Weeknight Indian

I was busy in the kitchen today, boy. I am eating dairy and gluten again, for now, and I'm finished with a cleanse I was doing for 5 days (ok... it was supposed to be 10... I'll admit it. I gave up). These factors, combined with a day off during the week, equals Cooking Binge.

It started with the Onion Bhaji. I bought chickpea flour on a whim months ago, maybe even closer to a year ago. It's been languishing in my cupboard ever since. Time to use some of it methinks? A woman at work suggested making onion bhaji. Good call Sandra, once again. Of course the next step, if you are me, is to spend an hour researching the best onion bhaji recipe. This is why I love food blogs. Tested recipes with reviews. Most recipes call for adding water to make a batter for your fried onion dumplings. The winner of my Google search, "Ridiculously Good Onion Bhaji" from Kitchen Experiments, uses liquid smushed out of the onions themselves. Welcome to Flavour City. Genius.

Ok, so I'm going to make some onion bhaji. What else to make for dinner? I hadn't gotten around to making Bombay Slow Cooker Potatoes the other week. Done. With some modifications (recipe below). These were fantastic. Soft, highly flavoured potatoes. Yum. I have some leftovers that are going to be unreal as a samosa filling this weekend, I just know it.

What else to make to round out dinner? Something without such a strong curry presence again... that my boys will eat... butter chicken. Of course. The whitest Indian dish ever invented. I bought a jarred sauce for this and jazzed it up with chopped red pepper and chopped kale. I'd put kale in everything if I could.

Also, since it was my day off and all, there was wine. Oh yes. A sweet-ish Reisling was great. This one to be exact. 

I think my dog was South Asian in another life. She's getting up there in years, so she's pretty lazy lately. Tonight she jumped up with two furry paws on the kitchen table to try to steal some curry potatoes. It was a fairly slow jump, albeit, but she hasn't done that in forever. Now that I think about it though, maybe that's because we freaked out the day we found her with all four paws on the kitchen table eating out of the butter dish.

You think that was a lot of cooking today? Haha, young apprentice. I also made Challah bread and Rhubarb Upside Down Cake. Bread is just ok (as "just ok" as fresh homemade bread can be, mind), but the cake is out of this world delicious. I love love love loooove rhubarb. Looking forward to some of this for breakfast. Hey, I'm done my cleanse. Go big or go home, right?

SLOW COOKER CURRIED POTATOES

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

Spice Mix:

• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp medium curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Potatoes:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil or canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 large or 5 small potatoes, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 1/2 can chickpeas, drained
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, squeezed of seeds and juice, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Saute onions until softened and beginning to colour. Add spice mix, cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Add potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes, salt. Stir to combine. Pour everything into slow cooker and cook on low 4-6 hours.

French Roast Chicken Menu

Foodies love David Lebovitz. I think we are all living vicariously though him. An American expat living in Paris. Cooking in Paris. Perusing the markets in Paris. Eating French bread and and cheese and butter (I've touched on my love of French butter before)... swoon. I read his blog, I follow his Pinterest boards, I get excited when he has a guest post on The Kitchn. He has a new book out. My Paris Kitchen. I think I need to own this book, considering I have now make three recipes from before even touching it. God how I love the Internet.

Eat Your Books has a round-up of recipes from My Paris Kitchen from around the web. I took one look at the list, bookmarked a few recipes, and then realized they would be perfect for dinner Saturday night with my BFF, her boyfriend, and his daughter. Greg and I had been planning to go for a run in preparation for a race we are have entered next weekend. The plan was to run the route. Cold rain and wind derailed that plan. It was pouring when we set out for our run, it was still pouring when we returned a wet 7.25km later. And wouldn't you know it, the sun was breaking through the clouds ten minutes after we got back. Son of a...

Regardless, we still had a good run. I feel much more prepared and less intimidated by the thought of next weekend's 7-mile race. I usually run by myself and I realized yesterday that it makes it seem much easier when running with someone else. I haven't decided yet whether that is because of the company and conversation, or if having a partner sharing in the torture makes it more tolerable- I do love running, but there's always a moment on every run when I think "what the Hell am I doing?".

The rest of the evening was a blast as well. The kids played together great despite their age difference (Parker being almost 4 and Greg's daughter being 9) while we made dinner and then they helped me do the dishes (without even being asked!). While men retired to the couch and talked football Erin, the kids, and I had a dance party in the kitchen to YouTube videos- the kids being hopped up on sugar and chocolate, Erin and I being hopped up on wine. Fun times had by all. Is it weird that I get a strange satisfaction from being told by a 9-year old girl that I'm fun and she wants to come back and visit?

Here's our menu. I will make each of these dishes over and over again. They are also effortlessly gluten and dairy free (except for the goat cheese in the lentil salad of course). I don't know much about wine and food pairing aside from I like wine and I like food... but a French Sauvignon Blanc seemed to go well with this meal.

