Tiffs Funky Fork

Chantrelle and Cream Cheese Filled Trout

2011-10-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! How are you doing?? I have been busy focusing on raw foods and eating really simply; I'm actually taking part in Raw Food Rehabs 11 week initiative Raw Balance but before I made that commitment I made this treat, and oh my! was it ever a treat! And while it was a treat I actually felt really good about it. It is trout that I caught filled with Chantrelle mushrooms that I picked, onions and garlic from my garden and a little cream cheese to hold it all together. What is better then that? Plus the fish was a lunker so I was extra proud! My boyfriend has been working out of the country so I have been learning to do all of these things all on my own :) I've always loved fishing but as he is the 'professional' he always took over in some way, this time I did everything all on my own, even the cleaning and filleting. AND the chantrelles I picked while out getting firewood with a friend - how resourceful am I?? Haha... I have been feeling pretty empowered lately but don't worry I won't get to carried away!

Anyways back to the food talk...

It really is more about the method then the measurements as all of my cooking is. I do want to share something about the mushrooms though, many people cook all mushrooms on a lower heat and with chantrelles if you do that a lot of water comes out and end up steaming them instead of frying them, so I cook them at at medium - high, not full out but closer to high then medium and they get really nice and caramelized quite quickly. I then let them cool down and added a little onions, garlic, salt and pepper, it really should be all about those beautiful mushrooms. I added enough cream cheese to hold it all together. I filleted the trout and laid each fillet out, I added a scoop of the filling and rolled it up securing it with a toothpick. I roasted it in a 350 degree oven until the fish was opaque, I was careful not to overcook it but I can't really give you a time as it will all depend on the size of your fillet, and how much filling is inside, the filling does need to be warmed through only, my fillets came from a 3 1/2 lb trout (REALLY good size for my lake!) took about 25 minutes.

Creamy Hemp Seed Hummus

2011-08-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Going Gluten free is quite easy as long as you change your frame of mind. Once you get over what you can't eat, you can focus on what you can eat, and it just takes that little tweak in your brain, not to mention the fact that you feel so much better. Since I have been gluten free I have felt incredible! No more tummy troubles which had become such a part of my life that I didn't even realize they existed. They weren't absolutely unbearable but they were there and not all that pleasant! I wanted to share this dish with you because its beautiful and tasty!

Hemp seeds add the perfect creamy and nuttiness to this hummus, I didn't have any tahini and it seemed to be a blessing in disguise. I ate it with zucchini shaved into ribbons and rolled it up into deliciousness - I love things that are rolled up!

1 Can of Chick Peas (Drained and Rinsed thoroughly - to prevent any tummy troubles!)
1/4 C Hemp Seeds
3 Large Garlic Cloves (I love lots of garlic, please use as much or as little as you like)
Juice of a lemon
Big pinch of Salt

First grind the Hemp Seeds in a food processor until they are fine, add the garlic until its not to chunky and then add everything else. If your feeling like a little extra naughtiness add a couple of table spoons of olive oil slowly as it is whizzing to stay a little cleaner feel free to use water to make everything smooth.

I added a bit of the hummus to a ribbon of zucchini and with some I rolled it up like you see the beauty in the middle and others I made into little packages, both were equally delicious but i think I prefered the spirals. I added some sliced tomatoe and drizzled with a bit of balsamic - and it was amazing! You could easily serve this as a snack, appetizer or enjoy as a meal - the hummus makes it very filling!

My Gluten Free Promise!

2011-05-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

Like most people when I found out I had to go gluten free I turned to the internet, and a couple of books. Being part of the food blogger world I scanned through countless blogs all of which offered all sorts of great looking recipes..... here comes the big However!
When I realized that those foods were bad for me I realized that there is a reason they are bad and why try to constantly substitute glutinous foods for ones that replicate the bad stuff? (especially when they are often so heavily processed!).
Gluten is very hard to digest, for some it is only diffucult and a minor annoyance that they don't even pay attention to, for people like me it actually causes adverse and sometimes embarrassing reactions and for others who are celiac it can cause irreversible damage to the intestinal tract. It really isn't meant to be eaten by anyone, and many cultures avoid it all together, or use it very sparingly. In North America however it is in EVERYTHING! Well just about everything, it hides in Soy Sauce and lurks in salad dressings and marinades. It acts as a Stabilizer and Flavoring. If you see the words 'Natural Flavoring' or any variation you can bet that it is sneaky gluten getting into the things you use each and every day!
Now back to those blogs... everywhere you look you can find gluten free baking recipes, and I suppose this is the area where people need some expert information but it just seems so unfairly represented. When I was looking for recipes I was looking for those magical foods that are naturally gluten free and delicious, I wasn't looking for replications of the foods that were making me sick! I wanted fresh new ideas that I knew would lead to good health I wanted to see recipes that featured whole foods like vegetables and quinoa! I wanted to see ideas for breakfast lunch and dinner not just bread and dessert!
Where is a normal gluten free breakfast, lunch and dinner blog??

Well then I suppose it is up to me to provide you with that. I have already begun to Label my recipes Gluten Free so you can look here to find the ones that are currently gluten free, and please check back for more!
I can't promise that I won't throw in the occasional rice pasta, or gluten free cookie but I want to focus on how someone who has to eat gluten free actually has to eat, not just how to treat yourself. So many people are daunted by going gluten free but it really isn't that hard, you just need to rewire your brain a little bit so I hope I can help anyone who needs that! But remember these recipes will still be delicious for all so everyone is included!

Love,
Tiff

Lotus Root Chips - The prettiest Chips of all!

2011-05-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned not only an I gluten free now but I am also allergic to Potatoes :(
I found these Lotus Roots at Wal Mart of all places and while I don't usually buy produce from there these piqued my interest. No Potatoes means No Potato Chips... and I love things that are salty and crisp.
So get ready for the Worlds easiest recipe!

Lotus Root Chips

Lotus Root
Salt
Oil for frying

I sliced my Lotus Root on a mandolin, I used the second to thinnest slice, the thinnest was just a little too think for the bit that I wanted but you do whatever floats your boat.

Fry in small batches until golden and crisp, seasoning with salt while they are still warm.

They taste just like Potato Chips except they are SO much prettier! I have also used them as a garnish, what a simple and delicious way to dress up a meal!

My discovery came from a cup of tea!

2011-05-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, my gluten intolerance was discovered due to a cup of tea.....

You may laugh at this but here it goes:
I went with a friend to have my Tea Leaves read last November and the lady who read them told me all sorts of things that were true and interesting about work, relationships, life you know the juicy stuff you usually want to hear when going to see a 'psychic' then near the end of the conversation she added in that I as allergic to something and I knew it because whenever I ate it I got a runny nose.
For months I had been getting a runny nose and kept thinking that I must be allergic to something but I didn't know if it was something in the air, in my house, or something that I ate... and if it was something that I ate how the hell would I decipher what it was, most of the time I consume many different ingredients in a meal. She said she thought it was starch, most likely wheat and potatoes.

So for about a month and a half I cut out starch from my diet completely. Including over Christmas which was really hard. I had also recently been talking to a woman who was allergic to 'everything' and had become really sick before she began working with her doctor to figure out she was allergic to all sorts of things and all he told her was to journal her food and how she felt, so I decided to figure it out on my own. As I said I cut out all starches from my body, then I slowly reintroduced them... well I tried... most starches made me feel terrible. I remember one one occasion around 11:00 in the morning I ate a single one bite brownie and by 1pm I was sick, in bed for the rest of the day. The only way I can explain it is like the worst hangover you have ever experienced x 100. I was nauseous, my head pounded harder then I had ever felt and I was completely drained of energy, I stayed in bed until the next day. So that means wheat certainly didn't agree with me. I also tried to drink a beer, and it left me feeling bloated and gross not as violent of a reaction as with the wheat but then I put two and two together and realized that was why I get terrible hangovers from only drinking two beer.... and that was why I get awful migraines sometimes... Gluten!
I had suspected but hoped it was just wheat and not gluten all together... somewhere I knew though... I can eat plenty of rice, quinoa, and other whole grains but not Wheat, Barley or Rye...
and as for Potatoes, they aren't that bad, but they do make me feel extremely bloated and gross so I just steer clear.

I know it is a strange way to learn about your health, but I am so grateful that I took her seriously. I am a much healthier person because of it!

Love,
Tiff

PS: Here is a link to the already Gluten Free recipes on my blog :) Gluten Free

It all began with Chicken Rice and Corn

2011-04-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned before that I have recently found out I am allergic to gluten, and I have been working through it and learning and eating and starving as I go. I have decided I am going to spend some time sharing what I have been learning and what gluten free means to me on this blog. The more and more gluten free blogs I look at the more I get discouraged. I am going to share my approach to going gluten free and ofcourse some recipes that go along with it, and some of the tid bits that I believe need to be mentioned.

I have always tried to focus on eating healthy foods and now I have to focus on eating healthy foods; and what a wonderful opportunity!

So to begin, here is how it all started for me...

I grew up in a healthy eating household, Cereal consisted of Granola, and each dinner featured a protein, a vegetable and a starch. While it did evolve to healthier fare it all began with Chicken Rice and Corn. My Step Dads favorite meal when he and my mother began dating, then moved in, had my sister and well lets just say that Chicken Rice and Corn lasted a long time.... and if I never see that combination on my plate again it will not be soon enough.

Chicken Rice and Corn did evolve though, it soon became Chicken Salad and Rice, Salmon Salad and Pasta, or some other variation of Protein, Vegetable and Starch when I started cooking I stayed with in this principal as it seemed so complete. I didn't eat a whole lot through out the day, usually some nuts and fruit at school, maybe a subway sandwich, some popcorn when I got home then ofcourse my very balanced dinner. And I was healthy, I walked like a maniac to my boyfriends house every day and participated in several dance classes a week. I noted that I rarely ever experienced gas (this might sound strange now but it will make sense later) I had never burped, never. And as for the other, maybe once a year. My digestion was in great shape.

When I moved out things changed. I was 18 when I left home for the first time and I tried to eat healthy, and I know I made better choices then alot of people I knew but I still fell victim to convenience, and to alcohol, and to hang over food... and to being pretty broke and trying to eat cheaply. I am not saying that I ate those nasty microwave meals but I certainly wasn't eating the same way. I also fell in love with cooking and had a bad habit of making my boyfriend all of those really tasty but really bad for you foods, like pasta with alfredo sauce, eggs benny etc. delicious but not so good for you. I began to gain weight, and I noticed mt stomach wasn't all that great anymore though I attributed it to the alcohol consumption that befalls many people in the 18 - 23 age group.
I did make healthy choices, but sometimes those choices would be followed up by a 'treat' and I ate alot of Pasta and Potatoes as I was trying to cut back on meat but wanted to feel 'full', plus they're pretty cheap:) and they kept my boyfriend happy.
I honestly wasn't eating that badly, compared to living at home it wasn't good, but compared to the average person it still wasn't bad.

I believe that this was the onset of my allergy. I do not yet know if I am Celiac, but I do know that gluten makes me sick.... however until last fall I didn't know what was making me feel sick... or how it felt to be better...

Check back to see how I realized Gluten was the culprit!

Love,
Tiff

Rich Chocolate Pudding

2011-01-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

I came about this recipe idea when I was trying to figure out what to do with some left over egg yolks, for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to throw the away egg yolks... I looked at many options on how to use them, various fruit curds, creme brulee and even a special deep conditioning treatment for my hair though as you can tell from this post I will leave that one up to the professionals. The others looked good but didn't quite account for the 4 egg yolks that I had then I realized - Pudding!

Step aside Mr. Crosby - this is the real thing!

This pudding used egg yolks to thicken the pudding rather then starch which can really dilute the flavor and make it well... starchy for lack of a better word. To be honest 'bunged up' was the term that came to mind but that isn't a very appetizing word now is it?

Anyways on to the recipe so you can all try this delectable wonder:

2 Cups of Semi Sweet Choc Chips

2 Cups of Heavy Cream

1 2/3 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Strong Espresso

4 egg yolks

2 pinches of salt

To prepare pour the Cream, Milk and Espresso into a pot and heat until almost boiling but don't let it burn!! When the milk is very hot add the chocolate and whisk until melted, the whisk will help to to homogenize more quickly. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and salt, add a laddle of the hot chocolate mix slowly to temper the eggs and prevent them from scrambling. Continue to add the rest of the chocolate mixture slowly until it is all combined, you should notice it thicken a little bit right away. Add the mixture back into the pot and bring the mixture up to a boil, whisk it while boiling for 2 minutes or until it feels thicker, it should be a thicker but not 'pudding like' yet. Pour the pudding into individual ramekins, a bowl or like I used short and stout canning jars, it should yield enough for 5 jars. Pop those suckers in the fridge and allow them to cool, should you do this over night you will get a nice thick rich pudding, should you sneak one out after only a few hours it will be thick around the egde and gooey in the middle.

Now because I love the 'skin' especially on this recipe it really is just extra thick pudding on top, I leave them open to the world, should you wish to prevent this you can put some saran wrap right onto the pudding, essentially the saran wrap make the skin and you pull off just a little off the top so that it looks like a creamier color with no skin. Its up to you!

Yummy Roasted Carrots and Green Beans

2011-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Have you ever came home and looked in your refrigerator and wondered what the heck you were going to make for dinner? That was me a couple of days ago.... while my fridge was quite full I couldn't find inspiration anywhere and when this happens I usually turn to the amazing ability of roasting at high temperature, its pretty incredible how an oven can turn anything from stodgy potatoes to crispy crudites into amazing caramelized goodness. And that was exactly what happened. I stared at a bag of carrots and green beans, cleaned and chopped where necessary then tossed them with olive oil, a little butter salt and pepper and tossed them into a 400 degree oven until they were caramelized
and delicious. And they were! I pulled them out and sprinkled them with a little Parmesan cheese and voila amazing green bean and carrots!

I encourage you to get roasting - anything you like! Carrots, Beets, Potatoes, Cauliflower Anything! You just pop it in the oven, leave it alone and wait for the goodness!
What a great way to warm up on these cool and chilly nights!
Happy Roasting!

Love,
Tiff

Garlic Roasted Mushrooms

2010-12-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

These would make a fabulous addition to any holiday table, I saw them a little while ago on Smitten Kitchen and since I haven't been eating any starch I have been eating a lot of mushrooms, there is something so satisfying about them, so delicious and these ones. Man. Oh. Man... I really wished that I could eat bread because the juices that were left at the bottom would have been so delicious enjoyed with some bread... however they were absolutely fantastic all by themselves though please feel free to top them onto Steak, Crostini, Chicken, Pasta anything you like!

