Cranberry Champagne Cocktails anyone?

Last night was our annual book club potluck Christmas dinner. I took the fixings for this cocktail, the recipe for which came from this month's Bon Appetit magazine. We enjoyed the cocktails so much, our hostess had to head to her cellar for more champagne... Enjoy!

Cranberry Champagne Cocktails

champagne
cointreau
frozen cranberry concentrate, thawed
frozen cranberries

Put one tablespoon of cointreau and one half tablespoon of frozen cranberry concentrate into a champagne flute. Fill with champagne. Drop in a cranberry for garnish.

Shrimp and Tomato Pasta

I have been craving pasta lately. I could eat it every day. Since we always have shrimp in the freezer, this recipe has become a standard which the kids also love. We'll be having it this week! This recipe serves 4 as a main course and is inspired by Marcella Hazan who would make the sauce and serve it with crusty bread rather than pasta. Perhaps give that a try.

Pasta with Shrimp and Tomatoes

1 tbsp EVOO
1 onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
dried chili flakes to taste
3 tbsp chopped parsley
1 lg tin Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with juice
1 and a half to 2 pounds frozen shrimp, uncooked, peeled and deveined and halved lengthwise
12 oz dried pasta

Put oil and onion into a saute pan, heat to medium and cook until onion is translucent. Add garlic and dried chili. When garlic is pale gold, add parsley, stir once or twice and add tomatoes with their juice. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Add the shrimp to the simmering sauce, stir to coat, cover pan and cook 2-3 minutes until shrimp is cooked through.

While sauce is cooking, cook pasta.

Toss together pasta and sauce and enjoy!

Lamb and White Beans

Hugh calls this cassoulet, but it is much healthier and easier to prepare than a traditional cassoulet. Nonetheless, it does have the right comfort food factor. I do it in my crockpot, but it would work well in a roasting pan in the oven too, or with a long slow simmer on the stovetop. You can brown the lamb and saute the onions, garlic and carrots first, but I have gotten lazy and don't bother. I don't notice a big difference. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or crusty bread and a green salad.

Lamb and White Bean Stew

6-8 lamb chops
1 jar of pureed tomatoes, or marinara sauce, 700 ml or thereabouts
1/2 jar water
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 carrots, chopped
2 tsps herbes de provence
1 tin cannelini/navy beans, rinsed

Put all ingredients except beans into the crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add beans and serve once warmed through, about 1/2 hour later.

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

There is a lot of baking going on here at our place! I can't seem to keep this cake in the house for long. I usually let it cool completely, cut it into thirds, wrap it and freeze two thirds, so there is some ready to be defrosted at all times. Not only do the kids love it, but it's a good treat for coffee or tea with friends, right Ana? Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

1/4 c EVOO
1/4 c unsweetened apple sauce
1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cocoa
1 tsp b soda
1/2 tsp b powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp instant coffee granules
3 eggs
2 c grated zucchini
3/4 c dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan.

Whisk together flours, cocoa powder, baking power, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together apple sauce, olive oil and sugar. Add vanilla, coffee granules and eggs, mixing after each addition.

Reserve one cup of the flour mixure, and add the remaining dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, and don't be fussed about how thick it is.

Add zucchini and chocolate chips to the reserved cup of flour and toss to coat. Fold into the batter and blend with a wooden spoon. Pour into the bundt pan and level.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until done. Transfer to a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn the cake out onto a rack to cool completely.

Muffins for School Snacks

The kids are back to school this week and the baking has begun. The following two recipes from Rose Reisman cookbooks work well for school snacks and lunches. (No peanuts!) Both remain very moist.

