vini pou manje * come to eat!

quinoa sushi! who knew?

2011-02-10T22:42:00.000-08:00

i stumbled across VEGAN EATS...an amazing blog where Ross, the author (part-owner of Hot Beans , a vegan takeout place that is opening this spring in Toronto) shares his recipe for ASPARAGUS QUINOA SUSHI. i then proceeded to invite my most skilled sushi making friend and another dear friend over for a playdate/sushi making event. and it worked!!! i did omit the rice vinegar and sugar and used apple cider vinegar and agave nectar instead. we had a few rolls that weren't perfect, but i think that was more due to my lack of skill than anything else. we used asparagus, orange & yellow peppers, avocado and cucumber. i steamed the asparagus and then ran it under cold water and that worked well. we also quartered the asparagus lengthwise into 4 long strips as it was quite big. the sauce he included with the recipe was a perfect accompaniment to the quinoa and the asparagus. i will definitely be making this again. and again. and AGAIN! perhaps even for dinner so sean can try some as well : )

and, we DID make them again for dinner! i must say, my sushi rolling skills are improving somewhat...

sweet-potato avo & chickpea salad

2011-02-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

left over avocado *lemon-dilly dip* from the chipotle chickpea wings in the fridge & nothing prepped for dinner tonight, led me to this...i plan on putting some over a bed of mixed greens and enjoying it immensely tonight while dining with one of my favorite people in all the world, marla binet (aka gramma M). we eat @ her home and watch "the biggest loser" together every tuesday evening that we are both around. she is being very understanding of me and my need to bring my own food and i am certain that milo will quite enjoy sharing her chicken and rice with her : ) i just had to have a taste test and i can guarantee that it is most certainly delicious!

this is super easy, especially if you already have the dressing ready to go in the fridge.

1 medium sweet potato, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 a cucumber, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 a red pepper, diced
1/2 an avocado, diced
(i was out of onion but i think this would have been even more delicious with some red-onion added)
2 cups cooked chickpeas (it was my plan originally to use black beans, but i was all out and hadn't the time to cook any, a solitary can of chickpeas @ the back of the pantry stood in. you could use any cooked beans you have on hand.)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
sea salt & pepper to taste
-steam the sweet potato 'til soft, place in a colander and rinse under cold water and let drain.

-combine sweet potato with the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl, add about 1/3 cup of *lemon-dilly dip* and gently combine. garnish with extra cilantro if you wish.

manje!

chipotle chickpea"wings"

2011-02-03T21:49:00.000-08:00

tonight i really, REAAAAAALLY wanted hot wings. so much so that i spent a ridiculous amount of time making dinner for just me. the end result was more than worth it and, there are leftovers for sean when he gets home from work! i made sure to keep track of everything i did this time as i went along so i could share the recipe with you all if it worked out. it did, so....here it is!!! this recipe yields about 42 "wings". you can dip them all in the sauce or save some to eat as is...either way they are tasty.

preheat oven to 325*F

for the WINGS...

1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup flaxseed

2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 (19oz) can of chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp bragg all purpose soy seasoning
1/2 a medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, grated
1 cup chopped baby spinach
sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp poultry seasoning (i used EPICURE turkey rub)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup bob's red mill gluten free flour blend

~grind the 1/2 cup almonds & 1/4 cup flaxseed together in blender.

~transfer to a large bowl and add everything except for the flours,
stir & then combine using a hand blender until well mixed and a fairly even texture.

~add the flours to the mixture and combine with a rubber spatula until the flour is all mixed in.

~form the mixture into whatever shape you'd like (i decided on triangles, not very wing like but i just felt like it : ) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

~bake @ 325*F for 30 minutes. (i did mine in a convection oven @ 300*F)

for the SAUCE...

in blender combine:
2 small cans V8 juice (or about 1 1/3 cups) *reserve a little and mix with the cornstarch before adding to the blender*
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup bragg all purpose soy seasoning
2 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
1/2-1 tsp chipotle chili powder (i used 1/2 and that was spicy enough for me)
freshly ground pepper to taste

~blend everything til smooth.

~transfer to a small sauce pan and heat on medium-high, stirring frequently 'til mixture comes to a boil. reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, sauce will thicken.

