Spring Minestrone (actually Minestrone seems to be seasonless)

It is freakin' cold around here.  It got all the way up to 4C today (that's about 40F for you non-metric types).  And the wind is bitter.  April in the Maritimes is my least favorite time of year.  After a chilly run to the market and Dave's Veggie and Fruit store I wanted to put on a heart warming soup.  At the market the greens are making their seasonal reappearance (can I get an 'amen'?!?)  I picked up spinach, swiss chard, tatsoi which I have no idea what it tastes like but thought I'd give 'er a go.... basil, dill, cilantro, radish greens and arugula.  Yeah, you can get these things in many grocery stores year round but these are from the local farmers and I love to support our local folks.  ps. everything tastes better too ; )  So what kind of soup was I going to put together?  It feels like Minestrone.  I know I blogged about one not that long ago (back in January) but this is my own recipe and incorporates some of my market finds from this morning (the greens and herbs) and some from last week (the carrots and the turnip)

Spring Minestrone
Serves 8 - 10

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 11 ounces diced chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1/4 (about 1 cup) diced turnip into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 14 ounce can of tomatoes, diced, no salt added
• 8 cups water
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 3/4 cup whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 19 ounce can of white kidney beans, no salt added
• 5 cups of swiss chard, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup basil chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat
2. Saute the onion and celery until soft
3. Add in the chicken and brown
4. Add the turnip and carrots and saute for 5 minutes
5. Toss in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds
6. Add in the wine and scrap the brown bits off the bottom of the pan
7. Add in the tomatoes, water, thyme and sage.
8. Simmer until the turnip and carrots are tender (about 10-15 minutes)
9. Make sure the soup is boiling, add in the pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes
10. Add in the white kidney beans, swiss chard, spinach, basil and red wine vinegar, simmer until the greens are bright and tender (just a couple of minutes)
11. Taste!  Add salt and pepper as necessary.
12. Serve with a good sprinkle of parmesan

This soup freezes okay but you may have to add more water/chicken broth after you defrost it as the pasta keeps absorbing liquid.  I have frozen it in the past and it tastes great.

Wonton Soup

I wanted to so a version of my noodle soup but I had some wonton wrappers I had bought.... So I decided I'd attempt wontons.  Oh. My. Goddess.  So worth the effort.  And a lot easier than I thought...

Wonton Soup
Serves 8 -10

Ingredients:
Wontons:

• 30 wonton wrappers (typically this is the amount in a single pack)
• 8 ounces/250-300g pork sirloin
• 2 green onions
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil

Soup Base:

• 6 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 6 cups water
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 3 eggs, beaten

Veggies for the Soup:

• Your choice!  But I used the following
• 3 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 green cabbage thinly sliced
• 3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 3 cups bean sprouts

Instructions:
Wontons:

1. Either finely chop all the ingredients for the wontons or put them in the food processor and process until well blended
2. Prepare a tray or baking sheet with a dusting of cornstarch and have a damp cloth or paper towel on hand.  Put some water in a small bowl
3. Take a wonton wrapper out of the package and close the package so the wrappers don't dry out.
4. Put 1 tsp of the pork mix in the centre of the wrapper
5. Dip you finger in the water and wipe it along the edge of the wonton wrapper.
6. Fold the wrapper in half and press close, making sure there is no air trapped inside
7. Place on the tray and cover with the damp cloth.
8. Repeat until they are all done!
9. Refrigerate until ready to toss in the soup

Soup and Veggies:

1. Heat all the soup base ingredients together and bring to a boil
2. Add in your veggies and simmer until the veggies are just tender
3. Add in your wontons and simmer for 3 minutes.

Enjoy!!

The finished product with bean sprouts, celery, carrots, cabbage, green onions and a couple of beaten eggs.

Thai Chicken Burgers and Peanut Sauce

UPDATE:  This is what happens when I blog and watch Coronation Street at the same time...  A little adjustment, use the leftover sauce to baste the burgers and I added a tbsp of chopped basil to the sauce at the last minute.  I have frozen chopped basil done up in ice cube trays then popped into ziplock bags.  Then I have them ready to go all yearlong and they were perfect in this recipe.  The recipe is updated and corrected below.

PS. these are just as awesome cold, all by themselves as the leftovers have disappeared today...

