Papaya Salsa

Papaya Salsa - June 28th, 2012

Thank You Kristina!!

This salsa was made possible by my very thoughtful friend Kristina. After hearing my disappointment at not being able to make the salsa last night, she surprised me by arriving to work this morning with two papayas.

Papaya Salsa - page 126

"Papayas are tropical fruits that appeal to most palates, making them a perfect addition to this summer salsa."

Incredibly quick and easy to prepare, this salsa is AWESOME!! It's got a little bit of heat, and it full of flavour. Prep consisted of some simple knife work to diced everything up and the squeezing of a lime. I like easy!

We were going over to our friends Meghan & Craig's place this evening for supper. Craig was preparing a Vegan meal for all of us as our vegan friend Gill was also coming. On a side note, you wouldn't have known that this was the first vegan meal he has ever made. It was DELICIOUS!!

I decided that this salsa would be an excellent appetizer to take with us. We stopped and pick up some Tostito Scoops (and beer) on our way there. The salsa was a hit! Everyone really loved it. Yahoo!!

All the flavours of this salsa work really nicely together. Papaya, red onion, red peppers, black beans, jalapenos, garlic, lime and cumin. As I will most definitely be making this again, I think I will also add some mango in there too. The recipe did call for cilantro but I left that out as Niall isn't the biggest fan of the stuff.

We brought home the left overs of the salsa. Niall can snack on it tomorrow. But we did do a little taste test to see how it went with some Tostito Hint of Lime Nachos. Mmmm-mmm-good!

I'll post tomorrow what the new recipes will be for next week. I hope you are enjoying this little challenge as much as I am. Stay tuned :)

13 down, 188 to go...

Ultimate Turkey Burgers

Ultimate Turkey Burger - June 27th, 2012

Sorry I'm late getting this post up. Meant to write this last night, but then last night turned into this morning which  then got delayed till this moment.

My original hope had been to make the Papaya Salsa to go with these burgers but unfortunately the Superstore's (both Young & Joseph Howe) papaya delivery was a day late.

Ultimate Turkey Burgers - page 243

"Replacing ground beef with lean ground turkey is an easy way to reduce fat and calories without sacrificing taste. Try it in any recipe that calls for ground beef - no one will know the difference!"

First off, I am all for healthy recipes, and I do love turkey burgers...but while I understand it is the point of their write-up to promote the recipe...to say that no one would notice the switching out of beef for turkey is a stretch. I am a fan of a good ol' fashioned hamburger. I don't think you can really put the two on the same scale.  Loving one doesn't replace the other.

These burgers were much different from burgers I've made in the past. I was always under the impression that you needed bread crumbs and eggs when forming patties. I now there are other options. The ground turkey is simple mixed with diced red peppers, garlic, parsley, and seasoning. When grilled they kept their shape and had a really nice flavour.

I must give Niall kudos for being the official Griller in our household. When something needs to be BBQ'd, he's the chef for the meal.

I may have cheated a little and added some thinly sliced cheddar goat cheese to the tops of the burgers. Simple on the condiments, just mustard, relish, lettuce and sliced red onion & tomatoes. Our buns may have been a tad too large though. I did a little demolition work on the bun and tore around the edge so it matched the size of the burger.

If I made these again the only thing I would change is that I would make the patties a little larger.  I prefer a thicker burger. Plus, next time I would make sure I had a topping such as chunky salsa.


12 down, 189 to go...

Honey Mustard-Glazed Salmon with Lentils & Kale

Honey Mustard-Glazed Salmon with Lentils & Kale - June 24th, 2012

With yesterday being Niall's turn-around night for work, I didn't make this until 8:30pm so he could have it for supper when he woke up at 9pm. I wasn't all that hungry anyways (maybe it was all the cookies....), so I just packed up my half and had it for lunch today at work.

Honey Mustard-Glazed Salmon with Lentils & Kale - page 104

"Mixing up your own honey-mustard sauce is a snap and allows you to skip the processed versions. Brown lentils are a good choice for this dish because they tend to hold their shape when cooked and are easier to find than red or green varieties."

