, diced cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and roasted red pepper (or fresh). Top with 1 tbsp reduced fat/lite ranch dressing.

Enjoy!

Detox/Reset Menu Day 5

2012-01-13T12:20:00.002-04:00

Tonight I'm heading out for dinner. McKelvie's is an old Halifax Seafood institution. I'm looking forward to getting my seafood feed on! Now, how to balance the rest of the day....

Day 5
Breakfast
English Muffin Bacon Sandwich and an Orange
On a toasted english muffin, layer one slice of bacon, a slice of your favorite cheese and some lettuce.

Lunch
Tomato Soup with Salad and Breadsticks
Salad - Toss some greens with peppers, mushrooms, red onions, white kidney beans. Drizzle with some light balsamic or Italian vinaigrette.

Dinner
Seafood ( or you're favorite meal out - we're not into denying ourselves here!)

Tomorrow I'm home all day, watching football and doing laundry. I've got some turkey broth and turkey bits from yesterday's carcass boiling - I see a turkey curry soup coming tomorrow!

Detox/Reset Menu Day 4

2012-01-12T11:06:00.000-04:00

We're waiting for snow around here. It's been a pretty wimpy winter thus far and the dogs are keen for some snow. Emily believes each snowflake as the potential to be a snowball and in her world all balls are a good thing. I've discovered I have 4 Turkey carcasses in the freezer so I think a pot of turkey soup is in order. I'm going to put the bones on to boil today but first let's talk about today's detox/reset menu.

Day 4
Breakfast
Cereal (I picked up a new bag of cereal yesterday at CostCo and was keen to try it out this morning - Wild Roots Triple Berry Morning Bliss - it was yummy!)

Lunch
Curry Egg Salad Sandwich with an Orange

Mash hard boiled eggs with a little mayo and either some hummus or some mashed white beans. Sprinkle in some curry powder, a little or a lot, depending on your taste.
Spread the egg mix on whole grain bread
Top with spinach and sliced tomatoes.

Dinner
Steak Salad

Grill or pan sear lean steaks, no more than 4 ounces per person.
For the dressing mix 2 -3 diced green onions, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard. Set aside
Place 1 1/2 cup of torn romaine on each plate.
Top with 1/2 cup each tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and corn
Slice the steak and place on top.
Add 1/4 chopped avocado.
Drizzle 1 tbsp dressing over each plate.
Serve with a whole grain roll

Snacks
1 container of fruit yogurt.
1 ounce pretzel sticks with herb garlic dip (mix 1tsp herb and garlic cream cheese with 1 tbsp light sour cream.

Detox/Reset Menu Day 3

2012-01-11T16:55:00.000-04:00

I'm finding that the original menu from Self magazine has a lot of meals! I've mentioned before that I eat a late breakfast and therefore I don't need a big lunch, just a snack will do. So tonight I'm eating yesterdays lunch as my dinner. I'm thinking I might be able to stretch this menu out to 2 weeks...

Day 3
Breakfast
Whole Grain Cereal with Skim Milk and a Banana

Lunch
Slice of provolone cheese and a clementine

Dinner
Warm Salmon Pasta Salad

Prepare whole wheat penne or rotini according to the package directions. Save about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain, cool and set aside.
For one 213g can of salmon mix 6 tsp olive oi, 6 tsp lemon juice and 3 tsp Dijon mustard
Add the drained can of salmon with skin and bones removed
Mix in 1/2 cup white kidney beans.
Toss in a few cherry or grape tomatoes.
Toss the salmon mix with the warm pasta, add some of the pasta water if it's too thick for your liking
Serve the pasta mix on a bed of spinach.
Top with Parmesan if you like.

Snack/Treats
1 glass of red wine and 1 cup of edamame in the shell.

Microwave the edamame 2-3 minutes on high or according to package instructions. Toss with some course sea salt or kosher salt.

Enjoy!

Detox/Reset Menu Day 2

2012-01-10T14:25:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed how every daytime talk show is discussing healthy eating this week. No wonder we're so depressed in January. All that talk about what you should be eating and what you shouldn't be eating....blah, blah, blah. But I must say yesterday's eating was quite enjoyable. Last night's pizzas were a big hit. Pitas make great pizza shells. Having a menu to follow to get back to healthy eating is definitely the way to go!

Welcome to Day 2

Breakfast:
Broccoli Scrambled Eggs, 1 Slice of Whole Grain Toast and an Orange

For 1 serving, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet until hot.
Saute some chopped onions (I used green onions and red onions) until soft.
Add in about 1/2 cup chopped broccoli and 1 tbsp water. Steam then saute broccoli until tender. I added a touch of Ms. Dash herb and garlic seasoning.
Mix 2 eggs with 2 tsp water and 2 tbsp finely shredded Parmesan.
Add eggs to broccoli mix and stir until set and scrambled.

Lunch:
Salmon Pasta Salad

Prepare whole wheat penne or rotini according to the package directions. Drain, cool and set aside.
For one 213g can of salmon mix 6 tsp olive oi, 6 tsp lemon juice and 3 tsp Dijon mustard
Add the drained can of salmon with skin and bones removed
Mix in 1/2 cup white kidney beans. I did this mix ahead of time and put it in the fridge.
When you're ready to serve heat up 2 ounces of the pasta until warm.
Toss in a few cherry or grape tomatoes.
You can heat up the salmon bean mix a bit if you like. Toss in about 1/4 of the mix and add to the pasta.
Serve the pasta mix on a bed of spinach.

Serious yum! (geez I like white kidney beans!)

Dinner:
Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw
Chicken Tacos

Saute diced chicken breasts (one per serving) in a pan with a little bit of olive oil until cooked through
Add in 1 tsp of tomato paste and 1 tsp salsa per breast. Sprinkle in some chili powder, more if you like it spicy! Saute for 2 minutes
Add in some green onion, cilantro or parsley and a good squeeze of lime juice. Turn off the heat and let sit while you get everything else together.
Set up 2 whole grain, preferably corn tortillas per plate. Spread each tortilla with 1 -2 tbsp low fat refried beans.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of chicken breast mixture on the each tortilla
Top with shredded romaine lettuce, 1 tbsp salsa and 2 tsp low fat sour cream.

Coleslaw

You can buy the prepackaged coleslaw or you can shred some cabbage and carrots yourself.
Mix with some plain yogurt, a bit of sour cream, a little horseradish, a dash of Dijon mustard, lime juice, chili powder and cider vinegar.
Make ahead and let the coleslaw sit so the flavours can really come together.

Don't even get me started about all the talk on TV and in print about what exercises we should be doing, what workout routine is this and that... Oh lord, one step at a time, one step at a time... See you tomorrow!

Time to Detox! Day 1

2012-01-09T11:37:00.000-04:00

After an indulgent holiday season I feel compelled to set my body right. October's Self magazine had a really nice 7 day Cancer fighting menu that sounded yummy and looked totally doable. It's daily intake is between 1800 and 2000 calories which is a little higher than I want but I'll make some adjustments as I go along. For the complete menu as Self published it check it out here http://www.self.com/health/2011/10/cancer-fighting-meal-plan-slideshow#slide=1 . I've decided it is just the right 7 day directive to set me back on track. Welcome to day 1.

Breakfast:
Blueberry, Banana, Orange Smoothie!

to make 4 + cups/4 servings toss 1 cup blueberries, 1 banana and 1 peeled orange in a blender, add 1/2 cup yogurt and about 1/2 - 1 cup milk, add a splash of vanilla and blend until smooth. Using the whole orange instead of just the juice gives you all the nutrition of the fruit, not just the empty sugary calories.

Whole Wheat English Muffin and 1 tbsp Peanut Butter (all natural, no added sugar or salt- you really have to try this stuff, so much tastier than the processed stuff)

Lunch:
(this is a bit of a problem as my day starts late so I tend to miss lunch and just snack but this is also a good place to downsize the caloric daily intake of the original menu)
Tomato soup and Whole Wheat Roll (I'm skipping the bean salad since there are already beans in the dinner salad)

Dinner:
Spinach Pizza with Romaine Salad

You can use fresh or frozen spinach for this pizza. Heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat and saute 1 clove of minced garlic. Add the spinach and saute for 2 minutes or until wilted. Spread a whole wheat pita (I have Weight Watchers pitas) with tomato paste or tomato pesto, toast for 2 minutes. Mix the spinach with a couple of tbsp of low fat cottage cheese. Spread over the pizza. Sprinkle with part skim mozzarella. Top with thinly sliced red onion. Broil for a couple of minutes until golden.
Shred romaine lettuce, toss with beans (chickpeas or white kidney beans), cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, sliced red onion. Dress salad with a light balsamic vinaigrette (I have Paul Newman's light Balsamic) or a light Italian vinaigrette.

Snack:
Tonight is the BCS College Football Championship so I'll be having a beer, this menu is not about denial! and some popcorn. I have an air popper and I love it but if you don't have an air popper I did hear someone say you can take 2 tbsp popcorn and put it in a paper lunch bag, fold the top and microwave for 2-3 minutes until the popping stops (also way cheaper than buying microwave packs!). I've never tried this method so....

YUM!

Newfie Slush

2012-01-02T20:33:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has been to just about any house of a Newfoundlander over the holidays has been offered a glass of Slush. It's a tradition! Slush is a frozen low alcoholic drink made up of lots of fruit juices. This year I made up 2 batches, one with alcohol and one without. What I didn't realize was how comforting Slush is when you're feeling ill. Soothing on the throat and stomach, thirst quenching for that nasty dehydration that comes from either pukin or a constant runny noise and breathing through your mouth... you get the idea. I'm putting on another batch of the non-alcoholic version tomorrow (you can always add a bit of booze when you make up a glass if you're feeling festive and not at death's door) to have on hand as we swing full on into cold season around here.

Newfie Slush
Makes 2 good size ice cream containers

Ingredients:

1 can frozen unsweetened orange juice
1 can frozen unsweetened pineapple juice
1 can frozen lemonade
1 cup sugar ( you can add a little less if you don't like it too sweet)
6 cups water
1 pint or 375ml vodka (optional)
lemon lime pop, ginger ale or club soda to serve it with it

Instructions:

Mix everything from orange juice to vodka together and pour into buckets
Freeze 24 hours. If you aren't using alcohol be sure to stir up the freezing mix with a large fork several times during the first 6 hours or so. Otherwise you'll end up with one big slush ice cube.
Scoop out enough frozen slush to almost fill a glass.
Top with pop or soda and mix.
Enjoy!

Fall on a Plate

2011-12-05T15:54:00.000-04:00

I've been making this combo all fall and just realized its not here on the blog for all to see. We buy apples by the 20lb bags, peel, slice, soak in salt water and freeze to have year round. There are nothing like Annapolis Valley apples! You can use your favourites in this recipe. I like Cortlands or Spartans but whatever tickles your taste buds will do just fine. I first made this recipe with cabbage but you can use carrots, turnip, sweet potatoes and/or potatoes, dice them no bigger than 1/2 inch thick so they can cook through without the pork drying out or overcooking.

Pork, Apples and Veggies
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1lb pork chops or sirloin
3 cups sliced cabbage
4 apples cut into eight wedges, peel if you wish
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Maple syrup
1 Tbsp sage
1 cup water or chicken broth

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or wide shallow ovenproof pan with a lid over medium high heat.
Saute the onions until tender
Add the pork and brown on both sides
Toss in the veggies and sear a bit, about a minute or two.
Add remaining ingredients, mix well.
Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until the pork is done and the veggies are tender.

Enjoy!

Mu Shu Pork

2011-11-08T13:09:00.001-04:00

This is what's left...

I love Mu Shu Pork and this recipe is so simple you can make it at home whenever you want. I use small flour tortillas in place of the pancakes and regular cabbage in place of Chinese or nappa cabbage. I often don't have dry sherry on hand so I rice vinegar in place of it. It tastes a little different but it still works.

Mu Shu Pork

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb pork, cut into thin strips
6 Tbsp dry sherry
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp soya sauce
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (+ more for serving)
4-8 small flour tortillas
2- 3 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 gloves garlic, minced
3 - 4 cups sliced cabbage
6 - 8 green onions, sliced

Instructions:

Mix 2 Tbsp sherry, 2 tsp soya sauce, 1 Tbsp cornstarch and 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Add in pork and toss to coat
Mix the remaining 4 Tbsp sherry, 2 Tbsp soya sauce, 1 tsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup hoisin sauce. Set aside
Heat a large wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add 2tsp of the sesame oil and the pork, saute until cooked through. Remove from pan.
Heat the remaining sesame oil in the pan. Saute the mushrooms and ginger until soft.
Add the garlic, cabbage and stir fry until the cabbage wilts. Add a little water to the pan if necessary.
Toss in the pork, green onions and sauce mix and stir until bubble and thickened.
Serve in the tortillas with a little extra hoisin drizzled on top if you like.

This is great for lunches!! Enjoy!

Easy Cheese Souffle

2011-10-18T13:11:00.000-03:00

I finally tried Jacques Pepin's Maman's Cheese Souffle. Because the souffle is not prepared in the traditional manner it was unbelievably easy (and unbelievably tasty)!! It's already been requested as our Christmas morning breakfast. We had it for dinner and it's was a lovely, filling meal with a salad. When you have such a simple meal it's important to use good quality ingredients as they really stand out. If you can get organic or free range eggs they are a must for this dish. Also you'll want a good quality Swiss cheese. Jacques recommended Gruyere but I had some really nice Emmental and Jarlsberg so that's what I used. I also lightened up the recipe by using skim milk instead of whole milk.

Non-traditional Cheese Souffle
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter (I used salted, if you use unsalted add about 1/2 tsp salt) plus more to butter dish
1/3 cup flour
2 cups skim milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 extra large or 6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese (I used half Emmental and Jarlsberg)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F
Butter a 6 cup gratin dish well
Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add flour and mix well with a whisk for about 30 seconds
Add the milk and whisk well until thickened, 2 - 5 minutes
Remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes
Break the eggs in a bowl and mix well with a fork (yup, no separating the eggs, just add them all at together!)
Add the eggs, cheese, chives and thyme into the milk mixture and blend well.
Pour into the buttered dish. At this point you can set it aside and cook later or cook immediately.
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until golden brown and puffy
SERVE IMMEDIATELY! The souffle will start to deflate pretty quickly.

Enjoy! (and you really will enjoy this dish!)

