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Rosemary Crackers

I just happened to be making these crackers on Easter weekend, so they are in the shape of little bunnies.  It’s pretty easy to make your own crackers, just mix, roll, cut and bake. I like the idea that I know what is going into my food, so I try to make as much of it from scratch as I can.

I got this recipe from a cook book called 100 Perfect Pairings, and the original recipe used fennel seeds instead of rosemary.  The crackers are brushed with red wine before baking, giving them a pink hue – this is optional, as I didn’t find I could actually taste the wine.  So if you want pink crackers, brush away!

I served mine with olive tapenade and goat cheese, but other sliced cheeses would work well too.

What you need

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more for rolling

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 & 3/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine (optional)

3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel for sprinkling

What you do

1.  Combine the flours, salt and rosemary in a bowl.  Add the oil and 1/2 cup of water, working it until it combines into a crumbly ball.

2.  Preheat the oven to 450F.

3.  Cut the dough into three pieces and wrap two of them in plastic wrap.  Work with one of the balls, rolling it out on a floured surface until it is about 2mm thick.  Cut the dough into squares, or into any shape you desire.

4.  Lightly brush the dough with wine, then sprinkle with a little fleur de sel.  Move the crackers to a baking sheet.

5.  Bake for 7-10 minutes, watching carefully so they don’t burn.  While they are baking you can roll out the next batch.

6.  Allow the crackers to cool on a wire rack. After they are thoroughly cooled you may store them in an airtight container for about a week.

Whiskey-Soaked Chocolate Cake

Boozy chocolate cake – what could be better?  It’s got enough flavour and moistness that you don’t need an icing, but of course you can do whatever you want with it.

I found the recipe on awhiskandaspoon. It’s meant to be a bundt cake, but I made it in two loaf pans instead.  I also used strong coffee rather than the espresso powder that the original called for.  It’s moist and flavourful, but not too rich.  It is great served with a little whipping cream, or just a sprinkle of icing sugar to make it look pretty when it is served.

What you need:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups flour

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (5 squares of baker’s chocolate)

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup very strong hot coffee

1 cup whiskey

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

icing sugar for dusting on the top (optional)

What you do:

1. Line the bottom of two loaf pans with parchment paper (or butter and flour a bundt pan).

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (I just put some water in a pot, then place a bowl over it, heat the water up and put the chocolate in the bowl.  Keep it simmering until the chocolate is melted.) Set the chocolate aside to cool.

3. Place the cocoa in a large measuring cup, at least 2 cups capacity.  Add enough hot coffee to fill it to the one cup mark.  Stir the cocoa and coffee, then add the whiskey and salt and allow it to cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

5.  Beat the butter until fluffy, then mix in the sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well.  Add the vanilla extract and chocolate.

6.  Beat in 1/3 of the whiskey/coffee mixture on low speed, then mix in half of the flour.  Add another third of the liquid, then the rest of the flour along with the baking soda.  Add the last third of the liquid.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan(s).

7.  Bake for 55 minutes for loaf pans (depending on the size of the pan – test for doneness with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean), or about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a bundt pan.

8.  About 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven you can unmould the cake and allow it to cool on a wire rack.  Sprinkle it with a little more whiskey while it cools!

9.  Serve with icing sugar sprinkled on top, or with a dollop of whipping cream.

Lemony Roasted Potatoes

Many times over the past few decades I have made these potatoes. When I made them for Mother’s Day recently, and my mom said she loved them, I knew I needed to post the recipe.

I have no idea where this recipe came from, since it was so long that I wrote it down. I know the inspiration to make them the first time came from a Greek restaurant in the small town I lived in for a while, where they made awesome lemony potatoes. Add a few olives, Greek salad, pita bread, tzatziki, and a bit of a protein, and you’ve got an amazing meal.

The only think I changed in this recipe was to use less olive oil. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of olive oil.

The recipe is not difficult to make, but it takes a very hot oven for almost an hour.  Be careful when you open the oven to turn the potatoes halfway through the roasting – there will be a lot of steam that could be very hot on your delicate skin!

This is a large recipe, for 8 people, so halve it if you need to. You might want to make extra so you have leftovers – it’s that good!

