I LOVE tomatoes!

TGIF!
I just wanted to brag that my first little backyard veggie garden has taken off (this a true miracle if you only knew my success with house plants)!  I just made the most delicious tomato sandwich for lunch using two tomatoes and some spinach leaves from my garden in the back yard.  I toasted my whole grain bread, added some light mayo, salt and pepper and a few thin slices of sharp white cheddar...Mmmmmm tomato sandwich heaven!

Now if only I could get my green bean plants to produce more than 3 beans at a time, I'd be in business!!!

Light Dessert in a Snap!

This is definitely my go-to dessert when Rob and I have guests over because you can make it all year round in less than 5 minutes, while your guests are digesting in the other room!!! Don't believe me, check this out:

1 angel food cake (prepared)
2 cups of mixed frozen berries
1 tbsp honey
1 large container of vanilla yogurt

Fetch a small pot and fill it with a 1/4 cup of water and the honey.  Put it on the burner on low heat (medium-low).  Add the frozen mixed berries and cover the top.  While they are defrosting and absorbing the juices, cut the angel food cake in triangle pieces and divide it evenly among small dessert plates for your guests.  Spoon generously the yogurt over each piece of cake on the plate.  When the berries have defrosted, but still hold their shape, take the pot off the burner and spoon this coulis of fruit on top of each cake as well.

The end result is a delicious blend of sweet cake, cool yogurt and tart fruit that is sure to please any palate!  Enjoy!

Almond Apricot Chicken Delight

This tasty treat is a great main dish to serve when you've got a little bit of time and really want to impress your guests!  It's one of my husband Rob's favourites too (and the only way he would eat a dried apricot!).  I also have to mention that when I served this to family and guests from Belgium, Rob's grandmother commented "I didn't know you could cook" (I took this as a HUGE compliment, so don't tell me otherwise!)

The recipe comes from my fave cookbook "Great Food Fast" and has only 7 ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
2 ounces of goats cheese
4 dried apricots (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
1/3 cup of bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
course salt and ground pepper too

Preheat your oven to 350 F and start by cutting a slit in each chicken breast, in order to create a pocket about four inches long (I also make mine nice and deep so I can stuff them full!)

In a small bowl, mix only a 1/4 of the almonds with the goats cheese and the apricot pieces.  Then stuff the mixture evenly in the pockets among all the chicken breasts.

On a flat plate, combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of almonds.  Dip each breast (carefully to not lose any stuffing) into the beaten egg and then coat it with the breadcrumb mixture.

 Place the finished pieces on a plate while you heat the tbsp of olive oil in a oven-proof skillet.  Cook each breasts 3-4 minutes in the hot skillet until golden on the outside.  When all are cooked, keep them in the skillet and transfer it into the oven to cook through.  This should take about 15 minutes (but I always watch it closely and check with my meat thermometer.

Here's how we set the table the day of the family feast - we went with a colourful, European look, using a gorgeous table linen that my mom brought me home from Italy.  The chicken was served with roasted potatoes, green beans and asparagus.  It was all delicious!

Red Tomato Fruit Ketchup

This is a heirloom recipe for me. My mother made it when I was young and the recipe is preserved in her handwritten recipe book in which her most used recipes are stained with memories. Today is a special day: I am posting her recipe as it is the 45th anniversary of her death.

Red Tomato Ketchup
3 large onions
3 pears
3 peaches
15 tomatoes
2 cups white sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 cups white vinegar
3 tbsp pickling spice

Dice fruit and place in a large saucepan. Add sugar, salt and vinegar to fruit. Wrap and tie pickling spice in a cheesecloth and add to mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 ½ hours. Remove cheesecloth filled with pickling spice and pour into sterilized mason jars. Cover and seal.

Italian Green Beans

Italian Green Beans

I inherited this recipe from a very good Italian cook many, many years ago. Like most recipes that are passed on as part of the oral tradition of a culture, there are variations but the essential ingredients remain the same. The quantity of ingreidents varies according to the amount of beans you have. I usually make this recipe when the wax beans are plentiful and fresh during the summer months. I have also made it with yellow beans and a mixture of both.

