Vanilla Bean Cafe

Tomato-Feta Orzo Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:51:00 +0000

This simple orzo salad is perfect for summer at the cottage or picnics. It took me no time to make and was a popular hit on Canada Day. If you want to improve the flavor you could grill or roast the tomatoes first, but it is good just as is. I am going hiking this weekend and will likely make a large bowl of this to take with me and help energize me through what might be a long long hike.

2 cups orzo

3 cups cherry tomatoes halved

2/3 cups feta

1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped

1/2 cup fineldy diced red onion

4T red wine vinegar

2 T olive oil

lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta, rinse and drain it. Pour pasta in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss well. Place in fridge and take out 5-10min before serving.

Another great orzo salad is Orzo Salad with Dill & Feta (Roasted Shrimp Optional)

Canada Day Vanilla Buttermmilk Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Canada Day turned out to be a beautiful day without any T-storms. Many of my friends contributed to the BBQ with salads, cheese platter, and some very impressively decorated cupcakes (very creative M&D), making the BBQ a success.

In keeping with the theme of Canada Day we played a Canadian Trivia game – the winner received a nice ceramic bottle of a local Canadian beer (Beau’s) and the loser was given ½ a six pack of cheap American beer. The rest of the night was spent chatting, sipping margaritas and indulging in copious amounts of food.

The vanilla cupcakes, made by my friend Michelle were topped with strawberries and cut to look like maple leafs (well done Damien). A great idea - the were just as delicious as they looked.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt1 cup sugar

¼ cup butter, room temperature

1 large egg1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ tsp almond extract

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F. Place liners in a 12 cup muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until it looks creamy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla and almond extracts until mixture is smooth.

Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until almost combined. Add buttermilk and stir, again, until almost combined. Add the rest of the flour and stir until all ingredients are mixed in.

Divide batter evenly into muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350F, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the muffin pan.

Cool completely before frosting.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup margarine of butter, softened

1.5 tsp vanilla1-2 tbsp milk

1. Mix powdered sugar and maragarine/butter in medium bowl. Stir in vanilla and milk.

2. Beat until smooth and spreadable.

Frosts one 13X9" cake, about 24 cupcakes, or one 8 or 9" two layer cake.

...............Happy Canada Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Canada Day in the nation's capital is always an exciting event. This year I will not be venturing down to parliament hill, but rather enjoying my backyard with some friends and family - let's just hope the T-storms hold off for the day.

Off course it would be un-Canadian not to have BBQ on Canada Day. However, I am going with a twist and serving up some Canadian BBQ with some mexican flare. Dinner with consist of marinated steak fajitas with all the fixings (grilled peppers & onions, caramelized onions, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, refried beans, cheese, jalapenos), served with salads and margaritas. On the traditional side there will be lots of cold beer ready for consumption.

Here are some great Canada Day Ideas!

Spicy Mussels in Wheat Beer

Beer Butt Chicken

Grilled Ribs in Bourbon Sauce

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Rhubarb-Strawberry Galette

Strawberry-Rhubarb Galette

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:34:00 +0000

As there was not a lot left of my rhubarb plant, I decided to use the remainder of it up by making a strawberry-rhubarb galette. Having made a galette before, I found it easy to make, and always enjoy the rustic look of the free form dough shape. Or maybe I was just too lazy to make a proper pie.

Considering my mom is the queen of pies, and I was serving her this easy to make free form pastry, I was nervous that it would not turn out. Overall it turned out good. I found the juice of the fruit did make the bottom of the crust a bit wet… so I put it in the oven without a pan to crisp on the bottom a bit, as well as let it cool on a cooling rack, both seemed to help.

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart’s Rhubarb Galette. I added strawberries, and used the dough recipe from the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine.

Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut in 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup cream cheese, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tbsp lemon juicewater as needed

Combine all ingredients except water in a food processor. Remove ingredients from food processor into a large bowl. Knead dough together with hands. Add a bit of water as needed (not too much or will be sticky) until ball of dough forms. Let sit covered for 30 mins.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough in to make approximately a 14" imperfect circle. Then lightly trace a circle in the middle of the dough where the fruit will be pilled. Depending if you want the fruit to be exposed or completely covered will depend on how big your fruit circle will be. For details photos of making the dough, see my apple-rosemary galette recipe.

Filling

1 lb rhubarb, sliced into 1/2” chunks
2 cups sliced strawberries
Juice of ½ lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or less)
Pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg (ground or freshly grated)
1 egg white beaten

Place rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice in a large bowl; toss to combine.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add sugar mixture to the rhubarb mixture and toss until well coated.

Arrange the fruit mixture on top of the dough, leaving a 2” border all the way around. Fold border over the fruit mixture, overlapping where necessary and pressing gently to adhere the folds.

Brush the edges of the dough with egg white.

Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 450F.

Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes.

Also try my Rosemary Apple Galette.

and my delicious Rhubarb Loaf.

Feta and Dill Slather

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:02:00 +0000

If there was one food I could not give up it would likely be cheese. Cheese, crackers and apple or grapes are my staple snack. I also frequently serve cheese as an appetizer, typically brie or goat cheese with fruit and bread or crackers. I wanted to try a different cheese appetizer my norm.

The LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine featured a wonderful feta cheese slather. The aroma and tang of fresh dill and lemon zest went perfectly with the saltiness of the feta. I also cut up small cherry tomatoes and layered them on top of the cheese slather, which improved the taste. I have been eating it regularly on crackers, on sandwiches and even on my burger. Very yummy!

250g feta cheese, crumbled
2 garlic clove, whole
1 T olive oil (original recipe called for 3T)
The zest of one lemon
1 T lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper
3 T fresh chopped dill
2 T fresh chopped chives

Place the feta, oil, garlic, zest and pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth. Stir in dill and chives. Serve with crackers, baguette, top with tomato slices if desired. Also a great spread for sandwiches, turkey burgers or wraps.

You might also enjoy these cheesy recipes:

Baguette with Brie & Mango Chutney

Spanokapitas

Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Kebabs with Greek Inspired Couscous

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:54:00 +0000

As soon as you open the backdoor to my house you are hit by the invigorating aroma of rosemary and basil. Smelling the fresh herbs in the house inspired me to use them in last evening’s dinner. When I think rosemary I automatically associate it with Mediterranean cuisine as well as chicken, although it has many culinary uses (I added it to an cranberry-apple galette a few months back). The following lemon-rosemary marinade provided a woody and fresh citrus flavour to these grilled chicken kebabs. The kebabs were complimented with a Greek-inspired couscous salad. Could also serve chicken skewers with flatbread/pita and tzaziki or a greek salad.

Lemon-Rosemary Kebabs

1 lbs chicken breast skinned and cut in to large cubes
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic minced
1 T grainy Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon zest
2 T fresh rosemary chopped
Freshly ground pepper to taste

In a medium bowl mix together all the ingredients. Add the chicken chunks and let marinade in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Using pre-soaked wooden skewers, skewer an even amount of chicken chunks onto each skewer.

On a pre-oiled and pre-heated grill (med-high) cook the skewers on medium heat 6-7 minutes a side, until white in center.

Serve on a bed of Greek inspired couscous.

Greek Inspired Couscous

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cups diced plum tomatoes (about 3-4)
1 cup diced peeled cucumber
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup black or kalamata olives, ripe and halved
3 T diced red onion
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Lemon juice (optional)

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous and oregano. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Combine couscous, tomatoes, and next 5 ingredients (tomatoes through chickpeas) in a bowl; set aside. If desired could squeeze fresh lemon juice over couscous prior to serving.

More BBQ Kebab Recipes

Grainy Mustard Beef Kebabs

Grilled Salmon Skewers

Grilled Blackened Scallops

Rhubarb Loaf

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:29:00 +0000

What to do with all that rhubarb?

