I feel so neglectful of this blog, but I do have things in the works! It's just that pre-holiday season where everything seems to happen - craft sales to attend, parties to go (or plan to go to), gift-planning and making, interesting evening events, going on strike with your work (okay that's not normally in the mix), and planning a menu for about 52 people you may have invited to a holiday party that will take place in under 700 sq ft? I'm really really hoping this works out. In the meanwhile though, each weekend has a strict baking schedule to ensure I get through the line-up in time to pull off my (as some of my friends would call it "crazy", but I simply say "ambitious") menu list. In my defense, I have already removed one item...... and am considering letting go of the stuffed grape leaves.
So far, my success rate has been about 80%. I have tested all the desserts and found that my first chocolate peppermint cookie recipe (from food network) was not at all desirable. A chocolate mint cookie should be fudgey, decadent and the mint should be baked into the cookie, not an afterthought in the icing. Fortunately bon appetit provided the perfect replacement recipe. I also made a jam thumbprint cookie recipe that I wasn't completely happy with so I'll be testing that again. The orange spice pumpkin cakes are delicious even without glaze, as was the pumpkin seed brittle.
The spiced nuts are a vegan recipe which seemed more difficult to find than I would have expected. They are quite pleasing though the variability of cayenne spiciness with each handful can make it a bit of an adventure to eat :) I think I did scale back a bit and use about 3/4 tsp cayenne. A full review of all these items will come later. The only other recipe I want to offer a particular warning on is the making of crustless mini-quiches. I tried hands down the worst recipe (http://www.quincesandthepea.com/mini-spinach-crustless-quiches) and spent 6 batches trying to rectify this recipe, without any notable success. It ruined my monday off. They were ridiculously salty and completely overcooked. Ergo, in the list below I include a beautiful recipe that tasted incredible and worked on the first try. It's quite easy to substitute vegetarian sausage into the recipe. More details and photos on all this later, promise.
Here it is:
DRINKS
mulled wine - http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/other-recipes/jamie-s-mulled-wine#
mulled cider - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/mulled-cider-recipe/index.html
DESSERTS
orange spice pumpkin cakes spoonforkbacon.com/2012/10/a-wee-halloween-party/
molasses gingerbread
chocolate peppermint cookies
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/12/double_chocolate_peppermint_crunch_cookies
pumpkin seed brittle
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Seed-Brittle-231374
jam thumbprint cookies
orange candied ginger cookies - vegan from Extraveganza
DIPS/SPREADSmake crackers -raincoast crisps and vegan crackers
Curried sweet potato dip http://www.healthybitchdaily.com/post/curried-sweet-potato-dip-recipe
beet and orange hummus [VEGAN]
http://www.veggiebelly.com/2009/09/roasted-beet-and-orange-dip-with-walnuts.html
hot artichoke cheese dip
veggie crudites on hand plus baguettes
LITTLE MUNCHIES
spiced nuts [VEGAN] - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-and-spicy-almonds/
marinated olives [VEGAN] - buy
edamame - drizzled with sesame oil and sea salt and black pepper (this may be turned into a dip)
MAIN MUNCHIES
smoked salmon, chives & horseradish cream cheese on pumpernickel rounds
crispy proscuitto cups with marinated pear & goat cheese http://www.marthastewart.com/342213/crispy-prosciutto-cups-with-pear
baked brie (two) with fruit compote or pepper jelly
mini quiche - http://thecafesucrefarine.blogspot.ca/2012/02/quiche-bites-in-little-black-dress.htm
feta walnut date cigars http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Feta-Walnut-Date-Cigars-365214
stuffed grape leaves
http://www.foodnetwork.ca/guides/holidays/recipes/recipe.html?dishID=10519
pineapple cubes with chili, scallions and peanut butter
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3790/galloping-horses
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
Chorizo-Chard -Black BeanStew
I find soup difficult to photograph - it always looks so flat on the surface and the broth seems to obscure the beautiful colors of the vegetables. Plus in the process of carrying the bowl to the table, inevitably broth and spices get splashed on the sides of what I aspired to be a pristine bowl interior above the broth line. Regardless - I can't complain any more about this soup because a) it made enough to feed us for an entire week (and that's really how I'm cooking now - whipping up one to two large meals or Saturday or Sunday and eating them all week long) and b) it was delicious, reasonably simple, and healthy! This soup is perfect for fall - onion, carrot, celery, chard, canned
tomatoes - with black beans and chorizo sausage (or in my case,
vegetarian sausage!) to make it a hearty and protein-rich meal!