Chicken Lady Chicken 
I used quarter chicken legs rather than a whole chicken as the chickens at the grocery store were really small. The legs worked perfectly. It did take two pans to make the all the chicken, and through this I learned that a well-seasoned cast iron skillet works best. The skin stuck to the other pan, but fared great in the cast iron. The chicken was delicious- juicy, and made it's own delicious pan sauce.

Leeks with Mustard-Bacon Vinaigrette
Fantastic. The kids didn't love these, but the adults did. I didn't steam the leeks. I cut them in half, placed them in single layer in a glass dish, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Covered tightly with foil they went in the oven with the chicken. Once the chicken was done I removed the foil and left them in the oven to brown while the chicken rested. Next time I would increase the heat to 425 or even 450 for the final browning.

French Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts
I forgot to buy walnuts as called for in the recipe. It was still great without, but I will remember to include walnuts next time. I used the same dressing for this salad as called for in the leek recipe above rather than making two vinaigrette. I also added some thinly sliced radishes at the end for some fresh crunch as the other vegetables in the salad are cooked along with the lentils.

Quinoa and Chicken Chili

I think this may be my favorite chili I've ever made. Not least because there is basically no prep; minimal chopping, just mix everything in the slow cooker and you come home to a hot, healthy, deliciously filling meal. Fantastic.

I hate it when chili is too watery. Watery chili is up there with slow drivers, one-upping moms, and workplace butt-kissers in my book of Things That Annoy Me. This chili came out the perfect consistency. Plus it makes lots for leftover lunches, which is even more of a bonus lately when I can't just throw together a sandwich (for lack of gluten-free bread, which I hope to rectify when I do grocery shopping tomorrow).

Speaking of gluten-free. I am so stoked for Easter brunch on Sunday. It's going to be a dairy and gluten fest. Then I'll go back to being good. I cannot pass on Easter brunch with dishes like egg and sausage pie, cheesy bread pudding, that I've been eating every Easter for my ENTIRE LIFE. Clearly.

You know what else would be good with this chili, assuming you are good with gluten and dairy? Biscuits. Always a good idea with chili. Oh, I happen to have posted a recipe for Best Drop Biscuits a while back. You're welcome.

QUINOA AND CHICKEN CHILI

Serves 8

Adapted from Everyday Reading

Use less salt if you are not using no-salt added canned goods.

• 1 540-mL can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 540-mL can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 796-mL can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• optional toppings: chopped cilantro, diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream

Mix all ingredients up before chicken together in the crock of the slow cooker. Nestle chicken in the middle, ensuring chicken is submerged in liquid. Cook on low 6 to 9 hours. Shred chicken into chili prior to serving. Serve with desired toppings.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

*UPDATE* March 2, 2014. Since I had the recipe nutritional breakdown I've updated below. This will not be a regular feature! I find it very tedious to input every ingredient into a calorie counter, plus I tend not to measure things so I can't say this is 100% accurate anyway.

So I hear winter 'round these parts is here to stay until April. Possibly May. Oh my. The cold is already making me cranky. A warm bowl of delicious soup is in order.

This soup tastes exactly like chicken pot pie. Even the soup-hating husband had seconds. Success! I like to break up my biscuits into my soup, like dumplings, Parker and Tyler prefer to dip. I can't say which is the right way (mine's closest of course!), but either way this soup is a win. 

In other news, this conversation happened with my 3 and a half year old today:

Parker: The [stuffed] tiger is looking for something...a rabbit. Or a giraffe.
Me: (in a giraffe voice) Here I am! Let's play!
Tiger Parker: Let's fight!
Me: Why do they have to fight? Why can't they be friends?

Apparently this a stupid question and there is no alternative to the tiger-giraffe throw down. Parker just walked away. Oh boy.

CHICKEN POT PIE SOUP

Adapted from Skinnytaste

Serves 4

Use which ever root vegetables you have on hand. However, the celery, carrots, peas, mushrooms must stay for the true chicken pot pie flavor in my opinion. If you don't have cooked chicken on hand, poach a couple of chicken breasts while you begin the soup. 

• 4 cups milk, divided
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 celery stalk
• couple handfuls sliced mushrooms
• 2 small to medium parsnips
• any other root veg you want to throw in (celeriac, sweet potato, etc)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cups good chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen peas
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
• Biscuits (recipe linked below) 

Whisk flour and 1/2 cup cold milk in a small bowl to make a slurry. Set aside.

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion. Dice remaining vegetables, adding to pot as you go with some salt and pepper, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened and starting to caramelize a bit. Add thyme and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add remaining 3 1/2 cups of milk. Bring to a simmer (fully boiling may cause milk to split and curdle). Add peas and chicken. Slowly pour in flour slurry while stirring. Bring back to a simmer. Check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with biscuits.

Per Serving (made using skim milk)

Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

299

37

5

29

514

8

BEST DROP BISCUITS Start heating the oven before you start the soup, mix the biscuits as the vegetables are cooking. 

