Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies - July 31st, 2012

I know this one wasn't on the list of recipes for the week but my office is doing a pot luck tomorrow and I needed something to make. I did a quick flip through the dessert section and I had everything on hand to make these wonderous cookies.

This book has blown my mind once again! I had no idea you could make cookies this way. No butter or flour, and they taste amazing!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies - page 224

"This recipe is a reader favorite! With only six ingredients, these cookies are easy to make and even easier to enjoy."

When I said I had all the ingredients already on hand, I was partly right. The recipe calls for "Sucanat" (a brand name for a minimally refined form of cane sugar which is known for its grainy texture and extreme sweetness). I used brown sugar.

By chance I already had dark chocolate - chocolate chips, although the recipe would use a solid piece broken into chunks. I wanted to add a little extra to these cookies so added some white chocolate chunks and chopped apricots.

I was amazed at how easy these were. Almond butter, brown sugar, egg, baking soda, sea salt, and add-ins. These are hands down my new favourite way to make cookies. They bake up so nice. While really delicate when you first take them out of the oven, once they cool they firm up and are perfect little cookies.

Excited to take these into work tomorrow. I hope everyone likes them. :)

33 Down, 168 to go...

Thai Coconut Shrimp with Brown Rice Pasta

Thai Coconut Shrimp with Brown Rice Pasta - July 31st, 2012

Niall was successful in obtaining a can of coconut milk for me today. After relaxing abit once I got home from work, I resumed chef duties and began making supper.

Thai Coconut Shrimp with Brown Rice Pasta - page 53

"Thai cuisine is beloved for its pungent flavors and fiery curries. In this noodle bowl, we've used the sweet creaminess of light coconut milk and the good-for-you monounsaturated fat of natural peanut butter to balance the sharper tastes of garlic, ginger and spicy red pepper."

I really loved this recipe. I was a little hesitant when I originally read over the ingredients and saw peanut butter on the list. A few months ago we had a very bad encounter with a peanut butter involved recipe that I found on Pinterest. Niall referred to it as an "atrocity"...he wasn't far off. It was terrible. We could not eat it. We felt very ill afterwards.

While I think Niall still has nightmares about that previous meal, he still wasn't in love with this one. I think he will be forever turned off of peanut butter in anything savory. I found the peanut butter element in this meal so much better. To me, it wasn't the most predominant flavour (unlike the last one where the ONLY thing you could taste was PB). I'm quite looking forward to my leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I would have loved the ginger flavour to be a little stronger. Next time, I'd use grate 'fresh' frozen ginger into the dish instead for extra impact.

I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but I made one little mistake. I was in such a rush to get the shrimp thawed and into the skillet, that I failed to notice that the shells were still on. LOL. I knew I wanted the tails still on, but didn't realize that the bag I bought was 'shell-on'. At least they were already deveined. It was a little messy peeling them when they were covered in sauce, but not the end of the world.

I was a little frustrated with the pasta though. The package said to boil them for 13-15 minutes, I wanted slight al-dente noodles, so I drained them at 12 minutes. They were pretty soft. When I mixed them into the shrimp, veggies & sauce, they started to break into pieces. Bah.... Still tasted like noodles though.

32 Down, 169 to go...

Penne with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce

Penne with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce - July 30th, 2012

Tonight's meal was supposed to be Thai Coconut Shrimp, but I apparently don't have the can of coconut milk that I thought I did. Niall is going to pick some up tomorrow so we can have that for supper then.

In any case, Niall wanted me to make this one instead. I was immediately on-board as I heart mushrooms!

Penne with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce - page 87

"Pasta dishes are a staple of many homes, but this one is far from ordinary! The combination of dried and fresh mushrooms along with ricotta cheese gives it a savory creaminess the whole family will rave about!"

I again didn't use the dried variety of wild mushrooms. Kinda forgot when grocery shopping and picked up a combo package of already sliced shiitake, mini portobello, and cremini mushrooms. These worked great though. For the liquid that would have been made when re-hydrating the dried mushrooms, I just made some vegetable bouillon to replace it.

Another dish that used the food processor. I was at first worried that not all the ingredients would fit inside for me to pulse the sauce, but it was just the right size.

This was a quick and easy recipe. I'm loving this quick and easy bit for sure, especially when it produces such delicious meals.

I perhaps made abit too much pasta (I have a bad habit of just pouring the pasta out of the box and into the pot, and in-the-process over-estimating how much I'll need). Even with the high ratio of pasta to sauce, this was really good. Mushrooms, mushrooms, and mushrooms...need I say more? The sauce was nice, creamy, and flavourful. Delightful.

31 Down, 170 to go...

Cavatappi with Spinach Ricotta Pesto & Seared Filet Mignon

'Cavatappi' with Spinach Ricotta Pesto & Seared 'Filet Mignon' - July 29th,2012

I was super excited to use my food processor again to make the pesto. I know its sad, but joy is joy no-matter where you find it.