I just had the most lovely burger and I thought I'd share it right away.  It got rave reviews.  Chicken burgers are such a great way to extend your burger repertoire without overdoing it on the red meat!  This recipe calls for Chili Sauce.  Since I picked some up I must say it's my new favorite ingredient.  And with bbq season coming up I think I'll be pulling it out of the fridge quite often....

Thai Chicken Burgers with Peanut Sauce
Serves 6

Ingredients:
Sauce:

• 3 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 3 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili sauce
• 1 tsp garlic chili pepper sauce (the Thai stuff)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp chopped chives
• 2 tbsp hot water to loosen the sauce
• 1 tbsp chopped basil fresh or frozen

Burgers:

• 3 tbsp sauce
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 - 1 1/4 lb ground chicken

Condiments:

• 2 tbsp mayo mixed with 2 tbsp chili sauce
• Spinach
• Red Onions, thinly sliced
• Sliced Tomatoes

Instructions:

1. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside
2. Mix the burger ingredients and divide into 6 burgers, refrigerate for an hour or so to set but then take out the burgers and let sit at room temp for 15 - 20 minutes before grilling.
3. The burgers will be loose.  I did mine on my griddle pan on the stove and as long as you put them on the heat and then don't touch them for at least 8 minutes, they shouldn't fall apart!
4. Cook the burgers for 20 minutes until cooked through, basting with the leftover sauce on each side.
5. Serve on the bun of your choice with a smear of the mayo/chili sauce spread topped with spinach, red onion and tomatoes. 

I served mine with turnip fries tossed with a sprinkle of ground coriander and turmeric. They were super tasty with the mayo/chili sauce for dipping.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Can you be naughty and still be nice?  This is the question I asked myself as I seared the pork this morning while prepping my slow cooker for pulled pork sandwiches.  I started with a Weight Watchers recipe so it should be nice.... however by the time we add the bun, coleslaw and some side dishes, I end up with a naughty dish.  The point of eating healthy is that we want balance.  But what happens when you want something really good and naughty?  How do we balance that out?  I'm trying to make the whole meal healthy by using whole grain buns, a coleslaw recipe from the Looneyspoons Collection and baked sweet potato and turnip fries.  Still by the time you add it all up it's a lot of calories (or points if you're into that sort of thing).  ps. the smell coming out of my slow cooker is rockin' this house and causing quite a bit of drool...

Balancing out the day, that's the answer!  (At this very moment I'm having an apple)  I started my day with a cup of whole grain, high fiber cereal with skim milk.  Soup or salad would be perfect (I did salad with avocado) for lunch.  Snacks are all about fruit and yogurt.  Tonight during the game I think I'll either have some shrimp cocktail with just a smidgen of cocktail sauce or air popped popcorn.  Yeah, I can feel nice about my day overall and I get to be naughty.  (I just pulled the pork apart and had a little taste - YUMMMMM)

I used pork sirloin for this dish.  It's one of my favorite cuts of pork, full of flavour and cheap!  Plus it's easy to trim the fat when using it as chunks in such dishes as souvlaki, kebabs or in this dish.  You can use any lean cheap cut in this dish.  Often you'll see shoulder used for pulled pork.  It's a fatty cut of pork.  I'm sure you've heard the saying "fat equals flavour".  I know you people...  Big fan of the philosophy but in this instance the meat simmers so long, the sauce is so flavourful, you just don't need all that fat.  Lean is mean baby!  I would not use tenderloin in this dish.  Too expensive and tender to waste on a dish that simmers like this one. 

Pulled Pork
Serves 6-8 (at least!)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 - 1 1/2lb pork sirloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 3inch chunks
• 1 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup chili sauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup hickory or mesquite bbq sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp each chipotle and ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic chili pepper sauce
• 2 onions, sliced

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat
2. Brown the pork on all sides
3. Toss all the ingredients from ketchup through to garlic chili pepper sauce in the slow cooker and mix well.
4. Add the pork and toss to coat with the sauce
5. Set your slow cooker to high
6. In the frying pan saute the onions until soft.
7. Add the onions on top of the pork mixture in the slow cooker.
8. Cook for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low (It depends on whether I'm home or away - away I go slower and lower since I'm not on hand to turn things off)
9. Take the pork out of the cooker and 'pull' it apart with 2 forks.
10. Taste test the pork.  If you like a little more heat add more pf the chili powders and/or garlic chili pepper sauce.
11. Add the pork back to the cooker and mix well with the sauce.
12. Cook on low for another hour or so.  You can actually let it sit and keep warm until you're ready to eat.  The flavours will just keep simmering into the meat.... yummmm

Serve the pulled pork on whole grain buns, flat bread buns or even in a pita! Top with coleslaw ( I won't give you the recipe here - go buy The Looneyspoons Collection - seriously, what are you waiting for?  You won't be sorry.  It will be your go to cookbook for years to come!)