Funny thing is that when I went grocery shopping on Sunday, I couldn't find BROWN lentils at all. I could only find GREEN ones. They also held their shape and were just as tasty. I'm not sure if the brown lentils would have tasted all that much different from the green ones or not. Does anyone out there know?

Another incredibly easy dish to prepare. At 450 degrees, the fish baked quickly and remained moist. The honey-mustard glaze is really good!! The Dijon was not over-powering. Just the right amount of savory & sweet.

The recipe uses only a light seasoning of sea salt and pepper for the lentils and kale, but upon Niall's suggestion, a light squeeze of lemon over top does the trick.

This meal was very filling! As I had it for lunch at 1pm (while dining in the rose garden al-fresco & catching up with my dear friend Kristina), I may not be hungry for quite some time. I guess this makes a good note that this dish reheats well and is 'left-over' friendly.

Just want to give a quick shout out to everyone on Baker Street. I'm excited to know that you will soon be following along via your own copies of the cookbook. I'm curious to hear your feedback!! To anyone else out there who may be interested in joining along, please let me know.

On Wednesday I'll be making the Turkey Burgers with the Papaya Salsa. Mmmmm.
Hopefully the rain holds off that evening so we can BBQ.

11 down, 190 to go...

Chocolate-Spiked Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate-Spiked Oatmeal Cookies - June 24, 2012

I would like to begin by exclaiming that my condo smells amazing!

Freshly baked cookies. Yum.

Chocolate-Spiked Oatmeal Cookies - page 217

"Adding chocolate gives this classic cookie a delightful new twist. Try it as part of our CE "Ice Cream" Sandwich or dunk it into a refreshing glass of milk."

When I divided up the recipes into bundles, I just went down the Table of Contents. I didn't realize that the recipe for CE "Ice Cream" Sandwiches is actually just the two recipes for "Chocolate-Spiked Oatmeal Cookies", and "Vanilla Frozen Yogurt" put together. All three recipes were included in the '201 recipes', so you will hear about them at least twice more during this challenge. I would have just made the "Ice Cream" Sandwiches today but I didn't have any plain yogurt in the fridge. Although it would have been nice to knock 3 recipes off the list in one go. When the Frozen Yogurt recipe gets drawn later on, I will just make these cookies again and do the whole sha-bang.

This recipe had several elements that stand it apart from your 'normal' oatmeal cookie.

1. No butter
2. No egg yolk, egg white only
3. No granulated sugar
4. uses Almond Butter

For sweetness, the recipe calls for Agave nectar. I had it on my shopping list this morning. I couldn't find it down the regular aisle with the honeys and peanut butter, so I had made the mental note to finish getting everything else on my list before heading back towards the organic section to get the nectar. Well, some where down the frozen foods section I must have forgotten because I got home without Agave Nectar in my grocery bags.

A quick Google search told me that honey makes a good substitution so long as I wasn't going for a Vegan recipe. Honey would work just as well for these cookies. Although, next time I have to make them, I will make sure my cupboard is stocked with Agave Nectar.

Extremely easy and quick to make. I was dolloping the batter onto the baking sheet just as the oven finished preheating. These almost look like macaroons when spooning them out of the bowl. The recipe suggested flattening the mounds down to flat circles (obviously for the purpose of Ice Cream Sandwiches), but I left them slightly mounded as that's how I prefer cookies. I did have to extend the cooking time abit since they took longer to fully bake.

Once they had cooled on the tray for 10 minutes, I was eager to try a bite:
Mmmmmm.

The sweetness from the honey is the first flavour that hits you, followed by the oats and the dark chocolate chips. The sensation when you bite into them is slightly different from a "regular" cookie, I think because you don't have the richness from butter or a whole egg. It is obviously that these are a 'healthier' version of a traditional oatmeal cookie, but they are still enjoyable.

I dunked a couple in a glass of milk and had to tell myself to not go back for more...at least not until after supper. lol.

You may be wondering whatever happened to the Mustard-Glazed Salmon that I was supposed to make last night? Well, I ended up not going grocery shopping until today so we had BBQ'd  hotdogs for supper instead. I bought the necessary ingredients today and will make the salmon tonight. 

