Kale and Scallion Fried Brown Rice

This is a delicious way to add some flavour and nutrition to your rice by adding some greens, garlic and soy sauce.  The recipe is in Gwyneth Paltrow’s My Father’s Daughter.  I just made it a little simpler by cooking it all in one pan, and upped the ratio of kale to rice, going heavier on the kale.  Can’t get enough of the greens!

What you need:

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon-ish olive oil

1 bunch kale, chopped roughly

3 scallions/ green onions

1 cup cooked brown rice (white if that’s what you’re into)

soy sauce to taste

What you do:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, then throw in the sliced garlic.  Let it cook for a minute, then add the chopped kale.

2.  Add a little water to the pan, then throw a lid on it for a few minutes until the kale is wilted.

3.  Push the kale to the sides of the pan and add a little more olive oil.  Throw in the rice and let it cook until it gets a little crispy, stirring from time to time.

4.  Add the scallions and soy sauce, to taste.

Done!  Easy, huh?

Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Longing for the taste of a summer tomato?  This is the next best thing.  The slow roasting process yields a flavour-packed punch to the taste buds.  Sounds tedious, but trust me, it’s just delightful.  And so much better than the sun-dried tomatoes you buy in a jar!  Well worth the long roasting time.

I threw them on top of a rice and lentil dish as a garnish, but they could also be used to top some ricotta on crusty bread, maybe with a little balsamic reduction.  Or on top of pasta with some Parmesan and basil.

Whatever you don’t use right away (or eat off the pan like I did) can be put in a jar, topped up with olive oil, and refrigerated for use later.  Imagine the possibilities!

What you need:

-a whole bunch of cherry or grape tomatoes

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 225F.

2.  Slice the tomatoes in half and put them on a baking sheet.

3.  Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, then salt and pepper them.

4.  Roast them for 2 – 2.5 hours, until they have lost most of their moisture but are not crispy.  You will need to watch them for the last half hour or so if the process so you don’t overdo them.

5.  Let the tomatoes cool and then place them in a jar. Add olive oil to cover the tomatoes, and store the far in the fridge. The olive oil can be used for cooking foods like tomato sauces, and making salad dressing.

Coq au Vin Blanc

I’m in love with this recipe.  It takes a bit of planning, but it is so worth it – so much flavour!  The chicken needs to be marinated, and it really does taste so much better when you use homemade chicken stock.

You’ll want a nice crusty loaf of bread to go with this, to soak up the delicious juices.  And a nice glass of wine can’t hurt.

The recipe is from Country Living’s One-Dish Country Suppers book, and I’ve adapted it a bit.

What you need for the marinade:

3 cups dry white wine

1 cup chopped onion

1 carrot, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

8 whole black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 pounds of bone-in, skinless chicken pieces (breasts might be a little dry for this one)

What else you need:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large sweet onion, cut into large chunks

5 medium carrots, but into 1 inch chunks

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1/4 cup  flour

3 cups chicken broth (homemade is best!)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

3/4 lb small potatoes

What you do:

1. To marinate the chicken, cook all the marinade ingredients (except the chicken!) for about 5 minutes.  Let it cool to room temperature, then pour it into a container with the chicken and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry.  Strain and save the liquid.

3. In a large pan, cook the bacon until crisp.  Remove the bacon, then brown the chicken in the bacon fat.  Remove the chicken and most of the fat.

4. Add the olive oil and onions, cooking until lightly browned.  Add the carrots, celery, garlic and shallot, and cook for 5 more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a bowl stir a little of the marinade liquid into the flour, mixing so there are no lumps.  Add the rest of the marinade liquid and mix, ensuring there are no lumps.

6.  Add the flour and marinade mixture to the pot with the chicken.  Then stir in the chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.  Reduce the heat and cook for about 45 minutes

7.  Add the potatoes, then cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

8.  After a long-deserved wait you have a fabulous dinner to sit down to.  Top each portion with a little of the bacon, and enjoy a nice glass of wine with it!

Un-deepfried Zucchini #2 (avec parmesan)

Of all the recipes on my blog, I think Un-Deepfried Zucchini is the one I make the most.  I’m not nearly tired of it, but I thought I should try something new with it.  So I just added a little parmesan to the breadcrumb mixture.  I still like it with a little yogurt, to which I add some fresh/frozen dill and a little salt and pepper.

What you need:

1 medium-size zucchini, sliced into 1cm thick rounds

1 egg

about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

a few tablespoons finely grated parmesan

What you do:

1.  Mix the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and the parmesan together in a bowl.  Crack the egg into another bowl and mix it up with a fork.

