Giant Yorkshire Dinner

This is a fantastic meal to make whenever you have leftover pot roast with gravy, onions, potatoes and carrots!!!  Easy, delicious and economical.  (I used the recipe from my Slow Cooker Roast Beef post for the original pot roast meal)

 GIANT YORKSHIRE DINNER

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked beef, shredded or cubed

1/2 cup cooked diced potato

1/2 cup cooked diced carrot

1 cooked diced onion

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups leftover beef gravy, divided

4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

3/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp. butter (or margarine)

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

• Combine meat, vegetables, water, 1/4 cup gravy, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp onion powder and 1/4 tsp garlic powder.  Set aside.
• Put butter in a deep dish 10" pie plate and place in a cold oven.  Turn heat to 425F.
• Puree milk, eggs, flour, salt and pepper in a blender container at high speed for 45 seconds, or until thoroughly combined.
• Remove pie plate from the oven and pour the batter in the plate.  Spoon meat and vegetables into the centre of the pie plate.
• Place casserole in the oven for 30 minutes being careful not to open the oven door at that time as it will cause the Yorkshire to drop like a souffle!
• While casserole is baking, heat remaining 1 cup gravy with remaining 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp garlic powder until hot.
• Serve casserole topped with gravy and ENJOY!

Acorn Squash Soup with Warm Spices

This soup is the perfect taste of fall; squash, cinnamon and cumin are set off with the tang of lime juice.  Delicious and filling, low in calories, high in fibre and vitamin A!  Try this super economical dish tonight!!!

ACORN SQUASH SOUP WITH WARM SPICES

Ingredients:

 1 kg acorn squash

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 medium cooking onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup water

1/4 cup 35% cream (I used goat milk)

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/2 cup pepitas (young pumpkin seeds - optional)

• Peel squash, cut in half and scoop out seeds.  Cut squash into 1" cubes (approximately 7 cups worth)
• Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil (or coconut or grapeseed), then onions. Saute until onions soften; approximately 5 minutes.  Add garlic, spices and remaining salt.  Cook for 1 minute.  Add cubed squash and cook 2 more minutes.  Add broth and water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender (approximately 30 minutes).
• Puree mixture in pot using a hand blender, or in batches using an upright blender.  Stir in cream and lime juice.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with pepitas.
• ENJOY!

Mexican-Style Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I love my slow cooker and the freedom it affords me to create healthy homemade meals for my family without slaving over a stove for hours!  There's nothing like coming home at the end of a long day to smell the delicious scent of dinner fully cooked and ready to serve.  This is a variation on a traditional beef stew that yielded yummy results.  I served cornbread alongside this dish to sop up the flavourful gravy!!!!

MEXICAN-STYLE SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW

Ingredients:

4 carrots, cubed (or 1 small bag of baby carrots)

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1 1/2 lbs stewing beef, cut into 1" dice

8oz can of tomato sauce

1 pkg dry taco seasoning mix (I used low sodium)

2 cups water

1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

• In the bottom of the slow cooker pot, layer carrots, potatoes, onion, and stewing beef.  Pour the tomato sauce over top.
• In a large 2 cup measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup water into the cup and stir in the cornstarch.  Stir in the package of taco seasoning, and then add the rest of the water (stirring to ensure it is smooth and combined evenly).  Pour the taco mixture over the ingredients in your slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.
• Uncover and stir, season with salt and pepper after tasting.
• Serve either on its own, over rice or with a side of cornbread.  ENJOY!

Beef & Falafal Patties

This creation came about because I wanted to make a meatloaf, but didn't have any breadcrumbs...I spied a box of falafal mix in the cupboard and this delicious creation was born!!!  I love them served with a salad (such as in the photo with my quinoa salad with cucumber, fresh dill and toasted almonds)  or inside of a pita or wrap smothered in hummus, tzatziki, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes!!

BEEF & FALAFAL PATTIES

Ingredients

1 box of falafal mix

1 1/4 cups water

1 large egg, beaten with a fork

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

3/4 tsp dried mint leaves

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

• Place the falafal mix in a large bowl.  Add water and stir to incorporate.  Let mixture stand for approximately 15 minutes.
• Add the egg, parsley and mint leaves and stir well.  Add ground beef and mix to incorporate.  
• Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set the oven to broil.  Shape the beef mixture into 3" diameter patties and place on the tray.  Broil on centre rack in the oven for approximately 5 minutes per side (or until a thermometer reads 160F when inserted into the centre of a patty)
• Serve as you wish; either in a pita with your favourite dips and veggies, or on a plate with some tzatziki sauce...the sky is the limit!
• ENJOY!  

