Relish

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

2012-02-08T08:52:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been to Tuscany? I haven't (yet), but I assume that this soup is how it tastes. It's rustic and simple and earthy and fresh. Even in the dead of winter in decidedly flat Winnipeg, you can whip this up and be transported to a sunny spot in the Tuscan countryside. Feel free to take this a step further by adding some white beans or a little grated parmesan. Or throw in a couple of handfuls of torn crusty bread and, presto - you've just made Ribollita.

But, back to the basics. As simple as this soup is, there are 2 extra steps that make it really special. The roasted squash and the oven-dried tomatoes. I like delicata squash for this because it has a thin, edible rind that looks rather pretty beside the boring ol' cabbage and kale. The oven-dried tomatoes add a real punch of flavour (and colour). If you have never made tomatoes like this before, you are in for a treat. The roasting makes them sweet and tart and chewy and positively addictive. Even the blackened puddles of tomato juice that they leave behind on the parchment are impossible to resist. Yeah, I'll admit it - I licked.

You will want to roast your squash and tomatoes well before you start your soup. The squash only take about 20 mins to cook, but the tomatoes will need a little more time. I did mine in the morning, prepped all of my veggies, and then threw it all together at dinner time. Sadly, and much to the disappointment of the mascot and my fella, the soup was intended for this week's lunches and the heavenly scent that filled the house was forbidden fruit. Or, rather, forbidden veg.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

1 delicata squash*, diced

2 cups grape tomatoes

1/2 cup each diced onion, sliced celery, sliced carrots

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp each dried thyme and oregano

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

2 tbsp tomato paste (rounded)

2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

4 cups vegetable stock

2 cups chopped cabbage

4 cups shredded kale

On a parchment lined pan, roast squash at 400 until tender; set aside. On a separate, parchment-lined pan, roast tomatoes until slightly charred and deflated. Remove squash from oven, but leave tomatoes in turned-off oven (to further dry out as the oven cools.) In a soup pot, saute onion, celery and carrot until onion is translucent. Add garlic, dried herbs, tomato paste, water, salt, stock and cabbage. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer until cabbage and carrots are tender. Add roasted squash, oven-dried tomatoes and kale, and continue to cook for 3 mins. Taste and adjust seasonings. 5 servings (68 cals each, according to myfitnesspal)

*If delicata are unavailable, substitute peeled, diced butternut squash, roasted as above.

Chia Pudding

2012-02-06T12:15:00.000-06:00

Ch-ch-ch-chia! Remember those uber-annoying, yet uber-catchy, ads from a few years ago? They came out back when the only use for chia seeds (that we knew of) was to sprout hair on a terra cotta sheep.

Since then, we've discovered what the Aztecs and Mayans have known for (literally) ages....that you can, get this, EAT THEM.

As a food, Chia seeds are an incredibly rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as an excellent source of calcium (6x more than milk), phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc. Plus, they are high in protein, fibre and, here's the really cool part, form a gel in the stomach which regulates digestion, allowing sugars to breakdown more slowly (read: fewer sugar spikes).

It's this gelling action that makes Chia seeds absolutely magical in the kitchen. Added to water and allowed to thicken, Chia seeds can be used as an egg substitute (much like flax, but without the "flaxy" taste). Almond or coconut (or soy or rice...) milk is transformed into a thick, creamy pudding when just a couple of spoonfuls of Chia are stirred in and allowed to set. I made a simple coconut pudding this weekend and was amazed at how so little effort could yield such an impressive (and healthy!) result. My little half-cup of pudding, made with So Delicious coconut milk and stevia, had only 68 calories and provided 3.5 grams of fibre and 2.5 grams of protein. I ate it as a bedtime snack with some berries and it kept me perfectly happy all night long; no midnight raids on the refrigerator for this girl!

I used white Chia seeds for my first attempt at a pudding. While nutritionally identical to the more commonly found black Chia, they tend to look better in a lighter coloured pudding. That said, I don't think that I would've minded the black seeds against the white of the coconut milk. (It would've looked just like the inside of a dragon fruit, come to think of it.) The texture of this pudding is similar to that of a tapioca pudding, but lighter and fresher tasting. The gel that forms around the seeds stays clear, which makes for a really interesting appearance. I don't think these pictures do it justice, so you'll have to take my word for it... or just make some for yourself!

Coconut Chia Pudding

1 cup unsweetened coconut beverage

2 tbsp whole Chia seeds

2 packets Stevia (or sweeten to taste)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together all ingredients. Let stand, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Makes 2 half-cup servings. This will keep for a couple days in the fridge...if you can keep your spoon out of it.

So, that's the basic recipe; now, run with it. Swap out the coconut milk for almond. Try vanilla flavour...or chocolate. Add a different extract, or a spoonful of toasted coconut or chopped nuts. Experiment with sweeteners - maple syrup, honey? Double the recipe. Triple it. Just be sure to let me know what you come up with!

My next Chia experiment (besides about a million more flavours of pudding) will be to use the seeds in a non-fat, naturally thickened salad dressing. I'll keep you posted.

Sushi Night

2012-02-04T22:21:00.001-06:00

We (I) made sushi tonight! Most of the work went into the prep, but once I had everything cut and ready to go, the rolls came together pretty quickly.

If you decide to try this at home (and you should!!), it's important to remember to allow enough time for the rice to cool. Thankfully, the weather tonight was perfect for cooling the rice outside on the front steps.

We each had a couple big rolls, plus edamame and miso soup.

Top (mine): crab, avocado, cucumber, brown rice; soy/ginger shiitakes, asparagus, yellow pepper, carrot, brown rice; spinach and sesame (no rice or nori)

Bottom (Mascot's): crab, raw spinach, carrot, brown rice; chicken, cucumber, yellow pepper, brown rice, teriyaki sauce; gyoza.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Charred Corn

2012-02-01T08:03:00.000-06:00

I make a pot of soup every Sunday. Sometimes I plan well-ahead, but often I don't know what kind it will be until I am standing in the grocery store on Saturday morning, looking for inspiration. This past weekend, I came face-to-face with a virtual mountain of shiny red peppers at Costco, and before I could give it a second thought, they were in my cart.

Coming up with a plan was just as easy; I wanted to roast them and then play up the smoky, sweetness with 2 kinds of paprika (smoked and sweet). To add body and to balance out some of that sweetness with a little acidity, tomatoes seemed like an obvious choice; and to provide a little contrast - sweet, crisp corn kernels. To further guild the lily, I charred the corn in a hot pan until it was popping and dancing.

The roasted peppers are definitely the star of the show in this surprisingly light soup. With ingredients chosen to compliment, but not overwhelm them, their distinctive flavour shines through. Feel free to roast twice as many as you need and add them to pizzas, pastas, antipasto trays, sandwiches, and dips/spreads. If nothing else, your kitchen will smell heavenly for the rest of the day.

To roast peppers: place whole peppers on a parchment-lined baking pan. Roast in a 450 degree oven until they are softened and charred. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before handling. Carefully remove and discard* the skins, scrape out the seeds and any white membranes, and transfer to a bowl before using. *Don't throw out the juice that collects in the bowl as the peppers cool. It is sweet, smoky, liquid gold.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Charred Corn

5 long, red sweet peppers (about a cup, roasted and chopped)

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp sweet paprika

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained

4 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup corn kernels, charred*

In a non-stick sup pot, saute onion until softened. Add garlic; saute until fragrant. Stir in paprika(s) and tomato paste and saute, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add honey, salt, tomatoes and stock, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 mins. Stir in roasted peppers (and that precious juice) and continue to simmer for 5 more mins. Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender until completely smooth. Remove any stray bits of pepper skin that do not blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with charred corn.

Serves 5. (80 cals per serving, according to myfitnesspal)

*I say "discard the skins" to make you think that I didn't stand at the stove and eat them as fast as I could pull them off.

Flower Power

2012-01-31T08:11:00.000-06:00

Let's say we were hanging out at the coffee shop or used bookstore and you turned to me and innocently asked, "Rebecca, what's your favourite vegetable?" I honestly don't think that I could come up with an answer for you. It would be like choosing between my children. That is, if I had bothered to have more than one.

My grocery cart is a weekly love letter to produce:

Carrots? Love 'em. Remember the time I ate so many that I turned myself orange and people kept asking me where I had been vacationing? Good times.

Broccoli? Good stuff. One of the mascot's favourites, so I can find no fault.

Green beans? Can't get enough. In fact, I am glad that my fella hates them so that I don't have to share.

Cabbage? Yeah. Sorry, 'bout that.

Brussels Sprouts? Hated them as a child; love them as a growed-up.

Eggplant? Like an arm-less, leg-less Grimace. What's not to adore?

Squash, assorted? Haven't met one I didn't like. Acorn, butternut, spaghetti, delecata, pumpkin... yes, yes yes, yes, yes.

Cauliflower? Oh, cauliflower. Where do I start?

Well, first of all, I should start with an apology. For years, I didn't bother with cauliflower. It was too cumbersome and too messy to cut and, really, what can you do besides steaming it?

The answer is: so much, my friends, so much. I like it steamed, yes, but also roasted, mashed, braised with indian spices, folded into a savoury curry, baked into a fritatta, pureed into the silkiest of soups, or cooked, bashed-up and served as an alternative to rice. I eat it raw almost every day for lunch and have even been known to snack on handfuls of it when I just need something crunchy. You have your peanut butter on toast points or celery stalks? I have mine on cauliflower.

In a recent blog post, "One Vegetable, Four Meals", Mark Bittman waxes poetic about cauliflower. His description of "Roman style" cauliflower with anchovies, dried chilis and "loads of garlic" had me wondering if anything could ever be better than that... until I read about his pan-roasted, egg-topped cauliflower breakfast. And, if you are wondering if it really is possible to stretch a single head of cauliflower over four meals, feel free to join me at Costco some time. I have seen them the size of Volkswagens there.

One of my very favourite recipes for cauliflower is Padma Lakshmi's Sauteed Cauliflower with Anise and Cashews (pictured above); a simple dish to prepare that looks and tastes incredible. I have doubled the recipe, taken it to potlucks and gone home with nary a cashew. I am sharing the recipe here, but I highly recommend that you pick up Padma's cookbook. It is filled with anecdotes, tips and, of course, recipes as fabulous as Padma herself.

Sauteed Cauliflower with Anise and Cashews

adapted from "Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet" by Padma Lakshmi

1 tsp whole anise seeds

1 pinch dried hot chilis

1 cup diced onion or shallots

1 1/12 tbsp minced ginger

1 large cauliflower, broken into florets

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cashews

In a skillet over medium-high heat, toast the anise seeds and chilis until fragrant. Add onions (or shallots), ginger, cauliflower, water and salt. Cook for 10 mins. Add cashews and cook, uncovered, for an additional 10 mins or until all of the moisture is gone, stirring occasionally. The cauliflower should be browned at the edges and cashews should be toasted and golden. Serves 4 - 6.

Veggie Lasagna - lightened up!

2012-01-27T08:30:00.000-06:00

Most Saturday evenings, my fella will come over for dinner and a movie. I always try to make something somewhat special, and, if not *special*, than at least a little bit different from our usual weekday fare. Although lasagna doesn't come up all that often in the rotation of favourites, it is always met with much enthusiasm...even by the chef!

Lasagna used to be something that I avoided making - in part because of the expense, but mostly because it was a production of the highest level. All of that chopping and boiling and grating and layering... gah! After some tweaking, I have managed to drastically cut the cost (and the calories!) and reduce production time by more than half. Even with a scratch-made sauce, it's a pretty quick assembly - less than 20 mins to throw it together and another 30 in the oven. Which gives you plenty of time to whip up a salad and slice a baguette!

Veggie Lasagna

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 pkg Italian veggie ground round

1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1 container light ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt, divided

fresh lasagna noodles (as many as you need to make 3 layers, trimmed to fit your baking dish)

2/3 cup grated part-skim mozzarella (or Italian blend) cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg and remaining salt; set aside. In a non-stick skillet, saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and fennel seeds; cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juice, 1/8 tsp salt, sugar, and vinegar. Simmer, uncovered for 10 mins, or until sauce is thickened. Place about 1/2 cup of the tomato/meat sauce in bottom of prepared baking dish, spreading evenly (it will not cover completely). Top with 1 layer of fresh noodles. Add almost all of the tomato/meat sauce, reserving 1 cup. Top with another layer of noodles. Add all of the ricotta mixture, spreading evenly from edge to edge. Top with final layer of noodles and remainder of sauce. Sprinkle evenly with grated cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 mins, or until bubbling throughout and golden on top. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

*6 servings @ 284 calories each, according to myfitnesspal.com

Beet, Chard and Sweet Potato Soup

2012-01-25T08:30:00.001-06:00

Sunday morning I woke up craving sweets. Not cinnamon buns and chocolate croissants, as you might think, but sweet potatoes, baby carrots, beets and red chard. Since Sunday is my day to make soup, I decided to put all of those flavours into one magical, jewel-toned pot of goodness.

I decided to roast the beets separately to concentrate their beet-y flavour, but also to prevent the other veggies (especially the sweet potato) from turning *too* pink. To compliment (and counter) the sweetness of the beet and potato, I added a good splash of balsamic vinegar.

The balsamic also helped to deepen the red of the broth and brought out the subtle hint of cinnamon. If you don't have balsamic (which seems preposterous to me), you could use a splash of red wine vinegar and a good pinch of brown sugar. It won't have teh same depth of flavour that you get from balsamic, but it'll give you that sweet/sour balance that you're looking for.

Beet, Chard and Sweet Potato Soup

1 cup diced roasted beets*

1 bunch red chard

1/2 cup each diced onion, celery and carrot

1 cup diced sweet potato (1 medium)

4 cups prepared vegetable stock

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 3" cinnamon stick

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

Remove stems from chard leaves, then dice stems and finely shred leaves; set aside. In a soup pot, saute onion, celery and carrot until onion is softened and translucent. Add sweet potato, chard stems, vegetable stock, water, bay leaf and cinnamon stick to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender (approx 10 mins). Remove from heat; discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Stir in balsamic vinegar, chard leaves and roasted beets. Cover and let stand until chard leaves are wilted. Taste and add salt, if needed.
5 servings (69 calories per serving, according to myfitnesspal)

*To roast beets, wrap washed, untrimmed beets in foil and roast at 375 until tender (mine took about an hour). Allow to cool to room temperature before unwrapping. Peel (the skin should slip off easily) and slice or dice as desired.

Miso Soba Power Soup

2012-01-23T12:01:00.002-06:00

When I want a meal that is both filling and virtuous, I always make this soup. Something about an impossibly large bowl generously filled with everything good for me makes me feel like I am being especially kind to myself. Plus, anytime I eat miso, I feel like I can take on the world...or bravely tackle the laundry, at the very least.

One important thing to remember when using miso, is to never allow the broth to boil after adding the miso paste. Always add it last, after all of the other ingredients are cooked and the pot has been removed from the heat. Whisking a bit of hot broth into the miso will warm it, and also help prevent large blobs of undissolved miso from appearing on your spoon.

Miso Soba Power Soup

1 bundle buckwheat soba noodles (cooked, rinsed in cold water and drained)

4 - 6 cups water

1 carrot, grated

4 large mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup shelled edamame or green peas

6 spears asparagus, sliced on the bias

2 handfuls baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup crab-flavoured pollock* or diced tofu

2 - 3 tbsp white miso paste

3 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

Bring water to boil in a soup pot. Add carrots and mushrooms; simmer 3 mins. Add edamame (or peas) and asparagus and simmer for 3 more mins, or until asparagus is tender. Stir in spinach. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine miso paste and about 1/4 cup of your hot "broth", whisking until smooth. Add to the soup, stirring to completely dissolve. Divide noodles and crab (or tofu) between 2 deep soup bowls. Ladle hot soup over top, making sure to get an equal amount of vegetables in each pot. Serve with chopsticks, a spoon and an enormous sense of worth.

Serves 2. (Recipe can be halved to serve one, but why not do something nice for someone?)

Note: feel free to use your own combination of veggies and protein, just adjust the cooking time as needed. Carrot flowers are optional.

Thai Red Curry with Veggie Chicken or Tofu

2012-01-20T08:25:00.000-06:00

Baby, it's cold outside! Like, really cold. Cold enough that my desire to look cute has been tossed out the window in favour of a big, red hooded parka and Elmer Fudd-inspired plaid hat. And I've given up on wearing sleek, sexy boots, too. It's all about survival out there - who knows what can happen during my arduous 3 minute trek from car to office, and office to car.

The only thing to do in this weather is bundle up and make a run for it. Or, better yet, just stay in.

If you do have to venture out, however, you'll want a good reason to return to the safety and comfort of the Great Indoors. I can't think of a better one than a steamy bowl full of something a little spicy to warm you from the inside out. This Thai red curry fits the bill to a "t". It has all of the elements of a classic Thai curry (sweet, salty, sour, spicy), but without much of the fat, thanks to lite coconut milk, and is made with pantry basics*. Serve with jasmine rice, noodles or extra veggies.

Thai Red Curry with Veggie Chicken or Tofu

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp red curry paste

1 tsp grated fresh ginger (optional)

zest and juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1/2 cup veggie stock

1/2 tbsp light brown sugar or palm sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 pkg veggie chicken strips or 1 small package firm tofu, cubed

4 cups steamed mixed vegetables (carrots, green beans, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc)

1 cup baby spinach leaves, packed

In large, non-stick saucepan over medium heat, saute onion until softened. Add garlic, curry paste and ginger; sauté 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add lime zest, coconut milk, stock, sugar and soy sauce. Simmer 5 mins, then stir in veggie chicken (or tofu) and simmer 5 additional mins. Add lime juice, spinach and steamed vegetables. Cook until veggies are heated through and spinach is wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serves 2

226 cals/serving (according to myfitnesspal), make with veggie chicken and vegetables (as above)

*Yes, I consider curry paste a "basic". I always have small jars of both red and green on hand, along with a few cans of coconut milk. It's a great trick to have up your sleeve when you need something exciting, impressive and/or fast.

Veggie Beef and Spinach Curry

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

I don't know exactly when it happened, but the mascot has recently become a BIG fan of spinach, both raw and cooked. He's also a fan of curries, bowl food, and anything resembling ground beef (veggie or otherwise). Still, I couldn't help but wonder about this one as I was throwing it together. Just to be on the safe side, I cooked up a pot of pasta to serve it on. Even if he didn't like what was on top, there would be something worth digging for at the bottom of the bowl.

As it turned out, I had absolutely no reason to worry. Two bites in and he declared it the "best-ever curry ever". I don't know about that (we've had some slamming curries), but it was pretty darn good. The tomato and coconut milk work together to make a light, but silky, sauce that coats every single morsel. The mascot loved it with pasta, as I knew he would, but it would also be great on rice or potatoes, or with warmed naan to sop up the sauce.

Veggie "Beef" and Spinach Curry

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

pinch cayenne or indian chili powder (hot)

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 2" piece cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 cup chopped tomatoes (or canned diced tomatoes, drained)

2/3 cup lite coconut milk

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1/2 pkg veggie ground round

4 cups (2 huge handfuls) baby spinach

juice of 1/2 lime

In a non stick skillet, saute onion until softened. Add garlic and spices; saute, stirring constantly, until spices are toasted and fragrant (1 min). Stir in tomatoes, soy sauce, coconut milk and carrots; simmer for 5 mins. Add veggie ground round, breaking up with a spoon; add spinach. Simmer, covered, until spinach is wilted. Stir in lime juice. Remove cinnamon stick. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serves 2, 168 cals per serving (according to myfitnesspal.com)

Optional: add 1 cup of chickpeas to make this a heartier main dish.

