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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Hawaiian Chili: late night prep for easy dinners

In an ideal world, I would keep up with my blog on a daily basis and everything would be fresh in my mind. Unfortunately, many (most) nights, by the time I get home, it's 8pm or later. Work is until about 4:30pm, then I get to the gym for about 5pm, run for 45 minutes or so, do some weights, shower, and come home. Sometimes I need to get groceries before coming home from the gym too. Dinner is usually the last thing we do in an evening. Often, it involves us collapsed on the couch, watching an episode of something (right now, usually old Fringe episodes or M.A.S.H.) and then cleaning up and going to bed.

Some nights, after making dinner (leftovers maybe), I have energy to prep some food. Wednesday was one of those nights. I typically have an idea of what I will make and in this case, it was my grandma Nan's recipe for Hawaiian Chili. I had thawed the ground deer already in anticipation of making this and knew that Thursday night I was going to be at my parents and Friday is usually a collapsing night. So, the first thing that I do when deciding to make any meal, is to check the fridge inventory. I do most of the grocery shopping and keep track of what's come in and gone out so I typically know which food is older.
First in means first out.

Hmm, OK, some celery that I bought for a tomato and barley soup that I was no longer as interested in making. That's starting to wilt. Also, 2 mushrooms. I bought some for another recipe as well but I had 2 large ones left and unless they were being sauteed for an omelet, would not last another few days on their own. Half an onion was ready for chopping, so why peel a new one?

So, some chopping occurs now that I have figured out which additional ingredients are going to make up this chili to avoid throwing them away and letting them go to waste. I hate wasting food.
Chopped celery, onion, mushrooms
Typically, I would saute the onion and green pepper in a pan first, and then add the ground meat and brown that, then drain. But, it was already about 10pm so I was in no mood to dirty more dishes or take any longer than necessary. (If you look closely, you can see boiled eggs in the picture that are being made for tomorrows breakfasts at work).

So, in an effort to really save time, everything into the slow cooker! Chopped green pepper, onion, mushrooms, celery, ground deer, about a cup of ketchup (I used the reduced sodium Blue Menu one), some mustard (I don't have ground), and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Slow cooker, on high.

Prepping the chili
Now, the rest of the ingredients go into the slow cooker. A can of maple beans (the original recipe calls for pork and beans but I'm not a pork kinda girl). Tonight, I just added a can of rinsed kidney beans (again, the recipe calls for the whole can, not drained, but I know how much extra sodium that contains so we don't need that.) Instead of the salty bean liquid, I replaced it with regular water. You could get more creative here and add reduced sodium beef stock (I had none on hand) or something else. To make it "Hawaiian", a can of crushed pineapple gets dumped in, juices and all. Season to taste. I use pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and a dash of cinnamon. 
The canned items now get added
 Hubby and I stayed up reading for a while since we both got home late and we figure the dog could use some time to mill about, so the chili gets an hour cooking at high. The aroma of warm, comforting sweet chili fills the house and before bed, I turn down the cooker to low and leave it overnight. In the morning, the chili is definitely done, and I can put it in the fridge now for the next few nights for dinner (chili and baked sweet potato fries will be Friday night, yum!
Hawaiian chili, done


Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Cake and Ice Cream: Finding the Perfect 80th Birthday Dessert

My grandma's 80th birthday is in the middle of August. My aunt and uncle from Calgary will be coming into town and my other uncle is going to host a BBQ for the celebration. I'm likely going to volunteer to cook a vegetarian dish for my aunt and uncle since they don't eat meat but it's really my grandma that I want to spoil. I mean, it's going to be her 80th Birthday! That's a big deal! I know that she just poo-poos it off, but I want it to be a really special night for her, surrounded by loving family, and spoiled with food that she loves. Food is an expression of love with my grandma.

My grandma is from Poland and cooks every day for herself and my grandpa. Ever day, she eats a bowl of ice cream. Did I also mention that she's not over-weight? The ice cream is her treat, and it's so great to watch her eat her bowl of ice cream because you can tell that she enjoys it, as she does with all sweets.

For her 80th birthday, I really want to make my grandma some homemade ice cream (especially since the ice cream maker has finally come out of its box) and cake or pie. The problem is, I don't know what her favorites are. I do know that she likes fruit tarts and cheesecakes. I remember being a kid and her always having those sponge cakes that you could fill with fresh berries and cream. I also know that she usually buys cherry ice cream, or butterscotch swirl, or something with chunks of chocolate in it. I am still working my sleuth skills to see if she has an absolute favorite, but for now, I need some ideas.

I have made oodles of cakes over the years...take a look at some of the photos from different friend and family member's birthdays.
Chai Spice Cake
The famous Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Creamy Lime Cheesecake

But, everyone always has their favorite.