Sobey's didn't carry 'cavatappi' pasta, but the recipe says you can use rotini or fusilli , so I went with whole wheat rotini.

Cavatappi with Spinach Ricotta Pesto & Seared Filet Mignon - page 174

"Spinach has the unique ability to stay green in pesto much longer than an herb such as basil. Pureeing the tender leaves transforms a whole serving of salad greens into just the right amount of sauce. Add just a bit of lean beef and you've got a satisfying meal with complementary flavors. Remember, they serve creamy spinach at steak houses for a delicious reason."

To be a little more cost effective I chose not to use 'filet mignon'. Seemed like a much too expensive cut of beef to use for a regular day meal. I bought two top sirloin medallions for $8 instead. That price-tag agreed with me (and Niall) much more.

This recipe was crazy easy! Three steps: Cook pasta, make pesto, sear meat. Everything else is just presentation.

I unfortunately didn't have any parsley, but the pesto was delicious despite that. Although, it was really garlicky. There was only one clove of garlic, but it's all I could taste after we were done eating. Even after brushing my teeth before bed, there was still that garlic taste. Next time, I would use half a clove, or just a smaller clove (I think the one I used was larger than most). Have I mentioned before how much I love my food processor? I've wanted to make pesto for YEARS, but never could... until now.

The steaks seared BEAUTIFULLY!! Two minutes each side, rested for five, slice.

This was so good. I was sad when it was all gone and that there were no leftovers. :(

30 Down, 171 to go...

Crustless Broccoli & Cheese Mini Quiches

Crustless Broccoli & Cheese Mini Quiches - July 29th, 2012

This recipe was listed as a "Snack", but I thought these would be perfect for breakfast. Thankfully, I was right.

Crustless Broccoli & Cheese Mini Quiches - page 160

"These low-fat quiches come with an impressive amount of protein for a meat-free snack. Use them as snacks throughout the day to keep cravings at bay, or pair a couple of quiches with some fresh fruit and a slice of multigrain bread or a bowl of oatmeal for a balanced start to your day (eggs are a breakfast favorite, after all!)."

While making these I did doubt how these would turn out. After stirring up the yogurt-egg mixture, it didn't look like there was enough to actually produce 10 quiches. I was kinda right...there was enough for 9...small ones.

With the sauteed broccoli and cheese in the muffin cups, there was only enough liquid mixture to put one and a half tablespoons into each cup.  While these didn't exactly 'puff up' while baking, they cooked around the broccoli and made these cute little quiches.

Greek yogurt is my new favourite. Even better is that I discovered 3/4 cup of it has 18g of protein. When used in this recipe, two quiches have 11g of protein. Not bad at all. A very sufficient breakfast, especially when paired with a gorgeous fruit salad.

29 Down, 172 to go...

Week Eight

I'm finding it hard to believe that this is my eighth week doing this challenge. Time flies when you're having fun. :)

I've decided that for any recipes that I don't get to complete on any given week, those recipes will get put in a separate bag/container and I'll have to finish those off before the end.

Here are the recipes for week number 8:

• Crustless Broccoli & Cheese Mini Quiches - page 160
• Thai Coconut Shrimp with Brown Rice Pasta - page 53
• Breakfast Bars - page 156
• Cavatappi with Spinach Ricotta Pesto & Seared Filet Mignon - page 174
• Penne with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce - page 87

I already made two of them today, and will write those posts tomorrow.
Having so much fun with this challenge. I hope you have been enjoying it as well.

Open-Face Tuna Veggie Melt

Open-Face Tuna Veggie Melt - July 28th, 2012

When it was time to make lunch yesterday, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. We needed a bread and cheese, so first to the grocery store, then lunch-time.

Open-Face Tuna Veggie Melt - page 177

"We've made our tuna salad with apples, mixed vegetables and thick yogurt, topping it with low-fat cheese. This amps up the flavor and cuts back on the fat, leaving you with a healthy midday meal."

I've always enjoyed tuna melts, but I absolutely love the new twist this recipe presents. Using a golden delicious apple in the mix really does make this a whole new type of melt. You get the sweetness from the apple which is great. Combine that with the yogurt dressing, celery, carrot, red onion, and tomato....yum.

I bought an un-sliced loaf of whole wheat bread so I could cut my own thick slices for this. Yet again, I ran into another confusing directional reference in the recipe. This is how it reads: "Slice bread horizontally, making a top and bottom. Place both halves crust-side down...". If they meant what it sounds like, that's definitely not a slice of bread and would give you a really awkward chunk of bread. I went with just a thick regular slice instead.

This was really yummy. We ate them with a fork and knife. It might not seem like much, but they were infact very filling.

