Melon Goat Cheese Salad

Posted by CK in easy, goat cheese, honeydew, melon, pomegranate, potluck, recipe, salad, vegetarian

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A and I had some friends over for our first BBQ of the season the other day, and in the spirit of eating healthy, we accompanied our steaks with baked potato wedges and the following refreshing salad (suggested by a work colleague - with a few tweaks of my own).

As a bonus, this salad can easily be prepared as a main course to eat for lunch! It's also a perfect potluck dish! Simply toss the following ingredients together:

*Note: no particular portions are included as you can play around with the quantities as you like

• Lettuce (I used Boston Lettuce)
• Red onion, chopped
• Honeydew, cut into bite size cubes
• Melon, cut into bite size cubes
• Pomegranate seeds
• Crumbled goat cheese
• Creamy poppy seed salad dressing (use as little or as much ad you'd like)

Simple and delicious! :)

Enjoy!

- CK

Grilled Chicken and Artichoke Salad

Posted by CK in artichoke, chicken, easy, feta, recipe, salad

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Summer is upon us and it's time to take out your grilling tools! For A and I, summer is usually a time to reset our eating habits - key word HABIT. I'm the first one to know that eating healthy isn't always easy! Sticking to a routine that works is a challenge, but when you find fun and delicious recipes to work with, it makes the task that more easy! In order to get on that train, we've decided to include more salads in our diet. So, on our last grocery run, we made sure to buy ingredients that would help us create interesting salads. Here's one that was definitely a winner and that was SO easy to toss together!

Ingredients (yields 4 large portions):

• 2 chicken breasts
• Montreal Chicken Spice
• 4 handfuls of lettuce (any kind will do, I used mixed greens)
• 1 can artichoke hearts, cut in quarters
• 1/3 cup cubed feta cheese
• 1 1/2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp honey

Method:

1. Heat your BBQ on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes
2. Cut your chicken breasts in half, along the long side (basically make them thinner) and spice them with the Montreal Chicken Spice on both sides
3. Reduce your BBQ to medium-low heat and cook your chicken through, flipping occasionally
4. While your chicken is cooking, toss together the lettuce, artichokes, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, and cherry tomatoes.
5. Once your chicken is cooked, cut it into small cubes and add them to the mix.
6. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the olive oil, vinegar and honey.
7. Add to the salad and mix well.

This is a perfect salad to make with any kind of left-over chicken!

Vegetarian option: Replace the chicken with shrimp, or simply omit the chicken! 

Enjoy!

- CK

Haddock and Shrimp Empanadas with Honeydew Salsa

Posted by CK in celery, cilantro, easy, haddock, honeydew, onion, parsley, recipe, salsa, shrimp

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Ever since amanda and I did our first wine tasting when we reviewed Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bar Wines, we've been having monthly wine and food pairing evenings. The experience was so amazing that we had to recreate it again and again.

We've already looked at wines from the 4 corners of the world, including South Africa, Portugal, Australia, and Canada. Argentina was up next on the list and I was to bring a meal paired with white wine. I picked the Etchart Cafayete Torrentes (suggested by either the SAQ or LCBO quarterly magazines - honestly can't remember which one). The SAQ website suggested pairing this wine with the empanada recipe that I'm about to describe. With a few adjustments to make it healthier, as well as to use up ingredients I already had at home, the following is what delighted all guests:

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped cooked shrimp
• 1.5 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
• 1.5 cups cooked haddock, shredded
• 2 heaping tbsp greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb pie dough

Salsa

• 2 cups chopped honeydew
• 2 tbsp each: red onion, parsley, cilantro - finely chopped
• 2 tsp lime juice (add more if you like it very tangy)
• pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients and set aside
2. In a smaller bowl, mix the yogurt and 1/4 cup of milk until you get the consistency of cooking cream (add more milk or yogurt if necessary)
3. Mix in 3 tbsp of the yogurt mixture to the fish stuffing
4. Pre-heat your oven to 375 F
5. Roll out the pie dough and create 8 circles approximately 6 in. in diameter
6. Put fish stuffing on one side of the circle and fold the other half on top. Seal your dough using a fork. Use the same process for the remaining 7 circles and place on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet.
7. Brush the empanadas with the remaining milk and bake for 20-30 minutes (until the crust becomes golden brown)
8. While your empanadas are baking, mix your salsa ingredients and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

This is an excellent recipe for left over white fish + it's great comfort food! I served these as an appetizer to our meal (1 empanada per person). You could also serve these as a main course (2 per person). Amanda had prepared a delicious pesto that she served with fettuccine, paired with a Pascual Toso Malbec.

