Jamie Oliver's Broccoli Salad

I'm trying to expand my salad repertoire and this was a really good place to start. Broccoli is Hub's favorite veggie, and he really only likes it steamed.

You can only imagine how often we have steamed broccoli in this house. I was beginning to hate it. But tossed with tomato and fresh chives, and then doused with olive oil, dijon, and white wine vinegar and dressed up with salty bacon?

Oh, talk to me, baby.

So since my guys won't eat pork (including ham or bacon), I used turkey bacon. You don't need as much as called for in the recipe, because the slices are bigger. I'd just eyeball it if I were you. Otherwise, I followed everything to the letter.

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

2 large heads of broccoli
8 pieces of bacon, fried up and crumbled
3 tomatoes, seeded and finely sliced
bunch of chives (with flowers if you can get them), chopped (keep the flowers aside)

Dressing:

2 tsp dijon mustard
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 clove of garlic, peeled and finely grated

Cut up your broccoli into little florets. Don't waste the stalk, either! Cut off that woody end piece, then cut it in half lengthwise and slice it.

Put on a pot of water to boil because you need to blanch the broccoli.

Blanch: To cook in boiling water briefly and then drain, run broccoli under COLD water immediately to stop the cooking process. You want the broccoli to still be crunchy.

Blanch your broccoli for 30-60 seconds so it's still crunchy.

Lay some paper towel out on a cookie sheet and spread the drained broccoli on it to dry. Jamie had stated that this was a really important step, and he was right! I even changed the paper towel after a few minutes when the original sheets got pretty wet.

In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Set aside.

Toss the dried broccoli, tomato, and chives together. Douse with the dressing and toss. Add your bacon bits.

Serve!

Makes 6 servings

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Zucchini "Noodle" Lasagna

With Hubs trying to eat fewer carbs, cooking has been a challenge because pasta was one of the few things that everyone in the family would eat. I almost cried when I realized that yet another option was gone! What was a girl to do?!?

Until I found this recipe for lasagna which uses zucchini noodles instead of pasta, of course. I was raring to try it. I admit it's a bit involved, because you use home made pasta sauce and then layer it with the zucchini and cheese, then bake it for a good 50 minutes.

Now...the only drawback to this recipe was that there was so much moisture in the zucchini that the end result was a bit soupy. I would recommend putting the zucchini slices in a colander and sprinkling it with about 2 tsp of salt and letting it sit to draw out the excess moisture. Wipe the salt and moisture off with paper towel before proceeding.

Despite the apart soupiness, Hubs and Jake downed that baby, smacking their lips and saying it was absolutely amazing and surprisingly filling. Success! I did make a LOT of changes, adding things here and there. I will make it again for sure because Hubs just loved it.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, April 2010

1 (28 oz) can of whole plum tomatoes, with juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchini, sliced very thinly lengthwise
1 onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz ground turkey
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp basil
2 tbsp tomato paste

To make the sauce:

Saute the onion with the red pepper flakes until tender, stirring. Meanwhile, pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Add the turkey into the pan with the onion and continue to cook, breaking up the large pieces and getting it nice and browned. When there is no longer any pinkish meat, add the garlic and continue to cook for about a minute or two. Then toss in the tomatoes and bring it to a boil.

Reduce the heat and let simmer, stirring and adding the sugar, tomato paste, basil, tasting for salt and pepper. Allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes to thicken up.

Let the sauce cool, and stir in the fresh oregano.

Meanwhile, slice your zucchini lengthwise, really thin. Like about 1/8 inch thin. Use a mandoline if you have one (I don't). Put them in a colander over your sink, sprinkle the slices with about 2 tsp of salt, and let them sit while the sauce cooks, this will draw the moisture out of your zucchini so it doesn't get soupy. When you need them, simple wipe them off with paper towel.

To assemble the lasagna:

Heat your oven to 375 F.

In the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish, make a layer of zucchini slices using about 5 or 6 pieces. Spread over 1 cup of the sauce. Dot with 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, and then a sprinkle of mozzarella. Repeat three times with remaining zucchini, ricotta, and mozzarella. Alternate the direction of the zucchini with each layer. End by sprinkling the top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 50 minutes while everything bubbles and browns.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving, and top with freshly chopped oregano.