This is the first season I have a garden other than potted herbs. It is a great feeling to go outside pick fruits or vegetables growing in your own garden and use them to cook or bake. As my back yard has a lot of shade, I am limited in what I can grow. And anything that can grow is still subjected to the gluttonous squirrels, as well as the gophers and rabbits lurking nearby.

So far I have rhubarb, spinach, chives, oregano, rosemary, and basil that have survived. The squirrels have eaten one spinach plant and my coriander seeds again and again. My rhubarb plant is rather small considering it is in the shade, but it still made a wonderful tart tasting rhubarb loaf. I adapted the recipe found in the the Canadian Living magazine, it made one large loaf and about 9 mini muffins.

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups chopped rhubarb
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In separate bowl, blend sugar with oil; whisk in egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients along with rhubarb and walnuts just until flour is incorporated.

Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin tins, filling three-quarters full, or spoon into two greased loaf pan.

Bake in 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes for muffins, 15 min for mini muffins, 45 to 55 minutes for large loaf, or until cake tester inserted into centre comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to let cool completely.

Race Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:29:00 +0000

This past weekend was the 2009 Ottawa Race Weekend. Both my husband and I are runners and hence we have been participating in this event for a number of years either as a runner or a spectator.

This year my husband trained for his first half marathon. He usually completes the 10km, trying to improve his time each year. Last year, being happy with his 10km time (45min), he decided to try the half marathon (21.2km).

From January to May 2009 he trained hard with hill training, speed training, weight training and many long distance runs. His hard work paid off as he was able to complete his first half marathon in 1:46:47, a pretty impressive time.

Congratulations Marc on your great run!

Also see last years Half Marathon blog.

Grilled Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:41:00 +0000

Although I blog about salmon a lot, I have not had it in ages. Last week I decided it was time to stop eating red meat and have some nice atlantic salmon with fresh green beans.

2 x 6oz salmon fillets
1 T brown sugar
1 T olive oil
1 T honey
1 T soy sauce
1 T Grainy Dijon Mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Pour marinade over salmon fillets and let marinade in fridge for 30 minutes.

Grease grill. Preheat grill to med-high heat. Place salmon on skin side down and grill on med for 6 minutes, then flip (only if salmon easily comes off grill, if not it needs another min or two) and grill for another 6 minutes, until flaky.

Brush with marinade while grilling.

Serve with grilled green beans.

Earthy Green Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:30:00 +0000

I moved into my new home August 2008. The house is a semi-attached built in the late 1940s (1947) and hence has lots of character. As with any new home once you move in you just want to make it our own. As a foodie I spend much of my time at home in the kitchen and therefore desired to paint the kitchen and make it more modern, with a bit of my character in it.

Browsing through endless palette colors proved to be tedious, and my indecisive self could not decide on a bold reddish color or to use more earthy tones. Considering the kitchen goes off onto a deck and out into a garden of fresh herbs, mature trees, as well as my personal love for outdoors, nature and greenery the emerging theme was apparent - earth friendly tones. Benjamin Moore’s Misted Fern (green) provides a nice accent wall which complements the lighter Hemp Seed (a shade of beige) color. These colors stand out even more with the trim painted white. The earthy theme was enhanced with bamboo placements, bamboo shoots in a glass vase and potted herbs growing (basil, coriander, dill, rosemary), which I will be transplanting to the garden today.

Other additions to render this 1940s home more modern were the addition of a high glass pub table with leather stools. And lastly my kitchen would not be complete without a chalkboard featuring the menu of the day – one of my many narotic tendencies. I used an old picture frame without the glass, primed the pressed board and then painted a few coats of Benjamin Moore’s black chalkboard paint. As usual I posted way too many photos... enjoy!

Before

After

Fresh strawberries from the Parkdale Market

Before around door

After around door

More pictures of the kitchen before being painted can be seen here.