Although I haven't tried, I bet these empanadas would be a great freezer meal. I'll keep you posted on how that goes :)

Enjoy!

- CK

Spicy Egg Scramble with Fresh Tortilla

Posted by CK in bread, easy, eggs, onion, recipe, sausage, tomato, tortilla

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When you try to live frugally, you try to find any opportunity you have to use up the food you have before you do the groceries again. That was the case for me a few days ago. I had a few left overs in my fridge and decided to put them together.

My dad used to cook up a very similar scramble for us when we were kids and remembered how easy it was to put together. Putting the scramble together was going to be easy enough, except I didn't have any bread. To resolve that problem, I pulled out a tortilla recipe I had been wanting to try. Best part is that it only took me 30 minutes to put together! yes yes, cooking up the scramble AND making the tortillas. Perfect recipe for a last minute meal but still full of flavour! Follow the steps below to get it just right :)

Flour Tortilla - Part 1 (yields 2 tortillas)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup warm water

Method:

1. Combine flour, salt, baking powder in a bowl
2. Add oil and water and mix until the mixture comes together
3. Knead on a clean surface sprinkled with flour until you create a smooth ball
4. Divid dough in half and roll each half into flat tortillas (note: making them very thin will make them tortillas; making them slightly thicker will make them naan bread - both delicious options!)
5. Cover your tortillas for 15 minutes (note: don't stack your tortillas, it will make them soggy)

Spicy Egg Scramble

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks and 1 egg white
• 2 spicy italian sausages, outside their casing
• 1 tbsp green onion
• 1 italian tomato
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. While the dough for your tortillas is resting, start frying your sausage meat in the olive oil
2. Once the meat is 3/4 cooked, add your eggs and mix well until your eggs are fully cooked
3. Reduce the head and add the onions and tomatoes. Mix until the vegetables are warm.
4. Salt and pepper to taste
5. Cover and let rest until your bread is ready

Flour Tortillas - Part 2

1. After the rest period, heat a large pan over medium-high heat.
2. Once the pan is hot, place one dough tortilla and cook for about 1 minute - until the bottom browns slightly and bubbles start to form
3. Flip your tortilla and cook the same way
4. Remove from the pan and do the same with your second tortilla

These tortillas were so easy to make that I made a batch of 16 and have kept them in my fridge. They stay just as fresh for quite a long time! I would suggest you give it a try!

Enjoy! :)

- CK

Chicken and Plum Sumac with Herbed Feta Quinoa

Posted by CK in chicken, easy, feta cheese, plum, quinoa, recipe, sumac

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In an attempt to keep diversity in our meals (while staying healthy and keeping A happy), I picked up the free Fall issue of the LCBO magazine. Filled with recipes and wine pairing suggestions - it was definitely my cup of tea!

The recipe I'm about to introduce was definitely a winner in our home (with slight changes to adapt to my left over ingredients). It's a great recipe to welcome the Fall!

Ingredients: (Yields 4 portions)

For the Chicken and Plums
- 3 plums
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp sumac
- salt and pepper to taste

For the Quinoa
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/3 cups quinoa
- 3/4 cup cubed feta
- 1 tsp each dry parsley, oregano and rosemary
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. If you have a Roast option on your stove, now would be a great time to use it.
2. Slice each plum into 6 chunky wedges. Cut each chicken breast into chunky cubes
3. Place the plums and chicken onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Brush with olive oil and sprinke with sumac. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Roast in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and plums are tender.
6. In the meantime, pour the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil
7. Add quinoa and reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for 12-15 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and let sit for 8 minutes.
9. Using a fork, fluff the quinoa and add to a bowl. Drop in the feta, olive oil, herbs and pine nuts (if using).
10. Serve the chicken over the quinoa

The LCBO suggests serving it with a Chardonnay from the Niagara Region.

The original recipe served the chicken on couscous. I'll definitely be trying that option next time!

Enjoy!