Serves 6

(Update: Sorry about missing how much zucchini you need! That's what I get for writing a bunch of recipes at once. )

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Chocolate and Brandied Raisin Cookies

I am not a fan of raisins. In fact, so much so that if this recipe hadn't come with a really tantalizing picture, I likely would have never even bothered to try it. This photo was so good that it was enough to convince me to track down Dutch processed cocoa, some 70% chocolate, and even pick up a bottle of brandy in order to make them. I followed the recipe word for word; a bit skeptical, I admit, but hopeful. When they came out of the oven smelling delicious and looking amazing, I began to get a bit excited, but the real test was when I ate one.

OH. MY. LORD.

Incredibly decadent, with a bit of crunch on the outside but chewy inside, with chunks of chocolate, a hint of brandy and bits of raisins that meld into the chocolatey goodness, this is by FAR one of the best cookie recipes I have ever discovered. Make these for friends at Christmas, or for the adults at your Easter celebrations, but trust me when I say that you MUST try them. Next time I go to a tweet up, these babies are coming along with me.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, Dec 2009

1 cup golden raisins, chopped
1/2 cup brandy
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp Dutch process cocoa (*see note)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
8 oz 70% dark chocolate, chopped (or white chocolate)

Cinnamon sugar for rolling the dough in:

1/2 cup fine sanding or granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 325 F

In a saucepan, bring the brandy and the raisins to a boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 20 minutes until cool. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until it's light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, and then add the honey. Continue mixing until it's creamy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, 1 tsp of cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and stir on low speed until it's combined.

Drain your brandy soaked raisins and add them, along with the chocolate pieces. Give a good stir so they are even throughout.

Now..the original recipe says to line your pans with parchment, but I ran out at the last moment so I just put them right on the pan. I have good pans, so I wasn't worried. You can decide. They don't stick.

In a bowl, stir together the 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and set yourself up, assembly line style with the dough, cinnamon sugar, and a cookie sheet.

Scoop your dough out in 2 scant tbsps. Hold in your hand over the bowl of sugar and douse them with it. Roll into a ball, then in the sugar again. You really want to make sure that they are well coated. Continue, placing the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 18-22 minutes until just set and the tops are starting to crack. Let cool on the sheets for about a minute before removing to a rack and allowing to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen. They can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

If they last that long.

(note: In Canada, Fry's Cocoa is Dutch processed.)

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Crockpot Chicken and 40 Cloves of Garlic

I was looking for something easy, and boy did I find it this week over at Crepes of Wrath. Jake could probably make this. Basically you plunk a cut up frying chicken in your crock pot, sprinkle in some herbs and then you saute up a whole whack of garlic cloves. Deglaze the pan with some wine, and toss that in. I also added about 1/2 cup of chicken stock, because it looked as though mine didn't have enough liquid and things were going to burn. (I also skinned all the chicken)

Let it simmer and cook away for about 3 hours. When you are done, fish out the pieces of chicken and dump all the drippings into a pot. Add some salt and pepper, a tablespoon of butter, and whisk it all together while it bubbles. I suppose it's supposed to thicken but mine didn't, so I added about 2 tbsp of cornstarch to some water and then whisked that in as well. Then I zested a lemon into it and squeezed in the juice from one half. (because lemon just makes everything a bit brighter, I think)

Serve with some mashed potatoes and peas, and you have the easiest roast chicken dinner with gravy on the planet.

Oh, you need details and measurements and things? Go visit Sydney at The Crepes of Wrath. She'd be thrilled to see you!

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Creamy Pasta Primavera

I have often looked at recipes for pasta primavera and considered making them, but never really got around to it. I'm not sure why. This recipe was found on Epicurious, and I liked how it sounded so I went for it. As I got started, I realized a few things. First, I had forgotten to buy asparagus. Then, when I went to cook the pasta I realized that had only a little over 1/2 of what was called for. So I did a bit of improvising, by just upping the veggies (I didn't put that in the measurements-just a little extra here and there). The result was still very delicious and I think I'd make just like this next time anyway. There was a lot leftover too, so I don't think I'd use the full amount of pasta called for in the recipe.

