Featured Recipe

I cooked my very first ever spaghetti squash tonight! I will be the first to admit that it is not one of my favourite foods but I'm becoming more open to trying new things.
I asked a couple of people the best way to cook a spaghetti squash and the unanimous answer was in the microwave, cut in half with the cut side down in about 1/2 cup of water, covered in plastic wrap. I am not a fan of using plastic wrap in the microwave as I'm pretty sure it leeches chemicals into the food. So I took to the internet to try and find a way to cook it in the microwave without covering it in plastic warp and, lo and behold, I found one! Here's the link: http://fishcooking.about.com/od/howtochoosefreshfish/ht/How-To-Cook-Spaghetti-Squash-The-Easy-Way-An-Easier-Safer-Method.htm (not quite sure why it's under the "fish and seafood" category of the website, but whatever). It actually works really well. I have simple instructions also included in the recipe below.

I've heard of people using spaghetti squash as a substitute for regular spaghetti so I though why not? It's worth a shot. The sauce is just a slight variation on a regular sauce I use. I often use kielbasa style turkey sausage but I wanted to use steak strips this time around. Unfortunately, the steak was a funny colour and I didn't want to risk using it; luckily my mother in law gave me some leftover cooked ham from Christmas dinner, so I used that. It gave the sauce a nice smoky flavour.

Spaghetti Squash "Pasta"

Ingredients:
1 large-ish spaghetti squash (you could use 2 as the sauce makes more than you will need)
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)
black pepper
dried minced onion
1 cup cubed cooked ham (or steak strips, or diced chicken, or turkey sausage, or meatballs, etc)
1 large shallot, diced
1 each green and red pepper, diced
1 can diced, stewed tomatoes
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp oregano
black pepper and salt to taste
1 TBSP corn starch (optional)

Method:
1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and the stringy bits (for each half) and discard. Do not cut the ends off. Rinse out the cavity. Sprinkle each half with black pepper. Place one half in a microwave safe casserole dish, cut side up. Sprinkle that half with some dried minced onion. Fill the cavity with the 1/2 cup chicken broth. Poke holes in the skin side of the other half of the squash (make sure they poke all the way through). Carefully place that half of the squash on top of the first half, cut side down (this is going to enclose the liquid in the middle). Cook on high heat for 10-12 minutes. The squash will be done when the top feels flexible or a little squishy. (Be sure to wear an oven mitt as it will be hot). Using a fork, string the squash into strands and put in  bowl. Set aside.
2. While the squash is cooking, heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a large pan. Cook the shallot and peppers for about 5 minutes. Add the ham and cook until heated through.
3. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice in a small bowl. Add the tomatoes to the pepper mixture. Add the remaining olive oil, the oregano and the salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix
4. Here, you have 2 options. if you have time and you want very low carb, add the liquid from the tomatoes and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half (about 30 minutes). If you have less time or you don't mind a few added carbs, mix the cornstarch with the liquid (use a fork to get all the lumps out) and add to the mixture and cook for about 8 minutes (this is what I did tonight).
5. Serve the sauce over the squash and enjoy!

 

What's for Dinner?

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season and I wish all the best in 2012.
Christmas totally de-railed my attempt at eating low carb, but it's back on the wagon now and hopefully all the delicious, tempting cookies and chocolates and treats from the season are all gone until next year.

Here's what I am going to attempt to make this week.
Tonight was spaghetti squash "pasta" with a tomato, shallot sauce with ham (I was going to make it the week before last, but didn't ever get around to it). Both the hubby and I were skeptical (I have never liked spaghetti squash) but it was really really good and my husband said he didn't even miss the pasta! See today's featured recipe for all the details.
Other meals are going to include Parmesan Chicken Strips (see today's other featured recipe) with caesar salad. I made these last week and they were quite amazing and I wished there was more (I even got the hubby to eat caesar salad!);
Chili is a must for winter in my house and I managed to find a poblano pepper at the grocery store and it is going to go so great in the chili. I'm not adding rice like I usually do though, to keep with the "low-carb" theme;
I'm making whole wheat bowtie pasta with kielbasa sausage and peppers (I can have pasta occasionally and I mainly making it for hubby as it is his favourite);
I'm going to do another crust-less quiche as it is easy and fast and full of protein. This one is going to have peppers, onions and bacon topped with Monterrey jack cheese (my fave combo for quiche);
And last but most certainly not least, mini meatloaves with lemon-dill broccoli slaw (a new found favourite).
Who says low-carb can't be delicious?