- CK

Pasta with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Red Cabbage

Posted by CK in cherry tomatoes, easy, feta cheese, greek yogurt, pasta, recipe, red peppers, vegetarian

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Every other week, A and I try to plan out our weekly menus. To do so, I usually go through my local grocery store's flyers and compare sales. Then, I look through the recipes I've accumulated from magazines, websites, pinterest, etc. and try to match as many items on sale with ingredients in recipes.

We've found that this technique has helped us save a lot of money, as well as discover new recipes!

One of these recipes comes from the blog Trois Fois Par Jour (french only). Marilou has put together a very simple pasta salad that is full of healthy ingredients and very easy and quick to make. However, I've substituted some ingredients since I had things in my fridge just waiting to be used.

The great thing about this salad is that it can be eaten hot or cold! It's also perfect to bring over to a potluck or serve as a side when you're having people over. We ate it as a main dish and it was perfect!

So here we go:

Ingredients:
- 375 g of your pasta of choice (I use whole wheat)
- about 15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lime
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup red cabbage, finely chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese, diced
- salt and pepper to taste

for the sauce:
- 2.5 pieces of roasted red pepper in it's oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sugar (next time I would probably use a more natural sugar, like honey)
- 1/2 cup natural greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Method:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F
2. Cook the pasta according to package, rinse under cold water, dry well and reserve
3. In the meantime, spread the cherry tomatoes flesh down on a cookie sheet and spread extra virgin olive oil on top. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
4. In a food processor, or by using a stand mixer, mix all the ingredients for the sauce very well until it becomes creamy. Pour into a salad bowl.
5. Add the lime, green peppers, red cabbage, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and pasta and mix well.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste

Let us know how yours turned out! Did you make any changes of your own?

Enjoy!

-CK

Spicy Zucchini "Noodles" with Sausage and Mushrooms

Posted by amanda in budget, easy, mushrooms, pasta, tomato, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian, zucchini

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M and I recently went on our honeymoon, which means we're coming back from a week of eating unlimited delicious food and downing tons of awesome girly drinks in the pool. It also means we're feeling pretty sluggish and a little heavier than we were when we left. So, when we got home, I decided to get back into cooking with tons of fresh vegetables. Since I'm mostly off work for the summer days, I've got lots of cooking time on my hands every other day. Even though it's crazy hot out these days, I was craving something warm and filling, so I decided I'd finally try out using zucchini for noodles.

You'll need:
2 or 3 zucchini
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes (or dice your own if you've got them)
2 mild Yves meatless sausages (optional- these are obviously a lot healthier than pork sausages, but if you're not into meatless, anything like this would do)
1-2 tsp chili flakes (depending on how hot you like things)
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil
salt/pepper

Optional: feta

Cut the stems off the zucchini, and slice them into noodle shaped/sized strips. You can use a food processor if you have one, but I used a potato peeler to peel off thin strips, then sliced the strips into narrower bits. Eliminate any middle parts that are too wet and seedy.

Put these zucchini "noodles" in a colander in the sink, or over a bowl, and salt them lightly and allow to drain for 30 mins to an hour. This causes the zukes to release extra water and stops them from getting soggy. If you want to go the extra mile, gather the drained noodles and wring them out in paper towel. Set aside.

While these are draining, make the "sauce" for your "noodles".
Start by sauteeing the mushrooms in your oil and garlic until they're nice and brown. Slice the sausages into thin rounds and add them in to the mix. Drain the water from the tomatoes and add them in as well. Season with chili flakes and let simmer for a few minutes.

Heat a little oil in a separate pan, and toss the zucchini in it for no more than a couple of minutes. Combine noodles and sauce in whichever pan is larger. Heat together for about 5 minutes until nicely combined.

Crumble some feta on top, and serve warm.

Enjoy!

A

Salmon Patties with Light Dill Sauce

Posted by CK in easy, recipe, salmon, summer, vegetarian

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Wow! It's been a while since we've posted on the blog. Both amanda and I have been quite busy with weddings, showers, family obligations, etc. But we'll try to be a little more consistent this summer!

A and I have set a goal to really eat better. I know, I know. Easier said than done. But this time, we mean it. So I've been looking through old issues of Women's Health Magazine and I found A LOT of really great healthy recipes! I will be sharing try to share a lot of those in the next few weeks.

