Two New Recipes

Last night we needed a quicker dinner, as we were heading to our nephew's football game for 6:00. 

We made chili verde with sausage and pumpkin, and started by broiling this tray of veggies.

Then everything went into one pot, starting with some onion, then sausage meat, garlic, oregano, cilantro, and chopped pumpkin or squash.  It called for canned hominy too, but we couldn't find any, so we just added a can of corn, and it tasted great.

I thought it needed more liquid, as it wasn't saucy or liquidy enough for chili, in my opinion, so we added a can of beef broth that we had on hand, and about a 1/4 cup of water.

We made this dinner, ate, and were only five minutes late to the game.  I call that a win!  (And the team won too!)

This chili was so good, and it had just the right amount of kick.  I loved the leftovers for lunch today.  We'll add this to our make-again list, and you can find the recipe here if you want to try it out.

Tonight we made another new dish - grilled chicken thighs with ginger scallion noodles, but had mixed feelings about it.  I didn't think it was anything special, although Christopher really enjoyed it.

I thought this dish needed something more.  I added sriracha, but it still wasn't really doing it for me.  Anyway, the recipe is here, and it's an even quicker one.

I used to subscribe to many food and cooking magazines, but now I only have one subscription - Food Network Magazine.  Often, when we are menu planning and can't think of what to make, we turn to this magazine for quick and easy ideas.

(Note: I am not affiliated with them; I just like the magazine).

What's on the menu at your house this week?

Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

Where do you look for new ideas when you're meal planning?

Thanksgiving Sides with Mann's Veggies

Are you looking to switch up your Thanksgiving sides this year?

Sometimes I like to throw a new ingredient into the mix or put a creative spin on a holiday favourite.

In time for Thanksgiving, I've teamed up with Mann's Fresh Vegetables and created five delicious, veggie side dish options, that would upgrade the traditional lineup.

Butternut Squash Rotini with Chorizo

- 1 T butter
- 1/2 cup diced chorizo (I found some pre-diced at the grocery store)
- 10oz bag Mann's Butternut Squash Rotini
- 2 T maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter over medium heat until melted.  Add chorizo and cook 3-5 minutes.  Add the Butternut Squash Rotini right from the bag.  Add the syrup.  Stir, and cook for 7-8 minutes until the squash is tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Snap Peas with Ginger and Mustard Seeds

- 1-1.5 T canola oil
- 1 T black mustard seeds
- 1 heaping T ginger, minced
- 15oz bag Mann's Stringless Sugar Snap Peas
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium.  Add mustard seeds, and stir until popping.  Add ginger and cook, while stirring for about 45 seconds.  Add the snap peas right from the bag, and cook for approx. three minutes, stirring often.  Add the sugar.  Stir.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve.

Asian Caulilini

- 2 T soy sauce
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 2 tsp honey
- 10oz bag Mann's Caulilini
- 1.5 T sesame oil, divided
- salt and pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 T ginger, minced
- 2 tsp honey

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.

Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, and honey.  Set aside.  Toss the Caulilini with 1 T of the oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 10-12 minutes - watch!  Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a small pot over medium.  Once hot, add ginger and garlic.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  Add the soy sauce mixture, and bring to a boil while stirring.  Remove from heat and pour over the roasted Caulilini.  Toss and serve.

Sweet Potato Fettucine Gratin

- 10oz bag Mann's Sweet Potato Fettucine
- 2 T butter
- 2 T flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup panko crumbs

Steam Sweet Potato Fettuccine until almost done (see back of bag). Meanwhile, in a small pot, melt butter over medium-low.  Add the flour, and cook about 1 minute, while stirring.  Add 1 cup warm milk, while slowly stirring.  Add 2 tsp fresh rosemary.  Once thickened, add 1/2 cup shredded gruyere.  Layer sweet potatoes and sauce in an oven-safe dish.  Top with 1/2 cup gruyere and 1/2 cup panko, and bake 5 min., then broil 1-2 minutes until golden - watch!