What is your favorite ice cream of all time? One that when you go to an ice cream parlour with 30 different flavours, that you are immediately drawn to.

What is your favorite cake or pie? The one that you want to taste on a special occasion, and that you would want to serve at the end of a perfect meal.

Now, combine the 2 favorites. What are they?

I've ordered 2 ice cream books off of Amazon.ca that I am hoping will inspire me.

1. The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, And Sweet Accompaniments
2. Scoop: 125 Specialty Ice Creams from the Nation's Best Creameries

I have plenty of cake and baking cookbooks so it's time to flip through those and see what catches my attention that I think my grandma would love.
If anyone has ideas, I would love to hear them!





Sunday, July 24, 2011

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream: Red Rocket's First Voyage

What a beautiful Sunday. Quiet, relaxed, sunny, and warming up. C and I have been getting into some books (I'm reading Da Vinci Code and C is reading Che, a biography). We are both pretty engrossed in our books and Mrs B, our happy goofy puppy has decided that she'd better get her cuddles when she can. So, first she read with C, and then she slept with me while I read.
B enjoys reading too

Almost as much as she enjoys cuddles and sleeping
Today is the day, and I was so excited! I had bought all of the ingredients yesterday that I was missing so that today, I could make ice cream! pumpkin pie ice cream, no less! Well, actually, this recipe is vegan and dairy free, but it seemed like a good place to start as I didn't have to make a custard on the stove first, and then an ice bath and yadda yadda yadda. This was really a recipe to break in the ice cream maker. Oh, and I wrongly noted earlier that we got this as a Bridal Shower present, but in fact, we bought this in Fargo, ND right after our wedding (our mini-pre-honeymoon).

The first thing to do was blend all of the ingredients until smooth, except the add-ins. So, canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cashews, sugar, all went into the food processor and blended, scraped down the sides, and repeat, until very smooth.

Ingredients for ice cream
Next, I added in the can of coconut milk (the recipe advises not using light coconut milk here, so on my first attempt at this, I will listen). Also, I bought some guar gum at Bulk Barn to add. Guar gum seems to be a great ingredient in ice cream as it retards ice crystal growth (nobody likes crystallized ice cream), and is a thickening agent (smoother texture of ice cream). I only needed 1/4 tsp so this bag will last a while...

Guar gum into the ice cream mix
Here is the beautiful ice cream maker! The Red Rocket! Well, that was the first name that popped into my head just now. The cylinder drum was frozen overnight to ensure that the mixing process would work. The drum is filled with a freezing liquid that must be completely frozen before starting the ice cream making.

Red Rocket with the add-ins
I started prepping the add-ins while the ice cream base was poured into the rotating maker. While the ice cream was churning, I roasted some pecans and smashed up some ginger cookies. About 5 minutes before the ice cream reaches its desired consistency, slowly pour the add-ins into the machine. Be careful that the drum can keep spinning. I had to use a butter knife a few times to ensure that the add-ins kept blending.

Ice cream, blended and ready for the freezer.
The ice cream was transferred to a Ziplock container and put in the freezer to get a firmer consistency. As I type this, and C is beside me watching Fringe, I have promised him that after this blog entry, I would get him some ice cream to try. So, I'd better wrap this up...
By the way, here is where I got the recipe.
Fried onions
Dinner tonight was an old go-to of ours. Panninis and soup. I fried up some onions while the corn was boiling, and put them, the hummus, hot peppers and cheese into a sandwich. Into a pannini press, pea soup heated up, and dinner is served. Perfect, warm and flavourful.

Green Pea Soup, corn on cob, pannini
So, we just tried the ice cream and the verdict is up in the air. The flavour is just like pumpkin pie with a warm spicy holiday flavour, accentuated by the chunks of nuts and cookie. The texture however, is not that of a traditional ice cream. Yes, it's thick and creamy. Although, maybe creamy isn't the right word. There isn't that velvety taste of cream, instead, it's a smooth, more "chewy" texture. It's really hard to describe. Maybe there was a bit too much guar gum? Or maybe it's because this contains no milk fat which changes the properties as well. Perhaps the blended cashews? For a first attempt, this is definitely a yummy pass and tumbs up, but I am definitely going to make my next vogage to the land of real ice cream. Custard base and all. In the meantime, we have a large container of Pumpkin Pie "Ice Cream" in the freezer that I will try to get some more volunteers to taste and give their opinion on :) Happy Sunday!
Ice Cream Taste Test #1

Oh Saturday is the Perfect Day to Cook

Saturdays are always wonderful days for cooking. Well, Saturdays when there are no workers in our house. It's quiet, relaxing, and this weekend it was cool but pleasant. In the afternoon, I felt very inspired to start cooking up a storm. Whenever this happens, it's safe to say that all afternoon will be spent in the kitchen, creation after creation after creation. I say creation as opposed to recipe since a lot of the cooking I do doesn't involve recipes. This pea soup that I am going to describe is one of those. I played around with another recipe until I got this pea soup the way I liked it, and then I wrote it down.