Turkey Dinner Cornbread Stuffing, a Butter Hint and My Harvest Table

2011-10-11T15:09:00.000-03:00

I've been known to buy a cornbread mix to use as the base from my cornbread stuffing. However I've also been known to make it from scratch. I also use this recipe straight up for cornbread to go with chili or I adapt it for my stuffing base. It's quite yummy! I make it a couple of days ahead and let it sit in the oven to dry out. By adding the herbs and onions right in to the cornbread I just have to crumble, stir in melted butter and stuff the bird on the big day. I like to do as much ahead of time as possible to minimize the hassles when making a big dinner!

Note the sliver missing on the side... you should always taste test your end product...

Cornbread Stuffing
Stuffs a 12 - 15 lb turkey

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup butter+ a little more (you want 120ml melted)
3/4 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk (I always have yogurt on hand but most recipes call for buttermilk, you can use whichever one you want)
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (a mix of rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano is what I used)

Instructions:

Place the 1 tbsp butter in a 8 inch or larger cast iron skillet (you can use a 8 inch square baking pan if you don't have a cast iron skillet)
Place in oven and heat to 350F
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornmeal with a whisk.
Toss in the onions and herbs and mix until coated with the flour mixture.
In another bowl pour the melted butter, yogurt and eggs, mix well.
Add the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just blended.
Pour into the heated skillet.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until golden brown.

Add shredded cheddar cheese, chopped jalapeno pepper and a dash of chili powder in place of the herbs if you are making this cornbread to go with chili.

I have to hide this cornbread or else it gets eaten before I can stuff it in the turkey!

This is my harvest table setting. I kept it easy this year. I hollowed out the 3 gourds and put some tealights in them. Add my standard candle holders and tapers and it's a lovely simple arrangement. I love this tablecloth, it's a great reuse every year. My aunt painted the placemats which gives the table that special touch.

Butter Hint:

I also like to make herb butter ahead of time. Chop rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, parsley and mash into 1/2 cup room temperature butter. Roll it into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. You can use this butter under the skin of the turkey, in your mashed potatoes or if you use a cornbread mix you can melt it into your cornbread before stuffing. I also toss my roasted turnip and carrots with it right before serving and I use a tablespoon in the gravy once it's thickened to smooth it out. No chopping herbs on the big day! It's one less mess to deal with when you're making a big dinner.

Real Pasta Primavera

2011-09-29T12:50:00.000-03:00

I love Pasta Primavera. Whenever I've had it in a restaurant it's usually veggies in a light tomato sauce. I have since learned from Jacques Pepin what real Pasta Primavera is. When I read his book "The Apprentice" he shared Ed Giobbi's original (1976) recipe that was served at Le Cirque. I marked it in hopes that my tomato plants would actually produce enough tomatoes this year to make this dish. Low and behold, it may be the end of September but I finally had enough red tomatoes to give this dish a try.

(I have no idea why this picture is sideways....)

Pasta Primavera
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb tomatoes
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup basil leaves, shredded
1 lb pasta, rotini, penne or bow ties
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to the package directions. Save 3/4 cup of the pasta water!
While the pasta is cooking cut the tomatoes in half, lengthwise, squeezing out the seed and dicing the tomatoes into 1/2 pieces
Toss tomatoes with the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and basil leaves
Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup water!
Add the pasta water to the tomato mixture and stir well
Return the pasta to the pot, add the tomato mixture and stir well
Toss in the Parmesan and serve immediately

You want nice sweet tomatoes for this dish. My garden tomatoes are amazing (well worth the blood, sweat and tears it's taken to finally get some tomatoes out of my garden!). This dish got RAVE reviews. I'm hoping to make it again if I can harvest enough tomatoes....

Cheese (on sale!)

2011-08-25T13:26:00.000-03:00

I've had a few different people tell me lately that they are buying the real cheddar cheese instead of the processed cheese. This is great news since real food is always best! However I've come to find out that these folks are either scared to stock up when it's on sale (this week Kraft Cracker Barrel 500g is on sale for $4.99 at the Atlantic Superstore) because they're afraid it will go bad or they are buying lots and freezing it. Hold the phone folks! Stock up and DON'T freeze it. Check the expiry dates. You'll see that the cheese you are buying today is usually good for 2 - 3 months as long as the vacuum seal is intact. I buy 4 or 5 packs when they're on sale. Now you know!

Beets!

2011-08-25T11:30:00.001-03:00

I love beets! I never did as a child and I've learned a lot of other people never did either. I don't know if it's the colour or the fact that the only way we ever saw them was pickled. I'm not a huge fan of pickles in general. They're all right but around here they are served as condiments for a big cooked dinner. When I'm having a big cooked dinner of potatoes, veggies, roasted meat and gravy I tend to have little room leftover for condiments. Hence, beets never made it into my standard repertoire. But as a travelling foodie beets have made their way into my heart. And as a gardener they've made their way into my garden! I always swipe some young ones for their green tops to saute as a simple green side dish. Mmmm

I like my beets done simply. Roasted if you please! Here is a quick way to make beets to take to your next BBQ and have leftovers for delicious salad later on.

BBQ Beets
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 lb of beets, greens removed and washed
2 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/2 blue cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cut any large beets in halves or quarters so that all the beets/pieces are roughly the same size. I like them around 1 1/2 inches or big enough not to fall through the grates of the BBQ.
Place the beets in a pot of water and bring to a boil on the stove
Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer until the beets are tender when poked with a folk, about 20 minutes
Remove the pot from the stove, drain and let cook until you can handle them
Now if you don't have gloves your going to end up with very pink hands. I get a pack of plastic gloves at the dollar store and have them on hand for just such an occassion.
Remove the skins on the beets by rubbing them with your hands.
Toss the beets with olive oil, now they are ready for the grill whenever you want them.
In a small bowl mix the balsamic and blue cheese. Set aside
You can travel to your BBQ party with one large bowl of pre-boiled beets and a small container of the balsamic and blue cheese mixture (or you can have this ready to go ahead of time if you're the host)
Heat the BBQ to high. Grill the beets on all sided for just a couple of minutes
Return the beets to the big bowl, pour the balsamic and blue cheese over and toss..

I live mine as a side to red meat or portabello burgers. Save any leftovers to toss with some salad greens and toasted nuts. I like pumpkin seeds!

Enjoy!

Pork and Grilled Peaches

2011-08-15T20:02:00.000-03:00

I've seen a few variations of this recipe. This is my version which when served to my family members, got great reviews.

Pork and Grilled Peaches
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1lb pork sirloin, cut into 4 equal pieces
4 peaches, cut in half and pit removed
olive oil
4 tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
2 shallots, thinly sliced

Instructions:

Heat either the BBQ or a grill pan on the stove top to high heat
Grill the pork on all sides until cooked through, about 8 -10 minutes depending on thickness
While pork is grilling spray or rub the peaches all over with olive oil
In a dry pan over high heat, toast the pine nuts
Toss the pine nuts in a bowl with the balsamic, blue cheese and shallots.
When the pork is done, remove from the heat and let rest
Add the peaches to the grill or pan and grill on all sides
Toss the peaches with the pine nut/balsamic mix
Serve the pork with the peach/pine nut/balsamic mixture, dividing it equally between the 4 pieces of pork.

Enjoy! We sure did!!

Ponzu Tuna and Sesame Bok Choy and Noodles

2011-08-03T19:11:00.000-03:00

I'm boiling up a big batch of noodles today since it's cooler. In the summertime it's nice to have pasta and rice pre-cooked and in the freezer, ready to go for those BBQ meals. Cause seriously, who wants to boil a big pot of water at the end of a hot summer day?! Part of today's noodles will get used in my Sesame Bok Choy and Noodles. The rest will hit the freezer for another meal later on.

I picked up some Albacore Tuna Loins from the CostCo. $9.99 for 5 loins frozen. I try to keep some fish in the freezer and the price on these couldn't be beat. I didn't have high expectations but these were awesome!

Ponzu Tuna Loins
Serves 3

Ingredients:

3 tuna loins
2 tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup soy sauce

Instructions:

Heat the grill or grill pan on high heat
Mix together the lime juice and soy sauce to make the ponzu sauce.
Marinate the tuna loins in the ponzu for 10 minutes
Sear on each side 1-2 minutes for rare.
Heat the leftover marinate in the microwave for 3 minutes on high.
Serve the tuna loins with the heated leftover marinate ponzu sauce.

Sesame Bok Choy and Noodles
Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

4 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 green onions, sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 head of bok choy, white and green parts separated and sliced.
1 1/2 cup cooked spaghettini noodles, preferably whole wheat

Instructions:

Heat a dry saute pan over medium high heat with the sesame seeds added
Heat until the sesame seeds are golden, remove the seeds
Heat the oil in the pan.
Add the onions and garlic and heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute
Toss in the white part of the bok choy and cook until softened
Add in the green onions and noodles and cook until the greens are a bit wilted and the noodles are heated through, about 1 - 2 minutes
Serve the tuna from above on a bed of the sesame bok choy and noodles with the leftover heated ponzu sauce on top!

(OMG, I just made this, ate it and still forgot to get a picture of it! UGH!)

Simple Pork Kebabs and Lovely Sauted Greens

2011-07-21T15:25:00.000-03:00

Just finished the most lovely meal. This morning I was feeling uninspired so I wanted something simple and healthy. My expectations where exceeded...

Simple Tuscan Inspired Pork Kebabs
Serves 2 -3

Ingredients:

300grams/12 ounces pork sirloin, diced into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1 large garlic clove, minced
fresh herbs, oregano, thyme, rosemary
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 large zucchini, sliced 1 inch thick
1 onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
4-6 large cherry tomatoes

Instructions:

Toss the pork in a glass bowl or casserole dish with the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, herbs, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Let marinate 6 - 12 hours. Turn occasionally
About an hour before cooking add in the zucchini, onion and tomatoes to the marinating pork and toss well.
Load the pork, zucchini, onions and tomatoes onto skewers.
Preheat a grill to high heat.
Grill the kebabs on each side for about 4 - 6 minutes each until the meat is browned and cooked through.

Lovely Sauteed Greens
Serves 2 -3

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
4 -6 cups of greens, I used beet greens and some spinach
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat
Saute the onion until soft and lightly browned
Toss in the garlic and saute for about 20 seconds
Add in the greens, reduce heat to medium, tossing the greens until they are wilted
Toss in the red wine vinegar
Season with Salt and Pepper as necessary (to taste) and serve sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan if you wish.

I could not believe how awesome these greens were. I usually need cheese on my greens but these were great without any cheese.... Even my mom loved them and she doesn't typically enjoy bitter greens. The red wine vinegar really balances out the flavours of the bitter greens.

Jacques Pepin - The Apprentice, My Life in the Kitchen

2011-07-17T17:23:00.000-03:00

I have just finished the most lovely book, Jacques Pepin's The Apprentice, My Life in the Kitchen. I realize I may be late coming to the table since Jacques Pepin's memoir was published in 2003 but better late than never. Not only is his approach to food and cooking so sincere and passionate, his ability to storytell is fantastic. I'm only sorry I've finished the book. Typically I believe in passing books on to friends, family or the second hand store but this one is staying in my libary, my cookbook libary to be exact. He ends each chapter by sharing a wonderful recipe out of his repetoire. I've already incorporated his New England Clam Chowder recipe when making my own last week.

Jacques, like most french cooks (well all good cooks really) appreciates eating local and seasonal. Funny how the rest of us are just getting that message now. Years of watching food television programming certainly tained me as I recreated the recipes shown, fussy and with ingredients typically not local or in season. But I have always noticed how I make different types of recipes in the different seasons because I feel like eating different things depending on the weather. Some people actually make the same things all year around! I get excited when the seasons' peaking produce hits the markets and stores. I would like to mention that I cut my teeth on old PBS cooking shows of the late 70's and early 80's, the good ones that showed technique for bringing out the best in food and respecting the ingredients, which programming is thankfully getting back to these days. I saw more than one Julia Child and Jacques shows back in the day. I used to then hit the kitchen and try to emulate what they had done or how they had done it, putting on my own cooking show for the dog. I was about 9.... Thanks Julia and Jacques.

One thing that stuck out in this book for me was the love Jacques has of living off the land, foraging and growing what you eat. There is nothing I love more than heading out into the yard to snip some lettuce and fresh herbs for the days meals. And next year?! Well I'll be trimming off those dandelion leaves in the early spring now that I know when best to harvest them courtesy of Jacques directions. (I have a ton on my side lawn!) Then I'll open up Jacques' book and make his Dandelion salad. Not sure I can say the same for the snails/slugs in my garden that he liked to harvest around his home. My North American palate is just not that adventurous I'm afraid to say....

Smashed Potato Salad

2011-07-12T12:05:00.000-03:00

A simple twist on potato salad! I started with smashed potatoes which are one of my grill time favorites.

Smashed Potatoes

Simply micro a few potatoes until just undercooked. You can boil them with the skins on or bake them if you don't want to nuke them.
Let the tatties cool until you can handle them.
Take the palm of your hand an smash each potato until it's about an inch thick or so.
Drizzle each potato with olive oil and your seasonings of choice. I like Ms. Dash Herbs and Garlic.
Turn potato over and season the other side.
Grill on high heat until crispy on the outside, on both sides.
Be sure to make extras to save for potato salad later!

Now on to the potato salad!

Smashed Potato Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayo
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp creamed jar horseradish
4-6 smashed potatoes (see above), diced
3 green or spring onions, chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, thyme, oregano, chives, rosemary, basil, parsley, or whatever combo you have on hand

Instructions:

Mix the mayo, mustard and horseradish together. I follow a rule of 3 parts mayo, 1 part Dijon and 1/2 part horseradish. Taste and adjust the dressing mix to your liking
Toss the potatoes, onions and herbs.
Blend the dressing mix with the potato mix.

Enjoy!

BBQ Fish in Foil (more recipes)

2011-06-21T13:42:00.000-03:00

Lately I've been noticing the price of Salmon and Trout has gone up, while these sturdy types are great for the grill, I'm watching my budget so I've been looking for alternatives. I've also not been happy with how much fish we've been having in our diets overall so I'm always on the lookout for any type of fish to up our intake. A lot of the white or smaller fish are just too delicate to handle well on the BBQ, although if you can get a fillet with the skin on then you're in great shape for the grill. Doing fish in a foil packet makes it manageable so I've been doing them quite often. (Planking it on cedar planks would work well too! But that's another post altogether...) Plus you can add veggies and sauce and have a complete meal ready to go. Let me tell you of two variations I've tried lately that really rocked it out of park.
I finally came across some catfish. I love catfish but it's been hard to find at the grocery store. Used to be you could find it at the fish counter all the time, but not these days. So I was very excited to find it at the farmers market this past week. It was amazing! And here's what I did with it:

Catfish, Spinach and Goat Cheese
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pieces of foil, 12inches X 24 inches each
Cooking spray
3-4 green onions, diced
1 lb Catfish
2 tsp lemon pepper salt free seasoning or 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice and 1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried dill
pinch of salt
8 cups fresh spinach
pinch of nutmeg
4 ounces goat cheese, about a cup
4-8 tbsp of water

Instructions:

Divide the above ingredients in 4 to fill 4 packets.
Layer them in the order presented above, spray foil on the shiny side with the cooking spray
In the middle of the sprayed foil place the green onions, then the fish, followed by the lemon pepper seasoning, dill, salt, spinach, nutmeg.
Top with the goat cheese, crumbled
Close the packets across the top and one side and pour in 1- 2 tbsp of water in each packet and seal.
Bake in a 350 oven or on indirect medium heat on the BBQ for 20 - 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Any thicker than 1 inch and you should increase the cooking time another 5 - 10 minutes.