I'm going to freeze the leftovers to use in a pulled pork shepard's pie type dish with the pork on the bottom, veggies in the middle and a topping of cheesy polenta.  Drooling?  Yeah, I'll blog that one when I make it.  You can also toss the leftovers with whole wheat pasta and some veg for a quick meal.

Enjoy!

Why do we do this to ourselves?

Welcome to the end of my Easter weekend.  I'm so full.  And I only got 2 bits of chocolate!  I'm full of ham, mustard tatties, prime rib, turkey, eggs bennie, french toast,bacon, sausage, mussels and what can best be described as warm fried dough balls of yumminess.  Oh and lets not forget the carrot cake and apple pie.  All of that was just my intake during  the last 2 days!  Good Friday we had a lovely whole rainbow trout with steamed carrots and turnip with curry cabbage followed with the first serving of fresh homemade carrot cake. 

The ham I cooked up today was one I got from our local market and it was perfection in a smoked dress.  While it was quite a bit more expensive than just grabbing a ham from the grocery store the taste more than outweighed the extra cost.  I really do want to get all my special occasion meats/roasts from local farmers.  It's hard to afford it for everyday meats but wowzers is it worth it for holidays/special occasions. 

Now my life will be filled with fruits, veggies and well, leftover ham....  Is it sad that I'm already thinking about a snacking on the leftover ham and it's not even cooled off enough to go into the fridge yet?!  Lord give me strength!  (oh damn, I should have gotten some cauliflower this weekend to make this great ham and cauliflower casserole recipe)

Happy Spring!

Sprouts! And Sandwich Spread

I read somewhere that to welcome Spring the people of Provence often start a container of lentil sprouts on their windowsill.  What a great idea.  It's wonderful to watch the lentils sprout as I wait for the outdoors to warm up and get green.  Once they get a little taller I'll use them in salads or sandwiches.

Speaking of sandwiches... (how'd ya like that segue?!)  I just had the most lovely wrap and thought I'd share a little tip. 

I'm a mayo gal.  I love mayo but today I swapped it out with a heart healthy avocado spread with excellent results.  Just mash 1/4 avocado per sandwich, add a pinch (like 10 grains) of salt and spread on your sandwich.  If you're making a wrap you can mash it up right on the tortilla since you can't really mush a tortilla.  I topped mine with tomato, extra old cheddar cheese, lettuce and a little squirt of ranch dressing.  Super simple and super tasty.  The good fat in the avocado will help you feel full. 

I can't wait to make my next sandwich with my sprouts!



Veggie Chili - The Best Ever!

Awesome!  That's all I can say.  To quote my mother "this one's a keeper!" So I'm blogging it right away.  You need to follow the ingredients exactly except for the roasted pepper.  I have a jar of them in my fridge but if you don't you can use fresh red pepper diced.  Oh, and this recipe is... you guessed it, cheap, simple, easy and freezes beautifully....

Surprisingly Filling YUMMY Vegetarian Chili

Serves 6-8

Weight Watchers Points Plus (before the cheese and sour cream) 5

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 ribs of celery, diced (save the leaves for later!)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 12-14 cremini mushrooms (or baby porties)
• 1 large roasted red pepper (from a jar is fine)
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 19 ounce can no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed
• 19 ounce can no salt added red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp pepper paste (Hungarian) or ground paprika
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (this is the really important bit!) and any leftover celery leaves, chopped.
• shredded cheddar and monteray jack cheese
• light sour cream

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium high pot
2. Saute the onion, carrots, celery until soft
3. Add the mushrooms and red pepper and saute another 3-5 minutes
4. Add in the black beans, red kidney beans, tomatoes and corn
5. Stir in the spices and oregano, let simmer for 5 minutes, have a taste and add chili powder and chipotle chili powder if you want it spicier.
6. Add a bit of salt if you think it needs it.  Remember you can always add more but you can't take it out so add a little at a time, taste, add more if needed.
7. Let the whole bit simmer for 20 minutes.
8. Just before serving, toss in cilantro and celery leaves, stir.
9. Serve with cheese and sour cream on top of each bowl.