10 down, 191 to go...

Week 3 Lineup

Alright, another week down.
Ready for the next set.

I had Niall draw a new bundle of recipes from the bunch.
Here's what the new week will bring.

• Chocolate Spiked Oatmeal Cookies - page 217
• Honey Mustard-Glazed Salmon with Lentils & Kale - page 104
• Ultimate Turkey Burgers - page 243
• Papaya Salsa - page 126
• Sweet Potato Spread - page 154

I think I am most excited for the Turkey Burgers which I'm going to make with the Papaya Salsa.
Sounds yummy! Which one/s grab your curiousity?

A big thanks to my Dad, Bill Veinot. I told him about my blog today, and he instantly became my biggest fan. lol. 

He wasn't kidding when he asked if he could pass this along to "his people". 

If you've found yourself here because my Dad told you about this site, Thank You for checking it out.
I hope you will return again to follow my blog.

If you like what you see, please share this site with others.

As soon as I go grocery shopping tomorrow, I'll be making the salmon for supper.

Stay tuned. :)

Suddenly St. Tropez Salad

Suddenly St. Tropez Salad - June 20th, 2012

After a near sweet-induced coma today from all the Bake Sale goodies, it was nice knowing that I was coming home to make this salad for supper.

Suddenly St. Tropez Salad - page 171

"Beets have a high sugar content but are low in calories, which gives this salad a sweet flavor while keeping you slim at the same time."

To make this salad a meal I added a pan-seared chicken breast sliced over top.

I don't think I've ever had beets in a salad before, but I may now put them in EVERY salad. While having to finely julienne a beet was slightly tedious work, it was much worth it. Just as the write up said, the beets added this wonderful sweetness to the salad. Combined with a splash of balsamic vinegar, this salad basically makes its own dressing. I didn't even add the packets of Stevia that the recipe called for.

I am a lover of goat cheese. Goat cheese in a salad is always great, but sometimes messy getting it in there. Problem solved. Grated Cheddar-Style Goat Cheese. Had never heard of it before reading this recipe and then just the other day I find it in Sobey's 'Inspired' magazine on page 42. It's one of their new products: Sensations by Compliments Cheddar Goat Cheese. Very yummy!!

Niall and I both enjoyed this salad. Something new, and definitely something I will make again.


9 down, 192 to go...

Icebox Cookies

Icebox Cookies - June 19th, 2012

Let's just say a Pastry Chef, I am NOT!

Spent the majority of last evening, basically from 5-9, making these friggin' cookies.

I wish I could say it was worth it. I wish I could say the end result were scrumptiously delicious. I wish I could say alot more about these cookies than I'm about to.

While they look pretty...I am disappointed.

I followed the recipe word for word (except I used blue decorating sugar instead of yellow...maybe that's what went wrong? Actually those are the ones that taste the best out of the three types...hmmm).

The first batch to go in the oven were the Earl Grey cookies.

They smelt so good while baking. Was so excited to try them when they were done.
I think, I was expecting a little more crisp on them. More like a shortbread. But they are a bit soft, and the flavour not as pronounced as I was hoping.

Ok, so the first ones weren't perfect but maybe with a good cup of tea they'd be better.

Moving on to the Lemon cookies...

Now these actually taste pretty good. I think it's all the sugar around the outsides, plus the subtle lemony taste is nice.  I was a little relieved that these ones were better.

The ones I was really excited for were the ones I saved for last. The Chocolate Pinwheels...

One word: FAIL

One bite: AWFUL

They were SOOOOO dry. It's like the cocoa just absorbed all the moisture in your mouth and you instantly needed water and lots of it. I wanted to cry. Needless to say, after taking my little picture above, they quickly found their way in to the garbage (much to the dismay of my dogs whining to be let into the kitchen).

So I packaged up the first two types of cookies to look presentable for the Bake Sale.

 

Wishing I had chosen a more delectable recipe, something more out there. I had higher hopes for these cookies, but at least I tried something new. Again, at least they look pretty.

For someone who doesn't like super-sweet-hurts-your-teeth cookies, there will work. Like I mentioned earlier, they would be good with a cup of tea.