I had some pretty huge mushrooms so I quartered them but you can halve them or leave them whole depending on the size you like. These were so simple, First I sprinkled them with salt and pepper then I drizzled them with a little bit of heavy cream, I then tossed them around so they were coated in the cream then I sprinkled them with chopped garlic and dotted the whole works with butter. Toss that into a 400 degree oven and roast until golden brown (I gave them a little stir around a couple of times to ensure even baking and that they were coated in garlic and butter and cream - pure decadence!)

Love,
Tiff

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

2010-12-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

Last year for my birthday my handsome boyfriend surprised me with a home-made black forest cake, it was a little free form but it was so delicious, so when his birthday came around this year I wanted to surprise him with something similar - and more importantly something wheat free so I could enjoy it too! So I made what I call a black forest cheesecake - here is what it looks like....
please try not to drool... hahaha!

I created the same chocolate cake filled with cherries and when I served it I topped it with fresh whipped cream and a couple of maraschino cherries. This cheesecake was such a success... Several weeks ago I made a praline topped pumpkin cheesecake for a good friend but it disappeared so fast there was no photographing it! This one I made sure to be able to share it with all of you. This is rich - very rich I hoped that the cherries would cut through but they seemed to add to the chocolatey-ness and it kept it a little gooey in the center which I loved!
Perfect for a birthday celebration and would also make a fantastic addition to a holiday table.

Here is the recipe:

Crust:
2 Cups cookie crumbs (I used graham, but chocolate and ginger are also nice)
3 Tbsp melted butter

Cake:
3 packages of room temp Cream Cheese
1 bag of semi sweet Chocolate Chips
1 & 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Vanilla
4 Large Eggs
1 Can Cherry Pie Filling

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

For the crust simply combine the cookie crumbs and the melted butter and press into the bottom of the pan and up the sides as you like. Bake it for 10 minutes, and remove the crust from the oven allowing it to cool.

Turn the oven up to 350 degrees

In the meantime I make the cake mix.
For this recipe I used a food processor, but you could use a counter mixer, hand mixer or good old fashioned elbow grease. Begin by melting the chocolate, add the cream cheese and whip it until it is smooth, add the melted chocolate and combine, add the sugar, sour cream and vanilla, combine until it is all incorporated, then add eggs one at a time until they are combined, take as many opportunities to scrape down the sides as you need (using the food pro you need to do this often).
Poor 1/2 of the recipe into the cooled crust (mine wasn't very cooled, so there's no need to be to strict here) then I opened the can of cherries and carefully created a layer, I had to do so in little dabs as my cheesecake mixture was quite runny, you won't be able to smooth it so just add it in small dabs working your way around until there is a nice layer, while I was doing this I was sure that it was all going to sink to the bottom but as you can see by the picture it worked out pretty good!
Then pour the remaining batter on and bake it for an hour and 10 minutes. Allow to cool for an hour or 2 and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

I was a little overzealous and wanted to eat it after cooling on the counter for several hours, there was no way it was coming out of my spring form pan! (Which I seriously recommend for making cheesecakes and quiche too! Makes it so much easier to cut!)
Go ahead and make this right away!

Happy Holidays!
Love Tiff

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

Its time to bake! And I have just been informed that I am allergic to starch. This means wheat, potatoes... just about all of the great holiday treats so I have been researching and bookmarking recipes that I can enjoy and while my baking hasn't yet began I wanted to share with you the recipes that I will be trying out very soon... probably this week or week end.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Almond Triangle Cookies

White Chocolate Saffron Truffles

Coconut Macaroons

This allergy came about as a surprise to me, I knew that starches weren't good for people in general but hadn't realized that they were particularly bad for me, and my reaction was stranger then everyone elses.... my mom, my boyfriend they were all so worried that I couldn't eat this and that but I haven't really noticed or cared. I expected to feel deprived and left out but it seems that now I have a tangible excuse to not eat the foods that never made me feel very good, almost like more of a relief then a worry.... ofcourse when Christmas comes and I can't partake in mashed potatoes and stuffing that tune may change... we will have to wait and see!

Love,

Tiff

Octobers Golden Treasures

2010-10-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Chantrelle Mushrooms are like little golden nuggets of goodness that pop up after a hot summer and a nice rain. Not only are they beautiful but they are also scrumptious! Take a look!

I use them in Chantrelle Soup, which is a recipe I will have to share (although it really is like most other mushroom soup) and we also pickled some - which is a top secret recipe that I can not share.

You do need to be careful when picking these gems because there are 'fake' chantrelles that disguise themselves as the real thing, you can always tell by the gills, the gills on the fake ones will always end in a nice neat line while the real ones have gills that stop unevenly like you can see above.

Chantrelles have a very delicate flavor, I find that the best part is the texture, and I love to just gently fry these up with some butter, garlic, s&p.

They would make a great accompaniment to any kind of protein, and last night I added them to stirfry.

More treats from my garden: Beets!

2010-09-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

This year I bought 3 different types of beets for my garden, red, yellow and candy stripe. I opened all 3 packets and mixed them up then planted them so it would be a surprise, it seems as though my slimy enemies the slugs preferred the yellow for some reason but I was still able to procure some of the others. And let me tell you - they are Be - A - Utiful!

I boiled them until they were tender and added them to some farmers market greens, red onions, Hungarian peppers, roasted red peppers and then added a little crumbled blue cheese and a simple balsamic vinaigrette. Simple perfection!

Basil From My Garden!!

2010-08-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

Look at this most beautiful abundance of Basil!!

Cool Caprese Salad

2010-08-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

I just enjoyed a weeks holiday up through the Interior and Okanagan of BC and on my way home to Vancouver Island I had to stop and go the the Granville Island Market. It really is an amazing site, so much produce from all over the world, baked goods you wouldn't believe, crafts and my favourite the Italian Market where you can get the most amazing stuffed pastas like Feta and Black Olive Ravioli and Smoked Gouda Pouches, and my favorite marinated boconccini.... Swoon!!!

All you need to add are cherry tomatoes to these baby boconccini! Drizzle with a little of the olive oil that they are marinated in and add some fresh basil if you like and what an amazing summer salad. A perfect lunch or snack during those scorcher days that we've been having.

I also added a small drizzle of balsamic - it went a long way and added a little complexity!

Savoury Stuffed Eggplants

2010-07-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted a recipe. I am sorry, there really isn't a very good excuse. I haven't been cooking a lot and to be honest I haven't been feeling very inspired by life. I have been craving some ME time and it has me struggling with work and anything structured really. I just want to relax at the beach! Oh Wait! Maybe that is just Summer calling my name!!

Oddly enough I don't cook a lot despite the abundance of amazing produce around, I usually just eat a lot of fruit and what not in the summer. I did go to a market today though and soon I will share some photos of my garden which is slowly coming along.

This is a really easy and really tasty recipe that will make even the most skeptic people eggplant lovers!
Its kind of more of a method, as my measurements as you should know by now aren't the most accurate!

First I sliced 2 medium sized eggplants in half, then I sliced them into a cross hatch pattern through the flesh but leaving the skin intact (like you might cut an avocado before you scoop it out) then sprinkle in with salt and place it flesh side down on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. In the mean time dice a good sized onion fairly finely and begin to saute with some fresh thyme. A sprig or two, whatever suits you best! once the onion is softened add a diced tomato and reduce the heat add enough bread crumbs to hold this mixture together. Before you add the tomatoes take the eggplants out of the oven and turn them over, let them roast with the squares facing up, this will allow them to open giving you lots of space to stuff the stuffing into, put back into the oven! Allow the stuffing to cool and add in about 100 grams of feta cheese crumbled (I bought a container that had 400 g, and I used about a quarter of it) You could add more or less if you like, then remove the eggplant from the oven once again and stuff the filling in to each nook and cranny and allow it to overfill, toss the whole lot back in the oven and allow the crumb mixture to get nice 'gratin-ed' and the eggplant to be nice and soft. All the flavors blend together and it is so good. I served it along side some 'raw' pasta aka julienne zucchini with pesto.

Cheddar & Onion Pierogis

2010-05-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if there is anything more comforting then a big bowl of starchy goodness in the form of homemade pirogi. Add some sour cream and caramelized onions and you will slip into carb coma of contentment, or CCC as I fondly call it.

Well then, Lets Begin:

For the dough:

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 to 1 cup water

For the insides:

1-1/2 lbs baking potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly 1 inch pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic,
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 to 1 cup aged cheddar cheese
2 large onions
Salt and Pepper

I began by caramelizing the onions in 2 tbsp of the butter and a splash of water. I add just a bit of water, this helps the onion to cook evenly and become coated with the butter, by the time the water evaporates off the onions will already be translucent and ready to sweeten up! Once they look delicious to you remove from the heat and allow to cool.

At the same time I added the potatoes into pot of salted water and brought to a boil. Cook until fork tender and drain. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and mash it all up! I like mine just a little chunky. Honestly, after I made this I almost didn't even make the wrappers. I almost ate them all as is. Next time I think I will do a double batch of just the filling!
The filling was pretty hot so I waited for it to cool before I added the cheese, I wanted more of a potato, onion and cheese rather then a cheesy-potato and onion.... if that makes any sense at all!

Next comes the dough. Honestly mix the wet ingredients together and slowly add in the flour until it forms a dough. Knead it until everything is just incorporated; the dough should be smooth and a little sticky. Wrap it in plastic wrap and allow it to chill out in the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes. This will allow it to rest, very important; and give your filling a chance to cool down before you handle it.

Once everything is nice and rested, take the dough out and beat the heck out of it! Just kidding, you will need to roll it out though. You may want to roll it out and then use a cutter to make them all nice and perfect but not me! I divided the dough into 8 equal sections and then continued to divide until they were the size that I liked. I like big rustic looking pierogi and made them as such. Here's a peek:

Looks like they are ready for a soak in a pot of boiling water. Once they float to the top allow them to cook for another 2 - 4 minutes depending on how large yours are. From here I plop them down into a hot skillet with butter and let them get nice and crispy. Top with additional sauteed onions and a little sour cream and you are ready for a CCC! Enjoy!

These fed two of us for 2 dinners and I wish I had've made more to put in the freezer. Don't be scared to double or even triple a batch!

YUM!

Dulce De Leche Liqueur

2010-05-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

In the last post I showed you how the Dulce De Leche caramel complimented a cappuccino cheesecake so I decided to keep going on that theme. I created a Mexican version of an Irish classic.

Here we have Mexican Cream! A Dulce de Leche Liqueur.

It was really simple too! And can be enjoyed in Coffee or as we did as shots at a Cinco de Mayo celebration. All you need to do is get out your blender and add 1 can of Dulce de Leche, 1 cup of cream, and 1/2 cup - 1 cup of Rum. I know you are thinking it should be Tequila, and if you want go right ahead, I just prefer my Tequila straight up, I don't like to mix it with anything other then lime juice! If that! Blend this until it is combined. I would also suggest that you start with 1/2 Cup of Rum, give it a taste and add more to suite your tastes. I like it sweet and creamy, and I ended up starting off with lots of Rum and I had to keep adding cream and caramel until I like the way it taste. I suggest you do it the other way around!

Creamy Cappuccino Cheesecake

2010-05-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

This is serious YUM! I know I've been on a bit of a sweet kick lately which is a little unlike me, I do love sweets but usually me and my sweet can't get through a whole cake or pie etc. But let me tell you, this cheesecake did not last long around our house!

And its no wonder why just look at this delicious confection!

Lets get just a little closer!

Is that? Did she really? No she didn't!

Oh Yes! I did! That is Dulce de Leche swirled about!

Here is the recipe

Crust

20 graham cracker cookies, crushed
5 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp espresso powder

Filling

1/2 cup whipping cream
4 teaspoons espresso powder powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tbsp Kahlua
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 can dulce de leche

Dulce de Leche

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

First start by making the Dulce de leche by cracking the can slightly open and adding it to a small pot with water about 2/3 of the way up.

Bring to a boil and let it go for about 1 & 1/2 hours. You will need to top up the water as it will evaporate so keep an eye on it. Let it cool, crack the lid the rest of the way off and Voila!
Dulce de Leche! You can use this in soo many ways, as simply as dipping apple wedges into it for a caramel apple treat or for a Mexican Baileys liqueur that I will show you soon, or for our purposes the fabulous surprise in a cappuccino cheesecake. This will give the Starbucks Carmel Frap a run for its money!

So anyways....
Mix all of the ingredients for the crust together, grab a handful and make sure that it is sticking together, it should hold its shape, but it is ok if it cracks a little, as long as you know it is going to hold together. Spread evenly into the bottom and sides of a spring form pan (This is a Must for cheesecake making!) And bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool while you get onto the filling. Because we all know that a crust is nothing without its filling!

Now onto the creamy goodness:
In a small bowl combine the cream, vanilla, Kahlua and espresso powder. This will help to distribute the espresso powder evenly. I wanted to see the flecks and it is ground so finely that they don't create any sort of textural difference, just add a visual affect, plus you know me! I like the real thing! No instant powders for moi! In a separate and I advise a quite large bowl beat the cream cheese until it is fluffy, incorporate the sugar and then add the eggs one at a time. Slowly add the flour, then add in the cream and Kahlua mixture. Combine until it is one big mess of goodness and slowly pour into the crust.
Remember the dulce de leche? How could you forget, pour it into a swirl around the pan if you can. (If it is warm it should pour alright, I had to use a spoon to coerce it, then the heat had its way with it so it turned out as you saw in the picture above.
Bake for about 1 hour or until the sides start to pull away and the top is brown. If you can avoid it cracking let me know your trick!

Also I added a pan of water in the bottom of the oven to create moisture, I'm sure I just left it in a little to long and that is why it cracked, it did turn out to be very golden! perhaps a little too golden.... whoops... it was still oh so good!

Kale Chips

2010-05-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

I had planned a yummy Cinco de Mayo post... but was to late, and while I will share with you the most delicious fish tacos right now I must share something else.

What is is that I am so amazed by...

Kale Chips!

I know! I thought 'Oh, those would make a really good healthy snack' and by healthy I was meaning 'not that great' but honestly I can't make these things fast enough. I made one bunch and had eaten the whole thing before I even took a picture. Then I made a second bunch and I had enough time to take a few pictures, but then I ate them all! I ate 2 bunches of Kale and thought 'wow what a good way to get your greens'

They do wilt down a little, but they get so crispy! And that deep green flavor adds something that a regular potato chip just can't compare too, while being so subtle and satisfying. I have seen these fluttering about the Internet for some time, and now I only wish that I had have tried them right away!