Tomato Sweet Potato Soup

2012-01-15T09:33:00.001-06:00

I have been having a wicked craving for tomato soup lately. Nothing fancy, just a nice, creamy, slightly sweet tomato soup. The kind of soup that you want to come at with a spoon in one hand and a grilled cheese sandwich, poised for dipping, in the other. Basically, I wanted canned tomato soup...but not canned tomato soup, you know what I mean?

This is pure and simple comfort food, straight from your childhood, but cleaned up and elevated to a new, somewhat grown-up level. No gloppy, just-add-water stuff here. The texture is creamy, without any added cream or thickeners and the spicing is subtle, but bang-on. I didn't add any salt or sugar, because it just didn't need it. Nope, I don't think I would change a thing.

Now, where's my grilled cheese...?

Tomato Sweet Potato Soup
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
4 cups vegetable stock, homemade or store-bought
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp chopped or pureed fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
In a soup pot, saute onions until just starting to colour. Add sweet potatoes, stock, ginger and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, but not soft. Add tomatoes and remainder of spices. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, discard cinnamon stick and, using an immersion blender, blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Makes 5 servings*

*60 cals each, according to myfitnesspal.

Interesting note: I had no love whatsoever for tomato soup until just a few years ago. I think I was traumatized at an early age by a family who used to babysit me. They would serve tomato soup with a huge pat of butter floating on top. Butter.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Just like in Cuba, the traditional New Years Day meal at our house is "Moros y Cristianos", aka black beans and rice.

This year, we rounded out the meal with shrimp braised in a slightly spicy tomato and bell pepper sauce. (It leaned more towards creole than cuban, but I didn't hear any complaints.)

Most recipes for Moros y Cristianos include tomatoes and a sofrito of garlic, onions and bell peppers. Our version is stripped down to the bare minimum - just rice and black beans - which is why we do something saucy to go with. If you want to try the traditional Cuban version, a quick Google search will give you dozens of options.

Here's hoping that our "Moors and Christians" will bring us some luck in 2012!

Bonus: smart vegetarians and vegans will know that rice and beans make a complete protein, so this is a great dish to put in weekly rotation... don't wait until next January to try it!

Nutty Goat Cheese

2011-12-20T12:45:00.002-06:00

This is cheese and crackers taken to the next level. However, it doesn't take much time, there is no actual "cooking" involved and it calls for exactly 4 ingredients.

Don't be fooled by its simplicity, though; this is one of those things that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

The fresh rosemary gives it that herbal, almost resinous flavour. If you don't have fresh, skip it. To change things up a bit, I'm going to try this with honey/rosemary roasted pecans this year.

For now, though, here's the tried and true version for your nibbling pleasure:

Nutty Goat Cheese

1/2 - 1 cup pecan halves, toasted or not

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1/8 tsp coarse or flaked salt

1 small log soft goat cheese (chevre)

Chop nuts and rosemary together with salt* until finely chopped. Place on a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Unwrap goat cheese and carefully roll it in the nuts, pressing lightly to adhere, but being careful to maintain the shape of the cheese. Roll and press, press and roll, until you can't get any more nuts to stick. Don't forget the ends! Remove any extra nut pieces** from parchment and use to wrap cheese tightly. Refrigerate until ready to use. To serve: place on a pretty plate with a couple sprigs of rosemary and a small knife. Enjoy with crackers or melba toast.

*You can do this in a small food processor, but be careful not to make nut butter. Pulse only until nuts are chopped, not pulverized.

**Don't throw them out! Sprinkle them on a salad or something.

Speedy Gonzales' Salsa Soup

2011-12-19T15:37:00.000-06:00

Homemade soup in less than a minute? Well, I suppose that depends on how tightly you cling to the idea of "homemade".

Rather than get into any hair-splitting arguments, maybe we should call this home-assembled soup. It can literally be thrown together in 60 seconds...and that includes chopping the herbs. It doesn't, however, account for any heating. Not that you couldn't eat this cold; I made this to be packed in containers and taken to work for lunch. 3 mins in the microwave is all it takes to make it muy caliente y delicioso!

Speedy Gonzales' Salsa Soup

1 650ml jar chunky salsa

1 1L box of vegetable stock

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Stir all ingredients together. Heat and serve, or divide into containers for a week's worth of lunches.
5 servings, 38 cals each (depending on your salsa)

Note: go ahead and use your favourite store-bought or homemade salsa for this recipe. I chose one with black beans and white corn for the extra fibre. Because that's what I need. More fibre.

Crack

2011-12-08T10:23:00.001-06:00

You might know of it as Puppy Chow, or possibly Muddy Buddies, but around our house it is simply known as "crack" and it is the ONE confection that the mascot has requested this year.

Warning: this stuff is wickedly addictive. My advice is to make a batch and then package 90% of it up and give it away. Stat!

Muddy Puppy Crack

9 cups Chex or Crispix cereal

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup natural, smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Place cereal in a very large mixing bowl and powdered sugar in a very large ziplock bag. In a double-boiler, melt together peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Carefully pour mixture over cereal, mixing well to coat every piece. Working in batches, and while still warm, place coated cereal in ziplock bag and shake to completely cover with sugar. Remove, shaking off excess sugar, and transfer to parchment lined baking pans to cool. Store in airtight containers for up to... oh, who are we kidding? This stuff won't last a day in your house.

Note: there is really no way to make this "healthy", other than using a good, natural peanut butter and the "multi-grain" varieties of the cereal. If your peanut butter is fairly thin, you could probably just use 3/4 of a cup of that and forego the butter completely.

Gingerbread Oatmeal

2011-12-05T11:17:00.001-06:00

I woke up Sunday morning craving gingerbread in a big way. Rather than whip up a batch of cookies and make a meal of them (and god knows I wanted to), I decided to give my usual bowl of oatmeal a gingerbread-y twist.

Crystallized ginger is the surprise star of the show here. Just a little bit goes a long way, but feel free to add more for extra zing. Yeah, I said "zing". Brown sugar is critical here, too, as it adds just a touch of molasses flavour.

Gingerbread Oatmeal

1/2 cup quick oats

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

pinch ground cloves

pinch fresh nutmeg

pinch salt

1/2 tsp chopped crystallized ginger

1 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small pot. Bring to boil, simmer until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serves 1

Tip: if you really enjoy food that watches you as you eat it, feel free to decorate your bowl of oatmeal with a raisin "face".

Dynamite Panko Tots

2011-11-03T08:03:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, when I am in the kitchen, I find myselfchanneling famous (and not-so-famous) chefs. I don’t think I have ever made aCajun recipe without exclaiming “Bam!” at some point, and I’ve yet to make apot of mussels without asking myself “What would Chef Alex do?” (The answer,btw, is invariably “bacon”.)

Last night, however, as I was peering into a container ofcold, leftover potatoes, a different sort of voice popped into my head.

So, yup, you guessed it… I made tots.

These tots are unlike Napoleon’s fave snack in that they aremore like silky pillows of cheesy mashed potatoes in a light, non-fried pankocoating. After 3 days of Halloween-related junk-food, I needed to bring backsome semblance of healthy.

That, said, I do have to admit that Chef Alex’s influencecame in right at the last minute and the mascot somehow ended up with a side ofbacon on his plate. I drew the line at the shot of rye.

Dynamite Panko Tots

2 -3 cups cold, cooked potatoes

1 egg

½ tsp salt

¼ - ½ cup shredded cheese

panko crumbs

Place panko crumbs in a shallow bowl and season with alittle salt. Pulse potatoes in the bowl of a food processor until coarselychopped. Add egg and salt, process until just smooth, but not whipped. Transferto a bowl and stir in grated cheese. Working with a mounded tablespoon at atime, form the mixture into “tots”. Once all of the potato mixture has beenused up, roll each tot in the panko crumbs, coating all sides and being carefulnot to distort their shape. Place tots on a parchment-lined baking sheet andbake for 20 mins at 400 degrees, turning once. Serve hot…or place in the pocketof your pants for later. (No, don’t.)

Note: the panko crumbs will never really get to the golden brownshade that deep-fried tots are known for, so if you are looking for that sortof thing, try crushed corn flakes or (god forbid) crushed potato chips.

Panko-breaded Squash

2011-10-28T08:46:00.000-05:00

The one thing that I failed to mention in yesterday’s post about my wonderful winter squash was the sheer volume of (for lack of a better word) flesh that the darn thing yielded. Not only did I get a big pot of soup and two days’ worth of roasted/mashed squash, I also got a huge serving of what could best be described as Squash McNuggets.

Ok, maybe that’s not really the best way to describe them. They transcend the common nugget and reach new heights of dippable awesomeness. Crunchy on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside, these little gems are probably my new favourite way to eat squash.

You can season and spice them any way you’d like, of course. I went with a blend of nutmeg, allspice and curry powder, to compliment my chutney dip, but I think they would be just as yummy if you went in a French or Italian direction. Adding ground nuts or grated hard cheese to the breading would be good, too… oh, the squashabilities!

Panko-breaded Squash

¼ cup panko

¼ tsp brown sugar

¼ tsp salt, or to taste

½ tsp curry powder

big pinch each nutmeg and allspice

1 egg white, lightly beaten

winter squash, sliced 1/4” thick

Combine panko and seasonings in a shallow dish or plate; set aside. Toss squash slices with egg white. Working one or two at a time, press squash slices into seasoned panko, turning to coat both sides. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 425 for 20 mins, or until tender throughout and lightly browned. Serve with a dipping sauce.

As I experiment with different flavours, I will report back. I am already thinking up a hazelnut version to try this weekend.

The Magical Mystery Squash

2011-10-27T08:46:00.000-05:00

Don’t get me wrong, I would be happy to see my fella’s parents even if they came to town empty-handed, but the fact that they always arrive with a box of organic produce for us makes their visits just that much sweeter. This time, along with the usual gargantuan carrots and mammoth potatoes, they gave us a couple of big “mystery squashes” – pale pink and shaped like squat, bumpy pumpkins, they were familiar, but unlike any that I have seen before.

Going on the assumption (and the hope) that these squashes would be along the same lines as, say, a butternut squash or a pumpkin, I threw caution to the wind and decided to use one for my weekly pot of soup. I figured that I could taste as I went along, adjusting the seasonings to suit. I knew that the flavour wouldn’t be that much of a surprise.

The biggest surprise, however, came when I cut into the squash; the hard, but pretty rind was hiding a riotously orange interior. Like pumpkin, but amped-up. Raw, the taste and texture were closer to butternut, which was pretty much just what I had assumed.

To make the soup, I first roasted big chunks of the squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about half an hour. While the squash was roasting, I simmered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger in a light veggie stock, with a little cinnamon and nutmeg thrown in for warmth.

Once the chunks of squash were caramelized and tender, I added them to the stock, along with a pinch each of salt and brown sugar, and used my trusty immersion blender to turn the whole works into a beautiful, deep orange, fragrant soup. I have been having it for lunch at work this week and everyone has been going nuts over its spicy aroma.

Oh, and thanks to Google, I have since discovered that my “mystery squash” is most likely a Ukranian Winter Squash.

“A pumpkin-like squash that is large and round, easily growing to a size of 15 to 25 pounds at maturity. With a flat-ribbed outer skin that turns orange or bluish-green when ripe, this squash has bright orange meat that is smooth and densely textured.

Inside the squash there are numerous large seeds that can be roasted and eaten for a snack. An uncommon variety, the Ukrainian winter squash could be considered to be a sweet meat squash as one that can be eaten raw or shredded raw to be made into slaw salads. When cooked, it has a sweet nutty flavor that goes well with a variety of main dishes.”

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

2011-10-21T16:13:00.000-05:00

It’s not like I was looking for an excuse to bake a pumpkin pie, but when the mascot’s request for one coincided with his birthday, Thanksgiving AND a canned pumpkin sale at the organic market, I knew that it had to be done. Never mind that I have been dying to play with my fancy digital food scale and, let’s be honest, eat pie.

I don’t make a lot of pie crust, but when I do, I go a little Martha-y. The butter (yes, butter) needs to be the best and everything has to be ice cold. You know the old saying “Cold hands, warm heart”? Well, in my case, “Cold hands, flaky crust” is also true. Even if I am not baking on a hot day or running a fever, I like to run my hands under cold water before I handle the dough. Couldn’t hurt, right?

All-butter Pie Crust

200g flour, sifted

1/4 tsp salt

100g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes

4 tbsp ice-cold water

Whisk together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the pieces are pea-sized. Make a well in the centre, then add water. Mix with fingertips just until incorporated. Dough will be “raggy”, but will hold together if lightly squeezed into a ball. Add more water, 1 tsp at a time, if needed. Working quickly and handling the dough as little as possible, gather dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic and chill overnight (or at least 2 hours). When ready to use, roll out and place in a 9” pie plate.

Makes one, single-crust pie shell.

Note: scraps can be used to create shapes for decorating. Cut out with a cookie cutter, place on a parchment-lined sheet, lightly brush with egg white and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Bake with pie for about 10 mins (watch carefully), then remove and let cool while pie continues to bake.

This crust works for pretty much any filling, but, in case you’ve forgotten, we’re talkin’ ‘bout pumpkin here. The thing that I like about this recipe is that it’s kinda-sorta not completely unhealthy. It’s low in sugar and has almost no fat, thanks to the egg whites and fat-free evaporated milk. Trust me, it’s every bit as rich-tasting as the “traditional” stuff… and you won’t feel guilty for the *ahem* generous dollop of whipped cream on top. (Not that you would, anyway, but you know…)

Pumpkin Filling

(adapted from Libby's)

¼ cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar Splenda (or ¾ cup brown sugar)

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 egg whites, whisked until frothy

1 14oz can pumpkin puree (not "pie filling")

1 12oz can non-fat evaporated milk Combine sugar, cornstarch and spices in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine egg whites, pumpkin and sugar/spices; stir in evaporated milk. Carefully pour into prepared pie crust. Bake for 10 mins at 425, then reduce to 350 and continue to bake for 30-40 mins, or until set*. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature, or chilled, with lightly-sweetened whipped cream (and sugared cut-outs, if you made them).

*How can you tell if it’s set? Insert a sharp knife in the centre; it should come out clean.

Earning my stripes - the Zebra Cake

2011-10-04T08:34:00.000-05:00

I had every intention of writing the best post ever about my adventures in making a zebra cake for the Mascot’s 14th birthday. It was going to be full of helpful, step-by-step instructions accompanied by clear (yet artistic) photos, followed by gorgeous shots of the finished product.

Everything was in place, too – from the ingredients to the carefully prepared pans to the camera with fully charged battery. Ok, everything was in place except for that last part. My camera lasted for exactly one shot and, to be honest, it was just that side of mediocre. But, by the time I realized that the battery was about to die, the process was well under way and I had to soldier on. So much for the highly anticipated, illustrated zebra cake “how-to”.

Despite what I was anticipating, making this cake was actually quite easy, and not just because I was doing it from a mix. (Well, two mixes, actually.) The only thing that set it aside from making a regular cake was the time and patience that it took to pour the batter(s) into the pans. Rather than dumping it all in at once, the batter was added in small amounts, alternating between white and chocolate. I could make it sound more complicated than that, but really, that’s the gist of it.

So, rather than make a 20-step tutorial, I’ll glide you through the good stuff and fill you in on what I learned. (And, to show that I care, I’ve even included two slightly janky camera photos!)

1) Yeah, I used boxed mixes. What of it? The key here is finding two recipes that produce batters of equal thickness. After trying to figure that out based on dry to liquid ratios, I came to my senses and asked myself “What would Duncan Hines do?” To get the most contrasty, zebra-like results, I chose a white mix and a chocolate fudge mix.

I prepared the pans, mixed the mixes according to the package directions, found two ¼ cup measures, preheated the oven and made myself comfortable.

2) Here’s where things get interesting. And by “interesting” I mean repetitive.

Starting with the first batter, let’s say the white one, pour about ¼ cup into the middle of each pan. Let it flatten itself out a bit, then pour ¼ cup of the chocolate batter directly into the center of the white. Resist the urge to help it spread out; just keep patiently adding batter, alternating white and chocolate, until you have about a dozen rings of batter. Here’s a helpful photo to show you how it will look.

3) A few helpful tips:

If your counter lacks a certain…levelness…you may want to rotate your pans as you go. I figured this out after about 6 additions, but my circles had already started listing to one side of the pan.

Try to keep it fairly consistent, but don’t obsess about adding precisely ¼ cup at a time. It’ll still turn out even if you’re off by a teaspoon or two. Stripes are not perfect in nature, either.

Take your time. Take your time. Take your time. Oh, and take your time.

After you have all of your batter poured, give each pan a good, solid “whap” on the counter before putting them in the oven. I haven’t seen this mentioned elsewhere, but it helped to level out the batter without distorting the pattern.

4) After one of my layers suffered a bit of breakage coming out of the pan, I decided to build my masterpiece with the remaining two. (As if I had a choice.) To join the two cakes, I used just a very thin layer of icing…enough to hold them together, but not enough to create an obvious stripe in-between.

When it came time to decorate, I went with a simple, homemade white buttercream and then added black M&M–like candies in a zig-zag pattern around the sides and in a circle around the top edge. It looked kinda African/tribal, which was perfect for the zebra pattern hiding within.

The finished product was an absolute hit with the party guests (and some Twitter friends!) Not only was it delicious, it really did look like a zebra*! The real magic happens when you cut into the perfectly plain exterior to reveal the wildness that lurks inside. Goosebumps, I tell ya!

*The picture isn’t the best, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Apparently charging the battery isn’t enough…you must actually bring the camera to the party. I’ll remember that for next time. And, yes, there will be a next time!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

2011-09-28T08:33:00.002-05:00

Don't tell chocolate, but my favourite kind of cake is carrot. Some (my fella) may argue that vegetables have as much place in cake as fruit has on a pizza, but that just means there will be more for me.

If I could, I would eat carrot cake for all 3 meals (plus snacks) every day. As that would be tantamount to an eating disorder (or so I am told), I will continue to skirt the issue by coming up with clever ways to eat carrot cake, undetected, all day long.

The obvious choice for breakfast is, you would think, the carrot muffin. I am of the firm belief that muffins are just little cakes, though, so that's not really a solution at all, is it? No, when it comes to rising and shining, my number one choice is oatmeal.

Here, a lowly bowl of oats gets to play dessert for a while and does a fine job of it. Since I use quick oats, I simmer the carrots in water first, to soften them, before adding the rest of the ingredients. Feel free to add raisins, dates or chopped nuts. Or, if you are feeling really crazy, substitute grated zucchini for the carrots. If you do, you can forgo the pre-cooking step because the zucchini need only a couple minutes to cook.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

1/2 cup grated carrot

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 cup quick oats

pinch of salt

1 tsp brown sugar (or to taste)

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

vanilla yogurt, for serving

In a small pot, simmer grated carrot with water for 5 mins. Holding a fine sieve over a 2-cup measure, drain carrots. Add carrots back to the pot with 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Stir in the remainder of the ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 3 mins, stirring frequently. Serve hot with a little vanilla yogurt on top. (You didn't think I was going to say cream cheese frosting, did you?)

Serves one.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

2011-09-26T13:32:00.003-05:00

When I think about fall, I think about pumpkin; when I think about pumpkin soup, I think about the song by Kate Nash.

The achingly cute video and my recipe are both below, for your enjoyment.

Curried Pumpkin Soup
1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrot

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp curry powder

4 cups veggie stock

1 small can pumpkin (not pie filling*)

1 tsp brown sugar

salt to taste

Saute onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt until onion is translucent. Add garlic and ginger; sauté for 1 min. Stir in curry powder; sauté for 1 min. before adding stock. Whisk in pumpkin. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 mins. Remove from heat, add brown sugar, and puree with immersion blender until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and/or additional brown sugar.

Makes 5 1 1/2 cup servings.