Roasted Salmon

Roasted Salmon - June 18th, 2012

A nice light supper tonight. Was really easy to make.

Roasted Salmon - page 107

"The American Heart Association recommends that we eat at least two servings of fish per week. Meeting that recommendation is a breeze with this delicious roasted salmon recipe - you'll have perfectly baked fish every time you make it."

This was one of those classically easy recipes. You're not hiding the salmon, but letting its own flavour really shine. Simply enhancing the salmon with olive oil and lemon juice. Roasting at a high temperature creates this meal very quickly, but leaves you with perfectly moist fish that melts in your mouth. Sprinkled with freshly chopped herbs right before served. Very fresh, very good!

I decided to make a salad to go with the fish. It was a good pairing. Just a simple salad of baby romaine, cherry tomatoes, orange peppers, red onion, and fresh mozzarella. We bought a new salad dressing from the Superstore the other day and tried it out tonight. Blue Menu - Pineapple Curry Dressing from President's Choice. It was a really nice light dressing.

Light salmon, Light Salad, Light Dressing...I guess the theme tonight was "Light".
Light but very satisfying.

Tomorrow I'll be making the Icebox Cookies. Quite excited to see how these turn out. I'll post to let you know. If you're really interested and are going to be at the IWK on Wednesday morning, come by the gallery and you can try them for yourself. Our Department's bake sale is by donation and all monies raised will be going towards buying gifts for a needy family this Christmas.

8 down, 193 to go...

Turkey Jacket Potatoes & Healthy Corn on the Cob

Turkey Jacket Potatoes & Healthy Corn on the Cob - June 17th, 2012

Crossed two more recipes off the list today. We just finished up our supper.

Originally worried that it wouldn't be enough on the plate, but this pair was extremely filling. I wasn't able to finish everything, but I gave it my best shot. The potatoes could be a meal on their own.

Turkey Jacket Potatoes - page 102

"Extra-lean ground turkey breast is one of the top sources of lean protein - necessary fuel for your muscles and an important component in stabilizing blood sugar."

Healthy Corn on the Cob - page 245

"Corn on the cob is a summer staple. This corn tastes best as fresh as possible, so look to purchase it at a farmers' market or roadside stand."

The recipe for the potatoes was completely reliant on the use of a microwave. While I did bake the potatoes for the first stage in the microwave, after filling them with the turkey mixture I opted to use the oven instead. At 350F, I baked them for about 16 minutes to heat them back up. The recipe didn't call for the cheese, but just a light sprinkle of grated old cheddar on top added that little extra. These were really delicious. A fun and yummy play on your regular twice baked potato.

I will now forever cook corn on the cob by this method (so long as they still have the husk on when I buy them). They cooked PERFECTLY! Soaked them in water for the afternoon, and then by cooking them on the grill you're basically steaming them in the husk. So good!! Just a little pat of butter and pepper and you've got yourself a delicious ear of corn.

7 down, 194 to go...

Chicken Almondine & Roasted Rainbow Tomato Salad

Chicken Almondine with Lemon Green Beans
& Roasted Rainbow Tomato Salad - June 16th, 2012

I was supposed to have made these two recipes on Friday, but we went to over to friends of ours instead. I made these for our supper yesterday.

Chicken Almondine with Lemon Green Beans - page 69

"Quick and simple, our Chicken Almondine is perfect to whip up on a frenzied weekenight yet elegant enough to serve your company. With savory, nutty almonds accentuating the natural sweetness of the chicken, this versatile dish could easily become a favorite in your household."

Roasted Rainbow Tomato Salad - page 41

"A simple Caprese salad is a quintessential summer dish and ours is a show-stopper addition to any table with its gorgeous rainbow of tomatoes."


I'm glad that I decided to pair up these two recipes. They went very well together. The timing on both worked well as the tomatoes had to roast for 20-25 min, so that gave me plenty of time to prepare the chicken.

I did run into another issue for not owning a food processor though. After toasting the almonds I did not have a food processor to then grind them. I had to put my knife work to use and chop/dice/mince those bad boys into submission. I managed to get them down to basically a fine bread crumb style. The kitchen took on a very almond-y scent (which isn't a bad thing).