Adapted From Epicurious

Serves 4

12 oz farfalle pasta (I only had whole wheat fusilli. I used about 7-8 oz)
1/2 cup green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup thin asparagus tips and stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces.
1/2 cup peas (I used frozen)
1/2 cup white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced red pepper
salt and pepper
3/4 cup half and half (maybe even a bit less, if you like)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 seeded and chopped ripe plum tomatoes
snipped fresh chives

Cook the pasta according to package directions until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a fry pan and saute the veggies, starting with the green beans and asparagus, then the mushrooms and pepper until the are just tender crisp. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and set aside. Pour the cream into the pan and bring to a boil, stirring. Turn down the heat to medium low and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Add the vegetables back to the pan, along with the pasta, peas, tomatoes, and Parmesan, tossing until it's all coated. Garnish with chives.

Serve immediately.

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Time for a Revolution

Okay people, get ready for a revolution. I'm really stoked about this. For a long time, I've complained, asked questions, and generally been a pain in the ass about lunches. School lunches. Things sold at schools. At one time, I worked at a school that had the following on their menu:

Little Caesar's bread sticks (dipped in butter and rolled in fake cheese)
Caeasar salad (dripping in dressing)
ice cream
cookie
chocolate milk

Yep. You could literally see puddles of grease on the kid's desks when they were done. Then there was the bake sales every week that allowed kids to buy up to six cupcakes and two cans of pop, then consume it in one sitting.

Last year I tried to convince Jake's school to sell fruit and veggies as an option at the canteen. I was told that no, it would never work. Kids won't buy it. The stuff would rot. The second it gets a blemish kids will pass it by. But the kids were saying that they'd love it if they could get veggies and dip, or some nice fruit. There just wasn't any. And to be honest, I worked there for 3 years and would never eat the food because I think it's disgusting. Pre-packaged mini pizzas, boiled perogies, pasta with almost invisible sauce (it looked like dyed pasta), and butter chicken from a restaurant. There is not a veggie or fruit in sight in anything there unless it's doused in dressing in a Caesar wrap.

What happens in your kid's school, and can we finally do something about it? Fortunately for me, Jake refuses to eat anything served at school because he agrees that the food is terrible. What about the rest of the kids? Don't they deserve something better?

This blog proudly support's Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I can't sign the petition because I'm in Canada, but I do believe that food bloggers need to pitch in by spreading the word.

Let's start a revolution!

What am I going to do? I'll cook up some of the recipes from his site and posting about them here. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Maybe eventually I'll get the courage to call up the lunch ladies and try again.

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Have a Jerk For Dinner: Jerk Chicken Burgers

A long time ago Jake begged me to buy a bottle of Jerk marinade for chicken. Whoooee! Was it spicy! We could barely eat it, but tonight it really came in handy. My original recipe was going to be these fantastic eggplant basil burgers, but when I went to buy the eggplant, there was none. Not an eggplant to be found.

So instead we had these spicy, succulent, delicious burgers. Yummers! The good thing is that while they had lots of flavor, they didn't make anything over the top spicy and we could actually enjoy it. Now I know where my marinade is going!

Adapted from Canadian Living BBQ Best Summer 2006

1 egg
1/2 cup finely diced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp jerk BBQ sauce (or 1 Tbsp jerk marinade)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
pinch allspice
1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey
buns
slices of cored fresh pineapple ( I didn't have fresh so I used canned. Not the same)

Grab a large bowl, and lightly beat your egg in it. Add the bread crumbs, peppers, jerk marinade/sauce, soy sauce, garlic, thyme, and allspice. Mix it together. Toss in the ground turkey and using your hands, squish it around until it's all mixed through.

Shape the meat into four patties and place on the grill. I used a skillet, and it worked just fine. Cook, flipping once, until the center temperature is 185 F/85 C.

I toasted up some buns, added lettuce and bits of pineapple, and we ate them. If you are BBQing, you could put the pineapple on the grill to get it all smoking and tasty before you top your burgers with them.

Makes 4.

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Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry

I have decided that I must take the plunge and buy a wok. In years past, I rarely made stir fries. Mostly because Hubs would never eat them. Now that he is eating more veggies and fewer carbs, stir fries have become my go to meal when I need something that all of us can eat, and is fresh and delicious.

Obviously my little fry pan where everything is spilling all over my stove top is just not working that well and a wok is totally in order. Oh well, my birthday is next week. Should I ask for one? Along with a crepe pan, so I can make those too?

So back to the food; I bought the March issue of Food Network magazine awhile ago. This was my first time every checking out the Food Network magazine, even though I regularly watch the TV programs. I quite like this! The magazine wasn't just recipes, but had lots of helpful tips and articles about cooking, restaurants, etc. One of the very best things though was a method of sort to making stir fries. It shows all the options, gives you 5 different kids of sauces, suggests veggies and proteins, and basically puts me in stir fry heaven. The possibilities are endless!