*I feel silly saying that, but there are still people out there who don't know the difference. If you're not sure, check the list of ingredients on the label. It should say just "pumpkin"or "pumpkin and squash" and nothing else.

Tomato, Tamarind & Ginger Chutney

2011-09-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

What happens when you add tomatoes and ginger to an already wonderful tamarind sauce?
Magical things.

Tomato, Tamarind & Ginger Chutney
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp jarred tamarind paste (not the solid-pack tamarind)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 tsp grated fresh (or jarred) ginger
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
Combine first 3 ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, 10 mins (until slightly thickened). Add tomatoes and ginger, reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer for 5-10 mins, or until tomatoes have cooked down and mixture is thick. Remove from heat, stir in spices. Taste and add salt. Let cool to room temp before using.

I won't tell you what to serve this with because, really, I can't think of anything not to serve it with.

Cornbread!

2011-09-19T12:41:00.000-05:00

Cornbread is one of my mostfavourite things in the world. One of the most memorable meals of my life wasat the Tomato restaurant during my very first trip to Vancouver back in theearly 90s. After perusing the entire menu, I decided on the veggie chili becauseit came with a piece of cornbread. Oh, and what a piece it was. Golden, moist,buttery and at least 4” tall, it managed to steal the show from the amazinglygood chili that it accompanied. 17 years later, I still get excited when Ithink about that cornbread being set in front of me.

Thanks to the internets, Ihave managed to track down the now-closed Tomato’s cornbread recipe. I havecopied and pasted it here for your baking convenience. As well, I have includedmy own recipe for low-fat, super-quick cornbread bites. They come together inabout 15 mins and are the perfect compliment to chili or baked beans. (Andthey’re Mascot approved!) Note: this is a great recipe for when you

Cornbread Bites

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

½ cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp water

1 egg

¼ cup corn kernels, fresh orfrozen (thawed)

Preheat oven to 400. Whisktogether cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.In a small bowl, beat together yogurt, water, sugar and egg. Add wetingredients to dry and stir until combined. Stir in corn kernels. Bake in asprayed, non-stick mini muffin pan for 10 mins, or until a toothpick insertedin center comes out clean. Serve warm. Makes 12.

Tomato Cafe's Cornbread

Source: "Taste of Vancouver"(Prepared by Chef Diane Clement)

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ cups cornmeal

3 tbsp baking powder

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup melted butter

3 extra-large eggs, lightlybeaten

2 cup buttermilk

1 cup corn kernels (fresh orfrozen)

1 cup aged sharp cheddarcheese, grated

½ cup chopped mild greenchilis (canned, drained)

Lightly grease a 9-inch bakingdish and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients with awhisk. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix until just blended. Spoon thebatter into the baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Removefrom oven. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into squares to serve. To reheat the cornbreadplace in a 350 F oven 15 to 20 minutes until heated through.

6 (generous) servings

A Chill in the Air

2011-09-16T17:04:00.000-05:00

Ah, fall. The time of year when a young (ahem) girl's thoughts turn to stews, soups, tagines and chilis. We're talking comfort food, people. The kind of stuff you want to eat out of a big bowl, cradled in your hand, while you snuggle up beside the ones you love (or not) and watch all of your favourite returning tv shows. (I'm looking at you, Parks and Rec.)

This week, we kicked off the stew-season with an old favourite, Eggplant & Lentil Tagine. It was the perfect antidote for our suddenly-crisp weather and took care of the "What shall we do with this eggplant and leftover lentils?" question. (That gets asked at our house more often than you would think.)

I've heard that the weather is threatening to improve over the next few days, but I'm not holding my breath. If the cooler weather is here to stay, then I might as well face it. Besides, I have already stocked up on the ingredients for my fella's famous veggie chili and my own (soon-to-be-legendary) cornbread.

Smoky Maple Eggplant

2011-09-08T08:01:00.000-05:00

They say that bacon is the vegetarian’s kryptonite. I don’t know about that, but there is something about the smoky-salty-sweet-crispy-chewiness of it that you just don’t find in, well, vegetables. Not without a little effort, that is.

When it comes to making a substitute for bacon that isn’t tofu/tempeh-based, though, you have to choose your veggies wisely. You need something that will take on a chewy texture and not just turn to mush. You also have to find something that won’t make you feel silly when you’re standing over the grill pan. (I’m looking at you, carrots.)

Eggplant is the perfect solution. Thinly sliced, and grilled with a little patience, it will give you something yummy (and chewy) to tuck into a sandwich. The other thing that makes eggplant so great for this is that it's rather taste-neutral and it will easily take on the flavour of the smoky maple-soy glaze. Be sure to choose a firm, compact eggplant so that it will hold up on the grill. You don’t want to end up with baba ganoush here.

I won’t lie and say that this tastes like bacon, nor will I call it “bacun” or “bakon” or worse, but I will guarantee that it is delish…especially on a sammich with garden-ripe tomatoes and lots of lettuce for an “ELT”. To mayo or not to mayo, that’s up to you.

Smoky Maple Eggplant
1 baby eggplant, thinly sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/8 tsp liquid smoke (or to taste)
Combine soy, maple syrup and liquid smoke; set aside.
Preheat a non-stick grill pan over med-high heat. Grill eggplant slices, turning occasionally, until softened and slightly charred. Brush each side twice with maple/soy mixture, being careful not to allow glaze to burn.

Note: liquid smoke is powerful stuff. Did I ever tell you about the time we dropped a bottle of it in the exit foyer at Superstore? It smelled like a forest fire. (And, yes, I have seen and smelled my share of forest fires.) Needless to say, you’re best to err on the side of caution and go easy at first. You can always add a few drops, but if you start with too much, you won’t taste the maple or the soy…or anything else, for that matter…just smoke.

And, if you are looking for another great use for liquid smoke, just a drop behind the ears will remind your fella of the time you packed a blanket and some mustard and headed out to the park for an impromptu weenie roast. Or it might remind him of boy scout camp and the troop leader who loved to spoon. On second thought, better skip that one.

Nice pear!

2011-08-29T08:36:00.000-05:00

This stuff is rediculicious: Oregon Growers' Vanilla Pear Butter

I am working my way through a package of English muffins, but as soon as they're gone, I'll be spooning this stuff over vanilla ice cream, adding it to oatmeal and hiding it at the bottom of my yogurt.

New Kitchen Goodies!

2011-08-26T08:45:00.001-05:00

What does a boy who loves a girl who loves to cook get for said girl's birthday? A cool ring from Alt & Go, of course.

Oh, and a ~~big~~ HUGE bag of cool kitchen gadgets. You know, the kind of stuff that make you squeal with delight and go, “Oh, my god! I neeeed this!” …but you never seem to buy for yourself.

Stuff like this folding cutting board , which is going to reduce the amount of onion I drop on the way to the stove by at least 98%:

And this corn stripper:
(Because it’s just poor form to use the bite & spit technique.)

And this brilliant colander scoop:

And this Gama Go guitar spatula:

And a digital scale, very much like this one:
(When I realized that I could also use it as a postage scale, I nearly peed my pants.)

Lucky me, right? I don’t know how he does it, but the man has some serious shopping skills, not to mention an eye for great design. He always seems to find things for me that are the perfect combination of form and function...and some things that are just plain fun.

For the gal who eats at her desk (and, yes, I do) - pen-top cutlery:

The Bad Waitress - Minneapolis, MN

2011-08-25T08:36:00.000-05:00

With a name like “The Bad Waitress”, you would expect sub-par service, but that definitely wasn’t our experience at this popular Minneapolis eatery*. Everything was perfect from the moment we walked in, until the moment we (reluctantly) walked out.

The décor at The Bad waitress is pure diner-kitch - thrift-store treasures rub shoulders with vintage naugahyde booths and pulp-fiction movie posters. Suffice it to say, I felt right at home.

We arrived at 11:30am and had to make the difficult decision between breakfast and lunch, but both found ourselves leaning towards the breakfast side of the menu. I went with the “Out-of-this-Earth” scramble of organic eggs, hashbrowns, broccoli, oven-roasted tomatoes, fresh rosemary and white cheddar, served with 7-grain toast and a cup of fresh berries and banana slices.

If my breakfast hadn’t been so good, I would’ve been really jealous of R’s plate. Taking the tiniest suggestion from me, he went with the “El Camino” – scrambled eggs between two corn tortillas with chorizo sausage, cheese, salsa, black beans and rice. It looked so good that I had to dig my fork in just to make sure. A couple of times.

The restaurant is smack-dab in a neighbourhood that is quite befitting its coolness. I could’ve stayed there all afternoon, drinking coffee and people-watching from our sunny table in the window, but, alas, the vintage clothing shop across the street was calling and you know me…

*Granted, we did have to write down our own orders and take them up to the cash register, but once the process was explained to us (by one of the terminally hip staffers) we were happy to do it… especially because we got to identify our table by its “Mummy” superhero/cartoon character moniker.

Chino Latino - Minneapolis, MN

2011-08-22T12:24:00.003-05:00

There are very few things that will make me fall off the veggie-wagon. One of them, since we’re being honest here, is alcohol; another is charred meat.

Here is a photo of me sipping a very large and very tasty passionfruit colada at Chino Latino in Minneapolis. I’m gonna let you guess what happened next.

It started innocently enough…after browsing the eclectic and extensive menu, I coyly suggested that we share the fish tacos and jerk chicken, because, after all, I could always “just eat the rice and beans” that were served with the chicken.

The fish tacos were, and please pardon the pun, off the hook. Perfectly seasoned fish was served on soft white corn tortillas with crunchy jicama slaw, fresh pico de gallo and an unusual, but addictive, curry crema. I am a fan of fish tacos to begin with, but these were probably among the best I have ever had...definitely the best in a restaurant.

To go with the Mexican theme, we shared a cob of grilled corn (aka elote) topped with cotija anejo cheese. It was brought to the table on the cob, and then stripped of its kernels to make for easier sharing. (Darn!) It was so good that we had to order another to go with our chicken. Or, should I say, R’s chicken and my rice and beans. *Ahem*

As soon as the platter of blackened, spicy chicken arrived, I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to stick with just the sides. (Although, to their credit, the rice, black beans, fried plantains and grilled pineapple were incredible.) The ½ chicken proved to be too hard to resist. I helped myself to one piece…and then another…and then just. one. more. Needless to say, it was delish.

It’s hard to believe that after all that we still had room for dessert, but we managed to polish off a plate of fried bananas and coconut ice cream. After touring Mexico and Jamaica, we felt that we should pay Singapore a quick visit before heading back out into the drizzly Minnesota night.

Tamarind Eggplant and Chickpeas

2011-08-16T11:23:00.005-05:00

This is one of my new favourite things, evidenced by the fact that I made it twice last week and am planning to make it again tonight. It's absolutely addictive.

The tamarind sauce is a lovely balance of tart, sweet, spice and salt, and is perfect on almost any combination of veggies and chickpeas... or on chickpeas alone. (Think of it as a tangier cousin to Chana Masala.)

I've given the instructions for eggplant and chickpeas, but I love it just as much with cauliflower (quel surprise) and chickpeas. Just substitute small cauliflower florets for the eggplant and go straight to the steaming step after you have sauteed your onions.

Tamarind Sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp jarred tamarind paste (not the solid-pack tamarind)
1 tbsp raisins (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
Combine first 3 ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, until thickened (10-15 mins). Remove from heat, stir in raisins and spices. Taste and add salt. Set aside.
Note: the sauce is quite strongly flavoured, but once you add it to the veggies, it works perfectly. Trust me.

Tamarind Eggplant and Chickpeas
1/2 onion, chopped
2 baby eggplants, diced
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained
In a non stick pan, saute onions until translucent. Add eggplant and cook until lightly browned; stir in chickpeas and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook 5 mins. Stir in tamarind mixture, tossing to coat. Serve with rice or in a wrap.
Serves one, selfishly.

Chevre with Honey & Hazelnuts

2011-08-03T08:44:00.002-05:00

The title says it all.

Place spoonfuls of fresh goat cheese on a plate, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts.

Serve with a loaf of the best bread.

Or a spoon...

As Seen on TV - Roaming Dragon, Vancouver, BC

2011-08-02T08:47:00.000-05:00

One of our fave new shows on the Food Network is “Eat Street”. Seeing as Winnipeg is sadly lacking when it comes to good street food, the Mascot and I usually watch enviously as people from all over North America chow down on everything from epic ice cream cones to elaborate biryanis. Meanwhile, here at home, we have the choice of hot dogs, hot dogs or hot dogs. It’s just not fair!

Once in a while, an Eat Street feature really captures our attention (and our appetites) with their inventive offerings and unique presentation. This was the case with The Roaming Dragon, based in Vancouver, BC. The Mascot and I were so intrigued by their fare, that we added it to our “must see/must eat” list. Some things on that list will never be seen or eaten, due to our limited travel budget, but not the Dragon; we had the opportunity to chase it down (via Twitter) this past weekend and see for ourselves what all the fuss is about.

Visiting the Roaming Dragon was literally as case of leaving things until the last minute. I had to be at the airport at 4:45 to catch my flight home and we were just getting downtown at 3:30. Robson St was packed (as usual), but we hurried our way through the crowds and found the big, red truck, as promised, right at the corner of Robson & Burrard. We had missed the lunch rush (thank goodness) and were able to walk right uo and order. By the time the mascot had scouted a bench for us to sit on, we had our food.

Lychee Basil Lemonade - the bubble tea straw is a must for sucking up the pieces of lychee!

It was hard not to order everything on the menu. No, wait…it wasn’t. I think we actually did order everything on the menu. It went something like this: 2 Lychee Basil Lemonades, 1 Soba Salad, 1 Short Rib Taco, 1 Korean Tofu Sub, 1 order of Fried Rice Balls, 1 Korean Pork Sub, and 1 Pork Slider. Not bad for three people!

Soba Salad - with edamame!

I had just finished the Grouse Grind, so I had an excellent excuse for abandoning decorum and inhaling my tofu sub, rice ball and lemonade. I can’t speak for the Mascot and Mumji, though. They just tore through their food…and I think I may have lost a ball in the process.

Fried Rice Balls

Tofu Sub - the pickled diakon and carrots were such a nice contrast to the tofu.

Just about everything we ate is pictured here, except for the short rib taco, which my mother devoured before I could even get my camera out of my purse, and the pork slider and pork sub, because the mascot wouldn’t let me close to them. I hope the photos do it all justice, because our meal was so, so good and definitely lived up to our high expectations. I should mention, too, that the service was also fabulous and definitely added to our fun experience at the Roaming Dragon.

Slow Food Tour - Canadian Hazelnuts

2011-07-28T08:02:00.001-05:00

This is a hazelnut orchard:

This is how hazelnuts grow:

This is a hazelnut veggie burger that made my heart sing:

How fortunate for us that our stop at Canadian Hazelnuts just so happened (ahem) to be right at lunchtime! Amongst their special “Slow Food Tour” offerings, they were grilling these delicious organic hazelnut burgers and serving them with hazelnut-feta salads. Eating them in under the shady canopy of the orchard was and just what we needed to recharge our batteries for the last leg of our cycle.

Italian on the Drive - Fratelli's & Urban Grain

2011-07-27T08:45:00.002-05:00

Two of our favourite places on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, are Urban Grain Pizza and Fratelli’s Bakery. Naturally, I couldn’t go to Vancouver for the weekend without visiting both. (Thank goodness they are just a hop, skip and cannoli away from one another!)

It was no accident that I timed our trip to Commercial Drive to coincide with lunchtime. After browsing the aisles of gourmet treats and gadgets at Gourmet Warehouse on Hastings, we made our way over to the Drive, parked in front of Fratelli’s (What luck!) and bee-lined straight for Urban Grain. Well, we may have made a detour or two (I’m looking at you, Wonderbucks and Barefoot Contessa).

Urban Grain specializes in ready-to-eat slices of pizza with inventive toppings on a too-good-to-be-good-for-you multigrain crust. I have never had the same slice twice, and this trip was no exception. I was going to break my rule and have the mushroom pizza again, but then I saw that they had one with roasted BEETS. I know, right? It, and my slice of eggplant and peppers, were sublime…and cheap! The three of us stuffed ourselves for $12 (6 slices and 3 canned drinks). You can’t beet that! (Sorry!) It’s a good thing we live 2000 km away, otherwise we’d be there every day.

Of course, if I were to go to Urban Grain every day, then I would have to go to Fratelli’s, too, and that would be dangerous. Very, very dangerous.

Our standing order at Fratelli’s is one chocolate éclair for the mascot, one coconut macaroon for me, and one oatmeal chocolate chip cookie to share. Since this was a special occasion, we ordered an extra chocolate dipped coconut macaroon…and an extra chocolate chip cookie…and a loaf of lemon poppyseed loaf….and a vanilla napoleon for Mumji. Then, in a purely gluttonous display of joy, we ate everything (save for the lemon loaf) in the car right outside the bakery. I mean, why waste a perfectly good parking spot?

*please excuse the janky, out-of-focus pizza photo. I was in such a hurry to eat it that I didn't bother to take a good shot. I have artisticized it for your viewing pleasure.

Breakfast at The Naam

2011-07-26T08:16:00.003-05:00

The Naam restaurant on Vancouver’s funky West 4th Street, is a vegetarian’s dream – hearty, healthy vegetarian and vegan dishes, served up 24 hours a day. In the 8 or so years that we lived in BC, I never once made it out there, which is why I made sure that it was my first stop on my recent trip to the City of Glass.

Given my fascination with “bowl food”, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I chose the Breakfast Dragon Bowl. From the bottom up, my bowl contained: scrambled tofu, homefries, grilled veggies, a crumbled veggie burger and The Naam’s famous (and addictive) miso gravy. With fruit and a piece of wholegrain toast on the side, and a pot of Jamaican Spice (hibiscus/citrus/spice) tea, it was the perfect start to a delicious weekend.

Unburger

2011-07-06T09:53:00.009-05:00

I usually leave the burger reviews to the mascot, but since it’s summer vacation, I figured I would give him a break. Plus, it’s not that often that I get really excited about a burger place. (Ok, except for the Northstar Drive-in and Boon…but this is something completely different. For one thing, the food comes on actual plates.)

The newest kid ~~on the block~~ in the Village, at 472 Stradbrook, is Unburger. The mascot and I stopped in to their sparkling new location on Monday to try their (as they describe them) “healthy gourmet burgers” and see what all the fuss was about; or rather, what the fuss is to be about. If Winnipeg can learn to embrace an $8.00 hamburger, then I think they’ll do very well.

The thing that first struck me as we approached the restaurant was the group of pretty girls seated in the window. A further glance into the bright white space revealed…what? More girls. In fact, save for the mascot and one lone fellow dining up near the counter, the restaurant was full of good looking chicks (myself included, natch!) Clearly, the marketing is working. Position yourself at the exact opposite of the scale from the Epic Food guys and you’ll attract ~~the pretty people~~ health-conscious diners who are concerned with their well-being and, yes, appearance.

Currently, Unburger is featuring a “sneak peek” menu of approximately 7 or 8 burgers, two of which are non-beef. At first, when I saw “The Bella” on the menu, I was disheartened. I was craving a veggie burger, but let’s be honest, you can grill it, put it on a bun and smother it with whatever you want, but a mushroom is NOT a burger.

One bite, however and all was forgiven. Even though I had passed on the herbed mayo, my “burger” was full of tasty things. Sandwiched between 2 halves of a nice, soft multigrain ciabatta-style bun was a big, juicy Portobello, greens, crumbled blue cheese, tomatoes and a tangle of jammy balsamic onions. It was exactly what I would have made for myself at home (minus the $7.50 price tag, of course.)