What you need:

  • 4 pounds Russet baking potatoes or Yukon Gold
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

What you do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 500F.
  2. Clean and quarter the potatoes and place them in a large baking dish.
  3. Toss the potatoes in the other ingredients until they are well coated.
  4. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes, turning the potatoes after 25 minutes so they brown on all sides.
  5. The potatoes will be browned on the outside and soft in the middle when they are done.

Savoury Pancakes II, Leek Pancakes with Mushroom Sauce

Mm, they were so good last time I had to try another version of these.  This time they’ve got leeks in them, and they are topped with a creamy vegan (or not) mushroom sauce.  Brunch, dinner, an appie – these are good anytime!

What you need:

4 eggs, separated

1 cup flour

1 & 1/3 cups cottage cheese

salt and pepper

1 leek, sliced

butter for frying

grated parmesan for serving (optional)

For the mushroom sauce:

2 shallots, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

10-12 button mushrooms (or any others of you’ve got some fancier ones)

a few leaves of fresh sage, chopped (a little thyme would work well as a substitution)

2 tablespoons butter plus some for cooking the shallots and mushrooms

2 tablespoons flour

1/2-3/4 cup soy milk (or regular)

1/3-1/2 cups white wine

2-3 tablespoons cream cheese/ soy cream cheese (optional)

salt and pepper

What you do:

1.  To begin the mushroom sauce, heat a frying pan, add a little butter and cook the shallots for a minutes.  Then add the garlic and mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are cooked through.  Set aside.

2.  Heat the butter, then add the 2 tablespoons of flour.  Cook for a minute or two, then gradually add the soy milk (or regular milk), stirring each time you’ve added a little, making sure it doesn’t get lumpy.  Before it gets too runny begin adding the wine, a little at a time.

3.  Add the mushroom and shallot mixture to the cream sauce, then add salt and quite a bit of pepper to taste, along with the sage.  Set this aside, reheating just before serving.

4. To begin making the pancakes,  heat a frying pan and add a little butter, then the leeks, and cook for a few minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow the leeks to cool a little.

5.  Beat the egg whites until they are very fluffy and a peak forms when you take the beater out.

6.  Mix the egg yolks into the flour, salt and pepper.  Fold the egg whites into this yolk mixture, then add the leeks, stirring until it is just combined.

7.  Heat a frying pan to medium high.  I made small pancakes so they wouldn’t break apart easily.  Try making one first to see how long they take to cook and to make sure your pan is the right temperature.  When one side has browned nicely it’s time to flip it, then the other side needs about a minute.

8.  I like to serve them as soon as they come off the pan and eat them while they’re hot.  Top with the mushroom sauce and a little grated parmesan.

Spicy Garlicky Green Beans

These beans are a super easy little side dish.  Depending on the amount of spice you like, add more or less of the crumbled hot pepper.

What you need:

green beans

2-3 garlic cloves, sliced

olive oil

dried hot chili pepper

salt to taste

What you do:

1.  Heat a frying pan to medium high and add a little olive oil.

2.  Add the beans and garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring from time to time.  Crumble the dried pepper and throw it in.   Add a little water and put a lid on it for a minute or so, or until the beans are slightly softened.

3.  Add a little salt to taste, and you’re ready to go!

Cajun Pecans

I made these to top my Cajun Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, but they’d be great on a salad or just as a treat on their own.

What you need:

1/2 cup pecans

2 teaspoons butter or olive oil

2 teaspoons cajun spice mix

What you do:

1.  Melt the butter or oil in a frying pan.  Add the pecans and stir until they are coated.

2.  Add the spice mix and stir until all the nuts are thoroughly coated.

3.  Cook on medium-low heat, stirring from time to time so they won’t burn.

4.  After 5-8 minutes remove the nuts from the pan and let them cool.

Use them whole or chopped up however you wish!  Leave a comment below if you’ve discovered a new way to use them, or if you just like them!