~remove from heat and allow to cool, and thicken even more.

~by this time the wings should be done, remove from the oven and get ready to dip!

~increase the oven temp to 350*F (325*F in convection)

~dip into the cooled sauce and place back onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (i used tongs as you can see in the photo & it worked very well...perfect with the triangle shape and not one of them broke) make sure to coat them well in the sauce mixture. the saucier the better! you may need to prep another baking sheet as well as i left more room between each of them when baking them for the second time.

~once all the wings are coated and back on pans, return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes or until wings are starting to brown.

~remove & let cool slightly on pan before transferring to plates.

i served the wings with: avocado lemon-dilly dip

1 avocado, skin and pit removed
1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
the juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp bragg all purpose soy seasoning
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp EPICURE lemon dilly dip mix (you can use fresh or dried dill in it's place.)
sea salt & pepper to taste

3 tbsp olive oil
~combine all ingredients except for the olive oil in blender and combine til smooth.

~add the olive oil and blend again.

manje!

luscious lemon un~cheesecake

2011-02-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

a few days ago i attempted a recipe in the THRIVE book for lemon sesame crisps...i over baked them however and altho tasty, i had this idea that they would be much better as part of a crumb crust base for some sort of dessert rather than the cookie like crackers they would have been if i had not over crisped them : ) i found THIS RECIPE for a raw lemon cheesecake and modified it as follows. you need to soak your nuts for the cheesecake part so it does take some planning ahead but it is well worth the wait!

*lemon sesame crisps*

2/3 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup lemon zest
2 tbsp dulse flakes
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

~process all ingredients. lightly oil a baking sheet with coconut oil. spread mixture over tray to desired thickness. score with knife to mark desired crisp size. bake 20 min in a 300* oven. remove. let cook and harden before breaking up.

so, i baked this according to the baking directions for the other cracker recipes in the book, which was for 30 minutes....and then left them in even longer than that. i am sure that even if baked according to directions, they could still be used to make a delicious crust for the dessert : ) i am also sure that you could even just mix the above ingredients with the following to make a crust and bake it for 20-30 min @ 300* in a spring form pan and that that would eliminate a whole step!

i crumbled up my botched batch of lemon sesame crisps and combined them with...
1/2 cup ground flaxseeds
3/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
and 1/2-3/4 cup date paste (soak a couple handfuls of pitted dates in hot water for 15 minutes or so, remove and blend into a paste, reserve soaking water to use for the cheesecake filling.)

i pressed this into the bottom of a greased 9" spring form pan.

to make the "cheese"cake filling, i combined the following ingredients in my blender...

2 cups raw macadamia nuts, soaked overnight in water (raw cashew nuts would work as well)
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup agave nectar
a few drops of liquid stevia
1/8 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of the water that was used to soak the dates
blend 'til smooth and then pour into the spring form pan. place the whole thing in the freezer for @ least an hr. garnish the top with a little extra flaked coconut and some lemon zest if you'd like.

manje!

meatless meatballs

2011-02-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

i based the recipe for these meatballs on an almond flaxseed burger recipe in the THRIVE book and they were truly delicious! we all loved them, milo included as you can see by his empty dish. he kept saying "mmm noodles." no clue that he was devouring a dish of squash, seeds and nuts : )

the original recipe for the burgers calls for~
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp coconut, hemp or EFA oil blend (i used coconut oil & reduced the amount to 1tbsp)
sea salt to taste

i first ground the flaxseed in my blender until fine, added the almonds and blended again. i then transferred the mixture to a medium sized bowl and added the minced garlic, balsamic vinegar and coconut oil. i used my hand blender to blend all these ingredients together.

to this mixture i added~
3 tbsp BRAGG all purpose soy seasoning
1 cup finely chopped fresh baby spinach
1 medium grated carrot
1 cup cooked quinoa
and a couple tbsp of EPICURE guacamole dip mix
(you could substitute seasonings of your choice)