To go with my Bella, I went with the “Hal Johnson and Joanne MacLeod Power Salad”. Again, this one had me written all over it – quinoa, nuts, veggies, chickpeas. I know, right? The only thing that I didn’t like about it was the amount of dressing on it. Had it been served hot, I might have mistaken it for a soup. Don’t get me wrong, the dressing was yummy; there was just WAY too much of it for my tastes. I ended up spooning (forking) the good stuff out of the bowl and onto my plate, which seemed to take care of some of the problem, but still... (And, speaking of sides, Rumour has it that there will be edamame joining the list of sides when the menu is expanded to its full selection. Can’t wait!)

Oh, and just in case the mascot doesn’t blog this one for The Clean Plate Club, I will tell you that he had the cheddar cheese (beef) burger and a side of plain ol’ fries. And when I say “plain” fries, I mean it; they were thick cut, skin-on, lightly salted, virtually greaseless and so tasty* that they required absolutely nothing to dip or dunk. Two days later, and the kid is still talking about how good they were.

We will definitely return to Unburger, especially once the full menu launches, although it's a tad on the spendy side to make it a regular habit. Oh, the price of virtue.

*they tasted of… potatoes. Can you believe it?

Mighty Quinoa Bowl II

2011-06-29T12:26:00.001-05:00

I am rarely faced with the “there’s nothing good to eat” blues, but yesterday I hit them head-on. I mean, there was food in the house (lots of it), but nothing that I actually wanted to eat. The mascot was off at his middle-school grad dinner and I had a craving for some of that high and mighty food, just like I had the night before.

Having exhausted my kale and tofu supply (imagine!), I stopped at my friendly neighbourhood organic market and loaded up on everything that looked good. You know that old adage about no shopping when you’re hungry? Yeah.

As soon as I walked in the door, and before I even put my purse down, I had the oven on to 450 and ready to roast squash and carrots (tossed with a drizzle of agave and a sprinkle of salt) and a couple chunks of tofu, which I dry-rubbed with a sweet/spicy glaze. While the veggies and tofu were roasting, I cooked the quinoa, steamed the broccoli, diced the dates and made the sauce. I was on the couch, sweatpants on and bowl in hand, in 20 mins.

Mighty Quinoa Bowl II (aka the attack of the organics)
Layer #1: organic quinoa, cooked
Layer #2: organic green kale, pan-steamed
Layer #3: organic purple and white carrots, roasted
Layer #4: organic delicata squash, roasted
Layer #5: organic tofu, dry-rubbed and roasted
Layer #6: steamed broccoli florets
Layer #7: organic medjool dates, diced
Layer #8: ah-mazing peanut sauce*

* combine 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 tbsp hot water and about a 1/4 tsp each garlic/ginger paste, agave, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Mighty Quinoa Bowl I

2011-06-28T08:27:00.001-05:00

There is something so satisfying about curling up with a pair of chopsticks and a bowl full of goodness. It's impossible not to feel empowered, recharged and, yes, a little virtuous after a meal like this.

Mighty Quinoa Bowl I
Layer #1: organic quinoa, cooked
Layer #2: pan-steamed (braised) kale
Layer #3: maple-soy roasted carrots*
Layer #4: maple-soy roasted tofu**
Layer #5: steamed broccoli
Layer #6: tahini sauce*** & sesame seeds

* steam carrots until crisp-tender. Toss with 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Remove from maple-soy mixture (reserve) and roast at 450 on a parchment-lined pan, stirring twice until blackened in spots (about 15 mins).
** slice tofu and press lightly between layers of paper towel. Cube and toss with reserved maple-soy mixture (from carrots) and let stand 5 mins. Roast with carrots for 10 mins, turning once.
*** stir together 2 tsp tahini, ¼ tsp each brown sugar, rice vinegar and soy sauce, and 1 tbsp hot water. Let stand to thicken.

French Vegetable Lentil Soup

2011-06-23T23:07:00.000-05:00

What makes this soup French? Does it wear a jaunty beret while listening to Edith Piaf in a smoky room? No, but you might want to after eating it. I know I do!

French Vegetable Lentil Soup
1 onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1 bay leaf
6 cups veggie stock
3 baby (or 1 medium) zucchini, sliced
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp Herbes de Provence
1 can small green lentils, or 1 ½ cups cooked lentils de puy
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Combine first 5 ingredients in a lidded soup pot. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 mins. Add zucchini, tomatoes, Herbes de Provence and lentils. Simmer for 5 – 10 mins, or until all vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf, taste and season with salt and pepper.
Makes 5 (almost) 2-cup servings.

Edith Piaf

Little Scrapper Pizza Dough

2011-06-20T12:42:00.014-05:00

I don't know what I had been dreaming about, but I woke up Saturday morning with an overwhelming urge to crack open a beer…. and make pizza dough. I figured adapting my usual, tried-and-true recipe by simply swapping-out some of the water with beer would be the best route to take. If nothing else, it would be fun to see what would happen...

What happened was exactly what I had hoped. The dough went a little crazy during its rising, thanks to the beer, but gave us a very yummy thin crust with good, chewy edges. I really liked the flavour that the beer lent to the crust and would love to try different beers to achieve different results. I think it would be an interesting experiment in food/beer pairing to choose an ale or lager that would compliment the toppings. Corona with Mexican-inspired toppings, Sigha with Thai…you get the picture.

This time out, though, I used one of my fella’s favourite beers – Little Scrapper by Half Pints, a local brewing company. “Scrapper” is a fairly strong IPA and gave the crust a quite pronounced, hoppy flavour. It was the perfect match for the bold BBQ chicken, bacon and red onion on top.

Little Scrapper Pizza Dough
¼ cup warm water
½ tsp agave nectar (or honey)
1 package traditional (not instant) dry yeast
½ cup beer
1 ¾ cups flour**, plus more for kneading
¼ tsp salt
Combine warm water and yeast in a small, non-metal bowl. Let stand until yeast is completely dissolved and foams on surface of water. Stir in agave.
Sift together flour and salt in a large, non-metal bowl. Create a well in the center, then pour in yeast mixture and beer (it will get quite bubbly). Briskly stir together with a wooden spoon until flour is incorporated and dough begins to form a ball. Turn out onto a clean, floured countertop and knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Wipe/scrape loose dough and flour out of mixing bowl and spray with non-stick spray. Place dough in bowl, cover, and let stand in a warm place for approx 3 hours, or until tripled in size (oh, yes it will!) Punch down, cover, and let rise again for up to 6 hours at room temp, or refrigerate overnight.
Roll-out and top as desired; bake on a pizza stone at 500 degrees for 5 – 10 mins.
Makes 1 x-large or 3 personal-sized pizzas.

* I had faux-chicken and veggie bacon bits on mine, natch.

** I use Robin Hood Nutri-blend whole wheat white flour, in case you are wondering. It "behaves" like white flour, but has all of the goodness of whole wheat.

Chickpea Vegetable Soup

2011-06-13T19:45:00.004-05:00

Last night, I was faced with the task of preparing my "soup o' the week". I had most of a can of chickpeas that I had opened earlier for a rice salad, so I figured I might as well use them up*. A quick trip to the pantry yielded an onion and a can of tomatoes; the fridge provided a couple of carrots and a pair of baby zucchini; and I had some panch phoran leftover from last week’s curry. It all went into the pot with some stock and, before I could say “Garbanzo Bean”, it was done.

Chickpea Vegetable Soup
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 tsp panch phoron (see below)
½ tsp cumin seeds, crushed
5 cups water
2 tbsp veggie “Better Than Boullion” stock concentrate
1 large can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 baby zucchini, sliced
Sauté onion and carrots until onion is softened. Add spices and sauté, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add water, stock concentrate, tomatoes, chickpeas and zucchini. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 mins.

Panch Phoron (aka Bengali 5-Spice)
1 tbsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
Combine and lightly crush; store in a tightly sealed container.

* I have a bit of a "thing" for cold chickpeas, so storing them in the fridge is just an invitation for midnight snacking.

Asparagus Soup

2011-06-10T00:32:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, I realized that I hadn't eaten the Costco-sized bag of asparagus that I had purchased the previous weekend. Letting asparagus languish in the fridge for that long usually spells disaster, but this stuff was tucked way in the back of the bottom shelf, which is generally the coldest spot in the ol' Inglis. After a quick check, I determined that it was still perfectly good and decided to make a pot of velvety, cream-less asparagus soup.

I started by chopping and quickly sautéing 1/2 an onion, a shallot and 2 stalks of celery. Once they were softened, I added the chopped asparagus, 2 tbsp of veggie stock concentrate and 6 cups of water. I brought everything to a boil then reduced the heat and let it simmer for just a few minutes; until the asparagus were tender, but not mushy. I finished the soup by pureeing it with my immersion blender until smooth, and then added the juice of half a lemon and a generous grind of black pepper. No cream, no butter, no nothing.

I can't imagine any way to make this soup better, so I'm not even going to try. It is simply. Delicious.

Broccolovely

2011-06-08T07:57:00.002-05:00

I see something like this and I wonder why people pay big bucks for fancy bridal bouquets. I mean, really; this bunch of broccolini is simply lovely exactly as it is. Just add ribbon… or olive oil, lemon and shaved garlic.

The pretty red rhubarb in the background is awfully nice, too. Incidentally, both came home with me.

Son of a Blogger!

2011-06-06T22:57:00.000-05:00

See this kid? He likes to eat and he likes to blog. Check out his blog to see what he's been eating (and where): The Clean Plate Club

It's pretty awesome...and I'm not just saying that because I'm his mother.

Green Pea Soup with Mint

2011-05-31T08:41:00.001-05:00

At one point on Sunday night, I had red tomatoes and orange squash in a skillet on one burner, a pan of white cauliflower and purple eggplant on another, and a pot of vividly green pea soup on a third. It was a feast for all of the senses, but especially the eyes.

The secret to this soup is a fairly brief cooking time, to preserve the colour as well as the fresh flavour of the peas; cook it too long and it will lose its vibrancy. Adding the mint once it is off the heat is also important, too, so don’t get impatient and throw it in too soon.

This is springtime in a bowl.

Green Pea Soup with Mint
½ white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cups veggie stock
4 cups frozen peas
salt to taste
small handful fresh mint, finely chopped
In a medium soup pot, briefly sauté onion and celery until just softened. Do not allow to brown. Add stock and peas; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat, puree with an immersion blender until completely smooth. Season to taste with salt. Stir in fresh mint.
Makes approx 5 1 ½ cup servings (perfect for a starter or light lunch portion)

Bollywood Burritos

2011-05-30T08:37:00.000-05:00

Here’s a little secret that I have learned in regards to feeing the mascot: no matter what it is, putting it on a bun, in a wrap, or smushed between two pieces of flatbread in a panini press makes it infinitely better.

Last night’s Chickpea and Squash Curry was a perfect example. Don’t get me wrong, the kid loves a good curry (even a squash curry), but by making it into a “burrito”, it became a thing of unparalleled beauty. Ok, maybe not unparalleled…but it was pretty darn beautiful, and tasty, too! The filling, incidentally, is fabulous on its own as a main dish curry.

This is a fraternal twin, of sorts, to the West Indian/Caribbean roti; however the spicing leans to the East Indian side, and it makes use of a tortilla (rather than roti bread), but the basic idea is the same. For some reason, though, the mascot is more inclined to eat something called a “burrito” than he is a “roti”. Weird, I know.

Note: To make eating a little it easier, you can secure the lower half of the burrito in a piece of foil or parchment, and peel it back as you get close to the end. As they say at Taco Del Mar “Don’t unwrap, or it will be in your lap!”

Bollywood Burritos
½ large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp each paprika, chili powder and tumeric
pinch of cayenne
1 ½ tsp each ground cumin and coriander
½ cup veggie stock
2 cups butternut squash, cubed
1 large tomato, chopped
½ tsp salt
1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ tsp garam masala
fresh cilantro, chopped
3 or 4 large, multigrain tortillas
baby spinach leaves
Combine paprika, chili powder, tumeric, cayenne, cumin and coriander in a small bowl; set aside. Saute onion in a non-stick pan until softened. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add reserved spice mix and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min. Stir in stock, squash, salt and chopped tomato. Cover, reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 10 mins. Add chickpeas and garam masala and continue to simmer, covered, for 10 mins*. Stir in fresh cilantro. Divide curry and spinach leaves between the 3 (or 4) tortillas. Fold as you would a burrito (you do know how to wrap a burrito, don’t you?), wrap in foil or parchment and serve.

*It is unlikely that there will be an excess of moisture at this point, but if there is, remove cover for last 5 mins to cook some of it off. You don’t want the mixture to be too saucy, unless you are planning to wear it as well as eat it.

Chili-Lime-Agave Sweet Potato Fries

2011-05-27T08:49:00.000-05:00

This is so easy that it’s almost embarrassing. Ok, no…buying ready-cut sweet potatoes would have been easier, so I guess I did make some effort.

Come to think of it, though, I spent more time trying to figure out the difference between a sweet potato and a yam than I did getting this in the oven. After a nearly exhaustive search, I have come to the conclusion that my time would have been better spent painting my toenails or mowing the lawn. As it turns out, the “yams” that I purchased (in the bag marked YAMS, go fig), are actually orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. True yams are apparently not widely available in North America and the names “sweet potato” and “yam” are used interchangeably. Why? To confuse and bewilder, I can only assume.

Feel free to cut your yams-slash-sweet potatoes into batons, wedges or chunks. I was feeling random last night, so we ended up with chunky batons. They may not have been perfect in appearance, but they were perfectly tasty alongside our fajita veggie burgers.

Chili-Lime-Agave Sweet Potato Fries
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut as desired
juice of ½ a lime
1 tsp agave nectar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed*
big pinch of ancho chili powder
salt to taste
In a medium mixing bowl, combine lime juice, agave, garlic and chili powder; set aside. Toss (or spritz) cut sweet potatoes with a teensy splash of canola oil, and spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 mins, turning once. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and add to bowl with lime/agave mixture. Toss well to coat (be careful; they’re hot!) and then return to baking sheet, discarding garlic cloves. Bake for an additional 10 mins, watching for burning. (You want them to get a few charred spots, but don’t incinerate them.) Sprinkle with salt and serve hot.
Serves 2

*The garlic cloves should remain fairly intact for easy removal.

Burgertime!

2011-05-26T12:50:00.005-05:00

To celebrate the final week of Burger Month (who comes up with these things?), we are going to eat our way around the world, so to speak, with veggie burgers.

I started by stocking up on the basics: a Costco-sized pack of Veggie Patch veggie burgers, some Yves chicken (aka ficken) burgers and a bag of 100 cal “thin buns.” The fun started on Sunday with classic cheese burgers; all the usual toppings, salad on the side.

Monday: “roast chicken” burgers with sautéed mushrooms and onions; peppercorn poutine and Brussels sprouts on the side. It was like thanksgiving, but without the family drama. (The mascot was especially thankful for the poutine…and the bowl of gravy that I let him have for “dessert”.)

Tuesday: Greek burgers with roasted red pepper, oregano and homemade chunky tzatziki; broccoli and asparagus with mizithra cheese on the side. Opa!

Wednesday: saucy teriyaki ficken burgers with grilled pineapple and onions; edamame on the side.

Thursday: fajita burgers with charred peppers and onions, salsa ketchup and guacamole; black bean and corn salad on the side.

Friday: pizza burgers, combining two of my favourite foods – pizza and burgers (duh)! Burgers topped with pizza sauce, onions, peppers, mushrooms, veggie pepperoni and super-stretchy cheese; broccolini on the side.

Saturday: TBD - Sliders? Salmon burgers? Something smothered in swiss?

Now, you may be asking why I am not making my burger patties by hand. (Even if you’re not, please allow me to ‘splain.) You see, while I am sure that there are some darn fine veggie burger recipes on the interwebs, I have neither the time, nor the patience to be messing around with that business right now. And, to be honest, I really do love the Veggie Patch burgers. So there.

Beef Stroganoff (low-fat!)

2011-05-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago, I was the lucky twitter-winner (twinner?) of a Hamilton Beach Premiere Cookware Skillet. As soon as I told my fella the good news, he made me promise that the first thing to come out of it would be a Saturday night beef stroganoff.

It took several weeks for my prize to arrive and then the weather took a turn for the better and nobody felt like eating “comfort food”…and then there was a houseguest…and a roadtrip…for a while there, it seemed like we would never get that darn pan unpacked. (Oooh, look. There it is...isn't it pretty?)

Finally, this past weekend the stars were aligned, the weather was crap, and our standing Saturday night “family dinner” was back on. True to my word, I used the new ‘lectric skillet to whip up a deceptively healthy beef stroganoff. The pan was even big enough for me to divide the sauce in thirds and cook a veggie faux-beef version* for myself.

As for the star of the show, it was a close race between the meal and the pan that it was cooked in. I’ve used electric frying pans before, but this thing was POSH. First of all, as I mentioned before, it was huge. My little stroganoff barely covered the bottom; I’ll bet you could quadruple the recipe and still have plenty of room to spare. I could see this being a great appliance to use for batch-cooking or potlucks…and it even has a locking lid for easier transport! I was also really impressed with how sensitive the temperature controls were and how it kept things warm, without drying them out (even when there was just a tiny bit left for seconds.) I’m not sure how much we’ll be using the pan over the summer, but it’ll definitely get plenty of counter-time come fall.

Beef Stroganoff (low-fat!)
500 g lean beef, thinly sliced (see note)
½ large onion, thinly sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
½ tsp paprika
1 tbsp double-concentrated tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
½ tsp worchestershire sauce
½ cup fat-free evaporated milk
3 tsp cornstarch
2 heaping tbsp low-fat sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
In a non-stick electric skillet, sear beef until med-rare. Remove and set aside. Add onions and mushrooms to pan, reduce heat slightly and sauté until onions begin to soften. Add paprika, tomato paste, stock and worchestershire. Return beef to pan, reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 10 mins. In a small bowl, whisk together evaporated milk and cornstarch; add to simmering liquid and stir until thickened. Stir in sour cream, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot with noodles.
Serves 3-4

Vegetarian variation: Skip first step and start by sautéing the onions and mushrooms. Use vegetable stock in place of beef and when you get to the “return beef to pan” part, add one package of veggie beef strips or, for something a little different, one package of veggie ground round. OR go crazy and skip the meat all together and use 3 or 4 sliced portobellos instead of the steak.

Note: unlike some stroganoff recipes that simmer for a while, this one comes together pretty quick, so choose a cut of meat that is already quite tender. (I splurged on tenderloin, but that’s just how I roll. Plus, I have better things to do than hang out in the meat aisle.)

* And, no, I wasn’t concerned about “meat juice” getting in my portion. Obviously, a stricter vegetarian wouldn’t be cooking with beef in the first place, so it wouldn’t be an issue.

Cincinnati Chili

2011-05-20T15:55:00.000-05:00

Cincinnati Chili is one of those weird things that you just shouldn’t question.

It’s rich, spicy, served over spaghetti (what?), and bears little resemblance to what we usually think of as “chili”, thanks in part to the addition of cocoa powder and some atypical spices. But it’s good. So good.

So good, in fact, that the mascot barely looked up from his bowl until nary a bean or a noodle remained. (I, on the other hand, had to stop halfway through to eat my salad and corn….god forbid my last bite would be lettuce.)

This recipe is adapted from a few that I found on the internets. I’ve made it vegetarian, but feel free to substitute ground beef or turkey (browned first and drained). I served mine with just a sprinkle of grated light cheddar on top, but if you want to see something really cheesy, check out the Skyline Chili site to see how they serve theirs.