Grilled Ribs with a Smokey BBQ Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:50:00 +0000

This long weekend was not the best weather, and I am happy I did not go camping and get stuck in the downpours. Rather I stayed home and painted my kitchen (photos to come) and on the one nice day we had worked in my garden. I had bought a few racks of ribs a while back, and in an attempt to clean out the freezer I decided to grill them for dinner last night. Previously I used a great boubon bbq sauce for these ribs.

However, as I ran out my husband and I decided we'd try and make our own to our liking. The following ingredients were mixed together and basted on the ribs. The flavor is fantastic a good balance of tang and spice with a mild smokey flavor cmoing from the ancho chili powder. I would say this bbq sauce is one worth trying.

1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup red wine
1 T olive oil
1 T soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

Also Try

Grilled Ribs in Bourbon Sauce

Korean Ribs in Orange Ginger Sauce

BBQ Chicken in Bourbon Sauce

Turkey Burgers

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:17:00 +0000

Burgers are a staple in my house come spring/summer. Weather it is a beef, veggie or chicken burger it is our favorite simple thing to eat. I decided to try a new recipe for turkey burgers. The following recipe turkey out nice, the dijon mustard made it nice and tangy, while the hot sauce gave it a bit of spice. If you like yours burgers spicy you could add a bit of cayenne to spice it up more.

1 to 1 1/2 ground turkey

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 large egg slightly beaten

1/2 onion shredded

1/2 jalapeno seeded and minced

1 clove garlic minced

1 T grainy dijon mustard

1 T worchestshire sauce

1 T hot sauce

2 T chives (from my garden)

freshly ground pepper

Mix all the ingredient together in a bowl.

Form into 5-6 patties about 2 inches thick.

Preheat greased grill to med-high heat.

Place patties on grill and cook for 6-8 min per side, flip only once and do not use spatula to push down on the pattie or you will loose all the juiciness of this burger.

Fresh chives from my garden.

Grilled Ribs in Bourbon Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:03:00 +0000

It has been just over a month since I last blogged. The month of April was incredibly busy between seeing friends, family, running and doing spring errands (like planting my herbal garden) I did not have much time for blogging. With the nice weather I have also been enjoying the deck and BBQ. This past weekend we purchased a much needed new Q. The other one was pretty unhealthy as it was rusting out. The new grill has so much more room, more BTUs, a cast iron grill. So far it grills really nicely.
On the weekend we grilled up some ribs in a tangy bourbon sauce with asparagus on the side. The ribs turned out delicious. Cook ed them on medium high heat for 12 mins (6 mins per side) and basted with bourbon sauce througout grilling. As for the asapargus usually 4 min per side or total of 6-8 min tossing around occassionally is perfect (I added olive oil & freshly ground pepper to them). Hopefully with the new BBQ and the herbs in my garden growing I will be inspired to post more regularly again.

Carrot-Ginger Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:42:00 +0000

I seem to have a susceptibility of getting sore throats, and this year has been the worst one yet. There is little that helps my throat when it is sore, constantly sucking on lozenges, drinking hot herbal tea and consuming hot bowls of soup. This year I have made so much soup you’d think I’d be sick of it. I am getting close to it, but I still have a few bowls in me. This carrot and ginger soup from Food TV is both colorful and flavourful. It helped sooth my throat and boost my energy to get through the day. On another note I would like to wish my dad a happy 69th birthday!

Carrot & Ginger Soup

7 cup vegetable stock
4 tbsp butter
2 lb. fresh carrot, peeled
3 leek, sliced, in half lengthwise, and, thoroughly, cleaned
1 yam, peeled
4 celery, stalks
1 three-inch piece fresh ginger, root, peeled, and, grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1.5 tsp ground nutmeg

pinch cinnamon (optional)
dolop sour cream

In a large pot, bring stock to a boil.

While stock is heating, chop all vegetables into small pieces (approximately 1/2 inch cubes).