Per Serving (2 biscuits)

Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

293

31

16

6

424

3

Grilled Chicken and Bulgar Salad with Goat Cheese

Bulgar is officially my new favorite thing. I mentioned in the last meal planning post that I was going to make this salad with bulgar instead of farro. Well. That was a genius move if I say so myself.

First of all, bulgar is easier to find- I bought it at my small town grocery store- and probably cheaper too. It is nutty, toothsome (I love that word), and maybe the best part.... wait for it... you don't have to cook it. It's parboiled- which it what makes it bulgar not cracked wheat- so it just has to re-hydrate. Just mix a 2:1 ratio of water to bulgar and let it rest for an hour. I did mine a couple of days ago in a Tupperware container stuck it in the fridge so it was ready to go in advance.

As I've said before, I have a hard time following a recipe exactly. Or at all, as it turns out in this case. The recipe from Bon Appetit was more of an inspiration in this case. 

Also, I managed to barbecue without setting anything on fire tonight. Yay me.

I'll admit, this salad looks all weird and healthy when it's all mixed up (rather than layered nicely in the photo above). My brother came over for a swim tonight after we'd had dinner and was all, "What's that?"
Me: "Bulgar"
Him: "Vulgar? Yeah it looks vulgar" 
I made him taste some and he asked if he could take home the leftovers. Ha, take that.

One Year Ago: Creamy Chicken Salad Sandwiches + Pastel Vanilla Cupcakes with  Chocolate Butterflies

Two Years Ago: Panini Bar +Summer Party Menu with Flank Steak Tacos

Three Years Ago: Slow Cooker Brisket + My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe + Greek Shrimp and Tomatoes with Crostini

 

GRILLED CHICKEN AND BULGAR SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Serves 4

Keep in mind the bulgar needs to an hour to start, so plan accordingly.

• 1 cup bulgar
• 2 cups water
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• large handful asparagus, tough ends removed
• large handful green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tomato
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• large handful fresh herbs, chopped- I used basil, parsley, oregano as this what's in my garden
• salt and pepper

Combine bulgar and water in a bowl and let stand for 1 hour. Alternatively, make bulgar a couple of days in advance and keep refrigerated.

Boil a pot of water. Add a good pinch of salt and the green beans. Cook 4 minutes or until just tender. Remove green beans to an ice water bath to cool them quickly. Drain, dry, and set aside.

Heat grill to high. Season chicken with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through. While chicken is cooking, carefully place asparagus spears on the grill so that they don't fall through the grates. Grill asapargus about 5 minutes or until slightly charred. Remove and let cool slightly before chopping into 1/2-inch pieces.

 Whisk together dressing ingredients in bottom of serving bowl. Add bulgar, chicken, vegetables, and goat cheese. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Thai Feast

Last year for Christmas I gave my parents a meal cooked by a personal chef. The chef being... me! It turns out that I get the procrastination trait from my dad. I cooked this dinner last weekend. Yes. December 1st.

I told them to pick a menu or theme. They chose Thai. Not 10 days before that I had announced that I was never again making Pad Thai as it never turns out right. So I had a little panic attack and then got to work on figuring out what I was going to make that wasn't Pad Thai.

It turned out amazing (if I do say so myself)! I will make these recipes again and again. They are fairly easy and all gluten free, as it so happens. I spent an enjoyable hour in the Asian supermarket up the street from my office looking perusing the strange (to me) and wonderful foods. I found all of the authentic ingredients I needed, despite asking for help and the clerk not understanding a word I said. A lot of them were frozen, so I have lots of left over ingredients to use up. Excellent.

Here is the menu. I followed the recipe for all the dishes except the mango salad as I was pretty confident about that dish having eaten it lots of time before. The other recipes, not much. I've never eaten those dishes and didn't have time to do a test run so I went by the (Mac)book. 

Green Papaya and Mango Salad adapted from Canadian Living
I wanted to do just green papaya, and I even found a green papaya at the Asian market. But when chopped it up, I found that it was totally bland. Maybe it needed to ripen, but I thought the point was that it is green? So I used some papaya and some mango. It turned out perfectly. I could go for some right now, actually.

Red Curry Shrimp from Food and Wine
Totally easy and yummy. I didn't make the tartar sauce in the linked recipe- I just did the shrimp. Next time I'd like to find a recipe for homemade red curry paste. As I found out with the next dish, the jarred stuff vs. your own curry paste is like night and day.

Green Curry Chicken from Real Thai Recipes
This was unreal. So delicious. I forgot to take photos of the whole meal the night of, so I made this again on Sunday. The first time I pounded the ingredients for the curry paste in a pestle and mortar, the second time I did it in the food processor. Use a pestle and mortar if you have one. I wouldn't have believed it, but you can taste the difference. It's almost as if the flavors are coaxed (or threatened within an inch of their life) by being pounded and ground by hand. Be careful when adding the coconut milk at the end of the recipe- I added the whole cup the recipe calls for at once and the sauce ended up too thin- add a bit at a time. Also, be careful not to take a huge whiff of the shrimp paste. Gag city. Think fish sauce times five. Oh, and one more thing. I don't usually love eggplant but it really soaks up all the flavours in the sauce. The second time around I used red pepper and carrots as that's all I had and that was ok too though.