Lemon Garlic Brussels Sprouts

- 12oz bag Mann's Brussels Sprouts halved
-  2 T olive oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 T fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Toss brussels sprouts with 1 T olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Roast on a foil-lined sheet for approx. 20 minutes, until starting to get brown and crisp in spots.  Remove and toss with the remaining ingredients.  Serve.

Christopher and I will grab Mann's Gourmet Veggies from our corner grocery store when we're looking to add a little inspiration to our Thanksgiving table.

What is your favourite Thanksgiving side dish?  
Are you trying any new sides this year?  
What new recipes have you made recently?  

* Mann's veggies were provided to me free of charge.  
* All opinions are my own.

Best of Bridge: Sunday Suppers

When I think of Sunday supper, I think of home, comfort, and sitting at the table with family.  I think of warmth, inviting aromas, and dishes made with so much love.

Best of Bridge: Sunday Suppers is a cookbook full of traditional Sunday supper recipes, such as classic roast chicken, pot roast, and meat loaf, as well as dishes that could potentially become new Sunday favourites, such as grilled steak bibimbap, beet risotto, and roasted squash coconut curry.

It's an all-purpose cookbook, great for a beginner cook, but also intriguing enough for someone who is experienced in the kitchen.  We wanted to get a feel for the recipes, so we made five of them over the past week (we found them all quick and easy enough to make during the week, so they are not just for Sundays).

The beef and Guinness pie that we made on Sunday was from this book:

It was really good, and even better the next day.  Also, the pie crust was delicious; I'm looking forward to trying it out with a sweet pie.

The next recipe we tried was the kale Caesar salad.  We liked that we had all the ingredients for the dressing on hand.  We topped it with roasted chicken to make it a meal.

On Thursday evening we made two recipes from Best of Bridge: Sunday Suppers, including Corn Flake-crusted pork chops, and sticky carrots.

We served the pork and carrots with a side of mac and cheese.

Tonight we made Best of Bridge's classic scalloped potatoes:

These were a perfect side with smoked pork shoulder.

All the recipes in this book are clearly laid out, easy to follow, simple and fool-proof.  I also like that the book is coil-bound and can lay flat.

You can buy this cookbook here (in Canada), or here (in USA), or wherever else you like to buy books.  All of the recipes we made, we'd make again, and we've already tabbed a bunch more that we are definitely wanting to try within the next few weeks.

What have you been cooking lately?

How was your week?  How is your weekend going?

What will you be making for Sunday supper?

This review copy was provided to me free of charge from Robert Rose.  All opinions are my own.

In Like a Lamb

March has always been a great month for us, and I love the new feelings that it brings, with hopes of warmer weather, and the anticipation of spring growth that is just around the corner.

Today I started looking back to see what we were up to in March of previous years ...

In 2013 we were in Mexico for our friends' wedding, and then took off to New Orleans for the first time, about a week later.  A fun memory from March of 2014 was a snacky evening we had.  The next year Christopher's parents were treating the family to a lovely dinner to celebrate our marriage.  The next March brought a trip back to NOLA, where we had one of the most interesting tasting menus we've ever had.  Last year we were cooking up food with a theme; we had an Irish weekend, as well as an Indian-themed weekend.

I am excited to see what this March has in store for us; it's already looking like it will shape up to be fun-filled and fantastic.  I just heard on the radio this morning that this February was the coldest we've had in 18 years.  Fortunately today was beautiful, and March officially came in like a lamb.

Speaking of lamb ...

Last night we made lamb meatballs, with an eggplant mash.

This meal was so good, and I was happy that there were leftovers for lunch today.  It's one we'll be repeating for sure!  You can find the recipe here.

We couldn't find a pomegranate in the store, so we had to omit that garnish, as well as the pine nuts, as I am allergic to them.  Although this dish isn't too visually appealing, the taste made up for that.

If you are unsure about lamb, or haven't cooked it before, I'd suggest starting with ground lamb.  These meatballs have an excellent flavour, and are really easy.  They call for a bunch of herbs, and if you're going to make them, I'd definitely use mint as one of the herbs.  We also used cilantro and basil (all fresh).  Everything paired together beautifully.