In a saute pan, over med-high heat, melt half of the butter. Sauté vegetables with ginger and nutmeg for approximately 15 minutes, or until vegetables are browned. Add remaining butter as needed.

Add sautéed vegetables to stock, reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature and then puree in a blender. Soup should be thick and smooth. If you like your soup velvety smooth, pour through a fine mesh strainer

Add salt and pepper.

To serve, re-heat, ladle into bowls, then drizzle 1 tablespoon of cream into each bowl. Serve in warmed bowls.

Grilled Sesame Asparagus Rafts

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:43:00 +0000

Saturday was a gorgeous day out, reaching a high of 15 C. After moving a friend into her condo, I went for a short mountain bike ride; sanded an old desk in the backyard and then opened a Corona on the deck. It was definitely a barbeque night. Although asparagus is not local yet, I did reluctantly purchase some to grill. I made asparagus rafts, brushed them with sesame oil and placed them on the grill for 4 minutes a side. Near the end of the grilling I sprinkled on some sesame seeds that the heat of the BBQ toasts.

First, wash the asparagus well. And using wooden skewers (soaked in water for 20 mins) pearce the asparagus and skewer them at both ends to make a raft.

Brush both sides with sesame oil and sprinke with ground pepper.

Place on a preheated grill (med high heat) for 4 mins a side.

Near the end of the grilling, sprinkle with sesame seeds, the heat of the grill will toast them, giving a nice nutty flavor.

Serve (in this case with BBQ Chicken)

Kidney Foundation Fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:01:00 +0000

This past weekend my sister and brother in law hosted a wine and cheese Fundraiser in honour of our cousin. The fundraiser was for the Kidney Foundation of Canada. My cousin has been diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), which is a type of Glomerular Disease one of many diseases that affect kidney function by attacking the glomeruli, the tiny units within the kidney where blood is cleaned (the filtering process takes place in the nephron, where microscopic blood vessels filters called glomeruli are attached to the fluid collecting tubules). Glomerulosclerosis describes the scarring or hardening of the tiny blood vessels within the kidney.

The kidneys are organs that filter the blood of its toxins. They process about 400 quarts of blood a day to sift out about 2 quarts of waste products and extra water that eventually leave the body as urine. This process occurs through the glomeruli. Glomeruli disease damages the glomeruli letting protein and sometimes red blood cells leak into the urine. The disease can interfere with the clearance of waste products by the kidney so they begin to build up in the blood. Furthermore, loss of blood proteins like albumin in the urine can result in a fall in their level in the bloodstream. Albumin acts like a sponge to draw extra fluid from the body into the bloodstream where it remains until the kidneys remove it. But when albumin leaks in the urine the blood loses its capacity to absorb extra fluid from the body. Fluid therefore accumulates outside the circulatory system and causes swelling in the face, hands, feet and ankles.

When a patient has acute of chronic loss of kidney function they are said to be in renal failure. When a person is in end stage renal failure they must go on dialysis or receive a new kidney via transplant. Dialysis is a process by which the blood is cleaned and waste and excess water is removed from the body (what a healthy kidney should do). For further information on dialysis and FSGS please visit the Kidney Foundation of Canada website.

My cousin is only 30 years old and is in end stage renal failure. She does not qualify for organ transplant and as such most of her days are spent on dialysis. Every other day she is hooked up to a home dialysis machine for 4 hours. The process is exhausting leaving her incapacitated after the treatment. Because she must do dialysis every other day, she is limited to traveling out of her city to visit friends or family. She is unable to work and most importantly she has a 4 year old daughter that she may not get to see grow up.

The manner in which my cousin faces her disease is truly inspirational. She takes each day in stride and does what she needs to do without fuss and with much bravery. She always has a smile on her face and has an air of optimism in her voice. There is no doubt she has her hard days (to say the least), but for all she has to deal with she really is a remarkable individual, one that has done a lot for the Kidney Foundation of Canada, for her daughter, husband and would reach out to help anyone who needed it, without asking for anything in return.

