May Foodie Penpals Reveal!

It's that time of the month again.......

This month, my package arrived from the incredible Maddie, the Mad Health Chick.  Check out her blog and her story!  She is quite an inspirational young woman.

 I was so excited to try out the Bob's Red Mill gluten free pizza crust mix for my Food Revolution Day pizza party!  It was a resounding success and I will definitely use it in future parties.

The sesame roasted seaweed looks really cool, and I can't wait to try it.  I like things that are different and I'll try anything once!  I 've already devoured the ReBar fruit & veggie bar and it was really, really good.  I will look for these on my future shopping trips, because they are a great way to get your 5 - 10 in a day, plus they have loads of fibre!  I have not yet tried the Go Raw bars but I am intrigued, especially by the spriulina. 

Awww, Maddie made such an effort to accomodate my numerous dietary restrictions, and she also obliged my request for dark chocolate.  I have the perfect recipe for this bar with blueberries, and can't wait to blog about it!  All in all, I loved everything in the package and it really inspired me to try new things.  Thanks so much!   :)

Would you like to be a foodie pen pal? Here’s the info:
-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!


If you’re interested in participating for June, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. You will also find contact information on that page for the UK branch of Foodie Penpals if you’re a blogger across the pond!

You must submit your information by June 4th as pairings will be emailed on June 5th!

Too Hot To Cook

Wow, what a killer May this is turning out to be!  It's as hot as it ever gets around these parts, and we usually don't see this type of extreme heat until July or August (if we see it at all).  Yesterday's humidex was around 40 C, or 100 F.....something like that.  I flipped the A/C on before I left for work to keep the dogs cool and breathing normally.  When I got home, there was absolutely no way I was going to heat the house up by turning on the stove.  I guess I could have BBQed, but nothing was defrosted.  Instead, I went out into the garden and picked some of my baby greens and herbs.  I rinsed them off in this cute little metal colander I picked up on the weekend.  You can just see the chive flowers peeking out.

Dinner consisted of a bowl of yogurt, a banana, some tortilla chips and some homemade salsa.  I was eyeing a recipe that called for store-bought meringues, but I have not been able to find them no matter how hard I look.  I had intentions of maybe making some after the sun went down.  However, that never happened.  My evening kind of went like this:  read a book, have a nap, go to Chapters/Starbucks and buy Jamie's latest magazine while sipping a delicious, iced soy chai latte, walk dogs after the sun sets, watch an hour of TV, take last year's strawberries out to defrost, go to bed.  What a rough life I lead.

269.  Creamy Rice Pudding With The Quickest Strawberry Jam (Jamie At Home, page 204)

FoodNetwork.com recipe link

I got up early this morning, and decided I had plenty of time while the house was still cool to whip up this yummy delicacy.  I don't know why I didn't make it last year!  Probably the meringue issue.  But I figured that I could skip them this time around.  Sure, they probably give a nice crunch and sweetness to the dish, but they are not integral to the outcome, I don't think.  So I started two pots off, one with 2 lbs of strawberries and a 1/2 cup of sugar over a medium heat, and the other with 1 cup of medium grain rice (I used jasmine), 5 cups of whole milk (I used 4 cups of 1% and a cup of cream that needed to be eaten), a tsp of vanilla, and 2 tbsp of sugar.  I put this one over a medium heat to start as well, just until it boiled, then turned it down to low and covered it.

I let each pot  cook for 20 - 30 minutes.  The strawberries need to have the scum skimmed off the top every few minutes, and I stirred the rice mixture occasionally, until it became thick and oozy. The strawberries were fairly thin for "jam"...I'd call them more of a sauce.  I set them both aside to cool for a while while I took the dogs out for a walk before the sun came out.

Mmmmm, it was all I could do not to eat this immediately.  It looked so pretty with the juices of the strawberry sauce drizzling down the sides.  Instead, I packed it into a container and brought it to work with me for breakfast.  Surprisingly, I didn't find that this needed any more sweetness at all!  It is perfect just the way it is.