YUM, YUM, YUM. Seriously YUM

Leftover Noodles? Let's Make Noodle Soup!

Just like rice, I always make extra pasta and freeze it.  It's great to have on hand for super quick meals.  I made up this soup recipe last night and it was excellent.  Simple, light, quick, awesome!  Also great for using up leftover meat.  I make my own chicken broth and freeze it in 1 cup, 2 cup, 4 cup and 6 cup portions.  You can use store bought broth if you like, just be sure to get the reduced sodium kind!  You can also use any variety of veggies.  Cabbage, mushrooms, green beans, peas, frozen mixed, etc. 

Seems like a light meal but I promise you you'll be full!

Asian Noodle Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 -3 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti, fettuccine or linguine
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp hoisen sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 carrots, sliced thinly diagonally
• 2 cups broccoli, cut into thin stalks
• 2 green onions sliced on the diagonal
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups sliced cooked pork (I used leftover roast, you can thinly slice pork, chicken or beef from raw if you don't have leftovers)

Instructions:

1. Heat the broth, soy sauce, hoisen sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and ginger in a large soup pot until it comes to a boil.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add in the carrots, broccoli and green onions, simmer until the veggies are tender.
3. If using raw meat add now and simmer until cooked.
4. Add eggs and stir until cooked
5. If using cooked meat add now and heat through
6. Place 1/2 cup noodles in each bowl, top with 1-1 1/2 cup of the broth veggie mix.

Enjoy!  If you have leftovers, store the noodles and the broth veggie meat mix separately and heat them separately so the noodles don't get soggy.

Leftover Rice? Let's Make Rice Bowls!

Here is a simple, quick dish I whipped up the other night out of leftover rice.  I always make a big batch when I make rice so I have some ready to go for the next few meals.  It freezes well and is better than the processed stuff they call 'instant'!

You can use whatever meat, veggie and herb mix you like.  This is also a great use of leftover meat since it's already cooked.  All you have to do is add it in with the rice to heat through.

Rice Bowl with Veggies and Shrimp
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown rice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 ounces peeled shrimp
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced fine
• 2-3 cups frozen peas
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder

Instructions

1. Cook rice as per package instructions if you don't have any leftover on hand.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat
3. Cook shrimp until pink, toss in garlic
4. Remove shrimp from pan
5. Saute onions until soft
6. Add peas, curry, turmeric and ginger, heat until the peas are just bright green
7. Add in rice and shrimp, heat through
8. Serve!

Yup, that's it. Tasty!

Low Sodium Asian Stir Fry Sauce

I've been a little gobsmacked about the amount of sodium in Asian foods, even the recipes I make at home.  Here's a sauce that takes the sodium down to just 250 mg per serving!  Enjoy!

Be sure to cook this sauce for a couple of minutes to let the cornstarch do it's thing and thicken.  If you don't want to cook the sauce then leave out the cornstarch.

Stir Fry Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp garlic chili sauce
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Mix everything together and let sit until the sugar dissolves. 
2. Remix before pouring into your dish to make sure the cornstarch is well blended

As I mentioned it works out to 250mg of sodium per serving!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Why yes I am part Irish, what gave it away?!  When I went back to my natural hair colour after years of highlighting it to within an inch of it's life, I kept passing the mirror and thinking to myself "holy crap can you see the Irish in me now!".  This was due to the reddish brown tones mother nature gave me.  I'm English-Irish and can trace my family roots back 7 generations.  We may be dull but we're consistent.  It's only in this generation that anything other than English-Irish has entered our gene pool!  How's that for dull?!  While I live in New Scotland (Nova Scotia) I have not a lick of Scottish in me.  So today is extra special as we Irish take over Nova Scotia and call today ours. 

For dinner tonight I'm making a Shepherd's Pie.  There are lots of great recipes out there so I won't bother sharing mine.  However I did want to mention the Beef Broth.  I make mine from scratch.  It's deadly simple, way taster than store bought and healthier.  I put no salt or fat in mine, making it a neutral addition to any recipe.  I can always add more fat or salt when I use it later. 

Beef Broth
Makes 8 -12 cups

Ingredients:

• 1-2 good size beef marrow bones
• 1 rib celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 carrot cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2-3 springs thyme (or about 2 tsp dried)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• a good dash no salt added steak spice or Montreal steak spice
• Cover everything with water, to about 1/2 inch from top of pot.