Spicy Glass Noodles with Crispy Pork from The Kitchn
This was the sleeper hit of the night. The recipe is easy and sounds unassuming, but the result is fantastic. I like that it is to be served cold or at room temp. That's part of the reason I chose this recipe, actually. I figured I'd make it and let it sit while the green curry finished cooking. It all went according to plan. I wouldn't recommend serving this hot, in fact, as the noodles need some time to absorb the sauce. I poured in all the sauce the recipe called for and it looked soupy and I was really disappointed, but by the time it was served it was perfect.  

Sticky Rice with Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce from i eat food
I have made sticky rice many, many times. Tyler's cousin used to work at a Thai restaurant and gave me a steamer contraption for making steamed sticky rice as I love it every time he makes it. It pretty much looks like the one in the link, but bigger because it's the Vietnamese version or something. Same idea though. I cook mine differently than she does. I just dump the soaked rice in the basket and stick a sauce pot lid on top to cover it. It doesn't seem to take as long to cook this way. You do, however, have to pick dried bits of rice of the bamboo after though. You've been warned.

Coconut and Lime Creme Brulee (recipe below)
This is my own recipe. I adapted a no-bake pumpkin creme brulee recipe that I made the other week. This was originally going to be a tropical fruit creme brulee- mango, banana, lime- but that one didn't set and it tasted more like banana pudding. That went down the drain (told you it didn't set). The second version came out much better. Use a kitchen torch or a blow torch (seriously- careful!) to brulee though. I stuck them under the broiler to save some time and the custard got heated through and wasn't as nice. Lesson learned: always go with the blow torch option. Always.

THAI GREEN PAPAYA AND MANGO SALAD
Adapted from Canadian Living

Serves 4

If you can't find green papaya, use some slightly under ripe mango. I used my handy OXO julienne peeler for the papaya and carrot which makes it really easy.

Salad:

• 1/2 small green papaya, julienned
• 1 ripe mango, sliced into thin strips
• 1/2 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 small carrot, julienned
• 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp julienned mint leaves
• 1/2 cup salted roasted cashews, finely chopped

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• zest of 1 lime (use a Microplane or small grater)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1-2 finely chopped thai chilis, depending on how hot you want it

Mix the dressing ingredients in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add the salad ingredients except 1 tbsp mint and the cashews and toss to combine. Let rest 15 to 20 minutes. Serve topped with reserved mint and cashews.

COCONUT AND LIME CREME BRULEE

Serves 4

• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• zest of 1 lime, zested on Microplane or small grater
• 1 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
• 2 sprigs mint leaves
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 8 tsp fine sugar, for bruleeing

Heat coconut milk in a saucepan over medium heat with mint leaves (don't bother stripping from stem- just throw the whole thing in) until bubbles form around the outside and milk is steaming.

Meanwhile, mix cornstarch, sugar, salt, egg yolks, lime zest in a medium bowl. Slowly add heated coconut milk while whisking yolk mixture. Add mixture back to pot. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thick. Pour into four ramekins, cover with plastic wrap directly on surface of custard, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

To serve, sprinkle each custard with 1 tsp sugar. Brulee with a kitchen torch or bring out the big guns and (carefully!) use a full on blow torch. Sprinkle with another tsp of sugar and brulee again. Serve with 5 minutes so that the sugar topping doesn't soften.

Creamy Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Creamy Chicken Salad Sandwich with Sweet Potato Wedges

I have a confession. Sometimes I am super cheap. You know how No Frills makes you put in a quarter to get the grocery cart and then you get it back when you return the cart? Sometimes I look for a cart that hasn't been returned so that I can get a free quarter. There, it feels better now that I've admitted it.

This probably isn't news to anybody else, but did you know you can take flyers from other stores to Wal-Mart and they match all the sales? I'm telling you, this is the best thing since sliced bread. My stepmom used to go to four different stores in a week to hit up the sales. I've never had that dedication. We went to Wal-Mart armed with the flyers from every other grocery store and saved almost $15! It's like free money!

The best deal was on chicken. Food Basics had a whole chicken for $5. The same chicken was $10.78 at Wal-Mart. Price match it up, baby! That bargain chicken gave us two meals, one of which being these chicken salad sandwiches.

This is seriously the best chicken salad I've ever had. I never thought I'd say this, but the blue cheese dressing makes the sandwich. I really try to like blue cheese, but I just can't do it. It tastes like moldy feet. But just a little squeeze here makes all the difference. Plus, I got a certain someone to eat avocado without even knowing it. Way to go Tyler! (You thought I was going to say Parker, the 2 year old, right? He loves avocado- he'll eat a whole one for a snack if I let him).

One Year Ago: Panini Bar + Summer BBQ Menu

Two Years Ago: Bran Flax Muffins + Breakfast Club Sandwiches + Slow Cooker Bristket

CREAMY CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

Serves 4

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup sour cream, low fat or regular 
• 1/2 an avocado, mashed
• 1 tbsp blue cheese dressing
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 buns, toasted
• handful baby spinach

Mix all ingredients but buns and spinach in a bowl. Divide mixture evenly between buns, top with some baby spinach. 