Cajun Spice Mix

No need to buy a package of pre-mixed cajun spices.  If you’ve got a spice rack/drawer/bin going, you probably have all of these ingredients already.  There are so many cajun spice mixes out there, so I looked at a whole bunch of them and used the ingredients they all have in common, then added the ones that I thought would make it taste the best.  I happened to be staying with friends who had gumbo filé in their collection, but it’s not necessary to add if you don’t happen to have it in your rack/drawer/bin.

I’ve used this mix on my Cajun Pecans and in Cajun Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.

What you need:

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 & 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

1/2 teaspoon gumbo filé  (if you have it)

What you do:

1.  Mix it all together!  Store it with your spices.

Easy Tortilla Pizza

Here’s a quick and easy meal for you.  You can use whatever toppings you like; I’ve listed some of my favourites.  Just pick a couple that you think will work together, or add your own.

What you need:

whole grain tortilla shell (I keep them in the freezer)

tomato paste

sliced mushrooms

asparagus, sliced lengthwise

cherry tomatoes, cut in half and deseeded

olives

red peppers

sun-dried tomatoes, diced

hot italian sausage

herbs/spices – fresh basil or some anise seeds

a bit of grated cheese (optional)

What you do:

1.  Spread some tomato paste over the tortilla.

2.  Put some toppings on.

3.  Pop it in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes, then broil for the last minute or two – but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.

4.  Enjoy!

Cauliflower Quinoa Bake

Always looking for new ways to cook with quinoa, I found this recipe in the Hollyhock cookbook and just changed it a little, most notably by using less cheese.  Quinoa is a great source of iron, calcium and protein, and cauliflower provides lots of folate and vitamin C, and is has anticarcinogenic properties.

Oh, and it all tastes good together.

What you need:

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

3 cups diced onion

3 chopped and rinsed leeks

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped

juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon fresh or frozen dill

1 cup kalamata olives

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup quinoa, uncooked

1 cup grated cheddar (or another favourite cheese) – I use lactose-free l’Ancetre brand

paprika

optional: soft silken tofu

What you do:

1.  Cook the rinsed quinoa in 1 & 1/2 cups water for 15 minutes.

2.  Saute the onions, leeks and garlic in the butter or oil until the onions are transparent

3.  Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes.

4.  Mix the onion mixture together with the quinoa, lemon, dill, olives, salt and pepper (optional silken tofu) and half the cheese in a baking dish.

5.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and garnish with a bit of paprika.

6.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F.

This one is best served hot, and also works well to heat up as leftovers.

Chicken Tomatoes and Potatoes Oliver

My friend Jen has a Jamie Oliver cookbook, which is where I found this recipe – and it was a big hit with everyone who ate it.  There are a few steps involves in putting it together, but in the end you pop it in the oven, and it comes out ready to eat. When I first made it I had a fabulous variety of different coloured cherry tomatoes, but when I took these photos I didn’t have the same access to great tomatoes.  I recommend the variety, but it’s really good with just the regular red ones.

Of course I thought olives would be a good addition, because I think everything is better with olives.  If you don’t agree, feel free to leave them out!

What you need:

3/4  lb small new potatoes

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

olive oil

salt and pepper

splash of red wine

5oo or so grams of cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup black or green olives

5 cloves of garlic, sliced

a few tablespoons of fresh oregano

red wine vinegar

What you do:

1.  Cook the potatoes in boiling water until you can pierce them easily with a knife.

2.  Cut each thigh into strips of three pieces each.

3.  Put a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a bowl with salt and pepper.  Add your chicken and mix it up so all the pieces of chicken get coated.

4.  Fry the thighs in a hot frying pan until they are quite browned and almost cooked through.  You can deglaze the pan with red wine if you want.

5.  Boil a pot of hot water and place the cherry tomatoes in it, after giving each one a little poke with a knife.  After a minute in the hot water, pour it out and rinse in cold water.  Then pinch off the skins.  If you’re in a hurry you can skip this step, but it tastes so good this way!

6. When the potatoes are cooked, give them a little squish, as you can see in the photo below.

7.  Put the potatoes, chicken, optional olives and tomatoes in a roasting dish.

8.  Using a mortar and pestle, bash up the oregano with some salt and pepper.  Add this to the pan, along with the garlic, a little olive oil, and a few sprinkles of red wine vinegar.

9.  Bake for 40 minutes at 400F.