Here's the first one: Salmon Patties with Light Dill Sauce - As you can see, I really like the salmon and dill combo :)

Salmon Patties:

Ingredients (yields 4 patties):
- 1 salmon filet
- 1/4 of a red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
- 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/8 cup of parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 whole egg + 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Method:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Place your salmon on an aluminum dish and bake until cooked through (approx. 20 minutes). Let cool completely, place in a bowl, and flake with a fork.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil (medium-high heat) and cook the red pepper, celery, onion, garlic and parsley until the vegetables are tender (approx. 10 minutes). Let cool completely and add to the salmon.
3. Add the breadcrumbs and eggs to the salmon-veggies mixture and mix well.
4. Form 4 patties with the mixture (it will be wet), place on a dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. In the same skillet you used to cook the veggies, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook the patties, 3 minutes on each side.
6. Serve with Light Dill Sauce

Light Dill Sauce:

Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp light mayonnaise (to thicken, this is optional)
- 2 tsp dry dill
- 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:
Simply mix all the ingredients together! Pour over salmon cakes and voila! :)

Guiltless Leek and Potato Soup (in only 4 ingredients!)

Posted by amanda in budget, butter, easy, healthy, leek, potato, recipe, soup, vegetarian

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Leek season is upon us! It's a fleeting time of year - a brief period of time when it makes any kind of budgetary sense to buy leeks. Onions and I have a troubled relationship made complicated by my uncooperative digestive system. Leeks however, have never done me wrong. What's more, leeks, like other onions, are great for lowering cholesterol, which is all well and good as long as you don't slather them in cream and butter, which are the leeks most common pot-fellows. So, with that in mind, here is a super easy recipe for leek and potato soup sans cream (but with butter). I think this would be worth a shot with margarine, or even without butter at all, but I can't say I've tried it. Let me know how it works out if you do!

You'll need:

• Soup pot
• hand blender (other blenders are fine, just messier)

• 3 large leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 2-3 tbsp butter (depending on how much leek you get...they tend to vary a lot in size)
• two russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf (optional)

 Let's do it!:

•  To prepare your leeks:
•  wash all visible dirt off the outsides to keep your cutting board clean
• Chop off the dark green leaves, leaving light green ones (they're perfectly fine in a soup)
• Slice off the root and about 1/2-1 inch of the bottom white section, leaving as much as possible.
• cut in half the long way. It doesn't have to be perfect- remember you're going to puree these anyways
• Wash out all the dirt you can (I like to give them a good scrub using a vegetable brush) from the outside and inside of the leaves
• Slice width-wise to get nice, manageable half-rounds of leek. 

• Melt butter in your soup pot.
• Add the leeks, and stir to coat.
• Cook down for anywhere from 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until your leeks look translucent. I set my burner to medium heat and it worked well.
• Add potatoes, stir.
• Add bay leaf, if you're using one.
• Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until potatoes begin to soften.
• Add stock.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for another ten minutes or so.
• Let cool.
• Remove bay leaf .
• Once cooled, blend with the hand blender.

Serve hot, with freshly cracked black pepper if you like.

SlowCooked Peanut and Spinach Tofu

Posted by amanda in easy, peanut butter, recipe, satay, slow cooker, soy sauce, spinach, tofu, vegan, vegetarian

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I've recently added a slow cooker to my kitchen, and it's completely changed the way M and I eat throughout the week. This is our current favourite thing to have on hand. It packs a serious amount of protein, and is a great way to eat spinach.

You'll need:

• a slow cooker/crock pot
• a skillet

• 2 blocks of firm tofu, rinsed and cut into one-inch cubes
• 1/2-1 cup of peanut satay sauce (I like President's Choice Memories of Szechuan)
• 1 cup peanut butter (M likes crunchy best)
• 1/4 cup terriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tbsp minced ginger (mine are heaping)
• 5-10 oz of baby spinach (I put about half a container into cook, and then add fresh spinach to the dish throughout the week, to liven it up without wilting)
• 1/2 cup peanuts, crushed roughly (optional)
• 1-2 tsp chili flakes (optional)

 To make this goodness:

Brown the tofu in the skillet by lightly frying it, using cooking spray or olive oil. Set aside.

In a bowl, stir together everything except the tofu and spinach. Move this sauce to the slow cooker.

Add the tofu, and stir. As the tofu cooks in the sauce, check on it every once in a while to evaluate its consistency. I like my sauce fairly thick, but if you like it thin, add a little more water until you reach your desired sauciness. Because you won't lose any water in the cooker, what you see is what you will pretty much get, though it will of course thicken a little through cooking, and will pull together nicely.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

At 3.5 hours (or half an hour before you turn it off), add your spinach, mixing it in gently. The goal is for the spinach to wilt, but not get too icky.