You can prep these ahead, in the morning when you have time (I did up mine before hitting the yard for some gardening while I still had the energy to care about dinner) or before guests arrive... So convenient!

Thai Flounder, Veggies and Noodles

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pieces of foil, 12" X 24"
Cooking spray
4 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti
1 lb flounder or other white fish
4 green onions, diced
2 cups diced broccoli (I used frozen and it worked perfect!)
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 roasted red pepper, diced
4-8 mushrooms, sliced
1 can, 14oz light coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp fresh cilantro and or basil, chopped

Instructions:

Spray foil sheets on the shiny side with the cooking spray
Layer in the spaghetti, fish, green onions, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, and mushrooms
Mix the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice.
Fold up the packets, leaving one side open.
Divide and pour the sauce mix evenly in the 4 packets and fold the remaining side closed on each.
Bake at 350 or over indirect heat in a medium BBQ for 20 -25 minutes.
Top with the fresh herbs before serving.

And the very best part of this foil packet method - clean up is a pinch!

Updated Red Beans and Rice

2011-06-16T19:28:00.000-03:00

This time around I adjusted my original seasoning from my Red Bean and Rice recipe. Instead of Cajun Seasoning and Brown Sugar I used the following:

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp celery seeds

And instead of dried oregano I used 3 Tbsp fresh chopped because I needed to pinch back the oregano growing in my garden.

It was supper yummmmm!

Great Site!

2011-06-15T12:49:00.000-03:00

In my adventures around the Internet I've come across a site worth sharing. Broke and Healthy. It can be challenging to balance our budgets with healthy choices so this site is a welcome pit spot along the information highway. (I hope it grows cause it could be a great one stop spot for all your cheap living info needs.)You can find lots of info here on the Internet to make your life less expensive while maintaining a healthy lifestyle so go for it!

BBQ! Turnip Fries and Fish Packs

2011-06-01T11:23:00.002-03:00

Happy June! Here are two quickies for the BBQ. I didn't serve these recipes together but they are both worth sharing.

Turnip Fries
Serves 3 -4

Ingredients:

1/2 medium turnip, cut into 1/4 inch fries

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

Heat oven or BBQ to high heat (425F)

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil (shiny side towards the food!) and spray with cooking spray or drizzle olive oil and smear it around

Toss the turnip fries with the remaining ingredients

Spread the turnip over the baking sheet

Bake for 10 minutes, flip the fries and cook another 10 - 15 minutes until crispy.

Fish Packs
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb fish fillet, I used ocean trout but you could use any fish you choose

1 tsp dried dill

2 green onions, diced

1 small thinly sliced zucchini

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 cups fresh spinach

pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

Heat BBQ to high heat

Cut fillet into 4 portions

Tear 4 pieces of aluminum foil, about 18 inches by 12 inches.

Spray each piece of foil on the shiny side with cooking spray

Layer ingredients as listed above, salmon, dill, green onions, etc.

Close foil on top and one end.

Toss in 1 Tbsp water into each packet and close the remaining end.

Cook on BBQ for 20 minutes. This is for a fillet about 1/2 inch thick. If the fillet is thicker, add 5 minutes per 1/2 inch.

These were simple and very tasty! (I've got to start remembering to get pics of these delicious dishes...)
Enjoy!

Leftover Rice and Risotto Salmon Cakes

2011-05-29T19:27:00.002-03:00

I can not believe how long it has taken me to get these two wonderful recipes up on the blog. Holy smokes can I procrastinate. However, I was only nominated for the "Procrastinator's Award". My friend Colin won. But I digress. Gardening has been occupying most of my time these days. I'm starting to love spring for the gardening potential. Good exercise without going to the gym and the possibility of all those lovely veggies, herbs and flowers. Mom is second in command out in the garden so I'm thinking I'll seriously benefit from her experience this year.

Yesterday we went to the market. I wasn't expecting much in way of fresh veggies since the season has just started around here but there was lots of fresh asparagus, beet greens, rhubarb, fiddleheads.... and the most beautiful bunch of Swiss chard. Even more impressive was the selection of veggie and flower plants which were totally unexpected! These plants put my little seedlings to shame. No worries though, my gardening ego can take it. I'll admit defeat. And I did. And I bought some lovely tomato, pepper and herb plants. Maybe this will be the year I finally get some tomatoes out of my garden... I've been blaming the cooler weather out here next to the ocean (it's 22C and sunny in the city today while it's 11C and foggy out here) but it may be my little tiny seedlings that are started too late. Here's hoping cause I've got big healthy plants ready to go (thanks market vendors)!

Okay, on the recipes. I had leftover brown rice and asparagus risotto in the freezer so I pulled them out with 2 can of salmon and decided to try 2 different types of salmon cakes. Both were a huge hit! Here you go.

Curry Brown Rice Salmon Cakes
Serves 2 -3

Ingredients:

1 can pink or red salmon

1.5 cups cooked brown rice

1 tbsp fresh chives or cilantro or 1 tsp dried

2 eggs

1 tbsp curry powder

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Instructions:

Remove the skin and bones from the salmon.

Mix the ingredients together and form into 4 - 5 patties. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (spray the aluminum with cooking spray)

Bake in a 425F oven for 15 - 20 minutes flipping the cakes over at around 10 minutes.

Serve with Yogurt Mustard Lemon Sauce below

Leftover Risotto and Dill Salmon Cakes
Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

1 can pink or red salmon

1 cup cooked risotto (I used leftover asparagus risotto)

2 tsp dried dill

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tbsp fresh chives or 1 tsp dried

Instructions:
See above!

Yogurt Mustard Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp mayo

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

Mix and let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Quinoa Bowl with Squash and Spinach

2011-05-15T14:13:00.003-03:00

Here's my first quinoa bowl recipe. I seriously doubt it will be my last. This is easy and delicious. And it is cheap when you consider how far a little dried quinoa goes and since it's a complete protein you can have a vegetarian meal which is always less expensive.

Quinoa Bowl with Squash and Spinach
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried quinoa

1 1/2 cup chicken broth or water

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups diced roasted butternut squash (or frozen)

3 cups fresh spinach

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp shredded basil

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan + more for serving

sprinkle of Ms. Dash herb and garlic and/or salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat the broth in a medium pot to a boil

Add quinoa and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside

Heat the 2 tsp oil in a pan

Saute the onions until browned

Add in the garlic and squash and saute until golden

Add in the spinach and cook until wilted

Toss in the quinoa, basil, olive oil and Parmesan

Stir until heated through

Season to taste with the Ms. Dash or salt and pepper

Serve with extra Parmesan.

Enjoy!

Veal Bolognese

2011-05-09T13:33:00.002-03:00

I love a good Italian sauce. And pasta makes me weak in the knees. So here's another bolognese that got rave reviews. The key is the ground veal. It gives the sauce a certain sweetness. You could substitute pork or beef but it won't be the same.

Veal Bolognese
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, diced

1 lb ground veal, lean

1 medium zucchini, diced

19 oz/ 540ml can of Italian chunky stewed tomatoes, no salt added

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup skim milk

Instructions:

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat with the olive oil

Saute the onions, garlic and carrots until tender

Add in the veal and saute until browned and cooked through

Toss in the zucchini, tomatoes, tomato paste and skim milk

Simmer for 10 minutes

Serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

Banger and Mash Pie

2011-04-29T17:08:00.009-03:00

Here it is, finally. It's been a long day!
First attempt. Not so good. I've been up over 13 hours. Give me strength...

Second attempt. Better. No need to be perfect with puffed pastry in this sort of pie. Most pubs have the insides bubbling out all over the crust. It adds to the charm! (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

Bangers and Mash Pie
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp butter

1 large onion, finely diced

2 banger sausages

2 tbsp flour

2 cups water

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1.5 - 2 cups frozen peas

Package of frozen puffed pastry or refrigerator pie crusts

1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375F

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with the olive oil and butter

Saute the onions and sausage, removed from the casing until browned

Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute

Add in the water, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and onion powder.

Simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender

Add in the peas and heat through

Cut the pastry into 4 rectangles

Spray 4 small casserole dishes with cooking spray

Place one half of the pasty in each dish with the other half hanging over the side

Spoon in the filling mix evenly between the 4 dishes

Turn over the other half of the pastry to cover the casserole.

Brush on the beaten egg.

Cook for 25- 30 minutes until golden. Check often, ovens and casseroles vary!

Really tasty! Quite easy too (aside from the battle with the first puff pastry) They looked fine in the end.

Enjoy!

Wedding Day

2011-04-29T09:49:00.003-03:00

Mom in her wedding hat enjoying her English Breakfast tea!

10 AM and I'm losing steam. Wedding was beautiful. Someone needs to provide Princess Eugenie and Beatrice some styling lessons. Camilla has no shame. But overall a lovely day. You can tell William and Catherine really love each other and share a solid foundation for a good relationship. He is lucky to have found such a great partner to share his royal responsibilities (and burdens) with.

If you think the monarchy costs the British people you'd be quite wrong. The monarchy actually pays the British government and the queen pays income and capital gains taxes. Check it out here along with other interesting facts (Camilla could actually become queen...).

No Pimms were to be found here so I had to forgo the Pimms Cup cocktail. Straight champagne it is!

I haven't made the Bangers and Mash pies but I will this afternoon and post the recipe then. If that's not enough time for you to make it tonight.... well it'll be here for another British event... Queen's Jubilee, opening of the Summer London Olympics, to celebrate the birth of William and Kate's first born (with a year I'm predicting!)....

The Royal Wedding Viewing Menu

2011-04-28T11:07:00.008-03:00

I'm ready!

The hat is the extent of my official Royal Wedding outfit. I'll wear it with my jammies. 4am is a little early to put on a fancy smancy outfit...

Since I'll be glued to the TV all day, I'm doing some 'make ahead' dishes. Here's the day's menu:

Whole Wheat Cranberry Scones (not my recipe but very, very good. Serve with your favorite jam)

Assorted Tea Sandwiches

Curry Egg Salad (regular egg salad with a dash of curry powder)

Apple and Cheddar (sliced apple and cheddar with honey dijon mustard)

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese (this one is pretty self-explanatory)

Ham and Mustard (again, self explanatory)

Bangers and Mash Pies

Instead of having bangers, mashed potatoes and mushy peas, I'm going to take puffed pastry and make a pie out of diced banger sausage, potatoes and peas. I'll post the finalized recipe once I make it. The point is that I can make these up tonight and they'll be ready to go tomorrow evening.

And a large pot of tea, of course! And maybe a Pimm's Cup or Pimm's Royal or two...

It's gonna be a partay!

Mom's Birthday Dinner

2011-04-15T14:09:00.004-03:00

The day started with a lovely brunch of smoked salmon eggs benny with the yogurt sauce I posted yesterday (see below). Then I made this Sour Cream Cheesecake. Next time I'd half the topping since it spilled over the pan. It was a simple and delicious recipe. I sliced up some fresh strawberries for the top. We went with the traditional Newfie Jiggs Dinner but instead of salt meat we had corned beef, a preference of mine and mom's since our Jersey days. The beige mashed stuff in the blue glass bowl is pea pudding. Just yellow split peas boiled in the pot in a pudding bag. Any cotton pillowcase will do to in a pinch. Tie it up tight and toss it in the and simmer for a couple of hours until the peas are soft then mash with a bit of butter. OMG, it's sooooo yummy.

You start by boiling the meat and peas pudding in a large pot for a couple of hours until the peas are soft and the meat is tender. Toss in some turnip and carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks. Cook those for about 20 minutes and then toss in the peeled potatoes and chucks of cabbage. I usually pull out the peas pudding at this point. Cook the veggies and meat for another 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are fork tender. That's it.

I use any leftover pea pudding as the base for pea soup. I also freeze the liquid I boiled the meat and veggies in for a base for pea, veggie or beef soup or stew later. It's got great flavour. My favorite is the leftover hash the day after. Mash or dice up the veggies and meat and throw it in a pan with a couple of big spoons of peas pudding. Sometimes I add some diced onion first. Best comfort food ever!

I could have made anything Mom wanted for her birthday but she thoroughly enjoyed this meal!

Birthday Brunch Yogurt Sauce

2011-04-14T13:54:00.003-03:00

Today is my mom's birthday. I'm in the kitchen all day making some favs for her. We started the day with Eggs Benny with Smoked Salmon. Mom's watching her weight so I thought I'd try something lighter for the hollandaise sauce. Here's what I came up with. (Mom licked her plate so I think it was an acceptable substitute!)
Birthday Brunch Yogurt Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup low fat or fat free plain yogurt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried dill
2 green onions (scallions or spring onions)
2 tbsp light miracle whip or sour cream

Instructions:

Mix and enjoy on eggs benny, veggies or fish.

Yup, that simple. Enjoy!

Rainy Day Minestrone

2011-04-11T16:39:00.004-03:00

It's a crappy, rainy, cold day around here. Mud up to our eyeballs. Even the dogs are thinking it's too wet to play outside! I was going to heat up some leftovers from the freezer for supper so I could get some household chores done but it's too dreary to think about chores. So since I'm not getting anything done around the house I figure I might as well play around in the kitchen. This recipe is great to make a supper for one night and then have cups of it for a starter for the rest of the week in place of a salad since its full of veggies and a good soul warmer for these chilly spring days! I've got a multi grain ready to bake loaf in the freezer that will round out the meal quite nicely.

Use whatever veggies you've got on hand. The combo here is what I had handy.

Rainy Day Minestrone

Serves 8 -10

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 large carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 798ml/28 oz can of tomatoes

1/2 large cabbage diced

2 tsp each dried parsley, oregano and thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium zucchini

1 cup orzo pasta or some other small pasta.

1 540ml/19 oz white kidney beans (also known as cannellini beans)

Parmesan to serve.