Aside: I found a new food blog, The Bitten Word, where they came up with this great project to get volunteers to help them cook every single recipe in the six food magazines they receive for a month. The recipes are reviewed & photographed, but they're not "foodie" photographs for the most part - just nice to enjoy people who are all about the cooking and aren't too self-conscious about the photo they take of it (which clearly I am)!
If you don't have black beans, it is entirely possible to make this recipe with lentils (green lentils that won't fall apart in your stew) or cannellini beans - I just didn't have any - and actual chorizo sausage if you are a meat eater. I also just read this interesting comment on cooking dried beans: A cook at Saveur says: ”Here’s what we found out: soaking dried beans overnight is fine, and even good, in that it reduces the cooking time by at least a quarter, but if you have the time for a longer simmer, then soaking isn’t necessary. As for the quick-soaking method—i.e., bringing the beans to a boil and then letting them sit for an hour—we found that an hour in warm water made virtually no difference in the cooking time, so go for either the overnight soak or none at all. “
Chorizo-Chard-Black Bean Stew
1 c. dried black beans, cooked until medium tender
1 large onion, chopped or finely chopped
1-2 large carrots, diced
2 large stalks celery diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
1 quart diced tomatoes and juice (or chopped tomatoes)
6-8 cups fresh chard (leaves only in this measurement - but use the stems in the soup), stems removed and diced, leaves chopped into 1 or 1.5 inch wide strips
4 -5 cups water or vegetable stock (I used 1 veggie boullion cube)
1 lb veggie chorizo sausage, sliced (2 of the artisan grain field meat brand)
oil for sauteing
salt and pepper to taste - if only using 1 veggie bouillon cube, likely to need 1-2 tsp salt
1. Beans - I wasn't prepared and hadn't soaked them over night. If possible, I would do this to reduce the soup cooking time. I used the quick boil method of bringing the beans in 3 to 4 c.of water to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes, and letting sit covered for 1 hour before draining and adding to the soup. They still ended up taking another 50 or 60 minutes of cooking in the soup to become tender.
2. In a big stockpot, saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in oil for a good 8-10 minutes until everything is nicely colored and the onion is turning golden/translucent. Add the chard stems and saute briefly.
3. Add in the water (or stock) and bouillon, salt, and the black beans. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 40 minutes until the beans are tender. (this is important to make sure they're tender BEFORE adding the tomatoes).
4. Add the quart of tomatoes and the sausage and bring to simmer.
5. Add the chard leaves in and let simmer until wilted.Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
6. Serve with cheese toast, or possibly some crumbled goat cheese on top.
Aside: I found a new food blog, The Bitten Word, where they came up with this great project to get volunteers to help them cook every single recipe in the six food magazines they receive for a month. The recipes are reviewed & photographed, but they're not "foodie" photographs for the most part - just nice to enjoy people who are all about the cooking and aren't too self-conscious about the photo they take of it (which clearly I am)!