Put the whole beans in a pot and cover with liquid comprised of one part white vinegar and four parts water. Boil for about an hour (they need to be very tender). Drain in a colander and then wrap in a cotton dish towel to absorb any excess water. While still warm, place in a bowl, add chopped fresh basil (the quantity you use depends on the amount of beans and how much you like fresh basil), add olive oil (enough to coat the beans without having a pool of oil in bottom of bowl, freshly ground coarse salt and pepper.
They are tastier when they are served immediately and still warm. They can also be served at room temperature or even cold. You can make this a few days in advance as they keep well in the refrigerator.


Enjoy!!!

Garlic Beets

Garlic Beets
This recipe is adapted from the recipe book (the 1999 edition, p. 43) published by the very popular vegetarian Green Door Restaurant on Main Street in Ottawa. For me, this is a regular dish during the summer months when the beets are fresh.

5-6 medium beets
2- 3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 tbsp umeboshi vinegar (I also use rice vinegar that also works well with this recipe)
Place beets in a pot, cover with water and bring to a rolling boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until beets are tender. (If the beets are very fresh, they will take much less time to become tender than older beets that you usually find in the supermarket in the winter.) Peel the beets while still warm and allow to cool completely. Slice or chop the beets. If they are small enough, you can also leave them whole. Place in a bowl. In a separate bowl, wisk crushed garlic with oil and vinegar. Pour over beets, mix and serve immediately. You can also refrigerate these beets and serve them within a few days.

Cooking with Quinoa

Cooking with Quinoa:
I have only recently discovered quinoa thanks to an excellent recipe book that Renée gave me for Christmas 2010. These two recipes are out of that book entitled Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood 365 by Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming. Now that I have discovered quinoa, I plan to try a number of recipes from this book and others. You can also check out their website at www.quinoa365.com for the many benefits and recipes for cooking with quinoa.

Bocconcini and Oregano Salad (adapted from p. 47)

1 ½ cups water
¾ cup quinoa
1 cup diced zucchini
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
½ cup diced red onion
½ cup frozen baby peas, thawed (I left this ingredient out!!)
1 cup cied red bell paper
½ cup diced yellow bell pepper

Vinaigrette:
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I added a little more)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
Pinch salt
Pinch ground black pepper

And finally, 1 cup halved mini bocconcini cheese pieces

Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan (I use a pan that is big enough that it won’t boil over). Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered for a few minutes. It should be light and fluffy. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
Combine zucchini, tomatoes, onion, and peppers (and peas if you are using them) in a large bowl.
Whisk the vinegar, oil, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and thoroughly mix all ingredients. Add the quinoa and bocconcini and mix until evenly combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to three days.

Cucumber Mint Salad (adapted with my own comments from p. 45 of Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood 365)
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup quinoa
1 long English cumber, seeded and diced (I used three small Lebanese cucumbers that I did not seed and it also worked well)
½ cup finely chopped red onion
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh mint

Vinaigrette:
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp salt
Pinch ground black pepper

Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan (I use a pan that is big enough that it won’t boil over). Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered for a few minutes. It should be light and fluffy. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
Combine cooked quinoa, cucumber, onion, parsley and mint in a medium sized bowl.
Whisk the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetable mixture and toss until well combined. Serve immediately. This salad will keep for up to three days in your refrigerator.

Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

Who craves warm cookies on a hot summer day?!!!  Well I did, so I decided that I should try making some from scratch because it had been may too long since I attempted this and I had the time this afternoon.  I used a recipe book that belongs to Rob (yes, he owns one...his mom gave it to him when he moved out on his own for the first time!)  It's actually a great recipe book for first time cooks and bakers alike as the recipes are easy to follow, the sections are well defined and there are many chapters about things like: substitutions, cooking basics, information on eggs, herbs, sauces and food storage.  The book is called "Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book."

Today I went for the Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Rounds:

3/4 butter (I used non-salted, softened)

1/2 peanut butter (I got some smooth PB at Kardish bulk foods)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour for the 1/4 cup)

2 cups rolled oats

It seems like a long list, but you probably have most of this stuff in your cupboards!  Thanks to my Uncle Cam and Aunt Lynda, I have a gorgeous Kitchenaid Mixer (wedding gift) which really makes making cookies, cakes and breads easier.  Throw the peanut butter and softened butter in the mixer on low setting (2) for about 30 seconds until blended. 

In another smaller bowl, mix the sugars, baking powder and soda together and then add them to the PB mixture. 

