April 19th: roasted mini peppers with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar

My main dish tonight was a bow tie pasta dish, but I wasn't super impressed with it, so I thought I'd skip writing about it and instead write about my side, which was made out of leftovers. I halved some mini peppers, tossed them with oil, salt and pepper and roasted them at 400°F for about half an hour. Once done, I peeled off the skins, topped with some goat cheese, drizzled on balsamic vinegar and that's it! I liked this better than the stuffed mini peppers on the weekend, and it was easier to boot! Sometimes the best things just come out of my head.

Then, wouldn't you know it, my husband came home, late and tired and hungry, and declared the pasta the best. So now I have to share the recipe, just in case you agree with him rather than me. Adapted from the Ottawa Citizen:


Butterfly pasta with Simple smashed tomato sauce


8 oz Farfalle (bow tie) pasta (half a box)
2 tbsps olive oil + 1 tbsp (optional)
2 sausages, removed from casing (optional)
1 1/2 pints (3 cups) cherry tomatoes
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 tbsps chopped fresh herbs (I used fresh basil), or 1 tsp dried
1/2 tsp coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese or cubed fresh mozzarella


Cook pasta according to package directions.


Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; if using, add sausage meat and take the time to break it into small pieces (about 2 minutes). Add tomatoes. Cook, stirring a few times, until tomatoes begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add onion; cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Gently smash tomatoes (carefully!). Add herbs, salt and pepper to taste; cook 1 minute. If sauce looks dry, ladle in a couple scoops of pasta water before draining the pasta, and add another tablespoon of oil if desired. Drain pasta; stir into skillet with the sauce until coated. Sprinkle with cheese to taste, adjust seasoning and serve hot.

The sausage, pasta water and extra oil were my additions.

April 17th: blueberry smoothie, grain & veggie salad

Sunday morning, rush rush rush to get myself and O to the gym, and I'm grateful for this blueberry smoothie, which tided Miss O over till we could get to the gym playroom where she had her applesauce, cheese and milk. I didn't drink much of mine before I taught my class (bad bad bad) and by the time we were done with BODYFLOW and groceries, it had fairly separated as it sat in the car. I stirred it back together and drank it down. I don't recommend delayed drinking though. From the Dairy Farmers of Canada:


Blueberry Smoothie


1 cup (250 mL) milk
3/4 cup (175 mL) blueberry yogurt
1/4 cup (60 mL) pomegranate juice*
1 cup (250 mL) frozen blueberries
handful of ice cubes


Blend all ingredients until smooth. Makes about 3 cups (750 mL).


*I used pomegranate juice, but I suspect cranberry or another tart juice would work well.

Olivia licks the yogurt spoon while eyeing up breakfast.
Check it out; the shirt washed clean!!

Supper, I made an awesome whole wheat grain & veggie salad from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It took a bit of searching to find the whole grain kernels, but Bulk Barn came through, and at $1.50 for 2 big scoops, it seems like a fantastic deal to me. This salad requires prep, which was fine for a Sunday afternoon at home. The whole wheat (also called wheat berries) need to be simmered for 2 hours. The peppers and garlic need to be roasted, at different temperatures, for 30-40 minutes each. But it all comes together to make a delicious combo. With a green salad on the side, supper was made!


Whole Wheat (Wheat Berries)
Whole Wheat is unmilled kernels with the bran and germ still intact. Light brown, rounded, oval-shaped grain with a nutty flavour and very chewy texture. (HtCEV)

To cook: bring pot of water to a boil. Rinse kernels thoroughly, then add to boiling water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly.


Roasted Sweet Peppers
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place washed peppers on a foil-lined baking pan. Roast, turning peppers until browning on all sides, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and wrap in foil. Let sit until peppers collapse. Unwrap, let cool and then peel. They tend to fall apart and it's easy to dislodge skin and seeds under running water.


Roasted Garlic
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Peel papery outsides off head(s) of garlic. Slice off about top third of garlic to expose cloves. Rub with olive oil and place on oiled pan. Cover with tin foil and roast until soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit till cool enough to handle. Squeeze cloves from head.