If you don't have black beans, it is entirely possible to make this recipe with lentils (green lentils that won't fall apart in your stew) or cannellini beans - I just didn't have any - and actual chorizo sausage if you are a meat eater. I also just read this interesting comment on cooking dried beans: A cook at Saveur says: ”Here’s what we found out: soaking dried beans overnight is fine, and even good, in that it reduces the cooking time by at least a quarter, but if you have the time for a longer simmer, then soaking isn’t necessary. As for the quick-soaking method—i.e., bringing the beans to a boil and then letting them sit for an hour—we found that an hour in warm water made virtually no difference in the cooking time, so go for either the overnight soak or none at all. “
Chorizo-Chard-Black Bean Stew
1 c. dried black beans, cooked until medium tender
1 large onion, chopped or finely chopped
1-2 large carrots, diced
2 large stalks celery diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
1 quart diced tomatoes and juice (or chopped tomatoes)
6-8 cups fresh chard (leaves only in this measurement - but use the stems in the soup), stems removed and diced, leaves chopped into 1 or 1.5 inch wide strips
4 -5 cups water or vegetable stock (I used 1 veggie boullion cube)
1 lb veggie chorizo sausage, sliced (2 of the artisan grain field meat brand)
oil for sauteing
salt and pepper to taste - if only using 1 veggie bouillon cube, likely to need 1-2 tsp salt
1. Beans - I wasn't prepared and hadn't soaked them over night. If possible, I would do this to reduce the soup cooking time. I used the quick boil method of bringing the beans in 3 to 4 c.of water to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes, and letting sit covered for 1 hour before draining and adding to the soup. They still ended up taking another 50 or 60 minutes of cooking in the soup to become tender.
2. In a big stockpot, saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in oil for a good 8-10 minutes until everything is nicely colored and the onion is turning golden/translucent. Add the chard stems and saute briefly.
3. Add in the water (or stock) and bouillon, salt, and the black beans. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 40 minutes until the beans are tender. (this is important to make sure they're tender BEFORE adding the tomatoes).
4. Add the quart of tomatoes and the sausage and bring to simmer.
5. Add the chard leaves in and let simmer until wilted.Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
6. Serve with cheese toast, or possibly some crumbled goat cheese on top.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Pear-cranberry crumble
Actually I believe it's a crisp, though who really knows what the true distinction is here. According to some sources of information, a crisp can include oats in the topping, but a crumble is more British, less sweet, and is a "streusel" of butter, flour, and sugar. I have seen a fair share of crumble recipes that include oats too though. I guess it is more appropriate to say I made a crumble (drum roll for the pun) as my hopes crumbled after I tasted this dish...
I had beautiful red organic pears from the farmers market, fresh cranberries and ginger - autumn colors, spice, delectable brown sugar oat topping - but something went awry. I blame the vanilla and the overly sweet combo of crisp topping and the filling ... Needless to say, I fed it to others who loved it regardless, thanks to those who so willingly eat what I make.
Yesterday, I tackled the recipe again, determined to correct for my earlier recipe foibles. I adapted the filling to lessen the sugar, completely remove the vanilla and add ginger/black pepper for spice. I also made up the crisp topping - which isn't quite 100% where I want it - if you have a crisp topping you love, feel free to substitute, but make sure to include some cinnamon and ginger in it!
Pear-Cranberry Crumble
Filling:
Crisp topping:
2. Stir the sugar and cornstarch together until well mixed. Stir together with the rest of the filling ingredients. If you want to save a dish, you can do this directly in the casserole dish to be used for baking. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, Stir together all the crisp ingredients except for the butter (and the nuts if using). Then cut in the butter until crumbly. I find hands can work better for this than a pastry cutter with the oats. Stir in nuts.
4. Evenly distribute the topping over the filling in a casserole dish (oval 2.5 qt) and bake for 40-50 minutes.
I had beautiful red organic pears from the farmers market, fresh cranberries and ginger - autumn colors, spice, delectable brown sugar oat topping - but something went awry. I blame the vanilla and the overly sweet combo of crisp topping and the filling ... Needless to say, I fed it to others who loved it regardless, thanks to those who so willingly eat what I make.