28 Down, 173 to go...

Stuffed Squash with Basmati Rice, Shrimp & Spinach

Stuffed Squash with 'Basmati Rice', Shrimp & Spinach - July 27th,2012

While I love squash, I never would have thought of this combination. Completely different from anything I would have made, it was so good!!

Stuffed Squash with Basmati Rice, Shrimp & Spinach - page 113

"The beautiful round shape of acorn squash makes it a natural for stuffing. Once you've enjoyed what's inside, don't forget to eat the 'bowl' - it's a great source of vitamin A, B6 and C."

While there are a few cooking steps to this recipe it was super easy. You can cook/bake the rice and squash halves at the same time, while in the meantime get the shrimp and basil prepped.

I didn't have basmati rice, but used long grain & wild rice instead. As I was just making this for the two of us, I halved the recipe and used only one acorn squash. There was just a little extra stuffing left over after filling the squash. Niall just re-filled his squash for a second helping.

This tasted really good. The squash was so tender so you got some in every bite. I mashed some of the squash from around the edges into the stuffing as I was eating. Loved the flavour provided by the thyme. Deceptively filling as well. With only 290 Calories, 4g Fat, and 15g Protein... I am a huge fan of this meal!

27 Down, 174 to go...

Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato-Jicama Relish

Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato-Jicama Relish - July 25th, 2012

This is the dish I so wanted to make on Monday but had a little issue with a rotten Jicama.

Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato-Jicama Relish - page 13

"Sometimes called the 'Mexican potato', jicama is the crunchy, sweet root of a legume and adds a zippy and exotic touch to these grilled steaks. Best of all, it provides great flavor without adding many calories."

Ran into a few more recipe 'detours'. Sobeys didn't have flank steak, so we bought a couple round steaks which for all purposes worked just as well. Flank steak probably would have been more tender, but as a substitute it was OK. The recipe says to cook on a stovetop grill or griddle, as I have neither, I just seared the steaks in a skillet. Got some nice colour on them.

What I was most excited about in this dish was the Tomato-Jicama Relish, and justly so. I had never used this vegetable before although I've been aware of it for years. I've seen it used on many cooking shows and within other cookbooks. All I knew about it was that it was white, and crunchy. I didn't even know if you could get it fresh around here. I was half expecting that if I found it at all it would be in can form. Thank you Pete's Frootique. After the first mishap, I went back yesterday on my lunch break and got the produce guy to cut one open for me to test it.

This is what a jicama should look like inside.

As you can see from the photo, I found a perfectly fresh jicama. While they look like a potato, you actually eat these raw. They really do have a juicy sweetness to them.

For the relish, I mistakenly ran out of green peppers (I used up the last one when I made a salad on Monday...oops). So I had to skip those. The recipe also called for white onions, but as I really prefer red onions I used those instead. Vine-ripe tomatoes were on sale this week so I used one of those rather than beefsteak or Roma. A nice pop of colour from the chives and a light dressing of red wine vinegar & honey, and you've got a delicious (and crazy simple) relish.

It gave a different element to the sliced steak. They each complimented one another. This relish is fantastic. I actually used some on my left over chicken today for lunch. Mmmm. Making this one again.

I got the idea of pairing this dish up with asparagus from the photo within the cookbook. I prepared mine by lightly brushing them with olive oil, and then seasoned with salt & pepper before I broiled them. They were really good. Niall said he really enjoyed asparagus made this way. Will be repeating this again as well.

26 Down, 175 to go....

Balsamic Roast Chicken with Potatoes & Green Beans

Balsamic Roast Chicken with Potatoes & Green Beans - July 24th, 2012

Tuesday was our first rainy day in awhile. I took advantage of this little break from the heat to make this roasted chicken. Thankfully we weren't sauna'ed out of the condo by the oven.

Balsamic Roast Chicken with Potatoes & Green Beans - page 16

"French-style green beans taste similar but are thinner (translating to faster cooking!) than the standard green bean variety. If you have only the thick, regular kind on hand for this recipe, don't fret: simply add two to three minutes to the steaming time."

I find it slightly humorous that the write-up for this recipe doesn't even mention the chicken. You would think the green beans were the star of the meal instead of the chicken. Don't be fooled. The chicken shines bright in this one.

I used a 3 pound whole chicken. It made plenty for both Niall and I, plus two additional lunches for myself.

The rub used two absolute musts for a roast chicken: Thyme & Rosemary. Unfortunately I only had ground thyme (actually, I accidentally bought ground instead of dried) so had to go with that, but that bird cooked up divinely. My place smelt really yummy.

Was thrilled to see this when I took off the foil at the end. I know the recipe called for the complete removal of the skin before serving, but I had some. SOOOO good. Crispy goodness. 

The balsamic drizzle that went over top of the chicken before cooking gave it that little extra, and the bit the dripped into the bottom of the roaster combined with the juices. While the chicken was resting after cooking, I kept the potatoes in a bit longer but took them off and directly into the balsamic reduction in the pan. So they absorbed the 'jus'.  Love roasted potatoes.