Serve hot, and don't be afraid to add more spinach ALWAYS MORE SPINACH!

xo
A

 

Sweet and Spicy Squash Soup

Posted by amanda in easy, recipe, soup, squash, vegetarian

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Unfortunately, my photo makes the soup look a little blue.

 It's not.

Butternut squash is a great fall staple, and it's becoming a regular in my house. This soup makes excellent use of its nutty sweetness by balancing the squash with silky coconut and a bright kick of ginger.

You're gonna need:

• a big soup pot
• a blender or some kind (preferably immersion/hand)

• 1-1.5 butternut squash, peeled and in big chunks
• 1 onion, diced/chopped
• 1-2 tbsp minced ginger (you can add this as you go along, tasting until you've added what's right for you and your buds)
• 1-2 dried chillies (again, evaluate your own interest in spice)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can coconut milk (light if you can get it, but I used the regular cooking kind)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp curry powder (optional)
• freshly cracked black pepper 

To peel and dice your squash:

Use a heavy kitchen knife (I used the biggest one I had) to slice the top and bottom "caps" off the squash, creating a flat bottom to make it stand safely.

Use a potato peeler to skim the skin off the squash - try to take the layer of tough skin off without removing too much of the flesh.

Cut the squash lengthwise and widthwise, into four pieces. Scoop out the guts with a spoon. Cut the now cleaned and naked squash into large chunks.

To make the soup:

Sautée the onion, chillies, and ginger in the olive oil over medium heat until the mixture is fragrant and the onion becomes translucent.

Stir in the butternut squash and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add stock, curry, and coconut milk, mixing well. 

Cook until the squash has become tender.

Once the squash is softened, blend right in the pot if you are fortunate enough to own a hand blender.

Serve hot, seasoned with fresh black pepper.

Variation: if you like your soup thicker than thinner, try including a cauliflower as a thickener. Add cauliflower florets to the first mixture so it can absorb all the soup's great flavours.

Yogurt-Dill Salmon

Posted by CK in budget, dill, easy, healthy, parsley, recipe, salmon, vegetarian, yogurt

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Wowzers has it been a long time since we posted anything! We would like to apologize for this long delay. Amanda and I have both been very busy in the last few months and finally got around to cooking again! We both got great new kitchen appliances that we are just dying to try out! :)

As we are supposed to be eating fish twice a week, I try to make a conscious effort to include it in my diet. I usually end up eating a can of sardines (I know, probably not the best...) or salmon to bake. Salmon is probably my favourite fish and it's great for my cholesterol!

In light of this, I decided to thaw my salmon in the fridge yesterday while I was at work. I knew I only had about a half hour to prepare supper since I had an evening appointment and salmon recipes are usually quite quick to make.

Thanks to the wonderful Martha Stewart, I was able to adapt her simple, delicious and quick roasted salmon recipe with ingredients in my pantry.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup 2% natural yogurt
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dry parsley
• 1 teaspoon dry dill
• Salmon filet

Prepare:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F
2. Mix the yogurt, mustard, parsley and dill in a bowl
3. Place your salmon filet, skin down, on a lined cookie sheet
4. Spread your yogurt mixture on top of your salmon
5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked (it will be flaky)

That's it! I served it with boiled potatoes which take approximately the same time. Perfect and healthy dinner! :)

Enjoy!

-CK

Light Turkey-Stuffed Peppers

Posted by CK in couscous, easy, light, peppers, recipe, turkey

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Stuffed peppers. I always thought it was a very complex and long process to make. It just always looks so delicious and exotic in cookbooks, so I never thought I had the culinary prowess to come up with something so complex.

Last time I had my friend Annie over though, we decided to give it a shot. What's the worst thing that could've happened - except, you know, burning down the house? We substituted the traditional rice for couscous (because neither of us can cook rice properly. Guilty.), and added some vegetables to the mix.

Luckily for us, we didn't burn down my brand new condo and our dish turned out to be absolutely delectable and fairly easy to make! I would definitely file this under the "easy" category. PLUS, it's a great dish to please the crowds! Not sure what to cook your partner tonight but want to prepare a low-budget fancy date? Turkey-Stuffed Peppers! Having people over and not sure what to serve them? Turkey-Stuffed Peppers! Yes, this recipe is quite versatile!