Bon Apetit!

Featured Recipe

Gluten-Free, Low-Carb Chicken Strips

 

I love carbs. A lot. Particularly the really bad kind – baked goods made with white flour. But carbs do not love me back. So I am trying to spoil all their fun but creating things that taste like they are full of carbs, but are really not. I promise you, these are so delicious (and so easy) that you will not even miss the breadcrumb coating (even for a carb-aholic like me). And the melted butter keeps them super moist and helps them to brown. Plus, they’re gluten free (for those who can’t eat gluten)! The proportions are easily adjustable as the recipe only makes 9 strips. Please do not add salt to this recipe; the parmesan, Johnny’s Garlic seasoning and butter all contain salt and adding any more would make them way too salty.  If you don’t have Johnny’s Garlic (you can get it at Costco), you can substitute regular garlic powder with a pinch or two of dried oregano or parsley

 

Parmesan Chicken Strips

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ cup grated parmesan cheese (the kind in a container, like Kraft, not freshly shredded)

2 TBSP Johnny’s Garlic seasoning

3 TBSP butter, melted

 

1. Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny side out. Spray with no stick spray (or brush lightly with melted butter)
2. Cut each chicken breast into 3 strips of similar width (if using chicken with the fillet attached, separate the fillet from the rest of the breast, which will give you an extra strip)
3. Mix the parmesan and the garlic seasoning in a wide, shallow bowl. Roll chicken strips in mixture to fully coat on all sides. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Repeat for all strips. Drizzle melted butter on each strip
4. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, flipping over after about 15 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the broiler on to low and broil the strips for about 5 minutes to brown them up
5. Serve with an extra large Caesar salad

Featured Recipe

Here's a quick filling meal you can make on a weeknight. Delicious on a cold winter night when the wind is howling. This has a bit of kick from red pepper flakes and will warm you right up.
Tip: if you have Johnny's Garlic Powder (you can get it at Costco), use it in place of the regular garlic powder as it adds more flavour.

Weeknight Beef Stew

Ingredients:
1 pound cubed lean beef (not stew meat as it's not tender enough)
4 medium red skin potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup baby carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
splash extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cups beef broth
3 TBSP plain tomato sauce
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp each dried oregano, parsley and thyme
1 TBSP garlic powder
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste


Method:
1. Cook the potatoes, onions and carrots in a large non stick pot in a little olive oil until the potatoes are fork tender but still a little firm. Transfer to a bowl and set aside
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the beef in the pot you cooked the potatoes in until cooked through. If liquid collects in the pot, spoon it into the bowl with the potatoes (there's a lot of flavour in that liquid)
3. Once the beef is cooked, return the potato mixture, along with any liquid to the pot. Add 3 cups of beef broth and the tomato sauce. Stir. Add all the spices, the green pepper and the Worcestershire sauce.
4. Mix the flour with 1/2 cup remaining beef broth until there are no lumps. Stir into the pot.
5. Simmer over medium heat for at least 10 minutes, uncovered, until the potatoes are melt-in-your-mouth soft and the stew has thickened. If you like a thinner stew, add the remaining beef broth.

What's for Dinner?

This week will be a whole bunch of experiments. I'm trying to eat less carbs and it's getting the wheels in my brain turning figuring out what to eat that is delicious and low carb. Here are my attempts for the next little while.

