Jacques Pepin - The Apprentice, My Life in the Kitchen

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

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

Smashed Potatoes

1. 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. 
2. Let the tatties cool until you can handle them.
3. Take the palm of your hand an smash each potato until it's about an inch thick or so. 
4. Drizzle each potato with olive oil and your seasonings of choice.  I like Ms. Dash Herbs and Garlic. 
5. Turn potato over and season the other side.
6. Grill on high heat until crispy on the outside, on both sides. 
7. 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:

1. 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
2. Toss the potatoes, onions and herbs.
3. Blend the dressing mix with the potato mix.

Enjoy!

BBQ Fish in Foil (more recipes)

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:

1. Divide the above ingredients in 4 to fill 4 packets.
2. Layer them in the order presented above, spray foil on the shiny side with the cooking spray
3. In the middle of the sprayed foil place the green onions, then the fish, followed by the lemon pepper seasoning, dill, salt, spinach, nutmeg.
4. Top with the goat cheese, crumbled
5. Close the packets across the top and one side and pour in 1- 2 tbsp of water in each packet and seal.
6. 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:

1. Spray foil sheets on the shiny side with the cooking spray
2. Layer in the spaghetti, fish, green onions, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, and mushrooms
3. Mix the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice.
4. Fold up the packets, leaving one side open.
5. Divide and pour the sauce mix evenly in the 4 packets and fold the remaining side closed on each.
6. Bake at 350 or over indirect heat in a medium BBQ for 20 -25 minutes. 
7. 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

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!

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

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:

1. Heat oven or BBQ to high heat (425F)


2. 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


3. Toss the turnip fries with the remaining ingredients


4. Spread the turnip over the baking sheet


5. 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:

1. Heat BBQ to high heat


2. Cut fillet into 4 portions


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


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


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


6. Close foil on top and one end.


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


8. 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

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:

1. Remove the skin and bones from the salmon.


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


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


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


5. 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

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:

1. Heat the broth in a medium pot to a boil


2. Add quinoa and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside


3. Heat the 2 tsp oil in a pan


4. Saute the onions until browned


5. Add in the garlic and squash and saute until golden


6. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted


7. Toss in the quinoa, basil, olive oil and Parmesan


8. Stir until heated through


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


10. Serve with extra Parmesan.

Enjoy!

Veal Bolognese

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:

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


2. Saute the onions, garlic and carrots until tender


3. Add in the veal and saute until browned and cooked through


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


5. Simmer for 10 minutes


6. Serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

Banger and Mash Pie

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:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F


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


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


4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute


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


6. Simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender


7. Add in the peas and heat through


8. Cut the pastry into 4 rectangles


9. Spray 4 small casserole dishes with cooking spray


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


11. Spoon in the filling mix evenly between the 4 dishes


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


13. Brush on the beaten egg.


14. 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

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

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

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

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:

1. Mix and enjoy on eggs benny, veggies or fish.

Yup, that simple. Enjoy!

Rainy Day Minestrone

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:

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


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


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


4. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.


5. Add salt and pepper to taste.


6. 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.


7. Bring the soup up to a boil.


8. Add in the zucchini and pasta


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


10. Stir in the beans and heat through


11. Serve with a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan

Enjoy!

Rant - Processed Foods Are Evil!

• 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

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:

1. 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


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


3. Saute the onions until soft.


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


5. Add in the spinach and stir until just wilted


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


7. Add in the pasta.


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


9. Top with the remaining cheese.


10. 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!

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

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

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:

1. 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
2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium high heat with the oil/fat.
3. Saute the onion until soft
4. Add the pork, garlic and spices and cook through. Check for salt and add as necessary
5. Add the drained potatoes and cook until browned, about 5 minutes
6. Add the maple syrup and nutmeg and heat through

Enjoy!

Shrimp Quesadillas

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

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:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.
2. Saute the stew beef until brown.
3. Sprinkle with the flour and saute until thick
4. Add the onion and celery and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
5. Toss in the everything but the potatoes
6. Simmer over medium low heat 15 minutes
7. 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

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:

1. Heat a dry saute pan over medium high heat
2. Toss the pumpkin seeds in the pan and heat until brown and plump
3. Remove the seeds and set aside
4. 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)
5. Divide the spinach, beets, shallots and pumpkin seeds between 4 salad plates.
6. Drizzle with the blue cheese dressing.

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

Meatloaf Most Excellent

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:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. 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.
3. Add the parmesan, onion, garlic and rosemary to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped
4. Add the parmesan bread mix to a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix until just blended.
5. 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

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:

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

Enjoy!