Tonight I made a sweet and sour chicken stir fry, and it was delicious. How did I do it?

Note: don't be put off by the veggies. Basically you need three cups of them in any combination. I raided the crisper and this is what I came up with.

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine March 2010

3/4 lb chicken (mixture of thighs and breasts, because that's what I had)
1 sweet red bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 sweet yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 big gynormous shallot, sliced up. It was kicking around my fridge
5 big mushrooms, sliced
1 cup of cauliflower florets
1/2 cup broccoli florets (zapped in the microwave with the cauliflower and a bit of water to steam them so they are tender crisp, then drained)
3 green onions, sliced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic, minced

Marinade:

1 egg white
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp cornstarch

Sauce: (now, I halved it because I really hate my stir fries swimming in sauce. If you like lots of sauce, then follow the recipe as listed. Otherwise half this)

3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil

Toss your chicken with the marinade and let it sit in the fridge for an hour.

Get all your ingredients prepped and right by the stove, including the sauce ingredients, in a bowl.

Drain your chicken of all the extra marinade.

Heat up some oil in your pan over medium heat. Toss in the chicken and cook, stirring slowly, until it's cooked through. Now this is where I had an issue with the Food Network directions, because all that marinade good just adhered to my pan and proceeded to go very dark brown. The directions say that when your chicken is cooked to transfer it to a plate, wipe the pan clean, add a bit more oil and proceed. I couldn't really do that. Maybe it works in a wok, but not with a fry pan, so I just got out another clean fry pan. Whatever-I'll do dishes later.

Add a bit of oil to a clean fry pan, heat it over high heat, and toss in your ginger, shallot, garlic, and chopped green onion. Cook and stir while it gets all cooked and delicious looking. Add in your mushrooms, and stir. Then your sweet peppers and broccoli/cauliflower, and stir. The trick is to cook it just UNDER what you want. That way it stays all nice and crisp instead of going soggy and disgusting.

Add the chicken and keep stirring. Stir, stir, stir.

Add in the sauce and keep stirring while it bubbles and thickens up, coating the chicken and veggies. When it's as thick as you want it and coating everything, remove the pan from the heat.

Serve with steamed rice. The sauce is really good spooned over the entire thing. You can garnish with peanuts, coriander, sesame seeds, etc.

Serves four.

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Chicken Caccitore on Polenta

This was my first attempt at making, or even eating, polenta. I'm not sure I liked it. I AM sure it might have been better had I fried it up in a non stick pan, but since I don't have one, it made frying it a bit difficult. Even though I used some oil, the polenta stuck and generally made a mess.

Now the caccitore sauce, on the other hand, was delicious. I think next time I'd serve it with pasta, though.

The serving sizes with this recipe were waaaaaaaay off. It originally said that it serves 12 so I cut it in half, but even at that it only made about 4 servings for us. Jake and I didn't even eat that much because we've both been sick and neither of us were that hungry. So I say if you are used to cooking for 4 people, make the whole recipe and serve it with pasta. You can just freeze the leftover sauce if you want or have some for the next day, which would be totally worth because it is really tasty.

Original recipe adapted from Canadian Living

2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups of mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 tsp dry crumbled rosemary
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

In a large, deep frypan, heat up some oil and brown the chicken thighs. When they are browned, transfer them to a plate. You might have to do this in batches.

Then add in your onions and let them hang out in the pan, browning away. I always cook them a bit first because they take longer. After they get a bit transleuscent, I throw in the celery and carrot. Let them cook a bit and then lastly, toss in the garlic and mushrooms.

While I was cooking the veggies, the brown bits on the bottom of the pan from the chicken started to get dark brown. I was getting a bit concerned that they would burn and ruin my dish! So I just added a teeny bit of water-enough to bring it all up from the bottom of the pan, and kept going. Worked beautifully.

Once the veggies were soft, I added the oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir. Then add in your tomatoes and tomato paste, stirring to get all those brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil, and then turn it down to low and get it to simmer. Put your chicken and it's juices back into the pan and let it just simmer away, uncovered, for 40 minutes while you stir it occasionally. The mixture will get all thick and delicious, while the chicken cooks through and becomes fall apart tender. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and serve with pasta (or over polenta, if you like it).