Yesterday, I tackled the recipe again, determined to correct for my earlier recipe foibles. I adapted the filling to lessen the sugar, completely remove the vanilla and add ginger/black pepper for spice. I also made up the crisp topping - which isn't quite 100% where I want it - if you have a crisp topping you love, feel free to substitute, but make sure to include some cinnamon and ginger in it!
Pear-Cranberry Crumble
Filling:
- 2 lbs (a bit less is fine too) of pears (before cutting), cored, sliced thinly
- 1 3/4 c. fresh cranberries
- 2 tsp minced ginger, fresh
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/2 - 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Crisp topping:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dash of salt
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- optional 1/4 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
2. Stir the sugar and cornstarch together until well mixed. Stir together with the rest of the filling ingredients. If you want to save a dish, you can do this directly in the casserole dish to be used for baking. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, Stir together all the crisp ingredients except for the butter (and the nuts if using). Then cut in the butter until crumbly. I find hands can work better for this than a pastry cutter with the oats. Stir in nuts.
4. Evenly distribute the topping over the filling in a casserole dish (oval 2.5 qt) and bake for 40-50 minutes.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Hiking Snacks!
Although the rainy season has set in and the mountains are dusted with snow at the tops, I'm still trying to get outside for a couple of last hiking flings. The last "fling" was like being stood up for a date? (I'm not sure as that's never happened to me personally). After much research identifying an appropriate trail of suitable length for a rainy day hike, we arrived only to find that the trail was closed for area conservation! Fortunately it was a large marsh area so there was another stretch of dyke to walk along that was not closed so we trudged along in rain gear and umbrellas enjoying the outdoors, but enjoying even more the return to the city for americanos and doughnuts :) I cannot say enough about Lucky's doughnuts inside 49th parallel at main and 13th. Spectacular! 5 stars for every doughnut I've tried there, except the salted caramel.
But back to the healthy hiking snacks! Here are two I've made within the last week:
(1) chewy no-bake granola bars - excellent taste - a bit salty for me, perfect for wife as the recipe goes. BUT, they only stay as a solid bar while they are cold (in the fridge or freezer) due to the coconut oil so honestly they seem quite impractical as a hiking snack. I would keep them around for house snacks or winter snowshoeing, but not for summer trails.
Things I changed in the recipe: (1) substituted 3/4 c. dried cranberries for the dried cherries - personal preference (2) replaced pecans with walnuts - what was on hand (3) did not use vanilla or almond extract - not convinced I want to taste vanilla extract in my granola bars - I want to taste the nuts, oats and cinnamon! (4) IF I made it again, and used fine grain salt, I would reduce to 1/4 tsp.
(2) happy trail adventure cookies - a much more practical hiking snack that stays together at room temperature. Mine did not look anything like the original photograph, so I'm wondering if she actually flattened her cookie dough balls before baking. I did not and as you can see from the photo, they don't "melt" much on their own during baking. They are a touch on the sweet side for me, but pretty close to perfect so I wouldn't fiddle too much with the recipe.
Things I changed in the recipe: (1) substituted walnuts for pecans - again what I had on hand (2) subbed honey for brown rice syrup and (3) included the 1/3 c. sweetened cranberries. Actually if I bake these again (which I will), I would include 1/4 c. CHOPPED dried cranberries in addition to the 3 Tbs salted roasted pumpkin seeds.
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| Yes, you can hike with umbrellas |
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| A little Austen or Bronte to lighten the mood? |
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| Just beautiful landscape... |
But back to the healthy hiking snacks! Here are two I've made within the last week:
(1) chewy no-bake granola bars - excellent taste - a bit salty for me, perfect for wife as the recipe goes. BUT, they only stay as a solid bar while they are cold (in the fridge or freezer) due to the coconut oil so honestly they seem quite impractical as a hiking snack. I would keep them around for house snacks or winter snowshoeing, but not for summer trails.