Another Food Network recipe we tried this week was shrimp pad Thai:

We've made pad Thai before, and it has been more labour intensive than this recipe is, yet this recipe was really good - another that we will make again #score!  It was perfect for a week night, because it took no time at all.

How is your week going?  What are you looking forward to this month?  Did March come in like a lion or lamb where you live? 

Breakfasts

I had some delicious breakfasts last week, including avocado toast (one piece drizzled with balsamic, both topped with pink Himalayan sea salt):

Juicy nectarines from the farmers' market: 

And a chocolate oat parfait, with maple banana "soft serve". 

Chocolate "Overnight" Oats

1/3 cup raw quick oats
1 T chia seeds
1 T cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, or any milk-like drink

Mix everything together and let it sit about 10 minutes, or cover and refrigerate overnight so it's even quicker in the morning.

Maple Banana "Soft Serve"

1 large frozen banana (or 1 1/2 small) broken into chunks
1 T pure maple syrup
Almond milk (or any milk) - start with a couple T and add more as needed

Throw the banana, syrup and milk into your blender or food processor, and mix until smooth and soft-serve ice-cream like.

Layer the oats and the soft-serve into your parfait dish, and dig in.

We spent the entire weekend at home, without leaving the house, which was great.  We had eggs, toast, and bacon for breakfast on Saturday.

And then on Saturday evening we threw together a sausage-arugula breakfast strata, and tossed that in the fridge overnight, so it would be ready to pop in the oven this morning.

Sausage-Arugula Breakfast Strata

 

6 eggs
1 1/4 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste
2 T chopped basil (or whatever herb you have on hand)
About 1/2 loaf of crusty bread, cubed (we used 200g rosemary focaccia)
1 lb (1 package) breakfast sausage rounds, cooked and cut into pieces
5-6 white mushrooms, quartered
1 cup arugula, torn or rough chop 
Olive oil (for roasting mushrooms)
1 cup of shredded cheese, whatever you like

Mix eggs, half and half, salt and pepper and basil.  Set aside.  Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms, salt and pepper them, and roast @ 425F for about 20 min.  Once browned, remove and set them aside.  Spray your baking dish, then layer half the bread, half the mushrooms, half the sausage, half of the arugula, and half of the cheese.  Repeat with the other half of the ingredients.  Slowly pour the egg mixture over everything.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  The next morning take it out and leave at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350 F.  Bake, covered, for 30-40 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20 minutes. 

This was a nice way to start out our morning.  More about our weekend in the next post.

What have you been eating for breakfasts lately?  

Have you ever made a strata?

At Home - Baba Ganoush, Cucumber Raita

We got home from Halifax late Saturday evening.  On Sunday morning we ate a quick breakfast before heading to the grocery store.

After being away for a week we were low on everything, and were also craving veggies like crazy.

There was a lot of rain while we were away, and it looks like our cilantro and kale did well.

We wanted a fresh, healthy dinner, so we grilled up an eggplant ...

Made some pita chips ...

Then whipped up a batch of baba ganoush, and some cucumber raita.

Pita Chips

Preheat oven to 400 F
Cut pitas into wedges
Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt
Bake 7-10 minutes or so, watching carefully, just until crisp

Baba Ganoush

1 large eggplant
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 fresh lemon juice
pinch of cumin
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt to taste (don't skip the salt)
1 T olive oil
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
5-6 kalamata or black olives, chopped (optional)

Heat the grill.  Also preheat oven to 375 F.  Poke the eggplant a few times with a fork, and then grill it until the skin blackens and starts to blister a bit (approx. 10-15 minutes).  Remove and put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until quite soft.  Remove and set aside until cooled a bit.  Peel the skin off, and mash the eggplant with a fork.  Add tahini, lemon, cumin and garlic.  Season with salt, and taste to adjust seasoning.  Spread in dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle parsley and olives on top.  Serve at room temperature with pita chips or plain pita.

Cucumber Raita

1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups grated or finely chopped cucumber
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste)
1/4 cumin
2 T or so cilantro, chopped

Serve cold as a topping for a spicy dish, or as a dip with pita chips, etc..

How's your week going so far?  Have you ever had baba ganoush?  

Are you growing any herbs or veggies this summer?