August 7th - 8th: muesli, maple-Dijon vinaigrette

I haven't been able to replicate the delicious muesli I get in the basement of my work building. I buy this muesli regularly for breakfast. I do, however, provide better service than a frown and change thrust in your face before you have a hand free to take it. I'll continue to practice cooking, but for now, my recipe, adapted from Crazy Plates, is:


Muesli


3 cups old fashioned (rolled) oats
1 1/2 cups flavoured yogurt (I use sweetened plain)
1 cup half and half (10%) cream
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbsp honey


3 cups sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 medium apple, grated (optional)


toasted nuts or granola (optional)


In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients. Let stand 5 minutes.


Fold in fruit. Cover and refrigerate overnight.


If desired, in the morning, top with  toasted nuts or granola.


Makes 4-6 servings.

Two breakfasts, ready to go.

Here's a simple vinaigrette that takes 1 minute to pull together:


Maple-Dijon vinaigrette


2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey


Combine all in a tightly sealed jar and shake. Makes about 1/4 cup.

The salad was less than stellar, but the vinaigrette was great.

July 22nd: a trio of vinaigrettes

Vacation Day 1. I made enough vinaigrette to last us a week or two. Three kinds:


Maple Balsamic (adapted from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry)


1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsps minced shallots
2 tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper


Combine all ingredients in a tightly sealed container and shake to combine.


Makes about 1 1/3 cups.


Raspberry (from July 2010's Chatelaine)

1/4 cup raspberry jam

2 tbsps water

2 tbsps red wine vinegar

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a tightly sealed container and shake to combine.

Makes about 1/2 cup.

Lemon (from my head)

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp liquid honey

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a tightly sealed container and shake to combine.

Makes about 1/2 cup.

As would be expected, Greg likes the balsamic best, Olivia likes the raspberry best and I like the lemon best, so I have now set myself up to make three vinaigrettes on a regular basis. Awesome...

May 27th: steamed leeks in vinaigrette

I tried out a couple recipes this week that sounded so strange, I wondered if they must be good? One was; one wasn't. First, I tried, from 101 Cookbooks: Spiced Coconut Spinach. This, I did not like and I'm not recommending. Then, I tried, from in erika's kitchen: Steamed leeks in vinaigrette. What was odd about this one is that you top the leeks with boiled egg. Odd, I thought. Delicious, I discovered. Unfortunately, I was the only one who loved it. Olivia thought it was "picy" (it wasn't) and Greg found it oily (since when is olive oil a problem?). I made the vinaigrette as per the website, so I now have a large jar of it in the fridge. Apparently it needs more lemon juice to satisfy Greg; I thought it was okay as is. We'll try it again. I'll convince them yet.

Olivia hard at work making vinaigrette.

Shake, shake, shake.

Steamed leeks in vinaigrette, topped with a mashed boiled egg.
Who'da thunk?

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.

December 5th: Rosé Penne & Raspberry Vinaigrette

The two items listed in the title were NOT eaten together. The Rosé Penne recipe was from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese ad, and the Raspberry Vinaigrette (eaten on a spinach salad) was from December 2010's Chatelaine. Both were good, and this was a really easy weeknight meal. I might not make either one again, but you would likely enjoy the results if you were to make this meal yourself.

The Raspberry Vinaigrette goes like this: Whisk 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam with 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tsp white-wine vinegar.

However, back in July, Chatelaine had a Raspberry Vinaigrette I liked better. This is the one I would really recommend. Here it is: Whisk 1/4 cup raspberry jam with 2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar and lots of pepper. Whisk in 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil.

September 20th: balsamic vinegar everything followed by chocolate heaven

Verdict:
Keepers: salmon, tomatoes, cake (everything!)


Tonight I tried out Yin Yoga for the first time. That was an experience and a half. After an hour and a half of that, I managed to drive home, stop for gas, take in the garbage bins and eat supper, all before I woke up, which was thanks to the chocolate and coffee delight that was cake for dessert. But more on the cake later.


Greg made supper: two delicious balsamic vinegar-filled dishes. From the Heart and Stroke Foundation website: Salmon with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette. This recipe is no longer available online (my copy was printed in 2003). Greg loves this one; I might like it if the salmon were not overdone every time we make the recipe. That may be because I leave it to Greg to cook and he doesn't obsessively watch the fish to get it just so. Here's the recipe:


Salmon with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette


4 salmon fillets (about 4 oz/125 g each), skin removed
pinch each: salt, freshly ground black pepper
3 tsp (15 mL) butter or soft margarine*, divided
3/4 cup (175 mL) orange juice
1/4 cup (50 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mL) minced onion
2 tsp (10 mL) each: coarsely chopped fresh parsley, basil, mint
 
Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC). Season salmon with salt and pepper. In a large, non-stick skillet, melt 2 tsp (10 mL) of the butter over medium-high heat. Place salmon in pan and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side until lightly browned. Transfer salmon to an oven-proof dish and roast for 5 to 7 minutes or until cooked through. Wipe out skillet and stir in orange juice, balsamic vinegar and onion. Boil 2 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 tsp (5 mL) butter until melted. Stir in fresh herbs. Season to taste with pepper. Spoon over salmon and serve immediately.
 
Makes 4 servings
 
Nutritional information per serving (*based on using Becel margarine)
Calories: 226
Protein: 22.9 g
Fat: 10.1 g
Saturated fat: 1.5 g
Dietary cholesterol: 62 mg
Carbohydrates: 9.5 g
Dietary fibre: 0.3 g
Sodium: 148 mg
Potassium: 657 mg


Side dish of the night, from September 2006's Chatelaine: Minted summer tomatoes. Already a keeper, a no-cook, simple dish, which I see now is supposed to have goat cheese on top and my serving definitely didn't! That would have made it so much better. Served up with a whole wheat baguette, supper was complete!

For dessert, from Epicurious: Double Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting. The cake recipe was recommended to me by Patricia in 2005 and this is the first time I've made it. I skipped the suggested frosting recipe and used my own personal favourite chocolate frosting recipe. This cake is heavenly. Seriously delicious. Worth noting: the recipe calls for using "fine quality" chocolate. I used Baker's squares and instant coffee and it turned out just fine. I didn't even chop the chocolate. I don't have the patience for such baking details. Here is my frosting recipe:

Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting

6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
16 oz icing sugar

Combine butter, buttermilk and cocoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Turn off heat, add vanilla and icing sugar and blend until smooth. Easier to spread when warm, but possible to spread when cooled.

A good night.