ARF/5-A-Day Salad

This morning, attempting to be organized I decided to make a salad in bulk and use it as lunches for the next few days. So, in order for it to truly be a full healthy meal it needs to have protein, healthy carbs and some good solid veg. I decided on chickpeas for the protein, brown rice for the carbs and some very colourful veggies - spinach, zucchini and eggplant. Spinach specifically is high in anti-oxidants and will help get this entry into the fabulous ARF/5-A-Day roundup over at Sweetnicks.

Several years ago I did the backpacking across Europe thing and discovered the glory of a rice and chickpea salad at the Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona. It was a cheap and simple lunch from a stand that served rice with peas and onions to which you could add various legumes. It was the first time I had really tasted chickpeas, they certainly weren't from a can and they were memorable. Memorable enough to get me back to the market three days in a row. Even though the reason it was so good was it's simplicity I have yet been able to properly replicate it. I suspect this is a patience problem as cooking chickpeas takes hours and I always seem to give up early. Well, this salad doesn't solve the problem, that is for another day, but it gives me a happy reminder of some great travelling food. Nothing like eating out of a plastic container, copping a squat on a curb in a foreign country. I will leave the story of my second degree burn during a visit to one of the Gaudi buildings to another day. (Just imagine trying to mime "Burn treatments?" and understand "Don't get it in the sun, change three times daily" with no spanish. ) Uh oh, my travelling buzzer is starting to tingle again...

For the salad, I created a simple vinaigrette to marinate my chickpeas in while I was cooking the rice and the rest of the veggies. I just treated myself to some good quality oil and vinegar today so I needed an excuse to use it. The basic vinaigrette contained balsamic, olive oil and Dijon, and I made about 1/2C.

After draining a can of chickpeas and removing the skins I tossed them with the vinaigrette. Meanwhile I cooked 3/4C of brown rice and washed the spinach. I also prepped the eggplant and the zucchini by chopping them in quarters lengthwise then into 1/2" pieces, salted them and placed them in a colander to drain. The eggplant will take longer then the zucchini. When the rice is done, add the spinach to the pot, stir with the rice and allow the spinach to wilt with the rice, covered and off the heat. Once the spinach is wilted add it and the rice to the chickpeas and mix.

Saute the eggplant and the zucchini - they will need different timing so I would recommend doing them separately. Add to the rest along with 3 diced scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to come to room temperature and serve. (Or if you are me, store in tupperware containers and take it to lunch tomorrow!)

Sauteed zucchini with Chicken and Pesto Linguine

Heatwave! Too hot to cook and so I vacated the city for the weekend, again. This picture was taken last week when I finally stripped my basil plant in order to make pesto. The star of the dish was the sauteed zucchini - cooked in the chicken pan after deglazing with some white wine.
Will post some hot weather food soon!

Variations on a Theme

Yes indeed more blueberries! I went away for the weekend and came back to a box of blueberries which I couldn't let go to waste so I decided to make muffins. I am usually not a fan of cakey muffins but these are so heavy on the blueberries you don't feel so bad about it. I think next batch I may add some bananna and oats though. Yumm! BTW, this is only the beginning I ordered a pound of blueberries for next week... tee hee.

This recipe comes from the easiest source, a random google.

Blueberry Muffins:
-1/4C butter
-2 eggs
-1/2t salt
-1C sugar
-2C flour
-2t baking powder
-1 t vanilla extract
-1/2C milk
-2C fresh or frozen blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat together butter, eggs, salt, and sugar.
3. Mix flour and baking powder and stir into first mixture, alternating with milk.
4. Blend in vanilla.
5. Add blueberries.
6. Pour into lined muffin pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Beef Stroganoff

Do you ever panic in the grocery store? You have it all planned out - you just need two things - but they're out, so now what? About once a month I find myself blankly wandering around the grocery store, hungry after a long day and just generally overwhelmed.


Today was one of those days. I was determined to make a traditional pesto to take some of the pressure off my rather large indoor basil plant, however I got to the store and discovered they didn't have either fresh pasta or pine nuts. Having worked overtime, stopped by the neighbours on some strata business and having a phone date with my friend on the east coast at eight I was already behind schedule - which meant I was completely confused.

Then I saw the egg noodles. Ohh stroganoff! Comfort food - plus I could make it while on the phone! I had bookmarked a stroganoff recipe from Bill Bryson's Simply Bill cookbook so I used that. Its a very attractive cookbook, but I have had it for awhile and not made much from it. The recipe was generally good - though simple enough that I didn't need it in front of me to know what to buy. In the end I changed the recipe a bit - I added the beef broth and chilies and substituted sour cream for creme fraiche. I didn't have any parsley but I would certainly garnish it with chopped parsley next time. Overall, it was well received and definitely falls into the easy weeknight supper category. There was even enough time for some super indulgent TV - Hells Kitchen. Go Heather!