Mystery Box Dinner Revealed!

Well Hallelujah, finally a comment on the previous post (thank you cous!). Y'all weren't getting the reveal until I got at least one response so let's all thank Katie and Chris. And next time, a little more love please? I can tell from the stats that you read the post and I know where you live (just kidding).

So, what did I make? Katie, we were on the same page here with the kale salad with crispy prosciutto. Nice one. There was also roast chicken with garlic and herb butter and thyme roasted carrots and parsnips. And for dessert, which didn't photograph well and there was some wine involved by this point in the evening, Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding. Whoa. Epic meal time. Without the burgers... and the bacon weave... anyway, here are the recipes.

One Year Ago: Baked Rigatoni, Bulgar Salad

Two Years Ago: Almond Cake for Spring

KALE SALAD WITH PROSCIUTTO, HONEY GOAT CHEESE, AND WARM BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Serves 4

• 1 bunch kale, leaves stripped from thick stem (discard stem) and sliced into ribbons
• 6 slices prosciutto, sliced into ribbons
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• aged goat cheese or similar hard cheese (Parmesan would be good too)

Divide kale between serving plates for each person. Heat a small frying pan over medium high heat. Add prosciutto, cook until crisped. Turn off heat and divide prosciutto between plates. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to pan to warm. Pour over kale. With a vegetable peeler, shave cheese over each plate.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AND HERB BUTTER

I have included ingredient measurements, but really I eyeballed it. A little more, a little less, it'll work out. Plus, my chicken was huge- scale the ingredients down if yours is smaller of course.

• 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs
• salt and pepper
• 1 five pound chicken

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F with rack set to lower middle position. Puree butter, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper to season in a food processor. Alternatively, chop herbs and garlic and mix into butter with salt and pepper. Loosen chicken skin on breast and legs from the meat. Spread butter mixture under the skin. Season chicken with more salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a roasting pan with a rack* breast side up. Roast until chicken is cooked though- 180 degrees F- turning chicken over partway through cooking if skin is getting too dark. Rest covered with foil 10 minutes before carving.

*If you don't have a roasting pan with a rack I've seen Michael Smith make a "rack" out of vegetables but I can't attest to the effectiveness of this method.

ROASTED CARROTS AND PARSNIPS

This will work for any root vegetables. Peel parsnips and scrub carrots. Cut into pieces- the trick here is to cut large enough so they won't burn in the oven but not too big that they'll take forever to cook. Toss vegetables with olive oil, salt, pepper, dried thyme. Roast on a baking sheet 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Turn, roast10 more minutes.

CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD PUDDING

Get the recipe at LCBO.com. I made some modifications, of course. I used part half and half and part skim milk. And I used my banana bread recipe- I had one frozen so I thawed it in the fridge overnight and it worked perfectly.

Leek, Chicken, and Feta Stuffed Pitas

First off, sorry if you had tried to read Four Seasons Kitchen in the last few days. There was "suspicious activity" and I was temporarily shut down. Everything is good now, obviously. I had a mini coronary when I went to my blog and it wasn't there though.

Last night I finally made a dinner worth blogging about. I've made some good meals in the last couple of weeks, sure, but with getting Parker fed, Christmas stuff, wine, etc I forgot to take photos. The fact that there is a photo of this dish from last night isn't saying that there was no wine with dinner- in fact Riesling went very well with this dish- I just finally got my butt in gear. Kind of. Hence the smile fries accompanying the pitas. Shut up, they're awesome.

One Year Ago: Chicken Pot Pie

Crusty Crown Loaf

Sunday Lasagna

Two Years Ago: Spanakopita 

 Spaghetti with Spaghetti Squash

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies 

Spicy Cheese Dip 

LEEK, CHICKEN, AND FETA STUFFED PITAS

Adapted from Food and Drink

Serves 2-4 depending on what you have on the side

If you are having trouble opening the pita, microwave them for about 30 seconds to soften. This recipe is pretty forgiving if your pitas rip though, because the egg holds everything together.

• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large leeks, washed well, sliced thinly (white and light green parts only- save the tops for stock)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped 
• salt and pepper 
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 pita pockets, sliced in half and opened carefully

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Saute leeks and garlic until softened, stirring occasionaly, about 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl. Increase heat in pan to medium high. Add remaining oil and chicken, season with oregano, salt and pepper, saute until chicken is browned and just cooked through- about 5 minutes. Add white wine to pan to deglaze, letting wine boil until almost all is evaporated. Add contents of pan to bowl with leeks and let cool slightly.

To chicken and leek mixture add parsley, feta, egg, Parmesan and stir to combine. Stuff pita pockets with mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes.