Cincinnati Chili
½ onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tbsp ancho chili powder
½ tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ tbsp brown sugar
½ tbsp worcestershire sauce (vegan or regular)
1 cup veggie stock
½ cup tomato passata (or pureed canned tomatoes)
½ pkg veggie ground round
½ can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
cooked spaghetti
diced raw onion
grated cheese
In a lidded, non-stick skillet, sauté onion and garlic until onion is softened. Stir in spices, tomato paste, sugar, stock, tomatoes and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to simmer. Add veggie crumble and breakup with a spoon. Stir in kidney beans, cover and simmer for 15 mins. Serve over spaghetti, topped with grated cheese and a sprinkle of raw onion.
Serves 2.

Note: obviously, this recipe can be doubled, although in our case it would probably still only serve 2.

Bowled Over

2011-05-19T12:14:00.005-05:00

The mascot and I are known for many things (Sharon and Ozzy, anyone?), but one of our silliest quirks is our love of “theme eating”. Long-time readers of this blog might remember “spin-the-globe” week or “Big Burger Fridays” (or “Pizza Fridays”, for that matter).

This week, we decided to do a whole 7 days of “Bowl Food”. It’s really as simple as it sounds – food suited to, and served in, a bowl. Here’s how things have been going so far:

Saturday: Red Thai curry with scallops and shrimp, served with salad rolls.

Sunday: Linguini with white clam sauce (a surprising request by the mascot who must’ve spotted the can of chopped clams that I have been hoarding for months in the pantry)

Monday: My fave of the week! Deconstructed sushi bowls – brown sushi rice topped with everything you would want in a roll: crab, salmon, veggies, avocado, shredded nori, pickled ginger and a dab of wasabi mayo. The mascot, who called them “reverse-engineered sushi”, had his with teriyaki veggie beef and julienned cucumbers, hold the wasabi.

Tuesday: grilled teriyaki tofu and pineapple over braised cabbage (me) or rice (the mascot) with veggies and a side-bowl of corn-on-the-cob

Wednesday: KFC (Kentuckey Faux Chicken) Bowls: mashed potatoes, crunchy faux-chicken strips, corn, vegan gravy and grated cheese. (My base-layer was 75% cauliflower and 25% potato for even more veggie-virtue.)

Thursday: Cincinnati Chili

Friday: I have a dinner-date at Bistro 7 1/4. I know that we’ll be having a bowl of moules for sure; entrée is yet to be determined. Maybe a bowl of gnudi? Edit: Yup, gnudi it was. I had a half-portion with blue cheese...and a fennel/grapefruit salad to cut through all of that creamy, cheesy gnudi-y goodness. It was sublime.

All cuteness aside, though, I could honestly eat like this every single day. Come summer, I can see myself out on the front steps with a giant bowl of quinoa & kale, swatting mosquitoes and hollering at the neighbour kids.

Ok, maybe not the last part, but definitely the kale.

The Mascot’s Magical Mother's Day Muesli

2011-05-09T07:35:00.001-05:00

A few years ago, I attended a Mother’s Day brunch at a very fancy hotel in Seattle. I remember very little about the meal itself, with the exception of something called “Bircher Muesli”. It was nothing to look at, and at first glance I thought it actually looked kinda gross; a big bowl of cold, wet oats with what appeared to be bits of nuts and dried fruit stirred in. Given the posh surroundings, though, I had a hunch that there was more to it than met the eye, so I helped myself to a little bowlful…and then went back for a slightly bigger helping. It was *heavenly*.

Since that day, I have been in search of the perfect “wet muesli”, but have never found anything to rival that one. Until now. It had never occurred to me that the person responsible for such a creation would be my own son.

After years of serving up the usual (and always delightful) breakfast-in-bed combo of Eggo waffles and fresh berries, the mascot took the opportunity to show off some of his mad measuring skills by putting together, by request, a custom Bircher Muesli. He mixed it all up on Saturday night, and by Sunday morning it was ready to serve to one very hungry, tiara-wearing mother. (On a pink tray, no less!)

No matter how much I rave about this, it will not be enough; it was somewhere between sublime and ridiculous. It blew that fancy brunch-stuff out of the water. And I’m not just saying that because my kid made it…he doesn’t read this thing anyway!

The hardest thing about making this is staying out of it while it is working its magic in the fridge. The basic recipe can be altered to suit your tastes. Hate raisins? Leave them out. Love nuts? Of course you do. You can also swap-out the almond milk for soy, rice, hemp or dairy, but if you do, you’ll probably want to add a little splash of vanilla. I know I would.

How you serve this is up to you, as well. I went minimalist with just some extra almond milk, but yogurt and/or berries would be probably be nice. A spoonful of rhubarb compote on top would be insanely good.

Note: the mascot left the chopped apples out and I have to admit that I didn’t miss them. I’ll make sure he puts ‘em in next time, though, and I’ll let you know how that works out. With any luck, I’ll be finding out sooner than later…

The Mascot’s Magical Muesli
½ cup large-flake rolled oats
½ tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp each raisins and chopped apricots
1 tbsp each toasted coconut and toasted flaked almonds
2 tsp brown sugar
nutmeg and cinnamon, to taste
¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, plus more for serving
½ apple, chopped or grated (optional)
vanilla yogurt (optional)
Combine oats, hemp, dried fruit, coconut, nuts, sugar and spices. Stir in almond milk. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir in apples, if using, and serve cold, topped with additional almond milk or yogurt.
Serves ONE

Red Curry Tofu and Vegetables with Pineapple

2011-04-28T12:44:00.001-05:00

For a gal who is not “in the family way”, I sometimes get some pretty weird cravings. Yesterday, out of the blue, I was hit with a sudden craving for tofu in a red curry sauce with, of all things, fresh pineapple. I have never had that particular combination, but I knew that if such a thing existed, it would have to be good. A tweet (followed by a quick Google) confirmed that I wasn’t just making stuff up, so I changed my dinner plans and spent the rest of the day mentally drooling over what awaited me.

I didn’t like any of the recipes that I found, so I decided to wing it. The original “tofu and pineapple” idea was expanded to include cubes of baby eggplant, a few mushrooms, diced red pepper, onion and snap peas. The sauce was fairly simple: a couple teaspoons of red curry paste, ½ cup light coconut milk, a little chunk of palm sugar, a splash of tamari, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of cilantro. It. Was. Perfect.

Besides satisfying my craving (and being worthy of a “clean plate club” award from the mascot), the best part was that the whole meal came together in 20 minutes* and without a grocery store run or search for unusual ingredients. Of course, it helps that my pantry “basics” include frozen chopped cilantro and cakes of palm sugar.

* yes, I timed it.

Baked Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Mushrooms

2011-04-20T17:25:00.005-05:00

This was going to be a crustless quiche, but the mascot decided that it was more of a frittata (potato/potatah). Once it came out of the oven, however, we both decided that it was really more of a scramble and wasted no further time trying to slap a label it. It looked, smelled and (thank goodness) tasted incredible.

Despite the fact that it is 100% vegan, it tasted like creamy, cheesy, bacon-y scrambled eggs, held up by tons of fresh spinach and mushrooms. I spooned mine over a raft of steamed asparagus spears, while the mascot opted for his on a toasted whole-wheat bagel. Was it a hit? Lets just say that I've already received a request to make it again...and that had nothing to do with the bac'n bits*, I'm sure.

The recipe itself is a bit of an adaptation from one on the Fat Free Vegan site. Hers uses a firm silken tofu, which I'm sure would yield a much firmer quiche/frittata-like result, and is baked in muffin cups, but is infinitely adaptable as you can see.

Baked Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Mushrooms
½ onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 big bunch spinach, chopped
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp rosemary

1 pkg soft tofu, drained
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (aka nooch)
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp tahini
½ tsp salt, divided
1/8 cup soy bac’n bits

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

In a non-stick pan, sauté onions, garlic, herbs and mushrooms with a pinch of salt, stirring constantly, until onions are translucent and mushrooms have released most of their liquid. Add spinach and continue to sauté until wilted. Transfer to a mesh strainer and press out excess moisture, set aside.

In a food processor, combine remaining ingredients, except for bac’n bits and tomatoes. Process until completely smooth. Stir in bac’n and reserved spinach mixture. Pour into a sprayed baking dish or pie plate, smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Garnish with cherry tomato halves (if you are 13 you will make a smiley face, otherwise place them in a nice, even pattern) and bake at 375 for 25 mins. Serves 2 – 4 (two as an entrée)

* Mascot: Mmmmmm...meat.
Me: Where?
Mascot: The bacon.
Me: That's not bacon. It's Bac'n. Made with soy. No meat.
Mascot: Can we pretend it's bacon?
Me: Knock yourself out.

Tomato, Lentil & Spinach Soup

2011-04-14T08:12:00.000-05:00

They say that you crave what your body needs. I don't know if that's true, because my cravings would point towards a very severe Easter Cream Egg deficiency, but I will keep an open mind. That's why I listened to my little inner voice on Sunday night that told me to use up that sad bag of spinach in the fridge and, hey, while you;re at it, open a can of lentils. I must be lacking in vitamin A or iron or *something*, right?

This goes together super-fast and uses the most basic of fridge/pantry items, but tastes like a whole lot of effort was made. Don't be fooled by the single cup of lentils, either, there are plenty in there to go around.

Tomato, Lentil & Spinach Soup
1 small onion, finely diced
2 or 3 carrots, finely diced
2 or 3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 large can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 litre veggie stock
1 cup canned lentils
1 bunch spinach, stems removed, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
In a medium, non-stick soup-pot, saute onions, carrots and celery until onions are translucent. Stir in thyme, bay leaf, tomatoes and stock. Simmer 10 mins, covered. Add lentils and spinach and continue to simmer 5 mins. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Makes 5 lunch-sized servings.

Buffalo Tofu

2011-04-13T09:34:00.002-05:00

I have no idea what is in the Southern Fried Tofu coating from Mondragon, but I have a pretty good feeling that it might be "nooch"-based and fancied up with 11 or so herbs and spices. Or maybe just 3 herbs and spices. Really, though, at this point it is just a guess. All I know is that it is darn good and makes a nice, light coating for plain ol' tofu and since they've started selling it in little tubs, our lives have gotten a whole lot southerner.

Usually, we just dip our slices of pressed tofu first in tamari and then into the SFT coating, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let 'em rip in a 425 oven until they are golden and crispy (about 15-20 mins). Last Saturday's wing night, however, called for an extra step. Just before the tofu strips were done, I removed them from the baking pan, tossed them with enough Frank's Red Hot to coat, and returned them to the oven for 5 mins.

And, before you say it... no, these are not going to fool your friends; they're not going to make you float up to the ceiling in pure, unbridled chicken-wing bliss; they're not going to become the next big thing at Hooters. But, what they will do is give you something healthy and spicy to snack on and provide you with a vehicle for blue cheese dip. Because, if you're like me, it's all about the blue cheese.

Note: if you don't have any of the magic coating from Mondragon, try this...
Combine:
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or an alternate, like spelt)
1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Shuffle-off to Buffalo.

2011-04-11T12:30:00.003-05:00

Every Saturday morning, my fella and I hit Costco bright and early before the riff-raff get there. As we push the cart along, stocking up on the week's essentials, conversation inevitably turns to what we should make for dinner that night. As it's usually the one night for the three of us to sit down and eat together, we try to make something relatively fun.

This past Saturday, I made the off-hand suggestion of chicken wings and, not surprisingly, it was met with an enthusiastic "Yes!" So, a plan was hatched and $16 worth of wings made their way into the cart, alongside the cauliflower, zucchini, two kinds of lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, melons, bananas, brussels sprouts, corn, green beans...

My recipe for chicken wings is a non-recipe, really. Other than the chicken, all you need is salt and Frank's Red Hot sauce. That's it. The preparation is just as simple, too:

If your wings are not already separated into "drumettes" and "the other part", you'll want to do that, and pat them dry with a paper towel while you're at it. 1. Arrange the wings on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with a little coarse salt, and bake at 425 for about 35 - 45 mins, turning once.
2. Once they are cooked through and the skin is starting to get nice and golden-crispy, remove them from the baking tray and toss them with a good splash of sauce. Note: You're going to put them back into the oven, but first you'll want to remove the extra fat; either by wiping or replacing the parchment.
3. Return the sauced wings to the oven and continue to bake for 5-10 mins, or until browned.
4. Optional: toss with Frank's once more before serving.
Serve hot with blue cheese dip and celery sticks.

Just to be different, I also made a honey-garlic variety that went over really well. It was a last-minute decision, so I decided to "wing it". In the time it would've taken to Google a recipe, I stirred together a couple cloves of minced garlic, a couple tablespoons of honey and a tiny splash of soy sauce. The wings were prepared in exactly the same way as the Buffalo-style, except they were tossed with the honey-garlic sauce instead of the Frank's in Step 2 and they were watched very carefully after returning to the oven. (Due to the higher sugar-content, they can burn more easily.)

Edit: you may be wondering, "So, what did the queen of tofu eat during this wing-fest? Buffalo Tofu, of course.

Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

2011-03-28T21:20:00.000-05:00

Two things blew my mind today. These book sculptures and this soup.

While not as exciting to look at or as time-consuming to create as the sculptures, this soup still manages to sneak-in a little element of surprise. Rather than cook and puree the carrot with the other vegetables, as one would normally do, I added the carrot after everything was pureed and then simmered it in the silky-smooth soup until it was just soft. This final step gave the soup an interesting texture and a little hit of colour, with the pretty, bright orange strands weaving through the creamy* cauliflower base.

(Also interesting to note, I didn’t bother to sauté my onions, celery and garlic before adding the stock and cauliflower, as I would normally do. Is there a discernable difference in taste, as compared to a cooked mirepoix? Not in this case, or if there is, it’s very subtle.)

Cauliflower and Carrot Soup
1 med white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
½ - 1 tbsp herbes de provence
1 bay leaf
4 cups veggie stock
2 carrots, coarsely grated
salt to taste
In order listed, place veggies in a medium-sized, lidded soup pot. Add herbes, bay leaf and stock. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until cauliflower is soft. Remove from heat, remove bay leaf and puree with immersion blender until smooth. Stir in grated carrot, return pot to heat and simmer for 5 mins or until carrot is softened.

* “Creamy” in colour only; this is a vegan soup and contains no cream.

Like buttah(cream).

2011-03-21T08:25:00.000-05:00

For the past three years, I have taken part in the MAWA “Over the Top” art auction and cupcake party. As in the past, as soon as I heard that they were looking for donations, I had them put me down for 4 dozen, which is a) exactly two batches worth and b) as many as I can carry at once.

My past years’ cupcakes have been fairly standard – dark chocolate cake with white seven minute frosting and orange/pink sprinkles. I think I made little “MAWA” flags for the first year, too, but otherwise, I kept them pretty simple. This year I decided to step-up my game and do something befitting the “Over the Top” theme. When inspiration struck for my “Coffee & a Donut” cupcakes, I knew I had a winner.

I kept the cupcake itself basically the same because my “go to” chocolate cake is one that has never failed me. And, really, who has the time to be testing new cake recipes? I wanted a mocha taste, though, so I added 2 packets of Starbucks VIA instant coffee to the dry ingredients. As far as the icing was concerned, I knew that I had to use a slightly sturdier icing; especially if I was planning to perch a mini-donut on top! (Seven minute frosting, as tasty as it is, has a tendency to “flop” at room temperature.)

My requirements were pretty specific, so I turned to the power of Google to find me the perfect mocha frosting. After giving it some thought, I decided that I needed an Italian Meringue-based buttercream that called for cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate, to minimize the potential for disaster. I knew that there would be something suitable somewhere and, thanks to the powers of the internets, I found it. It's a good thing that I wrote it down, though, because I can't find it again. My apologies to the creator/author of this recipe, as I am posting it uncredited at the end of this post. My only tweak to the original recipe was the use of 2 packets of the Starbucks VIA coffee in place of the 1 Tbsp of instant; otherwise, it was perfect as-is.

It wasn’t the quickest icing to make, but it was probably one of the tastiest I have ever had, so it was definitely worth the extra steps. After whisking the egg whites and sugar over simmering water, the mixture was whipped until it reached stiff peaks; after a quick change from whisk to paddle, soft butter was beaten-in until it began to sound like…well…bodies slapping together. (Seriously!) Once I was sufficiently scandalized, I added the vanilla, cocoa and coffee. Then, after an exhaustive search of the kitchen drawers to locate the offset spatula, the mochawesomeness was ready to be applied to the waiting cakes, and the beater was ready to be licked.

I had intended to top all 48 cupcakes with a powdered mini-donut, but after a few donuts went missing, I decided to do 36 with donuts and 12 with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans. I think that when I make these again, I will use the beans to decorate, unless I have a specific request to once again go “over the top”.

Amazing Mocha Buttercream
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cups white sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup butter, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla
3 TBSP cocoa powder
2 pkts Starbucks VIA coffee (or 1 TBSP instant)
Place the bowl from stand mixer over simmering water. Add egg whites, sugar and salt; whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm. Return mixer bowl to stand and whisk on high for about 7 mins, or until mixture has cooled and stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Switch to paddle attachment and beat in butter at med-low speed, 1-2 TBSP at a time. Once all butter has been added, increase speed to med-high and beat for 3 mins (you'll know it's ready when it starts making a slapping sound). Reduce speed to low and beat-in vanilla, cocoa and coffee powder.
Generously frosts 24 cupcakes, or less-generously* 48.

*Not because you're stingy, but because you're putting a freaking DONUT on top.

Eggplant and Chickpea Tagine w/ Jamie Lee Couscous

2011-03-16T15:12:00.004-05:00

Happiness is watching your kid happily tuck into a plate of eggplant and chickpea stew. No, really, it is…and I will never take that for granted. I don’t recall being a picky eater as a child, yet the mere mention of “eggplant” (or “chickpea”, for that matter) would have sent my lower lip straight out and sparked a battle of wills* between me and my parents. But, alas, the mascot is a rare breed of happy-go-lucky kid who possesses both a sense of adventure and a surprisingly sophisticated palette.

This dish was first conceived in my mind during yoga class. I knew that even after 40 minutes of poses and 5 minutes of savasana**, I would need something warm and comforting to soothe my uber-jangled nerves. After a mental inventory of the contents of my fridge and pantry, I came to the conclusion that I needed to: a) use up the baby eggplant before it started to walk and talk, b) make something with chickpeas (because it’s been too long) and c) buy a longer yoga mat.

Since a shopping trip to Lululemon was not in the cards, I decided to pull out all the stops and make a speedy/healthy/exotic veggie tagine. Of course, given the late hour and my waning motivation, it had to be a quick one.

Don’t be put off by the length of the ingredient list; this is a snap to put together and relies on pantry basics. I threw in some chopped portobellos just because I had some, but they are optional. They don’t add much as far as flavour, but the texture is a welcome addition and they bridge the gap between the soft eggplant and firm chickpeas.

A quick note about couscous: Couscous is one of the easiest things that you will ever make. Seriously. The stuff is on-par with tea, as far as preparation is concerned. The recipe that follows, named for the reigning Queen of Regularity, takes plain ol' couscous to the next level with the simple addition of chopped dried fruit. Feel free to substitute raisins, apricots, apples, currents, etc. (or a combination of) for the prunes. Oh, and just in case you were really impressed with my un-finicky eater, I should mention that his portion of couscous was sans prunes. God forbid the child should eat a PRUNE. If your kid has a dried fruit aversion, as well, you can plump them in a little hot water, and then stir them in before serving. The prunes, that is; not the kids.

Eggplant and Chickpea Tagine
3 baby eggplants (or 1 large), diced
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½” piece fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch cayenne
¼ tsp salt
1 cup veggie stock
1 carrot, sliced
1 small can whole or diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinced
1 cup chopped Portobello mushrooms (optional)
¼ cup frozen corn, thawed
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
In a large, non stick pan, dry fry eggplant until starting to brown. Reserve.
Meanwhile…in a covered skillet, sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and sauté, stirring, for 1 minute. Add spices and salt and continue to sauté, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in stock, carrots and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 5 mins, then add chickpeas, reserved eggplant, mushrooms (if using) and corn. Cover, reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 10 mins. Add cilantro and cook without lid for 5 mins. Serve with couscous. Serves 2 or 3.