@ this point i stirred all the ingredients together and tried to start rolling the mixture into "meatballs" but found i needed to blend everything a little more with the hand blender in order to obtain the right consistency. leave some un-blended bits of carrot and spinach in the mixture. roll into whatever sized meat balls you would like and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. bake in a 300* oven for 40 minutes or so. i turned the meat balls over about half way thru the cooking time.

i served these meatballs over spaghetti squash. to cook the squash i cut it in half and placed it skin side up on a baking dish. i covered it in foil and baked it for about 40 minutes @ 350*. i checked it frequently as i did not want the squash to become to mushy. it came out perfectly spaghetti like altho a little firmer than some might like. if you'd rather it be softer just bake it for a little longer. top all with a tomato sauce of your choice, store bought or homemade. mine was a mixture of both as we were out of tomatoes. i sauteed some onions in a little olive oil, added some red and orange peppers, garlic and combined this with a couple cans of organic tomato sauce & 1 small can of tomato paste to thicken it up a little. i also added a little agave nectar to cut the acidity of the tomato sauce. we will definitely be making this again.

the THRIVE recipe for the burgers tastes great as well but is a little heavy for me, i think the next time i make them i will use my modified recipe with the 1/2 amount of oil and adding the veggies & quinoa. the original makes enough for 2 patties but with the added ingredients i imagine it would make quite a few more.

the original recipe also makes an awesome bacon-bit-esque type topping that tastes great on a bed of salad greens topped with your choice of dressing or on a baked potato.

baked sweet potato with "cheese sauce"

2011-01-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

i did my own thing for dinner tonight. still adhering to the basic principles of thrive, aside from baking at a rather high temp. it was delicious! here's the recipe for 1, sean's driving tonight and i had already made milo his banana buckwheat pancakes before i ever got around to thinking of what to have myself.....

1 sweet potato, ends trimmed. (brush with olive oil all over & a sprinkle of sea salt if you so desire.)

bake the potato on a baking sheet (they tend to get a little sticky while baking) in a 385* oven for 35-40 min.

while the potato is in the oven...

prepare a 1/2 recipe of CREAMY NUTRITIONAL YEAST SAUCE (click for link to previous post, you'll have to scroll to the bottom for the recipe),

fry 1/2 a diced sweet onion in a little live oil until it begins to caramelize,

AND chop up a handful of baby spinach.

when potato is out of the oven, slice down the center with a serrated knife and open up as you would a regular baked potato.

top with chopped spinach, followed by the creamy nutritional yeast sauce and lastly the caramelized onion.

i also just remembered that i was going to top the whole thing with some crumbled leftover almond burger....actually what prompted me to think up the recipe in the first place....i forgot. next time! i will definitely be making these again.

crisp peppernuts

2011-01-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

for as long as i can remember, our family has made peppernuts @ christmas time. tiny little bites of goodness.....so good that it is nearly impossible to stop after just one handful. the recipe we use every year is on page 25 of a little book called peppernuts plain and fancy , given to my mom during the winter of 1979 from my grandpa swanson who wanted her to be able to make them for my dad as they were his favorite : ) on christmas day this year my mom and i rolled out peppernuts here at our house with our good friends carolin and her family and dear paula! it was so much fun. mid peppernut extravaganza there was a knock @ the door and the smiling faces of the dos santos family appeared in our doorway bearing even more cookies : ) i quickly wrapped up a bag of peppernuts for them and they went on their way. lee-ann has requested the recipe as little amelia just can't get enough "nuf-nuts". i am posting the recipe here to share with all, but especially amelia & lee-ann dos santos. : ) they take a whole lot of work and are best made with the help of as many friends as you can fit around the table but they are well worth the effort!

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp syrup
2 tsp baking soda
3 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2-1 tsp oil of anise, or ground anise (i used 1 1/2 tsp anise extract)
the recipe does not call for the next two ingredients but we add them anyway : )
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp nutmeg

basic directions for mixing peppernuts:

1) cream butter & sugar until fluffy.
2) add eggs one at a time, beating well.
3) add syrup
4) sift dry ingredients with spices and flour.
add 1/2 the amount of flour, mixing well,
add remaining flour & knead thoroughly.
5) store dough in tightly covered container or plastic wrap in refrigerator overnight or longer. this helps the dough to season and spices to blend. ( i find it best to leave dough in fridge for 2 days. the peppernuts do not spread out as much while baking and as far i am concerned, the smaller and crispier the peppernut, the better! )
6) roll dough into thin ropes and slice with a sharp knife.
7) place pieces separately on a baking sheet that has been greased or lined with parchment paper.
8) bake @ 375* for 7 minutes or 'til golden brown. baking time depends on how brown you like peppernuts. different degrees of browning change the flavour and texture of the peppernuts.

manje!

milo's supper quinoa pilaf turned pancake!