Although there is never enough one can do for her, I would like to thank my sister for having the fundraiser in her honor and bringing some education to her disease. I know that my cousin loves to educate others on her illness, as it is only through education and understanding can such diseases get funding and recognition to develop important treatments.

I wish I had taken more photos throughout the night, as that was the plan. But between eating and socializing I didn't get too many good shots. The menu also deserves some credit. It consisted of a cheese platter, artichoke dip, california rolls, smoked artic char, mushroom dip, sausage, artichoke and roasted red pepper skewers, chicken skewers, truffles, assorted desserts etc...

A Give Away!

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:15:00 +0000

If you enjoy fun give aways, go over to According to Ashely's to check out her fun Swoozie give away. Not only can you enjoy her blog and a chance to win a swoozie, you can find out what the heck a swoozie is.

http://drewashleyporter.blogspot.com/2009/02/secret-shopper.html

Indian Spiced Artic Char

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:22:00 +0000

Last Friday night my sister called me to see what I was doing for dinner. She was calling to offer me some fillets of Artic Char. My sister use to live in northern Canada, so when a friend from up north came to visit her, she requested that she bring with her a large Artic Char, one that she possible could not eat all herself. So I am the lucky one that got to have a couple fillets. I quickly put my chicken in the freezer and went to pick up the fish. Of course anytime I have fish I prefer it grilled and as some of you may know I love to use Cajun or blackening spices. I changed it up somewhat and used an Indian Spiced Rub and served it with a ginger dipping sauce.

Indian Spiced Artic Char

1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

pinch cinnamon

pinch cloves

pinch red chilli flakes (optional)

2 fillets of Artic Char (6oz each)

olive oil

Heat a dry skillet over high heat, add peppercorns, cumin and coriander and toast until fragrant - about 1 minutes.

Remove from skillet and place in a coffee grinder and grind until powdery. Mix with cinnamon, cloves and chilli flakes.

Preheat oven to 450 or grill to med high heat.Drizzle salmon with oil and rub part of the mixture onto the fillets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. If grilling grill one side for 6 minutes and then flip to grill the other side for 4-6 minutes.

Fish should be opaque in side and flaky. You do not want to dry out fish.Serve with mango chutney or this ginger dip.

Ginger Dip

1/4 cup pickled ginger chopped
1/2 cup mayo
1 green onion chopped
pepper to taste
2 T soy sauce
2 T lemon or lime juice

Mix together and serve with fish.

St. Patrick's Day Recipe Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:48:00 +0000

I hope everyone is wearing green attire today to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I am sporting a few different shades of green shirts and already at 9:00 in the morning am thinking about a nice Stout after work. I compiled a few Irish recipes from my blog to get everyone feeling Irish for the day.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Stew

Steak & Stout Pie

Green Broccoli Soup

Potato & Leek Soup

Jalapeno-Cilantro Hummus

Jalapeno-Cilantro Hummus

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:18:00 +0000

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow I thought I would whip up something green. My favourite green herb is cilantro and my favourite chillis are jalapenos, as I like many of my dishes spicy. I experimented and combined both of these ingredients in a hummus dip. After adding a few more spices like cumin and coriander the hummus turned out nice and smooth with a subtle kick to it. The cilantro leaves look a bit like clovers so it is a good way to decorate your dip for the occasion.

Jalapeno-Cilantro Hummus

1 can (190z) chickpeas or navy beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup cilantro

1 jalapeno, seeded

1/4 cup water

1T olive oil

juice of 1 lime

2/3 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp cumin

pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add more water if required to make it smooth and adjust flavoring to your desire.

Dressed it up for St. Patrick's Day.