Things I changed in the recipe: (1) substituted 3/4 c. dried cranberries for the dried cherries - personal preference (2) replaced pecans with walnuts - what was on hand (3) did not use vanilla or almond extract - not convinced I want to taste vanilla extract in my granola bars - I want to taste the nuts, oats and cinnamon! (4) IF I made it again, and used fine grain salt, I would reduce to 1/4 tsp.
(2) happy trail adventure cookies - a much more practical hiking snack that stays together at room temperature. Mine did not look anything like the original photograph, so I'm wondering if she actually flattened her cookie dough balls before baking. I did not and as you can see from the photo, they don't "melt" much on their own during baking. They are a touch on the sweet side for me, but pretty close to perfect so I wouldn't fiddle too much with the recipe.
Things I changed in the recipe: (1) substituted walnuts for pecans - again what I had on hand (2) subbed honey for brown rice syrup and (3) included the 1/3 c. sweetened cranberries. Actually if I bake these again (which I will), I would include 1/4 c. CHOPPED dried cranberries in addition to the 3 Tbs salted roasted pumpkin seeds.
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| Don't you love my fancy little fade out border around the edges?? |
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Autumn = Soup
Don't you agree? As soon as the leaves turn and I have to start wearing a woolly hat or sweatshirt around, my mind immediately transitions to soup/stew mode as part of the "welcome fall" routine. I've been fortunate to stockpile sorrel soup in my freezer (less fortunate because now the freezer is completely full and I can't fit a single thing more in it!) but decided to make a simple lentil soup to get us through the week. Four or five days of feeding two people a meal of lentil soup - hooray! That's my kind of cooking :) I also was pleased that the recipe is fairly minimalist. Three vegetables, a legume, a fresh herb, and some basic condiments. Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is the source of this belly-warming, light and nourishing fare. I did double the mustard and vinegar from her recipe to get a bit more kick out of it.
Lentil Vegetable Soup with Mustard and Parsley
2 Tbs olive oil or vegetable oil
2 c. diced onion
3-5 large garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 1/2 c. green or brown lentils, rinsed (PICK THROUGH THEM FOR STONES - THEY REALLY EXIST)
2/3 - 1 c. diced celery (I prefer more vegetables in my soup so chose 1 c.)
2/3 - 1 c. diced carrot
2 - 3 bay leaves
1/2 - 3/4 c. chopped parsley
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
2 - 3 Tbs sherry or red wine vinegar
1. In a large soup pot, sauté the onion in hot oil for 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the tomato paste, 1 tsp of salt, celery, carrot, and parsley and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Pour in 2 quarts of water, the lentils,bay leaves, a dash or two of freshly ground pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered for 25-35 minutes.
3. Taste for salt - may need another 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of salt. Make sure the lentils are tender. If not, continue simmering until done. Stir in the mustard and vinegar at the end. Add more pepper to taste (or vinegar/mustard) and remove the bay leaves.
4. Serve with a slice of crusty bread and enjoy.
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| Just realized how ridiculous the piece of carrot in the middle looks ... oh well |
2 Tbs olive oil or vegetable oil
2 c. diced onion
3-5 large garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 1/2 c. green or brown lentils, rinsed (PICK THROUGH THEM FOR STONES - THEY REALLY EXIST)
2/3 - 1 c. diced celery (I prefer more vegetables in my soup so chose 1 c.)
2/3 - 1 c. diced carrot
2 - 3 bay leaves
1/2 - 3/4 c. chopped parsley
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
2 - 3 Tbs sherry or red wine vinegar
1. In a large soup pot, sauté the onion in hot oil for 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the tomato paste, 1 tsp of salt, celery, carrot, and parsley and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Pour in 2 quarts of water, the lentils,bay leaves, a dash or two of freshly ground pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered for 25-35 minutes.
3. Taste for salt - may need another 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of salt. Make sure the lentils are tender. If not, continue simmering until done. Stir in the mustard and vinegar at the end. Add more pepper to taste (or vinegar/mustard) and remove the bay leaves.