Here's the directions:

Cut the inner stems out of a bunch of Kale and cut them into chip size pieces. Wash and dry well. Lay the pieces on a baking sheet evenly. Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Massage it all into the little crevices and then make sure it is laid out evenly (They will get crisper if they are not touching). I baked these in the oven for about 20 minutes. It all depends on the size of the chips so keep an eye on them. You want them to get crisp without being to brown.

I think I will try them out in the dehydrator to preserve nutrients.... but honestly I ate them so fast it might take to long!

Mango Pudding

2010-04-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

My grandmother make the best Mango Pudding!
I think it is all the years or trial and error that make grandmothers so good at cooking. My boyfriend says I am a good cook... but not better then his Mom, which I don't take offense to because we cook very differently. She makes homey classics that warm you from the inside out and I love to experiment and use weird ingredients, and make things a little healthy... well most of the time anyways. I will share the most amazing chicken wings with you soon, that are so good to the taste-buds, but so hard on the heart!

Anyways back to my Grandma, my mom is a fantastic cook, but my Grandma makes certain things that are just irresistible! Like her potato salad, her baked ham, her ribs, her pickled beets, and her mango pudding. Those are my faves. I didn't call her to ask her the recipe when I had a craving, I went online. I only ask for recipes when I am with her so I can have the full demo; except the first time I cooked a turkey, I was 697 kms away and I certainly needed her advice then! But for the Mango pudding recipe I will probably wait until the next time I see her which hopefully will be soon. She is only a ferry trip away!

And ask her I will because this mango pudding did hit the spot, but wasn't quite what I remembered in my grandma's version. I just followed the recipe from here and it was pretty good but I already have a few tweaks in mind, and I can't wait to see what my grandma does! I'll be sure to keep you updated.

And just so you know Mango Pudding is dreamy! Its creamy and oh so mango-y and refreshing. A near perfect fruit dessert that will leave you feeling satisfied and light at the same time!

You will see more of me soon!

2010-04-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your patience! I know I vanished for a while! It has been this moving and a new job and my camera broke! I will be getting it back all spiffed up early next week so I will share a new creation in my new kitchen with you then!

In the mean time
THANK YOU!
And here are some of my homeless pics:

Since moving into the new house I have bought a new cutting board! After the marks I left on those counters and my darn kitties climbing up the curtains I didn't even bother asking for my deposit back! I am happy to report that we are all changing our ways now though! I have a new bamboo cutting board and they have a spray bottle for when they are bad.... they are learning too!

I'm sure you can guess that I was making Greek Salad, such pretty colors, but a pretty universal recipe.

Spanakopita Asparagus Rolls Ups

2010-03-10T12:49:00.001-08:00

I love to roll my food up. There is just something so satisfying about being able to put everything together and create a perfect bite.

These guys were just that! Perfect bites, go on check 'em out!

This was the love child of my making spanakopitas for my lunches and my making sushi for dinner. I had been making veggie sushi for a quick dinner (which didn't turn out all that pretty, and didn't have a lot of time to be photographed as it went directly into my mouth after a particularity long day at work! But as I had some extra phyllo sheets I decided to turn up the creativity a little on a long time classic.

My spanakopita filling is very simple:

I use
1 package of frozen spinach (my grocery store now sells the frozen spinach in a bag, frozen into little 'pellets' of spinach - it thaws a lot faster and the package has a little more then the traditional box, I would think you may need about 2 boxes)
1 container (250 gs I think) of feta
2 eggs
nice big pinches of salt, pepper and nutmeg (mmmm.... nutmeg!)
about 1/4 c toasted pine nuts

You will also need:
Phyllo dough, melted butter and asparagus spears.

I just mix this all up until it is to my liking, sometimes I add more cheese, sometimes less, just do whatever you like, its not like the spanakopita police are going to come and get you!!

Begin by laying out one sheet of phyllo, brush with butter and add another sheet on top, brush the second sheet with butter and then cut the sheet in half, place one half on top of another so that there are 4 sheets stacked together.

I added two lightly steamed asparagus spears facing opposite directions so that the tips were just poking out for presentation and then topped it with a little of he filling, really just enough to hold it together; it should be about the crunchy asparagus. I rolled it up and put it on a baking sheet brushing with additional butter. Bake at about 375 until the tops are brown and the dough is crispy. (About 10 - 15 minutes) Let cool slightly before serving.

These would make a fantastic appetizer or snack. They are certainly elegant enough to serve to guests! (And fairly friendly on the pocket as you can really make the ingredients stretch!)

In memory of a great friend

2010-03-05T15:52:00.001-08:00

Can't believe it has almost been a year. Right before he left that night we were all talking about random things. I told him what I thought of the 'Glass half empty or glass half full' question. I said that If you begin with an empty glass and you fill it up half way then your glass is half full, if however; your glass is full and you drink it half way down, then your glass is half empty... he said 'That is so smart! You should put that on the internet'
So here is to you Jonathan!

Your friendship will always have a special place in my heart.

Sweet and Sour Veggie Ribbon Salad

2010-03-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

I set out to make a simple salad using up a couple of veggie that I had in my fridge and was absolutely blown away by its simplicity, freshness and vibrant flavour. Honestly there is as much flavor in these carrots and zucchini as there is color! Lets have a look:

And an even closer look:

All that I did was use my vegetable peeler to make ribbons of carrots and zucchini, I added some chopped green onions and then came the magic!

I added a third of a cup of rice wine vinegar to a small saucepan with a couple of table spoons of sugar (the same ratio as you would for making sushi rice) 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 3 tbsp white sugar and warm until the sugar melts, I poured some of that over the veggies and added some fresh cracked black pepper and a small drizzle of soy sauce and it was so surprisingly yummy!

I also have some great news! I am moving into a new house! With a real Kitchen! I can't wait to share the creations I make in there with you! I am so excited right now, I have a great new job, am getting a whole house with a yard for less rent then my current 1 bedroom apartment! (Its in a small town not in the city, but this small town is my home and right on a big beautiful lake!) and I just feel that this whole year is going to be fantastic!

I hope that this year is shaping up excellently for you too!

PS : Seriously try this when you are in a rush, or just feel like something light!

Stuffed Pretzel Bites

2010-02-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

I know... I have been a very baaaa -ad blogger. I offer you my sincere apologies, I have just began a new job and it has taken over my existence. It is am amazing opportunity for me though and I am so very excited! It is all mellowing out though, all becoming 'normal' it is just a much longer commute, but I have made a few tasty treats that I would like to share with you.

Today it will be these stuffed pretzel bites!
These little suckers disappeared within minutes!
Make them right now!
I promise you will not be disappointed!

Just Look:

My goodness! As far as Savories go, it just doesn't get any better then this.

So anyways I will just get on with the recipe because that's what you really want
Trust me!

1 package of instant yeast
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cup warm milk
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
6 cups water
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-2 Tablespoons coarse salt

Fillings of your choice!

Slowly heat the milk until it is warm to the touch but not boiling and add the brown sugar.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and the package of Yeast to the milk. Stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Add the remaining flour if you need to. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times, form it into a ball and add the ball to a clean lightly oiled bowl. Cover with Plastic wrap and all to rise in a warm area for about 2 hours or until it doubles in size. The waiting really is the worst part! But in this case it is so worth it!

You will know it is ready when there are bubbles on the top and it is all big and puffy!

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands and rolling pin with flour. Roll one of the four sections into a 12×4-inch rectangle. Fill the bottom 1/3 with the filling of your choice. I decided to do a few different ones including ham and cheese, cheese and caramelized onion, ham, cheddar and mustard and some of the last with Dijon mustard. Mmmmm... mustard! Roll it into a log and then cut into one inch pieces. Into nice little bites!

Boil up 6 cups of water in a pot and add the baking soda. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Boil pretzels in batches, cooking about 20 seconds each, making sure they are flipped. You will see them get all nice and puffy, and I've got to tell you I was worried about the cheese during this step, but if you are sure to leave them in for no more then 30 sec. your cheese will be fine!

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they resemble little golden gods that you must eat immediately.

Careful they are hot! and you must not forget this last delicious step:

Brush them with melted butter until they glisten and top with nice crusty chunks of salt.

I hope these tasty treats make up for my time away!!

Pour me a tall glass of Almond Milk

2010-02-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

I have began a brand new job that I am really excited about, but it involves a bit of a commute and I am now coming home 2 hours later. This week a I made a big pot of beans and rice so I don't have to much to share with you. Well, to say not much is actually an understatement.

I have a tall glass of creamy and sweet almond milk to share with you.

I am trying to get away from Dairy and while I haven't yet tried to use this for anything other then drinking. But my oh my is it a tasty drink! I have really been enjoying it almost as an energy drink. It is full of calcium and protein but more importantly is creamy and sweet.
I love things that are creamy and sweet.

The recipe is simple:

2 cups of almonds
4 cups of water
A big squeeze of honey

Soak the almonds in water for a few hours. I usually do this over night then rinse them really well, they do get kind of slimy so rinse them until they are nice and clean and put them in a blender with the water and a squeeze of honey. Blitz in the blender for a few minutes until the almonds are finely ground. Give it a taste and see if it is sweet enough for your liking. Adjust accordingly. You can also use maple syrup, agave, you could even dissolve the sugar in some of the water. I happen to love honey so I use it as often as I can.

I have even bee washing my face with it.... but I think that will have to be another post!

Once it has whizzed up and all become friendly strain it through a nut milk bag or cheese cloth and enjoy!

Some people like it un-strained and thick - I am not one of those people but if you are, I won't hold it against you!

Smashed Potatoes

2010-01-28T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hello All! I have a tasty side for you today.
I've made these many times in the past and now I have finally taken pictures so that I can share them with you all! They are pretty simple and you need only a few ingredients. I would say that they are also something that has a bit of a wow factor.

Have a look at these:

A little soft and little crispy; they are very unsuspecting. Sometimes the simplest things really are the best. And all you need to do here is choose a bunch of baby potatoes. I used red and Yukon golds for a little variety. Dump them into the hot tub and boil until they are fully cooked and fork tender. Drain and dump them onto a baking sheet. Now comes the fun part, time to let out a little of your aggression with a potato masher! Well.. not to much aggression because you will just want to gently smash the potato to look like the one above. Next drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Toss in a 350 - 400 degree oven until they are crispy!

By increasing the surface area and exposing some of the fleshy inside you really get a lot of crunch while still keeping the soft and fluffy innards of a boiled potato. It would be a great addition to a roast chicken meal. So unsuspectingly delicious.

Fennel and Beet Juice

2010-01-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

I thought I would include another juice recipe as January is a great time to cleanse and detoxify after a long season of eating what we please! I made this juice this morning as I have been feeling a little sluggish. By giving yourself; particularly your digestive system a break, it helps to give you a great boost and leaves you feeling light. Plus look at how pretty this one is:

It was so simple and refreshing! Also the fennel is really great for digestion and particularly for upset tummys.

I juiced:

2 bulbs of fennel
1 apple
1 beet

(The fennel bulbs I used were pretty small so if yours was large I would just use one) This juice is primarily fennel which gives it a beautiful licorice flavor with just a bit of sweetness from an apple and a bit of earthiness and color from the fennel. Yum!

Bacon Wrapped Cod

2010-01-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

First things first: Happy New Year!
Now onto the goods...

These tasty bites are a little bit of heaven!

Just look at them!

They were actually inspired by an appetizer that I had at a Christmas Eve party that I went to. A friend of mine always has an appy and drinks party of Christmas Eve and it is always a lot of fun. Over the holidays there are always so many parties to attend and everyone is always trying to feed you but a lot of people go for the convenience of pre-made appies and that just doesn't fly with me. Sure they are convenient and a lot of them taste not so bad, but Donna always outdoes herself with a beautiful spread of homemade spanikopita, wontons, dips, spreads, meatballs, pizza bites and this year a little bundle that consisted of a piece of chicken and a water chesnut marinated in ginger, garlic and soy and wrapped in bacon. I decided to seafoodize that tasty little bundle that was gone off the table in mere minutes!

I simply took two fillet of cod and added it to a bowl with some lime zest, ginger and garlic all of which a grated with my new microplane that I got for Christmas. Thanks Mom! I added a bit of pepper and left it in the fringe overnight. Then I just chopped it into bites and wrapped each bit with bacon and secured with a toothpick. Pop those suckers into a 400 degree oven until the bacon is crisp and you have one tasty treat on your hands!!

I would suggest the bites be on the bigger side as not to dry out the fish but if you wish to substitute any other protein, I love scallops, or chicken, even beef would probably be pretty good.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

Last year here on Vancouver Island we had a snowy Christmas and went sledding. this was the view from the top of the huge hill! It was so beautiful and so much fun.

I just wanted wish you all the best this holiday season and thank you for all of your support this year. The 29th of December will be my 1st anniversary and I am so excited!

Thank you!

Profiteroles filled with Chocolate Mousse

2009-12-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

I don't make a lot of desserts but it was my gentleman friends birthday on Friday so I decided to make a special sweet something. What is great about this recipe is that it would also be a great make ahead for Christmas. I made a big bowl of these and then took them up with us to the local ski mountain for a week end getaway. Lucky Birthday Boy! and they traveled quite well.
First I began with Profiteroles, I used this recipe from Joy of Baking. Just the Choux part of the recipe. I was surprised at how easy it was. These have a great wow factor, look like they took a million years to make but are actually reminded me of making Yorkshire puddings, except with a little bit of Elbow grease! Here is what the profiteroles will look like:

This is kind of a lazy post because I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen to make the Chocolate Mousse. Ever since I saw it I have wanted to make it. I had some in a glass with Raspberries, and it was amazing!

How is that for a close up? It was airy and rich all at the same time. As there is no sugar except what is in the chocolate it wasn' t very sweet, just pure creamy chocolate flavour!
Deb used pics just after making it and it will look goopy like that but it will look like this after it has set overnight, or really just a few hours.

I also piped some into the afore mentioned profiteroles, Drum roll please....
Here they are:

Wow!

I also whipped 1 cup of cream with splash of Kahlua and filled some just to add
a difference is flavor and texture. Both were extreme hits!