For the green beans, as I do not have a steamer, I just quickly boiled them so they still had some bite. A little drizzle of lemon juice over top to finish them off.

The chicken was so moist and flavourful. An excellent recipe.

25 Down, 176 to go...

Week Seven

Week Seven

I realize that today is Tuesday and I'm only just now posting the recipes for the week.
Really fell behind on things, but I'm back on it.

Unfortunately due to the state of my head last week I was only able to get 4 of my intended 7 recipes completed. That poor 'Sweet Potato Spread' went on the back-burner yet again. I think I will hold off on that one until the temperature cools down. I think that would make an excellent recipe to make in the Fall.

We are all out of propane right now so I had to hold the 'Tropical Vanilla Fruit Salad' as well until I can use the BBQ again. I haven't had difficulty using the mango and pineapple for other things....hello fruit salad!

The other recipe that I didn't get to make was the Champagne Chicken, Artichoke & Mushroom Salad. This was due to needing to buy a fresh artichoke and not getting to the store to get it in time. I'll keep this one on standby this week and if I get time, I'll make it as well.

Here are the the recipes I will be tackling this week:

• Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes - page 221
• Stuffed Squash with Basmati Rice, Shrimp & Spinach - page 113
• Open-Faced Tuna Veggie Melt - page 177
• Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Potatoes & Green Beans - page 16
• Grilled Flank Steak with Tomato-Jimica Relish - page 13

Rotten Jimica

I was going to make the Grilled Flank Steak last night for supper. Had it all planned. While I was unable to locate Jimica at either Sobeys or Superstore, I went to Pete's Frootique on my lunch break yesterday where I was thrilled to find it fresh. You can just imagine my dismay when I cut into it last evening to discover it was bad...

So upsetting! But I'm going back tomorrow with my receipt and this photo to get a replacement. Hopefully I'll be making the recipe tomorrow night for supper.

Am going to try, but no promises on the cupcakes for this week. Will probably be doing a cease-fire on all sugary desserts. In an attempt to find the cause of my migraines I am cutting sweets (amongst several other favourite vices) from my diet. They sure do sound good though....

Shrimp, Artichoke & New Potato Stew for Two

Shrimp, 'Artichoke' & New Potato Stew for Two - July 21st, 2012

I was a little hesitant to make a stew in the summer time, especially when it's been so incredibly humid the past few weeks. Thankfully, as the write-up says, this one cooks quickly so I didn't have to have the stove on for hours.

I did have to eliminate the Artichoke element from the recipe though. I still hadn't found frozen artichoke hearts, and only had a can of the stuff which I refuse to use again. I didn't want to repeat a sodium overload repeat like as in the Sauteed Halibut dish. Thankfully then it didn't affect the meal, it was just one of those 'don't eat the artichoke pieces' kind of thing.

Shrimp, Artichoke & New Potato Stew for Two - page 172

"Stew doesn't have to simmer for hours. This one cooks up in a jiffy, thanks to quick-cooking ingredients like shrimp and small potato wedges."

I was a big fan of how easy this recipe was. The thing that took the longest was just waiting for the potatoes to cook all the way through. It's one of those one-pot meals. I used a bit more of the ingredients than called for so there were leftovers for Niall to take to work for lunch.

This was a really fresh tasting stew. It was actually almost too light to be called a stew. Kind of reminded me of a chowder, but a tomato-based-broth type of chowder. Whatever you want to call it, it was really good! The flavours all came together perfectly. I would eat this again and again.

As a little cheat to this really healthy meal, I baked some garlic cheese loaf for on the side. Just half of one of those Dempsters Frozen Garlic Bread Loaves that I sprinkled a little bit of cheese on. Just a couple pieces eat. Dipped in the broth, they were really good.

This also gave me the opportunity to use these bowls. They are supposed to be for French Onion Soup, and while I have been meaning to make such soup for years now, it still hasn't happened. We got the bowls as a gift a while ago, but they've just been up in the cupboard waiting for me to make French Onion Soup. Well, screw that. These are perfect ANY SOUP bowls. Looks nicer than just using my everyday cereal bowls.

24 Down, 177 to go...

Sauteed Halibut with Artichoke Hearts, Cherry Tomatoes & Cannellini Beans

Sauteed Halibut - July 18th, 2012

I really wish Halibut was less expensive. I will now be on the look out for when it goes on sale. Usually Haddock is my white fish of choice, but oh my....this was sooo good!

Sauteed Halibut with Artichoke Hearts, Cherry Tomatoes, & Cannellini Beans - page 57

"Halibut and tomatoes are a match made in heaven. This summery recipe tastes light and refreshing, but the halibut and hearty beans pack an extra punch of protein."