Slow Cooker Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Greg leaves for work at 5am most mornings and with this cold weather, I wanted to have something nice and warm for him to eat before he leaves (but without having to get up and make a breakfast! LOL!)  I happened to see this recipe and it is a definite keeper!  I intend to experiment with a variety of ingredients such as toasted almonds and dried wild blueberries, or dried cherries and walnuts!!! The chewiness of the steel cut oats, along with the sweetness of the apples and the delicious aroma of cinnamon will undoubtedly make it a favourite in your home!

SLOW COOKER OVERNIGHT APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL

Ingredients:

2 apples peeled, cored and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 1/2 cups of non-fat milk (I use vanilla almond milk as we are dairy-free)

1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup steel cut oats

2 tbsp brown or coconut sugar

1 1/2 tbsp of butter cut into pieces (optional)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground chia or flax seed

1/4 tsp salt

• Coat the inside of the 3 1/2 quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray or oil (trust me - this saves a TON of cleaning!!)  Add all ingredients and stir to combine.
• Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn it to low for 7 hours (overnight)  Resist the urge to lift the lid of the slow cooker as this adds an additional 30 minutes of cooking time to the recipe...trust me, the aroma will escape no matter what!
• Serve topped with nuts, raisins or maple syrup and ENJOY!!!        

Thai-Style Lentil & Coconut Soup

I simply love the flavours of Thai cuisine and since I am on a total soup-kick this month, this soup satisfied my cravings to a "T" !!!  With the addition of the chili and the paprika, this soup can have a little 'kick' to it, but the coconut milk helps to reduce the burn.  This soup is so substantial that it is practically a meal in itself, but is equally as wonderful with a warm roti or naan bread on the side!!!

THAI-STYLE LENTIL & COCONUT SOUP

Ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil (or grapeseed, avocado, or EVOO)

2 red onions, finely chopped

1 red chili, seeded and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1" piece of fresh lemon grass, outer layers removed and heart thinly sliced

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

400mL of coconut milk (unsweetened)*

3 3/4 cups water

Juice of 1 lime

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onions, chili, garlic and lemon grass.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened, but not browned.  Stir occasionally.
• Add the lentils and spices.  Pour in the coconut milk and water and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
• Pour in the lime juice and add the spring onions, cilantro salt and pepper, reserving a little of each of the spring onions and cilantro for garnish. 
• ENJOY!

*When you are using canned coconut milk, shake it well before opening as this will ensure that the layers of milk are well combined.*

Dutch Apple Pie

This has to be one of my favourite apple pie recipes - it is super-easy and I have received LOADS of compliments on it (one of my friend's sons told his Grandmother that it was way better than hers! LOL!)  Since we have an abundance of apples on our snow apple tree this year (at least that's what variety I have been told they are!), I whipped up one of these ~ much to the family's delight!!!

DUTCH APPLE PIE

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup butter, melted
Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/4 cups cold water
3 cups diced peeled tart apples
1 tsp vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 350F
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats and butter.  Set aside 1 cup for crumble topping.  Press remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 9" pie plate; set pie plate aside.
• For filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and water in a large saucepan until smooth.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until completely thickened.  Remove from the heat.
• Stir in apples and vanilla extract.  Pour into crust; top with reserved crumb mixture and Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
• ENJOY!!!

 

Easy Wheat & Yeast-Free Pizza Dough!

The one food that India has been craving (and crying over!) while on this restricted diet is pizza.  No mean feat since we all know that the pizza dough requires yeast and wheat to make it so darned delicious!!  I did some research on a few celiac and vegan sites and combined a couple of recipes to create this dough.  Although not as ooey-gooey good as regular dough, it was delicious!  India almost cried!!!  The picture I have taken is my pizza as she is not allowed to have mushrooms and meats, but she had onions, garlic, my homemade tomato sauce and the goat cheddar shredded over top!