The flavour of the tomatoes was soooo good. I WILL make this again. You could taste a backdrop of the balsamic vinegar and olive oil in the juices of the tomatoes. The fresh mozzarella melted on top with fresh basil...Mmmmmmm.

The chicken remained juicy and you still got little crunches from the toasted almonds sprinkled on top. I really enjoyed this dish. Just a simple dredging in the almond, flour and paprika mixture resulted in a really tasty meal.

The acidity on the green beans from the lemon juice & zest was a good contrast although the beans specifically needed to be blanched for longer than a minute as the recipe called for. They still had a bit too much of a "raw" crunch for my likes.


On Friday evening we did draw the next set of recipes for this week. They are as follows:

• Healthy Corn on the Cob - page 245
• Turkey Jacket Potatoes - page 102
• Roasted Salmon - page 107
• Suddenly St. Tropez Salad - page 171
  

There was a fifth recipe "Hidden Gem Cupcakes", but I'm holding it off till next week as I have another 'dessert' to make this week. We are having a Bake Sale at work on Wednesday to raise money for our "Christmas Family". I will be baking Icebox Cookies from 'Bake with Anna Olson' (My favourite baking show on the Food Network). I'll post photos of the cookies on here Tuesday night. I've never made Pate Sable dough before, but I'm going to give it a go.

With this blog, I want to also include other recipes I make and even creations of my own. Of course the main theme will continue to be my challenge of cooking through "The Best of Clean Eating", but I think it will be interesting to also keep a record of 'tales' from my kitchen. Please post your creations as well as I'd love to hear from you!!

In addition to my original challenge there is another mini one that I want to take on. I just discovered this one yesterday. Anna Olson has created a monthly baking challenge called "Anna's Bake Off". This month the recipe is Earl Grey Chiffon Cake with Maple Meringue. Not sure when, but before the end of the month I will bake this and post my results. Sure sounds yummy though!

5 DOWN, 196 TO GO

Curried Egg White Sandwich with Apricots

I don't normally do sandwiches for supper, actually I can't remember if and when I ever have.
But as we had last night's leftovers for lunch, this recipe landed on the menu tonight.

Curried Egg White Sandwich with Apricots - page 182

"Traditional egg salad recipes call for excessive amounts of mayo and egg yolks. Skipping the mayo entirely and sticking to just the whites doesn't mean less flavor: curry, apricots and lemon keep things interesting, while water chestnuts add crunch and texture."

Curried Egg White Sandwich with Apricots - June 11th, 2012

Was so looking forward to this sandwich. So was Niall (my husband) as he loves all things curry. I even bought "hot" curry powder for this.

I wish I had boiled the eggs ahead of time (perhaps last night) so there was one less thing to have on the go.

I found this recipe to be a little more complicated than a sandwich should be. Not that any one thing was difficult, but all together there were too many things on the go.

While the cauliflower was an interesting element, I don't think it was entirely necessary. And I sadly discoloured one of my produce containers that was in the sink when I poured the cauliflower into the colander. It now has a yellow-ish tint thanks to the Turmeric in the boiling water.

When I mixed the dressing together I took a little taste. Mmmmm, it was yummy. Curry, ginger, lemon, yogurt, and more. This was going to be good...

Added everything together and piled everything onto the toasted multi-grain bread to create a very nice looking sandwich.

I called Niall to the table, and we both sat down excited to bite into our sandwiches.
We each took a bite...and big let down.
While it wasn't bad, there was no 'kick in the mouth' or 'punch'.

You could barely taste the dressing at all. There were so many ingredients in the egg mixture that the flavour of the dressing was completely loss. It was hiding WAAAY in the background. No heat from the curry.

So disappointing!! :(

If I were ever to make this again, the recipe for the dressing would most definitely have to be doubled.

Niall found that he missed the egg yolks. I have to admit, I kinda missed them too. The sandwich had so much in it, and yet was missing a lot. I think it may have had too much of non-vital things, and not enough of what it needed.