Instructions:

Heat a large pot over medium high heat with the olive oil

Add in the onions, carrots and celery and saute until soft, about 5 minutes

Add in the garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, tomatoes, cabbage and dried herbs.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

If I'm making this for later I would stop here and let the soup sit until shortly before I'm ready to head to the table.

Bring the soup up to a boil.

Add in the zucchini and pasta

Simmer until the pasta is done. (refer to package directions for time)

Stir in the beans and heat through

Serve with a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan

Enjoy!

Rant - Processed Foods Are Evil!

2011-04-07T14:18:00.007-03:00

I'm pulling out my soapbox and hopping on it. Although I should be knitting my mother's birthday gift this is just too important. (and my hand is going numb again so I could really use the break) I just watched Dr. Oz reveal the recent research that has found a link between preservatives, processed foods and Alzheimer's. I've been saying for a couple of years now how important it is to find the shortest distance from Mother Nature's hands to your mouth when making food choices. Processed foods are EVIL! Stop eating them. They are bad for you. They increase the risk of cancer and diabetes. And now we see there is a correlation between type 2 diabetes (previously known as adult onset diabetes but is now seen regularly in kids) and Alzheimer's. Scared?! You should be!

For years we've known the correlation between diet and heart disease but we all must start to recognize the connection between our complete health, physical and mental (the brain is just another body organ after all) and what we put in our bodies. Any population that has been touted as 'being health', Sardinia, Greek, Italian, Indian, are population groups that eat natural food products with no processed foods. It seems living off the land is a good thing. But if you can't live off the land, you can at least make better choices when you put food into your body. What exactly are processed foods? A good general way to look at it, to help keep things simple, is once man has interfered, the food have become processed. Natural sources are always, I repeat ALWAYS, best. Read the ingredients, if you can't identify everything in the list put it back on the shelf. There are special things to look for, Glucose-fructose (sugar), MSG and has Dr. Oz pointed out, the dreaded Sodium Nitrite. Here's a good list to start with!

The label says it's healthy and natural with less fat, injected with omega 3 or probiotics. Must be good for me, right? Hold the phone folks! If it's not as Mother Nature intended beware. It's officially a processed food. Adding nutrients into other food sources isn't the best way to get the nutrient. Get your omega 3 from fish, not added to your yogurt or margarine (don't even get me started on margarine, use olive oil and limited amounts of butter - way better than man-made margarine, I don't care what health organization the margarine producer is supporting...). Check out a great article from thatsfit.ca on foods touted as "healthy". Actually the whole http://www.thatsfit.ca/ site is pretty great for a different perspective on healthy living.

One more thing to consider under the heading of processed foods. White flour, white sugar, white rice, anything processed to 'white' is bad for you. Period. No dancing around it. When it comes to food, white ain't cool. Save 'white' for your summer wardrobe, not your diet. If you can find a local small mill that is stone grinding flour or grains, buy, buy, buy! Even white salt should be replaced with sea salt. Yup, less processing, just as Momma Nature intended.

I'm getting off my soap box now. For supper this evening I'll be having leftover Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake (see below) which has all real foods, nothing processed!

Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake

2011-04-06T14:03:00.004-03:00

I'd picked up a large box of fresh baby spinach at the CostCo and wanted to use it up by it "Best Before" date so I was thinking veggie lasagna. When I checked I was low on lasagna noodles but had tons of these wonderful ziti noodles. Hmmm, baked ziti is one of my favorites of all times. This is a healthy variation on the dish. It's a bit time consuming making it a perfect weekend meal with lots of leftovers for lunches, another weeknight meal or the freezer.

Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 lb/454 g dried ziti or tube type pasta

olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz/798 ml can diced tomatoes, no salt added

2 tsp dried oregano

6-8 cups fresh spinach, chopped or 2 packs frozen, drained

500ml container low fat cottage cheese

3 cups shredded part skim mozzarella

1.5 cups shredded parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cook the pasta as directed on the package but pull it from the water about 2 minutes before the recommended cooking time (it will absorb more fluid while baking in the oven) and drain

Heat a large pot over medium high with a drizzle of olive oil

Saute the onions until soft.

Add in the garlic, tomatoes and oregano, simmer for 5 minutes

Add in the spinach and stir until just wilted

Remove from the heat and stir in the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozza and 1 cup of the parmesan.

Add in the pasta.

Pour the mix into a 9 X 13 baking pan (lasagna pan)

Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes until the dish is bubbly and brown.

Enjoy! (This one is nice for a make ahead dish for entertaining!)

Quinoa!

2011-03-31T14:08:00.002-03:00

This week I tried a recipe for Quinoa Cakes I'd seen on CBC's Steven and Chris show. They were cooking with "Best Recipes" Kary Osmond. This can be found here. I actually followed the recipe to the letter which is not something I usually do. While it was a bit time consuming (you have to cook the quinoa ahead and let it cool and once you assemble the cakes you have to refrigerate them for an hour) you could do it on the weekend and have leftovers for another meal during the week or for lunches. It was worth the effort! This recipe got rave reviews around here. Quinoa is a complete protein so it's great for a vegetarian meal. It has a fun texture that's quite appealing to most picky eaters. I came across another recipe for a Quinoa Bowl which looks like lots of fun because you can play with the ingredients. Treat it like a pasta or rice and toss with whatever you have on hand. Blue cheese, feta or parmesan finish off the dish (I'm a cheese-a-holic). ps. it's pronounced Keen-wha!

Tuscan Chicken and Bean Stew

2011-03-21T13:43:00.002-03:00

Keeping with the theme of cheap, easy and healthy, I bring to you this delish stewie soup recipe.

Tuscan Chicken and Bean Stew
Serves 4 -6

Ingredients:
1 cup navy or cannelloni beans, dried (or 19 oz can)
2 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
3/4lb chicken breast, bone in, skin removed
4 cups water
2 tsp dried rosemary and thyme
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper as necessary
1 pk or 5 nuggets frozen spinach or 4 cups fresh chopped (as much as you want, use Kale or Swiss Chard if you're feeling frisky!)
1/2 cup or so of grated parmesan cheese for serving.

Instructions:
Soak the beans overnight covered in water if using dried. Drain and set aside.
Heat bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook until just crispy. Remove from pot and set aside
Toss onions in pot with bacon fat. Cook until soft and browned
Add in Chicken breast and brown on all sides
Add in beans, water, rosemary and thyme and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (20 - 30 minutes) (this makes a chicken broth which is why I used just plain water)
Remove chicken and tear chicken off the bone. Return the chicken to the pot
Check beans, making sure they are tender. Don't add tomatoes until the beans are as soft as you want them. (the acid in the tomatoes will stop the cooking process for the beans)
Add in the tomatoes. Check the taste and salt and pepper as necessary.
Simmer 10 minutes
Add in the spinach and heat through or until wilted.
Serve each bowl topped with a good shake of parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Hash

2011-03-09T15:18:00.003-04:00

This recipe rocks it out of the house. Seriously. And it's cheap, healthy and surprisingly quick. Food costs are expected to rise 7 - 10% in the next while so I'll really be focusing on cheap, healthy eats. The best way to combat rising food costs is to buy local! So hit those farmers markets!

This recipe calls for pork but you can use your favorite sausage and leave out the 1/2 tsp each of the dried spices. Try to buy the lean sausage. Take the sausage out of the casing and break it up in the pan as you brown it.

Sweet Potato Hash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbsp olive oil, canola oil or a bit of bacon fat (I use a combo of oil and bacon fat to give the pork more flavour - if using sausage, omit the bacon fat)
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 lb lean pork sirloin, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper and coriander.
Salt as necessary
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

Place the sweet potatoes in a pot with about 1/2 inch of water on the bottom. Heat over high and boil about 5 minutes until just fork tender. Drain
Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium high heat with the oil/fat.
Saute the onion until soft
Add the pork, garlic and spices and cook through. Check for salt and add as necessary
Add the drained potatoes and cook until browned, about 5 minutes
Add the maple syrup and nutmeg and heat through

Enjoy!

Shrimp Quesadillas

2011-03-02T11:44:00.002-04:00

Last night I made a quick and tasty dish with some frozen, cooked shrimp. I always have cooked shrimp in the freezer because they make a great low calorie, lean protein evening snack with a little cocktail sauce. But they're also great for quick meals, salads, to throw in with pasta...

Here's what I did
Per serving:
2 tortillas
spinach
red onion
shrimp
cheddar
avocado
lime juice (just a little squeeze on the avocado)
chili powder
garlic powder
onion powder
red pepper
mushrooms
Layer all the goodies on one tortilla, cover with the other tortilla and bake at 350 until the cheese has melted.

This dish inspired me to think of other ways to make quesadillas or tacos. Leftovers of any meat, fish or seafood will work. It's a great way to make a little go a long way. And each person can customize their own. I don't like mushrooms in general so I left them off mine. Easy!

You can be traditional and use salsa and sour cream. I find most fish taco recipes don't use a lot of or even any tomatoes or salsa and I find it's a nice break to leave them out. The point of this type of dish is to do what you want. You have a nice blank slate - fill it as you see fit!

ps. these were deadly tasty!

Beautiful Beef Stew

2011-02-28T14:17:00.003-04:00

The ingredient list looks long but this really is a simple stew. I was quite impressed with the flavour if I do say so myself. Wonderful for these dark, cold days of winter.

Beautiful Beef Stew
Serves 8 - 10

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs stew beef
1/4 cup flour
2 medium onions, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced thin
4 - 6 carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
4 - 6 parsnips, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
1/2 - 1 turnip, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
4 cloves roasted garlic, minced (or 2 cloves raw garlic)
1/2 bottle red wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 beef bouillon cube
6 cups water (or 6 cups low sodium beef broth instead of the bouillon cube and water)
25 shakes Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried oregano
4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.
Saute the stew beef until brown.
Sprinkle with the flour and saute until thick
Add the onion and celery and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
Toss in the everything but the potatoes
Simmer over medium low heat 15 minutes
Add the potatoes and continue simmering until they are tender when poked with a fork.

You can also make this dish in the slow cooker/crock pot. Do steps 1 -4 as directed then add them and everything but the potatoes in the slow cooker. Simmer 6 hours on low. Add the potatoes and turn the slow cooker up to high and cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 - 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

Spinach and Beet Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

2011-02-28T13:24:00.002-04:00

Here is a quickie that's super tasty. Nice with a pureed soup or grilled meat.

Spinach and Beet Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 shallot, sliced
8 cups of washed and torn up spinach
1/2 cup diced pickled beets
Light blue cheese dressing

Instructions:

Heat a dry saute pan over medium high heat
Toss the pumpkin seeds in the pan and heat until brown and plump
Remove the seeds and set aside
If you wish you can saute the shallots, add oil to the pan and saute until soft and golden. (but you can serve them raw in the salad)
Divide the spinach, beets, shallots and pumpkin seeds between 4 salad plates.
Drizzle with the blue cheese dressing.

Yes it is that simple. Elegant. Impressive. Easy. Done!

Meatloaf Most Excellent

2011-02-23T11:05:00.002-04:00

Moist. That's the word to describe this meatloaf. And what's winter without meatloaf?! Well dull really. So here's one I whipped up last week. I used my food processor but if you don't have one just chop up the ingredients really fine.

Meatloaf Most Excellent
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

2 cups diced stale french bread
1/2 - 1 cup milk
1/c grated parmesan
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves roasted garlic (or 1 large raw clove)
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp creamed horseradish (the kind you get in the jar)
5 or more good squirts of Worcestershire Sauce
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tsp steak spice
1/4 cup ketchup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F
Soak bread and milk in a bowl for about 5 minutes until the milk is absorbed. Squeeze out the excess milk from the bread and place the bread in the food processor.
Add the parmesan, onion, garlic and rosemary to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped
Add the parmesan bread mix to a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix until just blended.
Form into a loaf, spread the ketchup on top and bake for 55 minutes or until the internal temp is 165F.

The soaked bread really does make it moist! Enjoy!

Sesame Broccoli - Super Simple Sides

2011-02-23T10:53:00.002-04:00

I often find that broccoli is bitter during the winter months. This recipe is perfect for dressing up that out of season broccoli. Or you can use frozen. You can make this side while chicken or fish bakes in the oven. Add a potato or sweet potato for a quick, balanced, healthy meal!

Sesame Broccoli
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tsp sesame seeds
1 bunch of broccoli (about a pound or 500 grams), cut into long stalks
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 medium clove of garlic, minced

Instructions:

Heat a DRY wok or saute pan over medium high heat. Toss sesame seeds around the pan until golden, 2 - 5 minutes
Remove the sesame seeds from the pan and set aside.
Fill the pan with 1/2 inch of water and return to the heat
Add the broccoli and stem until tender, 5 - 10 minutes
Remove the broccoli from the pan and set aside with the sesame seeds
Add the sesame oil to the pan and heat until hot
Add the garlic, broccoli and sesame seeds to the pan and saute until heated through, about 5 minutes

Enjoy!

Chinese Sesame Noodles

2011-02-12T11:47:00.002-04:00

Here's a yummy dish I made for Chinese New Year but it's great for any night of the week. Use any combination of veggies you like.

Chinese Sesame Noodles
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
2 tbsp sesame oil
3/4lb chicken boneless breast or thighs (or leftovers)
2 cups each, broccoli and red cabbage, both chopped
2-3 green onions sliced diagonally
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Sauce:

2 tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 inch cube of ginger, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/3 cup soya sauce, low sodium
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup hot water

Instructions:

Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
Drain and toss with 1 tbsp of the sesame oil
Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a wok over medium high heat
Saute the chicken until cooked through and remove from the wok
Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together in either a blender or use a hand blender (immersion blender), set aside.
Add the broccoli and red cabbage to the wok and cook until tender
Toss in the green onions and the sesame seeds. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes (you can also toast the seeds in a dry pan if you wish)
Add in the sauce and heat through
Add in the noodles and heat through again.

Enjoy!

Polenta with Italian Tomato, Zucchini and Bean Sauce

2011-01-30T12:10:00.003-04:00

Late night I was in the mood for some "stick to your ribs" food. I made this dish and it got rave reviews. (And I felt like I had just spent the day on the Italian Alps.) If you don't want to make polenta (although it's dead easy and freezes well) then pasta or gnocchi would also work. You can make up the polenta ahead of time or on the weekend and have it ready to go for a quick weeknight meal.

Polenta with Italian Tomato, Zucchini and Bean Sauce
Serves 4 - 5

Ingredients:

Polenta:

3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tsp Italian seasoning
14 oz can of No Salt Added tomato sauce
19 oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions:
Polenta:

Grease a 9X5 bread pan and put aside.
Heat the broth and Italian seasoning in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering
Pour in the cornmeal a bit at a time, whisking until blended.
Heat until thickened (add more cornmeal if necessary) about 3 minutes
Stir in the cheese and immediately pour into the prepared bread pan
Let cool for 30 - 45 minutes. The turn the loaf out on to a cutting board and slice into 1/2 inch slices. At this point you can freeze the polenta for another time or refrigerate it for later in the week.

Sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat
If using the polenta, heat a saute or grill pan over high heat.
Add the onion, zucchini and Italian seasoning and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
Pour in the tomato sauce and beans.
Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes
Meanwhile, brown or grill the polenta slices in the saute or grill pan on both sides until brown.
Stir the Parmesan cheese in the tomato and bean sauce and serve immediately over the polenta.

Seriously - delicious... (I have got to remember to get a pic before it's all gone...)

Never a dull moment around here (Tips for making life easier in the kitchen.. I can't help you with everything else...)

2011-01-28T10:56:00.008-04:00

Wondering where I've been? Well December 28th I fell on the one lone little patch of ice in my driveway while taking out the garbage and I broke my wrist. It's been a real treat... New Years dinner at my house was an adventure in frustration. I directed and mom cooked. She enjoyed it as much as I did. (can you smell the sarcasm from there?)

So due to this recent development, there have been a lot of short cuts in my kitchen. And while I have had to find simpler ways to cook I have realized that these are great ideas for busy people too! Here's a few simple things you can do to help make meal times easier at your house even if you haven't got a gimp fin:

Have a food processor? Use it! It can do all the chopping, shredded, dicing, etc for you. Throw the parts in the dishwasher (except the blade - hand wash and dry it immediately and put it away in a safe place) and you're done. If you don't own a food processor, think about buying one if you find meal times a chore. And keep it on the counter. If you put it away in the cupboard it will be more of a chore to pull it out.
Buy pre cut fresh veggies. They may cost more but if you're not eating them because you don't have time to prepare them then the extra cost is worth it.
Pick up frozen veggies. They are pre cut and precooked so it's less time to the table (just don't overcook them!)
Opt for shredded cheese instead of blocks of cheese. Or when you do shred or grate cheese do up extra for later in the week. (this is a great use of the food processor)
Buy garlic and ginger already minced in jars. Spooning out a little to add to dishes is so much simpler than mincing or chopping some every time you need it.
I'm not a huge fan of canned veggies but one thing I can't live without is canned diced tomatoes (watch the added salt!). Why buy fresh to chop when you can just open a can? I find the tomatoes in the off season are quite tasteless so a good can of Italian tomatoes is perfect!
And once again I'm going to preach about cooking once, eating twice and freezing the extra. Nothing is better than having healthy meals already to go in the freezer when live throws you a curve ball.

I have a few recipes in my book just waiting to be added here but up until now typing was a painful activity. Now it's manageable so stay tuned! Did I mention this is my favorite time of year? With the short dark days and cold weather I turn to my kitchen for adventure, experimentation and a little joy! This time of year I'm inspired not just to cook comfort foods but also ethnic cuisine. And of course everything has to have a healthy twist because it's just too easy to pack on the pounds this time of year.

PS. As I go back and use this space as my own recipe database, I've been noticing all the spelling and grammatical mistakes I make. Wow I really need an editor! Thanks for your patience. I'll try harder!

Pumpkin and Squash Lasagna

2010-11-14T12:28:00.003-04:00

Here's a delicious recipe for comfort food lasagna made with seasonal veggies. Lasagnas always take some effort but the leftovers are worth it. And never mind that lasagnas are great for make ahead meals, perfect for entertaining! This one is truly elegant.

Before:

Pumpkin and Squash Lasagna.

Serves 6 - 8

You can buy can pumpkin and frozen squash. If you buy fresh, put some slits in the skin and microwave for 7 minutes on high. This will par cook the pumpkin and squash enough so it's manageable.

Ingredients:

White Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups skim milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

Veg Filling:

2 cups diced butternut squash
2 cups diced pumpkin
1 cup diced broccoli
1 500g tub of 1% cottage cheese
2 tsp dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

Additional Ingredients:

9 - 11 lasagna noodles, spinach would work nice for added colour
1 cup small scallops
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella
Dried parsley to sprinkle on top

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 350
Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and melt the butter until bubbly
Whisk in the flour and cook one minute, reduce the heat to medium
Slowly whisk in the milk and heat until thick
Stir in the Parmesan, thyme, parsley, dry mustard and salt. Set aside
Place all of the vegetable filling ingredients in a food processor and blend (if you don't have food processor, finely chop or mash the veggies and mix with remaining ingredients). Set aside.
Take a 8 X 11 (or whatever size pan you have!) pan and spoon is a nice bit of sauce. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, then cover those noodles with another layer of sauce.
Scoop on a layer of the veggie mix. Cover with another layer of noodles and then white sauce.
Spread out a layer of scallops and cover them with mozzarella. Then another layer of noodles and sauce.
Keep layering until you run out of ingredients. End with a layer of noodles, white sauce and mozzarella.
Bake at 350 for 50- 55 minutes until golden.

After (this is all that's left...):

This will freeze nicely but I've run out of freezer space. We all knew it would happen one day. (I've been stocking up on meats and veg for the holiday season when things have been on sale!)

Christmas Baking 2010

2010-11-10T20:21:00.003-04:00

I've started my Christmas baking... that's right, I've started. I have a few things going on and I might not have the time later so I figured I should take advantage of my time now. Most baked goods freeze well so it's a great thing to get ahead on before the season slaps you in the head and you're staring at Christmas Eve like a dazed reindeer stuck in the headlights.

I've done up a batch of Swedish Pepparkarkar and Skor Cookies. Whether or not they make it to Christmas is another story. I would like to point out that when making the Skor cookies it is best to use parchment paper. You'll run the risk of ruining your cookie sheets if you just grease them. The melted skor bits are like cement stuck to the pan, no matter how well you grease it. Parchment saves your pan, you can use just the one sheet for the entire batch and clean up is a snap!

Also I've also been stocking up on sales items now to defray the cost of the holidays as we get closer to the winter solstice. I've already got my turkey when one store had buy one get one free on turkeys recently. I've stocked up on chicken; whole, pieces, bone in and boneless. I've bought prime rib and steaks.... And there has been some nice sales on excellent quality frozen veggies (because by the end of December our local fresh veggies are starting to get scarce so frozen is the way to go). I've also stocked up on crackers. Hmmm, must watch out for sales on pop and juices....

The Best Ever Butternut Squash Soup.

2010-11-04T12:29:00.002-03:00

I've enjoyed my fair share of pureed fall squash soups but this one rocked it out of the park. Simple and cheap too, some of my favorite qualities in a recipe. I only used half a medium squash so I diced up the rest of the roasted squash and tossed it in the freezer for use at a later date.

Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Apple
Serves 5 - 6

Ingredients:

5 cups diced butternut squash
5 slices of bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 tsp dried sage, thyme, savoury and oregano (or any combination of these)
4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3/4 cup apple juice or cider

Instructions:

Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and roast for 30 minutes at 350 or slit the skin of the squash with a knife and microwave for 5 - 7 minutes. Peel the squash, remove the seeds and dice into small pieces.
In a large saucepan, over medium low heat cook bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. Leave about 2 tbsp of the bacon grease in the pot.
Increase the heat to medium high and saute the onions until soft
Add the garlic, tomatoes and herbs. Cook until the tomatoes break down
Add the broth and scrap any bits off the bottom of the pot.
Add the squash, bring to boil and then simmer until the squash is soft
Use either a hand blender or regular blender to puree the soup.
Serve with the bacon sprinkled on top.

This soup freezes really well and is perfect for those chilly fall or cold winter meals!

In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2010-10-25T11:33:00.002-03:00

Pink Risotto! (If your computer doesn't show it as pink, trust me - it was bright pink!)

Beet Risotto - just dice and boil or roast the beets first. Make your risotto and add in the beets when the rice is almost cooked. I threw in a pinch of dried rosemary and, of course, lots of Parmesan! YUM

Moroccan Chicken, Turnip and Carrot Tagine

2010-10-24T19:47:00.000-03:00

I had one tasty dinner tonight! It incorporated some root veggies that are piling up in the farmers markets at the moment and turmeric. I do rave on about turmeric but it's for a good reason. I remembered to get a pic before it was all gone...

I used chicken breasts because I hadn't taken anything out of the freezer and I knew they would defrost and cook quickest. I would have used chicken pieces on the bone if I had planned ahead.

Moroccan Chicken, Turnip and Carrot Tagine
Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium turnip, peeled and cubed
4 large carrots, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover everything in the pot)
1 cup brown lentils(optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325
Heat a large, oven safe pot over medium high heat with the olive oil
Saute the onion until soft.
Add in all the spices from turmeric through thyme and cook in the pan for 2 -3 minutes
Add garlic, chicken, turnip and carrots, sauteing until a bit brown, 3 - 5 minutes
Mix in the tomato paste and broth.
Cover and place in the oven for 1.5 hours.
Place the pot on the stove on medium heat.
Add the lentils and let simmer until they are tender, about 20 minutes
Serve with couscous!

Amazing!

Canadian Thanksgiving

2010-10-11T14:42:00.003-03:00

Wow! It's been a while since I blogged. It's been a busy fall thus far! Today is one of those days when I feel like fall is officially here. Last week it was still warm and really humid. But now the weather has changed, it's getting cold at night, the leaves are turning wonderful shades of orange and red and this weekend is Thanksgiving! I do adore a turkey basted with herbs and butter and roasted until golden. Mmmmm, mmm!

This Thanksgiving I've added a few twists which I'll share but first make yourself - A Thanksgiving Cocktail! If you want so good tips for a perfect bird and lovely meal check out here.

Dry Brining
I dry brine my bird. It's easier then trying to find a space big enough to hold a turkey swimming in salt water. I just rub the bird with a good layer of salt put it in a bowl and cover and let it sit for 12 - 36 hours. Turn the bird around from time to time. I also added some herbs mixed with olive oil under the skin on the breast. She was a moist one, I've got to say...

Cranberry Sauce
I've been making my own for years but I got the feeling that my mother didn't really like my spicy pinot noir version so this year I went a little simpler and it was perfect!

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp pumpkin spice

Instructions:

Mix everything together in a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
Simmer until the cranberries are all popped and broken down - about 15 - 20 minutes
Cool and enjoy!

Roast Veggies
This year, instead of mashing turnip and carrot, I boiled them the night before and then popped them into the oven while the turkey was resting. One less pot on the stove and it really cut down on my prep work on turkey day.

Ingredients:

5 medium parsnips
1 medium turnip
2 lb carrots
3- 5 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions:

Peel and cut the veggies into similar size pieces, about 1 1/2 inches each
Boil the veggies in the chicken broth (I had already made my turkey broth so I used that!) until just tender when poked with the fork
Drain the veggies (this can all be done the day before)
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Mix the honey, turmeric, thyme and veg oil. Toss the veggies with the mix
Place in a shallow pan in a single layer
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes.

Not only is this a tasty dish but you get some turmeric which is good for everything from your joints to your brain!

Happy Autumn!

Veggies in Containers!

2010-09-15T17:51:00.002-03:00

I started some mesclun greens in a container to grow continually all winter. Holy mackerel, has it ever taken off!

I did a second planting but the first one is giving me salad after salad. I cut the biggest leaves whenever I want them and a single seed gives me leaves night after night. Great mini-project for the kids to help them understand where our food comes from. And once they put in the effort and watch something grow you'll be surprised how eager they are to eat it!

I also have cherry tomatoes still on a plant that I can drag in on chilly fall nights.

And I've started two more tomato plants to have over the winter. Look for seeds that state they are good for containers because some varieties really don't do well in pots.

Summer Veggie Medley Bake

2010-09-13T13:05:00.003-03:00

Got extra veggies from the fall harvest? Here's a great veggie dish to bake up and freeze for yummy veggies all winter long.

Summer Veggie Medley Bake
Serves 8

Ingredients:

28 oz. diced tomatoes
2-3 medium zucchini, diced
2 onions, red, white or both, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup corn, about 2 ears of corn
1 cup feta, crumbled
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

Instructions:

Preheat the oven 350
Mix all the ingredients together and put in a baking dish
Bake 50 minutes until all the veggies are tender

Freeze any leftovers. They go great over couscous, rice or pasta with a side of pork, chicken or fish. Easy!

Turmeric

2010-09-05T11:57:00.003-03:00

I've been trying to increase my turmeric intake lately. I don't get excited about every latest and greatest "super food" but this spice is worth the consideration. There is believed to be a correlation between turmeric and lower rates of Alzheimer's. It may help in the fight against cancer, slow down the progression of MS and that's not all! Seriously, check it out.

Most of us think of turmeric as a spice to add to curry. But since a lot of North Americans don't have curry regularly it's hard to get more turmeric in our diets. Here's a couple of easy ways to up your intake. And remember, ground spices only last about 6 months so be sure to replenish your supply regularly!

1. Add a good sprinkle to boiled or glazed carrots or turnip right before serving and toss well.
2. Add to tune, egg or chicken salad.
3. Add a bit to your dry rubs for ribs, chicken or pork
4. Add a bit to your breading if you're making fried foods or oven baking items with a breading.
5. Throw a bit in your tomato sauce for an interesting layer of flavour.
6. Sprinkle on cauliflower, squash, potatoes or broccoli... or whatever veggie peaks your interest!
7. Of course you want to add turmeric to any Moroccan, Indian or even Thai dishes.
8. Add it to Chili!

Tonight I'm having pork with rosemary, thyme and apples with diced turnip on the side. I'll sprinkle the turnip with some turmeric which will compliment the grilled apples on the plate. Yum!

Smoked Trout Clubhouse Sandwich

2010-08-21T15:48:00.003-03:00

This is my new favorite sandwich. My uncle smoked some trout for me. Seriously delicious!!

Smoked Trout Clubhouse
Serves 1

Ingredients:
Your favorite bread!
Smoked trout or salmon
1 slice of bacon, cooked
Tomato, sliced
Lettuce
Mayo
Basil, chopped
Mozzarella or havarti

Instructions

Toast the bread
Mix the mayo with the chopped basil
Spread the mayo on the bread and top with the trout, bacon, tomato, lettuce and cheese
Enjoy!

Potato Salad

2010-08-18T13:49:00.002-03:00

I had a great potato salad with my new potatoes. You can do lots of variations so have some fun!

Potatoes, boiled and diced
Sausage, cheddar smokies
Green beans, boiled and diced
Mayo
Dijon Mustard
Cider vinegar
A smidge of creamed horseradish
Fresh rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano. All chopped

Toss it all together and enjoy!

POTATOES!!