Whole Wheat Salad with Roasted Peppers

1/4 cup pine nuts

3 roasted sweet peppers, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

2 cups cooked whole wheat

1 head roasted garlic, pulp squeezed from skins

1 cup shredded fresh basil

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, or as needed

3 tbsps red wine or other vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned. Set aside.

Toss together the pepper, whole wheat, garlic and half of the basil in a salad bowl. Whisk the oil and vinegar together, along with some salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the salad, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Garnish with pine nuts and remaining basil and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

April 16th: Baked Apple Pancakes, Stuffed Mini Peppers

This is the second weekend in a row I have made this Baked-in-the-Oven Apple Pancake. It is a little bit pancake, a little bit custard and a whole lotta good. The original comes from December 2009's Today's Parent: Baked Fruit "Pancakes". I subbed apples in place of the pears or plums, and sprinkled cinnamon overtop before baking. It's sweet enough that maple syrup isn't really necessary, but I opt in all the same.

For supper tonight, amongst other yummies, I made mini sweet peppers stuffed with goat cheese & pine nuts. The idea for the recipe came from the Vegetarian Salmon. I skipped the basil and salt and baked them for longer than was called for--about 20 minutes. I also sliced the peppers in half and then wedged them back together with the cheese filling as glue. They were still crunchy, even with the extended oven time. I liked them, but I'm not sure if I'd do it again.

Pre-cooking

Post-cooking

April 13th: strawberry smoothie, sausage risotto

Olivia has taken to calling smoothies, "smooth-a-lies," which I enjoy. I've been making them everyday this week before work, and remembering why these stints never last long--I swear, I spend my night in the kitchen, first making supper, then making lunch, and now making breakfast too. It is no wonder people buy packaged foods or buy lunch at work all the time. What a lot of work. Today's smoothie recipe is one I've had for years and it's quite good, though I seem to have a mild allergy to raw bananas that makes me hesitant to make it too often:


Strawberry-banana-maple smoothie


1 cup (250 mL) strawberries, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup (50 mL) milk
1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup
2 ice cubes


Either the strawberries or the banana should be frozen, but not both. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serves 1.

For supper, inspired by a dinner party avec Brendan and Justine last weekend, I decided to take my risotto recipe and add some sausage into the mix. Instead of making the double mushroom version risotto, I made the Classic Risotto from November 2009's Chatelaine, but started by frying 3 diced sausage before adding leeks to the pan. Yum, yum and yum. (Not quite as good as B's but good enough for a Wednesday night!)

April 10th: strawberry yop-like smoothie, green lentil soup with curried brown butter

Olivia and I have been in smoothie heaven this weekend; I can't get enough!


Between two trial runs yesterday and today, I modified another Dairy Farmers of Canada fruit smoothie to perfection. This one is a bit runnier, with consistency somewhere between a yogurt drink and a true smoothie. Again, it's not too sweet.

Fruity Yogurt Milk

1 cup (250 mL) milk

1/2 cup (125 mL) frozen strawberries

1/2 cup (125  mL) blueberry yogurt

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Makes about 2 cups.

I doubled the recipe to serve 3.

For supper tonight I tried out a recipe from Heidi Swanson's new cookbook: Super Natural Every Day: Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter. I don't have the cookbook, but she's generously posted a few recipes online and I took advantage of this. Greg and I liked the soup, O, not so much. I was happy to get some more lentils into my diet, but the recipe can also be made with green split peas.

Supper, L-R: broccoli salad, rice, soup

April 9th: recipe for a perfect salad + lemon/oil salad dressing

"Recipe for a perfect salad" might be verging on hubris, but it is what I wrote at the top of a piece of scrap paper many years ago, under which I listed all the possible ingredients to put into a salad to make it a top-notch meal. The ingredients to any salad are, of course, subject to taste and availability. Since I often mention having a salad as part of supper, it is time I shared what I am talking about. Here are the basics to any of my salads, plus additions I would consider:


base:


salad greens
sweet pepper
red or green onion
carrot
baby cucumber
grape tomatoes
celery


other options, should they be available:


olives
broccoli, blanched
asparagus, blanched
sprouts
kohlrabi
sugar snap peas
raisins
dried cranberries
fresh berries in season
meat: Genoa salami is our favourite but tuna and chicken are close seconds


must-haves, if at all possible:


avocado
nuts, toasted: pine nuts are my favourite; almonds & walnuts a close second, pecans good also; in a pinch, seeds can sub in - sunflower seeds being great
cheese: Cheddar or goat cheese are standards for us


These last three ingredients are what take any salad from good to extraordinary. Seriously.