Personally, I think with some fusilli and freshly shaved Parmesan, it would be heaven!

Serves 6-8

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Home made Focaccia

You know, I'm not really a bread maker. Oh, I know how to make bread, but who really has the time? Then there's also the thought of getting a bread maker but I'm all bread making purist and such, and the thought of using a bread maker just turns me off. Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Didn't I decide to make bread so I can work out my frustrations on some dough, kneading it until my arms ached while the smell of yeast and flour wafted around me?

This recipe is one of the easiest I've ever made. There is no kneading, no long rising times (1/2 hour? phhht!). Little people could help you with this. Heck, my 14 year old could make it all by himself.

As I pulled it from the oven and it sat on the counter, Jake hovered nearby, anticipating the first bite. He suggests that you could try using different toppings if you can't eat onions (like a blogger I know), and try things like shaved Parmesan, sundried tomatoes, or black olives. A straight sprinkling of herbs and some coarse salt (pickling salt!) works good too.

Okay, here we go!

Dough
2 1/2-3 cups of all purpose flour
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) quick rise instant yeast
2 tsp crumbled oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup hot water (120-130 degrees F/50-55 C)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg

Topping
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2-2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely (the original recipe said dried rosemary, but those suckers are like eating pine needles. I got some fresh stuff from my herb garden and minced it super fine)
1 tsp coarse (pickling) salt

Whisk 1 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, oregano, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Crack the egg into a bowl and add the 2 Tbsp of olive oil, and beat lightly. Also measure out your hot water. Dump the hot water and the egg mixture into the flour and stir. It's going to make a kind of gummy dough. Don't worry about that-just keep adding the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you get a soft, sticky dough. I ended up kneading it a tiny bit just to work some of the flour in. You may not need the full amount of flour, and that's okay. Let it just sit there in the bowl to hang out.

Fry up your onions and garlic in about 2 tsp of olive oil until they are nice and soft, stirring them occasionally and not letting them brown (browned garlic is bitter. EW). I know, it looks like a pile of onions and you're probably thinking that it's WAY too many for this. I don't think so. They cook down anyway, so you don't really end up with that many. Besides, I even reduced it.

When they're done, remove the pan from the heat and let them cool a bit.

Get out a 9x13 inch baking pan and drizzle in a little olive oil. Using either your hands or a pastry brush, slather the oil all over the inside of the pan. Then get your dough and squish it all into the pan, pulling and squishing and making it stretch all the way out to the corners, evenly. Feel free to rub the top of the dough all over with the bits of oil on your hand or the pastry brush.



Spread the onion and garlic mixture all over the top of the dough, then sprinkle with the fresh rosemary and coarse salt. Cover with plastic wrap and put the pan in the oven. That's right. Cold oven. Turn on the light.

**The premise is that the bit of heat generated by the light bulb makes the inside of the oven all nice and warm-ish, which is perfect for the dough to rise! Cool!***

Now leave that baby in there while you go have a cup of coffee, shower, play with the baby, whatever. 30 minutes is all it needs, although I think I left it a little longer. Whatever.

After it's all nice and doubled in size, remove it from the oven (trust me, I have forgotten to do this) and turn your oven on to 400 F. Bake your focaccia (without the plastic wrap of course) for about 20-25 minutes until it's golden brown on the bottom.

Makes one 9x13 inch pan of focaccia, delicious with pasta but also good for sandwiches. It really is best warm from the pan the day you make it, but it is good toasted and used for sandwiches the next day, too.

Try not to eat the whole thing. I had 3 pieces.

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Pancake Dippers

When Jake was little, I often served him these for lunch instead of a plain old sandwich. Using pancakes from the night before, I would sandwich them with peanut butter and then give him a little cup of syrup to dip them in.

You can vary this quite a bit-skip the dipping and use Nutella, jam, honey, or cream cheese. Add some fruit and they make a fun, easy snack.

The pancakes pictured are apple cinnamon buttermilk, and our family's favorite.

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Pizza Bread

The other night I just didn't feel like cooking. Besides being Monday, it was the first day back from Spring Break and I just couldn't get into the groove of cooking anything. So I reverted back to a staple that I used to make in my childhood.

Pizza Bread.

This is so easy, and so yummy, that your kids could make it. Basically all you do is this:

Get a loaf of french bread. split it in half, or if you want to make individual ones, cut it into thick slices.