Pear Cinnamon Muffins

1/4 c canola oil
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1/3 c unsweetened apple sauce
3 tbsp low-fat sour cream
1 c flour
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp b powder
1/2 tsp b soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
3/4 c peeled and finely diced ripe pears

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together oil, sugar, egg, applesauce and sour cream in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together flours, b powder, b soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture with a wooden spoon until just moistened. Fold in pears. Divide among muffin cups (sprayed with cooking spray or lined with muffin liners) and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 medium bananas, mashed
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp b powder
1 tsp b soda
1/2 c lowfat plain yogurt or lowfat sour cream
1/4 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together bananas, sugar, oil, egg and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, b powder and b soda. Stir wet and dry mixtures together. Stir in yogurt or sour cream. Fold in chocolate chips. Divide among muffin cups (sprayed with cooking spray or lined with muffin liners) and bake for approximately 15 minutes.

Cooler Weather Calls for Roast Chicken

These past few days have been almost autumnal. August: shorts one day and a sweater the next. On a particularly cold, damp day recently, I rediscovered a favourite roast chicken recipe which the kids really enjoy. I quite like the simple approach to roasting chicken: brush with dijon, sprinkle with dried tarragon, salt and pepper, and roast. But this recipe takes precious little more time and is very, very moist and tasty. Keep warm!

Roast Chicken with Maple-Soy Glaze

1/4 c maple syrup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp tabasco
3/4 c dry sherry or sake

1 chicken, approximately 4.5 to 5 pounds, fat and giblets removed
1 orange, quartered
fresh ginger, approximately 1 inch, peeled, halved and smashed
2 garlic cloves, smashed

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar and tabasco to make glaze. Simmer sherry in a small saucepan for about 3 minutes, until reduced to 1/2 cup.

Place chicken in roasting pan. Squeeze juice from oranges over chicken. Stuff chicken with oranges, ginger and garlic. Pour sherry over chicken.

Cover and roast for 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water to pan and brush chicken with glaze. Roast until done, approximately 45 minutes, basting regularly with glaze. (Uncover to crisp up the skin.) Remove from oven and transfer chicken to a platter, allowing to rest for approximately 10 minutes.

In the meantime, skim fat from pan juices, add remaining glaze to roasting pan and boil. Serve alongside chicken.



Bon Appetit, February 2006 (minus the butter)

Red Peppers - Two Ways

For the past few weeks, we've been getting baskets full of beautiful red peppers at the Kingston market. Here are my two all time favourite recipes for red peppers.

Roasted Red Peppers with Goats' Cheese*

1 red pepper
1 large tomato, quartered
1 garlic clove, sliced
pinch of dried oregano
salt and pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 oz goats' cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cut pepper in half with stalk on and remove membrane and seeds. Put pepper halves, cut side up, into a small roasting pan. Put 2 quarters of tomato into each half, scatter with garlic and herbs and season with salt and pepper. Spoon 1/2 tsp olive oil into each pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.

Place one half crumbled goats' cheese into each pepper, baste with cooking juices and return to oven for 15-20 minutes until beginning to brown on top.

*this recipe is made to serve 1-2 people so you'll want to increase quantities if you're serving more

Grilled Peppers with Fresh Basil, Feta and Orzo

1 garlic clove
1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp warm water
1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
6 peppers (red, yellow and orange), quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 cup orzo, cooked

Place garlic in blender with 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt, pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp water. Blend until mixed. Add basil and puree to a saucy consistency. Can be refrigerated at this point for up to 2 days, but bring to room temperature before using.

Toss peppers with 1 tbsp oil and grill until lightly charred. (We use a grill basket.)

Drizzle basil sauce over peppers and toss with orzo until well coated. Place on a platter and scatter with feta.

Cool Summer Dessert - with Tequila!

Thank you Martha Stewart, for creating this wonderful summertime dessert. It is an easy, light finish to a barbecued meal, and unique. It has become my "go to" dessert this summer. My apologies to the friends to whom I first served it, before I realized that each serving is to have one tablespoon tequila and not a quarter cup. Oops! It was a good night!