Making soup from scratch is one of the simplest, most delicious, economical meals you can make. Basically, saute whatever veggies you want in a pot, add liquid of choice (stock is the usual option), then blend. If you want chunks, save some of the sauteed items to add back in after this process. I like my pea soup smooth though.
I started with a half a large onion, chopped, fresh garlic, 4 carrots chopped, and a bag of dried peas. Saute about 5 minutes.
Beginning stages of pea soup
Next, add in the stock. I used 1 carton of beef broth (reduced sodium) and half a carton of chicken broth (also reduced sodium). Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and blend.
Pea soup, pre-blended
Alright, one down! Picking up momentum here. I have an orange in the fridge, some leftover sour cream, hmmm, also just shy of a cup of chocolate chips that have been sitting in the baking supplies for a while. Smile, ingredients, you're about to have a party together and turn into Orange Sour Cream Chocolate Chip muffins. C loves these and I think it would be nice to make another treat for him.

First, I needed some orange zest and juice. I have the best zester (a rasp grater) that C got me for Christmas one year. It makes me happy every time I use it. Same with this red plastic reamer. Great tools. If you don't have some, I suggest getting your hands on some for citrus recipes. It makes all the difference. 
Orange juice for muffins
Next, all the wet ingredients are mixed together: orange juice, orange zest, one beaten egg, sour cream, oil (I usually replace oil with no-sugar-added applesauce but decided against it with these for some reason), and vanilla extract.

Orange muffins: wet ingredients
 Like all muffins, the dry ingredients get mixed in another bowl (flour, baking powder, salt, sugar) and then the dry and wet ingredients meet and are folded together until everything is moist. I find this the hardest part of muffins: getting everything mixed without over mixing.

Muffins pre-baking
The muffins go in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and recipe 2, done!
These were so good, there are about 5 left, lol.

Orange Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins
Since the muffins take about 20 minutes in the oven, I have plenty of time to test an idea. We have a bag of frozen berries in the freezer from Costco that have been in there for a while. Also, neither of us have been eating as much yogurt as we used to and a quarter of a tub of strawberry-banana Yoplait sits in the fridge, not moving. I really wanted to make yogurt bars, but didn't have any popsicle moulds. That is, until after today's shopping trip to Superstore! We found some cheap ones for $1.88 and since the Amazon ones I was looking at were 10 times the price, I figured, why not? So, fruit and yogurt in blender until smooth.

Frozen berries and Yoplait, blended
I spooned all of this into the moulds. It was a little messy, I'll admit. There was some leftover so I tasted it. MMMM!! I can't wait to try these! But, into the freezer they go...

Yogurt/Fruit Pops before freezing
 Ok Ok Ok, on a roll. Still time left on the muffins and since I had already taken out the food processor, I rinsed it of the fruit and started on a batch of hummus. In keeping with the theme, I knew I had about 1/2 cup of tahini sitting in the fridge, also not moving. Tahini is basically sunflower butter and is a key ingredient in hummus. So, this, a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas (always rinse your canned food, they can contain up to 60% more sodium than their fresh or frozen counterparts), lemon juice (unfortunately, I had no fresh lemons to use), salt, pepper, hot peppers, dried basil, and chopped garlic all went into the food processor.
Hummus ingredients
Blend ingredients until smooth and an acceptable consistency (use your judgement: if too dry, add more liquid). I put the hummus into a Tupperware container and stuck this in the fridge for later use.

Hummus
Oh right, Saturday we still need to eat dinner. And despite all of my cooking, none of this was actually for that meal. I had plans, which I talked about earlier, and they come to fruition here. Remember those lime black beans that I made? Here is the finished product. The time that they had in the fridge brought out all of the flavours. The pickerel that was in the fridge, thawing was baked with some herbs. I wanted to make a dressing for the coleslaw and by chance, while C was at the doctors getting his stitches out (he dropped an electrical transformer on his arm and it left a nasty gash), I read a Canadian Living Magazine. A couple of recipes caught my attention and, seeing as I always carry a notebook and pen in my purse for such an occasion, I jotted them down. One was for lamb and feta burgers, and the other was for a peanut broccoli slaw salad. The dressing seemed like a good idea for this meal. I was a little skeptical since I wasn't really craving the fish, but the dressing, the slaw, all mixed together was INCREDIBLE! Peanut butter, lime juice and zest, minced garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and a titch of sugar. A lovely meal to end a relaxing day to.