Farmer's Market & Leftover Minestrone Soup

Yesterday while bored at work, I realized I wasn't going to be able to make it to the outdoor market this weekend, since I will be heading to Toronto bright and early to visit my Mom and attend a luncheon. So I took a quick drive to the Thursday market at lunch time and picked up some fresh veggies. 

I am a morning person.  I know that most people aren't.  This morning I got up at 5 a.m., fed the dogs, and decided it was the perfect time to clean out my fridge and make a big pot of minestrone soup.  I am not advocating that everyone should do this.  This soup would be perfectly acceptable if it was made later in the day too.  :p  But seriously, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand.  It's never the same twice!  All that is really necessary are tomatoes, stock, pasta, legumes, and veggies of some description.

My Early Morning Farmer's Market & Leftover Minestrone Soup

Farmer's Market Ingredients:
1 small container fresh Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and diced
1 bunch fresh wild leeks
1 bunch fresh purple scallions
1/2 bunch of fresh asparagus, chopped

Leftover Ingredients:
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 large container fresh arugula
3 button mushrooms, sliced
3 noodles brown rice lasagne, crumbled
Most of a large can of diced tomatoes
3 handfuls frozen, chopped zucchini from last year's garden
Stems of a head of broccoli, chopped
1/2 packet snow peas, roughly chopped
3 or 4 cups of homemade chicken stock
1 cup stale white wine
2 cubes frozen, homemade basil pesto
1 cup of cooked, mashed carrots
- or just chop up a few fresh carrots
1 1/2 cups cooked French-style peas
- or just use frozen peas or a can of beans/legumes

Method:
There is no "wrong" way to make this, as long as you follow a few guidelines. Pour a glug of olive oil into your largest pot, and place over a medium heat.  Add all types of onions, Jerusalem artichokes, brocolli and asparagus stems, and any other hard veggie you have on hand, and let sweat down for a few minutes, while you assemble the rest on the counter.  Add your tomatoes, stock, peas or legumes, softer veggies, wine (if using), left over cooked veggies, and bring to the boil.  Finally, add any delicate greens (spinach, arugula, tops of scallions & wild leeks, etc) and your broken pasta and let simmer with the lid on for a few minutes, until pasta is cooked.  Stir in your pesto cubes until melted, season to taste, and voila!  Enough soup for probably 2 weeks worth of lunches.

I brought a container of this to work with me today, along with a couple of slices of bread for dipping, and some jalapeno havarti cheese (my guilty pleasure).  It was so good, I would have paid for it in a restaurant.  Seriously!  And most of it was stuff that was kicking around my fridge or freezer, or just left over from last weekend's pizza day and my chicken pie dinner extravaganza.  Seriously, this soup is about the simplest thing you can ever make.  Just clean out your veggie drawer and your left over containers!  It freezes well, too.  :)

This post has been linked at Friday Foodie Fix at the W.H.O.L.E. Gang!

Pacific Snapper in Foil

Last night I wanted to eat up my left over carrots and peas from the 30 Minute Chicken Pie meal.  But I also needed some protein with it, so I defrosted a filet of rockfish (aka Pacific snapper) that I had picked up on sale, since it was close to expiry. I find that's about the only way to buy affordable fresh fish in these parts (*waves* to lurker Ashlan).  I wasn't exactly sure what to do with it, but I was inspired by some flavourings that I had just seen Jamie put together in an old Oliver's Twist episode.  He was using haddock and potatoes to make fish cakes, and he added fresh red chili, lots of parsley and mint, and the zest of a lemon.  Hmmmmm.


My Improvised Pacific Snapper In Foil


I made a little packet by folding a large piece of foil in half, and crimping the edges.  I added my snapper, a few slices of fresh lemon, a small handful of fresh, chopped parsley and mint, a tiny little bit of olive oil, some lemon juice, salt, pepper, and half of a crumbled, dried red chili.  I sealed the packet up and put it in the toaster oven at 350F for 20 minutes or so, while I walked the dogs.
I wasn't necessarily expecting much, but man was this flavourful!  I didn't take a picture, but I knew I needed to blog it so I could remember what I did for next time. The fish was tender and flaky.   A definite winner!