Tequila-Soaked Lemon Sorbet

1 pint lemon sorbet
1/4 cup tequila (preferably reposado)
zest of 2 limes

Place 2 scoops sorbet into each of 4 glasses (I use margarita glasses). Drizzle 1 tablespoon tequila over the sorbet in each glass and sprinkle with lime zest. Serve immediately.

Creamy Tarragon Chicken

I am a big fan of tarragon. I just rediscovered this recipe which is creamy and appeals to adults and children alike. The recipe in its original form is available at Chatelaine online if you want the fullfat version. I have lightened it up a bit.

I recently realized that this blog allows me to find all of my favourite recipes quickly when I am not at home with my cookbooks, so expect to see in increase in activity!

Creamy Tarragon Chicken

1 tsp butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 c chicken broth
8 oz light spreadable cream cheese, at room temperature
generous pinches of dried tarragon, salt and pepper

Melt butter in a large, non-stick frypan over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden, 5-6 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Add chicken broth and cream cheese. Stir until cheese melts and sauce is smooth, approximately 2-3 minutes. Return chicken to pan and sprinkle with tarragon, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring and turning occasionally, 6-8 minutes.

Peaches are here!

The kids and I are in Kingston now and enjoying going to the market 2 or 3 times every week. It is wonderful to enjoy all of summer's freshest flavours. I just remembered this wonderful recipe from Chatelaine and thought I had better share it before this year's peaches are gone. Enjoy!

Peach, Balsamic and Chevre Salad

Arugula, spinach or mixed baby greens (about 8 cups)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 peaches or nectarines
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup (125 to 175 mL) creamy chèvre (goat cheese) or peppercorn boursin

Wash greens and spin dry. Place in a bowl and toss together. In a very small saucepan or frying pan set over medium-high heat, bring vinegar to a boil. Boil, uncovered, until slightly thickened, from 1 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, slice peaches into wedges. Place peaches in a medium-size bowl. Drizzle reduced vinegar over peaches and toss gently to coat.

In a small bowl, whisk oil with garlic, salt and pepper. If there is any excess vinegar from peaches, drain off and whisk into oil mixture. Drizzle dressing over arugula and spinach and toss to evenly coat. Arrange peaches on top of greens. Crumble chèvre on top.

Roasted Potatoes - Two Ways

Potatoes are underrated. They are really an incomparable comfort food. It's easy to prepare a jacket potato when energy is low and time is limited. And there is nothing like a creamy, buttery bowl of mashed potatoes to lift flagging spirits. I haven't always had success roasting potatoes, but here are two very tasty recipes for roasted potatoes that work well for us:

Potato Wedge Fries

3 large baking potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp grated parmesan
1/4 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking sheet with oil.

Cut each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges. Combine oil and garlic in one bowl, and parmesan and chili powder in another.

Place potato wedges on baking sheet, brush with 1/2 of the garlicy oil, then sprinkle with 1/2 of the parmesan mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the wedges, brush with remaining garlicy oil and sprinkle with remaining parmesan mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes or until tender-crisp.

Fingerling or New Potatoes with Herbes de Provence

1 1/2 pounds fingerling or new potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried herbes de Provence
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt

Preheat oven to 450.

Place potatoes in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender crisp. Drain potatoes and rinse under cold water. Cut into wedges. Toss with oil, herbes de Provence and cayenne in a baking dish. Season with salt.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

The Mothership Tomato Salad

We all love this salad which is so basic that it shouldn't require a recipe. Yet every time, I search through my cookbooks to find it, just to remind myself of EXACTLY how to do it so it is as awesome as the times before. Thanks to Jamie Oliver!

The Mothership Tomato Salad

2 1/4 pounds mixed ripe tomatoes, of varying sizes, shapes and colours
sea salt and black pepper
dried oregano
red wine or balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated

Slice, halve and/or cut up tomatoes into a variety of shapes and place in a colander. Season with a good pinch of sea salt, toss, and season again. Give the colander a couple more tosses and then let it stand over a bowl for around 15 minutes. Disgard the juice.