Toast the bread under your broiler. Don't butter it.

Slater with pizza sauce.

Top with all the pizza toppings you love. Or have the kids do their own. In the one above I put a bit of cheese, then some chopped red pepper, sliced mushrooms, diced bits of turkey pepperoni, and more cheese.

Bake at about 450 F for a few minutes. Make sure to watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn on you.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and cut into slices. I served it with veggies and dip.

Oh, it was yummy. I might even make some ahead to tuck into Jake's lunches.

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Chick Pea Curry

Awhile ago someone in my staff room had some really amazing looking Indian food for lunch. I sat there, watching her eat, thinking that I really wanted to get some of that deliciousness for myself. As soon as I got home, I was on the Internets looking up recipes.

These ones for Chick pea curry and Indian spiced cauliflower and potatoes were from Smitten Kitchen. I don't have permission to write the recipe here, so you will have to click on over there to get a good look at how to make it. I can tell you they were amazingly good and I would have served it with rice, but I was completely out. (I know. How could I be out of rice, of all things?) I did manage to pick up some naan bread from the store, which went with it very nicely.

The recipes were really easy to make, and I highly recommend them. Spicy, but not too spicy.
Just delicious.

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Lemon Chive Potatoes

I am not a fan of boiled potatoes. To me they just seem so...plain and boring. I'm not sure where the inspiration for these came from, but I just threw everything together in a pot and then it was...WOW, these are the most amazing potatoes ever! I highly recommend them.

Please excuse my lack of exact measuring here, but the fun part of cooking is that you don't need to be exact. You can figure it out, I promise.

I used nugget sized white potatoes. They weren't teeny or big, and I just cut them in 1/2 and boiled them in salted water until they were tender. Drain them well, wipe out the pot, and then while everything is still hot, dump the drained potatoes back into the warm, dry pot.

Top them with a nob of butter. What's a nob, you say? Just a spoonful, or enough to coat them. You don't want your potatoes swimming in butter. Then get a lemon and zest that baby right into the pot. Chop up a few green onions really fine and sprinkle them in, then cut the lemon in 1/2 and squeeze the juice over top of the potatoes. Salt and pepper everything to taste, and give the potatoes a stir to coat everything evenly. When you plate them up, make sure everyone has a little of the green onion.

Delicious!

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Maple Blueberry Muffins

I've had a few maple recipes stashed away, just for when maple syrup was on sale and I could try them out. Little did I know, there already was a bottle sitting in the cupboard since Christmas and I just hadn't noticed.

Mmm...these muffins are really good-the brown sugar streusel topping is tasty, except that I can't eat almonds so I used macadamia nuts instead. Yummers!

No idea where it's from. If you recognize it and it's yours, please tell me!

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, maple syrup, milk, and butter. Pour over the flour mixture and stir just until moistened-fold in blueberries.

Spoon into paper lined cups until 2/3 full and sprinkle with streusel topping. Bake at 375 F for 20-25 min. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool.

Streusel topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp slivered almonds
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, almonds, butter and cinnamon. Set aside.

Makes 12

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Mixed Greens with Tuna and Pumpkin Seeds

Lately I've been trying to use up what's in my cupboard and fridge so I don't have to run out and buy more groceries. This is a really great dinner salad; the original recipe says that you can brush the dressing on pitas and grill them, but I didn't have any pitas so I didn't bother. Would probably be delicious though.

I upped the veggies in this by adding red onion, sweet red pepper, shredded carrots, and I would've added avocado too if I had some. You could serve this as a side, for lunch, or with sandwiches and soup for a light supper. This is a very good reason to have a herb garden because all I had to do was walk out to the side of the house and snip off a sprig of fresh rosemary. Love it!

Adapted from Canadian Living

4 pita breads
6 cups of torn mixed salad greens
1 large tomato, sliced
2 cans (6 oz each) tuna, drained
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Measure all the dressing ingredients into a jam jar. Put the lid on and shake until well blended. Pour out 1 Tbsp into a small bowl and brush the pitas with it. Grill on a greased grill over medium high heat, turning, until crisp. Cut into quarters.

Toss the salad greens, tomato, tuna, and pumpkin seeds in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss, Serve with the pitas and sprinkle with a bit of extra pumpkin seeds.

Makes four servings.