2.  Preheat the oven to 400F.

3.  Dip the zucchini pieces in the egg, then press them into the breadcrumbs so they are coated.  Place on a baking sheet – I don’t grease mine and they don’t seem to stick.

4.  Pop them in the oven – I usually put them in before it’s finished preheating, and it’s not a problem.  Bake for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10.  They should be very soft when you’re done, so check them and maybe throw them back in for a few minutes.

Serve hot on their own, of with a dipping sauce of your choice.  Stay tuned for #3!

Kim’s Fabulous Mushroom and Arugula Risotto

Stuck for a dinner idea, I asked a friend what I should make for my company tonight.  She said risotto, so I thought about the arugula I had in the fridge and what else I could do with it to make the risotto amazing.  So I found some great shiitake mushrooms and a few other thing, and set to work.  Really, there’s a bit of chopping and a whole lot of stirring, so it’s easy but well worth it, all creamy and comfort-foody.  The sherry is optional, but I love mushrooms cooked in sherry.

I served this with a salmon fillet poached in white wine with salt, pepper and a little lemon.

What you need:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 sweet onion, minced (or white onion – but sweet ones don’t seem to make me cry as much)

2 cloves garlic, minced

10-12 button mushrooms, shopped

10-12 shiitake mushrooms, sliced

a few splashes of sherry (optional) (I used Oloroso Nutty Solero from Spain

1 cup arborio rice

1 cup white wine

3-4 cups chicken stock or water, heated

salt and pepper to taste

1 large handful arugula

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup grated parmesan

What you do:

1.  Heat the butter, then add the onions and garlic, cooking until translucent.

2.  Add the mushrooms and the sherry and cook until the mushrooms are softened.

3.  Add the rice and stir until the edges of the rice start to become translucent.  Add the wine and bring to a boil, stirring. Keep stirring until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

4.  Add about 1/2 cup of stock at a time, bring to a boil each time, stirring constantly.  Keep adding more liquid and absorbing it until the rice is cooked.

5.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the arugula,peas and Parmesan, over the heat, until combined.  Serve it right away, but it’s also good for leftovers.

 

Roast Chicken in a Romertopf Clay Roaster

I love a roast chicken because it’s delicious, you can cook a whole meat in one dish, and you get to make soup out of the bones.  I have a Romertopf clay baker, but had never used it for cooking a chicken – if you don’t have one, you can use any other covered dish that fits a chicken and all these veggies.  I found this to be a great dish to make for company, because I could throw it in the oven an hour before anyone came over, and then I had time to do some of the last minute jobs, such as relaxing a bit.

What you need:

a whole roasting chicken

1 lemon

a few springs of thyme

salt and pepper

a few potatoes

a sweet potato

a few carrots

1 bulb of garlic

1 onion

butter or olive oil

a few splashes of white wine (optional)

What you do:

1. Immerse the Romertopf  in water for 15-30 minutes.  This needs to be done to avoid cracking when it is in the oven.

2.  Cut up all the veggies and place them in the bottom of the roaster.  I also placed some around the sides of the chicken.

3.  Run your fingers between the skin and breast of the chicken to loosen the skin up.  Push a few springs of thyme under the skin.  Rub the chicken with a little butter or olive oil.  Place it, breast side up, in the roaster.  Stick the lemon whole or cut in half into the cavity of the chicken.  Salt and pepper the chicken and veggies liberally, and add a few splashes of wine.  Add some more thyme on top of the veggies.  I also put in a rosemary branch.  Put the lid on top of the baking dish.

4.  Place the Romertopf baker in a cold oven, then turn it up to 400F.  If you are using another type of baker, feel free to preheat the oven.  Let the chicken bake for 1 & 1/2 hours.  I didn’t even peek at mine, hoping for the best, and it turned out perfect.  Mine browned with the lid on, but if you find yours is still a little pale, feel free to pop it back in the oven for a few minutes.

5.  Let the chicken rest for about 20 minutes with the lid on before carving it.

There was quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the baking dish, so I pulled the chicken out and drained it.  Because the chicken is literally ‘falling off the bone,’ it was a little difficult to take it out whole, so you could use a turkey baster to remove the liquid.

See this link for chicken broth.  You can use the bones and skin instead of the chicken pieces the recipe calls for.  If you didn’t make gravy with it, you could also add the juices that were drained off.

Waffles with Ricotta and Pomegranate

This is a breakfast I served before Christmas, but I was too busy to post it at the time.  I came across the draft today, and figured – better late than never!

I made some Yeast-Raised Belgian Waffles a while ago and put the leftovers in the freezer.  I also made some homemade ricotta, and had some pomegranate on hand.  So with a drizzle of maple syrup I had a gourmet breakfast!  Mango slices would be divine in place of or in addition to the pomegranate, as would a raspberry sauce… hmmm, maybe I need to make some waffles again soon!