Beef Stroganoff
-2 servings of Beef cut in bite-sized strips
-1T oil
-1 small package of egg noodles
-1 onion cut into thin rounds
-2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
-1t fresh thyme
-1/2 lb white mushrooms
-2t tomato paste
-2t Dijon mustard
-3T sour cream
- handful of flat leaf parsley roughly chopped

1. Put water on to boil for the pasta.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and brown the beef on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Add the butter to the skillet and saute the onions and garlic until soft about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile add the egg noodles to the water (Mine took 7 minutes.)
5. Add the mushrooms , thyme and chilies to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the mustard and tomato paste then add the broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the brown bits from the beef. Add the beef back to the pan.
7. Stir in the sour cream and immediately serve the sauce on the noodles. Garnish with parsley.

Blueberry and Arugula Salad

I never used to like blueberries. I know, I know, they are so good for you. But I always had them in desserts or too late in the season and thought they were too sweet. Well, the other night I was over at a friends house for a girls-night bbq on the patio and there were some fresh local blueberries. I was amazed at how tart but warm and gingery they were. I was hooked! I have eaten two small boxes in the last 3 days and am looking for any way to use them. And so, today's summer salad and my first entry into ARF 5 Day Tuesday was born. To check out the history behind ARF 5 Day Tuesday take a look at SweetNicks blog, complete with new layout!


I found this recipe for a blueberry dressing and followed it pretty closely(my adapted recipe is below) then used my own desires to make this summer salad. The major addition to the dressing was the fresh basil which really compliments the blueberries. Because I don't have any blueberry vinegar I mushed up some fresh blueberries and threw them in my dressing. I am also spoiled by some fabulous manuka honey my boyfriend's parents brought back from New Zealand. It has a beauiful vanilla flavour. This made enough for 2 dinner sized portions. I suggest making the dressing a little ahead of time so the basil and blueberries can really gel.

Ahh, now I guess I have to go back to the real world and deal with strata issues and my laundry :)

Dressing:
-1/4 cup cider vinegar
-2 1/2T olive oil
-2T water
-1T honey
-1/4t Worcestershire sauce
-5 basil leaves chopped fine.
-5-6 blueberries, mushed up


1. Whisk together all liquids and a few good grinds of pepper. Add basil and blueberries and allow to stand.

Salad:
-1 small package cherry tomatoes, about 12, quartered
-1/2 head of green or red leaf lettuce, torn
-1 small bunch of arugula, torn
-1/2C walnut pieces
-1 avacado, chopped
-1/2 small pacakge of goat cheese or chevre.
-1/3C fresh blueberries.

1. Toss all ingredients together and lightly dress.

Broccoli and Cheddar Penne

Wednesday is TV night in my house. During the tv season that means serious Lost watching with an America's Next Top Model intro. We usually do something easy and indulgent like pizza or pasta. These days it still means Top Model, but no Lost. So sad. Luckily I made a big batch of Broccoli and Cheddar Penne last night which re-heated really well, was well received and was a nice relief since I worked late again tonight.


The recipe is based on the Mac-n-Cheddar with Broccoli recipe from Rachel Ray's new 365: No repeats book (it's on sale at amazon right now atctually). I forgot to buy an onion so I omitted that and it worked out nicely anyways. Serious comfort food here.

Mac-n-Cheddar with Broccoli
-1lb pasta - macaroni or penne or be creative
-2 1/2C roughly chopped broccoli
-2t butter
-3T flour
-1t oil
-1 small onion, finely chopped
-1/2t cayenne
-1t paprika
-3C whole or 2% milk
-1C chicken stock
-3C grated aged Cheddar
-1T Dijon
-salt and lost of fresh pepper

1. Bring enough water to boil to accommodate broccoli and pasta. You want to cook the pasta until it is about 3-4 minutes away from being done and then add the broccoli. When ready strain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter and oil in a saucepan and saute the onion for about 3 minutes. Turn up the heat and whisk in the flour, cayenne and paprika. Keep whisking until the roux bubbles then cook for another minute. Now whisk in the milk and stock. Once fully combined bring the liquid up to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens, mine took about 6 minutes. Now add your cheese and stir until it has melted in - about 2 minutes. Season to taste.
3. Toss the two together and serve.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Spinach

I am currently trying to recreate a great dish at a Thai place I sometimes go for lunch. It is a super simple premise, they take white rice, layer it with spinach and then add chicken and peanut sauce that is hot enough to wilt the spinach.


I actually think I did quite a good job so I am going to post the recipe and allow it to grow here.
Next time I think I will use more coconut milk, a bit of ginger and less fish sauce. Also, if you have it, Thai red curry paste would be a great addition. This made me enough for two small portions - dinner and a leftover lunch.

