Curried Chickpea and Mango Salad Wraps

I love the free magazine that you can pick up in the natural foods section of Loblaws called "Sage".  It always has interesting articles and recipes that inspire me!  This recipe came from January's edition and it is fantastic - quick to assemble, tasty and a great source of protein!!!

CURRIED CHICKPEA AND MANGO SALAD WRAPS

Ingredients:

2 tbsp plain yogurt (I used goat yogurt)

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp rice vinegar

Juice from 1 lime

1 tsp honey

2 1/2 tsp yellow curry powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup diced red onion

2 green onions, green and white parts sliced

1 cup diced mango

1-15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 soft tortilla shells

1 cup baby spinach, washed and dried

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine: yogurt, mayonnaise, rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, curry powder, cayenne, and salt.
• Add red onions, green onion, mango and chickpeas; stir to combine.
• Split mixture among 4 tortillas and top each with spinach.  Fold in sides and roll up tightly; cut each in half and serve.
• ENJOY!

*If you are planning to pack this for lunch, simply keep the chickpeas in a container with the baby spinach and take along a tortilla separately.  Assemble right before eating to avoid a soggy tortilla!!

**If you don't have chickpeas, this recipe works just as well with diced cooked chicken or firm tofu.

Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken

We had decided to go out and have dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant we all enjoy, but the snow was falling heavily and we chose to have dinner at home instead.  I searched the fridge and pantry and whipped up this delicious and quick dinner which was delicious and MUCH cheaper than going to a restaurant!!!

SPICY ASIAN NOODLES WITH CHICKEN

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chopped cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tsp sambal oelek

150g package rice vermicelli noodles

2 tbsp chopped cashews (or peanuts)

• Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add ginger and garlic to the pan and stir constantly for less than a minute.   
• Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, and sambal oelek together in a small bowl.  Stir into skillet with chicken and green onions.  Saute for a minute.  Remove and place into large serving dish.
• Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Add noodles to chicken and toss well to combine.  Sprinkle with cilantro and cashews.
• Serve and ENJOY! 

   

Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs

I was appalled to see that my last blog post was in September?!  What the heck have I been doing?? LOL!  I've actually been cooking a lot of the foods that are already posted on this blog (AKA being lazy and not very inventive in the kitchen!)
Last night I decided to try something a little bit different with the boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I had defrosted - and they were a hit with the entire family (PHEW!)  This recipe is easy and tasty, and paired with roasted root vegetables that can be baked in the oven at the same time and temperature as the chicken thighs, you have one super tasty dinner!

ASIAN GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

5 tbsp honey

1/3 cup of soy sauce

1/4 sesame oil

3 tbsp Asian chili garlic sauce

3 tbsp minced garlic

Salt, to taste

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

• Whisk together all the ingredients before the chicken thighs.  Pour half of the marinade into a large freezer bag and add chicken thighs.
• Place bag in fridge and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours, turning often.
• Pour the other half of the marinade into a small saucepan and place over medium high heat stirring often to thicken.
• Preheat oven to 425F
• Remove chicken thighs from the bag and discard used marinade.  Place chicken thighs into a 9x13 baking dish.  Brush thighs with 1/3 of the thickened marinade
• Bake in the oven, uncovered for 30 minutes.  Brush with another 1/3 of the marinade and bake for another 5 minutes.  Check temperature of the thighs with a thermometer - it should read 165F.  Remove thighs from oven and let stand.
• Meanwhile reheat the remaining 1/3 of marinade.  Place thighs on plate and drizzle marinade over top.  
• Serve and ENJOY!      

Broccoli Craisin Salad

Our Summer/Fall CSA boxes are in full swing with all the wonderful weather we've been receiving.  This week we got a box brimming with spring onions, broccoli, basil, zucchini and more!  Since I had purchased broccoli (as I didn't expect it to appear in the box for a few weeks, but with the warmer weather it ripened sooner!) I decided that dinner tonight was going to feature a broccoli salad.  I'm fortunate that my children enjoy broccoli and moreso because it came straight from the Cooper's!!!  This is a breeze to put together and so colourful and delicious you might make it a regular part of your family's dinners!!!

BROCCOLI CRAISIN SALAD

Ingredients:

4 cups broccoli florets

1 cup chopped red peppers

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup Craisins

1/2 cup raw, unsalted sunflower seeds

4 spring onions, diced

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

2 tbsp dark agave syrup

• In a large serving bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar and agave syrup until well combined.  Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to serving.