2011-01-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

milo had been asking for pancakes ALL DAY. i took his portion of pilaf and combined it with 1 egg, mashing the chickpeas with a fork. i added a little rice milk, a few tablespoons of flour 'til it formed a pancakey batter along with about a 1/4 tsp each of baking soda and baking powder, a dash of cinnamon and a little honey. milo was not super excited about having his photo taken, but he DID love his pancakes!

quinoa chard pilaf with chickpeas & roasted red pepper

2011-01-17T17:45:00.002-08:00

today is day 1 of attempting to eat a month without dairy and very limited grains & sugar. i had a bit of a rough day.....i think the mental aspects of such a task are far more daunting for me than trying to figure out what to cook! i have NOT given up my afternoon coffee however and i very much enjoyed sitting down this afternoon with my americano-chai and savoured EVERY last drop! okay. on to the recipe...

this, was SUPER easy.

cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of veggie broth according to package directions. add herbs and seasonings of your choice in with the quinoa, tonight i used a pesto epicure seasoning mix.

while this is cooking, saute 1 medium onion, finely diced in a little olive oil over medium heat til translucent, splash with a little balsamic vinegar and continue cooking a little longer 'til it starts to caramelize slightly. turn down heat if necessary.

remove stems from 4 chard leaves of your choice ( i used red chard tonight ), coarsely chop and set aside.

2 cups cooked chickpeas, i used canned chickpeas tonight as i was feeling a little lazy : )

1 roasted red pepper, diced (again, feeling lazy i used a roasted red pepper from a jar : ) if you don't feel like roasting peppers and have none on hand a diced red pepper will suffice!

toss onions, chard, chickpeas, and roasted red pepper in with the quinoa and combine.

i sprinkled hemp hearts over the whole thing along with a little more seasoning mix and topped with cloves from a whole roasted garlic. the hemp hearts added a nutty flavour and you can never go wrong with roasted garlic!

manje!

double chocolate hemp-heart muffins

2011-01-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

protein from the hemp-hearts and deliciously chocolate filled. milo gobbled one up as soon as they were cool enough to eat!

pre-heat oven to 325*

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup hemp hearts
(if you don't have hemp hearts on hand, just add an extra 1/2 cup of either of the flours.)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2-2 cups chocolate chips, depending on how chocolate-y you'd like it to be :)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups light buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter

-in a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar & chocolate chips.

-in a separate small bowl whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla.

-pour over the dry ingredients and stir til just mixed....leave lumps. add the melted butter and stir gently.

-spoon batter equally into 24 greased or paper-lined muffin tins.

-bake @ 325* for 18-22 min.

manje!

poutine with balsamic reduction & feta cheese

2011-01-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

sean received a christmas gift from maple leaf foods down in lethbridge while driving for the business a couple of weeks ago consisting of two giant bags of fries, some bacon and a pork roast. yesterday while noticing our fridge and cupboards are rather barren and ready for a new years restock, we remembered the fries :) i haven't a photo but what we decided to make with them was DELICIOUS!!! i had some feta in the fridge, red peppers and onions & had the idea to make a balsamic"gravy" for a sort of poutine.

-while the fries are in the oven, reduce about a cup of balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan set on medium-high.

-add a tsp or two of grainy dijon mustard and some pepper while stirring often.

-at the same time add a coarsely chopped small vidalia onion to a little olive oil and
saute it in a small frying pan til nicely caramelized and golden brown.

-crumble the feta & dice a red pepper. set aside.

-when the fries are almost done, add about a 1/2 cup of light cream to the balsamic vinegar along with a tsp of cornstarch stirred into a little warm water to thicken the mixture just a little bit more.