Jamie Lee Couscous
½ cup veggie stock
½ cup whole wheat couscous
4 prunes, diced
Place couscous and prunes in a small bowl. Bring veggie stock to boil, then pour over couscous. Cover and let stand 5 mins. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Serves 2.

*For the record, I rarely won these battles and I vividly recall spending entire evenings at an empty kitchen table in front of a plate of lima beans or some other loathsome vegetable.
** which was clearly not enough

Wasabi Sabi

2011-03-14T16:02:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago, my fella was given a gift card for Wasabi Sushi, our fave spot for all things raw and gooey. Since receiving it, R has had to put up with an almost-constant litany of “When are we gonna go for sooooo-sheeee?” Well, this Saturday night, with the mascot off at a sleepover, the whining finally stopped.

We usually go to the Broadway location, where we can sit in the cozy little front area and watch the sushi chefs do their thing. This time, however, just to mix things up, R made resos at the Taylor location (aka Wasabi Sabi). I had never been there before, but I had heard that it was just as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the tastebuds. Judging it strictly on its location (in a strip mall beside my dentist’s office), I was doubtful…yet hopeful.

On R’s suggestion, we arrived early so that we could have a couple drinks in the martini bar. I had trouble focusing my attention on my date, though, due to the incredibly cool décor (and the vat of gin that was set in front of me). I especially liked the cut-work Sakura (cherry blossom) panels that separated the lounge from the restaurant. So pretty!

After drinks, we headed back into a smallish room on the far side of the busy kitchen. It only had about 6 tables, so it was the perfect spot for a cozy dinner. The Sakura theme was continued, but this time in the form of a gorgeous silver and white wallpaper that covered the back wall and wrapped up onto the ceiling.

With all of that loveliness, they could have served us just about anything and we would have loved it, but the food actually managed to outshine the surroundings. We started with one of my favourites, the Icy Spicy roll (spicy tuna wrapped in cucumber, no rice) and then shared a basket of perfect tempura. After that came our sushi-sushi (4 pieces for each of us). The Hawaiian Butterfish was an unexpected treat, and definitely lived up to its name; it was like buttah. After that, we moved on to a fun assortment of maki – Volcano roll, Caterpillar roll, Sushi Pizza and the Fresh and Wild (veggie) roll. Everything was absolutely perfect, including the service. And my date, of course.

Happy Birthday to Bistro 7 1/4

2011-03-07T17:22:00.001-06:00

This month, my favourite restaurant is celebrating its 5th birthday and I am as happy as a seagull with a French fry about it. Not just because I am always happy to see local businesses succeed, but because the owners are two of the most wonderful people that I know.

My fella and I try to make it out to “Bistro” every couple of months to split a bowl of mussels, canoodle and watch all the action from our usual seats at the far end of the Chef’s Table. The food is always fantastic, the atmosphere is always warm and inviting, and there is always just a hint of well-controlled chaos to keep things interesting.

To Alex and Danielle, a toast to 5 great years (how many moules is that??) and many, many more.

Can Do

2011-02-25T16:38:00.005-06:00

It’s a little embarassing to admit, but my teenage son completely lacks the ability to operate a can opener. I don’t know if it’s a question of dexterity or strength or comprehension; all I know is that despite his motivation to get into the can, he just can’t make it happen. Granted, I have never seen him try for longer than a few seconds, but based on what I witnessed, he would starve if left on a desert island with nothing more than a case of canned goods and a Swing-a-way.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge proponent of what I like to call “life skills”; stuff like doing laundry, plunging toilets, changing lightbulbs and, yes, preparing one’s own meals. The mascot has proven himself to be quite adept at a wide range of household tasks, which is why it pained me to see him absolutely unable to do what I consider one of the most basic.

I figured that he would eventually “get it”, but that just doesn’t seem to be in the near-future for the boy. So, in a rare moment of concession, I agreed to purchase a $20 "as seen on TV" battery operated can opener, just like the one below. With much eye-rolling on my part, I presented it (and a package of AAs) to the mascot and left him to figure it out.

Surprisingly (ha!), he was able to open the blister-pack, install the batteries, decipher the instructions and make his way into a giant can of split pea with ham. And, you know what? It was apparently the best soup he had ever had. Go fig.

What’s my take on our new piece of kitchen gadgetry? I finally got to see it in action the other night and I have to admit, it’s pretty damn cool. Of course, I am forbidden from operating it when the mascot is home, lest he miss out on all the fun.

Nice Buns!

2011-02-22T16:22:00.004-06:00

I was grabbing some ready-to-cook mushroom-pecan and organic beef burgers at Organza on Saturday, when I spotted a couple squishy-squashy bags of fresh sunflower-flax bread dough. On a whim, I decided to toss one into my basket, even though I had no idea what to do with it; "bread" just seemed so obvious. I was already planning to make burgers for dinner on Sunday, but it wasn't immediately obvious to make my own hamburger buns with it. I know - duh!

So, on Sunday morning, I got up bright and early, grabbed the incredibly swollen bag of dough from the fridge, and set about making some buns. While I was absentmindedly punching-down the dough, I got the brilliant idea to make part of it into breakfast buns of some sort. Cinnamon? Too obvious. Current? The mascot would complain. Maple? Mais oui!

Once my 6 buns were happily resting on their baking sheet, I rolled out the remainder of the dough, gave it a little schmear of butter, sprinkled on a good handful of maple flakes, rolled it up, cut it into 9 pieces and (after a little time to rise and relax) baked my little wonders in a vintage tart pan until they were golden. During the last few minutes of baking time, I stirred some real maple syrup into a few spoonfuls of icing sugar to make a simple glaze, which was brushed on while the buns were on the cooling rack, but still warm from the oven.

To say that the little buns were not long for the world would be an understatement; if it weren't for the three that were set aside for R, they would have been gone within 15 minutes of the mascot first catching wind of them. (As it was, I had to fight for the TWO that I got.) Needless to say, fresh buns are always a hit, but I think these ones went over so well because they were not too-sweet and healthy, but not too healthy-tasting. And, they were darn cute, if I do say so myself.

Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup

2011-02-15T08:49:00.000-06:00

It is finally starting to warm up in Winnipeg, but it seems that no one is here to notice it. In the words of my manicurist, “Everyone and their dog is in Mexico!” Well, I have it on pretty good authority that most people are leaving their dogs at home when they go south, but that’s beside the point. The point is - I’m not in Mexico.

To make up for the fact that I will not be laying on a beach this week working on my tan, I am going to give myself a little glow from the inside out. And, what better way to do it than with a sunshiny carrot and fennel soup!

I love the sweetness and depth of flavour that roasting gives vegetables, so don’t be tempted to leave out that step. It really does make a difference. If you wanted to save .453 of a minute, you could use a few tablespoons of orange juice (instead of juicing an orange), but really…aren’t you worth a few extra seconds? Yes, yes you are.

Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup (with cumin, orange and a pinch of sunshine)
4 large carrots, sliced
1tsp cumin seed
1 tsp maple syrup or honey
coarse salt
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and sliced (finely chop fronds and reserve)
juice of 1 orange, divided
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
5 – 6 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
Toss carrots with maple syrup, cumin seed and a big pinch of coarse salt. Roast on a parchment-lined baking tray at 400 degrees for 15 mins. Toss fennel with half of the orange juice and add to the baking tray with the carrots. Roast for an additional 30 mins, or until carrots and fennel are both tender and beginning to caramelize.
Meanwhile, sauté onion and celery in a medium pot until onion is translucent. Add ground cumin, coriander and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 min. Add stock and keep hot until carrots and fennel are ready.
Add carrots and fennel to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 10 mins. Remove from heat, add remaining orange juice, and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in chopped fennel fronds. Taste and adjust seasonings (see note).
Makes 5 servings.

Note: I used a blood orange in my soup because it was what I had on hand. Because blood oranges are a lower-acid variety, I didn’t have to add any extra sweetener, but feel free to stir in a few more drops of maple syrup or honey if you feel that it needs it.

Saturday Night Sundae

2011-02-14T16:34:00.003-06:00

The “Saturday Night Sundae” is becoming a little bit of a weekend tradition in our house, but you didn’t hear it from me. See, if I say that it is, then I’ll be expected to offer up a new, mind-blowing frozen confection every week and, really, I don’t think I can handle all of that pressure. (Not to mention the calories.) For now, we'll just pretend it's a random event...occurring at exactly the same time every 7 days.

When it comes to ice cream, I’m generally quite content with a handful of berries or a spoonful of peanut butter over a scoop of vanilla, but sometimes you just gotta take things to the next level. And, sometimes, the results are undeniably blog-worthy. My two favourite creations from the past couple of weeks, besides our Un-fried Mexican Fried Ice Cream, were the Caramel Apple Surprise and the XXXO. Here are their stories…

Caramel Apple Surprise*
Apple pie filling + cinnamon + caramel fro-yo = awesome
I am almost ashamed to admit that I opened a can of pie filling for this. Almost. The fact of the matter is, though, sometimes apple pie filling is exactly what you’re craving. You can make up for being lazy by stirring in some cinnamon and heating it up before spooning it over scoops of caramel frozen yogurt.

XXXO
This was the final flourish for our big Valentine’s date-night. (We were going to go to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard, but we arrived there to find them CLOSED. What?)
I started by making a quick, molten chocolate sauce. That went over really good vanilla bean ice cream (take that, DQ!), fresh raspberries were added (for fibre**), and then chopped white chocolate/almond bark was sprinkled over the top. It was darkly sweet and dangerous…which is why I named it after my fave MIA song.

*Surprise! It’s yogurt!
**kidding!

Mexican Un-fried Ice Cream

2011-02-07T15:37:00.001-06:00

Picture this: you’re at the Mexican restaurant and you are so full from the Mucho Macho Enchilada Platter and three fishbowl-sized Margaritas that you can barely move (much less contemplate eating even one more complementary tortilla chip) and the server says, “Would anyone care for dessert?” and you answer, without an iota of hesitation, “Yes, please!”

C’mon, admit it; as inexplicable and shameful as it is, we’ve all been there. And there can only be one reason for this level of insanity: fried ice cream, the coup de grace of many a fine, button-bursting Mexican meal.

My own fascination with the stuff goes back to the days of the now-defunct Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurante, which was *the* place to go if you liked free chips, fruity drinks and everything on your plate thoroughly blanketed in melted cheese (and, really, who doesn’t?) I loved everything about Chi-Chi’s, but the highlight was always the fried ice cream. It was nothing short of magical.

These days, though, cravings for fried ice cream have to be saved for south-of-the border* trips down to Paradiso restaurant. Well, until now. To save ourselves the 3 hour drive (and a few dozen calories) I have managed to come up with a reasonable facsimile of the hot/cold fiesta-in-a-bowl. It leaves out the nasty dip in the deep-fryer, but still manages to be a pretty close taste-alike…just ask mi novio y mi hijo. My two favourite hombres both gave it an enthusiastic “muy bueno” (even after stuffing themselves with veggie tacos and refried beans on Saturday night.)

Un-fried Ice Cream
vanilla ice cream, 1 large scoop per person
½ cup fine graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp cinnamon
liquid honey
Whipped cream (from a can, for maximum authenticity!)
Maraschino cherries
Combine graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon in a small bowl. Working with one scoop at a time, roll ice cream in crumbs until completely covered. Carefully transfer to a parchment lined baking tray or freezer-safe plate. Freeze for at least one hour.
To serve: place one scoop of crumb-coated ice cream in a bowl or margarita glass (fancy!). Drizzle with a couple teaspoons of liquid honey. Garnish with whipped cream – around the base of the ice cream and one dollop on top. Finish with a maraschino cherry and an enthusiastic “Ole!”
Serves 3 (increase crumb mixture accordingly to serve more)

*No, not that border…I'm talking about the one that separates us from North Dakota, silly.

Toast your oats!

2011-01-31T14:27:00.000-06:00

Toasted oats. It just sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, let me tell you – they taste even better.

I have dry-toasted oats before (to sprinkle on sautéed apples for a quick, no-bake apple “crisp”), but it had never occurred to me to make oatmeal with them until I read a post on the subject by the Amateur Gourmet. He waxed poetic about just how good they were; and if someone (besides me) can get that excited about oatmeal, I had to try it.

It was as simple as putting the oats in a non-stick pan and cooking them over med-high heat until they started to turn light brown and gave off a toasty aroma. Then, I transferred them to a pot with water, a dash of salt, a dusting of nutmeg and cinnamon, and a touch of sweetener (sucanat). 5 minutes later (they were quick oats), I had a bowlful of yumminess. To further guild the lily, I topped my oatmeal with a splash of unsweetened vanilla almond milk and another sprinkle of cinnamon.

While I was eating my breakfast I tried to come up with a good description for how the toasted oats tasted; “toasty” just didn’t seem to cover it. The flavour was not at all like my usual oatmeal…it was much more complex…not quite “nutty”, but getting there…

I think, in the interest of good food-blogging, that this will require further investigation.

Hearty Tuscan Stew

2011-01-27T08:54:00.002-06:00

I love arbitrarily assigning names to things, especially when it comes to food. For that reason, this dish has been given the moniker “Hearty Tuscan Stew”. Is it hearty? Yes. Is it stew? Yes. Is it Tuscan? According to my idea of what makes something Tuscan, it is.

Have I been to Tuscany? No, but I saw that movie with Diane Lane and I’m pretty sure that she would’ve served this to her merry band of Polish carpenters, had the kitchen been functioning.

Much like the Tuscan countryside that I have seen in pictures and postcards, this stew is stunning. The mascot took two bites and then tried to trick me into giving him all of mine. Fat chance, paisano!

Seriously, though; veggie “beef tips”, tomatoes, white beans, mushrooms and herbs all come together in 20 mins to make a meal that tastes like it has been slow simmering all day, whilst you toil in the, er…fields? (Do they have fields in Tuscany? They must.) Serve with a tumbler of red wine, rustic bread and something green.

Hearty Tuscan Stew
½ small onion, chopped 
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
½ cup veggie broth
1 tbsp tomato paste 
1 cup grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, halved
½ can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg veggie beef tips  
Salt and pepper 
In a sprayed non-stick pan, brown frozen beef tips. Set aside. In same pan, saute onions (with a splash of stock) until soft, about 3-5 minutes, then add garlic and mushrooms. Sauté for 2 more minutes. Add thyme, rosemary, tomato paste, tomatoes and broth, scraping up any browned bits. Add reserved beef tips and beans. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, then poke tomatoes with a fork or the tip of a knife and simmer uncovered 5 more mins. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serves 2

Chick'n Scaloppini Cacciatore

2011-01-26T08:48:00.001-06:00

I confess….we’re plate-lickers. Not out in public, mind you, but all’s fair in the privacy of our own home. If a meal is especially good, like the one we had last night, you would swear that our plates hadn’t been used at all! (I kid…sorta.)

I love this dish for 3 reasons: it’s weeknight-easy (less than 30 mins!), it tastes incredible (despite its rather mundane looking list of pantry-staple ingredients, and it’s title is just a little bit ironic, as “Cacciatore” means “hunter”.

In this case, Gardein Chick'n Scallopini make an excellent meat-free stand-in for the usual chicken breasts and go right from freezer to pot, making preparation a snap. They don’t require browning, grilling or even thawing. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

You can serve this with pasta, but we prefer ours with a side of creamy, cheesy polenta. If you have extra time, you can prepare yours from scratch, but I was in a rush so I used ½ a log of prepared polenta, heated up with a little veggie stock, then whisked smooth. A handful of an “Italiano” 3-cheese blend thrown in before serving took it from good to grate…er, great. You should’ve seen those plates gleam!

Chick'n Scallopini Cacciatore
½ onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 can crushed tomatoes
½ cup vegetable stock
1 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp white wine vinegar
salt, to taste
4 Gardein Chick'n Scaloppini, frozen (they’ll thaw in the sauce!)
In a non-stick lidded pan, sauté onion, carrots and celery until onion is translucent. Add red pepper and continue to sauté 2 mins. Stir in tomatoes, stock, garlic, basil and vinegar. Add frozen scallopini to pan, turning to coat with sauce. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, covered, for 10 mins. Serve with polenta.

Israeli Couscous and Tomato Soup

2011-01-24T16:30:00.001-06:00

Israeli Couscous, or Ptitim (or Ben Gurion’s rice, as it is known in Israel), is a cousin of the North African couscous that most people are familiar with. Like “regular” couscous, it is a wheat-based pasta, but that’s where the similarities end. Israeli couscous has a larger, pearl-shaped grain, less tendency to clump, an interesting texture, and a yummy, mildly toasted flavour. It also holds its shape better after cooking, which makes it ideal for adding to soups – like this exotic, spiced tomato Soup o’ the Week (recipe below). If you haven’t tried it before, you so should! (Just don’t knock yours off the pantry shelf and send it bouncing down the basement stairs like a million teeny-weeny little marbles, which you will be vacuuming up for the rest of your life.)

Speaking of spices, this week’s soup makes use of a Mediterranean spice-blend known as “Baharat”. The name Baharat is taken from the Turkish word for black pepper and literally means “spices”. And, true to that broad definition, Baharat has countless variations. The one that I use is a fairly basic/common combination (albeit light on the pepper), works well with the sweetness of the tomatoes, and gives just the right amount of earthy, spicy warmth to the dish.

Israeli Couscous and Tomato Soup
1/3 cup Israeli couscous
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 chile, minced
2 tsp baharat (recipe below)
4 tsp agave nectar
1 large can whole tomatoes, with juice
3 cups vegetable stock
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh mint or cilantro (optional)
Plain yogurt.
In a soup pot, sauté onion, garlic and chile until softened. Stir in baharat and agave. Cook, stirring for 1 min, then add tomatoes and stock. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer for 10 mins. Meanwhile, cook Israeli couscous in a small pot of rapidly boiling, salted water until al dente (about 5 mins). Drain and set aside.Using an immersion blender, puree soup until slightly chunky. Stir in cooked couscous and fresh herbs (if using). Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt.
4 1 ½ cup servings.

Baharat
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground black pepper
Makes lots - combine and store in an airtight jar.

Stuffed Green Peppers

2011-01-20T12:24:00.000-06:00

Last night, as we were halfway through our dinner of stuffed green peppers, I said to the mascot, "So, what's the verdict?" He paused for about 1/100th of a second before replying, "Um, I'm going to need to eat about 50 more of these before I make up my mind." This morning, he shook his head slowly as he admonished me for making him wait 13 years to have my amazing peppers.

I guess that means I'll be making these more often.

This recipe makes use of what I call "planned leftovers" and is completely adaptable to whatever grains/veggies/proteins/cheese you have on hand. Think of this as a springboard for what could be an endless array of variations on the theme. The mascot just may get his "50 pepper" wish, after all.

Stuffed Green Peppers
2 green peppers
½ small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup veggie stock
½ cup leftover brown rice
½ package veggie ground beef
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried oregano
½ cup canned diced tomatoes, strained (reserve remaining tomatoes and juice for sauce)
salt to taste
grated cheese
Cut green peppers in half (lengthwise) and remove seeds, core and ribs. Place in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam, covered, until tender.
Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan, sauté onion and celery until onion is translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to release their moisture. Stir in veggie stock, rice, veggie beef, herbs and tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 mins. Season to taste with salt. Keep warm.
In a 8x8” (or similar size) baking dish, place enough of the tomato sauce to cover bottom. Divide rice mixture between the green pepper halves and arrange in prepared dish. Top with grated cheese and bake at 400 for 10 mins. Serve with tomato sauce.
Serves 2

While the filling is cooking and the peppers are steaming, you can prepare the super-simple tomato sauce:

Canned diced tomatoes and juice (reserved from filling)
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp brown sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt to taste
Using an immersion blender, puree tomatoes and juice. Add to saucepan, along with tomato paste, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to desired thickness. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Sweet Potato Saag Aloo

2011-01-17T16:44:00.000-06:00

When we lived in Surrey, BC, the mascot and I ate a lot of Indian food. Surrey, after all, boasts a huge Indo-Canadian population…the highest in the country, I think…and, as they say, “When in Rome…”

We haven’t been having as many curries lately, though, which is a shame because we both enjoy them so much. Last night we decided to rectify that and come up with a twist on one of my favourites, Saag Aloo.