So in addition to needing to double the dressing, I would use more curry powder, chop the water chestnuts more coarsely as if too small you lose the crunch effect, and cut-out the cauliflower.

I wish I could say this was a Home-run, but it's more like it was stopped at Second.
Although, I am curious to maybe try it again in the future with the above modifications.

3 DOWN, 198 TO GO...

Whole-Wheat Oricchiette with Steak & Vegetables

Now for the second recipe of the week:

Whole-Wheat Oricchiette with Steak & Vegetables - page 74

"Sometimes we crave comfort even when the temperature is high. But steer clear of comfort fare that overheats your kitchen. Our steak and pasta dish is the perfect answer: Lean steak and tasty summer squash and zucchini are accented by fresh basil and tomatoes."

"Whole-Wheat Oricchiette" with Steak & Vegetables - June 10, 2012

Two little 'hiccups' regarding the ingredients for this recipe.

We were not able to find "Whole-Wheat Oricchiette" at Sobeys or the Superstore. Infact, we could not find "Oricchiette" at all. A quick search on google said that 'small shell pasta' was a close substitute. Unfortunately, neither grocery store carries the whole-wheat variety of shells. Ergo, regular small shell pasta is what we left the store with.

The second issue, and this one is completely my fault, was the 'summer squash'. Somehow, my eyes skipped that line of the ingredients when I did my shopping list. So when I was ready to begin cooking this evening...no summer squash. I opted for yellow bell peppers instead which went perfectly well with the dish.

The steaks seared beautifully.
After letting them rest for 10 minutes, when I sliced them they were at the perfect done-ness.

The flavours of this meal worked really well together. The fresh basil (Thanks Craig!!) really came through, and a light sprinkle of fresh Parmesan added that little extra.

I would definitely make this dish again...and again.
Next time, I would definitely like to try it with the Summer Squash too.

Also, talk about left-overs!! It says it makes 6 servings, but I think we may have more than that. There will certainly be enough for our lunches over the next two days. Fantastic!

Fish & Chips

Fish & Chips - June 9th, 2012

For supper last name I made the first recipe of this challenge:

Yes, I know. This post should have taken place last night as well, but as I still hadn't written the introduction I postponed the process. So I will have three posts in total today. The Intro, this one, and what I made for supper tonight.

Back to the recap...

Now, as this is the first recipe re-creation post, I'm winging it.
Still trying to decide on the style I would like these posts to take on.

I think I would like to include the little write-ups from the book that accompany each recipe.

Fish & Chips - page 69

"Our healthy, whole-grain breaded fish and baked chips are so crunchy and delicious that you won't want to return to your previous greasy fish-frying ways. Plus, at under $2 and just 300 calories per serving, these fish and chips beat out any famous fast-food variety."

First off, I love Sweet Potato Fries! Love them! Actually, there is very little you can do with a sweet potato that  I don't find delicious. But despite all my previous efforts of making S.P. Fries at home, I have yet for them to turn out 'crunchy'. Aside from deep frying (which I absolutely avoid in homemade cuisine) I've tried several different methods each claiming 'the secret' to creating crunch. Not successful.

Now I thought it might work with this recipe as it was for 'chips' and not 'fries'. They recommend  using a mandolin to slice the sweet potatoes into paper-thin slices. I unfortunately do not have one, so my attempt was using a sharp knife. I got them as thin as I could, but apparently not thin enough. While yummy, and a few did have a little crunch around the edges, but the majority were little tender sweet potato discs (They still dunked nicely into ketchup).

I have since suggested to my husband that a proper slicing mandolin would make an excellent gift in the future...

This recipe also calls for homemade breadcrumbs.
I may not have been completely prepared for this recipe.
My kitchen is tiny. Due to a lack of space, I do not own a food processor either. I used to use a blender for this type of thing...but as I had been using my sister's blender for the past 3 years and finally returned it to her a couple weeks ago...that was a no-go as well.

Fail.