When I went grocery shopping, I could have sworn that the recipe called for Halibut Steaks, so that is what I got (in the end, I'm glad I did), but infact, I only needed fillets. I just increased the cooking time by a few minutes.

I have been looking for a bag of frozen artichoke hearts at every grocery store (well, just Sobeys & Superstores) but have not been able to find any. All I could find was canned. I didn't even think about them being packed in salt. But oh, one bite and you were instantly reminded. I even rinsed them before adding to the skillet. Maybe it helped a little...? They were salty, which was really disappointing because I was so excited to be making a dish with artichokes in it. I think I will check Pete's Frootique next. I ate maybe two artichoke pieces, but left the rest on the plate (mind you, aside from the steak bone, they were the ONLY things left on the plate when I was finished).

Everything else in the dish was fantastic. I loved the combination of cherry tomatoes with the beans, garlic, capers, and basil. This was very filling and I required nothing else to eat for the rest of the night. I guess it worked out well that I didn't like the salty artichokes because I wouldn't have had room for them anyways.

23 Down, 178 to go...

Apple Grilled Cheese with Grainy Mustard

Apple Grilled Cheese with Grainy Mustard - July 18th, 2012

My favourite soup & sandwich combo will always be a Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Tomato Soup. That is comfort food to me. While there wasn't soup on the menu that day, I relished making a this new take on a grilled cheese sandwich.

Apple Grilled Cheese with Grainy Mustard - page 177

"The "white-bread-and-butter fried cheese sandwich" of years past is transformed with spelt bread, low-fat cheddar cheese, whole-grain mustard and thinly sliced tart apples. And, while we may have updated this classic sandwich for modern and health-conscious tastes, we didn't dare tamper with its trademark simple assembly or minimal ingredients. Five ingredients and 10 minutes is all you'll need to get our grilled cheese on the table!"

I love that by using apples in this sandwich I am able to use my panini grill. I once tried to use it for making your old-school regular bread & Kraft cheese slices type of Grilled cheese but that went horribly awry. The pressure from the grill flattened the bread beyond and all the cheese squeezed out and pooled around what was once a sandwich. The apples give the bread some stability and it grilled quite beautifully.

A few slight changes due to ingredients on hand. We didn't have grainy mustard, but already had several bottles of other varieties so I didn't want to buy another one. I used regular Dijon. I also didn't buy a loaf of spelt bread, but used Sobey's Ancient 12 Grain.

I am now officially IN LOVE with Granny Smith apples in my grilled cheese now. When I made these I sliced &divided one apple between the two (with a few pieces going to the dogs), but next time, going to really layer the apple slices. The apples soften up in the panini press from the heat as they bake. So delicious.  Also, I may not be able to return to using the processed cheese slices ever again. This was so so so much better. Grating real cheese into the sandwich changes everything.

Another healthy update for this grilled cheese was the exclusion of butter/margarine. Prior to this recipe, margarine was a staple to making a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. Well, I am about to blow your minds... Olive oil. You need only a light brushing of oil on the outside pieces of bread and it will grill-up so crispy and golden brown.

We enjoyed this one so much that Niall made it again for our lunches the following day.

22 Down, 179 to go...

Country-Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Country-Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy - July 17th, 2012

Okay....I have some explaining to do. Where have I been?? Migraines have been yet again causing more issues so unfortunately there was a string of days that I wasn't up for blogging. I managed to get a few of the recipes made, but they've been backlogging until now for me to write them up.

Country-Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy - page 50

"You'll love our healthy take on this Southern classic!"

This recipe had me at the mere mention of 'mushrooms'...especially in a gravy. It's a well known thing that bacon makes everything better, and to me, so do mushrooms. I am particularly fond of wild mushrooms like Shiitake and Porcini.

The recipe called for dried wild mushrooms, but I much prefer fresh. I went with fresh shiitake.

I may have gone a little wrong on the coating for the steak but it was with the best of intentions. I didn't realize it when I was doing up my grocery list, but it calls for 'dried minced onion', only 'onion' registered when I read it. I had fresh onions on hand, thought I was covered. Since I was going to use fresh onions, I decided to also use fresh oregano (Thanks once again Craig!) and fresh thyme. What I didn't take into consideration was the moisture from said ingredients would cause my recently toasted bread cubes to re-hydrate when put through (my new absolutely fabulous) food processor. It was 'crumby' but moist. Live and learn...

Coating the steaks obviously would have been much, much easier with a crumb mixture that was completely dry, but I managed out ok in the end. Not perfect, but it's the taste that matters. With the state of my head and lack of a meat mallet I passed on pounding the steaks down to a thinner thickness. It took a little longer to sear the meat to medium-rare but I got it.

Oh, now on to the mushroom gravy. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

So very easy too. Sauteed the shiitake & button mushrooms, and added beef broth. After that a milk & flour mixture to thicken things up. A little seasoning....and you have yourself a perfect tasting mushroom gravy. If I make this again (which I'm almost certain I will), I will add a little bit of red wine into the gravy with the broth. Yes...I can almost taste it now.