Roasted tomato and pepper soup with chicken and parmesan. I was inspired by a recipe I saw for roasted vegetable gazpacho, but I'm not into the cold soup thing, so I'm going to keep it hot and add cooked chicken and parmesan cheese for texture. Sounds good in my head anyway.
Spaghetti squash (which is not my favourite food, but I'm sure I can come to love it) and serve it like spaghetti with a shallots and tomatoes with steak strips (shallots are kinda like a cross between garlic and a red onion, with a milder flavour than a red onion).
I'm also going to attempt to make coconut pork with bean noodles. I found a recipe for the coconut pork made with coconut milk and it looks good (with a few amendments of course - it calls for peas and neither my hubby nor I are big fans of peas in things and I'm going to add bok choi and green onions). A friend introduced me to bean noodles, which are similar to rice vermicelli but are made from bean and pea starch instead of rice and they turn clear when they're cooked, not opaque like rice noodles.
I will be making past one day this week because sometimes you just need pasta (and the hubby goes a bit batty if he doesn't get pasta regularly). I'm making chicken carbonara pasta with bacon on whole wheat rotini (the big spirals). If you're not already on board with whole wheat pasta, you really should give it a try. It is way more filling than regular pasta, it has a great cooked texture and the flavour is really nice.
It's winter and nothing goes better in the winter than a hearty beef stew with big chunks of meat, carrots, onions, potatoes, tomatoes....I'm salivating just thinking about it.
Lastly, parmesan chicken with caesar salad. I'm going to "bread"the chicken with grated parmesan and bake it like chicken strips. It will feel like "cheating" but it won't be!

I've also started my Christmas baking, which will be a test of my willpower. Tonight was Chocolate Toffee Bars (shortbread crust, sweetened condensed milk caramel, chocolate, topped with Skor toffee bits. Yum!

Hope you've enjoyed reading. You can wipe the drool of your screen now.

Bon Apetit!

What's for Dinner?

Wow, it's been almost a month since I've updated this and I'm sorry. But I'm back and bursting with new vigour! I hope you're inspired!

Tonight was Zucchini Lasagne Rolls (see today's featured recipe) and they were delicious. I am pretty proud of myself (both my husband and I were skeptical at first, but they totally worked out!). Tomorrow is going to be Chicken Enchiladas because it's my birthday and they're my favourite (check out one of my first featured recipes if you want the recipe - they're deadly!).  The rest of the week will be chicken stew (it's winter and time for a good, hearty, potato-y stew); mini meatloaves with lemon/dill/garlic dressed broccoli slaw; whole wheat spaghetti with peanut sauce, chicken, peppers and spinach; quiche with Italian sausage; Shepherd's pie (although I think technically it's cottage pie because I use ground beef (instead of lamb) and put cheese on top). And, most of these things will make left overs, so we're going to eat well next week too!

Bon Apetit!

Featured Recipe

Zucchini Lasagne Rolls ( or"Zalagne")

So a friend of mine made lasagne rolls for dinner a while ago, which is basically lasagne filling rolled up in cooked lasagne noodles and covered in sauce and cheese and baked. I am trying to eat less carbs, hence less pasta, so I wanted to come up with a version that was noodle free, and here's what I came up with (plus, it's gluten free)

Zucchini Lasagne Rolls
Ingredients:
3-4 large-ish zucchini
1 lb mild Italian sausage meat (or 5 mild Italian sausages, casings removed)
4 cups trimmed spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
100 grams light mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup plain tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp white sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Cook the sausage in a large pan, stirring frequently to break up the meat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add the garlic and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted and soft. Set aside to cool
2. Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler. Slice the zucchini into thin, wide strips, until you reach the seeds. Discard seeds. Place strips in a pot of water and cook until they are tender, but still holding their shape (or put in a large microwave bowl with a little bit of water and cook on high heat until tender but still holding their shape). They need to be tender enough to roll up
3. Place a little bit of the filling along each strip and roll up. Place the rolls in a 9x9 casserole sprayed with cooking spray. If there is any filling left over, sprinkle over rolls.
4. Cover with grated cheese. Cover with sauce
5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 22 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving

Step 3 - Rolled up

Step 4

Step 4

Finished Product! Yum

Featured Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowballs

These taste like Christmas in your mouth. The perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate and not too sweet. They are really easy to make, but taste like they're a lot of work. Rolling them gets a little messy and they freeze really well. My friend Kristy introduced me to them and my friend Tahnee told me I had to post the recipe after I gave her a sample - this is for both of them! Courtesy of the Kraft Canada Website

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/chocolate-peanut-butter-snowballs-82742.aspx

What's for Dinner?

I love grocery shopping day! I live in a smallish town, but I'm only about a half hour drive to "the city" so every 2 weeks or so, I make the trek into Superstore and do a gigantic shop and stock up on deliciousness. Plus, it saves money doing it that way than running into town to go to the grocery store every other night. I love seeing my fridge/freezer/pantry so full of edible possibilities!

On that note, here's the menu) all of which, except one, will be leftovers for next week. Not quite sure how it's all going to fit in my freezer though....