Parker's Birthday Cake

I promised I'd let you know how Parker's dairy-free birthday cake turned out. It was amazing! One of the best chocolate cakes I've had. I was a little worried to be honest. Don't cook something you've never made before for guests is practically the first rule of entertaining. Plus this cake is really different- there's whole wheat flour, prunes, and soy milk in it. My worries eased when I tasted the icing (also made with soy milk!). The icing is just about the perfect, creamy, chocolaty icing you could ever want. This will now be my go to icing.

Rather than piping "Happy Birthday Parker" on the cake and having it look amateur, I did "worms and dirt"instead- you know like that dessert you had when you were a kid with the pudding and cookie crumbs. Plus, everybody knows who the cake is for without a name on it, right?

Here's the catch- I'm not giving you the recipe. Ha! I want you to buy the book because I love it, and I don't want to infringe on copyright. The cake is from Healthy Starts Here by Mairlyn Smith. It's great because the book is organized into chapters according to the healthy ingredients in them i.e. Berries, Beans, Greens, etc. There is a lot of great information about why these things are so good for you and why the recipe calls for a tablespoon of cinnamon, for example (cinnamon slows your body's sugar absorption).

I am, however, going to share with you another recipe from the book as it is already published online. These Double Chocolate Muffins are high in fibre and made with pumpkin (which you'd never know), but most importantly are delicious. I have one for dessert or for a snack with a cup of tea during the day and feel healthier and virtuous. And my digestive system thanks me in turn the next day. Just saying.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS 

via mairlynsmith.com

Here's the menu for the rest of the food at the party, in case you're wondering.

Antijitos

Chips

Veggies and Dip

Aloha Pork Kebabs

Thai Chicken Kebabs (will post recipe soon)

Caeser Salad

Potato Salad

Fresh Bread

Wing Mash Up

Drumsticks with Caesar Salad and Grilled Corn

You heard it here first folks: chicken drumsticks are the new chicken wings. We were going to make the barbequed chicken wings from Eating Forward by Sandi Richard (which I borrowed from the library but am going to buy as it is excellent) but they didn't have any wings at the grocery store. I got drumsticks instead, which are cheaper anyways, and now I am of the opinion that they are better. That doesn't mean I won't eat wings at the pub; that is ludicrous! But I will make them more often at home. These are inspired by Wild Wing restaurant where they do all these crazy mixed up flavors that turn out to be amazing (our favorite flavour is Farmer's Daughter).

Notice I used "we" in the above paragraph? I don't know if that has ever happened in reference to cooking on Four Seasons Kitchen. I use "we" today because Tyler was actually responsible for cooking the chicken. I don't barbeque. I don't like smelling like meat (although I have found that eau de brisket attracts the opposite sex) and Tyler does it best anyway. So really, this is his recipe. Also a Four Seasons Kitchen first.

JERK HONEY GARLIC HOT WINGS

• 10 chicken drumsticks
• 2 tbsp jerk seasoning
• 1/4 cup honey garlic sauce
• 1/4 cup Franks Red Hot sauce

Toss chicken and jerk seasoning together in a Ziploc bag and put in fridge overnight. When ready to cook, grill on high direct heat 2 minutes per side. Move drumsticks to indirect heat and cook 40 minutes, turning once. Mix honey garlic and hot sauce in a large bowl. Toss cooked drumsticks in sauce.

Winner Winner, Easiest Ever Chicken Dinner

I cook a meal for Tyler and myself (and soon Parker when he gets some teeth!) almost every night. I plan our meals for the week in advance so that I can try out all the recipes I've bookmarked and ensure that we have all the ingredients needed. But you know what they say about best laid plans... This is what I make on those nights that the baby wants to be held for hours, or decides he's going to nurse non-stop from 6pm to 8 pm. I can get this in the oven with one hand or direct Tyler how to make it from the couch. Serve with a side of rice with peas and corn (or warm potato salad as pictured above), and you've got the easiest dinner ever.

EASIEST CHICKEN DINNER

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place fresh or still frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a chunky sauce. Bake until chicken is cooked through- about 20 minutes if using fresh chicken or about 40 minutes if frozen. Top with some shredded cheese, bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chunky sauce options: salsa, tomato sauce, canned diced tomatoes, chili sauce (I use my Grannie's homemade chili sauce which is amazing), etc

Chicken Pot Pie

I am really proud of this recipe. I created the perfect pie dough by taking tips and bits from other recipes and combining them into this amazing, flaky dough. The filling is full flavoured but not full of fat because I used milk, not cream. Plus there are lots of veggies- I love it when I don't have to make a side dish with vegetables to ensure we are getting our 5-10 a day (more on the 5 end- does anybody really eat 10 servings of fruit and veg a day?). Chicken pot pie is exactly what I want to eat on snowy, cold days. Like today. Ugh.

Look how flaky!!!

One Year Ago: Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies and Spicy Cheese Dip

CHICKEN POT PIE

Serves 4

Any mix of vegetables can be used. To freeze pot pies freeze pastry and filling separately. Thaw both in fridge overnight, then top with pastry and bake as directed.