2010-08-14T14:40:00.002-03:00

The fruits of my labour! Okay, to be fair, they are veggie, not fruits....

The first potatoes out of the garden! Note the one with the big line indent down it. Seems that one was growing near a rock. The skin is perfect inside the line indent. Isn't nature funny!?

Salmon Cakes

2010-08-13T12:12:00.003-03:00

Here's an easy recipe. I'd love to add a picture but there was no way these delicious cakes were going to last that long around here!

Salmon Cakes
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp butter
200g/6 - 8 ounce fillets, skin removed and diced
2 medium potatoes, cooked and mashed (I microwaved them in their skins and then mashed them, skin and all)
1 egg
2 green onions, diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350
Heat oil and butter in an oven safe skillet over medium high heat.
Mix everything together and shape into patties
Drop patties into pan
Cook until browned and flip
Place skillet in oven and cook 7 - 10 minutes until cooked through
Serve with some yogurt sauce

Enjoy

Best Green Beans Ever!

2010-08-07T11:41:00.003-03:00

Last night I dressed up my green beans. So easy and sooooo tasty. So I just had to share. They're in season so go get yourself some!

Best Green Beans Ever
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
2 slices bacon, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

Heat a pot of water on the stove until boiling, add green beans and cook 2-3 minutes until bright green. Immediately remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside
Put the diced bacon in a skillet and heat over medium heat
Cook the bacon until crispy.
Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel
Remove all but 1 tbsp of the bacon fat from the pan
Add the shallots and saute until golden.
Add the green beans, red wine vinegar, mustard and lemon juice.
Heat through
Toss back in bacon bits.

Enjoy!

Sliders!

2010-07-22T17:24:00.003-03:00

Just to jump on the latest trend, I did some sliders the other night. It is fun to sample a couple of different burgers instead of having to commit to one taste or eat like Attila the Hun.

I got the thin buns from the Atlantic Superstore. You could also use mini-pitas or dinner rolls. Each person gets 3 each (one of each!). You should get 12 burgers from 1 lb/454g of meat.

Blue Cheese Burgers

Beef
Worcestershire sauce
Onion
Blue Cheese
Bacon/Capocello/Prosciutto
BBQ sauce

Mix the beef and Worcestershire sauce together and form into patties
Grill the burgers, onion and bacon/capocello/prosciutto
When the burgers are almost done top with the blue cheese
Put some bbq sauce on a bun, top with bacon, burger and onions.

Mediterranean Burger

Beef
Feta
Mint, chopped
Oregano, chopped
Garlic Powder
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Tzatziki sauce

Mix the beef, feta, mint, oregano and garlic powder and make into patties
Grill the burgers, peppers and onion
Place the burgers on the bun, top with the pepper, onion and tzatziki sauce

Traditional Burgers

Beef
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Cheddar
Lettuce
Tomato, sliced
Ketchup

Mix the beef, onion and garlic powder and make into patties
Grill the burgers, add the cheddar cheese when the burgers are almost done
Assemble the burgers by placing on a bun and topping with lettuce, tomato and ketchup

Leftover Chimichurri

2010-07-09T12:11:00.002-03:00

Here's a great use for that extra Chimichurri sauce. You can freeze it for later or......

Cut cherry tomatoes in half, grill and then drizzle with the chimichurri! Holy mackerel it's freakin' tasty!

Nice cold beer or wine and you're maxing and relaxing!!

Enjoy!

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL!!!

2010-07-08T13:14:00.009-03:00

Have you been enjoying my 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu? Here's the links to each weeks menu.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

Waaahoooo! Could it be any more exciting?! Spain made it to the finals! Needless to say, I'm routing for Spain. I've even taught Ollie ( He's sitting on the couch, waiting for the game to start)

to cheer when they score. He even does a little dance!

Okay, on to the snacks for the game. We're doing a tribute to the two countries. We'll start with some Dutch cheese and beer. Then we'll move on to some Spanish tapas and beer. For the main course I'm grilling spring onions or leeks (whichever I can get) in place of the calcots which are the native onions, like small leeks from the Catalan region of Spain. They are traditionally served with romesco sauce and bread. I've actually seen the festival, the Calcotada, when the calcots are ready for harvesting. The Spaniards get a big fire going and grill huge batches of the calcots. They have big pots of sauce ready to go and everyone enjoys a meal with red wine or cava, Spanish sparkling wine. While the Calcotada is usually held at the end of winter when the calcots are ready for harvesting, grilling small onions or leeks is perfect anytime in the summer here in Canada.

Netherlands

Bavaria, Heineken or Grolsch Beer
Gouda and Edam Cheese
Crusty Bread

Spain

Tapas

Cherry tomatoes cut in half and sprinkled with garlic and thyme and grilled
Asparagus and green beans wrapped in serrano ham and grilled
Shrimp tossed with chopped dried or fresh red chilies, minced garlic and olive oil and grilled
Mixed nuts
Estrella Lager

Main Course

Grilled Leeks with Romesco Sauce

Ingredients:

1 dried red chili
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup almonds
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 slices bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
salt to taste
3 lbs, about 12 leeks

Instructions:

Soak the red chili in the vinegar
Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat
Toast the almonds in the pan, remove and place on a towel to drain
Toast garlic in the pan until golden, remove and place on towel to drain
Toast the bread crumbs in the pan, remove and place on a towel to drain.
Cook onions in the pan until golden.
Add almonds, bread crumbs, garlic, tomato and paprika to the pan and heat through for 2 minutes. Add water if the sauce is too thick.
Place everything, including chili and vinegar, in a food processor or bowl and use a stick blender to puree until finely ground.
Salt to taste and set aside
Heat the grill to high.
Thoroughly clean the leeks or spring onions by cutting halfway down but not all the way through the root end. Then you can get between the layers quite well.
Brush the leeks with olive oil and grill until tender and charred a bit.
Serve the leeks with some sauce poured over and some bread on the side for scooping up the leftover sauce
Enjoy with a glass of cava!

Hmmm, seems to be considerably more food with a Spanish twist here.... Could it be that I'm biased?! You betcha!!! GO SPAIN!!!!!!!!!

Uruguay - Chivito al Pan

2010-07-05T12:13:00.002-03:00

Here is the last recipe for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 4. Uruguay is the last remaining South American team in the World Cup so it is quite fitting that it is the last recipe! However, I am going to do 2 additional recipes for the 2 countries in the final game. Check back on Thursday July 8th for those.

This recipe is said to be a favorite with locals and tourists alike. It's so incredibly simple and basic that I was hesitant to use it to represent Uruguay. But Yummy is as Yummy does so here you go!

Uruguay - Chivito al Pan
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp butter
1 lb 1/4 inch thick steak, boneless
4 slices carved ham or ham steaks (not deli meat but cut from a nice piece of ham is better)
4 slices mozzarella
4 crusty sandwich rolls
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp ketchup
lettuce
4 slices tomato
4 fried or boiled eggs (optional)

Instructions:

Heat a pan over medium high heat, add the butter and melt
Cook the steak in the pan when you flip the steak, top with the ham and mozzarella
Cook until the mozzarella is melted
Mix the mayo and ketchup together and spread on the 4 rolls
Slice the boiled egg if using
Top each roll with the steak, ham, mozza, lettuce, tomato and egg.

Enjoy!

Nigeria - Pancakes with Shrimp

2010-07-04T17:31:00.003-03:00

Here is another recipe from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 4. This one is kind of different and interesting. Definitely worth a try if you're feeling frisky!

Nigeria - Pancakes with Shrimp
Serves 8- 10

Ingredients:

2 19 oz/540ml cans of white kidney beans or any white bean
6 eggs
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped in 1/4 inch pieces
1 lb cooked shrimp, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

Drain the beans and place in a food processor or blender with the eggs, adding each egg one at a time. (You may need to add more or less eggs to get a nice batter consistency depending on the beans you choose)
Blend until smooth.
Pour the batter in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients except the oil. Blend
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat
Spoon heaping tablespoons of the batter into the oil.
Turn when the bottom is golden brown
Keep cooked pancakes warm while frying the rest of the batter.

Enjoy with a nice salad!

Spain - Gazpacho

2010-07-03T18:32:00.002-03:00

Here is another recipe for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 4. I love Gazpacho and it used to be one of my summer mainstays. I haven't made it much in the past few years but it is extremely healthy and terrific to have on hand during those long hot summer days. This version is inspired by Spain, so there are some differences so give it a try!

Spain - Gazpacho
Serves 6 -8

Ingredients:

2 red peppers
2 medium tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh finely chopped tarragon or 1/4 tsp dried
4 slices thick country bread, crusts removed
1 liter vegetable cocktail, low sodium

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees
Place the tomatoes, peppers and garlic on a shallow pan in a single layer.
Roast for 30 minutes
(You can also roast the tomatoes peppers and garlic on the BBQ over medium heat)
The tomatoes will be done after 30 minutes, continue roasting the peppers and garlic for another 15 minutes
Place the tomatoes and peppers in a glass bowl, cover and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 - 30 minutes
Peel the peppers and tomatoes, discard the seeds and stems
Dice and place with the garlic, in a food processor or blender, blend until still a little chunky
Place in a large bowl.
Soak the bread in some of the vegetable cocktail until soaked. Drain the bread and add it to the blender or food processor.
Add cucumber, olive oil, vinegar and tarragon to the food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Put the cucumber and bread mixture in the bowl with the tomatoes, peppers and garlic.
Add the rest of the vegetable cocktail to the bowl and stir
Chill for 8 hours.
Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.

Enjoy!

Brazil - Chimichurri Beef

2010-07-03T18:19:00.002-03:00

Here is a recipe from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 4. A lot of the South and Central American countries share recipes and there are variations of each so 'authentic' is more a state of mind than an actual requirement! Make it your own. This recipe can call for lime juice or not. I used lime juice because I had a fresh lime on hand. I've also seen the Chimichurri done with either cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. Use whatever heat source you want but use a little, the kick makes it really South/Central American. You can freeze this refreshing herb sauce in ice cube trays and have it on hand whenever you want a taste of Brazil (or Argentina or Mexico or Chile or .....)

Brazil - Chimichurri Beef
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb of flank steak or lean sirloin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions:

Heat a grill to high
Sprinkle the beef with the salt, cumin, coriander and black pepper
Mix the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender to make the Chimichurri sauce.
Grill the beef to medium rare ( the more you cook flank steak, the tougher it will be)
Cut the steak against the grain in thin slices
Serve with the Chimichurri sauce on top

Enjoy with various salads or grilled veggies that are in season!

Fifa World Cup Menu - Week 4

2010-07-02T13:43:00.008-03:00

The final week! I'm going to do something special for the finals so check back next Friday, July 9th.

2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 4
1. Spain - Gazpacho
2. Uruguay - Chivito al Pan (changed from Arapas which I had orginally planned but didn't feel it was really representative of Uruguay cuisine)
3. Brazil - Chimichurri Beef
4. Germany - Bratwurst Sausages and Sauerkraut
5. Nigeria - Pancakes with Shrimp

I can't wait to make the Nigerian Pancakes with Shrimp. The shrimp is put right into the batter! Sounds delicious! Gazpacho is one of my favorite summertime soups but I haven't made it in a while. My traditional recipe is more of a take on tex-mex but for this menu I'll stick to something more Spanish inspired. The Bratwurst and Sauerkraut are this week's menu's store bought item. Just pick up your fav for a quick meal. If you don't like Sauerkraut then substitute a coleslaw. Cabbage is incredibly good for you!

As per usual, I'll add the links to the recipes as I add them to the blog throughout the week.

Here are the links for the other weeks in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Final Game Menu

South Africa - Bobotie (Beef Pie)

2010-06-29T15:17:00.002-03:00

Here is the final recipe for 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 3. One more week to go. I'm going to do something special for the finals after the week 4 menu so stay tuned!

No matter where I looked when researching South Africa's cuisine I came across Bobotie. Basically it's a curry meat pie. Hmmm, beef, curry.... what's not to like! Some recipes call for apples and raisins in the beef mixture but I don't typically have those items on hand so I left them out. Add them if you like, it will give the recipe a sweetness and extra nutrients.

South Africa - Bobotie
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices of bread (preferably stale) soaked in milk, drained and torn up into small bits
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Instructions:

Heat oven to 325
Grease a 9 X 13 inch loaf pan
In a large bowl mix the onion through to the lemon juice together.
Place the mixture in the loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes
Mix the 2 remaining eggs and the 1/2 cup of milk together well
Place over the cooked beef loaf and bake for an additional 15 minutes

Enjoy!

Honduras - Black Bean Soup

2010-06-29T12:00:00.002-03:00

Here is another recipe for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 3. This recipe has a few variables that allow you to make it your own. For the heat you can use whatever chilies you like. I've seen this soup done with jalapeno, chipotle or Tabasco. I've also seen people leave out the heat completely. In the summer a spicy meal that makes you sweat it a great way to stay cool so we'll be adding the heat here. I like a chipotle. When I open a can I take out each chipotle pepper and wrap it separately and freeze them. I never have a recipe that calls for a whole can of chipotle so freezing the leftovers individually means I have peppers ready to go for all those recipes that call for just one.

I've also seen this recipe call for sherry, red wine or dark rum. You can leave out the alcohol. I use whatever I have on hand. Usually that's red wine. It's only a small amount but it does give a little depth in the flavour profile of the soup.

Honduras - Black Bean Soup
Serves 4 -6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red or yellow pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 19 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups beef or veggie broth
1 chipotle pepper, chopped (use 2 if you like it extra spicy!)
1 14 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1/2 lime
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a saucepan.
Add the onion and sweet pepper and saute until softened
Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds
Add the beans, broth, chipotle pepper and tomatoes
Simmer 10 minutes
Squeeze the juice from the lime and add to the soup.
Add the wine and stir well
Stir in the cilantro and serve

Enjoy!

Sole Meuniere

2010-06-26T16:26:00.002-03:00

Here is another recipe from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 3. What a simple and tasty way to show off the wonderful taste of a lovely piece of fish! This recipe can be made with any white fish. I've done it with a nice piece of cod before and it was lovely. Also, you can leave off the dredging of flour. Some days I just can't be bothered. Yes, anything in butter is good....

Sole Meuniere
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 4 - 5 ounce sole or white fish fillets
1 cup flour
4 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 lemon wedges

Instructions:

Heat 3 tbsp of the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat.
Add the parsley and let the butter turn golden brown
Reduce the heat to medium and add the fish fillets
Cook until the fillets are golden on both sides
Season with salt and pepper as you like
Remove the fish from the pan.
Add the remaining tbsp of butter and the lemon juice.
Heat until the butter stops foaming
Place the fish fillets on their plates and pour the sauce evenly over each fillet
Serve with a lemon wedge.