21 Down, 180 to go...

Week Six

Glad I added a couple extra weeks to my time limit. Lost some prime cooking time last week to a stupid migraine and lately the heat has been so bad I don't know if I would have been willing to use my oven anyways.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to make the Halibut meal last week. I didn't press it since the Superstore didn't have any when we went grocery shopping. Will definitely be seeking some out this week though. Also, that poor Sweet Potato spread keeps getting pulled from one week to the next. I'll hold it over again and hopefully the heat won't be so unbearable this week.

I just picked the next group of recipes out of the bag. These ones sound mighty tasty:

• Shrimp, Artichoke & New Potato Stew for Two - page 172
• Country-Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy - page 50
• Champagne Chicken, Artichoke & Mushroom Salad - page 178
• Apple Grilled Cheese with Grainy Mustard - page 177
• Tropical Vanilla Fruit Salad - page 246

Plus the two from before:

• Sauteed Halibut with Artichoke Hearts, Cherry Tomatoes & Cannellini Beans - page 57
• Sweet Potato Spread - page 154

Time to do up my grocery list for the week and head out.


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Chicken, Spinach & Ricotta Quesadillas

Chicken, Spinach & Ricotta Quesadillas - July 11th, 2012

On Wednesday night I thought my head was beginning to clear so I braved another recipe. This one had a few more components to it, but who doesn't love a Quesadilla?!?

Chicken, Spinach & Ricotta Quesadillas - page 23

"The zip in these hearty whole-grain quesadillas will fill you with health and goodness, while the protein and fiber content with satisfy and keep you hunger-pang free for hours. Now that's a meal."

This was definitely a different type of Quesadilla than you will find at any restaurant. It doesn't ooze with cheese, contains more than three ingredients, and you actually feel full afterwards. With everything going on with-in that tortilla, I didn't even miss all the cheese as it was still fulfilling with the amount of Ricotta and Shredded Mozzarella in the mixture.

Never would have thought of adding the Navy Beans. When mixed in with the cheese mixture you almost forget they are in there, and yet you still get all the benefits from them. I had to use frozen spinach, but that seems to have worked out just fine.  Would have been easier with fresh as there were more steps to thawing out the frozen chunks and removing all the water before adding it to everything.

The recipe says it makes enough for 8, but using a one-third cup for the filling I made 4 that night with enough left over for 2 more on Thursday. Possibly could have made a seventh as the two on Thursday were more stuffed than the earlier.

The tortillas crisped up in the oven and gave a nice crunch with each bite. Dolloped some Salsa over top and these were delicious. Niall opted for some sour cream to have with his as well.

20 Down, 181 to go...

Simple Yet Elegant Sole & Asparagus

Simple Yet Elegant 'Sole' & Asparagus - July 10th, 2012

My apologies for so late in posting. I was hit with a never ending migraine this past week which took abit of drive away.

On Tuesday night was a slightly functional, and as this recipe seemed easy enough I went for it. Thankfully it proved to be as easy as anticipated. I did have to change it up  a little though. As the title suggests, this recipe was meant for Sole. Well, I went with Haddock as it was on sale, and my thinking is you can never go wrong with fresh Haddock.

Simple Yet Elegant Sole & Asparagus Baked in Parchment - page 179

"Ideal for a date night - you can prepare this recipe entirely in advance, then simply pop it into the oven about 15 minutes before you're ready to serve."

Prep time was extremely quick. Really only had to slice the shallots (would have had to chop the Tarragon, but I wasn't able to find fresh, so used dried instead), and blanched the Asparagus.

Question for you: If you read "4 thin asparagus spears, trimmed and halved lengthwise", what would you have done? From the photo above, you can see what direction I went in, is that not correct? Now I'm doubting myself as when I looked at the photo in the book, they are cut in half mid-stem. What would be the term? Silly, but I'm curious now.

Putting this all together was beyond simple. Place fish on parchment, top with shallots & herbs, drizzle with oil & vinegars, top with asparagus & lemon. Fold parchment to form packet, bake. Done.

The haddock came out nice and flaky. None of flavours overwhelmed each other. Everything was nice and subtle but noticeable. Yet another light and delicious meal.

19 Down, 182 to go....

Easy Egg Custard with Fresh Peaches

Easy Egg Custard with Fresh Peaches - July 8th, 2012

I had so wanted to make this last week but I didn't have any ramekins. I debated whether to just make one large custard in a bigger dish, but decided to wait until I had individual ones. Glad I waited.

Easy Egg Custard with Fresh Peaches - page 212

"Egg custard is a classic dessert, but traditional recipes call for excessive amounts of butter, sugar, flour, whole milk, and egg yolks. Skipping the high-calorie/high-fat ingredients and sticking to just two egg yolks doesn't mean less flavor. Honey, vanilla, and nutmeg keep things interesting, while peaches add a topping that's soft and sweet."