Simple Sesame Salmon

2009-12-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

I bet you thought I wasn't going to post a recipe this week?
Ha! Tricked You!
I thought I would post something simple and delicious.
As I made note of I try to eat alot of fish, and because I catch my own it is very inexpensive.
I am a pretty lucky girl to have such fresh fish available! This is a recipe, well more of a method as I won't be including any specific measurements, that I go back to again and again, which isn't something I do very often. So here it is:

I like to take a portion of Salmon and crust the skin with Sesame Seeds, this time I used mostly black. I just sprinkle them onto the moist skin and then place in a buttered medium hot skillet. Somewhere in between the middle and high and put a loose lid on it, this will allow the skin to crisp which is the main goal, and the top to steam a bit. Once it is almost done I give it a flip and add a splash of sesame oil and soy sauce and let the other side brown until it is at the done-ness of your liking. I like mine a little rare in the middle. Then I topped with some chopped green onion and ate it with stir fry of mushrooms and Bok Choy. Simple and Delicious!

Another great thing about eating this is the crispy skin. You can do this with almost any type of fish available to you, and its so great because there are a lot of Omega Oils in the skin and if we bake fish we don't often get to enjoy it.

My food feelings

2009-12-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

I have been writing this blog for almost 1 year now and I feel that its time to be honest with you. When it comes to me I am basically an open book, but there is something that we have not yet discussed. Eating. Yes we've talked about eating what I have shown you, but not the essence of it, nor the principal. So here we are.

For quite a long while I have been reading food blogs, of course this led to an 'I can do that" moment which led to the blog and which led to this post and so on, but long before reading food blogs I began eating and then cooking. I grew up in a home where we ate Chicken Rice and Corn every night for at least 4 years, then we began to see variations including Chicken Rice and Salad, Salmon Rice and Salad, and the occasional pasta dish. Always with an emphasis on a protein, a starch and a vegetable. To this day I rarely make the same dish twice and am only now realizing that it is probably in part to the monotony that I was once a part of, before I had control of what I eat.

Well now I have control, and I am always searching for ideas to create food that is both healthy and tasty. I have a few different views on eating and here they are:

#1 Meat:
Honestly, I try to stay away from meat. Its not always easy, and I don't beat my self up if I do, I just try not to. I eat a lot of fish; however only fish that I have caught - YES I am an excellent fisher-woman and the majority of what little meat that I eat is wild game; from my father in law. I don't like how I feel when I eat commercial meat, physically and energetically. I don't know what those animals have eaten, what kind of life they have had, what hormones or chemicals have been fed to them. I just don't want to put that in my body. In the name of honesty I will admit sometimes I give in due to convenience but I try to stay away as much as I can. This is not to say that I eat any sort of Soy. Soy scares me, not because of the taste but it too is so far processed that you just can't try and tell me that its good for me.

#2 Vegetables
I eat as many of these as I can! I love them and there are so many varieties, and so many ways to prepare them I rarely get bored.

#3 Moderation
I love sweet treats.
I love french fries.
I love rich creamy pasta.
And I figure that if I eat healthy the majority of the time, I may as well go all out when I prepare something rich. If I am going to make a creamy pasta I will use full fat cream and butter, if I have some pie; I will enjoy it with full fat ice cream or whipped cream. I am not going to settle for a less good version of something indulgent.

#4 Convienience Foods
I hate them. Some of them might taste alright, but I have already expressed how I feel about not knowing what is in my meat, well if I don't know what might be in the whole thing forget it! I would rather make a big old pile of food at once and eat the left overs for lunch, or freeze it for later then eat one of those microwavable meals. Yuck!! I will go as far as buying canned whole tomatoes, or marinated artichoke hearts but that is as far processed as I go.

#5 Questions, Questions
I do have several food related questions. Here is what I have been stuck on lately, what is the best way to eat? I have read on Veganism, Vegetarianism, even raw food appeals to me, and while they all seem to have great points I think I would have a hard time committing as I love food. All kinds.

Here is my other burning question: Do other food bloggers eat what they blog about all of the time? Or do they make really great things once or twice a week, just enough to blog about?

Cozy Cabbage Rolls

2009-12-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here we are in the heart of fall; this time of year I always crave comfort food and what is more comforting then a warm meal that comes out of the oven? Mmmmm.... Cabbage Rolls. The epitomy of Ukrainian comfort food.

Often I find that people use too much ground meat and make them very large. So I went about an experiment. I made two different kinds of Cabbage Rolls, 1 that was made of ground meat and the other that was made of sauteed mushrooms. The both have the same ingredients other then the meat/ mushroom can you tell which is which:

They look very similar and oddly enough they didn't taste all that different either. I suggest mixing them up in a casserole dish if you are trying to cut down on red meat. I had to make both because of my meat eating partner. I enjoy meat too, but often opt to not partake and am always looking for ways to reduce meat with out having to substitute with a freaky soy product. These were both really good, even my meat eating partner had a hard time figuring out which was which! Here is the recipe:

1 large heat of cabbage
1/4 lb ground beef (the small package) or 1 lb mushrooms finely chopped and sauteed
1 carrot finely chopped
2 stalks of celery finely chopped
2 onions finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic
3 cups of cooked rice (whatever floats your boat)
2 eggs
medium pinch of rosemary
large pinch of salt & pep

1 jumbo or 2 - 3 regular cans of whole tomatoes

First pop a whole head of cabbage into a huge pot of boiling water. Martha says not to use an aluminum pot... I think that my pot is aluminum and they worked, but it could be something else. Feel free to take the risk if you must. Other people remove each leaf first and then boiled them separately. I just threw the whole thing in, accidentally forgot about it and them took it out. It was cooked through and the outer leaves weren't very pretty but the rest was great. Let it cool and then remove each leaf and set aside.

Then begin making rice. Just follow the package directions. Then move on to chopping the mushrooms (actually I ran them through a food pro until they were fairly finely chopped - you do need a little texture) and begin sauteing them with some Olive Oil and pepper (leave the salt out). In the meantime finely chop the celery, carrots, garlic and onions, again I used the food pro, if you choose to do this make sure that you do it in small batches, or else you will get a puree and you want more like pieces that are the size of rice grains, or a little bigger. Divide the chopped veggies into two bowls. Make sure the mushrooms are sauteed to the point that they have given up most of the water, then add them to one bowl and add the beef to another. Add one egg to each bowl and 1 cup of rice, mix it in and then decide if you want to add more rice. I went for it, but you might not want to and in the end you will be eating it so go ahead and do what you must!
This is how each looks, bad light I know but you get the idea!

Now you will want to empty your cans of tomatoes into a juice jug or bowl and whiz with a hand blender. I added a small handful of salt pepper, and a little less rosemary. Whiz until it is a smooth sauce.

Now assemble! Pour a little sauce into a casserole dish, take one cabbage leaf. If it is a big leaf, remove the bottom v shape of the stem, just the hard part so you end up with a small v out of your leaf. You can leave it in but it is trickier to roll. Just do whatever works for you. Add some filling to one side of the leaf and roll it up. Add to the dish and repeat until you are done. Top with a bit more of the sauce, cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour.
I serve mine with sour cream. Yum!!

The Main Event: Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is something that I look forward to every year. It has become one of my favorite holidays because it is so simple. All you have to do is prepare a delicious meal for your friends and family and enjoy it! You don't have to find a costume or the perfect gift. Just cook, eat and enjoy the company of loved ones.

Yes it is easier said then done, but with a little prep the day before and the instructions that someone else bring dessert it can achieved fairly easily. This year I made as much ahead of time as possible. I spent the whole Saturday making stuffing, brining turkey, making cranberry sauce, chopping Brussels sprouts, chopping veggies and prepping appies. Lets start with my favourite thanksgiving side.

Cheesy Brussel Sprouts

The real secret to making these Brussels sprouts delicious and what has made my friend Jamie say 'I don't even like Brussels Sprouts, but I went back for seconds!' One of my best compliments. is simple onions, caramelized before roasting. For six cups of trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts I used one and 1/2 large soft ball sized yellow onion. I caramelized it in a pan with a little butter and then tossed with the Brussels spouts in a casserole dish. Top off with a few handfuls of shredded aged cheddar cheese and bake until the sprouts are golden brown. In a 350 degree oven this will take about 45 minutes. I like to make sure to give them plenty of time, even if I have to wrap them in foil and let them sit because I put them in early. If you do a bigger batch they can take up to an hour and a half and it is critical that they get to that golden brown stage or they will be bitter not melt in your mouth delicious!

I also prep the stuffing the day before, then when it comes to getting the turkey in the oven I can just stuff it and get it in!

My stuffing is basic and goes as follows:

8 cups of toasted bread chunks
8 links of maple breakfast sausages
3 heads of roasted garlic
2 stalks of celery
1 large onion
2 tbsp each parsley & sage
1 tbsp each rosemary & thyme
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 - 2 cups chicken stock

Normally I would used just a basic sausage but this year I brined my Turkey with an apple cider brine so I decided to go with the maple breakfast sausage, just to create some interest and to really showcase some autumn flavors. I begin by toasting bread. I used a basic whole wheat, mostly because I don't really eat white bread and I didn't want to complicate it with grains or seeds. This is stuffing for us humans, not chipmunks! I chop the celery and onion in a small dice, chop the herbs and add the seasonings and then add a splash of stock. I work the stuffing with my hands until the sausage is evenly distributed and add stock as is necessary until it all combines into one big for lack of a better word glop. I always make enough so that I can stuff the turkey and bake some in an extra dish for a friend of mine who doesn't like it in the bird. Also lets be honest: There just isn't enough room in the bird for as much stuffing as you need to feed hungry stuffing lovers.

This is how it looks before it is cooked aka glop stage:

Of course you must have mashed potatoes on any decent thanksgiving table and since I love garlic I always add roasted garlic. Lots of it. I like to add 1 head of garlic per 2 large potatoes. Feel free to use this ratio for making your current favourite mashed potato recipe. Its always hard to know how much butter and cream you will need to add to get the right consistency but the garlic will make them even dreamier - it will blow the regular garlic mashed potatoes that most people make right out of the water. I don't know how someone could add garlic powder to potatoes and still sleep at night!

And of course the turkey. I used a brine this year and it was amazing!! Since I haven't used one before I used a recipe for Apple Cider Brine that I found on Tasty Kitchen. It made the meat so juicy that it blew me away. The breast meat was by far the most flavorful, tender and succulent that I have ever tasted. And let me tell you when all 30 people had walked away there wasn't even enough turkey left to make soup! I seasoned the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper, stuffed it with the recipe above, rubbed it with butter above and underneath the skin, wrapped it in thick cut double smoked bacon and rested in on top of a 'rack' that I made with some carrots, celery, onions garlic, added a little chicken stock for moisture and then let them all get acquainted in a 350 degree oven until the skin is crispy and brown and the juices run clear. Oh yeah, put a lid on all of that! Since I was so busy enjoying the meal I didn't take a picture of it but I did make a smaller breast for blogging purposes and here it is:

Other recipes that I served were:

Honey and Lime Glazed Yams and Beets
Brussels Slaw
Orange Glazed Carrots
(Steam with some orange juice, then thicken like gravy with four, add salt, pepper and fresh thyme)
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
(I'll have to share another time)
Gravy - thicken the pan juices with flour and season as necessary.
And Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos as an appy.

Happy Cooking!!

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

2009-11-17T10:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was craving something cheesy but knew that with the holiday season coming up I should try to be good. I generally try to be good during the month of November (Here in Canada the holidays don't start until Dec) because I know that pretty much the whole month of December is going to be a write off. It always is, and I could fight it but I figure if I put in a little good behavior this month I can cut myself some slack later on.

These mushroom caps are perfect because they are luxurious yet very healthy. I was inspired by a spanikopita but was also enticed by the meaty-ness of a mushroom. Have you ever noticed how many food bloggers make up words. I am convinced that anything can be a word if hyphenated with a -ness at the end!

Here is the recipe:

A bunch of mushrooms, stems removed.
1 12 oz package of frozen spinach
1 small tub of feta cheese
2 cloves garlic
pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper

Give the mushrooms a little rub down - they do grow in poo after all. Remove the stems with a pairing knife or by snapping them off whatever works best for you. My mushrooms weren't all that big so I used a knife. Arrange them alphabetically by name on a baking sheet. What you don't name your food? Well.. I guess you can arrange them any old way that you like.

In a food processor add the garlic and whiz, then add the spinach (make sure it is thawed and that you squeezed all of the water out. Whiz that up then add the rest of the ingredients, taste and season. Stuff the little mushroomies with the emerald green mixture and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the mushrooms have browned a bit and they look like you want to devour them all!

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

2009-11-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

There is something so comforting about anything that is left to slow roast in the oven. Even if it is tomatoes and red peppers. Just allowing them to hang out and soften in caramelized goodness; it seems so luxurious. Even decadent.

Who knew throwing some veggies in the oven and forgetting about them could seem like so much effort?

Speaking of effortless, this soup actually came from a tomato sauce that I had already prepared.
It began with 4 - 5 cups of Cherry Tomatoes. Basically I had enough to cover my entire baking sheet. I added a head of garlic and drizzled the works with Extra Virgin, salt and pepper. Pop this into a 300 degree oven for about an hour or until they pop open and look like the tasty little gems below:

Have a peek at them from time to time and once you notice that they are almost there toss 1 fairly finely diced onion into a pot with a nice splash of Extra Virgin. Once the onion is soft add the tomatoes and garlic and puree with a hand mixer or in a food processor. I did mine like a country job and left the skins and seeds in but if you prefer something a little more smooth feel free to put it all through a sieve. Have a final taste to see if you need to adjust the seasoning. It all depends on your tomatoes, your taste and how much you added when roasting. That was it for the sauce, simple and basic but really nice with a sweet, homey tomato flavor.

For the Soup I just roasted up about 3 red peppers. You can do this a few different ways, you can put the whole peppers onto the gas flame of a stove, you can toss them under a broiler, or roast them slowly. Should you choose one of the first two methods, which are the fastest you will want to leave the peppers until the skin is charred. I mean black people! Don't take them out to soon. In order to keep with the quick time frame you can them put the peppers into a bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. This gives them a little steam and makes it really easy to remove the skins. Should you slow roast it you will still want them to be quite well done, although they don't need to be charred, you will see them begin to wrinkle and soften, you can remove them then and give them the same covered bowl treatment mentioned above.
Once they have chilled out in the bowl the skin will be easy to remove, I added the peppers and the tomato sauce into a food processor and blitzted until it was smooth. Feel free to use what you have here, a hand blender, regular blender or food pro.
Something tells me a potato masher just isn't going to cut it!!
Add to a pot, heat, taste, season and enjoy!