Revolution Day Pizza

I posted an open invitation to a Food Revolution Pizza Party on my Facebook and Twitter accounts the other day.  But before we get to the pizza party, let me post about my Saturday 30 minute dessert that I ate on Sunday. 

268.  Berries, Shortbread and Chantilly Cream (Jamie's Meals In Minutes, page 90)

I had to skip the elderflower cordial because I honestly have no idea where to buy it, except online.  So this was just a simple platter of mixed berries, whipped cream, and lady finger cookies.  No, I didn't go out and buy shortbreads because I knew the ladyfingers were still in the cupboard.  And I think they were perfect, especially because I used some of my frozen, local strawberries from last season, with their juice, and some fresh raspberries.  Ladyfingers work well for dipping.  Delish!

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So this morning, I got up early, did some gardening, planted some raspberries and strawberries and a few more rows of arugula and romaine lettuce, then set to work on my pizza dough.  I decided to make one batch of Jamie's dough recipe, using local flour from the Arva Flour Mill, and also Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza dough mix to make another smaller batch.  This mix contains it's own packet of yeast.  This was an experiment, and I was surprised to see it call for 2 eggs.  However, the eggless option was to use 2 tbsp of ground flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp of water.  I decided that sounded much healthier!  My two batches of dough went into the microwave to rise.  No, I didn't turn the microwave on.  LOL.  I just find it is a great place for them to keep them warm, especially when the A/C is running.

Next up was to cook all the meats for the pizzas.  I fried up half a pound of bacon, 3 large chicken breasts, and two farmer's market organic chorizo sausages.  These smelled amazing while cooking.  Before I even got to chopping veggies, my son came upstairs and asked if he could have his pizza now.  I looked at the clock and it wasn't quite noon.  Ok, why not?  As long as you help me make it!  So I set him to work grating a brick of mozzarella as I quickly chopped some onions and peppers.  We opened a can of diced tomatoes, got out a jar of minced garlic, some olive oil, and the requisite sliced pepperoni.  He created his masterpiece with all of the ingredients on the counter, wolfed half of it down, and went out to skateboard.

Second son showed up about an hour later, and we repeated the process, adding freshly sliced mushrooms to the list.  He opted to try the gluten free dough, as he has been complaining of stomach problems when he eats wheat.  He commented that he really likes this type of freshly made pizza better than anything store bought, or any retail chain of take out pizzerias.  He makes his own pizza at home (as long as I supply him with the pre-made dough).  But I think this Bob's Red Mill gluten free mix might be the key to getting him to do it himself.  ;)

Daughter and girlfriend showed up next and created their masterpieces.  Then I decided it was my turn to have a snack.  So I got out the premium ingredients - arugula & buffalo mozzarella.  I went gluten free with tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and chorizo.  Wow, what a pretty pizza!  And soooo delicious.  The gluten free dough was delicious!

I'm still expecting a few more stragglers this evening.  All the toppings and dough are waiting in the fridge for them.  I think it's so cool that they all want to come and have their turn at creating their own personal pizzas.  Yeah, it's free food, and maybe I'm just kidding myself, but I feel like they kind of enjoy it.  I just want them all to realize that eating real food isn't that difficult.  And it can be fun!

Food Revolution Day: 30 Minute Chicken Pie

Wow, what a day it's been.  I spent a few hours at the Covent Garden farmer's market today, perusing the fresh food and other goodies, and attending a couple of the Food Revolution Day events.  I came home with some great, loose chai tea blends from the Tea Haus, as well as some do-it-yourself tea bags, some great natural sausages for the kids, lots of veggies and a pot of assorted basil plants.