Seriously, you won't regret it.

Ingredients (yields 4 portions):

• 2 large red peppers, halfed and cleaned out
• 1/2 cup couscous
• Half a pound of extra-lean ground turkey
• 1/2 large zucchini, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic (more or less, depending on your love for garlic)
• 2 tsp Italian herbs seasonning
• Grated cheese of your choice (we used Light cheddar)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water

Method:

1. Cook the couscous according to package instructions (I simply boil some water and pour it over the couscous in a bowl. Ready in 5 minutes!)
2. In the meantime, fry up your onions and garlic in olive oil until your onion starts becoming translucent.
3. Add your turkey to the pan and cook it completely.
4. Add the zucchini, the italian herbs, salt and pepper, and continue cooking for approximately 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste and a tbsp of water, mix everything well. 
6. Once your meat mixture is ready, add it to your couscous and mix well.
7. Stuff your half peppers with your couscous/meat mixture and place them in a deep oven-proof dish.
8. Add about 1.5 tbsp of water to the bottom of your dish, cover with alluminum foil and place in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.
9. Remove the alluminum foil and top the peppers with cheese.
10. Place back in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Have some left over mixture? Freeze it and save it for your next event! 

Enjoy!

- CK

Seafood Gratin

Posted by CK in cheese, easy, gratin, potato, recipe, seafood, vegetarian

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C came back into town for the week end and we just couldn't resist getting back into our old habit of cooking together. Here's what we came up with this time:

Ingredients (for 2 large servings or 4 small servings):

• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup milk
• half a bunch of broccoli, chopped
• 5 white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup seafood mix (I got the 10$ pack of frozen seafood from Super C - but feel free to use whatever seafood you prefer)
• Half a shallot, chopped
• Grated mozzarella cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil the potatoes in a small sauce pan.
3. In a separate pan, boil your seafood for a few minutes, simply to let them melt (Note: If your seafood isn't precooked, make sure it is cooked before proceeding with this recipe).
4. In the meantime, mix your shallots, mushrooms and broccoli in a bowl.
5. Once your seafood is ready, add to the veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix. (Note: next time, I'll try adding coriander to the mixture. Feel free to add whatever spice you may think is appropriate for your taste buds)
6. Once your potatoes are boiled, drain and add the milk. Mash until the potatoes and the milk have been properly combined.
7. In large ramekins, layer the potatoes at the bottom and add the seafood mixture on top. 
8. Top it off with mozzarella cheese (quantity to your liking) and slide in the oven until the cheese has melted, approximately 5-10 minutes. 
9. Serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

- CK

Mixed Beans Salad

Posted by CK in beans, easy, finger food, healthy, recipe, salad, vegetarian

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While attending a BBQ back home a few weeks ago, my aunt prepared a bean salad/dip that she served with multigrain tostitos. You can imagine my surprise when I found myself eating quite a large amount of it! i.e. amazing deliciousness.

In an attempt to create something similar, I came up with the following:

Ingredients (5-7 servings):

• 1 cup Garbanzo beans (Primo brand)
• 1 cup White kidney beans (Irresistibles brand)
• 1 cup canned corn, drained
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1/2 diced white onion
• 3/4 diced sweet red pepper
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 2 large minced garlic cloves
• 1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• optional: red kidney beans - note that the more beans you add, the more carbs you add. 
• Mutligrain tostitos scoops

Very simply mix everything together! Add 6 crushed tostitos to each serving. I wouldn't advise adding the tostitos to the main mix as they might get soggy from the vinegrette.

This salad is perfect for a potluck, BBQ or even as an appetizer when you have guests coming over! Serve them in the scoops and you've got yourself some healthy finger food! :)

Nutritional Information (1 portion - if parted in 7):

Salad + Tostitos

Calories: 270.42

Carbs: 40.33 g

Protein: 11.03 g

Fat: 7.55 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg 

Enjoy!

- CK

Guillaume's Cooking: Chicken Quinoa Salad

Posted by CK in chicken, easy, quinoa, recipe, salad

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Before we head into this absolutely delicious recipe, I would like to introduce our new monthly guest blogger: Guillaume! While he is a work colleague of mine, he's worked in restaurants for many years. So, I'm sure he'll bring some great insight into the art of cooking! :) One of his recipes will be featured every second wednesday of every month. So make sure to check in! Welcome Guillaume!