Instructions:

1. Throw everything in a large soup pot.
2. Bring to a boil
3. Simmer 3-4 hours (or you can use your crock pot on high 5 -6 hours)
4. Strain the liquid, toss out all the solids as they are tasteless now.
5. Let cool, skip any fat off the top and freeze in 1 cup containers. 

I'll be using some of mine tonight to make the gravy/sauce base for my Shepherd's Pie.  I'll stir in some Worcestershire Sauce and a ketchup, about 1 tbsp each to add dimension to the flavour.  That will also up the sodium content so it's good to have that broth base be neutral..

Cassoulet

Also known as Fancy French Beans and Wieners.  Really, that's all it is.  The key to this dish is to use really good ingredients.  I use a local European style sausage and Jacob Cattle Beans but you can use whatever sausage/meat and bean combo you like.  If you can't find a decent sausage try lean ground pork with lots of sage, thyme, rosemary and garlic.  Great Northern Beans are often used in more traditional recipes.  White kidney beans would also work nicely.  Remember if you are using canned beans to watch the sodium level.  If you are using dried beans be sure they are the consistency you want before you add any juice, tomato or wine since adding acid will stop the cooking process leaving you with hard beans. 

Keep this dish low sodium by using reduced sodium bacon, ground pork, dried beans or canned beans with no salt added, no salt added tomatoes and homemade or low sodium chicken broth.  I often use regular bacon and a really good quality sausage (moderate sodium), dried beans, no salt added tomatoes and my homemade chicken broth which I don't add salt to so I can control the salt when I use it in recipes.  And I NEVER salt a dish until the end once everything is added and cooked together.  Then I see if the dish needs seasoning (salting) or not.  You'd be amazed how little salt I add this way.  I constantly amazed at how rarely I need to add salt and how little it takes when I do. 

Okay I'll get off my soapbox now and get down to the recipe.

Cassoulet
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried Jacob Cattle Beans
• 3 cups water
• 2 slices bacon, diced
• 5 Toulouse sausages, (French herb and garlic sausages)
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 5 medium carrots, diced
• 1 medium parsnip, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine or apple juice
• salt and pepper as necessary

Instructions:

1. Heat beans and water in a saucepan, bringing to a boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for an hour.  This can vary depending on the beans so check them often.  Don't overcook them.  At this point you just want them to be starting to plump up but still quite firm.
2. Heat a large dutch oven pan over medium high heat. Add in bacon and cook until crispy.  Add in the sausage and cook until the sausage is browned
3. Add the onion, celery, carrots and parsnip and cook until tender, about 15 minutes
4. Add in the garlic, thyme, chicken broth and beans.
5. Simmer until the beans are the right consistency, 2-3 hours approximately
6. Once the beans are as you like them, add in the tomatoes and wine/juice.  Let simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
7. Check the seasoning.  Add salt and pepper if necessary. 

Some traditional recipes use breadcrumbs on the top and place the whole pot in the oven to crisp it up the top.  Sometimes I do this and sometimes I skip it.  It thickens up the dish but often I don't find this necessary.  It's up to you.

Leftover Veggie Hash

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

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:

1. In a large saucepan heat the tomatoes, black beans, broth and seasoning over medium high heat until it comes to a boil
2. Add in the ravioli and boil until the ravioli comes to the top, about 3 -5 minutes
3. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the spinach. 
4. 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

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:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat
3. Remove the outer casing from the sausage and break it up in the pan.  Cook until browned
4. Add in the white parts of the onion and garlic. Saute for a minute.
5. Add in the rest of the ingredients up to and including the lime juice.
6. Cook for a minute or two until blended and heated through
7. Divide the mixture into 6 portions
8. 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.
9. Spread each portion in a tortilla, roll it up and place it seam side down in the baking dish
10. Top with a good spread of salsa over each enchilada
11. Sprinkle with the cheese
12. Spray the shiny side of a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray
13. Cover and bake for 20 minutes
14. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
15. 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

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:

1. Remove the skin from the chicken drumsticks
2. Mix the yogurt through red food colouring in a dish big enough to hold the drumsticks
3. Toss in the drumsticks and marinate overnight
4. 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
5. Preheat the oven to 425F
6. Remove the drumsticks from the marinade and place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil
7. Bake until the drumsticks are cooked through, about 50 minutes
8. 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:

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

Chicken and Leek Pie

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

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!!!)

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

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!