What you do:

You just need to make the waffles and ricotta ahead of time, or if you’re an early riser, the day of.  The waffle batter needs to rise for about an hour, and the ricotta has to cook and then drain for 20-30 minutes.  Then top it with the fruit and maple syrup.  Enjoy with your favourite coffee or tea!

Ricotta Pastries

Recently I made up some homemade ricotta, and a few days later some empanadas.  Wanting to use up the last of the ricotta, I stuffed a few of them with this filling made in the style of my mom’s vareniki (Mennonite perogies).  She makes fruit vareniki and these amazing cottage cheese ones… yum!  So I thought the ricotta would be a suitable substitute, and work well with the pastry – oh, was I ever right!

In my original recipe I used only butter in the pastry, but this time I used half butter, half lard, and found the pastry turned out a little flakier – I like!  Of course you can just use butter if you wish.

What you need for the filling:

one recipe ricotta or one tub from the store

one egg

salt and pepper

What you need for the pastry:

2 & 1/4 cups flour

1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup lard (or use 1/4 cup more butter)

1 large egg

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1 egg for brushing on the pastry, mixed with a little water

What you do:

1.  To make the pastry, blend the cold butter and lard into the flour and salt with a pastry blender or your fingers (works best with colder hands).  Mix the egg, water and vinegar, and add them to the flour mixture.  Mix with a wooden spoon until combined, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2.  Mix the ricotta, egg, and salt and pepper (to taste) with a fork.

3.  Have a little bowl of water handy for sealing the edges of the pastry.

4.  Sprinkle flour on your work surface and form the dough into disks, rolling out to about 1/2 cm thick.  Cut out circles with a large cookie cutter or the edge of a bowl.

5.  Fill the pastry with a tablespoon or so of ricotta.  Dab a little water around half of the edge of the pastry, then fold the pastry over and seal.

6.  Place the pastries on a baking sheet, which does not need to be greased.  Cut small slits in the tops of the pastries, then brush them with a little of the egg.

7. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes.

Let them cool slightly before serving.

Cauliflower and Tahini Sauce

Yum!   This is so easy – just bake some cauliflower and drizzle a little sauce on top.  So easy, so delicious, so good for you.  What more can you ask for?  There was some leftover sauce, so I used it as a dip for raw broccoli – I think it’s quite a versatile sauce that could be used for a dip or topping for most raw or roasted veggies, and maybe even meats.  Please leave me a comment if you try the sauce out for other uses.

I love roasted cauliflower, and I often roast it without any oil.  Feel free to toss it in a little olive oil if you wish, but it’s amazing without as well.  I’ve roasted cauliflower many times before, but I like this new addition of the sauce from Bonnie Stern’s Friday Night Dinners.  I’ve served it as an appetizer and as a side dish.

What you need:

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

a little olive oil (optional)

For the sauce:

1/4 cup tahini

1/2 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of hot sauce

1/4 cup of warm water, or as needed

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F, then throw the cauliflower florets onto a large baking sheet. (toss them in a little olive oil beforehand, if you wish)

2.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until browned and soft inside.

3.  Combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce.  Add the warm water gradually until the sauce is a consistency you like.

Serve the cauliflower with the sauce drizzled on top, or the sauce on the side for dipping.

Korean Soba Noodle Salad

The public library is one of my favourite places to look for new recipes.  I recently signed out Robin Asbell’s Bio Vegan cookbook, and found this recipe.  It’s easy, healthy, filling and tasty.  I love most fruits, but I’m not a big fan of pears.  Asian pears, however, don’t have the same graininess that regular pears have, and when julienned they almost seem like pieces of apple.

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, which is gluten-free and high in fibre, among many other health benefits that you can read about here.

The salad is served cold, so it made a great leftovers lunch at work the next day.  The pears can turn brown, so if you think you’re not going to eat it all the day you make it, you might want to leave some of the Asian pears out until serving.

What you need:

1/4 cup agave syrup

1 tablespoon sriracha or other hot sauce (or start with a little less and add more to your taste)

1 tablespoon dark miso paste

1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons toasted and ground sesame seeds

200 grams soba noodles, before cooking

1 medium cucumber, seeded and julienned

1 Asian pear, julienned

170 grams extra-firm silken tofu, cut into small cubes

What you do:

1.  Cook the soba noodles according to the directions on the package, drain and rinse with cold water.

2.  Whisk together the agave syrup, hot sauce, tamari, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons on the sesame seeds.

3.  Combine the sauce with the cooled, well-drained noodles.

4.  Top it off with the cucumber, pear, tofu, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.