Baked pickerel, coleslaw salad with peanut dressing, and black bean and lime salad.


Saturday, July 23, 2011

Speeding Trains and Stones

Inspiration is an interesting concept. For me, it feels like a high-speed train when it comes on. It is sudden, smooth, and the ideas just flow freely and continuously until a small stone interferes with the tracks and derails the whole thing. In my case, the stone is a distraction from the void. The void is my brain at its most open state. I read and browse online and in magazine for ideas that will inspire and speak to me: recipes and processes, interior design and decorating, fashion, makeup, stories. It's like taking mental notes and pictures, saving them to my brain for later use and they are filed away, mentally, as well as physically with post-its on in my favorite list on the computer. This is the background work. The actual exercising before seeing results. The research part of where inspiration can pull its ideas from. The actual inspiration portion is unplanned and timeless. I will have no idea how long it will last, because that stone could come from anywhere.

I definitely know myself and the ideal circumstances that must be met for inspiration to begin. First, I need my brain to stop thinking. I know that doesn't make sense, but it needs to be clear of all basic thoughts, concerns, worries, and general routine thinking. This isn't something that I can control by just thinking it either, because then, your concentration is focused on purging the brain, therein creating a new thought process in itself that acts as the stone.
A clear mind happens in generally 3 spaces: while driving, while running or working out, and before I fall asleep. For these reasons, I keep a pad of paper and pen with me and beside my bed at all times. Inspiration is a terrible thing to miss. When I am driving, my mind is subconsciously solving problems and planning its next move. These thoughts take little effort but enough to clear my mind of other things. During a run, I typically watch something on the tv at the gym, but my mind is again, partially aware that it must focus on my breathing, on my stride, on speed. The repetition calms the mind and the rush of endorphins I get when I break past the plateau and hit the "runner's high" is like a drug for the mind, LSD for the artist.
Before bed, the day is being put to rest. It is quiet, dark, rhythmic breathing beside me, white noise of the fans. My breathing slows, my body relaxes, and suddenly, the train picks up speed and I begin to write everything down.
I believe that all creative minds and artists have these moments. It's where their best ideas comes from and when people ask how they came up with those ideas, they cannot really explain it because the state of mind was hazy and open. The void needed the balance of brilliance, and so the ideas came.

Where am I going with this, you are likely asking yourself. Get to the food part! Well, here is where the cooking part comes in. How often do you ask yourself "what am I going to cook for dinner tonight?" or perhaps you are one of those very organized people that plans their week of meals and shops for those ingredients. I am a mix of in between.
Yesterday, while driving and while at the gym, I was inspired. I sat down with my note pad twice, and jotted down all of the ideas for meals that had come pouring in before I forgot them all. I adjusted my grocery list to suit these new themes and today, I am ready to buy what I need for the week. Now, the meals will still depend on my mood, but I had enough ideas that I can mix and match to suit them. I see this as problem solving (which I adore. It sooths me to figure out how to make a process run more smoothly, more efficiently, work better). Not only should the food taste good, look good, contain my 4 requirements (protein, carb, and 2 veggies, each being a different colour), but it should use up some leftover or item presently in the fridge or pantry as that falls into the budgetary constraints of the parameters as well (my goal is spending $120 or less on groceries in a 2 week period).

So, looking over my many pieces of paper, scrawled with numbered points, jotted down so quickly that the writing looks rather messy, I see that I have ended up with about 7 ideas. It's important to note that I only write down ideas on paper, with a pen. Again, I do consider myself an artist. I need that tactile quality of feeling the paper in my hand, holding a pen and watching the ink glide out. The same as I do when I am painting a canvas, or working with my hands and ingredients in the kitchen. Tactile is so important to the creating process.

Pages of notes: the beginning of meal planning

 My basic thoughts are now down on paper so I can relax and know that if the stone hits, I have already captured the image. This is the purge state. Getting as much down onto paper as possible, as quickly as possible, before the ideas are lost. The second part of the process involves organizing those thoughts into a more usable form. Here is where our whiteboard comes in. I bought a whiteboard to help us stay organized throughout the week. I started using it to also write down what we were having for dinner what night so that I could glance at it and if I had spare time and energy, could prep some of that meal ahead of time (chop and Tupperware up the veggies, or something).


Our whiteboard: Meals

So, here is what I have come up with:

1) Pea soup with a grilled cheese, onion, hot pepper and hummus sandwiches (tuna could be added for protein) - keep in mind, almost everything I do here is from scratch so the pea soup would be homemade and the hummus would be as well.

2) Sweet potato oven fries, with chili (might use Yves ground round, with taco seasoning and maple beans to go with the sweetness of the potato). Topped with chopped peppers, black olives, a bit of light cheese, in small cast iron pans and broiled in the oven. Top with sour cream and green onion.