Saag Aloo is traditionally made with “regular” potatoes, but since we have been on such a sweet potato kick lately, it seemed like a good idea to swap them in instead of the usual whites. As it turned out, we both liked the bastardized version better than the original. Who knew?!

Taste aside, this version is also prettier than the potato version. The golden-orange of the sweet potato plays beautifully off the brilliant emerald of the spinach (just as long as you don’t over-cook it, that is) and makes a stunning side dish. I could make a meal of it, but since I had to share, I served it along with ginger-orange veggie beef with peppers, and warmed pita bread. (I figured that since we were straying from “real” Indian cooking, we might as go all the way.)

Sweet Potato Saag Aloo
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet potato, cubed (about 2 cups)
1 tsp each cumin and coriander
pinch cayenne
½ tsp garam masala
6 cups fresh baby spinach (packed)
juice of ½ lemon
Sauté onions in a lidded pan until translucent. Add garlic and spices (except garam masala) and continue to sauté, stirring, for 1 min; add sweet potatoes. Add enough water to come ½ way up potatoes, then cover and simmer until potatoes are softened, but still retain their shape. Carefully stir in garam masala and lemon juice. Add spinach, cover, and cook on low until wilted. Stir gently to combine.
Serves 2.

Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup

2011-01-17T12:01:00.007-06:00

Remember when I used to make a spectacular pot of soup every Sunday night to be divvied up into containers and taken to work all week long? And then remember when I stopped doing that because I got hooked on miso soup?

Well, I am back to doing the Sunday pot o’ soup and after only two weeks, I can’t believe I ever gave it up. Last week was a mushroom, spinach and lentil with thyme and lemon; delish, but I didn’t bother writing it down. This week, however, I had blogging on my mind when I whipped up this little roasted carrot and ginger creation.

I also had “warmth” on my mind and this fulfills that need to a T, with the zingy (yes, zingy) heat of ginger. Garam masala was a last minute addition and just a little bit adds a lovely, fragrant touch to the rich flavour of the roasted carrots. And, as a bonus, it's as pretty as a sunset.

I love this soup.

Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup
5 large carrots, thickly sliced
½ tsp maple syrup
¼ tsp coarse salt
1 onion, chopped
1” fresh ginger, chopped
4 cups veggie stock
2 cups water
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp (packed) brown sugar
Toss carrots with maple syrup and salt. Roast, on a parchment lined baking tray, turning once, until fork-tender and lightly caramelized.
Meanwhile, sauté onions in a large saucepan until translucent. Add ginger and continue to sauté, stirring, for 2 mins. Add stock and water, bring to a boil, add roasted carrots to pot and simmer for 10 mins. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Add garam masala and brown sugar; blend. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serve with a garnish of raisins, toasted flaked almonds, or a swirl of plain yogurt.
Makes 5, 1 ½ cup servings.

Yikes!

2011-01-16T18:56:00.003-06:00

a) I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

b) This will be the week that I finally get over my fear (and loathing) of lima beans.

c) I will never be un-a'feared of Spam!

Sponge Toffee

2011-01-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, my latest cooking obsession will come as a bit of a surprise. No, it’s not a tagine, or a curry, or a variation on chili. It’s fat-free, yes, but it is by no means “healthy”. It doesn’t contain fruits, vegetables, tofu or grains of any kind; in fact, it contains sugar and little else.

So, what is it that had me slaving over a hot pan late into the night over the holidays?

It was sponge toffee aka honeycomb (as Nigella is want to call it) aka “the stuff in the Crunchie bar”.

I know, right?

Candy making has never been my thing, which is odd considering how relatively fearless I am when it comes to cooking. Back in BC, it was nothing to spend a whole day in Shawn and Trish’s kitchen making sausages, baking chocolate cakes that spanned 3 whole pages in a recipe book (and didn’t hold a candle to my favourite one-bowl wonder), or assembling burgers that involved multiple sauces, condiments and home-made onion buns. But, candy? I would start to read recipes and something would inevitably scare me off. Hard crack? Soft ball? Timing, it seemed, was everything.

So, what made me pick sponge toffee as my first attempt at a confection? Three things: a very short (and affordable) ingredient list, the possible element of danger and, to quote Thomas Dolby, Science! After seeing a recipe in Canadian Living that piqued my attention, I poked my way around the internets until I found one that looked even easier. The version that follows is based on one taken from Lucy Waverman’s site. It turned out better than I could have ever imagined and was a hit at more than one holiday party.

Obligatory warning: you’ll be working with boiling sugar here and, as we all know, boiling sugar is hotter than magma. Treat it like the haz-mat that it is and resist the urge to touch it. That said, this is a fantastic activity to do with the kidlets…just keep an eye on them at all times and make sure they stay back, especially when the sugar reaches it’s maximum temp and you add the baking soda. I rarely say this, but licking the tools is obviously discouraged…unless you wanna talth likth thith for the rest of your lifth.

Before you start: measure the baking soda into a small prep bowl and have ready, along with a metal whisk and heat-proof scraper. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Sponge Toffee
¾ cup white sugar
4 tsp white corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
Combine sugar and corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over med-low heat and cook, without stirring, until sugar has completely liquefied. Feel free to swirl the pan as the sugar melts, but DO NOT STIR*.
Continue to let the molten sugar cook until it is a light gold**. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the baking soda. The mixture will immediately begin to foam (here’s the science!) and increase in volume. The more you whisk, and the longer you let it foam, the bigger your bubbles will be in the finished product. I am all about the tiny bubbles (Oh, hi there, Don Ho), so I whisk only for a few seconds and let the mixture double in size before turning it out. (It will continue to expand as you spread it out.)
Quickly switch from whisk to heat-proof scraper and (carefully!) dump mixture out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet***.
Allow the toffee to cool and then break it into serving-sized chunks. Once cool, you can further guild the lily by dipping it (either completely or just the top) in melted semi-sweet chocolate.

*Ok, honestly, I don’t know what would happen if you did stir. I was too scared to find out, lest I should have to try again. It has something to do with crystallization of the sugar, which sounds important enough to avoid.
**Seriously, only let it go until it is just past yellow…don’t let it darken or your sponge toffee will taste burnt. When in doubt, err on the lighter side.
***You can smooth it out a bit, but resist the urge to play with it. You will never get it smooth anyway, and any attempts to will only make it rougher.

Note: clean up is as easy as running hot, hot water over the pot, whisk and scraper. Really!

The kitchen is closed...almost

2010-11-25T11:28:00.001-06:00

As far as being busy is concerned, the hummus has hit the proverbial fan. With only 5 short, short days between 2 big craft sales (the second of which is tomorrow...yikes!), and an even bigger one looming on the horizon, cooking, blogging, and blogging about cooking have officially hit the back burner.

We’re still eating, of course, but easy-peasy is the theme. Like I said on the Twitter: when the mascot said “I could eat these fajita veggie burgers every day for the rest of my life”, I don’t think he realized that he would have to. :wink:

See y’all in December…

Chunky Pasta Sauce

2010-11-18T13:03:00.002-06:00

Where have I been lately? Three words – craft sale madness! It is the height of the holiday craft sale season and every surface in our home has a painted or glued project drying on it, including our kitchen counters and dining table. Dinner prep is down to a lean 30 mins; no more, no less. (Yes, I’m timing it.) With little time to develop or try new recipes, we are relying on the tried-and-true favourites and dishes that can be made without taxing my already scrambled brain.

That said, we are not sacrificing flavour or quality in the interest of time. If I wanted to do that, I would stock up on enough frozen lasagnes to carry us through until Dec 18th and be done with it. Hmmm…frozen lasa…no, no. Can’t do it. Have you read the back of the box? Yikes!

This is a super-fast, super-easy sauce that uses on-hand ingredients and can be whipped up at a minute’s (or 20 minutes’) notice. It's really not all that much more effort than opening a jar, but the taste is miles above store-bought. Besides, what else are you going to do while you wait for your noodles to cook?

Chunky Pasta Sauce
½ onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
½ pkg veggie ground round
salt to taste
In a non-stick, lidded pan, sauté onion, celery, carrots and green pepper until onion is translucent. Add garlic and fennel seeds; cook, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes (with juice). Cover and simmer 5 – 10 mins. Add veggie crumble and dried basil, then simmer, uncovered, for 5 mins or until sauce has been reduced to desired thickness (add stock or water if too thick). Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serves 2 or 3 (The mascot likes his on short rigatoni with lots of cheese. I’m happy just to eat mine with a spoon.)

Green Curry Cod with Eggplant and Green Beans

2010-11-09T11:50:00.002-06:00

Stored in a yogurt container and tucked-away on the top shelf is one of the more unusual items in our pantry – palm sugar. Air-dried and unrefined, palm sugar has a lovely, subtle caramel flavour and, although it looks like brown sugar, it lacks the molasses taste that can sometimes overwhelm recipes. And, as far as sweeteners go, it’s actually kinda good for you; it’s naturally rich in key nutrients and has roughly half the glycemic index of honey.

The bag of palm sugar that I bought has lasted for almost 2 years, but that is because I bought the rock-hard “pucks” of sugar, rather than the loose crystals. Rather than being able to scoop it out as needed, I have to break off a chunk with a big knife whenever I want to use it in curries, etc. I do want to use it in more dishes, though, so I am either going to try grinding up a puck or two in the food processor or see if I can find granular palm sugar at a specialty grocery store.

This is a simple green curry that is a great base for both veggies or seafood…or both. Most green curry recipes call for fish sauce, but I had a bottle of it go funky and I haven’t quite gotten over it (or replaced it) yet. Feel free to add it if you have it (and like it), but you might want to reduce your soy sauce a little, as fish sauce is quite salty.

Green Curry Cod with Eggplant and Green Beans
¼ onion, finely diced
½ red pepper, finely diced
2 cups green beans, cut in 1-2” lengths
1” fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp green curry paste (or more if you like it hot)
½ cup veggie stock
2 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp palm sugar
½ - ¾ cup light coconut milk
juice of ½ lime
1 baby eggplant, diced
cod filets, cut into chunks
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil (Italian or Thai), optional
In a non-stick, lidded pan, saute onion and peppers until softened. Add ginger and curry paste; cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add stock, soy sauce, palm sugar and green beans. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until green beans are crisp-tender. Stir in eggplant, coconut milk and lime juice. Add fish to pan, turning to coat with sauce. Cover and reduce heat to med-low; cook, covered, for 5 - 7 mins, or until fish can be flaked with a fork. Sprinkle with chopped basil.
Serves 2 – 3

Fish Tacos

2010-11-08T12:54:00.001-06:00

My inner Gidget can’t get enough fish tacos. Thankfully, the mascot’s hollow leg feels the same way.

There are a few ways to prepare the fish for the filling, besides the usual deep-fried variation. We like ours marinated and grilled or baked in a lightly-spiced cornmeal crust. Last night we were in the mood for the latter. I love the crunch of the coating against the soft whole-wheat tortillas. The mascot likes anything that resembles a “nugget”.

Fish Tacos
¼ cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne
1 egg white
juice of ¼ lime*
cod, cut into chunks
whole-wheat (flour) tortillas, warmed
In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal, salt and spices; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together egg white and lime juice. Coat fish with egg white mixture, and then toss in seasoned cornmeal.
Bake at 400 degrees on a parchment-lined sheet until coating is lightly browned and fish is cooked through. Serve hot on warmed tortillas with your favourite toppings, such as finely shredded lettuce or cabbage, pico de gallo, guacamole or sliced avocado, shredded cheese, plain yogurt or sour cream, lime wedges…

With the works, please.

2010-10-27T08:55:00.006-05:00

The mascot and I are all about the (veggie) burger and spend a surprising amount of time trying to come up with new ways to top them. Last month's standout (aka the "Vegan Cowboy") included sauteed mushrooms, raw onions and BBQ sauce.

It was a gooder, but has since been replaced with our current favourite "The Sombrero". How good is it? Some combos are never repeated, but we've had this one twice (in as many weeks) and the kid is already asking when we can have it again.

"The Sombrero"
top bun
salsa ketchup*
sliced pickles
shredded monterey jack cheese
charred red/green peppers & onions
veggie burger patty
finely shredded lettuce
(avocado on mine, please!)
mayo (dijonnaise for me)
bottom bun

I like to steam-fry the peppers and onions while I prep everything else, and then I throw them on the hot grill pan to blacken them up. As soon as the burger patties are nicely grilled, I top them with the peppers/onions and cheese and then let them sit, covered, until the cheese melts.

For the salsa ketchup, stir together 1 part ketchup and 2 parts salsa. (And, yes, you really do need to stir them together, otherwise the salsa sogs up your bun and makes a mess.)

What's your favourite way to top a burger? Are you a ketchup/mustard purist or do you go all-out with condiments and garnishes?

Grilled Halibut with Sweet & Sour Sauce

2010-10-26T12:18:00.003-05:00

I have mentioned my (slightly embarrassing obsession) with ketchup-based sauces before, but it bears repeating. I love ‘em. I do. Shush.

This one is not-so-much ketchup “based”, but, rather, ketchup “enhanced”. It has a near-perfect balance of sweet and sour, with a little kick from the ginger and a subtle heat from the cayenne. The soy sauce keeps everything in check and doesn't let it get too cloying.

This recipe doesn’t make a very large amount, though, so I would advise doubling the recipe if you are serving more than two people. It would also be amazing on shrimp…or scallops...or tofu...or chicken...or pork...or even as a base for a quick, small-batch chutney. Oh, now my head is spinning.

Grilled Halibut with Sweet & Sour Sauce
1 tsp corn starch
2 tbsp cold water
1 ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
1 ½ tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 ½ tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp onion, finely diced
¼ cup green pepper, finely diced
dash cayenne pepper
¼ cup water
halibut fillets, seasoned lightly with salt
Whisk together corn starch and cold water; set aside. In a small saucepan, bring remaining ingredients (except fish) to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 mins. Stir in corn starch mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened and glossy. Keep warm.
On a pre-heated, lightly oiled grill pan, grill fish, turning once, until cooked through. Serve topped with sauce.
Serves 2.

Adapted from a recipe found on epicurious.com

No-moo Stew

2010-10-20T09:20:00.002-05:00

I have a thing about tomato paste. I buy it in tubes at the Italian grocery store and add it to all sorts of stuff – from soups and stews to risottos and cous cous. To me, it’s a pantry staple, which is why I was shocked/dismayed/annoyed to find myself out of it last night. (Note to self: buy tomato paste!)

After tearing apart the spice cabinet and the pantry, and coming up empty-handed, I racked my brain for a substitution. My inner-monologue went something like this: “Ok…tomato paste is…tomatoes…concentrated. Tomato sauce is tomatoes…that are not concentrated. If I concentrate tomatoes, then I’ll have tomato paste!”

So, that’s just what I did. I took ¼ cup of canned tomato sauce and cooked it down to about 1 tbsp of “paste” and, you know what? It worked like a charm! Don’t be tempted to just throw the sauce in as-is, though. Cooking it down gives it a much deeper flavour and really makes a difference in the finished dish. (If you should have tomato paste on-hand when you make this stew, feel free to backwards-substitute.)

No-moo Stew
½ red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
½ tsp each dried rosemary and thyme
¼ cup tomato sauce
1 cup veggie stock
2 tsp soy sauce
2 carrots, sliced
2 parsnips, sliced
10 mushrooms, quartered
¼ cup frozen peas, thawed
1 bag Gardein beefless tips
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 potato, cubed (optional, see note)
In a non-stick, lidded pan, sauté onion and celery until onion is softened. Add herbs and tomato sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until tomato sauce has completely reduced. (Watch for burning!) Stir in veggie stock and soy sauce. Add carrots and parsnips. Cover, reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 8 -10 mins. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 mins, then stir in peas and beefless tips and cook for another 5 mins. Season to taste.
Serves 2-3

Note: I don’t like to cook potatoes in stews or soups because I don’t like the way they lose shape and/or thicken the sauce…unless that’s the effect I am going for. The mascot would pitch a fit over a potato-less stew, however, so I always cook them on the side and stir them in at the last minute. (I liked this one without, though, so feel free to skip them.)

Veggie Chicken & Smoky Eggplant Tagine

2010-10-18T14:38:00.003-05:00

Was that my kid happily plowing through a plate of eggplant & prunes? Shhh...don’t let him know that!

To be honest, he actually does like eggplant; it’s the prunes that he normally takes issue with. Usually he painstakingly picks them out and tosses them onto my plate. This time, however, after simmering in a Moroccan-spiced tomato sauce for 10 mins, they virtually disappeared. Serving dinner in a partly darkened room* didn’t hurt either, but I digress.

Anyway, I loved, loved, loved this. At the risk of giving away any secrets, it was a real plate-licker. My last-minute decision to grill the cubes of eggplant made all the difference. Not only did it add a subtle smoky flavour to the dish, it allowed the eggplant to maintain some of its texture and not get lost in the sauce...like the prunes. (Again, shhhh...)

Veggie Chicken & Smoky Eggplant Tagine
2 baby eggplants (or 1 med), cubed
½ cup diced onion
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½” fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
pinch brown sugar
½ cup veggie stock (plus more, if needed)
1 small can diced tomatoes, with juice
3 each prunes, dried apricots, dried apple rings - diced
1 package veggie chicken strips (Gardein)
salt & pepper, to taste
Preheat a non-stick grill pan over high heat. Grill eggplant, shaking pan frequently, until eggplant is lightly charred. Set aside.
In a non-stick covered pan, sauté onion and peppers until softened. Add garlic, ginger and spices; sauté until fragrant. Stir in vinegar, sugar, stock, tomatoes and dried fruit. Cover and simmer 10 mins, adding additional stock if necessary. Add veggie strips and grilled eggplant. Simmer uncovered until heated through. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve with couscous.
Serves 2

*We had the lights down because it was movie-night. We don’t just randomly eat in the dark, although that does kinda sound like fun. I wonder what else I could get away with...olives, capers, water chestnuts, beets?

The 0.100 mile Diet

2010-10-15T11:17:00.004-05:00

With non-stop blue skies, gorgeous autumn colours and unseasonably warm temps, Fall 2010 will go down in Winnipeg history as being one of the loveliest on record (the *do* record loveliness, right?) Gardening season should be long-past, but I managed to stretch it all the way to mid-October, giving my tomatoes, basil, strawberries and the late-blooming butternut squash a little more time to grow. Every day, I walked past the plants and said “Oh, just one…more…day…”

I knew I was pushing my luck, though, and last night I finally took a big bowl out to the back yard and harvested the last of the edibles. It was good timing, too; we hit -1 overnight and I would’ve lost it all!

I was so proud of my bounty that I took a picture. (Of course I did.)

Take a look at that pretty squash! The tomatoes of many sizes! And how about those three little October strawberries, which were, strangely, sweeter than the ones in July? Yeah, they were gone about 7 seconds after this pic was taken. People stay on bucking bulls longer.

Next year, I am planning to grow exactly the same stuff, except I am going to try to find some heirloom tomatoes. The mascot has an aversion to non-red tomatoes, but that’s just crazy-talk, if you ask me.