Pastry:

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp vodka*
• 6-8 tbsp ice water

Filling:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, fresh or frozen
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 peppercorns
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups diced vegetables- I used mushrooms, carrots, celery, squash, peas
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 5 tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped - reserve stems to flavor broth
  
• salt and pepper
  

To make pastry: Combine flour, salt, and butter in a food processor using short pulses until butter resembles small marbles. With motor running, add vodka and 6 tbsp ice water. Add more water one tbsp at a time if needed just until dough forms a ball in the machine. Dump onto counter, pat into two discs, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To make filling: Place chicken (no need to thaw if it is frozen), carrot, celery, peppercorns, bay leaf, parley stems, and enough water to cover chicken in a pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces. Strain liquid, reserving broth.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic, vegetables, saute until just tender. Add white wine, cook until only a little liquid is left in the pan. Sprinkle in flour, stir for 2 minutes until flour is cooked out. Whisk in milk and 1 cup of reserved chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until thickened. Stir in cooked chicken and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour filling into 4 large ramekins or 6 smaller ramekins.

Roll out pastry to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out rounds big enough to cover ramekins with a bit of over-hang. Top ramekins with pastry, pressing around edges to seal. Cut a vent in top of pastry. Place ramekins on a baking tray in case they overflow in the oven. Bake 25 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is hot and bubbling around the edges.

*Every time I make pie dough Tyler asks why I'm drinking vodka. Every time I tell him it's for the dough. I'm more of a rum person. Adding vodka to pastry keeps it tender and flaky as gluten cannot form in alcohol.

Moroccan Chicken and Eggplant Dish

I don't really have a story behind this, or anything interesting to say about this dish really, except that it came about because I was planning on making this Moroccan Lemon Chicken on Friday but I realized I had used up all the lemons I had. Lemon being a pretty important part of that recipe, of course, I made up something entirely different but using the same spices as the lemon chicken recipe.

The nice thing with this as well it that it is a one pot meal. Well maybe it's technically two, as you need a baking sheet to roast the eggplant, but I always line my baking sheets with foil so that I don't have to wash them. Leftovers are really good as well- just make sure to cover the plate or dish you are warming it up in so that you don't end up with rice and tomato sauce on the roof of your microwave like I did.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN AND EGGPLANT WITH RICE

Serves 4

1 eggplant, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp lemon pepper, or the rest of 1 lemon if you have it and increase the pepper when you season
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tomatoes, diced, or use some drained canned diced tomatoes if this is what you have on hand
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1 14oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1/2 cup long grain rice
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a bowl, toss eggplant with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste*. Place eggplant in a single layer on foil lined baking sheet coated with cooking spay. Roast eggplant in middle of oven until golden brown- about 20 minutes- stirring eggplant halfway through cooking to ensure all sides are browning evenly.

Heat a large skillet with about 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until softened. Add spices, cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, olives, crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper to season, and water. Bring to a simmer. Stir in rice and add chicken pieces on top. Cover pan and cook until rice is cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add roasted eggplant, stir to combine. Adjust seasoning and serve.

*I never measure salt and pepper unless I'm actually following a recipe. I seasoned the eggplant with 2 big pinches of kosher salt and maybe 8 grinds of pepper, so I don't know the measurements. Go with your gut, you can always adjust the seasoning later.

Freezer Meals

Here is my cure for waiting-for-baby boredom- clean things you normally wouldn't clean, rearrange cupboards, and cook lots of food to freeze for when you're too tired to cook after baby arrives. The first two are both cathartic and problematic. Problematic in that cleaning really dirty things- like the grates on your gas stove- takes elbow grease and now my back is sore(-er), and rearranging cupboards leads to daily conversations like this:

Tyler: Where is the {insert object here}?
Me: It's in the cupboard to the right of the stove
Tyler: Didn't it used to be in the cupboard to the left of the stove?
Me: Yes, but I moved it. It's better where it is now.
Tyler: Oh my God you're making me crazy.

As for the freezer situation, I had a whole list of things to make for the freezer but I had to stop short because we've run out of room. In both the deep freeze in the garage (it's just a small one!) and the regular freezer in the kitchen. If you want some back up meals- once in a while I'll spend a few hours on the weekend making something to freeze for later in the week- or you want to go on a cooking binge like me, below is what I've made. So far. I think if I eat the half carton of ice cream that's in there I'll have room for one more dish.

• Chicken and White Bean Chili from Blonde Designs
• Chicken Tetrazzini from Good Life Eats
• Slow Cooker Bolognese from America's Test Kitchen (I'll post the recipe another day- it's amazing)
• Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells 
• Shepard's Pie (I didn't use a recipe, I just browned some beef, threw in a bunch of veggies and some gravy I found in the back of the freezer, and topped with mashed potatoes and shredded cheese)
• Beef and Vegetable Empanadas

BEEF AND VEGETABLE EMPANADAS

Adapted from Food and Drink Magazine

Makes 8 to 10 empanadas, a dinner serving being 2 or 3 per person

- Empanadas are a hand pie from the Caribbean and South America. They can be eaten as a snack or a main with a salad on the side. The filling can be pretty much anything- I've included at the bottom a variation with black bean and sweet potato that I've made before and didn't fulfill my promise to share the recipe.

