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.

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

V-day Special: Lobster on a Budget

Posted by CK in budget, easy, green beans, lobster, potato, recipe, vegetarian

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Ahhh. Valentine's day. The day of looooove.

A and I have celebrated Valentine's day in different ways, great restaurants and horseback riding being on the menu. But this year, we both have plans that require saving our money and so this much celebrated event will have to be experienced without having to dish out on expensive bottles of wine and restaurants so fancy that only a connoisseur would know where to find ( A is fancy like that ;) ).



This meal was prepared for a birthday celebration,
but is PERFECT for a romantic dinner :)

I'm sure many of you are in the same situation - want to do something nice and romantic, but don't have the mullah for it. That's why we bring you the Lobster on a Budget meal. This meal will require around 1.5 hours to prepare and will only cost you about a third of what you'd pay in a restaurant (depending on the lobster you get of course). It cost me around 30$ for 2 meals - including the wine.

With this, you can easily get the restaurant experience in the privacy of your home, and without having to take out the only savings you have left to please your mate. Actually, preparing this meal for them (or together) might be more rewarding for the both of you! ;)

This is a perfect pairing with the easy Beets Appetizer! Idea: Prepare a 3 course meal with these great recipes! :)

So, this meal requires 3 steps: the potatoes, the green beans and the lobster.

Note: If you're not the cooking kind, check out our great Valentine's day restaurants post and take your mate out for a nice night on the town!

Before we start, find a warm area where you can keep your finished dishes, or make some room on your counter to let them sit while covered to make sure they stay relatively warm when you serve them.

Step 1: Prepare Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

The Food Network's website has a lot of great recipes to try out and adapt to your liking, this one was definitely one of them.

Ingredients:

• 3 large Russett potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges.  
• 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 tablespoons dry rosemary

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the potatoes in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary.
3. Toss until the potatoes are well coated.
4. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer.
5. Roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.
6. Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve.

Voilà! Easy peasy! Now, while the potatoes are roasting, prepare your green beans.

Step 2: Prepare the Lemon-Butter Green Beans

Gotta love the Food Network!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, blanched in boiling salted water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts (optional, A doesn't like pine nuts)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Pinch salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Drain green beans well and pat dry.
2. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the green beans and toss to coat evenly. Cook just enough to warm through, about 1 minute.
4. Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and toss to combine.
5. Remove from the heat and put those aside
6. Start prepping your lobster! :)

Step 3: Grill your Lobster

At this point, you have 3 options:

1. If you own a bbq and it's been sitting through the winter, now's a good time to wake it up a little before the summer.
2. If you have a grilling pan, that's great because you can just cook it on your stovetop!
3. I purchased the lobster already cooked, so you may not even have to do anything with the lobster if you can't grill it (although you can always try a nice broiled lobster, but I wanted to try my new pan :))

Now that you've picked your option, on to the cooking. This marinade is fairly simple and gave a great taste to the lobster tail (which is really the only part you can do something with if you're grilling).

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 frozen lobsters (size of your choice. I found small-medium lobsters for 6$ each at my local Metro - jumped on those ones) - you can also use lobster tails if you feel it might be easier for you.

Method:

1. Preheat the grill for high heat.
2. Squeeze the lemon juice into a small bowl, and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Whisk in the salt, white pepper, and garlic.
3. Rinse you lobster and flip it on it's back. Cut open the "casing" of the tail. Remove the top transparent shell so that the flesh is showing but is still sitting in the bottom shell.
4. Baste the flesh part of the tail with the marinade.
5. Lightly oil the grill grate and place the tails, flesh side down, on the preheated grill. (if you're using the grilling pan, it's normal that your lobster doesn't fit in your pan, its upper body might be dangling out a little). 
6. Cook for 5 minutes, pressing the tail against the grill and basting frequently with the marinade. Discard any remaining marinade.

7. Do the same with the second lobster.

Serve this deliciousness with some melted garlic butter (We used a chocolate fondue set to keep the butter melted and warm) and some homemade bread with some garlic butter spread.

Wine Pairing: Since this meal is full of butter, pair it with a nice Chardonnay. I know, the picture has red wine, but that's because A doesn't drink white. If you want to go with red, go with a Pinot Noir.

Bonus Step: Setting the Atmosphere

Yay! You've created an epic meal (granted, full of calories and cholesterol, but hey, it's Valentine's day)! Setting the table is key to creating the atmosphere:

1. Find a white tablecloth and drape it over your table.
2. Create a centerpiece with candles and empty bottles of wine.
3. Plate the food so that it looks somewhat appealing (you be the judge). A good tip is to play with levels.
4. If you don't have the lobster tools, use some nut crackers - we got some for $3 a piece.
5. Have some jazz music playing in the background.
6. Crack open that bottle of wine and enjoy your evening!

Easy Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Posted by CK in carrot, chicken, easy, potato, recipe

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As a New Year's resolution, A and I decided to work on our diet. He's been wanting to include healthier foods and essential nutrients in his diet, but when cooking isn't your favorite thing to do, that goal can be hard to achieve. That's why we decided that once a week - preferably on Sundays, we'd cook at least 4 full meals for the week - as we both like to indulge in a little take out once in a while or are often invited to family suppers.