Lemon Cranberry Scones

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:49:00 +0000

If you are look for a quick morning or afternoon snack to whip up, scones do not take long at all. These took 15 minutes to put the batter together and 12 minutes to bake. You can even make the dough a day ahead of time, store it in the fridge and take them out to bake them fresh. These scones use whole wheat flour, very little sugar and are loaded with tart antioxidant filled cranberries. Noting scones can be dry I tried to make them a bit more moist using buttermilk and frozen cranberries. So put the donuts down and enjoy a healthy scone with your coffee or tea.

Lemon Cranberry Scones

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 t wheat bran
2 T sugar
2 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T unsalted butter, cut up into pieces
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 lemon zested
1 cup cranberries (frozen, fresh or dried)

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Add in butter pieces and using a pastry cutter blend butter into flour. Add in zest and cranberries.

In a small bowl whisk together buttermilk and eggs.

Pour buttermilk and egg mixture into dry ingredients and gently mix until moist. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Then on a floured surface divide the mixture in 2 and mold into 1" thick circles. Cut the circles into 6 wedges.

Place on a non stick (spray with non stick spray) and bake for 11-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Glaze: combine 1/2 cup icing sugar and 2 T lemon juice for a glaze and brush ontop of scones while still warm.

Scones freeze well.

Yields: 12 scones

Burgers & Bowling

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:26:00 +0000

My husband and I love to host theme nights. Even if it is just the two of us we are notorious for having some sort of theme. Be it Italian night where we listen to some Frank Sinatra, make homemade pizzas and watch the Sopranos; host a Mexican night with tacos, piñatas, burritos and sangria; Spanish wine and tapas night, or participate in an activity like skiing or hiking followed by a great corresponding meal (eg. Skiing and Spaghetti). This weekend we decided to do Bowling and Burgers. We rounded up about 12 friends to enjoy a couple hours of 10 pin bowling followed by a BBQ at our place. Having everyone contribute salads, dips, chips, made for a causal, low maintenance event. My husband made his spicy burgers for the occasion, which he has been perfecting over the years. They are moist with a great kick to them.

Spicy Burgers

2 lbs lean ground beef
2 minced garlic cloves
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 onion, grated
salt and pepper to taste
1 T Frank's hot sauce
1 tsp paprika

Combine all ingredients into ground beef and mix together. Form patties using hands to desired size.

Preheat grill to high heat. Grill burgers over high heat about 5 minutes per side.

Burger Tips:

If using onions, shred them rather than chop, so they cook at the same time as the beef. Chopped onions tend to stay raw in the pattie.

Do not over mix the burger patties. If you over work them they have a tendency to shrink and puff up.

Internal temp of meat should be 160F when done.

Do not push down on the patties with flipper, this just removes the flavor and moisture.

Veggie Burgers

Spinach & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:25:00 +0000

This past weekend my in-laws were down for a visit. Noting it was -20C we thought it was a good time to check out the Canadian War Museum for the afternoon. I was really impressed by the layout and content of the exhibits ranging from the wars of the First Peoples, the French and the British to the World Wars. I learned so much about the role of Canadians in many a wars, some of which I’d learned about in grade school but had since forgotten the details.

Even though you can never understand war unless you lived through it as a civilian or soldier it provided great insight into what it must have been like. So much of the knowledge we get about war is romanticized through the media that hearing accounts of living in the trenches by actual veterans (filled with rats, urine, feces, decomposing bodies, no food, wet, cold); seeing the brutal weapons used during war time, as well as seeing the overly simple surgical kits used to treat soldiers’ wounds brings one to their knees in disgust and can bring one that much closer to understanding the sheer brutality and violence of war.

If you live in Ottawa or are here to visit I’d recommend checking it out. It took us about 2 hours to walk through it. But one could easily spend 4 hours there.

Afterwards we came back to the house to enjoy a nice meal. I’ve wanted to make spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken for a while. I was impressed by the simplicity, the taste and beautiful presentation of this dish. I kind of winged the ingredients and did not measure them, so basically you can adjust the following ingredients to your liking. We were talking a lot while I was preparing the dish, so I just realized I did not even add any seasoning. I think it was good without seasoning, but one could add some more flavour with rosemary, saffron or make a nice mushroom and white wine sauce to go over it.