The first event was "Living By Design" which was interesting, but not something that I was really in tune with.  One of the premises was eliminating all grains from your diet, because they believe they are toxic to the body.  Another was increasing your consumption of meat and fats.  Apparently, studies have proven that certain indiginous tribes that eat this way have no incidence of heart disease or stroke.  Interesting, since the China Study behind Forks Over Knives concluded the same thing, only it was focused on a vegan diet.  But hey, I realize that everyone has a different viewpoint, and different things work for different people.  I just know that "Living By Design" wouldn't work for me.

The second session I attended was more aimed at me, as it involved organizing your kitchen, and eating on a budget.  Some of the ideas directly opposed what the previous session taught.  But diversity is the spice of life, right?  Anyways, I came away with some great organizing ideas for my fridge, freezer and pantry that I might try to put into practice, maybe as early as tomorrow.  ;)

On the home front, I managed to get the final bit of my main veggie garden raked and weeded this afternoon, and the boys put up the new shed.  The backyard is finally starting to take shape!  For dinner, I decided that it was high time I attemped another 30 Minute Meal.  I mean, it is Food Revolution Day, after all!

267.  Chicken Pie, French-Style Peas, Sweet Carrot Smash (Jamie's Meals In Minutes, page 90)

Youtube Video link

I picked up some fresh carrots at the market  and a small container of whipping cream for this recipe, but otherwise I had everything I needed on hand.  Hee, not surprising since I was one of the only people this afternoon who admitted to keeping a fully stocked pantry (something Jamie taught me).  I got everything I needed out on the counter, and prepped all the veggies, chicken and herbs before I started the timer.  I figured I would need all the help I could get!  I'm not exactly known for my speed in the kitchen.  Not that there was any rush whatsoever, since no one else was home and I had nowhere to be.  But hey, I like a challenge.

The pie can be made right in the baking pan if you have one that is stovetop friendly, which I do.  So I added a bit of olive oil and set it over a medium heat, before adding the chicken.  Once it coloured a bit, I threw in the chopped scallions. They were cool purple ones from last week's market haul.  The recipe also calls for sliced mushrooms, but I omitted these because I want the mushroom-hating kid to eat this.  At this point I added a heaped tbsp of flour, two teaspoons of mustard, then a couple of tbsps of cream, and finally the chicken broth.  I seasoned with salt & pepper, a bit of grated nutmeg, and the leaves from a sprig of thyme.  I let this simmer away while I got to work on the carrots.

I had previously sliced them up in the food processor, so I just dumped them in a pot with a bit of olive oil, and about an inch of water (not quite covering them).  I added salt & pepper and a few thyme tips, covered with a lid, and let it cook while I rolled out my puff pastry to top my pie.  I brushed the pie with milk (could also have used an egg wash) and I put this in a 400F oven for 15 minutes.

Last but not least, I got to work on my peas.  I made these once before,  but not from this cookbook.  However, it's the same recipe.  You start with a knob of butter and a tbsp of flour in a pot, and then you slowly whisk in some chicken broth until smooth.  I added a few sliced mint leaves and then a package of frozen peas and one chopped romaine lettuce.  I also added a splash of boiling water, the juice of half a lemon, salt & pepper, and covered this while I took my pie out of the oven and mashed up my carrot mixture.  I liked the idea of keeping the cooking liquid, as I'm sure otherwise a lot of the nutrients go down the drain.

I clocked in at 45 minutes.  Try as I might, I can't seem to get under that time.  Oh well, at least I clean as I go along!  I plated myself up a hearty portion of everything and really enjoyed the flavours.  I think my plate was pretty well proportioned, at least according to the dietician today!  Except that I couldn't help but go back for seconds on the pie.  And then I had no appetite for dessert.  So the berries, cookies and cream that I do have on hand will have to wait for tomorrow's lunch.  :p

Black Sesame Ice Cream

I went out for sushi one night this week, and had probably one of the most unique flavours of ice cream I've ever heard of:  black sesame.  The waitress seemed a little concerned when I ordered it, and informed us that not many people like it.  She said she knew one person who did.  LOL!  But I am always game for a challenge.  My table mates ordered the safer options of green tea and red bean.