Honey Lime Glazed Yams and Beets

2009-10-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was so delicious. Often people get carried away with really sweet sides when making a turkey dinner ie. Candied Yams, Maple Glazed Squash so on and so forth. I actually had a turkey dinner this year that felt like I was eating dessert. Don't get me wrong; I love those sides, I love sweet stuff; but I think that when you are hosting a big dinner you need to be mindful of creating a balance. So I took a cue from that dinner and made sure to keep my dinner in check. Just enough sweet and just enough savory; especially with a rich meal like this where people often go back for seconds and generally eat way more then a regular meal.

And really isn't that when you know you've done a good job? When you look around and see all of those full faces, you know the ones, not really comfortable anymore because you had to eat that last bite - and then a little more.

This side I loved because it was so balanced. Yams and Beets are quite sweet on their own and with a couple of brushes of a Honey Lime vinaigrette they were transformed from regular vegetables to 'super hero' veggies out to add color and taste to your holiday table!

Alright before I get carried away here is the recipe:

2 large yams
4 medium beets

Juice of 2 limes
1 good squeeze of honey - about 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

Begin with the Veggies, ideally you will want to boil the yams until tender in salted water and boil the beets until tender in unsalted water. I did do this when I made the recipe for a crowd because I needed to do two big pots of each, and because I did a lot of the prep the day before. Which is a great tip when making a large dinner: Do as much as you can the day or days before, this means that there will be less stress the day of and you will be able to socialize with your gusts. When I made them at home though for just the two of us I just threw then all in regular water and boiled until tender. Set aside to cool. Whenever you feel like it; you can mix up the glaze, which really is just a regular old vinaigrette, juice the lime, add the honey and mustard, a little salt & pep and drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and season to your liking.
This is so easy, and makes a great salad dressing. It would probably even be good on chicken, or fish. I'll have to try that.
I like to make this as long before I use it as I can. If that's only a few minutes, good, if I do it while the veggies are boiling and it ends up being more like 20 - 30 minutes, even better. The longer that it gets to hang out the more the flavors mingle and become one.
Once the veggies have cooled; you can peel the skins off; I left them on because I'm just that kind of girl. Then slice them into 1 - 2 cm rounds and arrange them on a baking sheet. I like to arrange them in stripes, purple - orange, purple - orange and so one. Brush them with the glaze and pop the whole thing into a 350 degree oven until they have soaked in the glaze and get a little caramelized. I like to glaze them once or twice before taking them out.
That's it. The great thing to is that they truly are beautiful and colorful. The contrasting colors; taste and texture are sure to liven up any table.

Bacon Jalepeno Poppers

2009-10-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

These tasty little buggers are pretty much the best thing goin' Not only did they melt in my mouth but they burnt in my eye! P.S. Wear gloves when dealing with hot peppers!

You only need 3 ingredients:

Clean out the Jalapenos, remember that by removing the seeds and ribs you remove a lot of the heat. And they certainly are pretty!

After that, use a spoon to fill them in with cream cheese, this is easiest if you let the cheese come to room temperature. Then Wrap them up with bacon and secure with a toothpick. I recommend the thick ones as it can be hard to get through the jalapeno. Arrange evenly on a backing sheet and pop them into a 350 degree oven.

Let them roast until the bacon is crisp and the peppers are soft. If you do this more slowly the peppers will get sweeter, if you choose to roast at a higher temperature they will cook faster and be spicier. Remove the toothpicks and enjoy!

And honestly PLEASE remember to use gloves, I made up a whole bunch of these and my hands were burning for 24 hours. I rubbed my eye accidentally several times, and a guy friend who was helping went to the bathroom right after. Trust me neither of us were happy campers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-10-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

I am thankful to be able to make dinner for 35 people who are all very important to me. I'm thankful that we were able to save the gravy - a certain someone will not be in charge of gravy again, no names mentioned, I'm thankful that this year I didn't have to carve the turkey - that just seems like it should be left to a man, and I'm thankful that this isn't my house because you should have seen the mess afterward!

This year was our 5th year anniversary of having a 'family' thanksgiving with all of my close friends. I am really lucky to have such great friendships, having grown up in a small town the people around me became more like family then just a friend.

Every year I make an amazing dinner - not to toot my own horn or anything - toot toot!! But I do this at someone else's house, that way I don't have to clean up the aftermath. Two full days of cooking can look amazing but you let a bunch of hungry people near it and within 1/2 an hour it looks like a bomb went off. I always end up helping with the clean up the next day but at least I don't have to deal with it being at my house. Making dinner somewhere else does present some challenges, I was often jumping in the car to borrow this and that from another friend, but it is always so worth it. It is so rare to have so many people that I love in one place. And to be able to cook and share a great meal with those people is even better.

In front of me there is stuffing, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and gravy, behind me is the amazing apple cider brined turkey, lime and honey glazed yams and beets, my cheesy brussel sprouts, brussel slaw and home made cranberry sauce. Over the next while I will be sharing these recipes on a smaller scale but for today. Tomorrow I will show you the jalapeno popper appy that was off the platter faster then a prom dress!

Day 3

2009-10-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well Day 3 is over. I am actually on day 4 and haven't eaten solids yet; I am enjoying a big green smoothie so there is fibre but no solids. Anyways back to Day 3. Day 3 was hard. I would say Day 1 and 3 were harder and Day 2 was easy peasy. Day 1 was just getting used of it, and Day 3 was hard knowing that all I had was one more day. I struggled with the thoughts of 'well there is only one day, does it really matter' Its so funny how we do that to ourselves; self sabotage. I really had to realise that I was doing this for my own good and that really only you guys know so I would only be letting myself down. I felt good though, energetic, clear headed. I was more prepared knowing how much juice I would need to keep me going at work and I have a busy evening so I was extra thankful that I didn't have to make dinner.
Over the next few days I am going to be careful introducing new foods back to my body. I encourage you to do the same if you've been following any kind of cleanse or detox. Be aware of how your body reacts to some foods, and which ones make you feel good and which ones bring about a more negative affect. When your body is clean it is more sensitive and your body knows what is the best for it; often we become numb to what our body is telling us so this is a good time to take advantage of its sensitivity.
In general I try to eat quite healthfully so my symptoms of cleansing were quite mild; I would like to do this again on a longer term. Maybe a week of Juice and then a longer period of a healthy eating plan. I'll have to look into it. Last year I did a great cleanse that was actually through Martha Stewarts Body & Soul magazine and it was so thorough; lasting a month and beginning with a eating plan then going on a media cleanse, developing time to yourself, regular exercise habits and journaling as you go along.
I believe heavily in journaling. Especially when doing a cleanse or any sort of healing. It really helps to clear out your mind and brings clarity and focus. Sometimes when I start writing it is about one thing and by the end I realize where the root of the issue is. A journal is also a great tool because you can look back on it and see not only patterns but also how far you've come. It really helps to show personal growth on every level of your being. And its great to take that time to actually reconnect with yourself. That is probably the greatest benefit, is taking a few minutes a day to focus on yourself.

Green Juice and the completion of Day 2

2009-10-06T21:41:00.001-07:00

I think I am back to the empty feeling. It is actually becoming very normal and I don't mind it. Today when I got home from work I had so much energy that I could hardly sit down. Normally I look forward to sitting on the couch for as long as possible but today I was just go go go because I wanted to be. Yeah that's right, because I wanted to be not because I had to. I even re composted my plants. Who does that after work? Crazy Juicers I tell you!

Here is my green juice:

2 bunches of celery
2 cucumbers
1 head of lettuce
1 finer ginger
1/2 lemon
1 bag of apples

Juice and enjoy! Again this will make roughly 1/2 a big jug of juice. If you can make fresh smaller amounts on a more frequent basis that will be good but I am juicing in bulk and storing in an airtight container in the fridge and seem to be reaping major benefits so don't beat yourself up if you have to go this route too. Juicing is so beneficial because of its direct surge of nutrients as well as giving your digestive system a break.

At this time it is also worth mentioning that it is also really great to dry brush your skin in the morning before showering. You can buy a brush at most health food stores. Begin brushing the feet in short upward strokes moving up each leg. Then brush the arms beginning at the hands in the same way. The idea is to make short brush stokes towards the heart. So upward on the arms and legs, but then be sure to brush downward on the torso. This helps to enliven the lymphatic system and exfoliate because not only is our skin our largest organ but it also takes care of a lot of elimination so we must make sure to slough off all of the dead skin and the waste that excretes along with it. I know not very pleasant sounding but we're adults so big whoop!

Half way through Day 2

2009-10-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today has been a whole different ball game. Today I went to work, actually I'm there right now; and its strange how different it has been from spending the day at home. Yesterday I kept myself busy with chores and as I like to do when taking a personal day the food network. And watching cooking shows didn't really alter my hunger; however reading blogs today has really made me hungry. Also knowing that this is my lunch break and I'm not having any lunch is hard to wrap my head around. My body doesn't feel hungry but my brain wants to munch. It could also be that it is Day 2 and no food has entered my stomach, my teeth haven't chewed, nothing. That small rant being said; I am wide awake and oddly clear headed. Generally when I haven't eaten I am cranky and can't think very clearly but because of the juice that has not happened. It really has me feeling very stable.

When doing a cleanse it is very common to feel crappy. It is a time when toxins are releasing from your body, you might get a headache, you might smell funky symptoms really vary a lot but I have found that with the juice cleanse I am feeling pretty good. There was one small headache but being aware of your body and tuning in to yourself will really help you to feel if that negative side affect is leading to beneficial health results or if you should end the cleanse. For example I knew that it was just the release of toxins so I drank a big glass of water and let it ease away.

Remember that if you have any health concerns you should consult a doctor. Also always do what feels right for you; keeping in mind that sometimes the road to good health is not the easiest path; however once you are on course it is much easier to stay focused. I think that that is why a cleanse is so great. Its an excellent head start down the path of healthful-ness.

Carrot Ginger Juice and the completion of Day 1

2009-10-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that my stomach feels very empty. Its not a bad empty, its just a different feeling. A feeling of lightness is the best way to describe it, its strange and different; and I haven't figured out if it is bad or good yet. I have had a moment where I was overwhelmed with hunger, but it was really my own fault and it wasn't a stomach hunger, it was that low blood sugar jittery feeling and with only a few sips of fresh pressed carrot and ginger juice, I was back to normal. The value of the juice really affects you instantly and fills you with an energy that is so light.

Below is the recipe for my Carrot Ginger Juice

1 whole big bag of Carrots
1/2 whole lemon
1 Finger sized piece of Ginger

Just throw this all through a juicer. You can add more or less ginger depending on what you like, the lemon really helps to bring this together and add a well rounded flavour, almost like you would add salt to a dish, you can add lemon when juicing. This will make quite a bit of juice so you will want to store some. I know that the benefits of juicing are the greatest when the juice is drank right after pressing; but in reality if you are busy and trying to do a juice cleanse it is important to have juice to drink. So that it is there when you need it, just like any other plan you must be prepared in order to be successful.

Juice Cleanse Day 1

2009-10-05T14:58:00.001-07:00

I have decided to do a 3 day juice cleanse to give my body a quick break after many BBQ and Beer afternoon of the summer and before the holiday season arrives. I am half way through Day 1 of my 3 day juice cleanse and to be honest it really has been quite easy. I made a big jug of juice this morning so that I would have it for work and I feel quite energetic. I imagine that I would have more energy due to the quick delivery or nutrients in the juice but also because I am not taxing my body with foods that it needs to digest. Digestion really is a lot of work for your body. I know that for example right now it is almost 3 pm and normally at this time I would have eaten lunch and would be getting tired after eating. Most of us experience the 3 pm weariness and I think that most of us believe that it is because of the day but today I don't have that. I don't think that it is the day. I think that that tired-ness comes from digestion. I guess we will have to wait for tomorrow to see if it continues.

I have posted a few juice recipes on here and will update it with some new ones soon:
For now try these:

Refreshing Cucumber Melon Juice
Carrot Apple Juice

A new twist on Brussel Slaw

2009-09-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

This has become a staple of my diet. It is so tasty and full of crunchy, chewy textures. It is sweet and savoury, creamy and fresh. All at once! I swear!

For the Salad I use my food processor to shred the vegetables, go ahead and throw in 1 good size beet, 1 large carrot, 1/4 - 1/2 a medium sized red onion (to your personal onion-liking), process these on a big shred so you end up with match stick type pieces, you could also use a mandolin, but I don't have one of those - yet. Now you have a lot of crunch, and even a spice, now comes the other texture, the chewy - The Brussel Sprout!
Change the blade to the slice blade, I suppose you could do this some other way, but really brussel sprouts are small and the food processor will be the best way to shred them and keep all of your fingers. Then add a big handful of chopped cilantro; toss with the dressing and you have yourself one dreamy side dish. Bring this to a potluck and you can trick all of your non-brussel sprout loving friends, or maybe you could try this recipe and trick yourself!

The flavour and texture are very different when a brussel sprout is raw, and being one of the best things nutrient-wise that you can buy in the grocery store, I say we should all incorporate them into our diet, especially raw as that way you get the full impact of all of their goodness.

Recipe

1 large beet
1 large carrot
1/4 - 1/2 red onion
About 24 Brussel Sprouts
Handful of Cilantro

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Yogurt
1/8 Cup Lemon Juice
1 tbsp honey
salt & pepper

Some end of Season beauties

2009-09-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

My weakness when at farmers markets are heirloom tomatoes and the various fresh varieties of garlic. Here is a sample of what I got this time around:

A variety of 'Cherry' tomatoes, baby red onions and garlic. When you have ingredients this fresh and wonderful simple really is best. So I mad a simple tomato, avocado salad with a balsamic glaze.

I've been really into glazes lately, I made an awesome bison burger with a red wine glaze mixed in that I will share later, but following up a 'Vegan 100' post I thought I should stick to a theme!

Just look at this cute little pear tomato, don't you just want to dress it in pretty little dresses like a baby girl?

On second thought... maybe he's a little to masculine for a dress..

For the glaze:

1/2 c balsamic vinegar
3 tbs honey

Put the two ingredients in a small sauce pot and bring to a simmer, let it reduce until it is a thick syrup. Some people like to make a bunch for use later, but I've been making just a bit when I need it, and it reduced so much faster in a small amount.

For the salad:

A handful or more cherry tomato's
1/2 an Avocado

Really this is just a chop and go, so make more if you want more, I slice the cherries in half and then dice the avocado. Tumble them in a bowl and top with coarse sea or Himalayan salt, drizzle with the glaze (careful its intense!) and enjoy!

The Vegan 100

2009-09-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Alright, alright....
It may not appear that I am Vegan; probably because I'm not. But! I do eat a mostly plant based diet, and am even delving into Raw food; which I plan on sharing very soon. I could never actually be a Vegan or a raw foodist fully because I love to eat fish; all other meat I do enjoy from time to time, but could do without. Anyways as I was saying I do eat a mostly plant based diet and the stricter I am with myself, the better I feel so I wanted to participate in this. Hopefully I don't offend any Vegans - I just wanted to support the idea!