Tonight was Pad Terr. This is my version of Pad Thai and is named after my husband Terr because it is one of his favourite things (after lasagne, of course). Wide Pad Thai noodles, chicken, peppers, green onion, white onion, carrot, bok choi, garlic, bean sprouts and a soy/teriyaki/sweet chili sauce. The 2 keys here are cinnamon and sesame oil. Just a pinch of cinnamon goes very well with the teriyaki and ginger flavours and a few drops of sesame oil right at the end give it a very nice nutty flavour. Also, cook the onion, carrots and the white "stem" parts of the bok choi for at least 5 minutes before you add the chicken so that they are tender at the end. They are "hard" vegetables and need more time to cook; you don't want hard carrots with soft peppers. Add the leafy parts of the bok choi near the end, just before the bean sprouts and the noodles. I bought Rose brand noodles at Superstore (98 cents for about a pound of noodles!) though I had to guestimate how long to soak them for (35-ish minutes) as there were absolutely no instructions on them. The hubby declared that they were the best noodles in this dish yet (I've tried about 4 different varieties)!
Tomorrow is orzotto (orzo pasta cooked like risotto) with ricotta and spinach stuffed chicken thighs wrapped in prosciutto. They key here is to use the leftover ricotta/spinach mixture from the chicken in the orzotto to make it super creamy. Add a can of diced tomatoes (drain the liquid) and you're golden. The chicken is a bit finicky as the filling likes to leak out while you're trying to stuff it and it gets a little messy, but it's so worth it! Another of Terr's favourites.

Chicken thighs with the stuffing, before rolling

stuffed, rolled and wrapped. Ready to be baked

orzo cooking in chicken broth, much like risotto

Orzotto with ricotta, spinach, tomatoes and prosciutto

Dinner!

 One night will be potato chowder (I use milk and chicken broth instead of cream and puree some of the potatoes with some of the liquid at the end to give it a thicker, creamy consistency). Dress it up with bacon bits, cheddar cheese and green onion.
It's definitely fall and time to bring on more comfort foods...like chili! This is one of the few instances where I cook with rice. Throw about a cup of uncooked, instant brown rice with the tomatoes, and it will cook as it absorbs all the tomatoey flavour. I also add a poblano pepper for a bit of smokey heat (poblanos are about the same size as green peppers except they are a much darker green and are kind of oblong. They are more smokey than hot, but do have a bit of heat. Great in Mexican dishes).
The other favourite on the menu is pita pizzas. Easy and oh so delicious. Not quite take-out pizza, but probably better for us. Mmmmm, pizza.
All of the above, except for the pita pizzas, will be leftovers next week, along with the spaghetti with meat sauce and the crock pot roast beef with tomatoes, green peppers and brown rice creation that the hubby invented last week that are already in the freezer.

I hope this has inspired you. As much as I dislike summer coming to an end, I do love comfort food like chilis and soups - they're hearty and filling and warm you up.

Bon Apetit!

Featured Recipe

This is so simple and you're going to love it. I came up with this over the Thanksgiving weekend while we were at a friend's house. My husband bought some Strongbow (apple cider), which I'm not typically a huge fan of because it's really dry. So, here's my solution to enjoying a delicious Strongbow, without your mouth feeling like you've sucked a cotton ball.

Thanksgiving Apple Cocktail
Makes 1 drink (plus a second one afterwords)

1/2 can Strongbow Cider
1/2 can Canada Dry Ginger Ale (any brand will do but Canada Dry is the very best)
6 frozen raspeberries

Mix Strongbow and ginger ale. Add frozen raspberries. Let raspberries thaw as they cool your drink.....wait for it.... I know it's going to take all your will power, but it's worth it.....after about 10 minutes the raspberries should be thawed enough to smash with the back of a spoon and infuse your drink.

You will not be disappointed! (Unless you're my husband, who hates raspberries. What a weirdo!)

What's for Dinner?

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet because dinner is in the oven as we speak! Tonight is Mexican Lasagne (which is essentially baked fajita casserole, but it's way more fun to call it Mexican Lasagne [much like my love for Greek "tacos"]). I tired something new tonight and I grilled the tortillas (used instead of lasagne noodles) before I assembled the layers. hopefully this will end up less soggy than previous incarnations. Another key here is chipotle chili powder, if you can find it. Just a pinch gives it a great smoky flavour with a bit of a kick. I know Epicure sells it, if you know anyone who sells Epicure.

