September 10th: Grilled jerk pork chops with pineapple salsa, quinoa pilaff, and chocolate chip walnut oatmeal cookies

For supper tonight, two great recipes from August 2015's Chatelaine:

Grilled Jerk pork chops with pineapple salsa

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded*
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp salt
4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2-in. thick

PINEAPPLE SALSA**
1 pineapple, cored and diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt


PREHEAT barbecue to medium.
WHIRL jalapenos with lime juice, canola oil, allspice, dried thyme and 3/4 tsp salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl and add pork chops. Turn until pork is well coated. Set aside.
STIR pineapple with red onion, bell pepper, mint, lime juice, canola oil and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl.
OIL grill. Barbecue pork chops, lid open, 3 to 4 min. Flip pork chops and brush with remaining marinade. Continue grilling until no pink remains, 3 more min. Let rest, 5 min. Serve with pineapple salsa.
Makes 4 servings.

*I used one jalapeño; that was enough for us
**I made half the salsa for 3 pork chops; that was enough for us too

Quinoa pilaf

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium pan over medium. Add 1 finely chopped onion and cook until soft, 3-4 min. Stir in 1 3/4 cups chicken stock and 1 cup quinoa. Boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, until tender, 15-20 min. Stir in 1/4 cup each toasted pine nuts and finely chopped parsley.
Makes 4 servings.


I had a craving for oatmeal cookies and decided to make this recipe yesterday, despite the reviews saying it is not an oatmealy oatmeal cookie. This is correct, but the cookies are still delicious. I did not bother chopping the walnuts, because I was making these late at night and just wanted to go to sleep (but also wanted cookies to eat for breakfast, that’s right, breakfast), but it turns out the big pieces of walnut halves were just plain awesome. I weighed out the amount of chocolate chips required (12 oz) and then used less than half because that looked like way, way too many chocolate chips to me. I prefer my cookies only slightly chocolate chippy. I used coconut oil where it called for vegetable shortening. In future, an additional change I might make is to remove the nutmeg. I have a newly-purchased jar of ground nutmeg and it is so fresh the cookies tasted strongly of nutmeg and I found it to be a bit much. You should make these cookies! Just not when what you really want is an oatmeal cookie. From Epicurious:

Chocolate chip walnut oatmeal cookies

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 3.4-ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips (or, like, 5 oz of chocolate chips is PLENTY)
1 1/2 cups walnuts pieces or halves (about 6 ounces)


Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover cookie sheets with parchment.
Beat coconut oil and unsalted butter in large bowl until light. Gradually add white and brown sugars and beat mixture until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla pudding mix, vanilla extract, baking soda, water, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg (if using) and salt and mix until well blended. Mix in oats, then flour. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Drop cookie dough by large rounded spoonfuls (about 3 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies appear dry and tops are lightly cracked and soft when pressed, about 12 minutes (do not overbake).* Cool cookies 5 minutes on cookie sheets. Transfer cookies to racks and cool. (Store cookies in airtight container.)
Makes about 30 cookies.

*I baked one pan a little longer to create a stiffer cookie on purpose. I like 'em like that. The softer ones I froze, then I later I can pull them from the freezer and reheat them in the oven and they won’t be dried out because they were moist to start with (I hope).


BAH! I'm sorry. No pictures. :(

March 23rd: Quinoa Tabbouleh & Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

I can't believe I waited a month to write about my baby turning 2! This awesome kid is so much fun to have around and completes our family so perfectly; I can barely remember what it was like before we had her. In the time leading up to and since her birthday, she has become more independent and communicative; I enjoy her company each and every day.

Sadie Birthday Baby

For Sadie's birthday dinner, we had a big family party, with members from both sides of the family in attendance for the first time in my children's lifetime! At Greg's request, I laid out a healthy spread, which included roasted broccoli and cauliflower, roasted pork tenderloin, and a quinoa tabbouleh salad, the last of which I pulled off epicurious:


Quinoa Tabbouleh

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4" pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Bring quinoa, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then let cool.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer cooled quinoa to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately; chill.

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

Makes 6 servings.

Going from memory, I think I altered the recipe a bit, increasing the lemon and reducing the oil, and reducing both the parsley and mint by a bit. I didn't keep notes, so this is guesswork. I do remember the salad was well-received and we enjoyed it.