Enjoy!

FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 3

2010-06-23T12:12:00.007-03:00

Thus far it's been an interesting World Cup. I've been disappointed and shocked, often at the same time... Actually, that's pretty normal for the World Cup. That's why it's so much fun. It never goes exactly as you expect!

Here's week 3's menu.

2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 3

1. South Africa - Bobotie (Beef Pie)
2. France - Sole Meuniere (without the same type of controversy the team has generated this year!)
3. England - Fish and Chips (We're cheating and buy this from take out. A new place opened up near me and it's causing a buzz so I must try it!)
4. Greece - Chicken Souvlaki
5. Honduras - Black Bean Soup

The official recipe for South Africa is the Bobotie. I wasn't keen on making a beef pie to bake in the oven this time of year but it is winter there... So I'll bite the bullet and be authentic.

I'll add the links to the recipes as I add them during the week. Enjoy!

Here are the other weeks in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu
Week 1
Week 2
Week 4
Final Game Menu

Algeria - North Africa Burgers

2010-06-22T15:20:00.003-03:00

The final recipe from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 2. Deadly easy and even better tasting! These will become part of my regular summertime repertoire.

Algeria - North Africa Burgers
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika, hot if you have a choice of which type

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 a large red onion, sliced

4 pitas

lettuce, tomato, cucumber

yogurt dressing or tzatziki sauce

Instructions:

Mix the beef with the cumin, paprika, garlic, coriander and curry.

Form into patties, I made mine more oblong to fit in the pita

Heat a pan or grill to high

Sear the burgers and red onion on the grill, turn and cook until cooked to your liking.

Remove the burgers from the grill or pan, turn off the heat

Place the pitas on the grill or pan and warm on each side

Assemble the burgers on each pita with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and yogurt sauce.

Enjoy!

Argentina - Empanadas

2010-06-22T15:03:00.002-03:00

Here is yet another recipe from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 2. You can use chicken or pork. I used pork but afterwards realized chicken would have been a good idea. I also used refrigerated crescent rolls for most of the empanadas but had leftover filling so I had those on a pita for lunch. Frozen puffed pastry would also work perfectly here. So it's up to you!

Argentina- Empanadas
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

3/4 - 1 lb lean pork loin
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp sweet and/ or hot paprika (I used a bit of both)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, cut in strips
2 medium peppers, green, red, yellow or orange (I used a bit of green and yellow)
2 tbsp white wine or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
pitas, refrigerated crescent roll dough or frozen puffed pastry

Instructions:

Slice the pork into 1/4 inch strips
Mix thyme, oregano, paprika, garlic powder and olive oil in a dish large enough to hold the pork
Add the pork and let marinate at least 4 hours or overnight
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the pork to the pan and cook until the meat is brown on all sides
Meanwhile add the peppers and onions to the marinate and toss
Remove the pork from the pan and set aside, keep warm
Add the peppers, onion and marinate to the pan.
Add the white wine or broth.
Simmer until the peppers and onions are soft
Return pork to the pan and toss
If using the pitas, put some of the meat mix in each pita and serve.
If using dough preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out to make rectangles. The refrigerated crescent roll dough will give you 4 empanadas. The puffed pastry will have to be cut. Roll it to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into rectangles.
Put a bit of filling in each rectangle, being careful not to overfill
Fold over one side to make a triangle.
Cook in a 350 oven for 12 - 20 minutes until the dough is golden.

Enjoy!

Denmark - Toast Skagen

2010-06-19T12:45:00.003-03:00

Here's another recipe from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 2. This is one of my very favorites. I used to spend a lot of time in Sweden and I fell in love with the country. Midsommer is one of my favorite holidays anywhere, anytime! The Danish call it Sankthansaften. The Scandinavian countries are quite similar although I know for a fact that none of them would agree to that!

I love Toast Skagen and it really is a perfect summer dish. It's more of an appetizer than a meal but I could not resist including it in this menu. The name comes from the northern tip of Denmark, Skagen which is a popular fishing port. So even though it is really Swedish I had to include it. Really - it screams summer!

I was also torn because even thought the Swedish national team didn't make the world cup, they are celebrating a royal wedding today! Crown Princess Victoria is getting married (or is by the time this is posted)! So perhaps my little cheat here will be forgiven. Don't forget, Midsummer is celebrated in Denmark on the evening of June 23rd. The actual summer solstice is June 21st. I may have a shot of Aquavit on both days! Celebrate the longest day of the year! Skaal! (Proncounced Skoal!)

Toast Skagen
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1lb small peeled cooked shrimp
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
4 slices white bread, buttered
3 oz white fish caviar (I've used the sushi red fish eggs because that's what I could get locally and they worked perfect)
diced red onion for garnish
lemon wedges for garnish

Instructions:

Dice up the shrimp
Mix the mayo, creme fraiche, dill and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste
Add in the shrimp
Saute the bread until golden, cut into triangles
Spoon the mixture on each triangle of bread
Top with caviar, red onion and a sprig of dill
Serve with a wedge of lemon on the side.

Enjoy with a shot of aquivat. Skaal!!

Korea - Kalbigui

2010-06-19T12:32:00.004-03:00

Here's another recipe from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 2. Time for some ribs! Nothing screams summer more than ribs on the barbie. Today they're going to take a Korean twist. I've often seen this recipe done with beef short ribs but I have also seen it done with pork ribs. Use whatever you like. Life's easy.

Korea Kalbigui
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp sugar
2 lbs ribs
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions:

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a pan big enough to hold all the ribs
Add the ribs, turn to coat thoroughly and marinated for at least 4 hours
Heat the barbecue on high.
Barbecue the ribs for 10 minutes on each side or so until cooked through. Baste with remaining ribs sauce with each turn.
Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and let them brown a bit on the ribs.
Serve with kimchi, a green salad with sesame dressing or an asian slaw made with shredded cabbage and carrots tossed with a little mayo, soy sauce, lime juice and cilantro.

I'm really enjoying incorporating asian flavours into the barbecue these days! Yum!

FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 2

2010-06-17T13:15:00.011-03:00

Here it is! Week 2. 3 games a day, I'm in total overload. And I've discovered I'm seriously going for Spain. I was quite disappointed when they lost their first game. For the whole day... The emotions one goes through for their favorite teams - sigh - I'll never make it to the end!

2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 2

1. Argentina - Pork Empanadas
2. Denmark - Toast Skagan (June 23rd is Sankthansaften or Midsummer in Denmark. Time to celebrate!)
3. Korea - Kalbigui (Grilled Ribs)
4. Italy - Pea Risotto
5. Algeria - North Africa Burgers

This week is going to be fun. I have fresh peas, first batch from the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia! They'll make a great risotto. The link here is for my general risotto recipe. I've blogged about it a couple of times, type risotto in the search box on this page in the upper left corner and you'll get lots of tips and tricks. I just used shallots, garlic, and peas in this one. It was awesome.

Toast Skagan is a lovely summer treat and one of my favs. The Korean Ribs will be lovely on a hot day.

I'm looking forward to making empanadas but instead of making the dough (if you have a Mexican, South American or African food market handy you could pick up the empanada bread there, I don't have such a place around here) I'm going to just use pita bread or refridgerated cresent roll dough. Life doesn't have to be complicated to experience the great flavours of the world!

Check back as I'll add links to the recipes above as I add them to the blog, just like last week.

Here are the links to the other weeks in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu
Week 1
Week 3
Week 4
Final Game Menu

Portugal - Pasta with Mussels and Chorizo

2010-06-15T17:51:00.003-03:00

Here is the last recipe for the 2010 World Cup Menu - Week 1. Week 2 will be up soon!

This is one of those recipes where freezing leftover pasta pays off. You can skip a time consuming step for this recipe if you already have pasts cooked and ready to go!

If you have a choice of chorizo, obviously get the portugese chorizo if you can but if you only have a choice between spanish and mexican, get the spanish.

Portugal - Pasta with Mussels and Chorizo
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta, penne, or small spirals
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chorizo sausage links, chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlice, minced
1/2 cup white wine
4 lbs mussles, washed and debearded
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining. Set aside
In the same pot you cooked the pasta in, heat the oil over medium high and saute the chorizo and shallots until golden
Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds
Add in the wine and simmer about 5 minutes until reduced by half
Pour the sausage mixture into a bowl and keep warm.
Add an inch of water to the bottom of the same pot and add the mussels.
Bring to a boil and cook until the mussels are open, about 4 minutes
Drain the mussels, add in the pasta, sausage mixture and mussels all to the pot.
Add the leftover pasta water as necessary to get a nice moist pasta
Sprinkle with cilantro, parsley and lemon juice
Salt and Pepper as necessary

Enjoy!!

ps. I threw in some chopped up beet greens with the sausage and shallots. It was a great way to up the veggie content and a great way to use up some 'in season' beet greens. They tasted perfect!

Japan - Chicken Yakitori

2010-06-14T14:20:00.002-03:00

Yet another recipe from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 1. This is beyond simple, perfect for the barbecue and super healthy. You can serve these tasty skewers with brown rice, whole wheat spaghetti or soba noodles. Or for a super light meal, serve them a bed of lettuce leaves.

This recipe calls for mirin which can be hard to find. Mirin is a sweet rice wine. If you can't find it use a mixture of 2/3 rice vinegar, 1/3 water and a bit of sugar. You are looking for a sweet tangy taste.

Chicken Yakitori
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 tbsp sugar (even if you use the mirin substitute listed above, add this amount in addition to what you put in the vinegar mix)
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
8 shitake mushrooms
8 green onions, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 each, red and green pepper cut into 1 inch chunks

Instructions:

If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes
In a saucepan, mix soy, mirin and sugar.
Heat until the sugar is dissolved and let cool
Heat the barbecue or broiler to high
Thread the chicken, mushrooms, green onions and peppers onto the shewers
Brush the skewers with the sauce and barbecue or broil, turning until cooked through.
Baste with the sauce as you turn the skewers
Serve over rice or noodles with the leftover sauce.

Enjoy! So far the Japanese have won their first game on foreign soil in the World Cup!

Australia - Shrimp on the Barbie

2010-06-11T14:15:00.003-03:00

Here's another recipe for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 1. This recipe is ridiculously simple and perfect for the summer barbecue. I'm not sure how really authentically Australian it is but to those of us here in North America it's what we think of first when someone says "Australia!". Well that and Foster's beer. If you really feel the need to be authentic, have a Foster's with your meal (save the can for beer can barbecuing a turkey later)!

This recipe calls for leaving the shells on so they don't dry out and overcook on the bbq. If you want to remove the shells for easy eating, only marinate for 10 minutes max otherwise the lemon juice will cook the shrimp!

Australia - Shrimp on the Barbie
Serves 4

Ingredients:

Wooden skewers
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 lb large shrimp in the shell
Salt and pepper
4 cups of spinach leaves

Instructions:

Place wooden skewers in the water to soak
Mix lemon juice, garlic and shallots together
Toss in shrimp and let marinate for one hour
Heat the BBQ on high.
Thread the shrimp on the skewers and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Cook the shrimp on the BBQ until cooked through
Serve on a bed of spinach.

Yup, that's it. Enjoy!

Mexico - Fish Tacos

2010-06-11T12:13:00.003-03:00

Here is the first recipe for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 1. I'm watching South Africa and Mexico play right now! I may be a little too excited for this World Cup... (OMG, South Africa just scored the first goal of this World Cup!!! WAAAHOOOO!)

Mexican Fish Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 Small soft tortillas
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried chipotle chili powder or 1 whole canned chili, diced
2 tsp dried ancho chili powder
5 - 10 dashes of Tabasco, depending on how spicy you want it!
1 lb cod or a firm white fish, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 avocado, diced
4 green onions, sliced

Instructions:

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat
Add onions and saute until soft
Add garlic, tomatoes, cumin, chipotle, ancho chili powder and Tabasco to pan
Simmer 5 minutes
Remove mixture from pan
Add more oil if necessary and add cod to pan
Sear cod on both sides until cooked through and then add tomato mixture back to the pan, toss
Warm tortillas if desired
Assemble tacos by dividing the cod and tomato mixture between the 8 tortillas
Top with lettuce, avocado and green onions.

Enjoy the game!

FIFA World Cup Menu - Week 1

2010-06-10T17:21:00.008-03:00

Are you ready for some football?!?!?! Okay, not that kind of football just yet! How about some world football, that thing we call soccer here in North America? Tomorrow the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off and as promised, I'll be cooking meals from some of the participating countries. I'm going to do 4, 5 day week menus featuring something from each continent each week (or mostly like that). Since it is summer in these parts I'm aiming for warm weather, mostly bbq type dishes. Keep in mind that I don't have access to all sorts of authentic ingredients for all the various world cuisines so I'll be doing my best with local goodies.

I was going to have the dishes to match who was playing each day but after the group stage that could get tricky... and I don't want to jinx anyone by assuming they either will or won't make it past the group stage!

So here we go! Ole, ole, ole, ole! Guaranteed to be fun month!

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP MENU - Week 1

Mexico - Fish Tacos
USA - Hot dogs and Fries or Sweet Potato Fries (there is no recipe for hot dogs, buy them at the grocery store - enjoy)
Australia - Shrimp on the Barbie
Japan - Chicken Yakatori
Portugal - Pasta with Mussels and Chorizo

I'll add recipes as the week goes on so check back for the links. I'll add Week 2 next Thursday.

Here are the links for the other weeks in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Menu
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Final Game Menu

Beer, Bacon and Onion Soup

2010-06-09T12:37:00.002-03:00

This is an interesting and simple variation on French onion soup.
Beer, Bacon and Onion Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, cubed
2 -3 cups sliced red, white, yellow onions, shallots
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 bottles beer
2 bottles water
1 tbsp Club House Le Grille steak spice or steak spice of your choice
3 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheese of your choice to top bowls (I used mozza and parmesan)
Sliced bread to top bowls.

Instructions:

Heat bacon over medium heat until cooked.
Add onions and saute until brown
Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds
Add beer, water, steak spice (and dried thyme if using)
Simmer 15 - 20 minutes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Toss in fresh thyme
Spoon in oven safe bowls and top with bread and cheese.
Heat under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly
(If you don't have oven safe bowls, toast the bread with the cheese on it until browned and place on top of soup in bowls)

Simple! Enjoy!

Best Baked Fries and a Kicked Up Dip

2010-06-03T11:45:00.004-03:00

Last night I had a portie burger and fries. I did the fries a little differently and they turned out so good I had to share. The burger was pretty basic, grilled portabello mushroom with cheddar, onions, bacon, tomato and lettuce with a little mayo on one side and a little of our kicked up dip on the other. I'll get to that in a minute. First the fries!