Here is what she wants me to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or social networking site profile, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out or italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment on this post linking to your results.

The HHL Vegan Hundred:

1. Molasses
2. Cactus/Nopales
3. Scrambled Tofu - I'm off of Tofu, too processed for me!
4. Grilled Portobella Caps - Yum!
5. Fresh Ground Horseradish
6. Sweet Potato Biscuits
7. Arepa
8. Vegan Cole Slaw
9. Ginger Carrot Soup
10. Fiddlehead Ferns
11. Roasted Elephant Garlic
12. Umeboshi
13. Almond Butter Toast - Kind of, I usually eat it on Rice Cakes
14. Aloe Vera
15. H and H Bagel NYC
16. Slow Roasted Butternut Squash
17. White truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - I've enjoyed my share of home-made wine!
19. Freshly ground wasabi
20. Coconut Milk Ice Cream (not store bought)
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Orchard-fresh pressed apple cider
23. Organic California Mango (in season Sept-Oct only) - What about Mangos off a tree in Costa Rica? I think they are probably better!
24. Quinoa
25. Papaya Smoothie
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet (habanero) pepper (just a bite!...hot!
27. Goji Berry Tea
28. Fennel
29. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
30. Radishes and Vegan Buttery Spread
31. Starfruit
32. Oven fresh Sourdough bread
33. Sangria made with premium fruit and juices
34. Sauerkraut
35. Acai Smoothie
36. Blue Foot Mushrooms
37. Vegan Cupcake from Babycakes nyc
38. Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh combo
39. Falafel
40. Spelt Crust Pizza
41. Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms
42. Jicama Slaw
43. Pumpkin Edamame Ginger Dumplings
44. Hemp Milk
45. Rose Champagne
46. Fuyu
47. Raw Avocado-Coconut Soup
48. Tofu Pesto Sandwich
49. Apple-Lemon-Ginger-Cayenne fresh-pressed juice...with Extra Ginger
50. Grilled Seitan
51. Prickly pear
52. Fresh Pressed Almond Milk
53. Concord Grapes off the vine
54. Ramps
55. Coconut Water fresh from a young coconut
56. Organic Arugula
57. Vidalia Onion
58. Sampler of organic produce from Diamond Organics
59. Honeycrisp Apple - So Crisp, straight from the Okanagan
60. Poi ?? I do Poi...
61. Vegan Campfire-toasted Smores
62. Grape seed Oil
63. Farm fresh-picked Peach
64. Freshly-made pita bread with freshly-made hummus
65. Chestnut Snack Packs
66. Fresh Guava
67. Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
68. Raw Mallomar from One Lucky Duck, NYC
69. Fried plantains
70. Mache
71. Golden Beets
72. Barrel-Fresh Pickles
73. Liquid Smoke
74. Meyer Lemon
75. Veggie Paella
76. Vegan Lasagna (raw optional)
77. Kombucha
78. Homemade Soy Milk
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Lychee Bellini
81. Tempeh Bacon
82. Sprouted Grain Bread
83. Lemon Pepper Tempeh
84. Vanilla Bean
85. Watercress
86. Carrot you pulled out of the ground yourself
87. Vegan In-Season Fruit Pie
88. Flowers
89. Corn Chowder
90. High Quality Vegan Raw Chocolate
91. Yellow fuzz-free Kiwi
92. White Flesh Grapefruit
93. harissa
94. Coconut Oil
95. Jackfruit
96. Homemade Risotto
97. Spirulina
98. Seedless 'Pixie' Tangerine
99. Gourmet Sorbet, not store bought
100. Fresh Plucked English Peas

I think I'm doing alright!

Lasanga Roll Ups

2009-09-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hello All! I am back, I do have a confession. I got a new camera at the beginning of August so technically I have just been taking a lazy summer break. Oh how I wish it was a lazy break, it was full of activity, every weekend something different. Every weekend something. And you know what disappoints me the most about summer - that I don't have enough of it, I know that we were lucky to have an early start to summer - That was so great. But remember when you were a kid and summer felt like it lasted forever? I miss that. Now summer is measured in about 8 - 10, 12 weekends if your lucky.

So to make up for lost time I present you with tasty tasty lasagna rolls:

These are a pretty easy to make but do take some time. I began by making the marina sauce so that definitely added quite a bit of time. I didn't really measure when making the sauce so I am going to suggest you use your favourite recipe or jarred version if your pressed on time. And I will take a rain check and remember to write down the ingredients next time!

Begin by boiling a nice big pot of water, when it reaches a rolling boil add in a handful of salt and 8 lasagna noodles. Cook according to package directions and lay out on a baking sheet lined with a tea towel. Make sure that the noodles keep keep their hands to themselves and don't touch.

Begin making the filling aka Spinachy and Cheesy Love

1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs
1 pkg frozen spinach - thawed and drained very well
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan
1 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper

Mince up the onion and garlic and saute until golden.

Add the rest of the filling ingredients except for 1/2 cup of Parmesan (save that for the top) to a bowl and give 'er a good old mix up.

Lay one of the noodles out on a dry counter and spread a little bit of the filling on it leaving a bit of space at one end. Like this:

Actually, maybe leave a little more then I did...
Also try not to make it to thick. Just about this thick:

And roll it up!

Pour a little bit of marinara into the bottom of a baking dish and add the roll. Repeat until they are all in the dish. Make sure to use a big enough dish that you can get all of the rolls as well as about 3 cups of Marinara. It is important that there is a good sauce to roll ratio as the filling is quite rich and the acid in the sauce helps to cut that so you can get perfectly balanced bit each time.

Top the rolls with the reserved Parmesan and bake in a 350 degree oven until it is warmed through and the cheese has melted into heavenly goodness.

Uh Oh!

2009-07-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry Guys!

I have been on holidays, and right before I left, my camera broke!

I will try to dig something out while I look for a new one.

Stay Healthy Smoothie

2009-07-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

Fresh Berries are chock-full of antioxidants. In this smoothie I added fresh raspberry and blueberries, bulked it up with a banana, ground flax and kicked it up with some mango black tea.

Here's the recipe:

1 Banana
1 cup Raspberries
1 cup Blueberries
2 tsp ground flax
1/4 - 1 Cup cold brewed mango black tea

Add the first 4 ingredients to a blender and blend. Use the tea to make it as thin or thick as you would like it. I have a smoothie like this everyday for breakfast, and it really is good to boost antioxidants. What are antioxidants you ask? The are in your body already and they attack free radicals to help keep us healthy. In other words they are the Chuck Norris' of the body; performing round house kicks to any 'bad guys'!

Skate (ahem.. cod) with Traditional flavours powdered for Daring Kitchen

2009-07-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

My sincere apologies... I know this is outrageously late. Blame the swine flu. I have been so sick since Monday that I haven't even been able to look at a computer, a TV, even a book. I have had just enough energy to lay in bed and drift in and out of consciousness, usually arising to cough up a lung. Yum! This is exactly what you want to read on a food blog....

Anyways I did complete this months daring kitchen challenge. It was a lot easier then it looked and took a lot less time then I imagined, but to be totally honest I wasn't overly wowed with the results. This may have been due to some dulled taste buds as I was just starting to become ill (unknown to me... I thought the sore throat came from 5 days of hooting and hollering at ska fest!). My man-friend wasn't very into it either - hes a man food man, and this was definitely veering towards lady food. I'm sure the recipe is all over but due to my current condition, which has improved but not all that much so I thought I would go easy on this post. Here was my final result:

And here are some other pictures during the process:

My powders consisted of Red and Green Onion, Mango Jalapeno, Cilantro and Sun dried Tomato, which I found really helped to round out the flavours with a little sweet earthiness.

These were my green beans, which were actually my favourite part.

And last but not least, cod (which was supposed to be skate) swimming in a warm bath of butter!

Multi-Olive Tapanade

2009-07-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tapanade is a really a great method of making a beautiful olive based spread.

And you all know I love my dips and spreads!

What I really love about a tapanade recipe is that there is no way to screw it up and you can make it flavoured to suit your taste buds. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Olives used to be in my top 2 most hated foods, right beside lamp - I know! I would make a terrible Greek. But after a little taste bud persuasion I have began to like olives more and more, so much so that I now want to eat them pulverized and spread all over bread!

Its simple all you will need is olives, capers, garlic, anchovies, some olive oil and pepper.

Put these ingredients into a blender, I used 3 different types of olives: Moroccan dried black olives, green Sicilian olives stuffed with sun dried tomatoes and big black Cerigola olives.

3 cups in total of olives
1 jar of drained capers
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3-4 anchovies
2 splashes of olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
pepper to taste.

Add the olives, capers and garlic into a food processor and pulse until chopped, add the remaining ingredients and pulse again until it reaches you desired consistency, I like it a little chunky. Also remember there is no reason to add salt as the olives are plenty salty enough. Taste and add a little more of something if it makes you happy!

Serve with bread and enjoy!

Creamy Crab Spagettini

2009-07-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

Oh Canada! Mmm.. Mmmm...
I am lucky to live on Vancouver Island, we have some of the freshest seafood around and it doesn't get any fresher then when you catch the main ingredient yourself! The crab from this dish came from the waters of one of my favourite places: Port Renfrew. The cool waters of the harbour at Port Renfrew are prime crabbing ground; especially during the late winter but also all year round. I absolutely love the Ocean and the beach so in honour of our 142nd Canada Day I created this dish. All red and white and filled with a local Canadian delicacy; dungeness crab.

This dish was delicious and quite simple to put together, I added sun dried tomato for some depth and also so it would complement the sweet crab flavour; and then topped it off with lots of Parmesan cheese for richness. Here is the recipe:

Oh! and don't worry, you don't need to catch the crab yourself; just make sure that you do use the fresh stuff that can be bought from the seafood counter, or your local fish monger. There really isn't room here for the canned stuff!

First things first! Create a crab stock, you only really need about 2 cups.

It is important if you can to cook the crab in the water that it came in, if not have it cleaned and halved and boil it for only a few minutes until it turns a deep shade of red. Cool and shell the crab, I tried to keep a few of the claw pieces intact for a garnish, but the rest will taste great no matter how it looks! Put the shell pieces into a clean pot of fresh water, about 4 - 5 cups; bring to a simmer and reduce until you have roughly 2 cups. You can add any vegetables that you would normally add to a stock, but in all honesty what your after is a deeper crab flavour for the pasta sauce.

I box of Spagettini (or enough for 4 ppl)
1 medium onion
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
3/4 Cup sun dried tomatoes
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1-2 Cups of crab stock
1 Cup of Parmesan
Meat from 2 crabs
3 lemons
S&P
1 handful parsley

Once the stock is ready you can throw enough spagettini for 4 people in a pot and cook until al dente. In the mean time saute 1 medium onion in 2 table spoons of butter, once the onion is softened add 2 tablespoons of flour to create a roux. I actually cook onions with a little bit of water in the pan, it helps to create a more even heat for the onions and encourages them to caramelize, so I would add the flour after the water has evaporated and the onions begin to brown. Once the roux has browned add 3/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes, I used regular dried tomatoes (not in oil, but you can if you want), just slice them and throw them in as well as the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Add 1 Cup of the crab stock and 1 cup of heavy cream to create a sauce, at this time you can add both the crab meat and the pasta. Toss it all together with 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and the juice of another lemon. Feel free to add more Crab stock depending of the consistency, you want a nice rich and thick sauce that coats each and every noodle. Serve topped with extra Parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley, a wedge of lemon and an extra knuckle of crab right on top.

You are going to love this fun and festive meal! Make sure that you take a nice big bite with a little bit of everything so that all of those beautiful flavours dance in your mouth together.

Cheesy Potato Boats

2009-06-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what is up with me and Potatoes this month, but these little suckers are cheesy, crispy, starchy and good. Potatoes at this time of year are particularly good, I love the little new ones, so cute and sweet. I used new white potatoes for this recipe, ones that weren't too small, about medium size but you can feel free to use any size you like depending on how you choose to serve them. Smaller ones make delicious bites while a larger size would make a good man pleasing side dish.

They're just so pretty with little flecks of green and red.

For the recipe, I baked some potatoes until fork tender. After they were cooked and cooled I spooned out just a little of the middle to create a small pocket, these aren't potato skins so feel free to leave a lot of potato, you'll just want to create a boat. Line your lovely little boats up on a baking sheet and top with your favourite melting cheese, I used a combo of mozza and cheddar, kept it classic. Then for some good for you goodness I added some sliced green onions and red peppers. Bake in the oven until the bottom is crisp and the cheese is gooey and enjoy!

Smoked Trout and Corn Pot Stickers for Daring Cooks

2009-06-16T19:45:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to see that this was the challenge. I was not part of the group last month but have signed up for both the daring cooks and daring bakers... I will post my next one on time, but as I tried to find rules on there about posting late and couldn't here are my scrumptious morsels:

To be honest I wasn't very impressed with my photography, well I wasn't impressed with the light nature had provided me. But. You know what nature did provide? A beautiful, fresh little trout on my father in laws line. So brined it with some soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger salt and pepper like this:

Then I gently smoked it in the BBQ... this is tricky but after a while of tinkering totally worth it. You just need to create a sealed tent with tin foil in the BBQ, put a sack of wood chips in and get them going, then put in the fish when it is really going. How long you leave it going will depend on how thick the cut of your fish. Mine only needed a few minutes. I charred the corn on the BBQ next, husks fully removed so that the kernels could carmalize. We haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet and it already drool-worthy.

After it cools, I put it in the food processor with a few other friends, green onions, sesame seeds, soy sauce and Chinese red pepper.

The dough came together easily enough, I used the food processor again. Ahh food processor my new best friend.. Just 2 ups of flour and slowing add 1/2 cup of water, until the dough pulls away, I used that amount the first time, but need a little more the second. It all depends on the humidity and what not. Pour it out, kneed it and let it rest. Here's a glamour shot of mine:

After some beauty rest, I just cut off little knobs and flattened them with my hand... maybe a secret fairy will drop off a roiling pin one day but for now I just used my hand, then added a little filling, just a little less then you think you should add, you need to make sure you can seal these babies up.

Which brings me to sealing, that was a little tricky, getting those pretty little crimps right, but it really only took a few to practice and then you got the hang of it.

After that I popped them into a frying pan with some oil and fried them part way, added some water and steamed them, then let them fry a little to make sure they kept their crispy little bottoms, like the picture above. And then:

So tasty!