Transfer tomatoes to a large bowl and sprinkle with dried oregano. Make a dressing of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 oil. Add garlic. Drizzle tomatoes with enough dressing to coat.

You can also toss in some small mozzarella balls or black olives.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I love the Wildflower Bread Company in Tempe, Arizona. It is located beside my alltime favourite bookstore - Changing Hands - and serves a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin. I would never have thought those tastes would work, but they do! After years of searching for a recipe, I decided to work on my own version, which you have below. Enjoy! (Check out the websites - www.wildflowerbread.com and www.changinghands.com.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 eggs, well beaten with mixer or beaters
1 c white sugar
1 c cooked mashed pumpkin
1/4 c canola oil
1/4 c lowfat plain yogurt
1/3 c water
1 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c plus 1/6 c white flour
1/6 c ground flaxseed*
1 tsp b soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp b powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil, yogurt and water. In a separate bowl, combine flours, flaxseed, b soda, cinnamon, b powder and salt. Add dry to wet and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill paper lined muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

* you can omit flaxseed and just increse white flour to 2/3 c

Lasagne - in the crockpot!

Okay, I hear you. Lasagne cannot be made in a crockpot, and anyone who says it can has never had a good lasagne. Well, I dare you to try this one and possibly change your mind. I cannot recall where I got the idea from, and the sauce ingredients are variable, but this lasagne is easy and works every time. And it involves significantly less cleanup than a traditional lasagne. So try it. What have you got to lose?

Crockpot Lasagne

1/2 to 1 lb italian sausage, casings removed*
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 med onion, finely chopped
2 med carrots, finely chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 to 1 tbsp fennel seeds
1/2 to 1 tsp each, dried basil, oregano and chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tin tom paste
1 lg tin diced tomatoes
9 lasagne noodles (do not cook)- I use the Italian egg noodle lasagne sheets
2 c shredded part skim mozzarella

In a heavy pot, cook sausage and beef, breaking with a spoon, until no longer pink (4-6 mins). Add onion, garlic, carrots, fennel, basil, oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened (3-5 mins). Stir in paste then toms. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Spoon 2 cups meat mixture into the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer 3 noodles, breaking as needed to fit, followed by 2 cups meat mixure, followed by 1/2 c cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers, ending with cheese. Reserve remaining 1/2 c cheese.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and cover until melted (about 10 mins).

Serves 8 at 8 points per serving.

* I have the butcher make up 1/2 lb bags of the sausage filling for me, and I keep them in the freezer to use for spaghetti sauce and lasagne.

Orange-Ginger Salmon

I think that grilled food tastes better in the winter. I suspect that is because we spend so much time simmering and roasting our way through the winter, that we forget anything else, and a good grill is like a fresh spring breeze. Which makes me absolutely thrilled that my husband is a wonder with his BBQ, winter and summer. We made the below recipe for friends on Sunday night and we all loved it. I found the idea for this recipe in Health magazine in 2002. We serve the salmon atop sauteed greens, the recipe for which is also below, and with mashed potatoes or brown rice.

Orange-Ginger Salmon

6 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
4 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
4 - 6oz salmon fillets, skin on

Combine first 4 ingredients in a ziploc bag. Add salmon and marinade 20 minutes at room termperature or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator. Remove fish and reserve marinade.

Grill fish on an oiled grill, skin side down, over medium heat with lid down until juices bubble through. DO NOT TURN.

Meanwhile, pour marinade into a skillet, bring to boil and simmer for 1 minute.

Sauteed Greens

3 c coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 lb fresh spinach, kale, collard greens or other leafy green, washed well, trimmed and chopped
1 tsp dark sesame oil, optional

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the basil, salt, pepper, garlic, greens and 3 tbsp water. Cover and cook for 2-5 minutes until greens are wilted, adding water if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and repeat. Toss greens with sesame oil.

Serve salmon on top of greens and brush with reduced marinade glaze.