This is one of my simple “go-to” dish I do very often as it requires very little preparation and it is enjoyed by all of my friends. If you wish to save a bit of time during the preparation, you can easily replace the tomato sauce by sun-dried tomato pesto or regular pesto. This dish incorporates many elements of a Greek salad with the feta bringing all components of the dish together with its saltiness and creaminess. The richness of the roasted pine nuts accentuates the texture of the quinoa. The use of quinoa instead of pasta keeps the dish light and fresh.

Preparation:

25 to 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts (diced)
• 1 Lemon or lime
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Quinoa

• ½ cup of quinoa
• ½ cup of stock (chicken or vegetable)
• ½ cup of water

Tomato Sauce

• 2 Tomatoes
• 1/3 cup of finely chopped white onion
• 1 finely chopped garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• ¼ cup of pine nuts

Vegetables

• ¼ cup of finely chopped red pepper
• ¼ cup of finely chopped green pepper
• ¼ cup of finely chopped cucumber
• ¼ cup of finely chopped red onion
• ¼ cup of feta (crumbled)

Method:

1. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag and add the juice from one lemon or lime. Add the cinnamon and bit of salt and pepper to taste. (the cinnamon can be replaced by oregano, thyme, cumin, or any other combination of spices you may enjoy). Vacuum seal the bag and place in the refrigerator while cutting the vegetables.
2.  In a saucepan, boil water and blanche the tomatoes for five minutes. Remove the skin and dice the tomatoes. Keep some of the liquid used to blanche the tomatoes in a cup.
3. In another saucepan, bring to boil ½ cup of water and ½ cup of stock. Incorporate the quinoa and cook on medium heat, stirring intermittently, until all the liquid has evaporated. Let the quinoa cool for 5 minutes.
4.  In the saucepan used to blanche the tomatoes, combine a bit of oil and add the finely chopped white onions and garlic. Add the diced tomatoes, the oregano, and some salt and pepper to taste. Let the onions, garlic and tomatoes reduce at medium heat stirring once in while. As the tomatoes, onions and garlic reduce, add some of the liquid used to blanche the tomatoes as needed to help build the sauce base. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Lightly roast the pine nuts in a pan. In a blender, incorporate the tomato sauce and half of the roasted pine nuts. Blend until the texture of the sauce is nice and smooth. Let the sauce sit for 5 minutes.
6. Cook the chicken in a pan or on the barbecue. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before dicing it.
7.  In a bowl, combine the quinoa and tomato sauce, the rest of the pine nuts, the vegetables, the feta and the chicken.
8. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Creamy Herb and Garlic Orzo Salad

Posted by CK in basil, cheese, easy, olives, orzo, pasta salad, recipe, sun-dried tomatoes

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As mentioned in my previous post, we spent the beautiful Canada Day week end at our friend's cottage. We had quite the relaxing time, so we came back extremely rested, our ears ringing from all the fireworks and surely, our bellies full!

Before we left to part-take in the shenanigans, I had asked one of A's co-workers for an amazing salad recipe she whipped up for a BBQ we attended. With a few adjustments (the original recipe called for Feta cheese and capers, which I'm not a big fan of), I came up with a warm, yet refreshing salad that everybody enjoyed! 

Prep time: 15 minutes. BOOM!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups Orzo
• 1 cup diced black olives
• 1.5 tbsp diced sun-dried tomatoes (make sure to keep the oil it's dipped in)
• 1 tbsp herbs and garlic Boursin cheese
• lime juice to taste
• 1 extra tsp sun-dried tomatoes oil
• 1/2 tbsp basil

Do it up:

1. Cook the Orzo according to the package (it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to cook)
2. Once your Orzo is ready, place it in a salad bowl and add the olives, the sun-dried tomatoes, the extra oil, and the basil. Mix well.
3. Then add the Boursin cheese. The orzo will still be warm enough that the cheese will melt when mixed, creating a creamy looking salad.
4. Finally, add the lime juice to taste, just to give it the kick it needs.

Pair this with spicy lime and chicken skewers, and you've got yourself a full meal! :) 

Enjoy!