-load fries onto plates, sprinkle crumbled feta on top and move around a little to get feta bits mixed thru-out. throw on a handful of diced red pepper. spoon the balsamic gravy over all and top with caramelized onion!

manje!

of course, you can use any fries you have...make your own...whatever you would like. i imagine sweet potato fries would be excellent as well. next time i'll take a picture. we were just too hungry to hunt for the camera. today i am attempting sweet potato gnocci from rocco dispirito's book, *now eat this!* i'll let you know how it turns out.

Coconut Cornbread with Guava-Honey Butter

2010-12-15T13:05:00.001-08:00

so it's been awhile...i hope to start posting more often in the new year. a resolution of sorts. i have been slacking off in the cooking department these last few months...it seems as tho when life gets hectic it's one of the first things that goes out the window. i am hoping to change that. i made these cornbread muffins for my mom's group this morning by tweaking and adding to a few cornbread recipes i have tried in the past. paired with the guava-honey butter it added a tropical feel to a cold albertan winter morning.

preheat oven to 400*

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup flaked coconut

3 eggs

1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. whisk eggs in a small bowl, then add coconut milk, vanilla and melted butter. stir wet ingredients into dry 'til just mixed. i used silicon baking cups filled about 2/3 and this recipe made 20 muffins. bake @ 400* for 15-20 minutes. serve with guava-honey butter for an even more tropical experience : )

*guava-honey butter*

1/8 cup guava jelly or jam
(ten thousand villages carries the BEST guava jam EVER but it is not always in stock, i found the jelly in the ethnic foods section @ superstore...not as amazing but still makes a tasty guava-honey butter)

1/8 cup creamed honey

2 tbsp butter, softened

blend all ingredients together and serve with warm cornbread.

manje!

* garlic n' cilantro guacamole *

2009-03-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

i love guacamole. so easy to make and delicious with any mexican meal or just as a dip for tortilla chips, crackers....or even veggies. i have also made guacamole dressing for salads by blending the ingredients in a blender & adding a little extra lime juice or some yogurt which would actually taste great with the cucumber fiesta salad below. if you have a little extra time to spare try making it using caramelized onions & a whole head of roasted garlic instead of raw. yummy.

3 large ripe avocados
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
juice of 1 lime
1 medium tomato, seeded & diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic

yields 2 cups

mash the avocado in a small mixing bowl 'til smooth if you like smooth guacamole or leave a few lumps. add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

manje!

* cucumber fiesta *

2009-03-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

with enough enchiladas left over from last nights supper for another meal tonight we are going for round 2. sean's brother is coming for supper & i wanted to figure out some sort of salad to serve with them, which initially proved to be more difficult than i anticipated. in the end cucumber was the only solution i could come up with besides a plain garden salad which just wasn't doing it for me....i have made creamy cucumber salads before with yogurt and mint or dill dressing but neither of those sounded too appealing paired with a mexican main dish. after much thought i came up with this recipe which will now be my new sidekick @ any future enchilada adventures.

SALAD
1 cucumber, seeded & chopped (you don't HAVE to seed it....i'm just picky about seeds : )
1 can whole kernel corn
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, seeded & chopped (once again with the seeds : )...i'm EVEN MORE picky when it comes to tomatoes!)
1 small OR 1/2 a large red onion, diced
1/4-1/2 cup cilantro (depending on your taste...feel free to omit it completely if you're not a fan)

~combine all ingredients together in a medium-large mixing bowl.

DRESSING
1/2 cup plain regular or non-fat yogurt
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp red OR white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes (a little more, less or none @ all for whatever level of spice you prefer)
salt & pepper to taste

~whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup & pour over salad. stir to combine & chill for @ least 1/2 an hour before serving.

manje!