Chinese Sesame Noodles

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:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
2. Drain and toss with 1 tbsp of the sesame oil
3. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a wok over medium high heat
4. Saute the chicken until cooked through and remove from the wok
5. Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together in either a blender or use a hand blender (immersion blender), set aside.
6. Add the broccoli and red cabbage to the wok and cook until tender
7. 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)
8. Add in the sauce and heat through
9. Add in the noodles and heat through again.

Enjoy!

Polenta with Italian Tomato, Zucchini and Bean Sauce

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:

1. Grease a 9X5 bread pan and put aside.
2. Heat the broth and Italian seasoning in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering
3. Pour in the cornmeal a bit at a time, whisking until blended.
4. Heat until thickened (add more cornmeal if necessary) about 3 minutes
5. Stir in the cheese and immediately pour into the prepared bread pan
6. 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:

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat
2. If using the polenta, heat a saute or grill pan over high heat.
3. Add the onion, zucchini and Italian seasoning and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
4. Pour in the tomato sauce and beans.
5. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes
6. Meanwhile, brown or grill the polenta slices in the saute or grill pan on both sides until brown.
7. 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...)

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

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:

1. Heat the oven to 350
2. Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and melt the butter until bubbly
3. Whisk in the flour and cook one minute, reduce the heat to medium
4. Slowly whisk in the milk and heat until thick
5. Stir in the Parmesan, thyme, parsley, dry mustard and salt. Set aside
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Scoop on a layer of the veggie mix. Cover with another layer of noodles and then white sauce.
9. Spread out a layer of scallops and cover them with mozzarella. Then another layer of noodles and sauce.
10. Keep layering until you run out of ingredients. End with a layer of noodles, white sauce and mozzarella.
11. 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

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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Increase the heat to medium high and saute the onions until soft
4. Add the garlic, tomatoes and herbs. Cook until the tomatoes break down
5. Add the broth and scrap any bits off the bottom of the pot.
6. Add the squash, bring to boil and then simmer until the squash is soft
7. Use either a hand blender or regular blender to puree the soup.
8. 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

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

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:

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

Amazing!

Canadian Thanksgiving

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:

1. Mix everything together in a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
2. Simmer until the cranberries are all popped and broken down - about 15 - 20 minutes
3. 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:

1. Peel and cut the veggies into similar size pieces, about 1 1/2 inches each
2. 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
3. Drain the veggies (this can all be done the day before)
4. Preheat the oven to 375F.
5. Mix the honey, turmeric, thyme and veg oil. Toss the veggies with the mix
6. Place in a shallow pan in a single layer
7. 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!

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

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:

1. Preheat the oven 350
2. Mix all the ingredients together and put in a baking dish
3. 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

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

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

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

Potato Salad

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!!

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

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:

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

Enjoy

Best Green Beans Ever!

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:

1. 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
2. Put the diced bacon in a skillet and heat over medium heat
3. Cook the bacon until crispy.
4. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel
5. Remove all but 1 tbsp of the bacon fat from the pan
6. Add the shallots and saute until golden.
7. Add the green beans, red wine vinegar, mustard and lemon juice.
8. Heat through
9. Toss back in bacon bits.

Enjoy!

Sliders!

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

1. Mix the beef and Worcestershire sauce together and form into patties
2. Grill the burgers, onion and bacon/capocello/prosciutto
3. When the burgers are almost done top with the blue cheese
4. 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

1. Mix the beef, feta, mint, oregano and garlic powder and make into patties
2. Grill the burgers, peppers and onion
3. 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

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

Leftover Chimichurri

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!!!

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:

1. Soak the red chili in the vinegar
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat
3. Toast the almonds in the pan, remove and place on a towel to drain
4. Toast garlic in the pan until golden, remove and place on towel to drain
5. Toast the bread crumbs in the pan, remove and place on a towel to drain.
6. Cook onions in the pan until golden.
7. 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.
8. Place everything, including chili and vinegar, in a food processor or bowl and use a stick blender to puree until finely ground.
9. Salt to taste and set aside
10. Heat the grill to high.
11. 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.
12. Brush the leeks with olive oil and grill until tender and charred a bit.
13. Serve the leeks with some sauce poured over and some bread on the side for scooping up the leftover sauce
14. 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

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:

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

Enjoy!

Nigeria - Pancakes with Shrimp

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:

1. 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)
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour the batter in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients except the oil. Blend
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat
5. Spoon heaping tablespoons of the batter into the oil.
6. Turn when the bottom is golden brown
7. Keep cooked pancakes warm while frying the rest of the batter.
   
   Enjoy with a nice salad!

Spain - Gazpacho

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:

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

Enjoy!

Brazil - Chimichurri Beef

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:

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

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

Fifa World Cup Menu - Week 4

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