3) Veggie "lasagna". No noodles. Replace them with thin strips of baked eggplant and zucchini. Filling of ground round, fat free cottage cheese, light ricotta, pasta sauce (debating about making my own for it using canned tomatoes, roasted in the oven with garlic, fresh basil, then blended). Layered and baked.

4) Linda's Roast. My late aunt's recipe for pot roast using a can of golden mushroom soup, french onion soup mix, and a can of club soda. I'd do a pot roast using fresh mushrooms and adding carrots later to the cooking. Side of peas and Yorkshire Pudding.

5)Side dish (the main will come together based on this): coconut rice. I have made this before but instead of coconut milk to cook it in and adding sugar, I want to try it with leftover vanilla almond milk and adding some coconut extract instead.

6) Snack idea: I have never made samosas before but am craving them. Will stuff with peas, potato and possibly ground round if enough is left over. I need to find a good crust/dough recipe for them and also a chutney recipe for dipping them in. I have 2 peaches that need to be used up...

7) Dessert idea: a good friend of ours recently started seeing a girl whose a vegan, so in an effort to not have him freak out over the possibility of never cooking bacon for her, I began searching through my saved vegan cooking blogs for him. I stumbled across a recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream and it has been on my mind for over a week now. Our ice cream maker from my bridal shower is still waiting to be used (impatiently by me, I must add), so this might be a good first trial with it.

8) Snack/breakfast: orange sour cream and chocolate chip muffins. All of the ingredients I need are in the fridge and pantry as we speak.

I foresee making the pea soup and the muffins today. Grocery shopping will either take place this afternoon (if C loses the desire to dig more in the basement) or tomorrow if we work at breaking up concrete. The rest of the recipes will come as I get the few missing ingredients that I need.

My advice for the day? Buy a small notepad that you can carry in your car, or your purse or keep next to your bed and next time you think of something that seems brilliant, jot it down.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Comfort Food Blast-From-The-Past

I know that dinner tonight was planned: pickerel fillets on citrus-lime coleslaw salad, and black bean salad on the side (I was thinking I might roast some corn too and slice it off the cob into the salad) but change of plans. The weather has finally turned around and it's much cooler today. The weather reminds me of being at the lake with my parents, sitting inside in the cool weather, reading old Archie Comics. Wonderful. The breeze and 10 degree temperature drop offers some well needed relief for our un-air-conditioned home but it does not inspire me to make a cool dinner. Wearing jeans and a sweater on a summer day mean something warm, a bit more "stick-to-the-ribs". Also, after not receiving many bbm's from C today, I figured he might be having another rough day and might like some comfort food.
I've been mental meal planning for the past few days and this dinner was on the to-do list, just for Saturday, not tonight. Again though, food and meals are always adaptable.

This meal is an oldie but a goodie. This was an old go-to back in the day...before my cleaner eating days. It's also very easy. A bag of frozen perogies, sauteed onion and green pepper, a can of cream of mushroom soup with a splash of milk, everything into a glass dish, topped with cheese and baked.
The only thing that makes this dish a little bit more "mature" from my earlier years is that I used homemade frozen perogies. Homemade by yours truly.
I'm just going to post the pictures of the process, but it was a good days worth of work.

Perogie dough rolled and cut


Potato and cheese filling


Finished Perogies, waiting to go in the freezer

First, saute some onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. While this is cooking until tender, mix a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup with 1/4 cup of milk (I used unsweetened almond milk).


Sauteed mushroom, onion, green pepper

Pour the perogies into a glass dish, mix in the sauteed veggies, pour the mushroom soup mix over the dish and top with shredded light marble cheese. The dish goes into the oven and bakes for 35 minutes at 350 F until bubbling.
I cut up some carrots and put those in the oven at the same time, to roast them.
With 3 minutes left on the timer, I steamed some peas in the microwave and dinner was done.


Perogie casserole, roasted carrots, peas

The dish was just what the doctor ordered. We both went back for seconds, C loved it, and it was a nice treat to warm the bones in the cooler weather and after a long day. I would say though, that the delicate homemade perogies actually didn't work as well as commercially prepared ones in this case. Also, drain the weeping from the mushrooms before adding them to the pan.

Perogie casserole dinner

As you can see, the delicious dinner led to a food comma and B got to enjoy a nice nap with C on the couch while I typed out this post.
Sweet deams.

B sleeping on C after the perogie casserole


A Cool Dinner and Impromtu Dessert

The heat in the city, and more importantly, our house, is unbearble. Hot, muggy, sticky...with the humidex, it's supposed to feel like 42 C. The humidity in our house reads 80%, ugh. We don't have A/C so the fans we have are just blowing around the hot air. Sleeping is difficult and cooking in this heat is no fun.