I want to comment on my pork tacos from last week - I am not sure I will ever make tacos with beef again. The combo of the tex-mex spices with the pork was really quite a flavour explosion. Quite Awesome.

The rest of this week was a little boring: The Quinoalaya I didn't end up making last week, plus whole wheat penne with meat sauce. I found this really incredible imported Italian pasta at the grocery store in town (no English on the package) and you get better quality and more in the package and it's cheaper than Catelli. Sounds like a no-brainer to me

We have a bunch of leftovers, which is good on a budget. I have taken to making large batches of stuff, and then freezing to have at a later date. I know I'm a little bit late on jumping on that train, but it totally works if you're trying to save on groceries. Who knew?

Oh, and I need to express my love for homemade chocolate chip cookies, especially when they stay soft and moist. Thank you recipe on the back of the Bakers milk chocolate chips bag.

Bon Apetit!

Featured Recipe

My husband loves breakfast on the weekend. Fried egg sandwiches, egg wraps, bacon and eggs.....as long as it's savoury and includes eggs in some form. This was his suggestion last night (he makes the suggestions, I make them happen) and it was so worth it.

Breakfast Cups
Makes 6

Ingredients:
1 large yellow flesh potato (not a russet/baking potato)
6 eggs
2 slices deli ham
6 TBSP grated cheddar cheese
1 TBSP vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Peel and grate the potato. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the potatoes. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Fry the potatoes with a little bit of salt until the potatoes are golden. The potatoes will tend to clump together and form "pancakes." This is okay - just keep cooking them until they're golden and then separate the "pancakes" into 6 equal portions
2. Spray 6 muffin tins with cooking spray. Equally divide the potatoes on the bottom of the cups. Divide the ham equally in each cup. Top each with an egg. Cover each with 1 TBSP grated cheese.
Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes. The eggs need to be at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (you don't want runny yolks).

What's for Dinner?

Have I mentioned how much I love food? I LOVE food! Dinner is my favourite meal of the day and I spend most afternoons dreaming about dinner for that night. And I love to cook. It relieves stress and I love coming up with new recipes and flavour combinations. Pretty much my favourite thing.

A couple of years ago, I started doing something I swore I'd never do: I plan my meals for the week ahead of time. I always thought it would be so boring if you knew ahead of time what you were going to eat all week, but really, it is awesome. It helps control my grocery budget and I know what I need to take out of the freezer to thaw the night before. I have these little magnetic white boards that I put on the fridge and I write the menu on them. One of the best decisions I've made. You can't believe how much less I spend on groceries and how fewer trips I make to the store.

So, with that, here's the menu. Yesterday was Chicken Enchiladas (yes, the very same ones that are an earlier featured recipe). I found really nice poblano peppers at the grocery store. They have this great smoky flavour and just a teeny little bit of heat (less than a banana pepper) that compliment the smoky cumin and chipotle chili powder. A little taste of Mexico.
Tonight is Pita Pizzas. It's the season opener tonight for my favourite NHL hockey team against my husband's favourite team and that calls for pizza. Using pitas creates a nice crispy thin crust and you can top them with anything you like. Our favourite combination is pepperoni, green pepper and shallot (or red onion) and Monterrey Jack cheese. Delish!
Tomorrow is spaghetti with meat sauce. Simple and classic. We use whole wheat pasta - not only does it have a great taste, but you eat less because it is more filling. The only time I use regular white pasta is when I make lasagne or the late nights when we make KD.
Monday is Quinoalaya (jambalaya made with quinoa instead of rice). Since introducing my husband to quinoa, he can't seem to get enough. It is not as filling as brown rice, but is so good.
Tuesday is pork tacos. This is my cheap out night. I bought a taco kit so all I needed was the ground pork. I usually make them with beef but thought I'd try something different this time and we try not to eat beef more than once or twice a week.
Wednesday is leftover spaghetti. I go walking or swimming every Wednesday andI just don't have much time to make something from scratch.

That's about it for now.
Bon Apetit!