Soba Noodle Salad With Pea Shoots & Shiitake Mushrooms

Although I made this for a friend's baby shower and posted it three years ago, I recently had a request for it from another friend.  Therefore, I decided to separate it from the blog post entitled "A Sweet Pea Baby Shower" (although check this post out for some other delicious recipe ideas!!!)

SOBA NOODLES WITH PEA SHOOTS AND SHIITAKES

Ingredients:

1 pkg of soba noodles (8oz) - Japanese buckwheat noodles

1 tbsp each, of sesame & vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 oz (300g) of shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

12 oz snow pea shoots (375g)

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup sodium-reduced soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp granulated sugar

• In a large pot of boiling water, cook soba noodles until tender (5 mins). Stir gently and reduce heat because they tend to boil over. Drain and rinse under cold water.
• In a large skillet or wok, heat half of the sesame and vegetable oils over med-high heat; saute garlic until fragrant (15 seconds), add mushrooms and saute for another 4 mins, or until tender. Add to noodles.
• In the skillet heat the remaining oils and stir-fry the pea shoots until wilted and tender (5 mins). Add to noodle mixture.
• Whisk together mayonnaise, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. Pour over noodles and stir well. Serve at room temperature, or cooled.

Hot and Sour Soup with Bean Sprouts

I was feeling like I was coming down with a cold today, so I decided some healthy hot and sour soup would be perfect.  Having never made it before I headed out to the local grocery store and picked up the ingredients (as I live in a smaller rural community I didn't expect to find everything, but surprisingly I did!)  The complex flavours of this soup epitomize Chinese cooking as they include spice, sweet, sour and savoury...absolutely delicious, easy and I must say, I am feeling tons better after eating a bowlful!!!

HOT AND SOUR SOUP WITH BEAN SPROUTS

Ingredients:

1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms (I bought a pre-sliced package)

1/2 cup enoki mushrooms***

1/2 cup finely sliced bamboo shoots

4 cups miso stock (I bought cubes as there wasn't miso paste available at the store, but you can also use a chicken stock, the soup will just appear lighter in colour)

1/2 package of firm tofu, finely diced

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

2 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp water

1 tsp sesame oil

1 egg, beaten

2 green onions thinly sliced

1 large handful of bean sprouts

• Place the bamboo shoots and mushrooms into a large pot with the stock.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, pepper, salt and tofu.  Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.  Mix the cornstarch and water in a separate bowl until well combined.  Add some of the hot stock and stir well.  Gently pour the cornstarch into the soup stirring well.
• Turn the heat off, add the sesame oil, green onions and bean sprouts.  Gently pour the beaten egg into the soup and stir.
• Serve and enjoy!

*If you want a little more heat in your soup, Add 1 tbsp of sambal oelek or dried chili flakes!

** If you are using dried shiitake mushrooms, place them in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soften for 20 minutes.  Drain and use.

***Enoki mushrooms are miniature button mushrooms that grow in fibrous clumps.  Simply pull off the desired amount, trim the ends and use!

Better Than Take-Out Fried Rice

India decided to create a main dish to go along with my kale salad and Devon's oven fried French fries, for dinner last night.  I recently bought my kids this fantastic cookbook called "Kids 4 Books In One:  Breakfast/Lunch/Snacks/Dinner" and they are super excited about trying these beautifully illustrated recipes.  We had a pork tenderloin in the freezer so she decided to adapt this recipe while leaving out the rice part...it was delicious!

BETTER THAN TAKE-OUT FRIED RICE

Ingredients:

3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 yellow bell pepper

1 tbsp coconut oil

6 green onions, cut into 1" pieces

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 lb boneless pork loin or tenderloin, cut into 1" pieces

• Combine soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
• Cut bell pepper into 1" pieces.
• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add bell pepper, green onions, ginger and garlic; stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add pork; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until pork is cooked through.
• Stir in soy mixture and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
• Serve and ENJOY!

Asian Squash-Noodle Salad

Just like everyone at this time of year, I received quite a few zucchini in my CSA box from Cooper's.  I was wondering what to do with them (make brownies?  make a lasagna?) and then I found this recipe that I had torn out of a magazine ages ago.  I am SO glad I made it because all of us loved it ~ my son couldn't stop eating it!  It comes out better with a mandolin, but cutting it finely like I did is okay too!

ASIAN SQUASH-NOODLE SALAD

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, each about 10" long

2 tbsp minced green onions (I used garlic scapes!)

