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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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