My Favourite Kitchen Tools - Part 2

When I was making breakfast this morning, I was grateful yet again for the wonder that is my digital meat thermometer. And it's not just for meat; I used it for baked eggs this morning (See today's featured recipe).
I bought the thermometer for about 10 bucks at Superstore and it has saved me numerous times (particularly when making things like pork tenderloin or chicken thighs). It has a guide on the cover that tells you temperatures for meat and chicken and reads in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.  Best 10 bucks I've spent.

I love my Betty Crocker Cookbook. I am listing it as a tool because I don't use it so much for the recipes as for the tips and hints and cooking charts.  It tells you everything you need to know to cook anything. It has charts for cooking meat (every type and cut of meat you can think of) and eggs (where that meat thermometer comes in handy), shows you the difference between perfectly cooked cookies and undercooked and overcooked cookies (complete with pictures), step by step picture instructions for making pastry, pictures of different kinds of vegetables and grains, how to properly measure flour for baking, and everything in between. The recipes are pretty good too. If you only ever buy one cookbook, buy this one.

Ok, last but certainly not least, my cast iron pot. I bought it at Ikea about 5 years ago and it makes the best pasta sauce. The secret to a cast iron pot is to clean it without soap. I know that sounds kind of disgusting, but trust me. Cast iron is porous and it absorbs all the flavours of what you put in it. So, when you clean it with soap, it absorbs that taste. On the flip side, the more you cook in it, the more the flavours of everything you've cooked in it get infused into whatever you're making; tomato based pasta sauce gets better every time. Plus, you can put it in the oven (but not the lid as it is aluminum). I have a recipe for bread that you cook right in the pot, but have yet to make it.
There is a bit of maintenance required - after you've cleaned it, you have to oil it on the inside so it doesn't rust. And you need to use it on a regular basis, particularly if you live in a humid climate, like I do on Vancouver Island,so it doesn't get mildew-y. Worth the $50 investment.

Featured Recipe

So a friend of mine asked me what she should make for dinner tonight. I said she should make chicken quesadillas because, who doesn't like chicken with peppers, onions, salsa and melty cheese inside a tortilla and then fried? Then I suggested she serve it with Black Bean and Corn Salad, to which she sounded pretty darn excited. So, Tahnee, this one's for you.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1 can black beans
1can of corn (or about 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed)
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 small green onions, diced
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp each cumin, paprika and garlic powder
1/2 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse the black beans well. Set aside to drain
2. Mix the dressing and whisk well.
3. Mix the beans and veggies and coat with the dressing
4. Let sit about 30 minutes in the fridge. Stir thoroughly to coat before serving

Featured Recipe

The Day-Before-Payday Soup

I wrote this on Thursday last week, but had an incredibly lazy weekend and didn't get around to posting it (I couldn't find it in me to tear myself away from watching Sliders on Netflix. Yes, that show from the early nineties with Jerry O'Connel about 4 people who slide to parallel earths. So Awesome).

Sometimes payday comes at a really inconvenient time: your mortgage payment is due and bills must be paid all on the day before you get your paycheque and of course, your fridge, cupboards and freezer are looking more than a little bare. And you have to figure out what you could possibly take to work for lunch the day before payday. Well, last night, I came up with an idea and it turned out tasting pretty darn good. Now, I am a big fan of soup. I love to make it and I love to eat it and it warms me up on a cool, gray, rainy day like today. And this one used what little produce I had in my fridge and freezer,  took about 5 minutes to make and doesn’t require a pot. I prepped the night before and assembled at work. Let me share it with you:

The Day Before Payday Soup - Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 bouillon cube (I used chicken, but beef or vegetable would work just as well)
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds about half a cm thick
• 2 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1 handful frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 slices deli meat (we had a wee bit of old fashioned ham in the fridge, but chicken, turkey or roast beef would be yummy too. Whatever you have in your fridge)
• water

How To:

• Put the carrot slices in a microwave safe bowl and cover with a little water. Cook on high power for about 1 minute until soft but still firm (mushy carrots in soup don’t do it for me). Drain and set aside to cool slightly
• Mix all vegetables together in a small, tightly sealed, reusable container. Pack the meat in a separate container or plastic baggie. Keep the bouillon separate.
• When ready to assemble, boil about 2 cups water in a kettle (2 measuring cups worth (500ml), not the 2 cup line on your kettle (that line is for tea or coffee cup amounts)). Crumble the bouillon cube into your bowl (start with half the bouillon first, then add more until you reach your desired broth strength. I used 1 cube for about 1.5 cups water but I like my broth fairly strong. A typical bouillon cube yields 2 cups of broth). Fill the bowl about ¾ full with the boiling water and stir to dissolve the bouillon.
• Add the vegetables and meat and let stand for a few minutes so the veggies get warm all the way through. If you’re like me and you like your soup piping hot, you may need to microwave it for about 45 seconds to a minute on high as the cold veggies will have cooled the soup down some as they warm up.