* spinach & blackbean enchiladas *

2009-03-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

we don't eat a lot of ground beef in our house & usually substitute with yves veggie ground round. tonight i made my enchiladas using the mexican veggie ground round. i use the original in spaghetti & chili and haven't met anyone yet who could tell the difference : )

preheat oven to 350 degrees F

10 medium whole wheat tortillas

SAUCE
1 540 ml can petit cut diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

FILLING
1 pkg mexican yves veggie ground round
OR regular ground round with 1-2 tbsp of taco seasoning
1 cup cottage cheese
1 540 ml can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 cup chopped fresh spinach

1 cup (or more if you wish) grated cheddar cheese

1 ~in a small mixing bowl or a 4 cup measuring cup combine the sauce ingredients (it should equal almost exactly 4 cups)

2 ~in a medium bowl combine the filling ingredients along with 1 cup of the sauce and mix well.

3 ~spread 1 1/2 cups of the remaining sauce in a 9x13" baking dish.

4 ~have your tortillas stacked up on a plate & begin to assemble the enchiladas. spoon a few spoonfuls of filling evenly down the middle of each, roll tightly and place into the baking dish repeat until all 10 tortillas are lined up across the dish.

5 ~top with remaining sauce and 1 cup or more grated cheddar cheese (i like using a finer grater because it gives you more cheese to work with when topping a casserole type dish)

6 ~bake for 30 minutes @ 350 degree F

yields ~ five servings of 2 enchiladas OR ten servings of 1 enchilada (sometimes i cut in squares it as i would lasagne to serve it which would make ten pieces)
yay for the mini math lesson : )

* serve with guacamole & sour cream

manje!

ricardo & friends baked apples

2009-03-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

RICARDO & FRIENDS BAKED APPLES

i wanted to share this link for THE most incredible baked apples i have EVER tasted from my favorite food network canada show, ricardo & friends. they are easy to prepare & as tasty as any apple dessert i have had, especially when served warm with vanilla ice cream OR frozen yogurt. this recipe is from ricardo larivee's autumn menu episode. take a look @ his other recipes. any i have tried were sooooooo SO good.

* spinach salad w chickpea croutons & curried caesar dressing *

2009-03-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

this salad is definitely in my T O P 10. the combination of flavors & textures is amazing & delicious. a great meal if you need something relatively quick. serve with naan bread for a main dish OR as a side to an indian meal. you can adapt the meal for as many people as you want by increasing the amounts of each ingredient. tonight i served it with wholewheat naan brushed with a mixture of melted butter & garam masala spice which i toasted in the oven for 10 minutes @ 425 degrees F.

*fresh spinach, approximately 1-2 cups per person (i just pile a couple of generous handfuls onto each plate)

~romaine, spring mix or other leafy greens may be substituted, it tastes great with a little cilantro thrown into the mix as well : )
*raisins 1/4 cup per person (diced apple is just as good)
*extra virgin olive oil
*chickpeas 1/2 cup per person, drained & rinsed (one 540ml can = about 3 servings)
*1-2 tsp garlic, minced
*1-2 tsp ginger, finely grated
*1-2 tsp cumin
*1-2 tsp coriander
*caesar salad dressing
*madras curry powder

1 ~heat some olive oil (2-4 tbsp depending on the amount of chickpea croutons you are making) in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chickpeas along with the garlic & ginger and saute 'til they are browned all over...they will start to pop and jump around in the pan.

2 ~while they are cooking, you can quickly assemble the rest of the salad...just pile up some spinach on each plate and sprinkle with the raisins.

3 ~once they are finished toss the croutons with the cumin & coriander & spoon over the spinach on each plate.

4 ~top with caesar salad dressing mixed with madras curry powder to taste. (if using a thicker dressing i sometimes add a little water to thin it out a little)

~if you are making one big salad just put all the ingredients in a large salad bowl instead.

manje!

* cheesecake miniatures *

2009-03-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

i made these tonight for the first time, taking from a few larger cheesecake recipes and altering to fit into 12 silicone baking cups. they work amazingly well, the cheesecakes came out so easily. you could use one kind of crust for all 12 but i chose to do 3 different types and 4 different types of cheesecake which took a little more time but was a lot of fun! measurements may be a little off as i had a little left over of both the filling and the crust ingredients in the end, i tried to reduce accordingly. if you have some left over you could just grab a regular muffin tin & some paper liners and keep on going : )

if you are doing all 12 in one type of crust use combine 1 1/2 cups graham cracker OR oreo crumbs with 1/4 cup melted butter in a small bowl and stir until crumbs are moistened.