In any case, last Friday was our first cooking day during which we prepared a lasagna, spinach pies, an amazing quinoa, sweet potato and broccoli soup recipe (our first guest blogger will be posting up this recipe very soon!), a pad thaï for that night's supper, as well as today's special: roasted chicken drumsticks with potatoes and carrots. To create this delectable meal for 6-8 portions, get:

• A large box of 15 chicken drumsticks
• 5 large Russett potatoes
• 4 large carrots
• 3/4 cup of olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3-4 tbsp italian spices
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Put your drumsticks in a bowl and rince. Spread about 1/2 tbsp of salt on them and mix well.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Peel and cut your potatoes into cubes (or however you fancy your potatoes, cutting them in cubes makes for more portions).
4. Peel and cut your carrots into large slices.
5. Place your carrots and potatoes in a large roasting pan. Place the drumsticks over them.
6. Add a dash of pepper and your italian spices.
7. Cover the roaster and cook for approximately 2 hours, or until your chicken is cooked.

That's it. Easy peasy! The long part is mostly the cooking itself. It's a great meal to prepare in advance and freeze up. If you do pick that option, make sure your meal is cool before putting it in the freezer. Once you just can't wait to eat it anymore, take it out of the freezer and stick it in the fridge that morning. Before you eat it, put it back in the oven for about 20-30 minutes - or heat it up in the microwave.

Enjoy! :)

-CK

Winter Beef Stew

Posted by CK in beef, potato, recipe, stew

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Winter cold hasn't really hit us yet, but here in Canada, that only means very cold months ahead. That's why this hearty beef stew is the perfect dish for those upcoming cold winter evenings. It'll warm you up and fill you up so you can go to bed satisfied.

This very simple recipe, that I slightly changed from this one, requires:

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds very lean beef stew meat
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 5 large potatoes, cut in eighths
• 4 or 5 large carrots, cut in 2-inch slices
• 1 teaspoon of 7 spices (this can be found in middle eastern markets. If you don't have this, you can simply use pepper).
• salt
• 1 can condensed tomato soup

You can either prepare this in a Crockpot or on the stove top. I did it on the stove top and this is what I did:

1. In a large pan, brown stew meat in oil. 
2. Add chopped onions and sliced celery and cook until tender. 
3. Add vegetables and 7 spices. 
4. Add soup and a soup can of water. 
5. Simmer over lowest heat for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender. Add more water as needed.

Crockpot Directions: Do steps 1 and 2. Then, transfer the mixture into the Crockpot along with all other ingredients, cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours. Add water if necessary.

Enjoy!

-CK

4 Simple Ingredients + 4 Easy Steps = Fantastic Healthy Salad!

Posted by CK in healthy, potato, recipe, spinach, vegetarian

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Did you ever wonder if Popeye only ate his spinach straight from the can, or did Olive sometimes cook for him? Well, if she did put on an apron and had a short 20 minutes to spare, I'm sure that this recipe would've been a winner!

I had never thought of mixing potatos and spinach together, until I came across this potato and spinach salad  recipe (the link is odd as you can't link to this particular recipe, you actually have to look for it). It is absolutely fantastic! Great to fill you up for lunch/supper but also great if you're invited to a potluck and you've got a case of I-don't-have-time-to-make-something-but-I-have-to-bring-something. You can bring the ingredients over and take 20 minutes to make it! :)

To make a salad that serves 3 somewhat good portions, GET:

• 3 large Russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup of spinach (defrosted)
• 2 teaspoons mayo
• 1 squirt of mustard

1. If you have time, boil your potatoes until soft. I cleaned them first then microwaved them for about 15 minutes because I didn't have time to boil them.
2. Defrost your spinach in the microwave
3. While your spinach is defrosting, cut your potatoes into cubes (or whatever shape you like them in), I like to leave the skin on, but do whatever your heart desires.
4. Mix your potatoes, spinach, mayo and mustard.
5. THAT'S IT!

It turned out succulent and a little sweet too! It's quite fantastic! :)

Enjoy!

-CK

Earl's Warm Potato Salad

Posted by CK in potato, recipe, salad, vegetarian

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As my boyfriend and I were travelling in the Rockies last week, we came across Earls Restaurant, which seems to be a very popular chain restaurant across Canada (we unfortunately don't have it in Ottawa nor anywhere in Quebec, which is why I had never heard of it). Regardless, our very delicious baby back ribs came with a side of vegetables and probably the most amazing potato salad I've ever had (or at least, something very close to that).

So I searched online, and found ALOT of different recipes, but this one looks like it's the closest to the real deal. Although I had it with some bits of bacon, removing them from the recipe makes a great appetizer for a vegetarian meal! Probably NOT the healthiest choice, but I definitely recommend either cooking it yourself or trying it at Earls.

Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked potatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup Miracle Whip
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon horseradish
- dash of green tabasco or red pepper (optional)
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preparation:
1. Simmer potatoes until fork tender. Remove skins, and cut into cubes.
2. In a bowl, combine celery, eggs, potatoes, onions, vinegar and seasonings. Toss lightly to combine.
3. In a separate small bowl, mix mustard, and Miracle Whip. Stir into potatoes and serve warm.

Variation: Add cooked and crumbled bacon bits to the salad dressing.

The restaurant's website offers the following nutritional information for their warm potato salad. For 217g:

Calories 431.00
Protein (g) 9.00
Carbohydrates (g) 29.00
Fibre (g) 2.50
Fat (g) 31.00
Saturated fat (g) 7.90
Trans fat (g) 0.70
Cholesterol (mg) 40.00
Sodium (mg) 523.00