This was a very easy dessert to make. Only 7 ingredients. The recipe says that it serves 6, since I was only making this for myself and Niall, I halved it. Guess the ramekins I bought today from the Superstore are much larger than normal ramekins (or at least the ones they used). With the recipe halved I only had enough to fill our two ramekins half way.

They took 30 minutes to bake. Once they had a chance to cool for a little bit, I added two peach slices on top and we dug in.

Mmmmm. Nice creamy texture with a hint of the Nutmeg.

A perfect light dessert. Wish there was more.

18 Down, 183 to go...

Veal Scaloppine & Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches

Veal Scaloppine & Roasted Vegetable Sandwich - July 8th, 2012

Now here is a sandwich that eats like a meal! Was soooo full afterwards.

Also, as a cautionary warning...this one is messy! Afterwards, you will most likely require a fork to get everything that fell out of the sandwich while eating.

Veal Scaloppine & Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches - page 19

"Scaloppine-style cooking is an extremely flavorful Italian method of preparing meat, which requires very little fat for the initial sear and incorporates plenty of flavor and moisture from the accompanying sauce."

Now this is a fully-loaded sandwich! All of the components work beautifully together and create a masterpiece. You have your veal piled high with roasted veggies and then smothered in a homemade tomato sauce. Adding a light sprinkle of mozzarella is the cherry on top.

I wasn't able to find Ciabatta Rolls at the Superstore together so we went with Focaccia Triangles instead. Not sure if the Ciabatta would have held everything in better or not. I love Focaccia bread anyways, I so didn't mind the swap one bit.

The roasted veggies were a nice change. Green peppers, Eggplant, Portobello Mushrooms, and Red Onions. Probably made our place a few degrees warmer with the oven going but these were so worth it.

The sauce was also extremely easy to prepare. Tomatoes (used diced and then just broke them up in smaller pieces within the pan), garlic, and fresh herbs. Easy is good.

You definitely won't be walking away from this sandwich still hungry. I was originally going to put a dill pickle on the side but after seeing the size of this monster I decided not to. Wouldn't have had room for it anyways.

17 Down, 184 to go...

Week Five

This week I have 6 recipes to make. Three are new, and the other three are recipes that got skipped over in previous weeks:

• Veal Scaloppine & Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches - page 19
• Chicken, Spinach & Ricotta Quesadillas - page 23
• Sauteed Halibut with Artichoke Hearts, Cherry Tomatoes & Cannellini Beans - page 57
• Sweet Potato Spread - page 154
• Easy Egg Custard with Fresh Peaches - page 212
• Simple Yet Elegant Sole & Asparagus Baked in Parchment - page 179

Now that I have my food processor I can make the Sweet Potato Spread, and I also bought some ramekins today for the Custard dessert. I'm in business now. :)

Would love to hear from anyone that has made any of the recipes so far.

Quick White Bean & Spinach Ravioli

Quick White Bean & Spinach Ravioli - July 6th, 2012

First things first...this recipe kind of blew my mind a little.

Super easy and very, very delicious!

Quick White Bean & Spinach Ravioli - page 57

"The canned ravioli and pastas your kids may love are, unfortunately, loaded with sodium, unhealthy fats and a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. You can do much better with homemade ravioli. Wonton wrappers, which are usually found in the produce section at grocery stores, are essentially fresh pasta squares. Just fill and seal them, cook and toss with your kids' favorite pasta sauce."

Such a simple concept, yet I never would have thought of using the Wonton Wrappers to make a simple ravioli. Genius! Now that I know this technique, I am just imagining all the ingredient combinations to make the filling mixture. Will definitely be using this again and again.

I had originally delayed the making of this recipe because I didn't have a food processor. On Friday night when I made this, I decided to go ahead and try to do so without one. Basically the only ingredient the really needed it was the white kidney beans. To fix this, I chopped them up and then 'smooshed' them with the side of the knife blade to form a 'bean paste'. Problem solved.

The rest of the filling mixture was a combination of spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and seasoning. Trust me, final product was yummy!

To make the raviolis was so amazingly simple.  Each one used two wonton wrappers. To adhere them together all you had to do is just dip your finger in a little bowl of water and 'paint' along the edges of the wrapper. Spoon a dollop of your mixture on the first wrapper and secure the second wrapper over top. Firmly pressing along the edges to complete seal everything in.

These only require a 2 minute bath in a boiling pot of water. Voila! You have yourself homemade ravioli. How simple is that?

I used just a can of no-salt-added tomato sauce and added some dried basil. A small ladle of sauce over top of the ravioli and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Ready to eat. Enjoyed this meal very much. Niall took his for supper at work. Although I tried to do so, I guess I didn't quite get the sauce completely between all of the pasta in Niall's container because when it was time to eat his raviolis were all stuck together...oops.