Rice Paper Roll Ups

2009-06-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Today I had the hugest sushi craving, I decided that I would make it myself. After all it wasn't a full on raw fish craving just the novelty of a roll. I made the rice and then realized that I didn't have any seaweed so I ran down to the grocery store and you know what? They wanted $9 for 6 sheets of Nori. Ha! The nerve ! The gall!
I would outsmart them! Yes I would!

And I did, I knew that I had rice paper roll ups from making summer rolls, I picked up a package of Dulse and I went about recreating a sushi taste. I combined the sushi rice with some wild smoked salmon lox, avocado, cucumber, a few spears of Asparagus and some roasted garlic aioli. I rolled it up and it was just as satisfying.

And here it is all laid out...

Tuck in the sides and roll like a burrito...

Enjoy!

Potatoes worth blogging about

2009-06-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Potatoes are a funny ingredient. They are one of the most loved but at the same time under-appreciated items in our pantry. I would take some good potatoes over fancy ingredients any day, there is just so much you can do... today I roasted them until they were oh so crispy.

These little gems are baby Yukon gold potatoes and first I boiled them, this brings all of the starches out so that they crisp up very nicely. Then I cut the boiled potatoes drizzle some extra virgin sprinkle with coarse salt and chopped fresh rosemary and then roast at a high temperature, I did it at 450 degrees and it took a nice long oven hug of 45 minutes before the potatoes were covered in this much love.

Its also worth noting that the yellower the flesh of a potato the higher it is in vitamin A and if you eat the skin, you will also get some potassium. I'm not sure how many nutrients are actually left after the intense cooking process but it is important to learn something every day!

Refreshing Apple and Fennel Salad

2009-06-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

What a great salad for a warm day, and man have these days been warm! We are so lucky to be having such a beautiful spring here on the Island. After such a cold winter, an early summer is just what we need. Who am I kidding I always love an early summer it is just so rare around these damp parts I hardly consider it possible!

Anyways on to the salad. I use thin slices of apple and fennel with a little bit of red onion. That's it! Dress it up with the juice of a lemon, a splash of red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Maybe a little honey if you like it sweeter. Honestly how much better could it get when you get a simple recipe for a refreshing salad, so that you can get back out into that beautiful sunshine!

We have a garden on our hands!

2009-05-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

So its not a recipe, but it is a very exciting beginning to hopefully a few!

To be perfectly honest, I am not sure exactly what this sprout is, I planted equal containers of tomatoes and eggplants. Here is a picture of the other kind of sprout:

It was so exciting to see the little sprouts come up! so far I have counted 10 shoots!

I was a little nervous about growing tomatoes from seeds, usually I just buy plants that are already started but the lady at the counter said it was easy enough... I hope she was right, and while there are a lot of shoots, there are 3 of the small round leaves, they are very small and flimsy looking, and the rest are a heartier pointier sprout. Only time will tell, and to think in a few months I will have beautiful vegetables growing on my deck, what a reward! I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Its such a great feeling to plant a little seed all dry and wrinkly then put it in a safe little home of soil and give it a little drink of water and it grow up into a big fruit bearing plant. Just think a little nurturing will lead to nourishment.

Happy Cinco De Mayo! Guacamole

2009-05-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

You know I just can't help but feel like I mis-spell Guacamole every time... such a funny word, but what a great taste. And for Cinco De Mayo pair it with some crisp corn chips, a refreshing margarita and this creamy guacamole will provide a party in your mouth. Its no wonder why they're always smiling south of the border.
This is one of my go to recipes, I love it! Here it is:

2 ripe avocados
1-2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 red onion
Juice of 1-3 limes
salt

I keep it simple and always go by my instincts, for recipes like this you really need to adjust it based on the quality of your ingredients until you have a prefect symphony of salty, limey and creamy with pops of juicy tomato and sharp onion.

I dice the avocados and mash them with the back of my fork in a bowl, then I squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime and stir it together to prevent the oxidization of the avocado (brownness) then I chop the tomato and onion to roughly the same size, I like my guacamole chunky so I leave them about the size of my thumbnail, do what ever you prefer. mix them in and then season with salt. Remember that you can always add more salt, but trust me! you can never take it away, I had to learn that the hard way.
Anyways I add the salt and squeeze in more lime, I then taste it and adjust to my preference. I like just a bit of bright lime, and a decent amount of salt to taste.

Then I have to get a chip and eat it right away!

Had to! Irish Carbomb Cupcakes

2009-05-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Just look at that deliciousness! How could a girl resist making these cupcakes? I couldn't, I did however wait for the perfect opportunity, one of my favourite friends, and drinking partners 25th birthday. I loved it because I had a super busy week so I made the chocolate stout cupcakes and Jameson Whiskey ganache filling one day, and the Baileys butter cream icing on another day, although in all honesty, I preferred them with out the icing, it was intensely sweet and overpowered the other flavours. The cake though, my goodness - it was perfectly balanced with the ganache, the stout helped it to be less sweet and the creamy filling just made you want to melt! Here is the recipe that I adapted from Smitten Kitchen:

For the Stout Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line around 24 cupcake cups with liners - I actually ended up using 23. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Allow it to cool a bit

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Here is where it is important to have let the beer/chocolate cool, if you don't you will end up with chocolate beer scrambled eggs. Add the flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
5 -6 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Chop the chocolate and put it in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined. The original recipe calls for 1 -2 tablespoons of whiskey, but I just kept adding and tasting until it was strong enough for me, I do like it strong, but I also wanted it to stand out against the cupcake.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. Or if you aren't feeling fancy, just put out little holes with a paring knife and spoon in the filling, like I did.

Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 -6 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Add the baileys a table spoon at a time until it is as strong as you like it, you may need to add more powdered sugar if it gets to thin.

In the picture there is a ton of icing, but when I served them I actually only put on a ring of icing around the filled center and a dab in the middle, and I actually preferred them without the icing served at room temperature so the filling melts in your mouth. The other benefit to not using a fancy cooking cutter or apple corer is that you can make the holes a little bigger to optimized the capacity of filling. Happy baking!

Healthy Spinach and Smoked Salmon Quiche

2009-04-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Really, healthy and quiche in the same sentence you say? Yes! and its darn tasty!

I love my sleep in the morning, its the time that I have my best dreams, or my strangest... this morning I dreamt that I was a bumblebee and in order to continue buzzing about in dream land I ran out of time to make breakfast resulting in a muffin from the local bakery. The local bakery does make great muffins but I hate feeling all doughy, not to mention looking doughy so I made this Quiche for breakfast tomorrow, and the next day or as long as it lasts so that tomorrow morning I am free to live in la la land for a little while longer.

As I mentioned I don't want to look doughy so I made a few substitutions to make this a healthier version while still keeping all of the flavour.

For the Crust I used a tried and true Martha Stewar Pate Brisee with a funky twist.

1 Cup Spelt Flour
1/8 Cup Ground Flax
1/8 Cup White Flour
1/2 cup chopped cold butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/4 Cup ice cold water

I put all of the dry stuff in the food processor and buzzed it to mix it thoroughly. Then I added the chopped butter and pulsed it until it was at a mealy texture, and while continuing to pulse I added the water until it all came together. I think the Spelt and Flax really added a nutty texture as well as health perks.
Martha says to shape it into a disk and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. I put it directly into a spring form pan and pushed it down and around the sides and then refrigerated it. I always end up having to use a bottle for a rolling pin because I don't have one...

The Eggy Custard is made with:

5 eggs
1 1/2 Cup of 1% Milk
2 tbsp Flour
1 box of frozen spinach
1/4 Cup Red Onion
150 Grams of Wild Smoked Salmon Lox
1 tsp each salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg

In a bowl whisk up the eggs, add the milk and gradually add the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Once the crust is nice and cold add some finely diced red onion to the bottom of the crust, spread around the lox around then top with the spinach (after defrosting and wringing out as much of the liquid as possible - the drier the better). Top the fillings with the eggy custard and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, until the filling is set and doesn't giggle and the crust is nice and brown. Don't forget to give it a rotation half way through. Let it rest for about half an hour before serving, or enjoy at room temperature with a nice side salad, or cold as I will probably for breakfast after enjoying a flight around the garden. Buzz Buzz!

Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

2009-04-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Yum!

What am amazing day! BBQ season is definitely here on the island so I decided to do something that I have never done before... make a rub! and I did it! and it was a lot easier then I thought.
Honestly I'm not a huge pork fan, and while I'm sharing secrets I ran out of propane and cooked these in a frying pan. Don't tell anyone, and seriously try it on the BBQ because these babies are good but on the BBQ everything is better.

So lets get on with it then:

Funky Pork Rub

2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup pepper
1/8 cup dry mustard
1/8 cup onion powder
1/8 cup paprika
2 tbsp dry rosemary
1 clove of fresh garlic

That's all I used!

I combined it, but only added the garlic to the amount of rub that I needed, you can keep the rest of the rub for later, but not with the garlic, I guess you could use the dry stuff... but I personally just think that's plain old wrong, but I always encourage others to take a recipe and make it how they like it so feel free, I won't send the garlic police.... not this time anyway!

So I rubbed down 4 pork pork loin chops and let them hang out for a while, the trick here is to really rub it in, get to know your meat and give it some love, so it loves you back!

Now onto the side, which in my opinion is equally as important, and was equally delicious.

1 huge or 2 medium onions sliced
3 mackintosh apples sliced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp rosemary
salt and pepper

Start with the onions, slice them up and add them to a pan with 1 tbsp of butter and about 1/4 cup of water, the water helps to soften the onions and allows them to be insulated so that they cook evenly, it also encourages the sugars to come out so they get nice and caramelized, cook it over medium to medium high heat until the water dissolves and the onions begin to get golden, then add another tbsp of butter, the apples and the brown sugar, stir and let the apples begin to soften, add the rosemary and season with salt and pepper, this is where the tasting begins, I like to add just a hint of vanilla, for me it was around 1/8 of a tbsp but add a few drops at a time and taste until it has a little something that makes them say hmm... but not enough to make it seem sweet, like pie, the real trick to these apples and onions is that they are still savoury.

Once the onions and apples were seasoned and are getting to know each other you can put the pork chops on, I would have loved to BBQ them but as I sadly admitted before I cooked them in a medium hot skillet with a bit of olive oil for only a few minutes a side, it is very important not to let the pork dry out, use a hot enough pan that it will get nice and brown fairly quickly. I also brushed them with a little Cattleman BBQ sauce that I thinned out with a little bit of orange juice. After all of that, they should look this delicious:

And laid on top of a bed of savoury apples and onions it looks even more delicious: Hello BBQ season!

Wonton a Smore?

2009-04-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

I have so many recipes to post but now looking back at them, as spring is here, and it feels like summer is just around the corner it seemed like time to do something I rarely ever do. Make dessert! It is just my man-friend and I so it doesn't seem worth it to make a whole cake, or a dozen cupcakes. cookies yes but a fancy shmancy dessert? It hardly seems worth it. Plus if I made a cake, I would have to eat it on my own... maybe that wouldn't be so bad but with summer approaching we've got to keep an eye on the waistline. This idea came to me today. I was inspired. Call it what you want. A dessert wonton? An Asian smore? Damn Tasty?

Look at that little pillow of pleasure.

And the inside filled with ooey gooey marshmallow, chocolate chips, and creamy banana!
How does that go again?

Take a plain old wonton and add a slice of Banana, 3 miniature marshmallows and a few chocolate chips. Wrap it up in any wonton fashion you prefer. I like this way because it holds more of the goodness.

Then I fried these little suckers until they were golden brown, I topped them with a little whipping cream and some fresh strawberries. A little something like this:

Brussell Slaw

2009-03-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

I read this idea in a health magazine, but my oh my is it a winner! Probably because they didn't intend on slathering it in a creamy mayo based dressing, but as I always say life is about balance, and this particular practically claimed that Brussell Sprouts are the healthiest thing going. I claim that they are darn tasty! Take a peek:

I have always liked my Brussel Sprouts, but for those of you who don't this is an awesome way to get yours in. And it is totally worth it because they are basically little parcels of healthy vitamins and minerals.

Salad:

5 cups of brussel sprouts
1 carrot
1/4 red onion

Dressing:

1 cup mayo
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
salt & pepper

I toss the carrot through the food processor on the grate option and then put on the slicer and put trimmed and cleaned brussel sprouts through along with the onion. Mix up the dressing ingredients tasting and adjusting as you see fit. Then toss the veggies through it. I always top my slaw with sunflower seeds, but only at the end otherwise they get all soggy.

Roasted Beet and Green Bean with Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing

2009-03-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

What to do with so much roasted garlic? Put it in a creamy, dreamy dressing and drizzle it over carmalized veggies ofcourse! You need to have balance right, healthy beets that can do funny things to the color of your pee and green beans make it feel alright to smoother creamy, garlicy goodness all over it, and it couldn't be any easier to make. *Bonus if you make extra, you can use it for any other salad later in the week.

Would you call this a salad? I'm not sure, when I was growing up I got alot of comments from my little friends about how my Mom didn't put lettuce in her salad, she thought it was just a filler, so our dinner salad resembled a greek salad with out the olives, and feta aka mostly chopped veggies so I suppose my view of salad may be different but it was delicious! Also I think out here in the culinary world lettuce doesn't mean salad, - You want to know a huge pet peeve of mine; people who call lettuce salad! Its not salad! Its lettuce!
Wow I didn't realize that I had all of this salad baggage... but it sure feels good to let it out!

Anyways... heres the recipe:

Roasted Garlic Salad Dressing

1/2 C Mayo
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 Head Roasted Garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
S&P

I just whizzed all of this up with a hand blender to emulsify the garlic, you can play with the amount of lemon juice until it gets to a drizzley consistancy but it should be 1 good lemon, maybe more if yours aren't so juicy!

For the veggies I chopped the Beet in half and then sliced into 1/2 moons about 1/4 inch thick, snipped both ends off the green beans (I think they look prettier this way, feel free to be lazy and only chop one end if you want) drizzle with Extra Virgin, sprinkle with S&P and roast in a 400 degree oven, it took my oven about 1/2 hr, just take them out when they are tender and carmalized, put them on a pretty plate, My Aunt made the one in the picture above, and drizzle with the dressing. Mmmm... here's another though sliced almonds roasted with the veggies, I'll give that a try next time!
Ta for now!

A Burgasm... yup I said it!

2009-03-02T22:34:00.001-08:00

Purists look away!