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp dry Sherry or Scotch

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

• If you have a mandolin, cut the zucchini lengthwise into shoestring 'noodles'.  Otherwise, using a chef's knife, cut into 1/8" thick slices.  Stack the sliced, and cut them lengthwise into 1/4" strips.
• Steam the zucchini noodles for 5 mins or until tender.  Immediately rinse them under cold water to stop them cooking.  Drain well and put into a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and drizzle over the zucchini noodles, tossing gently to coat.
• Serve and enjoy! 

Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

This is one of those super-easy, mid-week meals that you can get on the table almost faster than it takes the rice to cook!  Also a little ginger at this time of year is always a good idea!!!

GINGER CHICKEN STIR-FRY

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 egg white, beaten

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp white pepper

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces

Sauce:

1/2 tsp cornstarch

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp granulated sugar

Stir-Fry:

1 tbsp plus 2 tsp oil, divided (I have been using "Olys" which is derived from cereal grains, but you can use vegetable or peanut oil)

1 medium green bell pepper, julienned

3 green onions, cut into 1" lengths

1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, finely chopped

3 tsp minced fresh gingerroot

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (I didn't have any almonds this time, but usually add them!)

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the egg white, soy sauce, cornstarch and white pepper.  Add chicken, seal bag and turn to coat.  Refrigerate for 30 mins.
• Combine the cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar until smooth;  set sauce aside.
• Drain chicken and discard marinade.  In a large skillet (or wok), stir-fry chicken in 1 tbsp oil until no longer pink.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Stir-fry green pepper and onions in remaining oil for 2 minutes.  Add bamboo shoots and ginger; stir-fry 3 to 4 mins. longer or until vegetables are crisp tender.
• Stir sauce mixture and add to pan.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. 
• Add chicken and heat through.  Sprinkle with almonds and stir to combine.  Remove from heat.
• Serve over warm rice!

*I usually buy my gingerroot when it's on sale in the grocery store and then store it in the freezer so it lasts, is easy to grate using my rasp, and I always have it on hand.  Don't leave it out of the freezer too long though, as it will go mushy!!*

Cool, Refreshing Cucumber Salad!

Right now the field cucumbers are in season and available in abundance! Our CSA basket from "Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze" contained 3 field cucumbers, so I created this simple and refreshing salad to compliment a smoked Cooper's chicken that Greg made. This salad can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for approx. 3 days, and the flavour only improves as the cucumbers and onions absorb the dressing!

CUCUMBER & RED ONION SALAD

Ingredients

2 field cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 cup vinegar (white or rice)

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp dried, or 1 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

• Combine the cucumbers and onions in either a resealable plastic bag, or a container with a lid.
• Whisk together the remaining ingredients to create the dressing, and pour over the cucumbers and onions.
• Place bag in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or preferrably overnight to allow the cucumbers and onions to absorb the dressing.
• Serve and enjoy!

I also enjoy adding the marinated vegetables to sandwiches or wraps!!

My First CSA Basket of Summer!!!

We received our first CSA box from "Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze" yesterday (I picked up early not only because I live across the road, but because the first ones who picked up got fingerlings while the others got russets...not that I don't love a good russet potato, but my son Devon LOVES fingerlings!). The wonderfully warm spring that we're experiencing is obvious! Each box (because I'm greedy and get a double share!) had a big head of green and red lettuce, as well as a bunch of asparagus (nothing says spring more than this delectable member of the lily family in my books!), a massive bunch of sage, thyme and oregano! Then I have included a hot house share so I also received some beautiful, plump, red tomatoes and a cucumber!

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know that the main reason we joined this CSA four years ago was because my husband, Greg, is deathly allergic to fungicide. Even organics brought from the USA are bombed with fungicide prior to crossing the border, so he hasn't been able to eat raw vegetables and fruits for close to 13 years (cooking seems to break the chemicals down enough that he can tolerate cooked, thank goodness!). As soon as Greg came home last night and saw all this fresh, gorgeous produce on the counter he said "I hope we're having a HUGE salad tonight...I'm so excited for this!"

Although I didn't manage to use even a third of what we received in our boxes, a huge salad is exactly what we had! It was perfect in its simplicity and ease of preparation. The contents were only lettuce, fresh herbs and their flowers, tomatoes, asparagus (raw), and cucumber. What made this salad truly yummy (so much so that my daughter India even ate it), was the dressing!

HERBED VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

2 tbsp EVOO

1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Soy Seasoning

1 tsp white balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Finely diced fresh oregano and sage (approx. 2 tbsp)

• Whisk all ingredients together and toss with a salad so the leaves are just lightly coated in the dressing (never have so much dressing on your salad that it pools in the bottom of the bowl -- although I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion!)