So, of course, I had to make it as difficult of a process as possible for myself.
I toasted those multi-grain bread cubes in the oven and let them cool. Then using some ingenuity I put the now toasted cubes in a large freezer bag, covered with a tea towel, and crushed those babies by rolling over them with a marble rolling pin (which is graciously on loan from my friend Tracy). This caused one problem that I did not foresee: Apparently, so of the cubes had not completely toasted all the way through, so their insides simply were flattened and not 'crumbed'. What I was left with was a bag of crumbs that were mixed with little flattened pieces of dry bread. Perfect...

Let's see how many more steps I can make for myself here.

I got my colander out of the cupboard and emptied the contents of the freezer bag and began sifting. As this was once multi-grain bread there were many little seeds and grains that needed to be pushed through with the crumbs. Eventually I got everything through that was going to go. Voila! Breadcrumbs...the hard way.

Everything else in the recipe went easily. Coating the fish (I used haddock that I just got from the grocery store that day) was the easiest bit.

I will forever thank Chef Michael Smith for his clever tip on coating food: Assign a 'wet' hand and a 'dry' hand. With your 'wet' hand pick up a piece of fish and dip it in the egg whites, using the same hand place the fish in your crumbs. Use your 'dry' hand the move the crumbs over the fish to coat. Use that same hand to transfer the now coated fish to the baking sheet. That way your hands don't get all gunky. Simple, yet clever.

The fish baked beautifully. A bit of crisp from the crumbs, and all flaky goodness inside. A squeeze of lemon juice, some homemade tartar sauce...and delicious!! I also prepared green beans to accompany the fish & chips. My only complaint was that I could not get the chips to truly crisp, but they most likely would have if a mandolin had been used.

Overall, a great first recipe.
Familiar flavours, tested and true.
Next time, I'll try for better equipment though.

Welcome and here's the goal...

Welcome to my Dill Pickle Kitchen!

I admit it.
I am guilty of having a Cookbook Addiction.
Now, it's not at a 'Hoarders' level or anything, there aren't STACKS of book all over the place...
But you could say I have definitely have enough for the amount of space I live in.

There are Great Intentions that accompany each purchase.
The plan is to create many meals & dishes from the new Cookbook that caught my eye.
But as it goes, some get used more than others; while many get forgotten with each new addition.

This has led me to a personal challenge:

A few months ago I found this book. "The Best of Clean Eating" from the Editors of 'Clean Eating' Magazine.

As I do with every new Cookbook, I flipped through reading over the culinary delights on each page. This one is FILLED with amazing recipes. 

You know how sometimes you have a cookbook that definitely has some crazy good recipes, but also has many that couldn't interest you in the least?

Not this one!!

I can honestly say that I am intrigued by all 201 recipes between its covers. There is a little bit of everything. All of it promoting healthy, easy, and delicious meals. The tag line is: "Improving your life one meal at a time."

'Intrigued' was the only word I could use as until yesterday, I had not actually made any of the recipes. 

Sad, I know.

So the other day I was compelled to take another look through this beautiful cookbook.
Which led to this decision:

I would like to make EVERYTHING is here!

I have divided the 201 recipes into a weekly cooking goal. I will make 5 recipes from the book every week for 40 weeks. I've allowed some extra time for vacations and such that I will be away.

I've printed out the name of each recipe with page number onto
colour coded card (ie: orange=lunches; green=fish, etc). They
are divided into 5 card bundles. Every week I'll randomly pick
a bundle and those will be the recipes I have to make that week.

After I've selected the recipes for the week,
 I'll put them on the fridge like this.
Depending on what our (my husband and I),
will determine what day I can make what.

The recipes for this week  (June 9 - June 15) are:

• Fish & Chips
• Curried Egg White Sandwich with Apricots
• Whole-Wheat Oricchiette with Steak & Vegetables
• Chicken Almondine with Lemon Green Beans
• Roasted Rainbow Tomato Salad

While I will not be listing the recipes individually in this blog, I will be giving my review of them and any hurdles along the way.

I would love to hear what you think as well.

If you enjoy what you see during this challenge, I encourage you to check this book out and try some of these recipes too. And if you really are intrigued, get the book too and cook along with me with the weekly recipe list. I'll post the new selections every Friday/Saturday.

Here we go....