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Chicken Smothered in BBQ Sauce

I don't own a barbecue. Isn't that weird? In a place where people barbecue almost year round, we don't have one? The truth is we just haven't gotten around to it because there always seems to be something more important that we need (like patio furniture would be nice, for one thing). Anyhow this recipe is chicken baked in a BBQ like sauce. You can use thighs or breasts, even though the original calls for thighs. I just use what I have on hand.

Basically you just plunk the chicken in a dish, smother it with sauce, and voila! Bake!

The leftovers are amazing and good shredded and put into wraps, sandwiches, or over salads.

Adapted From Crazy Plates

3 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup salsa (the spicier the salsa, the more flavor the sauce will have)
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp cornstarch

Trim any fatty bits off of the chicken and layer it in a shallow 9x13 inch pan. Set aside

Mix the ketchup, salsa, honey, dijon, chili powder, and cumin together in a bowl. Pour over the chicken. Move the chicken around to coat it evenly. Bake, uncovered, at 400 F for about 45 minutes. (when I used breasts, I only baked it for 30 minutes) Skim as much fat off the sauce as you can, then pour it into a saucepan. In a small bowl mix the 1 Tbsp corn starch with 1 tbsp of water, then pour into the sauce, whisking until smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil and continue to cook while it thickens, stirring. Pour the sauce of the chicken or serve on the side as a dipping sauce.

** for the chicken in the picture, the sauce was plenty thick enough already and I skipped the cornstarch step.

Serves 4-6

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Prosciutto Arugula Toasts

I love watching Food Network. One day, right before dinner, Jake decided to watch some Italian themed show and there I was, drooling, ready to lick the screen. I don't remember the name of the show but I took one of the ideas and adapted it for here.

The premise is so easy-crusty Italian bread, topped with prosciutto and then arugula dressed with a bit of olive oil and lemon, topped with shavings of Parmesan. Jake and I snarfed these down, because they were SO good. Quick, too! The original recipe called for pizza dough, which you bake in serving sized rounds like a wrap. I used some Italian bread instead.

To make your own at home you will need...

-slices of Italian bread (about 1/2 inch thick) we used two each, since they weren't that huge
-prosciutto (125 grams served Jake and I with a bit left over)
-tub of arugula
-lemon
-olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-block of Parmesan cheese

Toast the bread. DON'T butter it, just toast it dry. Why? The fat from the proscuitto melts and adds fat to the sandwich anyway, so you don't really need to add more. While the bread is warm, layer on some proscuitto. Set aside.

This is where you get to eyeball it a bit. I took a couple handfuls of arugula and drizzled a small amount (maybe a few teaspoons) of olive oil over it, then cut the lemon in half and squeezed in the juice. Toss. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Mound the arugula over the prosciutto. Then get out your block of Parmesan and shave bits over top. Serve two toasts per person, and something like oven fries or some veggies and dip would make a nice accompaniment.

Delicious!

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Make Your Own Taco Night

Tacos are one of my hands down favorite meals as far as flavor and fast to make. With people in my house that have specialized diets, everyone can fill their own and all I have to do is set out everything out. What's not to like? Often we go with a turkey filling, but this week I cooked up a beef one that is a favorite of mine and Kevin. It has a lot of flavor but isn't too spicy-if you like spice, add some hot sauce or red pepper flakes. You can use it with crunchy corn or soft flour tortillas, and the leftovers freeze really well. Make sure to simmer it good and long to get rid of the juice or your tacos might be a bit drippy.

Adapted From The Easy Gourmet

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 each sweet green and red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp each brown sugar and red wine vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chili powder
one 398 can of stewed tomatoes

Saute the ground beef until it's cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off the fat. Add the onion, sweet peppers, and garlic; stirring and continuing to cook until they are soft. Stir in the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, salt, black pepper, oregano and chili powder. Let it continue to cook (and stir!) for a few minutes to let the spices blend into the meat.

Stir in the tomatoes and their liquid. Increase the heat and cook, uncovered so that the mixture thickens and the juices are absorbed. It takes about 15 minutes or so.

Serve warm with an assortment of taco fillings, such as:

-chopped green onion
-diced tomato
-shredded lettuce
-shredded cheese
-avocado, cut into chunks
-salsa
-refried beans
-chopped sweet red pepper
-black olives

Put everything out and let your family fill their own!

Makes 10 burritos, probably more tacos. You can freeze the leftover filling, too.

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