I am happy to report that I did purchase a food processor today. YEAH!!! Found one at the Superstore. It's a PC Brand, holds 3 cups. Exactly what I need it for, and what made it even better was that it was under $30. Score!

16 Down,  185 to go...

Garlic Bruschetta

Garlic Bruschetta & Cornmeal-Crusted Salmon - July 3rd, 2012

Where has the week gone??
Between the heat, a busy schedule, and once again lacking proper equipment  (stupid food processor...) I unfortunately did not get through as many of the recipes this week as hoped.

On Tuesday I had planned to make both the Quick Bean & Spinach Ravioli and the Garlic Bruschetta. As we all know, I DO NOT OWN A FOOD PROCESSOR...so I apparently keep picking the recipes that need one. As I was not up for manually pulverizing the ingredients, I skipped on the ravioli for that night and just focused on the bruschetta.

Garlic Bruschetta - page 155

"The mild, almost-chestnut-like taste of roasted garlic will turn your regular old bruschetta into something supreme. It will also improve your cardiovascular health - a win-win situation!"

This recipe does call for roasted garlic, but as the temperature was quite hot in here I didn't want to add the extra 400 degrees for 30 minutes. The broiler would be enough for the night. I just minced raw garlic instead. It still gave everything a great garlicky enhancement, but it would have been nice to try the roasted variety.So while my bruschetta mix was lacking colours of the rainbow, it was not low on flavour.

Mmmm...taking that first bite, second bite, seventh bite...so good. Messy to eat as I mounded a generous spoonful of mixture on to each of the bruschetta slices. I kinda wish I had made more.

As the main course I made Cornmeal Crusted Salmon. As idea I originally got from a Chef Michael Smith recipe. Just lightly season the cornmeal and coat the salmon portion before pan-frying. The salmon stays so moist inside. Love it!

Tomorrow I have high hopes to find me a food processor...

15 down, 186 to go...

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta - July 2nd, 2012

Even though the temperature inside was warm today, I braved it and used the oven. At least the oven was only on for about 30 min.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta - page 15

"Doctoring store-bought tomato sauce by adding roasted vegetables such as mushrooms increases the sauce's nutritional offering."

The added heat in the condo was worth it! This was really tasty!

I think I actually made this in less than the 'Total Time: 45 Minutes' that the recipe said. Maybe that includes the time needed to preheat the oven... At 450 degrees the pork cooked up in exactly 27 minutes. Still juicy.

I used mini bella mushrooms for the sauce instead of regular white button mushrooms. They have so much more flavour. These added to the Tomato & Herb Pasta Sauce was spot on!

I've bought polenta in the past, but had never used the instant variety. Had some difficulty finding polenta (any type) for this recipe. The Sobeys on Windsor no longer carries it, and the grocery guy at the Young Street Superstore didn't even know what Polenta was...so no, they don't carry it either. My last hope was the Italian Market on Young. Lucked out. They weren't even open but the owner was there and let me in. THANK YOU!! They have a wide variety of Polenta to choose from.

While polenta doesn't scream flavour, when lightly seasoned it works perfectly with this meal. With every bite you get pork, sauce and polenta. Very nice!

Niall liked this meal as well. He will be taking the leftovers to work for lunch tomorrow.

14 down, 187 to go...

Week Four Menu & Crab Salad Sandwich

Sad that the long weekend is almost to an end. The last couple days went by so quickly. Sorry I am just getting to my posts now. The temperature has been so humid that I don't think my brain could have even processed the thoughts requires to create a post. lol.

I did have to post-pone making the Sweet Potato Spread from last week's menu. It really does require a food processor so I can't get around that. I will hopefully be getting one in the next couple weeks.

Here's what to expect in this 4th week:

• Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta - page 15
• Garlic Bruschetta - page 155
• Quick White Bean & Spinach Ravioli - page 57
• Simple Yet Elegant Sole & Asparagus Baked in Parchment - page 179
• Easy Egg Custard with Fresh Peaches - page 212
  

Due to the heat over this Canada Day long weekend, there was not a whole lot of cooking going on in my kitchen. We spent a good deal of time down on the Waterfront and meals to go.

I did make our lunches yesterday after we went grocery shopping. I created some Crab Salad Sandwiches.

Crab Salad Sandwich  - July 1st, 2012

Imitation crab meat was on sale so we bought a package and some fresh crusty rolls.

I made the salad from several ingredients that I thought would go well together:

• Red Onion
• Mango
• Avocado
• Capers
• Miracle Whip
• Pineapple Curry Dressing
• Lime Zest

This was a very nice and light lunch. You got a little bit of curry flavour in every bite. In fact, if I made this again, I would use more of the curry dressing.

There is actually some still left over and it will be my lunch tomorrow. :)

Tonight I did make another recipe from the book. Post to follow.