- Although the pastry below is delicious and pretty easy, I've seen recipes that call for store-bought pie dough (like Pilsbury) instead, if you prefer.

Pastry:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cake and pastry flour (or just use another 1/4 cup of regular flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cold egg
• 1/3 cup ice cold water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

Filling:

• 1 pound simmering steak, such as outside round
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3/4 cup salsa (use mild or medium unless you're brave as hot salsa will cook down and be suicide hot)
• 1 medium leek, sliced in half, washed well, then sliced into half moons
• 1 large jalapeno, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed or still frozen
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack or white Cheddar cheese

Pastry:
Place flour, butter, butter, salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until butter is the size of peas. Mix egg, water, vinegar together in a small bowl, add all at once to flour mixture with motor running, process until dough just starts to come together. Turn dough out onto counter and gather into a ball. Divide in half and flatten each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Filling:
Sear steak in 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium-high heat 3 minutes per side. Add broth and salsa, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 1 hour partially covered, or until meat is tender and can be shredded with a fork. If, like me, you couldn't get the heat right and ended up boiling your steak or bought the wrong type of meat and therefore it won't shred, just chop it up really small and mix into sauce again.

Remove sauce and meat from pan into a bowl. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat, add leeks and jalapeno. Cook until softened but not browned. Add peas, cook until peas are heated through. Mix vegetables into meat and sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Assembly:
Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut 6 to 7 inch circles (I used a dessert plate as a guide)*. Whisk egg lightly in a small bowl. Working with one circle at a time, brush 1-inch of edge with egg wash. Place 2 heaping tablespoons filling on one half.

Fold dough over to make a half moon. Press edges to seal, then starting at one corner fold bottom edge of dough over top to ensure a good seal. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (or with plastic wrap if you're going to freeze these). Repeat filling dough, roll the second half, and fill as well.

Brush tops of pastries with remaining egg wash. Top each with cheese. Using a paring knife, cut two steam vents in the top of each. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid and then store in a freezer bag, or bake right away at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden. To cook frozen empanadas, bake from frozen but add about 10 minutes to cooking time.


*You're not really supposed to re-roll the scraps of dough after cutting the first time as it supposedly makes the dough tough and not as flaky, but I do reuse the scraps. I can't tell much of a difference and let's face it, you're not making these every day so you may as well make as many as you can, right?

FILLING FOR BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO EMPANADAS

• 1 cooked sweet potato, peeled
• 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• salt and pepper 
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese, whizzed briefly in food processor

Crush beans with a potato masher, ensuring they still have some texture. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add jalapeno and garlic, saute 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add cumin and coriander, saute 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add sweet potato, lime juice, and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Green Curry Chicken Summer Roll Salad

Photo from Food and Drink Magazine

As promised, here is the recipe for last Wednesday's dinner. Clearly the photo above is a summer roll, not a summer roll salad. I didn't take a photo of the salad when I made it as I assumed the recipe with a photo would be on their website and I was going to just link to it in the previous post, but alas, it didn't work out that way.

This salad is perfect for a summer lunch or dinner. In the note preceding the recipe in Food and Drink magazine they describe it as "deconstructed summer rolls". It's very refreshing light. And delicious of course.

As I mentioned in the the previous post, the flavor of the green curry paste didn't come through in the salad as it was only in the marinade for the chicken. I have adapted the recipe to include some green curry paste in the dressing for the salad as well.

GREEN CURRY CHICKEN SUMMER ROLL SALAD

Adapted from Food and Drink

Serves 4 for lunch or 2 for dinner

*All of the components of salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerated, and and tossed together when ready to serve. 

*To change up the salad, you could also use shrimp in place of chicken, shortening the marinating time to just an hour.

Marinade

• 1/2 cup coconut milk from a 398 ml can
• 1 tsp packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp green curry paste
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 large)

Salad

• 8 oz rice vermicelli
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 1 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 large red pepper, thinly sliced
• chopped fresh cilantro or mint, to garnish

Dressing

• remaining coconut milk from can
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tbsp green curry paste
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Combine marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag and add chicken. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours.

Preheat grill to medium or preheat broiler. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Place on oiled grill or on baking sheet under broiler for about 20 minutes, turning once, or until no longer pink inside. Remove from heat and let cool.

Place rice noodles in a large, heatproof bowl or baking dish and cover with enough boiling water to cover. Let soak for about 2 minutes, or until tender. Drain water and rinse under cold water. Drain well.

For dressing, combine coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, and curry paste in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often, until reduced by about one third. Remove from heat and stir in lime zest and lime juice. Pour into salad bowl that you will be using to serve salad and cool slightly. Add drained noodles, toss, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

To serve, slice chicken, add chicken and vegetables noodles and garnish with cilantro or mint.