As the waitress warned, it was kind of black, and it smelled exactly like sesame oil, which I love to use when cooking Asian food, but I couldn't quite imagine in an ice cream.  Yet, somehow it was good.  It worked for me.  I'd order it again!  :)

Food Revolution Day tomorrow!  I will be heading to the market for all the festivities.  I am also hoping to get some more veggie seedlings for my almost-raked-out main garden.  Maybe even tomatoes!  I'm planning a create-your-own pizza party for Monday, in honour of the day, and will have to get stocked up tomorrow on a wide variety of fresh ingredients for toppings.  I also need to make my dough, and I'm thinking about making something sweet for dessert.  Yay for long weekends!

Summer Chickpea Salad

We've had a couple of summer-like, hot days this week.  I have my leeks, beets, chard, herbs, lettuce, watercress & arugula planted, along with a lone jalapeno pepper plant, and a potted strawberry bush.  I'm hoping to get the rest of the gardens raked out by this weekend, and if this weather continues, I might even get the tomatoes in early.

Last night I had a nice, light dinner of roasted squash, asparagus and shrimp with a bit of an Indian flair.  Yummy!  Tonight, I wanted to BBQ myself a side of rainbow trout, but I didn't know what to have with it.  I saw this recipe on Jamie's site, and then looked it up in my copy of the cookbook.  It fit the bill perfectly!

266.  Summer Chickpea Salad (Jamie's Dinners, page 122)

JamieOliver.com recipe link

I just so happened to have all the ingredients for this salad, except the feta cheese, which I would have skipped anyways because of my dietary restrictions to dairy.  So I threw the red onion, red chili, and tomatoes together quickly, and marinated them in the lemon juice and olive oil while I heated a can of chickpeas in a small pot.  I drained them, added most of them to the salad, and then crushed up the remaining few to make the salad a little creamier.  I seasoned with a little salt, and then, once cooled to room temperature, I added my torn herbs.  Since I have a variety right now, I included not only basil and mint, but also a few sprigs of parsley and tarragon.

This was perfect as a side dish on a hot day.  Plus, I think it will keep ok in the fridge for a couple of days, so I can take it for lunches.  Unfortunately for the fish haters in the house, I couldn't get the BBQ to light, so I had to grill my trout indoors.  Ha ha!  The smell isn't so strong when all the windows are open!  ;)

It's Only A Vegetable: Jerusalem Artichokes

Yesterday I decided it was time to do something with those Jerusalem Artichokes (aka sunchokes) I bought on the weekend.  As Michael Smith always says, they're only vegetables, how scary can they be?  They apparently pair well with bacon, onion and garlic.  The wild leeks (aka ramps) needed to be used as well so I thought it sounded like a perfect combination, since they are described as being both oniony and garlicky.

I was told to treat the chokes like potatoes, so I parboiled them first, and let them steam dry for a bit. Then, I put a bit of chopped bacon in a frying pan with a little olive oil, added the sliced white part of each leek, and let that soften.  Then, I added the sliced, cooked chokes along with the leafy green parts of the leeks.  I seasoned with salt and pepper and called it lunch.

The chokes are very similar in taste and texture to potatoes...maybe a bit sweeter.  I can understand why they are used as a substitute for certain types of diets (i.e diabetic).  Apparently they are also high in iron, potassium, and inulin, a soluble fibre.  I am glad I used the wild leeks and bacon for flavour, as they would have been pretty bland on their own.  All in all, a pretty good, local Ontario lunch.  :)

Week By Week: Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Last week I came home from Toronto with a few things from my Mom's freezer.  The problem with her freezer is that she loves to stock it, but rarely seems to use it.  So we notice that most things down there are freezer burnt pretty badly.  I managed to salvage a turkey (since we were not able to celebrate Easter properly this year), a roast of beef, and some frozen fruit.  Last week, I did up the roast with some rosemary & olive oil for my son. the red meat lover.  I also made quick berry crumble with the frozen blueberries, strawberries & blackberries, which I've been noshing on all week.  I saw a great recipe for "chocolate banana small cakes" in the blogosphere that caught my eye, so I used a few ripe bananas to make them as well.  Let's just say, I haven't been going hungry lately, even if I feel like cooking hasn't been at the forefront of my crazy existance lately.