I've been thinking recently, but haven't tried out, adding in some of the following:


chickpeas
flaxseeds


To accompany a great salad, one must make a great salad dressing. I've gone back and forth between making and buying dressing over the years, but after our post-Christmas trip to Nova Scotia and watching Zach and Natascia make salad dressing everyday, I reasoned if two 19-year olds can make dressing everyday, it's time I stepped up and did the same. The good thing is, if you make enough, you don't actually have to make it everyday. Here's what I've landed on as my favourite salad dressing:


In a small liquid measuring cup, place:


1 garlic clove, pressed (this is the one and only time I use just one garlic clove for anything, though I might use 2 if they are small)
1 tsp each Dijon mustard and liquid honey
1/4 tsp salt


Squeeze in fresh lemon juice until mixture reaches 1/4 cup. Whisk thoroughly. While whisking, slowly pour in extra virgin olive oil until mixture reaches 1/2 cup. Taste and adjust if necessary.


We all know I love lemon, so I like the strong acidity of this dressing. If you don't, you can up the oil or replace the lemon juice with another acid (red wine vinegar, cider vinegar, etc.). Keeps well in the fridge for some time. I used some I'd forgotten about that I think was over a month old and it seemed fine to me.

April 8th: fruit smoothie, popovers

One of my and Olivia's favourite post-workout snacks is Booster Juice, but it's not always a feasible option. I've gone through many phases over many years of making fruit smoothies at home--usually in the summer--but always fall off the band wagon with time. Olivia is a good motivator: I'd like her to know we can create delicious, healthy, fruity beverages at home. Today, after a long morning of gym time and grocery shopping, O and I were definitely ready for a pick-me-up when we got home. I made the following fruit smoothie from the Dairy Farmers of Canada, which was quick and yummy, on the not-too-sweet side, and tided us over until lunch was ready:


Wake & Shake


1 cup (250 mL) milk
1/3 cup (75 mL) yogurt (I used sweetened plain)
1/4 cup (60 mL) frozen blueberries
1/4 cup (60 mL) frozen strawberries
1/2 banana
1 tbsp (15 mL) ground flax


Blend all ingredients until smooth. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

I've never really known what popovers are until tonight: what they are is ridiculously easy. I shouldn't say a recipe is foolproof if I've only made it once, but I don't see how this could be screwed up. Four ingredients, cold oven, half an hour later: heaven in the form of an eggy bun. I made a batch of 8 and they lasted 6 hours. I expected to have leftovers for tomorrow but no, they were irresistible. I made them to serve with garlic butter roasted mushrooms, and that was good, but I liked them even more with butter and jam. Delicioso. They definitely need to be eaten warm though; once they've cooled off, I recommend heating them up again prior to eating. This recipe comes from December 2010's Canadian Living: Perfect Popovers.

View from the top.

The underside.

April 7th: spaghettini al pomodore e basilico

I didn't work on Tuesday, so Monday night I had time to watch Eat, Pray, Love when Greg and I came across it just as it was starting. I saw it earlier this year on a plane, but watching a movie on a plane is not ideal, so I was happy to see it again, but not disappointed when I fell asleep during the movie. I had already been thinking pasta for tonight, but the movie, with its scenes of Italian pizzas, pastas, coffee and napoleans, encouraged me to follow through.

I picked up a cookbook I have that I haven't tried out: Antonio Carluccio's Simple Cooking and made spaghettini al pomodore e basilico (spaghettini with tomatoes and basil). I made this while talking on the phone with Mom and Dad, so of course I made a mistake: I didn't realize the tomatoes were supposed to be chopped until the time I was ready to put them in the pan, so I quickly sliced them all in half. I think if I had chopped them up they may have broken down a bit more and formed more of a sauce, which would have been a good thing, but it was a good dish either way.

spaghettini al pomodore e basilico

100 g spaghettini

1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

100 g cherry tomatoes, chopped

5 basil leaves, shredded

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water in a large saucepan until al dente, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the garlic in the oil over medium-low heat until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil and cook for a few more minutes. Season if desired.