- CK 

Dill Broccoli Salad

Posted by amanda in broccoli, budget, dill, easy, feta, quick, recipe, salad, vegetarian

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C and I have just come back from a helluva long weekend at an amazing cottage on Leslie Lake. While we were there we revisited some favorite recipes from last year's cottage adventures, and mixed up some new ones. Because it was gonna be hot as heck, I focused on salads this year, making one coleslaw, and one pasta salad. M and I had prepared pretty awesomely for the cottage, but came back to empty pantries at home, so tonight I mixed together some leftover ingredients from the first two, and came up with something pretty tasty for a hot summer's night.

You're gonna need:
1 bag (roughly 5 cups) of broccoli, julienned (I had a bag of PC broccoli slaw in the fridge)
Half an onion, chopped
1/4 of a cucumber, sliced in cookies and quartered
1/4 fresh dill, chopped
PC Artichoke and asiago salad dressing (or anything creamy and cool)
a small handful of feta cheese, crumbled
tons of freshly cracked black pepper

Mix it all together and eat your heart out! Delicious with cheese pizza.

Kafta Burger Patties

Posted by CK in bbq, beef, budget, burger, easy, onion, parsley, recipe

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BBQ season is upon us! For what has now become a traditional annual cottage week end, this Canada day week end will be spent eating and bathing at a friend's cottage. Unfortunately, cottage-time often means quick and easy meals, which often equals store-bought hot dogs and burgers, and whatever other fast food you can find.

Since both A and I are trying to watch what we eat, I inspired myself from last year's sweet and sour chicken skewers and amazing pasta salad, and decided to prepare everything ahead. That way, we'll make sure that we eat right and light. As I'm sure a whole bunch of other posts will follow post-cottage, I'll give you a pre-taste of the meals we'll be enjoying at the cottage. Let's start with burgers!

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This burger patty is a traditional Lebanese recipe (a.k.a Kafta) and is absolutely fantastic! These patties cost me around 7$ to make, if not less (for 10 regular size patties).

You'll need:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• half an onion, diced
• half a bunch of parsley, cut up into the tiniest pieces possible
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

The steps are very simple: 

1. Mix all your ingredients in a bowl, making sure your veggies mesh well with the meat (think of it as kneading the meat)
2. Once everything is mixed well, form 10 balls, approximately the size of golf balls (maybe slightly bigger)
3. Take each ball and flatten it on the palm of your hand. Note: If the meat is sticking to your hand, don't hesitate to dab a little bit of cold water into the palm of your hand.

That's it. That's all. If you're not planning on eating them right away, freeze them!

If your boyfriend is anything like mine and likes the raw taste of meat, avoid buying the pre-made-fully-packed-with-fake-food burger patties, and simply add salt and pepper to a pound of lean ground beef and form patties. 

Enjoy BBQ season and stay tuned for our other cottage recipes! 

- CK

Spicy Lime and Honey Chicken

Posted by CK in bbq, chicken, easy, honey, lime, recipe

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Now that summer is right outside our door, the BBQ's are out!! Lately, I've had a craving chicken wings. I know, I know. Not very healthy you'll say. But I guess it all depends how it's prepared! BBQ or bake your wings and you'll see all the difference in the world :)

So, in addition to the most delicious sweet and sour sauce (tried it on wings - marinated them overnight in this sauce, it was absolutely fantastic!), I'm adding this spicy lime and honey sauce. Very easy and quick to make. Great to prepare for cottage week ends or summer potlucks! I adjusted this recipe from the What's Cooking, Chicago? blog since I didn't have all the ingredients. I also used chicken breasts instead of wings because I didn't have any wings available :(

Ingredients (Yields 3 portions):

• 1/3 cup lime juice 
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tsp ground hot peppers (adjust according to spiciness liking)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 chicken breasts

Method:

1. Pre-heat your BBQ or grill pan to medium-high heat.
2. Prepare the marinade: Mix the lime juice, honey and ground hot peppers in a bowl and place aside. (Note: the original recipe asks to cook this sauce until it slightly thickens. I didn't try that, but go ahead and play around with this recipe!)
3. Toss the chicken breasts with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Grill the chicken until marked, turning as needed.
5. Baste your chicken with the marinade until your chicken is fully cooked. Make sure to keep basting to ensure that the chicken stays moist. 

You can also marinate overnight your chicken breasts/wings in a combination of all the ingredients and simply grill them the next day. I'll definitely try that out at my next BBQ! :)

Enjoy!

- CK