Spinach & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

4 large chicken breasts

2-3 T butter

10oz bag of baby spinach

¼ white onion

½ to ¾ cup sliced cremini or button mushrooms

1 cup creamy goat cheese

Ground pepper

½ cup chicken stock or white wine

Place chicken breasts in the center of a plastic food storage bag and pound out the chicken from the center of the bag outward using a meat mallet, evenly flattening the breasts.

In a large skillet melt 1 T butter over med-high heat. Add the spinach and sautee until wilted. Set aside. Once cooled drain and squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.

In the same skillet melt 1 T butter over med-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and sautee until tender about 5 minutes.

In a medium to large bowl add the spinach, mushrooms and onion and goat cheese and ground pepper. Mix or cream together the mixture until well blended. Start with a bit of cheese and add more as desired.

Now spoon the mixture into the center of the chicken or slightly to the right of the center. Now roll the chicken breast over the mixture, as you would tortillas and secure with toothpick(s). Repeat for all 4 chicken breasts.

Place the 4 chicken breasts in the same skillet (oven proof with lid) and add the chicken stock or white wine to the skillet.

Cover and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour.

Serve immediately with lemon butter green beans. You can slice the chicken breasts and serve them in a fan shape or serve whole.

Also try Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

Steak, Mushroom & Stout Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:33:00 +0000

I love both the look and the convenience of individual pot pies. I find they look really elegant to serve company and are perfect for freezing and defrosting for single servings. In trying to figure out a good recipe for this pie I did a bit of research into its origin.

I found that Steak and Mushroom Pie is a traditional British dish and that Steak and Stout Pie has origins in Ireland. In Canada they have become traditional British Pub or Irish Pub dishes. The only thing that really seperates each dish from one another was the obvious fact that one uses mushrooms and the other a pint of stout. Leave it to the Irish to omit a vegetable in place of a good beer (although I have seem some variations with using both in them).

I love mushrooms and I love stout (especially cooking with it) and hence decided there was no reason to keep them apart. I adapted the recipe Steak & Stout Pie from the 2009 winter edition of LCBO Food & Drink. I doubled the recipe and added a combo of cremini and button mushrooms, and replaced the celery root with potatoes.

2 lbs good quality stewing beef or steak (I used blade steak as it breaks up nicely)
3 T all purpose flour
olive oil
2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
2 cups white onions, coarsely diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 T tomato paste
2 cups carrots peeled and diced
2 cups white pototoes, peeled and diced
1 lbs mushrooms (cremini and button) sliced
1 can Guiness or stout (440ml)
2 cups beef broth

In a bowl add the flour to the beef to coat and add salt and pepper to flavor. In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat, add the beef and cook until browned, about 15 min. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add more oil if needed to the same pot and add the onions and garlic, cook 5 mins. Add thyme and tomato paste, stir. Cook 2 mins.

Add the stout and scrap up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the beef broth and the beef. Bring to a boil and then let simmer covered for 45 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and simmer slightly uncovered for 60 minutes.

Fill individual ramekins and place puffed pastry on top of stew mixture (read directions on puffed pastry). Make sure to make slits with a nice in the puffed pastry. And brush with egg wash.

Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven (400F) for 40-45min, until pastry is cooked and golden brown. Serve.

Mardi Gras

noreply@blogger.com (Parker) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Yes today is Fat Tuesday, better known as Mardi Gras. It is a day to collect as many beads as possible (not fun when you reside in Canada's capital, brrrr!). But you can then warm up with a hearty bowl of gumbo. As I will not be cooking tonight I have posted a few cajun and creole recipes for the occassion. Enjoy!

Blackened Salmon
Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya
Cajun Salmon
Mojitos