4. Serve with a slice of crusty bread and enjoy.
Tie altering!
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| Not a food picture! Surprised? |
All in all this was a great two evening project. One to pick apart the tie, pull out the thin lining and cut it down, then iron the new fold lines for the tie and try to as invisibly as possible sew the tie closed :) Then re-iron and hang.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Sweet and salty
My new favorite dessert - caramel corn with almonds and pretzels - served alongside a cup of dark roast decaf coffee. Playful, fun, but almost classy - almost since you do end up with sticky caramel on your fingertips ... Surprisingly, this turned up on Thanksgiving weekend and my mom was the one who became fixated on the idea of making this treat (unusual since I'm the one with the sweet tooth and she's not). While the first batch was an 80% success, the second batch I later tried turned out sooo much better and I saved one dish worth of washing - a huge improvement in my mind.
The nice part is you can make up a big batch ahead of time! I'm not 100% certain that the marshmallows are needed in the caramel sauce. I used them since I had old marshmallows that I couldn't come up with any other purpose for. This recipe came from everybody likes sandwiches' blog but I doubled the sauce to make sure I had enough.... the leftover sauce was great on apple slices!
Salted Caramel Almond Pretzel Popcorn
6-8 c. plain popped popcorn
~1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped salted pretzels (I bought regular pretzels, but pretzel rods would have been easier to work with) - you can use more or less as desired
3/4 - 1 c. toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 + 1/6 c. heavy cream
1 c. marshmallows (regular or mini. If regular, chop into quarters)
sea salt or coarse salt
1. Pop your popcorn and set aside in a LARGE bowl (if it's lightly greased, it might help, but it could also not be greased). You can stir the almonds through also. Leave the pretzels aside for now.
2. In a medium sized saucepan (high walls are good), combine the sugar, almost a 1/2 tsp of kosher (regular) salt and 3/4 c. water. Bring to a boil and let boil uncovered for 8-12 minutes. It should turn a deep golden caramel shade. (You want beyond a pale yellow!) Remove from the heat and pour in the heavy cream in thirds, possibly stirring while doing so. It will foam up and/or splatter (hence the medium sized saucepan and adding in portions). Once it settles down, stir in the marshmallows and let sit (stirring occasionally) until melted.
3. Pour caramel over the popcorn and almond mixture, stirring to combine. After a minute, stir the pretzels through. At this point you can taste and add some coarse seas salt to taste. Let sit until cool and then nosh away! (or store it in a plastic bag for later).
Salted Caramel Almond Pretzel Popcorn
6-8 c. plain popped popcorn
~1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped salted pretzels (I bought regular pretzels, but pretzel rods would have been easier to work with) - you can use more or less as desired
3/4 - 1 c. toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 + 1/6 c. heavy cream
1 c. marshmallows (regular or mini. If regular, chop into quarters)
sea salt or coarse salt
1. Pop your popcorn and set aside in a LARGE bowl (if it's lightly greased, it might help, but it could also not be greased). You can stir the almonds through also. Leave the pretzels aside for now.
2. In a medium sized saucepan (high walls are good), combine the sugar, almost a 1/2 tsp of kosher (regular) salt and 3/4 c. water. Bring to a boil and let boil uncovered for 8-12 minutes. It should turn a deep golden caramel shade. (You want beyond a pale yellow!) Remove from the heat and pour in the heavy cream in thirds, possibly stirring while doing so. It will foam up and/or splatter (hence the medium sized saucepan and adding in portions). Once it settles down, stir in the marshmallows and let sit (stirring occasionally) until melted.
3. Pour caramel over the popcorn and almond mixture, stirring to combine. After a minute, stir the pretzels through. At this point you can taste and add some coarse seas salt to taste. Let sit until cool and then nosh away! (or store it in a plastic bag for later).
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