Drain the pasta, add to the sauce, mix well and serve, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 1 (multiply as needed)

Best line from Eat, Pray, Love: "Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit." 

April 5th (take 2): jammy muffins

Remember those pumpkin muffins I made on the weekend? They didn't last (in a good way!), so I made a different batch of muffins Tuesday night to see us through the remainder of the week. These come from February 2010's Today's Parent: Overstuffed Muffins, AKA, muffins stuffed with jam. I take the magazine's advice and replace half the flour with whole wheat. One piece of advice: more batter on the bottom. If the jam seeps out the top it's no biggie, but if it gets out the bottom, it's tricky to get the muffin out of the pan (and I use a silicone pan, which is the easiest for muffin extraction).

Blueberry jam!

April 5th: (Venison) Shepherd's Pie

My father-in-law is a hunter. This is a foreign concept to me. Guns. Killing. Animals. Eek.


Okay, I know, I know, I eat meat all the time; I should be at one with the death of the animal that leads to the meat on my plate. However, I practice thought avoidance a lot when it comes to eating flesh. I can't bring myself to go see those Body World displays, not because cadavers freak me out, but because their musculature resembles steak. Ew. Humans and animals are not different enough from one another.


For months now, I've had venison--ground and steak--in my freezer, a gift from the aforesaid hunter. I haven't been sure what to do with it. Today, I finally took the plunge, and turned one package of the ground deer meat into a Shepherd's Pie.


Big sigh of relief ... it tasted okay. In truth, I don't like ground meat of any kind, and that's why Shepherd's Pie was a good choice: lots of other flavours to mask the ground meatiness. Though I was thinking as I was eating it (and loving the top cheese-potato-corn layer) (with visions of Bambi dancing through my head) that I really should figure out a vegetarian, beany bottom layer and just be done with the ground meat. But in any case: this is a good Shepherd's Pie recipe, and you could use any ol' meat you like:


Deep Dish Shepherd's Pie

• 6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 1/4 cup (125 mL) milk
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
• 1 lb (500 g) ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup (250 mL) grated Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup (250 mL) salsa
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (5 mL) Tabasco
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1 398-mL (14 oz) can cream style corn
• avocado, sour cream, Cheddar cheese for serving

1. Place potatoes in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes or until tender. When potatoes have finished cooking, turn off heat, drain pot and return to hot burner. Mash with milk and butter. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F (190C). Coat a large frying pan with oil and set over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic. Break up meat and cook until no longer pink, 5+ min. Stir in 1/2 cup (125 mL) cheese, salsa, flour, Tabasco and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir often until flavours develop, 5 min.
3. Turn beef mixture into a 9-in. (23-cm) deep-dish pie plate and spread evenly over bottom. Cover with cream style corn, spreading evenly. Spoon potatoes over top and spread over the entire pie plate, which will be quite full. Smooth as best you can.
4. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 min. Turn on broiler and leave for another 5 minutes, watching closely, until cheese starts to get bubbly.
5. Serve with avocado, sour cream and more cheese to taste.

Serves 6-8.

April 3rd: Double-Pumpkin Streusel Muffins, Lemony Leeks and Braised Potatoes

Double-Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

I discovered a forgotten jar of pumkin in the freezer last week and thought I'd better make use of it. With perfect timing, I came across a recipe I tried last year I'd kept to try again: from April 2010's Chatelaine: Double-Pumpkin Streusel Muffins. These are mighty tasty, and I'll be eating them for breakfast this week.

Lemony Leeks and Braised Potatoes, or, how two sides make a good meal

As we were eating tonight's supper, we were discussing what the two side dishes would go well with: the lemony leeks would work nicely with chicken, and the braised potatoes could hold their own with beef. In fact though, the two together made a surprisingly satisfying meal. The third component to our meal was an orange we split three ways. Simple stuff, and really good. Both recipes from March 2011's Chatelaine.