What we need for dinner is something refreshing. Pasta salad sounds nice, I haven't eaten that in ages. Pretty easy too (my kind of dish). Cook up some pasta, your choice, I had a bunch to choose from but went with Smart Pasta rotinni. Now comes chopping time. Tomato, red pepper, zucchini, fresh basil. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Once the pasta is cooked, rinse it under cold water to speed up the cooling. Whip up some dressing for the pasta salad, this could really be anything. I used 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano. Toss everything in a bowl to coat and sprinkle some light Parmesan cheese over the mixture and toss again. Stick in the fridge until cold. Ideally, you would want to make this the day before so the flavours really have time to permeate the pasta and chickpeas and all that, but I didn't plan this so here we are. It was still very tasty but even better the next day.

Pasta and Veggie Salad

To round out the carb part of the meal, I boiled some corn while the pasta salad was setting up. To save time and energy, I reused the boiling water from the pasta. Once the pasta was done cooking, instead of draining the water down the sink, I scooped out the pasta from the water using a slotted spoon. I topped up the water enough to cover the corn, put it back on the heat and the water boiled almost instantly.

While the salad and corn were enough for my dinner (I am eating more and more vegetarian these days as it seems to agree better with my tummy), my hubs, C should have more to eat. He needs more protein that what is in the pasta and the chickpeas.
We had some leftover deer meat that had been seasoned with taco seasoning and we also had some leftover black bean and wild rice salad I had made earlier in the week (this had chopped tomatoes, black olives, corn, cilantro and onions in it). I filled 2 whole wheat pitas with the meat and the bean/rice mixture, folded them up, and stuck them in the oven to crisp up.
One for dinner, one for his lunch the next day. Ah, the sweet smell of efficiency.



Cold Veggie and Pasta Salad, Corn on the Cob, Healthy Mexican Wrap

 My husband had a tough day at work and I could see him out of the corner of my eye, rummaging through the pantry (which is really just an open metal storage shelving unit since we don't have the pantry built yet). I knew instinctively as he riffled through the back (which is generally where I keep any goodies so I am not looking at them all the time...although, we rarely have junk food in the house) that he was craving something sweet. C is a bit of a stress eater. If he's feeling off, he usually goes for the sweets. I told him to sit down, that I would make him something to sooth that craving. He told me that he was about 2 seconds away from walking to the corner store, so I starting making my specialty: Sweet Marie Bars.
I would like to think that I am a little famous for these bars. They have often been a go-to dessert bar to bring to a potluck or party. Three reasons: quick and easy to make, ingredients I often have on hand, the most tasty treats EVER! I do not kid. If I didn't know what a calorie was, or had the metabolism of a 17-year-old-boy, I would snarfle down an entire pan of these, no share-sies. And I wouldn't feel guilty. Well, maybe a little, but the sugar would help me get over it ;)
The thing is, if you cannot tell by reading my blog so far, I am on a leftover-purging kick. So, normally, these are made with peanut butter but I knew that I had almond butter in the fridge that just keeps getting pushed to the back and ignored since toast has mostly left my diet so out that came instead.
That's the beauty of most of the recipes I use though. They are flexible. They beg to be adapted to any situation. They enjoy change. I aim to be more like my recipes, lol.

Like I said, these were/are still a huge go-to dessert bar for me so I can make these in my sleep without recipe. I decided it would be best for both of us if I halved the recipe. No sense in destroying an entire 9"x13" pan of treats. Plus, C isn't overly fond of sharing food that he loves. We'll work on that...
So, into the pot goes corn syrup, the almond butter, brown sugar. Mix mix mix, melt, cook, warm. Add a tbsp margarine, stir. Add vanilla, stir. I decided to also add in some almond extract. Why not? And you know what goes great with almond extract? Shredded coconut! So, I decided to sub 1/2 cup from the Rice Crispies quantity (mine are No Name brand so about the size of pumpkin seeds so I won't be buying that kind again) to add some wonderful coconut. Mix some more. Now, the sweet, gooey caramel mixture should easily coat the cereal (and whatever else you decide to add). You forearm will get a great workout in the process as well. I sprayed a square glass pan and "poured" the mix in, pressed it into the pan, and sprinkled chocolate chips on top. The warm mixture already started to melt them and I have them some extra help with a minute under the broiler. Usually, you mix peanut butter with chocolate chips in the microwave then spread it on top, but since I wasn't adding anything to the chocolate, this was more efficient. And you know how I feel about that word. I could easily spread the chips all over the top once it came out from under the broiler.
Here is the finished product, in all its glory. C loved them and it was just what he was craving. I thought they were ok, but not as good as the peanut butter variety, but I did love the coconut so I will play around with this another time.