That’s it. Easy peasy.  You can use whatever veggies and meat you have lying around, though veggies that don’t require much (if any) cooking work best. A tomato or some zucchini or spinach would work nicely and you could cook them with the carrots. A nice piece of whole wheat toast or some grainy crackers would be good for dipping and would round out the meal quite nicely. I admit, I did need a few crackers and some cheese about 2 hours later.

What's for Dinner?

Today is a sad day; I drank the last of the "housewarming" tequila we got when we moved into our house 11 months ago. But did I enjoy it and enjoy drinking it out of one of my heavy, blue topped glasses I bought in Mexico? You sure bet I did.

So, what's for dinner this week? Well, on Friday we had Parmesan crusted pork chops, "army" potatoes (cooked in the oven in tinfoil with olive oil and onions) and lemon garlic broccoli.

First, you coat the pork chops in Parmesan, then dip in egg, then coat in Italian style bread crumbs

They cook for about 20 minutes (should be brown and crispy and at least 160 degrees F)

Dinner!

Saturday was a potluck at a friend's house and I made homemade kettle corn (super easy, it''s almost like caramel corn, but only takes 15 minutes to make!). Sunday was leftovers. Today, was chicken pot pie. I have been craving it since I saw a co-worker eating it at lunch last week and today I finally made it. And it was totally worth it. The trick to chicken pot pie is to forget the pastry and put biscuit dough on the top instead. I made a big 9x13 pan and is so delicious.

Yum!

Tomorrow is lasagne for my hubby's birthday (it's his favourite and I make it for him every year). Wednesday may be leftovers as I have an early evening commitment. Thursday is what I like to call "Greek Tacos" which is basically homemade souvlaki wraps, but calling them Greek Tacos is just way more fun.  Friday will be Chicken Empanadas (empanadas are kind of like Mexican samosas - meat, potatoes and spices wrapped in pastry and baked). It makes a huge amount of filling and it is delicious in wraps later.

If you couldn't tell, fall is upon us and I'm all about the comfort food. Hope you enjoy!

Bon Apetit!

Featured Recipe

Ok, for all of you who have had these and have asked for the recipe, here are my Chicken Enchiladas. This is one of my husband's favourites and he always suggests I make it for company.  

Chicken Enchiladas (Copyright Nancy Whiteley, March 20, 2010)

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, finely cubed

2 green peppers diced (or 1 green pepper and one poblano pepper)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium shallot, minced

1 heaping teaspoon margarine or butter

1 ¼ cups 1% milk

2 TBSP cornstarch

¼ tsp cumin

1 TBSP oregano

1 TBSP dried minced onion

1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled

2 pinches chipotle chili powder (opt)

pepper and salt to taste

6 large flour tortillas

200g shredded Monterrey jack cheese

olive oil

Method:

1.     Heat a splash of olive oil in a big, deep pan over medium heat. Add chicken. When chicken is about half cooked, add the green and poblano peppers, cumin, oregano, minced onion crumbled bouillon and salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken and pepper mixture to a separate dish

2.    Add butter to the same pan you used to cook chicken. When melted, add garlic and shallot and cook for 30 seconds. Mix cornstarch with milk and add to margarine mixture. Stir constantly until mixture is a thick sauce. Add chicken mixture and stir until completely combined.

3.    Heat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Put a scoop of chicken mixture on the middle of flour tortilla. Roll up (like a burrito but leaving the ends open) and place seam side down in casserole dish. Repeat with remaining chicken mixture and tortillas. Cover with shredded cheese

4.    Bake for 10 minutes at 350F. Rotate pan 180 degrees and bake 5 minutes more, until cheese is melted

5.    Serve warm with salsa verde

There are 2 secrets to this dish: it must be prepared with love. I know that sounds hokey, but it's true. I love making this dish and I love eating it and I put that love into it. It really does make it taste better. 