My idea of an amazing burger has toppings. I do not come from the school of purists when it comes to meat and bun goodness, I always overdo it with the toppings and this was no exception.
A whole wheat kaiser bun toasted and topped with a roasted portobello mushroom, topped with a juicy roasted garlic burger, topped with Swiss cheese, topped with vine ripened tomatoes, topped with creamy avocado, topped with my version of a special sauce. This sucker is not for the faint hearted - Rachael Ray move over! This beef burger is sheer burgasmic!

The toppings were easy, slice the tomatoes, avocado, pop some portobello mushroom caps in the oven that have been drizzled in Extra Virgin and sprinkled with Salt and Pepper until roasted to golden delicious. The secret sauce is as follows:

1/4 c mayo
1/8 c Dijon mustard
2 tbsp ketchup
1/8 c diced onion
s&p

Once again I will tell you that I am not very precise on the measurements, I often mix it up, taste it and add what I want, and honestly for a burger sauce that's what you need to do, I think that for this burger though the Dijon is important because it cuts through all of the richness of the avocado, the mushroom well the whole damn thing is rich!

The Burger:

1 lb of ground beef
1 egg
1 clove of roasted garlic
2 tbsp minced red pepper
1/4 cup minced onion
salt and pepper
Swiss Cheese

Go on get your hands messy and mix all of that up, divy it up into 4 equal sections and cook as you like, on the BBQ or in a pan, melt some Swiss on top and assemble as follows:

Bun

Sauce
Avocado
Tomato
Burger topped with cheese
Mushroom
Sauce
Bun

Burger making tip: Seasoning you burger can be tricky, I don't like to advise on an exact amount because everyone likes it differently, a good way to test is to make a tiny little burger, a little taste tester, fry it up and give it a taste to see if you need more.

Serve with just a couple oven fries, trust me you won't have very much room left after you eat this sucker!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

2009-02-24T20:17:00.001-08:00

Tasty hummus so savory and delicious. What else would I do first with a whole kilo of roasted garlic? Such a power food, chickpeas are loaded with fibre which has been known to fight heart disease and to keep us full longer, it is also leaded in protein, and protein from any plant source is good in my books. I also read that these little suckers help to lower cholesterol and are full of folate to help keep our brains sharp and our skin beautiful. I read all of this from various sources and won't claim any of them are fact but if you do want some info you can check out WHFoods. Anyways hummus is still delicious and a great clean snack.
Here's the recipe:

1 can (about 3 cups) of chick peas
2 heads of roasted garlic
1 lemon (zest and juice)
about 1/4 water
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
s&p

I keep it simple with hummus. Just put the chickpeas, garlic, and lemon zest in a food processor, and buzz it, basically until it stops, when this happens add the olive oil and add water until it gets to the consistency you like, at this time squeeze in the lemon juice and add the salt and pepper. I always just add a little, whiz it up and give it a taste, adding more if I want to.

Serve with pitas, veggies, crackers whatever floats your boat.

*Have I gone too far?

2009-02-24T19:58:00.000-08:00

Recently I went into a big shopping centre, usually I only shop in the farmers market for produce and at my local grocery store for the other stuff but I wanted to but Carpet Cleaning solution so I decided to make one stop. I did not find carpet cleaning solution; however I did purchase a kilo of garlic. And it was a beautiful kilo of garlic. Wouldn't you agree?

What to do with an entire kilogram of garlic? I know.. I know.. Its going to take a while for this stuff to go bad, and yet I was inspired to roast the whole damn thing. What is more beautiful then garlic? Roasted Garlic! Here is the sexy before and after:
So simple. Just cut off the tops and line on a baking sheet, drizzle with some Extra Virgin and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pop into a 350 degree oven until tender, I think about half an hour, it can take longer if your doing a whole kilo, it was just over an hour. Take it out when it is golden brown and mushy... don't let it get all dry and bitter - I'll send the garlic police after you... seriously... I will, and it won't be pretty.

Maybe I love this garlic a little too much.

Beautiful Breakfast: A morning meal for my love.

2009-02-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

What more could a man want? I got up bright and early on Saturday morning to make my man a meal. What was on the menu? A heart shaped theme with Toad in a hole, a heart shaped fried egg with heart shaped dippers and the piece de resistance... Candied Bacon. Now I'm not crazy enough to put it in chocolate chip cookies but this definitely was a man pleaser... and to be totally honest I have not eaten any meat since Christmas dinner, but I could not resist this sweet and salty treat, and I couldn't leave it at a taste! I ate 4 slices! and you know what? It was totally worth ruining my meat-free streak.

Toad in a hole is what his Mom calls this simple breakfast that incorporates eggs and toast all in one neat little package.
So simple - there is no need for a recipe, just cut a hole in a piece of bread, I used a heart shaped cookie cutter because it was February 14th after all; but on a regular day, any old shape will do. Put the bread in a greased pan over medium heat; crack an egg into the hole and flip when the time comes, also don't forget to season with a little s&p. The fried egg was cooked the same way, I used an egg shaper to make it a heart and left the yolk nice and runny for dipping.

The bacon was just as easy, and alot safer then the traditional method of frying bacon in a pan. My boyfriend has always made a big deal about the splattering grease - he is a bit of a drama queen though... I think its a man thing, trying to protect me from the big bad grease! This was easy though and worry free, all you have to do is line the bacon up on a baking sheet, sprinkle with brown sugar, don't over do it just a little sprinkle and rub. Like Paula Dean is always saying to rub you meat, don't forget to give the bacon a little valentine rub down! Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until your preferred crisp-ness, no flipping required. It was easy and because it was in the oven, it gave me time to tend to the eggs.

This bacon is such a winner! I have seen it on a few blogs and had to try it, I think we were both glad I did. That was it! A beautiful breakfast made with the best secret ingredient of all:
Love!

Garlicy Scallop and Asparagus Stir Fry

2009-02-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

I have another simple and delicious dish! you could have this for lunch, as a side dish or a nice light dinner.

1 lb of scallops
6 spears of Asparagus
4-5 cloves of garlic 2 tablespoons of garlic
salt and pepper

I chopped the asparagus into fork sized pieces; then threw all the kids in to pool and stir fried. My scallops were frozen and everything was cooked to perfection - the garlic got nice and sweet, the asparagus tender and vibrant green and the scallops seared golden and accented by sticky garlic. I cooked it over a medium heat until it was all golden and ate it right away!

Refreshing Cucumber Melon Juice

2009-02-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned it before, I love juicing! Here is a most refreshing juice option:

Cucumber and Cantaloupe Juice:

1 Cucumber
1 Cantaloupe
1 Lime

I just peel, chop and Juice. Although I did add the lime whole because its nice to have the zestiness as well.

When you mix the two together you get a real swampy color - really, it looks like something from the swamp, but my oh my, is it tasty!

Quick and Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

2009-02-01T17:19:00.001-08:00

These chicken enchiladas are the perfect quick fix for dinner time. Lots of protein and backed gooey cheesy goodness. Here's a little peek:

This recipe couldn't have come together any quicker and its really affordable. Here's what you'll need:

2 breasts of chicken
half an onion
1 red pepper
a couple cloves of garlic
4-5 tortillas
1 jar of salsa
2- 3 cups of grated mozza
salt & pepper

Alright, here's the truth, I don't usually measure my ingredients so I'm estimating the amount of cheese, I used a good handful for each tortilla and some on top, so I'm guessing 2-3 cups.
So first you'll want to slice the chicken breasts, onion and peppers into strips. Season and saute the chicken, set it aside and do the same with the veggies and the garlic, use as much garlic as you like, I like to use a lot of garlic. When the veggies are almost done add the chicken back into the pan and toss.
Next add a bit of salsa to the bottom of a baking dish so that nothing sticks. Take a tortilla and fill it with some of the chicken and veggie mix, add a nice handful of cheese wrap it up like a burrito tucking in the ends. Place it in the dish and repeat until you have the desired number of enchiladas. Top the wraps with salsa and cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven until the cheese is all bubbly and gooey. I topped it with some cilantro because I think it brightens it up.

Serve with extra salsa and some sour cream. Yum!

Sweet and Salty Squash Seeds

2008-12-29T21:29:00.000-08:00

Waste not, Want not, who made up this saying? I always like to use all of the parts of a food but this saying just makes it seem like such a chore.
These seeds were no chore at all, and turned out to be a perfect sweet and salty little treat. Perfect for snacking.

First I soaked the seeds from a winter amber squash in a brine of equal parts salt, brown sugar and about an 1/8th of pepper or cayenne, or whatever form of spice you prefer, I used a Chinese red pepper and it turned out awesome. I soaked them for a few hours, I cook very casually, but you should aim for 2 -4 hours.

Spread out evenly on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 - 60 minutes, mine took a full hour but sometimes it can take less, you should watch them fairly carefully as they could burn quickly. Also don't forget to give them a turn half way through.

Here's a before, they look all soppy and wet but full of potential:

And after; crisp, brown and delicious:

Corn and Black Bean Salad

2008-12-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

Such a delicious departure from your average salsa.
This dish is rich in protein and fibre, it can be eaten as a salad,
or with chips and veggies as a salsa!

Recipe:

1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Corn
1 Medium Bell Pepper
1 Medium Tomato
4 Green Onions
Big bunch of Cilantro

Dressing:
3/4 C Salsa
1/2 of the Juice from the Corn
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt & Pepper

Rinse the beans really well, add them and the corn to a largish bowl, save the juice from the corn for later. Chop the Bell Pepper (I used red, choose your fave) and the tomato fairly small. You want all off the vegetables to be roughly the same size and the corn and beans are definitely on the small side - don't stress out about this but if you do want to dip it on a chip you'll want to get all of the yummy bits on there! This goes for the green onions too, I use the whole thing, green and white, you could easily substitute red onion but my boyfriend doesn't appreciate them as much as I do so I decided to please him this time with the green.

Mix up the ingredients for the dressing and add to the salad, mix it all up and add as much cilantro as you like.

Serve with chips or as a side salad and enjoy!!

Coconut Squash Dipping Sauce

2008-12-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

I am totally digging the coconut! I just made the coconut marinaded chicken again, although this time I slowly poached it in the the marinate and then broiled it to add some color - it wasn't as tender after the broiling. The true success tonight, however; was this absolutely fabulous creamy and rich Coconut Squash Dipping Sauce.

Here is what I have decided to dip-d-do the chicken into:

Half a Can of Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup of Roasted Squash
2 Tablespoons of Shredded Coconut
A 1 cm slice of Ginger
Salt & Pepper

Add the all of the ingredients to a saucepan and allow them to get to know each other. After it simmers for about 3 minutes remove the ginger and buzz it all together with an immersion blender. Go on give it a taste. Its an amazing winter pick me up. Just the right blend of cozy veg and Caribbean flair. I topped it with roasted squash seeds that turned out so yummy I'm including the recipe separately.

Nutritional Note:
Winter squash is outrageously high in Vitamin A and has been known to support optimum overall health, but particularly lung health. Also as it is harvested late in the season it has the opportunity to develop its nutrients for a longer period of time creating a healthy and delicious heath boost! Also to make the sauce a little less calorific as the coconut milk can sneak them in: use a light coconut milk!

Oh and here's how the Coconut Marinade looks after a good hot tub!

And here's how I served it, with a corn and bean salad, some avocado and a few chips, this makes a great dinner, lunch, or in a smaller portion a snack. Have a look...

Coconut Marinated Chicken Skewers

2008-12-29T16:46:00.001-08:00

Mmmmm.. Coconut Milk!

What could make chicken better then coconut milk, lime and cilantro?

Just look at it, so tender and juicy! Here goes-
Marinade:

2 Chicken breasts cut into think strips
1/2 Can Coconut Milk
Zest of 2 Limes
Big Handful of Cilantro
Pepper

Put all of this into a baggy and let it chill out in the fridge for a few hours. I did it the night before so it was nearly 24 this is why I didn't add the lime juice or the salt as these can change the texture of meat if they get friendly for 2 long in a marinade.

I let the whole breasts marinade but it would have been easier to slice them before hand. Honestly I have never thought that raw chicken was very appealing but this carcass is delicious looking!

When I was ready for dinner I just put the chicken on skewers and bar-b-qued them. While that was on the grill, I roasted some broccoli with a little sesame oil, salt and pepper. The Bar B Q actually took a little longer then expected because it was - 10 and snowing outside, very strange for Vancouver Island!

I topped the Broccoli with sesame seeds and added more cilantro, chopped peanuts and a few squeezes of lime juice to the chicken. It was ridiculously tender- I made sure to cook it just through so it was still juicy- Seriously make this chicken as soon as you can. You will love it!

Get on the Juice!

2008-12-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

Recently, I bought a juicer - the best thing ever! - and decided to break it in with a juice fast.
I juiced for nearly 2 hours straight, the juicer wasn't very happy but I was. I drank only juice for 4 days and had more energy then I knew what to do with. I was surprised no hunger, just sheer energy. I could barely sit still which led to my boyfriend making jokes about me being 'on the juice'.
The sky really is the limit when juicing, here is a recipe that I really liked:

Apple and Carrot

4 Apples
4 Carrots
1 Inch of Ginger
1 Whole Lemon

I found the lemon made it really smooth, also refrigerating helped to simmer down the foamy top that always forms on the top.

Mmmm... Dippy Dips!

2008-12-29T12:23:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite dips is Baba Ganooj, I tried it the first time because the recipe looked so simple but now have created my own version. It is so easy, delicious and healthy, I even used it last thanksgiving and my guy friends had no idea it was so good for them. One even asked for the recipe! I'm sure he was to 'cheerful' to remember. And by cheerful... I mean drunk!

The Recipe is so simple! Here it is:

1 Large Eggplant
1 Yellow Onion
1 Head of Garlic
Half a Lemon
Salt & Pepper

Roast the Eggplant, Onion and Garlic in a 350 degree oven until lightly brown and soft (I love roasted veggies!) I ususally roast them whole then remove from the less attactive skin and pop it all into a food processor, whiz it up and give it a taste. Add your preference of salt and pepper and enough of the squeezed lemon juice to liven up the party.

I usually ganish with some lemon zest and serve with veggies and pita. It really isn't very pretty but it makes up for it in taste!

Here is another dip that I made while the food processor was out!
I call it Left Over Lunch Dip, because thats what it was, my left over lunch all whizzed up!

I just added equal parts cottage cheese and tomatoes with a big handful of fresh basil. Season with Salt, Pepper, and a little garlic if you like it spiced up! Serve with crostinis or crackers, even you won't remember that it was leftovers! The flavour is so fresh because of the tomatoes! mmmm!!