Make sure to scrap down the sides as it blends to get it all well combined.  Now add the 2 eggs and vanilla as well. Then slowly add the flour mixture (1 cup flour + 1/4 cup whole wheat flour) followed by the rolled oats.

At this point, you can see that I added some butterscotch chocolate chips as well...I figure if you're going this far already...why not, right?!

When it's all nicely combined, prepare your two baking sheets.  I used two stoneware pans, so I should have watched the timing a little better because they tend to cook faster.  You can use parchment paper on regular cookie sheets.  Drop a teaspoon-sized ball of dough every 2 inches until you cover the sheet.

 Bake the dough for 8-10 minutes so that they are chewy when cooled.  Or, if you're not the best baker, like myself, cook them for 10 minutes because you think they don't look quite ready yet, and then end up with delicious, but crunchy cookies!!! Oopsies!

I have a feeling that they will get eaten anyways!  I great treat with ice cream on a sunny afternoon.  ENJOY!

Summer Soups - Curried Zucchini!

I love this recipe, taken from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food recipe book "Great Food Fast."  If you do not own this one, drop everything and go get it immediately...the recipes are simple, flavourful and look elegant to boot! Plus, there is a picture of every single recipe, which gives you presentation ideas too.

The recipe book is divided into the four seasons to feature local/in-season produce that go great with the weather too.  The nice thing about this soup is that is is delicious both HOT or COLD!  I served this one to some guests we had over for a BBQ last week, and it was well received cooled off as we sat on the warm patio in the sun.

Here goes: Curried Zucchini Soup

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion (chopped)
coarse salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 lbs of zucchini (3 medium ones) sliced one inch thick
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into one inch chunks
1/3 cup of sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

I use a dutch oven (another gift from mom that I use almost daily) to make this soup.  In the bottom, heat the oil, add the onion and 1 tbsp of salt.  When the onion have turned soft, add the garlic and curry powder (stir it up well so it doesn't just stick to the bottom).

After about a minute, add the zucchini, potato and 4 cups of water. (Personally, I add 2 cups of low-sodium veggie broth and 2 cups of water instead of just water...more flavour!)  Bring it all to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer.  Cook another 15 minutes until all veggies are tender to prick.

In batches, you puree the soup in a blender (on low setting) until it becomes smooth...and it's that simple!  If you prefer a runnier soup, add less potato and zucchini.  For thicker, add a little more.

For my guests last week, I added a dollop of sour cream and some chives from my garden instead of the toasted almonds..but I've also done the almond topping and it's delish too!

Impress your guests today and ENJOY! 

Toasted Granola...and it's oil free!

Thanks to mom, I have this awesome recipe book called "La Dolce Vegan" that features all vegan recipes from breakfast to snacks to main courses.  The recipes turn out pretty good and many don't require too many "weird" or hard-to-find ingredients either, which is a major bonus for me!  The only thing missing from this recipe book that I normally look for are pictures.  (Well, there are plenty of pictures of the author, Sarah Kramer, doing funny things; but I'm talking pictures of what the recipe should look like!)

Anyway, on Monday I decided to try making her "Toasted Oil-free Granola" for the first time and it actually turned out great (meaning that Rob has been eating it too!) Here's how it goes:

2 cups of rolled oat flakes
2 cups of quick oats
1/2 cup of walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of sesame seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of dried fruit (optional- your choice)


With the oven preheating to 250, you need to combine the dry stuff first and then add the water, syrup and vanilla.  

You spread the whole mixture on baking sheets and put them in the oven for about an hour.

I forgot the walnuts when out buying the ingredients at Kardish, but instead added sliced almonds and chopped pecans.  I also doubled the cinnamon amount because I knew my husband would like that, and I may have also exceeded the 1/4 cup of maple syrup a little because it's just so delicious...but besides that, I followed everything else to a "T"!!!

I took the baking sheets out of the oven every 17 minutes or so to stir it up with a fork and ended up stopping the cooking process after 45 minutes - that seemed to be enough for my liking.  I stored the mixture in an old Tupperware container and noticed when I woke up this morning that I am down to only about 2 cups left!

I did not add any dried fruit, but always top it with fresh blueberries (my fave), whether its in my almond milk or with yogurt...a delicious breakfast or late night snack.  ENJOY!