The second secret is the salsa verde. you need good salsa verde to complete the full experience. My favourite brand is Herdez and it can be found at most Mexican/Latin import stores. Try it, you won't regret it.

What's for Dinner?

So typically every Sunday I plan my menu for the week and do a big shop at Superstore (it's hard to beat their prices and the products are good too). This week is going to be a lot of leftovers again as mortgage comes out the day BEFORE payday, which is always handy. So, sadly, I've only planned 2 meals with 2 days of leftovers. And tonight was hotdogs. And some bbq chips. Sad, I know. But, I did buy those all-natural hot dogs (I think they're the Schneider's Country Naturals, or something) and they are darn good. I get a hankering for hotdogs every now and then and these don't have any mechanically separated meat, no weird fillers and no ingredients that I don't know what they are. and they're comparable in price to other weiners.

Now, on to the menu:
Tomorrow: Whole wheat penne with a chicken stock based white sauce with peppers and onions.
Tuesday: Quinoa salad with raw veggies and ground chicken. I'm not quite sure what to do for the sauce here, but I'm thinking something southwest-ish with maybe some salsa and smoky cumin. My mouth wants the dressing from the Glory Bowl (an amazing dressing from Whitewater Cooks. My mom made it when we went to visit my folks a few weeks back and it is super yummy. The recipe calls from brown rice and tofu, but we made it with quinoa and chicken instead) but that's just not in the cards this time. Here' a link to the recipe: http://www.canada.com/globaltv/bc/story.html?id=4a9cd9f8-f16b-40de-ab67-a95730b1adce)

Hopefully next week will be more exciting and I'll have at least 5 amazing dishes to talk about. Until then,

Bon Apetit!

My Favourite Kitchen Tools - Part 1

Attached to food processor

Hand blender!

I must profess my love for my hand blender (or my "jjuujjjjer, as I call it, because that's the sound it makes).
It is probably one of the greatest kitchen gadgets ever invented. And mine is swanky: it comes with the regular blender attachment, a whisk attachment and a mini food processor attachment.
I got it as a Christmas gift one year from my father-in-law and I have been in love with it ever since. It makes the best smoothies, whips cream in no time at all and the food processor attachment is perfect for chopping nuts for cookies or making breadcrumbs. I talked so much about how great it is that my parents went out and bought the same one and they love it too!

My other favourite gadget is my microplane. It too was a gift - my old boss gave it to me for Administrative Professionals day a few years back. I have a love for pretty much all things lemon and this makes zesting a lemon so easy. The removable box attachment on the top is for doing small things like garlic so you don't end up zesting your fingers. I don't use it for garlic because I like pieces of garlic in my food rather than grated garlic, but it would be great for making garlic mashed potatoes. Hmmmm, I may have to try that....

Microplane

With box attachment

Featured Recipe

Today's featured recipe is: Bacon, Potato, Cheddar muffins, courtesy of taste.com.au

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/10440/potato+bacon+herb+muffins


I love to bake but my husband claims to not like sweets (though his favourite kind of pie is Pecan pie which is pretty much the sweetest pie there is). I've been on a bit of a muffin kick lately so he asked if I would make him some savoury muffins. This was his suggestion and I found this recipe right off the bat. Enjoy.

By the way, 180 degrees Celsius is 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Popping my Blogging Cherry

I have never done this before but I've often been interested. Today, a friend sent me a link to her friend's travel blog from their recent trip to Peru and as I was reading it, I thought "I could do that!"
I want to share my love of food with you and what I've been eating. Many of my friends keep asking me when my cookbook is coming out, so hopefully this will satiate them until that happens.

This week's meals included Quinoalaya (jambalaya made with quinoa instead of rice), Thai Peanut Caesar salad (a Boston Pizza rip-off created by my friend Sheila) and tonight: taco casserole followed by warm apple cinnamon muffins. We're having leftovers for the rest of the week. My menu may not always be so exciting. Case in point, on Monday night I had McCain spicy fries and Chocolate Cherrios for dinner. I know what you're thinking, "Chocolate Cheerios? Gross!" I thought so too when I first saw the commercial for them but I had a sample at the grocery store and they are delicious! They satisfy my craving for cereal and chocolate at the very same time.

Hope you enjoyed reading. More to come!
Bon Apetit!