Peanut Sauce Recipe:
-1 clove garlic, minced
-2 dried small red (Thai) chilies
-1 small can coconut milk (165ml)
-3/4 peanut butter
-2T soy sauce
-1T Vietnamese fish sauce
-1T peanut oil

You will also need 1 chicken breast, rice and half a bag of fresh baby spinach.

1. First cook the chicken. You will want to poach it. Put the chicken in a pot with enough water to well cover. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. The timing will depend on the thickness, but don't overcook.
2. Once the chicken is done put aside to cool and start the rice. Allow the chicken to cool until it is easy to handle then tear it into strips. Prep everything for your peanut sauce and wash and dry the spinach if necessary.
3. When your rice is about 8-10 minutes away start the sauce. Put the oil in a sauce pan add the garlic and chilies and turn on the heat. Don't let the garlic brown. When it is sizzling away and fragrant you can start adding the rest of the ingredients, add the peanut butter and then whisk in the other ingredients. Allow to simmer until you are almost ready to serve. Add the chicken and heat until warm through.
4. Plate the rice, layer with spinach and then add the chicken and peanut sauce on top. Add a little extra chilies on top if you're like me!

Weekend Herb Blogging: Salmon with Lemon and Mint

My new favorite food blog is Kalyn's Kitchen. She hosts Weekend Herb Blogging to encourage food bloggers to blog about herbs and I have decided to participate for the first time, hats off to Kalyn for a great idea! This week WHB is being hosted by Gabriella from My Life as a Reluctant Housewife.

In the last few months my indoor garden has grown quite significantly. As I am limited by window space and a very small front stoop my main herbs are mint, basil, dill, thyme and rosemary. The mint was my first purchase and since I planted the three little guys from Home Depot they have really take off, in fact I am becoming a little concerned that they may try and take over my kitchen. Because of that this week, I am featuring a good way to use mint - also check out my previous post using mint and basil in greek salad.

Several months ago I was put on an allergy diet. For weeks I couldn't eat dairy, wheat, soy, corn, eggs, sugar etc. As someone who really likes to eat this was really limiting and difficult to stick to. One of the few great recipes that came out of this was a simple combination: lemon, ginger and mint. I used it on chicken, fish and even made tea. I do this salmon under the broiler because of my lack of bbq but it would also be great that way as well.
Salmon with Lemon and Mint
-2 fillets of salmon, deboned
-2 lemons
-a peeled thumb-sized piece of ginger
-1 clove of garlic
-3 or 4 mint leaves
-salt and pepper
-olive oil

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Grate the ginger and garlic and dust over the salmon. Juice half a lemon over top. Lightly drizzle oil on salmon (about 1t per fillet). Reserving one leaf worth of the mint for garnish, chop and add on to the salmon. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for 1 hour. Remove salmon from the fridge, squeze remaining half lemon over top, and preheat the broiler. Broil until the outside is lightly crispy and the inside is medium rare. Garnish with remaining mint and lemon wedges. serve with a salad (I matched it with my rasberry vinaigrette salad).

A little note, during my allergy diet I did discover a couple of good recipes from this allergy cookbook. It was really hard so anything exciting is worth its weght in gold, my favorite recipe was date squares. Another great snack is rice cakes with almond butter.

More then a Greek Salad

No, I haven't stopped cooking because of my Jamie Oliver disappointment. I have just been busy at work and tired out from the heat.

This is another one-bowl, dinner-salad, low cooking summer recipe. It is actually just a salad thrown together by what looked good and some fresh herbs form my window but my boyfriend after eating it commented that he had never seen chickpeas or asparagus in a "Greek salad" before. Who knew I was making a Greek salad?
Chickpea and Asparagus "Greek Salad"
-can of chickpeas
-1 English cucumber
-handful of asparagus
-small package of feta, in brine
-4 on vine tomatoes
-handful of fresh mint
-handful of fresh basil
-1/2C of balsamic vinegar
-1/4C olive oil
-salt and pepper to season
-juice of one lemon

1. Drain the chickpeas and put in a ziploc bag (or tupperware container you can shake) add the balsamic vinegar and a good dash of salt and pepper. Seal up and shake, allow to marinate for as long as possible, or while you are prepping the other veggies.
2. Clean the asparagus and break the ends of if the asparagus is woody. Blanche asparagus until just tender ~ about 1 minute. Plunge into ice water.
3. Chop tomatoes, cucumber and cooked asparagus into large bite size pieces and put in your salad bowl. Chop up your herbs (paysanne if you're picky) and add to the bowl. Squeeze the lemon on top.
4. Now add your chickpeas and the drizzle the olive oil over top. Lastly break the feta over the salad and toss.