Blasted Chicken

2010-10-13T09:39:00.001-05:00

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that over the past couple of years I have made a gradual shift from omnivore to semi-vegetarian. I still eat fish, but I generally avoid red meat and poultry; unless there are special circumstances like I really, really want a taste of R’s hammer chop at Bistro 7 ¼ or I hear myself saying, “Baby, this thanksgiving, I’ma cook you a chicken!”

It’s been a while since I last sat salivating as I watched a pat of chili-butter slide down a hot hammer chop, but only a few days since I uttered the thing about the chicken. Being a girl of my word, I did, indeed, roast a chicken for my fella for our little thanksgiving feast. Or, rather, I blasted one.

I think I first learned about “blasted chicken” from tv chef, Sara Moulton. It is probably the bestest, most-foolproof, most-consistent ~~recipe~~ technique for roasting a chicken that I have ever come across. The meat always comes out juicy and the skin is always perfectly brown and crispy. It’s sublime...if you like that sort of thing. ;-)

Blasted Chicken
1 3.5 to 4lb chicken
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450. Yes, 450.
Rinse chicken under cold running water until you feel that she is quite clean. Remove anything that may have been hidden, stored or otherwise included in the cavity. Pat dry with paper towels and salt and pepper generously on all sides.
Place chicken, breast side up, in a well-fitting roasting pan (snug, but not crammed in there). Resist the urge to stuff things inside or truss.
Pop the chicken in the hot oven, close the door and open a window or two. It’ll sputter and smoke a little, but be brave. (At around the 30 minute mark, the skin will separate from the breast and start to inflate...if you’re like me, you’ll want to watch through the window. It’s kind of exciting.) Do what you like during the 45 mins, but try to avoid opening the oven door. We want that heat to stay in!
Roast for 45 to 60 mins (check at 45) and then remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest for 15 mins while you make your gravy out of the lovely pan drippings.

Note: The chicken continues to cook a little during the resting stage, but you want to make sure that it’s pretty much done when you take it out of the oven. How can you tell? Deep golden, crispy skin...clear-running juices (take a peek inside)...drumsticks that “wiggle”.

A Souper Article

2010-10-08T10:47:00.003-05:00

The latest issue of “Dish” magazine is out and, why, look who’s been quoted on page 6! (Click the image to enlarge.)

Just reading that has reminded me that a trip to Vietnam Khoa is long over-due. I think it’s time to pay them another visit...and soon! The tofu salad rolls are calling me.

You can pick up your issue of Dish at McNally Robinson or read it online here: Dish!

Veggie Beef & Fall Vegetable Curry

2010-10-07T13:38:00.001-05:00

I had every intention making a curry with the half-pack of veggie ground round stuff left over from Tuesday’s shepherd’s pie. The problem was, when I went to get it out of the fridge last night, it was GONE. I only have the patience for so much searching*, so after a couple of minutes, I decided to move on to plan b.

The choices were:
a) leave the curry as-is with just veggies (yum, but no protein)
b) add some chickpeas (yum, but we’d need rice, too…)
c) de-skewer some veggie kabobs and make a not-beef and veggie curry (easy – check! protein – check!)

I knew that the last one would be the most appealing to the mascot (and the fastest for me), so option “c” it was!

Did I make the right decision? I wish I could show you the mascot’s licked-clean plate. (And mine. Shush.) The Gardein was perfect in this chunky, not-too spicy dish. In fact, I can speak for the mascot and myself when I say that I am glad that the veggie crumble went missing.

Veggie Beef & Fall Vegetable Curry
4 Gardein BBQ skewers (or your fave faux-beef strips/chunks)
½ medium onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp madras curry powder
½ tsp cumin
¼t turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp rice vinegar
pinch brown sugar
1 cup chopped tomatoes, with juice
Salt to taste
2 medium carrots, sliced thickly
2 medium parsnips, sliced thickly
½ medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 ½ c water
Remove Gardein from skewers and separate into chunks (cut each piece in half, if desired); set aside. Steam-fry the onions and pepper till soft, and then add the garlic, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, vinegar, sugar, and salt (to taste); sauté until fragrant. Add tomatoes, carrots, parsnips and squash. Add 1 cup water, cover and simmer over med heat for about 15 minutes, adding additional water if needed. Uncover and add veggie meat. Continue to cook, uncovered, for 5 mins. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Serves 2 or 3

*…but, seriously…where did it go??

Sweet Potato Veggie Shepherd’s Pie

2010-10-06T08:57:00.000-05:00

After snubbing them for years, the mascot is suddenly a big fan of sweet potatoes. His favourite are the sweet potato fries that are suddenly everywhere, but he will also take them baked, roasted or mashed. This is great news to me, as I can’t get enough of them, but don’t get the chance to cook them as often as I’d like.

The other night we had a lovely, island-inspired dinner of grilled halibut and mashed sweet potatoes. Since I had started with a sweet potato that was roughly the size of the mascot’s head, we had plenty left over. And, what’s our favourite thing to make with leftover potatoes? That’s right – shepherd’s pie.

I have posted a more-traditional recipe for veggie shepherd’s pie before, but this one differs in both the topping (sweet vs regular potato) and seasoning. There was a touch of allspice and nutmeg in the mash, which worked beautifully with the warm spices in the filling. It was the perfect dish for a perfect fall day.

Sweet Potato Veggie Shepherd’s Pie
½ small onion
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
pinch brown sugar
1 cup diced tomatoes, with juice
½ pkg veggie ground round
1/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
salt to taste
Saute onion celery and carrot until onion is translucent. Add garlic and sauté 1 min. Stir in thyme and spices, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar and tomatoes. over and simmer 5 mins or until carrots are soft. Add veggie meat and peas; simmer, uncovered, until heated through. Taste and season with salt. Divide between 2 individual baking dishes. Top with mashed sweet potato. Bake at 400 for 10 mins, or until piping hot.
Serves 2

The Mascot’s Baby Back Ribs

2010-10-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

People are always asking the mascot if he is vegetarian and, although he LOVES his tofu, he is definitely a meat-eater. When I announced that R would be coming over for ribs on Saturday night, the news was met with a fist-pumping "whoo-hoo!"

Saturday, however, was one of those days that were made for grabbing a quick bite on the go, or ordering a pizza; a person would have to be nuts to a) invite someone over for dinner and b) decide on a menu that calls for a good 4 hours of preparation.

Thankfully, I have a very able and enthusiastic kitchen-helper who I can call on for situations just like this. After giving a few instructions and a tiny bit of knife-help, I left the mascot in charge of making the ribs for himself and our special guest. When I returned home from work, shopping and errands, the house was full of the smells and sounds of porky goodness. 20 minutes after walking in the door, I had dinner on the table and two very happy (albeit slightly sticky) fellas with an ever-growing boneyard between them.

It should go without saying, but what was the verdict on the ribs? Incredibly tender, perfectly-cooked, fall-off-the-bone, unctuous, sticky, caramelized... The mascot is still talking about how he made "the best ribs ever" and I, for one, have to agree.

The Mascot’s Baby Back Ribs
2-4 racks pork back ribs
coarse salt and pepper
your fave barbeque sauce
Get your ~~mother~~ adult sous-chef to cut racks into portions (4-5 ribs each). Salt and pepper on all sides, to taste. Layer ribs in a large Pyrex baking dish, cover tightly with foil and place in a cold oven. Set temperature to 300 degrees, then go ~~play video games~~ clean your room for 3 hours or so.
Have your adult sous-chef carefully remove baking dish from oven and transfer to a parchment or foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Increase oven temperature to 400. Brush ribs with BBQ sauce (both sides) and ask your adult sous-chef (nicely) to put them back in the oven. Bake for 15 mins, or until browned and yummy.
Serve with lots of napkins (not that you’ll use them anyway…)

Full disclosure: I had Gardein veggie kabobs for my dinner, but I *did* sneak a taste or two of the meat. How could I not? Bacon was the thing that tossed me off the veggie-wagon way back in 1993.

Maple-Tamari Tofu Triangles

2010-10-01T15:40:00.001-05:00

This recipe is so easy that it’s almost a non-recipe. In fact, the only way that I feel I can get away with calling it a recipe is by including measurements. Really, though, you can eyeball it. As long as you are at a 1:1 ratio between the salty and the sweet, you’re golden.

However, don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this dish. The maple syrup and tamari each bring to it their own complex flavours, and the blast in a hot oven almost “candies” the tofu, giving it a firm, slightly sticky coating with little burned corners...cue the Homer Simpson drool...

And, speaking of which, those little burnt corners are the reason that I cut the tofu into triangles before marinating. I’m not a geometry whiz, but I do know that an acute angle tastes better than an obtuse one. Trust me...it’s all about the angles.

We served ours with roasted sweet potato chunks and Dijon green beans. Or, to be more accurate, we ate all of our tofu and then ate some other orange and green stuff, while thinking about the tofu.

Maple-Tamari Tofu Triangles
1 small block firm or extra firm organic tofu
1 tbsp real maple syrup
1 tbsp tamari
Slice tofu into 1/2” slices, then cut each slice in half diagonally. Place on a double-layer of paper towel and cover with another double-layer of paper towel. Put your baking sheet on top and let it stand like that* for about 5 or 10 mins.
In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and tamari. Add drained tofu and turn to coat. Let marinate, turning a couple of times, for 10 – 15 mins.
Remove tofu from maple/tamari (reserve excess marinade) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet**. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 mins, turning and brushing with reserved marinade at the half-way point. Watch for burning!
Serve hot, warm, or...oh, who am I kidding?

*The weight of the pan itself should be enough to remove some of the excess moisture, but you can place a weight on top if you like. You’re not looking to dry it out completely, though, so don’t go overboard with this step.
**Hey, you can use the one from step 1!

Miso/Panko Cod

2010-09-27T16:49:00.002-05:00

When I was 13, I would only eat fish if it came from a box featuring Captain Highliner’s swarthy, yet reassuring smile and bore little resemblance to actual…well…FISH.

Thankfully, the mascot is far more adventurous then I was at his age. He loves it all…salmon, swordfish, mahi mahi, sole, snapper, pickerel, halibut, and his current favourite, cod. As far as preparation is concerned, he’s just as easy to please. Press him for a preference, though, and he’ll probably say “panko, please”. (Holy alliteration, Patrick!)

If you have never used panko before, it’s time to start. Once you do, you’ll find it hard to go back to plain ol’ North American breadcrumbs. Perfected by the same people who brought us Hello Kitty, panko crumbs are lighter in both texture and colour than regular breadcrumbs and pack roughly 6x the crunch. They are available by the box, bag and in bulk and stay surprisingly fresh for quite a while on the pantry shelf.

I have used all sorts of things to (for lack of a better term) adhere the panko, including mayo, dijonnaise, egg whites, pesto and (oddly, but deliciously) tahini. The most important thing to remember is to use a flavourful “glue” and be sure to season the panko well, as it is a little bland on its own. Last night’s combo of miso-marinated cod and panko with a sesame/garlic gomashio was absolutely perfect.

Miso/Panko Cod
cod fillets, cut into portions
1 egg white
1 tbsp white miso paste
2 tsp soy sauce
½ cup panko crumbs
2 tbsp gomashio (or 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds plus ¼ tsp salt)
Preheat oven to 400. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine panko and gomashio in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
In a second bowl, whisk together egg white, miso and soy sauce. Toss cod in miso mixture, coating completely. Let stand for 10 mins (or refrigerate for a few hours.)
Remove cod from miso mixture, one piece at a time, shaking off excess. Coat on all sides with panko crumbs and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pieces of cod. Bake until fish is cooked through and panko is lightly browned. (Allow about 10 mins per inch of thickness.)
Note: this amount of coating covered about 8 pieces of fish, each roughly 2x4x1”. Why so many pieces for 2 people? Two words: hollow leg.

Salmon with Thyme & Lemon

2010-09-16T15:35:00.001-05:00

As promised, here is my super-easy, super-yummy recipe for Salmon with Thyme & Lemon. We made this the other night in our new Paper Chef parchment cooking bags with wild sockeye salmon and fresh thyme from the garden. It was light, delish and (thanks to the bags) cooked to perfection. The mascot ate every last morsel on his plate, save for the whole thyme garnish. “Uh, mom? There’s a branch on my fish!”

The bags are actually quite large, so next time I will put everything into one. (I divided up the fish and veggies into two bags more out of habit than necessity.)

Salmon with Thyme & Lemon
2 portions wild salmon, skin removed
1 lemon, quartered
1 yellow pepper, sliced thinly
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
4 sprigs fresh thyme (I used lemon thyme and regular)
Salt to taste
Season fish with a squeeze of lemon, thyme leaves and salt to taste. Place parchment cooking bag on a baking tray; place peppers and onions in bag, along with a good squeeze of lemon. Arrange salmon on top of vegetables. Close open end of bag (tightly) and pop tray into an oven preheated to 400 degrees. Bake for about 10 mins*. To serve: open bag and carefully remove contents to plate, then pour collected juices over fish and vegetables. Serve with additional lemon wedges (and giant branches of thyme to confuse your child), if desired.
Serves 2

*cooking time will depend on thickness of fish – allow about 10 mins per inch of thickness

It's in the bag!

2010-09-14T14:08:00.008-05:00

Oh, hi there! It's been a while!

Now that the mascot has returned from his epic summer of traveling and camping, and has returned school, we are trying to get back into our old routine. I say "trying", because the only real challenge we are having is getting dinner on the table at a reasonable time. With our busy schedule (and preference for eating late), it's a rare occasion that we're eating dinner before 8...or 9.

I'll be the first to admit that part of the issue is my insistance that a) we cook real food from scratch and b) that we eat dinner together. Sure we could each grab a microwaved dinner and eat on our own...but why? I firmly believe that dinner with family should feed the body as well as the soul. (Never mind the fact that the microwave in our kitchen has been broken since last summer!)

With little time to waste, I am always looking for things to shave minutes off prep-time without sacrificing quality and taste. I am a huge fan of cooking "en papillote", but let's face it, after a full day at work, a trip to the gym, and random errands, the last thing I want to do is start folding parchment paper hearts into "dinneragami".

Needless to say, I was so excited to find these awesome parchment cooking bags by Paper Chef at Superstore a couple of weeks ago. They take everything that is good about cooking in parchment and make it easier, faster and more foolproof. Last night we had wild salmon with fresh thyme "cooked in a bag" and it was incredible. The box of 10 bags also included a recipe for baked apples; something that I would have never thought of cooking this way. Can't wait to try them!

To stuff or not to stuff?

2010-08-20T12:14:00.004-05:00

Last night, the mascot and I had the rare treat of going for a late dinner with my mom (aka Mumji). The timing wasn't the best (seriously, Winnipeg...why do all of the restaurants close at 9 on a Thursday??), but Mumji's only in town for a few more days, so we had to grab an opportunity to visit with her while we could. After exhausting 2 or 3 options, we decided on a safe favourite - Vietnam Khoa on Corydon. Of course, I ordered my usual (salad rolls with tofu and a big bowl of hot & sour soup) for Mumji and I to share. The mascot, also a creature of habit, had his favourite chicken wings alongside a massive platter of pork fried rice. We were going to order one extra dish, but then decided to "save room" for gelati. Heh. Next time maybe we'll try a little karaoke in their private room...or not.

Tonight we have another treat to look forward to. Right this very minute, there is a bowl of homemade pizza dough hanging out in the fridge. The mascot and I whipped it up before bed and let it rise in the oven overnight. I gave it a quick punch-down this morning and transferred it to the fridge for a sloooow second rise. It was looking (and smelling) pretty good at 5:45am, so I think it's going to be even better when we get around to baking it. The only question that remains, though, is whether we should make individual pizzas, one big pizza, or calzones! Decisions, decisions...maybe we should let R decide.

Orange you glad it’s not beef?

2010-08-19T10:06:00.003-05:00

"Knock, knock?"
"Who's there?"
"Orange?"
"Orange, who?"
"Orange you glad that we had everything on-hand to make this really yummy (and fast!) dinner?"
:Groan:

Have I mentioned lately how much the mascot and I love the Gardein Beefless Strips? So far, we have used them for our famous Vegan Corned Beef, Ginger/Garlic Beef & Green Beans, and now this little weeknight winner. It's lightning-fast, extra-super-delish...and did I mention that it was fast? The carnivores out there can feel free to sub "real" meat for the veggie stuff, but just remember - we'll be eating while you're still cutting up your beef.

Orange you glad it’s not beef?
½ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed, please)
1 tbsp finely slivered or chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar or agave
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 orange pepper, sliced into strips
½ white or red onion, sliced into strips
1 pkg Gardein Beefless strips
chopped fresh cilantro, optional
In a small bowl, combine orange juice, ginger, soy sauce, sugar and black pepper; set aside.
Spray a non-stick sauté pan and heat over med-high. When hot, sauté onion and peppers until softened. Add garlic and beefless strips. Sauté for 2 mins, or until heated through and lightly browned. Add orange juice mixture, reduce heat to med-low, and simmer until sauce is reduced.
Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with steamed broccoli or asparagus. Or both.
Serves 2.

Veggie Enchiladas Verde

2010-08-18T12:30:00.006-05:00

I have a confession.

My enchilada sauce comes from a can. And, it's not some hard-to-find, so-authentic-that-you-can't-read-a-word-on-the-label, smuggled-across-two-borders enchilada sauce.
It's Old el Paso.

That said, it really is a good enchilada sauce. Or, rather, I should say "they are really good enchilada sauces", because I like the green one and the red one just the same. They've both got just enough spice to keep us happy, but not so much that the mascot's freckles start burning off. Plus, and this is the biggie...they make it possible to have a bubbling pan of enchiladas on the table in about 30 mins with minimal effort and minimal equipment!

Last night my fella came over to fix/clean the mascot's virus-addled computer. To reward him for his efforts, I made Veggie Enchiladas Verde from "scratch". I think he liked them, because he helped himself to seconds and then took the last two home to eat for dinner tonight. I'm not woriied about him becoming a "gordito", though...this stuff is low-fat and high-fibre! Muy bueno!

Veggie Enchiladas Verde
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tsp ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup veggie stock
1 pkg veggie ground "chicken"
2 cups chopped baby spinach
1/2 can black beans, rinced and drained
salt to taste
12 small corn tortillas
1 can green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded ps mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 400
In a non-stick pan, saute onion and mushrooms over med-high heat until onion is translucent. Stir in cumin and jalapeno and saute 1 minute. Add stock and ground "chicken", breaking up with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Stir in spinach and beans. Cover and remove from heat.
On a pre-heated grill pan (or in a large cast iron pan), grill tortillas one or two at a time until pliable and slight char marks appear. Remove and keep warm in foil while you do all 12.
Pour approx 1/4 can of sauce in a shallow 9x11" baking dish.
Divide filling between tortillas, rolling each one and placing, seam side-down on top of sauce in baking dish. Any remaining filling can be tucked into the ends of the rolls, or scattered on top. Pour remaining sauce evenly over the top of the tortilla rolls, spreading with a rubber scraper or the back of a spoon. Top with cheese and bake, uncovered, for about 20 mins. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cilantro.
Let stand 5 mins before removing from pan. Serve with red salsa (for contrast) and sour cream or plain yogurt.
Serves 4

Oh, hello tomato.

2010-08-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Last year’s tomato crop was so dismal that I barely harvested enough fruit for a caprese salad, nevermind a batch of marinara sauce. This year, however, is looking much, much more promising.

With the first “early girl” turning red as we speak (and plenty more on the vine), I am beginning to see a bowl (if not multiple bowls) of pico de gallo in our near future.

Of course, that will have to wait until we have ourselves a real harvest…the first one is going to be sliced and eaten with nothing but a sprinkle of crunchy fleur de sel.

If I can hold off long enough to slice it, that is.