Most people have cut some fresh potatoes into fries, tossed them in olive oil and seasoning and baked them. Typically we put them on a baking sheet, sometimes with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Last night I threw them right on the oven rack. ***Put a tray underneath, on the lower rack or you'll get drippings on the bottom of your oven!*** This allowed the heat to get at them from all sides. Just that little difference in the cooking method made a huge difference in the end result. They were super crispy. I tossed on some spicy mesquite seasoning. They were perfect!

Now on to the Kicked Up Dip! Super simple. I often mix ketchup and mayo for a nice tangy dip or spread but this time I added Garlic Chili Pepper sauce to the mix. YUM!!

That's it. What a great pub style meal that was really healthy!

Gardening Update - We're almost all planted!

2010-06-02T17:22:00.003-03:00

Okay, I'm getting there. For those of you saying "you haven't got everything in yet?!", tomorrow the high is suppose to be 11 Celsius (54 F) and the plants/seedlings are sitting outside. We're not exactly missing the great weather but the plants are still growing in their peat pots.

Today I got in the blueberry bushes. The first bush I bought is really just a twig. We'll see if it takes. Worse case I'll have to buy a new one for next year. The other bush is really nice and should do okay. I also put in some lavender and rosemary back in that corner but I'll probably move the rosemary next spring when I clear out behind my shed for a herb garden.

I also put in the final rows of beets and onions. That space if finally full. I have some beets and onions spouting out of the first 2 plantings. My garlic is doing awesome. It loves the chilly weather so it's been perfect lately. I also have 7 potato plants with leaves up through the soil. I've been mounding the soil around the leaves and only had to re-bury 3 potatoes. The space is on a bit of a slope so I've had some erosion but hopefully as the leaves come in that will stop. I'm keeping an close eye to ensure we have no potatoes enjoying the sunshine (and getting toxic green bits)

I have a couple more flower pots to do, just small ones with some leftover annuals I picked up to do the railing containers. I'm also going to do 2 pots of tomatoes since I have so many healthy seedlings. Then that will be it until later in the summer when I'll plant some spinach. The weeds are trying to beat me down but I won't let them! On a side note, I dug up the bottom of a fence post today while clearing out the space for the tomatoes. I didn't even know it was there!! There was no decay or breakdown of the wood... makes me wonder how much chemicals were in the wood to prevent it from decaying while sitting it wet mud... And that's where I'm putting tomatoes to eat. Well that's going to bother me for a bit.

I have a pair of knee pads that you velcro on to your legs. I've always hated them because the velcro in the back digs in when I bend. While drying off after my shower it dawned me that I could just turn around the velcro, have it in the front of the knee so it won't dig in also it will be on the outside of the pad and won't be anywhere near my skin. Brilliant. I've had those pads for years and am just now realizing this. Good gravy I'm quick!

World Cup Countdown

2010-05-30T21:10:00.002-03:00

11 days to the opening ceremonies of FIFA World Cup 2010! I'm starting to research the menu now. Needless to say the first meal will be from South Africa since they are the host nation. It's an eclectic cuisine so selecting a dish to represent the country is a challenge. I know one thing for sure, I'll be enjoying a bottle of their fine wine with my meal. My fav is the Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc, perfect for a summer evening!

I'm doing this research as I listen to thunder and enjoy a bowl of beer, bacon and onion soup. I'll post the recipe soon. Hot soup today? Welcome to the Maritimes. I believe we have seen all 4 seasons today. Mom even had hail out at her place. I placed the tomato plants under cover just to be safe!

Stay tuned, menu to follow. I'm trying to keep it summer friendly, lots of bbq and warm weather meals!

Gardening Update and a Perfect Summer Salad

2010-05-21T12:34:00.004-03:00

I have started to harden off the tomato and pepper plants. The weather has finally taken a turn for the warmer and I think it might be here to stay. Time to get the plants acclimatized to the great outdoors before they move to their new home out in the yard. (which I haven't cleared yet but I have 5-7 days to do that...)

My Sparta F1 Tomatoes have developed a slight case of blight. That's the yellowing on the leaves from over watering.
It's imperative that you water your seedlings from the bottom by sitting the peat pots in water. This encourages the roots to dig down and not sit at the surface. That being said, I've been worried that the plants weren't getting enough water from the bottom so I've over watered them a bit by accident. I picked off some of the leaves and am letting the Sparta tomato plants get a little drier. Hopefully they'll be okay for planting but I'll have to decide which plants go in the ground when the time comes. I only had planned on planting 2 of the Sparta Plants and I have 5 so I should have 2 suitable ones. I also have 2 cherry variety tomatoes, Sub Arctic Plenty and Sweet Millions so I won't be at a loss for tomatoes no matter how the Spartas turn out.

Okay, on to food. I love having lunch ready to go in the summer time. Who wants to take a break from frolicking in the warm summer sun to make lunch?! This is one of my favorites. Serve it on lettuce.

White Bean and Tuna Salad
Serves 4 Ingredients:

1 can of white kidney beans or cannellini beans
1 can of your favorite tuna
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 - 3 tbsp Olive oil, basil or garlic flavored is nice
Fresh basil, italian seasoning or balsamic vinegar (use your favorite!)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Drain and rinse both the beans and tuna
Mix everything but the salt and pepper, taste and only add enough salt and pepper as needed.

Healthy Chive Creamy Sauce

2010-05-11T11:20:00.003-03:00

It's that time of year. The chives are taking over that section of the garden where I let them run amok. I've shared my chive butter before and I've already but up a full pound of it so far this season. But here's another quick use for chives, Healthy Chive Creamy Sauce. This sauce is healthy because it doesn't use cream but instead uses yogurt and heart healthy good fat mayo. It tastes like it's quite naughty. Try some on fish, chicken, potatoes, veggies.... I even put it on a poached egg on ham in an english muffin. Tasty!

Healthy Chive Creamy Sauce

Serves 2 -4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt
2 tbsp mayo
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/3 cup chopped chives

Instructions:

Mix all the ingredients together
Serve

Pretty easy, eh?! Enjoy!

Thai Coconut Tofu Soup

2010-05-10T15:41:00.005-03:00

Here is a great recipe for that impending summer explosion of veggies! (and it's deadly quick too!!) You can stuff this soup with tons of spinach or broccoli and basil. Don't feel like waiting for the veggies to grow? Frozen Asian mix works great too. I used tofu but you can use chicken or shrimp. And you can spice it up with lots of garlic chili sauce, a splash or two of Tabasco or diced red chilies. I love a recipe that can go with my flow.

(once again a sideways shot, no idea why it does this but I am not spending hours trying to fix it. turn your head, it's easier)

Thai Coconut Tofu Soup

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

2 tbsp red curry paste

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

900 ml carton of chicken or veggie broth

400 ml can of coconut milk

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp garlic chili sauce, Tabasco or a chopped dried red chili (add more if you want it spicy) (leave out if you want a mild soup)

3/4 lb or 350 g package of extra firm tofu, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

3/4 lb or 350 g package of frozen Asian mixed veggies, chopped fresh broccoli or 4 cups fresh spinach

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or cilantro (opt)

Instructions:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a soup pot

Saute the onions until soft

Toss in the red curry paste and ginger until fragrant, about 2 - 3 minutes

Add in the broth, coconut milk, sugar and garlic chili paste(is using) and bring to a boil

Add in the tofu and veggies.

Heat until the veggies are cooked and tender

Toss in the basil or cilantro and serve

YUM!

Cheap, Tasty Reds

2010-05-04T19:49:00.002-03:00

Just found a great red wine worth sharing. Under $10! It is one of the nicest Shiraz I've had in a while!

From Australia, may I introduce "The Accomplice"

Go forth, buy, drink, enjoy (especially with bbq steak!!)

From Peat Pucks to Peat Pots

2010-04-30T17:40:00.006-03:00

Friday was the big day! I transplanted the seedlings into pots. Good thing to, when I took off the plastic wrap (see last post) there were pucks that were completely dried out! I had 3 Tomato plants, Sub Artic Plenty, that were looking pretty wilted. I re-soaked the pucks before I planted them in the soil in the pots. I have more seedlings than I need so if some don't make it I'll still be fine.

Thin out the seedlings (leave just one plant in each puck) when the second set of leaves appears. See the tiny set of second leaves? Ready to thin!

Only some of the peppers had the second leaf sets when I thinned them today but the roots were sprouting out of the bottom of the puck so I should be okay. Really you want that second set of leaves to be fully developed before you transplant so again I may be a bit early on the peppers but I'm hoping they'll be okay. As you can see the second set of leaves on the tomatoes are fully developed and the roots were coming out the bottom of the peat pucks which means they were ready for transplanting.

I mixed crushed (more like chopped) eggshells, used coffee grinds, perilite, potting soil and some seed starter potting soil (at some point I realized I was not starting seeds so only a bit of this was used).

I should have soaked the peat pots first. I read that seedlings need water from below, not watering from above so that the roots reach down, good and deep. Remember I mentioned I re-soaked the peat pucks before they went into the pots. I watered the pots from the top thoroughly and then I've spritzed the pots a bit, we'll see how that works. The soil was good and loose so the watering should have soaked down deep. I plan to keep water in the trays I have the pots in so they well continue to absorb moisture up through themselves.

Now these lovely little green sprouts will sit in the sun for a couple more weeks to get good and strong. I'll stroll them out to the deck on really warm days and then harden them off a week before they go outside (keep them outside for longer and longer periods of time so they are used to the temps outside before they go in the ground).

I have extra pots to do some tomatoes on my deck. The extra pots are actually empty food grade plastic buckets from the bakery department at mom's local grocery store. They just toss the buckets in the recycling so if you ask they will gladly keep them for you as long as you pick them up asap.

7 Day Healthy, Quick Menu

2010-04-27T14:31:00.003-03:00

I'm finally getting around to posting the healthy, quick menu I promised back during the Paralympics. Month and a half late.... Wow!

When I do a menu for the week I balance out protein and carb sources. I make sure to include a veggie meal or two which is not only healthy but cuts costs. Each meal is linked to the recipe already on the blog. Create your grocery list by checking out each recipe and writing down what you don't already have on hand. If you are really feeling frisky double each recipe for freezing or lunches. The only recipe that isn't freezer friendly is the Greek Fajitas (actually you can freeze the meat and grilled veggies) but those leftovers are perfect for lunch!

The 7 Day Healthy, Quick Menu

This menu is heavy on the can tomatoes which are extremely good for you. Try to get the low sodium or no salt added variety. You can always add more salt but you can never take it away....

Add a side salad to get an extra veggie serving into your meals or add more veggies in the meal itself. And don't be afraid of frozen veggies, especially in the off seasons!

Feel free to email me any questions!

Gardening - Getting Started

2010-04-18T11:00:00.000-03:00

Last year I put in a veggie garden along the side of my house. It was not a success story but I never give up so I'm back at it this year, determined to be successful! My yard is not big and the space is shared with 2 very large hairy dogs so space for gardening is seriously limited. However, like most foodies, I like to know where my food is coming from so the idea of growing my own is very appealing and worth the effort of finding spots around my yard to do so. I've been guilty of a basic gardening mistake - I start my garden way too late and the veggies don't have time to fully grow before the harvest season. This year I was determined to be different. I've plotted and I've planned.... And am having a hard time resisting the temptation to commit the other common basic gardening mistake - planting too early!

So after consulting books, the net, friends and family and the farmers' almanac I have determined that I'm late getting my beets, onion and garlic in and late starting my pepper seeds. However, I am on time starting my tomato seeds and planting potatoes. My garden has 2 criteria. One it must be done on the cheap. I'm using some leftover garlic I bought from the store, you just separate the cloves and plant them pointed end up, the potatoes will be grown from some leftover from a bag of potatoes bought for cooking. The beets and onion are from seed, as are the tomatoes and peppers. It is cheaper to start from seed and I already had the peat disks and a bunch of peat pots to put the disks in as they grow. You need about 6 - 8 weeks when you start seed inside. The beets and onion seeds will go directly in the ground. The peppers and tomatoes are started below.

This is my version of a humidity tray. I've always ended up killing the seedlings in a humidity tray so I wasn't keen on attempting seedlings with one this time and I didn't have one on hand anyway. Seedlings do need a good humid environment. It's amazing what you can do with a large pot tray and some plastic wrap! I think what I did wrong in the past was putting the tray directly in the sun. Apparently they should only be in a bright space but not in direct sunlight! As you can see, they are growing quite nicely.

I also suffer from another basic gardening mistake. I hate to thin out perfectly good seedlings. It goes against my fugal, efficient side to waste 2 out of every 3 seedlings! However it must be done. I went to do it today for my tomatoes (you can see the disks with little or no seedlings are the peppers, the other 15 disks are 3 types of tomatoes) and then read that it's too soon. I need to wait until the roots are penetrating the sides of the peat disks.

The second criteria for my garden is that I must be able to grow things here and there, where ever I can get some good sun and space that doesn't take away from the yard for the dogs to run and play and is safe from them. I have a strip along the side of the house that doesn't get full sun all day. It gets about 6 hours along the strip throughout the day so I'm going to put my root veggies there. Right along the back of my house there is full sun, it's protected a bit from the wind and the dogs are trained not to pee there That's where I'll put 2 - 3 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants. I have a lot of chives that grow there already. See my Chive Butter Pictorial for what to do with your abundance of chives.

I also have a blueberry bush! I may get a second. I only spent $7 on the bush. It's a 2 year old plant and I won't see any blueberries this year for sure. I have an area that had some fruit bushes but it's very overgrown and the bushes haven't done well since I bought the house because I didn't know what was what and just let the space grow. I'm going to clear it out and put the blueberry bush there. I'm just not sure what to do to keep the dogs out of that space. They've taken it over lately. I may have to fence it off a bit.

I will probably also put some of those tomato plants in some pots to keep on my deck with my herbs. I get great sun on my deck! The most important thing about growing anything in pots is to have pots that are big enough. You need really big pots to allow the roots lots of room. All of my herbs were very pot bound this spring and they were all doing so poorly. Also, anything done in pots needs a soil mix of about 1/2 potting soil and 1/2 some sort of moisture mix like perlite or vermiculite. Think less actual soil and more moisture retention. And remember to put some rocks or something in the bottom to allow proper drainage. A water logged plant won't grow any better than a dried out one will!

So why am I tell you all this? I'm going to take pics and keep you all posted as we go through the growing season. I'll share my successes, tips, failures, etc. And, of course, there will be recipes for the bounty... (here's hoping there is a bounty!)