*the 3 types of crust i made were maple, lemon & chocolate

maple ~ i crushed 3 maple sandwich cookies and mixed in 2 tsp melted butter

lemon ~ the same using 3 lemon sandwich cookies with 2 tsp melted butter

chocolate ~ 3/4 cup oreo crumbs with 2 tbsp of butter

FILLING

2 (8 ounce) packages light cream cheese @ room temp

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour (if making chocolate cheesecakes reduce flour to 1/8 of a cup and add 1/8 cup cocoa)

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

*preheat oven to 325 degrees F & set the silicone muffin cups up on a baking sheet.

*press a couple small spoonfuls of crust mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup.

*for the filling, beat the cream cheese til light and fluffy. beat in the sugar & flour, then add the eggs & beat well.

*if making all one type of cheese cake you can add whatever flavor you want (vanilla, almond, mint, lemon etc.)

*to make the 4 types of cheesecake that i wanted (lemon, rolo, oreo & maple pecan), i divided the batter evenly among 4 bowls and added the flavorings i wanted for each....in the end i made 2 of them chocolate so they ended up being the same.

*for the lemon cheesecakes, i 1/2 filled each of the cups and put in a lemon centre i had reserved from a few of the sandwich cookies on top followed by the remaining batter.

*for the rolo cheesecakes, i placed a rolo on top of the crust in each cup & topped with chocolate batter.

*for the oreo, i 1/2 filled each cup with chocolate batter and placed a few crushed up oreo crumbs in the centre followed by the remaining batter. i swirled a little of the white vanilla batter into the tops of each of these as well.

*for the maple pecan, i 1/2 filled each cup and added a small amount of chopped pecans & some crushed maple sandwich cookies followed by the remaining batter.

bake @ 325 degrees F for 25 minutes or so.

top each cheesecake with whatever toppings you wish.....you could take any cheesecake flavor you could imagine & translate it into this recipe. i am looking forward to trying many more. i topped the lemon ones with dollops of lemon spread, sprinkled with left-over lemon cookie crumbs, the oreo ones with a piece of an oreo i had quartered pushed down into the centre, the maple~pecan with a few maple sandwich cookie crumbs that were left over & a pecan pushed into the centre, i ended up topping the rolo cheesecakes with crushed skor bar pieces while they were still slightly warm & they melted into the top quite nicely.

manje!

* apple n' ginger spice sweet potato pancakes *

2009-03-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

these are yuuuuummy. i adapted this from a plain sweet potato pancake recipe i found on a baby food site but sean & i enjoy them just as much as milo. they freeze well if you are using them for baby food, just put some wax paper between each pancake & double ziploc them or store in an airtight container in the freezer. if you don't like ginger you can leave it out. you can also replace the apple with other fruit, pineapple or bananas both work well. i think i may try pear next time. this recipe yields 12 small~ish pancakes. i cook 4 @ a time on a large skillet. double, triple or even quadruple the recipe if you want to make some for freezing : )

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed

2 eggs (or 4 egg yolks if feeding to a baby who is not yet eating egg whites)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup milk (soy, almond, rice or hemp milk all substitute well)

1 tsp vanilla

1 large apple, peeled & diced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled & grated

1 ~in a medium bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon & nutmeg.

2 ~in another bowl stir together the sweet potatoes, eggs, olive oil, milk & vanilla 'til just blended. mixture will be a little lumpy.

3 ~add the diced apple & grated ginger, stir in gently.

4 ~spoon the batter into a non-stick skillet (you can use a little cooking spray if you have a sticky skillet) & cook 'til bubbles rise to the surface & break. (1-2 minutes or so)

5 ~flip & cook for another 2 minutes.

* if you REEEEEALLY enjoy ginger as we do, you can make this simple lemon ginger syrup to serve over the pancakes.

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 tsp cornstarch

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

in a small saucepan, bring sugar, water & ginger to a boil, add cornstarch & whisk well. stir often 'til mixture reduces to about a cup (6-8 min). remove from heat & stir in lemon juice. cool @ room temp, then refrigerate.

mange!