Sweet Marie Bars using Almond Butter, melting in the heat of the house


Adapted Sweet Marie bars after being in the fridge



Hubs Does Dinner, I Do Prep

Thursday I went to physio to see if anything major is wrong with my knee after barrelling down my front steps and breaking my fall with it. My hubby, C looked after the dinner I planned and did a damn fine job at it. Marinated deer tenderloin, BBQ-d. Corn on the cob, cooked in foil with lime inside the packet (his idea), also cooked on the BBQ. Finally, red pepper, also cooked on the...you guessed it, BBQ! A delicious dinner that I am sad to say I wolfed down before taking any pictures of.

The good news is, having dinner cooked for me bought me time in the evening to prep some food for us for later. We had finished off the bran muffins a few days ago, which I had been taking as part of my breakfast, so I thought that now would be a great time to make some more.
Wheat bran, whole wheat flour, skim milk (we only use powdered now), vanilla, baking powder, baking soda...I was supposed to add blueberries but we didn't have any. Also I usually use sugar-free applesauce to replace the fat in the recipe (so, instead of oil or melted butter/margarine) but again, I had none so I used yogurt instead. Carefully mixing the ingredients until just moist so that they won't be rock hard, and voila! Breakfasts done, check!


Fat Free Bran Muffins
 

 Alright, time to roll up the sleeves. Once I am in a cooking/baking mood, stand back! So, now I started thinking about tomorrow's dinner. Hmm, check the fridge, check the freezer. Pick a protein first. Not much...some salmon, eggs, hmm, nope. Ground deer, meh...aha, frozen pickerel fillets. Now, what could I do with them. What's left in the fridge that needs to be used up...limes, that will work. Coleslaw, yup. I have canned mandarin orange segments, those will work together. So, defrost the fish, and tomorrow I'll make the salad for it: coleslaw with a homemade vinaigrette, maybe some grated carrots, lime zest and juice, mandarin segments, maybe crushed tacos.

What would be a good side to go with this dish? We are using lime and citrus flavours with an acid. Black beans would be good. It would give the meal some fibre and a smoothness. The fish salad will be lighter so this will add some "meat" to the meal.
Canned black beans get cooked in a pan with leftover chopped onion, lime zest, leftover tomato sauce (see how easy it is to be a leftover wizard? just add it in!), leftover chicken stock to cook it down, and some chili powder.

It's in the fridge now, waiting for its main course to join it.

Prep of Lime Black Beans
Black beans with lime


Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Daydream Believer

The temperature in our city this week has been in the 30s (Celsius). Add to that the Humidex and you have for some rather hot and sticky weather. Our house is not air conditioned and while I am normally fine in the heat, lately it's been keeping me up. I blogged last night to catch up on posts until about midnight and I was still wide awake afterwards. Our poor dog must be just roasting as well but she doesn't show it as much. No panting, but she has discovered that laying in front of the fan we have suits her just fine.
SO, long story short. I didn't sleep last night. Or well, I did, but not much. Just enough to have some ridiculous dreams and be very tired for work in the morning.

This hot weather reminds me of Cuba, except we are lacking the tropical plants, sand, ocean, and general feeling of relaxation and ease here. Enter my beautiful mind. Daydreaming is something I love to do. If I can't get to Cuba on a plane, I will get there in my brain! After a short visit with my dad's mom last night and hearing about my cousin going on a Caribbean cruise, my grandma heading to Spain and on a cruise, and my brother having just returned from Iceland (also, looking at Facebook pictures of an acquaintance's trip to Thailand) I am just itching to travel. My hubby and I have talked about going back to where we spent our honeymoon (Varadero Cuba at the Sandals) this coming winter.

Sandals, Varadero, Cuba, Entrance to Beach from Resort

Well, basically anywhere hot, all-inclusive, with a lovely beach and water (and at the right price) is where we'll be spending a week this winter. So, I have been imagining being away again. Zero worries, great food that we don't cook, enjoying the time alone together and finally relaxing.
I cannot wait to get to the point together where we can travel to exotic destinations at least once a year or more and explore, relax, and become closer as a couple.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Pizza and Almonds

Yesterday, pizza dough was made. Today, I did not get home until after 6:30pm. I went to the gym and my 30 minute run turned into a 60 minute run. I've never gone for so long on a treadmill and I was basking in my accomplishment and runner's high.

When I got home, it was the million-dollar-question "what did you want to make for dinner?"
Well, pizza dough is there in the fridge. So, red pepper, zucchini, onion (are you seeing a trend in the veggies? we use up what we have, hardly any leftovers go to waste) were chopped and leftover ground deer was added to my husbands half of the pizza. Some light marble cheese shredded on top and we've got a winner!