One night recently I wanted a healthy dinner, but I was a bit under the weather, so I didn't have a lot of energy to expend.   I steamed a salmon filet along with some baby spinach, and then boiled some tagliatelle.  I combined everything with a bit of sour cream and some fresh chives from the garden, topping it with grated parmesan.  Was it ever good!  Last night I was in a bit of a rush, because it is finally baseball season and it was the first exhibition game.  I challenged myself to grab an issue of Jamie Magazine off the shelf, and find a recipe inside that I could make for dinner, using only what I had on hand.  This is what I came up with!  It was such a success, that I might make a habit of challenging myself like this.  This was from the weekly section of the magazine, for week 1.  Perhaps next week, I'll pick something from week 2.

265.  Vietnamese Summer Rolls (Jamie Magazine, July 2010 issue)

Since it was still quite a warm day, I was looking for something fresh and cool.  This fit the bill perfectly, and I had almost all the ingredients I needed for the rolls:  rice paper wrappers, rice vermicelli noodles, mint, cucumber, cilantro, shrimp, spring onions (substituted chives), and thai basil (substituted baby spinach).  I assembled everything on the counter, and the only thing I needed to do was to soak the noodles, and quickly sauteed the shrimps.  Once everything had cooled, I assembled my rolls as best I could, and decided to cheat on the dipping sauce.  I did have the required ingredients (fish sauce, soy sauce, fresh red chili & a lime) but I also had a partial bottle of sweet thai chili sauce for dipping, and I was running late.  LOL.

These are to die for, which I already knew, since I tend to order them frequently in Vietnamese restaurants.  I didn't really measure anything, and I only had time to eat three, so the rest of the ingredients I threw into a container and will eat as a deconstructed summer roll salad later.  :)

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It's May!  The tents are up!  Today's farmer's market haul included:  wild leeks, purple spring onions, Jerusalem artichokes, rhubarb, asparagus, potted sorrel plant, potted basil plant, 2.5 kg unbleached hard flour from Arva Flour Mill, frozen rainbow trout filet, a homemade rhubarb muffin & a butter tart.  Gotta support the local vendors!  I have never even tasted Jerusalem artichokes, but I was advised to treat them as I would potatoes.  Sounds interesting!

Refreshing Pomegranate Drink

I'm getting spring fever.  No sign of any growth from the seeds in my garden yet, but my indoor seedlings are doing well.  I want to plant more veggies!  The weather is so up and down....we've had a lot of frost lately, and it even snowed briefly last week.  However, today it was 28 with a humidex of 36 C.  To cool off, I decided to make a refreshing jug of this carbonated drink that I've been wanting to try for some time.  It comes from the Moroccan Lamb episode of the 30 Minute Meals series. 

264.  Pomegranate Drink (Jamie's Meals In Minutes, page 266)

One thing that is growing in my garden is herbs....the ones that weathered the winter, anyways.  I have mint, tarragon, and parsley, as well as the rosemary that I kept indoors until just the other day.  I cut a few sprigs of mint and added them to a pitcher, along with the juice of half a lemon, and some ice.  Then I cheated, using a bottle of POM instead of juicing a fresh pomegranate, and topped the jug up with some carbonated spring water.

This is not your typical soda pop....not as sweet.  But very refreshing and a nice change.  I bet it would go great with the Moroccan spiced meal!

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This weekend marks the opening of the Covent Garden's outdoor farmer's market here in town.  I can't wait!  I'm also looking forward to the special event planned there for Food Revolution Day on May 19th.  Check this official video out!