For dessert, I used my Martha Stewart's Cupcakes cookbook and made:

Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips*

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate chips*

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Peanut Butter Filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.

Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 tablespoon peanut butter filling. Repeat with another tablespoon of batter, and top with 1 teaspoon filling. Swirl top of cupcake batter and filling with a wooden skewer or toothpick.

Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centres comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Makes 12.

*The original called for chocolate, chopped. I always use chips. The chopping is done!

Peanut Butter Filling

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir together all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

Thanks to Olivia bringing it to my attention just in time, I remembered one of our guests had a peanut allergy, so I subbed Wow Butter in for the peanut butter. The cupcakes were good, but I suspect with real peanut butter, they would be a truly wow experience.

That's March complete. Now for April. Eep.

December 12th: Quinoa-Bean Soup & Shortbread

This time of year, it can be nice to have something quick, light, and healthy. I made this recipe almost by accident. G & I went to Montreal the first weekend of December, and I brought along all the recipes I'd pulled out of magazines and printed off the internet that wanted to make this month, then spent time on the weekend organizing my meal plan for the month of December. The Quinoa-Bean soup came from October 2011's Chatelaine, and was actually on the back of another recipe I wanted to make, which I realized after I'd scheduled the soup for today. I didn't expect to like it much, but decided to make it, for the reasons above: it sounded fast and easy, and would be healthy. Turns out it's also quite yummy, and vegan to boot. Yay, surprise!

Another quick an easy for a Monday night comes from November 2005's Chatelaine: Shortbread. I haven't made any other shortbread recipes, so can't compare, but this one seems foolproof to me and is tasty delicious.

I burnt my fingers eating a piece as soon as the pan was out of the oven.

February 22nd: Quinoa & Squash (and chickpea) Salad

Day 2 of veggie salad make at home deliciousness experiment. Tonight's salad was inspired by one purchased last week at Cuisine & Passion, a local take out place with awesome food. The recipe came from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I made it as per the book for supper, then added some chickpeas to the leftovers, for the lunch version. Not that we're going full-on vegetarian, so it is probably less important for us, but quinoa is one of the few foods that contains complete protein. Other than quinoa and soybeans (superfoods on their own), beans and grains combined create complete protein, meaning, "the two contain complementary types of amino acids that cannot be produced by our bodies." (HtCEV). If you don't eat meat or animal foods like eggs and cheese, this is pretty much the only way you can get it. That's it for the lesson; now for the recipe:

Quinoa & Squash Salad

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions (20-30 minutes)
1 small butternut squash*, peeled, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces and gently boiled until tender, 10-15 minutes
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely diced red onion or shallot
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley or chives


In a large bowl, gently toss together the quinoa, squash, pepper, onion and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the vinegar and oil together and add half to bowl. Toss and add more dressing to taste. Garnish with parsley.

*I used squash. The original recipe calls for one large or two small sweet potatoes.

For the lunch version, I threw in some cooked and cooled chickpeas. No idea how many. Till I thought it looked like a good amount. Très helpful, no?

November 30th: Quinoa-broccoli salad

Verdict:
Toss: quinoa-broccoli salad

For all you who always ask me for a good quinoa recipe: this is a good one! I know, I just wrote "toss" up there, but you know how it goes, my criteria is a bit tighter than most. Most's? Whatever. It's late. Anyway, I made this riff on a broccoli salad tonight, which I have to say, is not as good as the broccoli-bacon-cheese drenched in mayo salad, but might leaving you feeling a bit better about yourself. Here it is (from the Ottawa Citizen):

Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

1/2 cup (125 mL) quinoa, rinsed
2 cups (500 mL) chopped broccoli florets
1/3 cup (75 mL) dried cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup (60 mL) mayonnaise
1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt
1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon zest
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) honey
pinch each, salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) water to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

Add broccoli,* cranberries and sunflower seeds to the quinoa.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over quinoa mixture and toss to coat.

Makes 6-8 servings.

*I recommended blanching your broccoli 1-2 minutes prior to adding it to the salad. It's my personal preference to have the broccoli a little more tender than raw.

Not the most appetizing looking, I know, but it's good!

Complete meal.