Finished Baked Pizza

Add to that a salad of coleslaw mix, dried cranberries and cucumber and you've got a perfect light but filling dinner on another hot and humid day in a house without A/C

Pizza and Salad Dinner


While the oven was still hot, I thought that I would whip up a recipe for roasted almonds that I had been eyeing for a few days. With just under 2 cups of almonds left, I decided to risk them all for the sake of a possible delicious snack.
So, 1/8 of a cup of liquid egg white whisked with garlic powder, Slap Yo Mamma spice, curry powder, chili powder, a dash of cinnamon and a packet of Splenda and you have your coating. A quick toss with the almonds to coat them, spread on a baking sheet covered in parchment. Bake at 300 F for 15 minutes then turn down the heat to 200 F and bake for another 15 minutes. I took them out halfway through the baking to toss them. They all stuck together though so I used my oven mit to break them apart and mix them up.
They still turned out great and I have been munching on them as tonights healthy snack! Try any combination that sounds good to you, just keep the egg whites and amount of almonds about the same. Lime, black pepper, corriander and chili? BBQ seasoning and liquid smoke? So many ideas!

Home Roasted Seasoned Almonds



Sunday, time to cook!

Sunday is often food prep day since there is generally a lull in my day after the morning gym class. In the summer, many of the gym classes are on hold so there was even more time to get things accomplished. Now, when ones house is under construction, keeping any area in it clean is a challenge. Especially the kitchen. Our basement is in a perpetual state of mud at the moment and whenever work is being done down there, the kitchen always ends up with chunks of mud everywhere as workers or my husband pass through to the back door. The ensuing mud ends up on cupboards, chairs, the sinks counter...
So, when my kitchen is clean, it's bliss. I would take a clean kitchen over a free pedicure any day!

Our Kitchen Sink and Area

Now, time to get started! I have made this recipe once before and there are a number of things I like about it: simple ingredients we often have on hand, cheap ingredients, easy to make, tasty, and makes ample servings. Actually, these are the types of recipes that I look for. Gold nuggets, I tell you! This one is a variation from allrecipes.com. I think it was called Tofu Coconut Keema.

Begin by chopping up one onion. 

Chopped Onion

Saute it in a pan with olive oil, chopped tofu (a cheap protein alternative) and garlic.

Chopped Onion and Tofu

Now, dump in one can of coconut milk. I use a light version. Next, add the spices. Cumin, curry powder, Thai red curry paste, and ground ginger. Oh, and a dash of cinnamon to warm up the flavour a little more.

Onion and Tofu with Coconut Milk and Spices

Mix mix mix and now time for the veggies. I use a handful of carrots, chopped, frozen peas, a drained can of baby corn, and whatever else you feel like using up. last time I used leftover grilled eggplant.
Add in about two and a half cups of tomato sauce. 

Veggies and Pasta Sauce being Added
  And mix mix mix again! Now, just let this simmer for 30 minutes so that the flavours can develop. This is now ready for us for lunches or a quick dinner during the week. It packs well for work and we'll likely serve it with some home made flat bread.

Final Product, Simmering for Flavour

Ok, one down and onto the next. Pizza dough. this recipe comes from my mom's Jewish cookbook and I have been using it for well over 10 years. Tried and true. Just add all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until it forms a ball.

My Tried and True Pizza Dough Recipe

Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in an lightly oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place. We didn't use this dough tonight either so it stayed in the fridge, waiting....


Pizza Dough Waiting to Rise

So, what did we actually eat for Sunday's dinner after all of this prep-cooking? The more delicious salmon (Costco fillet), grilled on the BBQ (a wedding present from my aunt and uncle) with some Clubhouse Salmon Seasoning (this stuff is dynamite!). Also cooked on the grill was a piece of fresh pineapple, 2 red peppers and a small zucchini.

BBQ-ing Salmon, Zucchini, Red Pepper

I had some fruit (peaches, apple, pineapple) that was going mushy that I had chopped up and cooked down on the stove a few days ago that still wasn't being eaten. So, I decided to whip up a tart for dessert.
A simple pie crust recipe that I halved, rolled out between parchment, and filled with the fruit. Rolled up the edges and stuck in the oven until the pastry was browned lightly.


Pineapple, Apple and Peach Gallette
  Warm and waiting for ice cream. We walked to the corner store/video stop/laundromat for a half litre of soft ice cream. Mmmm.

Finished Gallette

The perfect ending to a perfectly delicious meal or rich, buttery salmon and crunchy fresh veggies. The warm oven-fresh tart with cold creamy vanilla ice cream made the 35 C day and 80% humidity more than bearable.


Fruit Gallette with Light Cool Whip