EASY WHEAT & YEAST FREE PIZZA DOUGH

Ingredients:

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup water

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup EVOO

• Mix all the ingredients together, but leaving approximately 1 tbsp of the olive oil.
• Form into four small balls and flatten on a non-stick cookie sheet (or one spritzed with olive oil, like I did!), into thin discs.  Prick the dough all over with a fork and brush the remaining olive oil over the tops of each pizza base.
• Place in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes at 425F.  Remove from oven and top with your favourite vegetables and meats and place back in oven until lightly browned and cheese is melted (approx. 10 mins)
• Slip off of the pan and ENJOY!

 

Blushing Apple Sauce

I have never made homemade apple sauce, but in my pursuit of eating as 'clean' as possible I attempted it this year.  The kids have been begging me to make my own for a while and after our excursion to "Siloam Orchards" where they grown heritage apples and use only organic sprays (and it is truly organic because for the first time in 12 years, Greg's been able to eat an apple without having to use his epi pen!), I decided to go for it!  I first went on to http://www.food.com/ where I tend to search for recipes and found one that called for apples, water and sugar...then my friend Moira Sanders gave me a signed copy of her newest cookbook "The Harrow Fair Cookbook: Prize-Winning Recipes Inspired by Canada's Favourite Country Fair" (http://www.theharrowfaircookbook.com/) and her maternal Grandfather's recipe for blushing applesauce was so simple I just had to try it - and it is delicious too!!

BLUSHING APPLE SAUCE

Ingredients:

12 large red-skinned apples

1/2 cup water

• 
  
  Wash the apples thoroughly.
• 
  
  Quarter the apples and remove the cores.  Roughly chop the apples and place them, and the water, in a large pot.  Cook over medium heat until the apples soften and become sauce - approx. 30 minutes.
• 
  
  Push the sauce through a strainer or food mill to remove the skins.
• 
  
  You can either preserve the sauce by canning them (I used 125mL jars and send one a day in each of my children's lunch pails), or placing in a container in the fridge, where it will store for a week or two, or in the freezer for up to 3 months!

THANKS MOIRA AND LORI!!!

Homemade Chicken Tenders

I created this large serving dish of tenders from only
four chicken breasts - economical, easy and
ingredients you don't need a science degree to
pronounce or understand!

The kids had friends over last night for a playdate and some dinner - I thought that my homemade chicken tenders would be perfect for dinner...and judging by how quickly the kids gobbled them up, they were!  These are so simple that usually my 7 year-old son, Devon, makes these himself and I simply slice the chicken breasts and put them in the oven for him! 
We originally got this recipe from the Canadian Living television show "Best Recipes Ever" and the sauce that she suggested is also great - so I have included that also in case you want a change from plum sauce or ketchup in your household!!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN TENDERS

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into 'fingers'

1 egg

1 tbsp cold water

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander or 1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp onion salt

•  In shallow bowl, whisk egg with cold water. In another shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, coriander, Cajun seasoning and salt. Dip chicken strips into egg mixture, then into bread crumb mixture to coat all over.
• Arrange chicken on greased rimmed baking sheet. Bake in 400°F (200°C) oven until golden and no longer pink inside, about 15 minutes.

  PEANUT PEACH SAUCE

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup apple juice or cider

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

 2 tbsp peach or aprict jam

 1 clove garlic, minced

1-1/2 tsp cider vinegar

 

• In microwaveable bowl, combine apple juice, peanut butter, apricot jam, garlic and vinegar; cover and microwave at Medium-High (70%) for 2 minutes or until blended and warm, stirring once.

• Serve warm with chicken strips for dipping.

 

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

For my Dad's birthday on August 17th, I wanted to create a cake that would be memorable...and boy, was a giant cupcake just the ticket!!! I bought the cake pan from Zehr's and used a recipe from Anna Olson's "Sugar" cookbook. It was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

Ingredients

Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup water

4 oz (125g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 tsp espresso powder

1 3/4 cups cake & pastry flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

Icing:

4oz (125g) cream cheese, room temperature

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour 2 - 9" cake pans (or in my case, one giant cupcake pan!), shaking out excess flour. cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• In a small saucepan stir water, chocolate and espresso powder over low heat until melted. Allow to cool slightly before beating into the butter mixture.
• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and stir into batter alternately with sour cream. Divide evenly between the two pans and bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. Allow to cool 15 mins. in the pans, then turn cakes out onto a plate to cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese until smooth, then stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Ice both the centre and top & sides of the cake.
• ENJOY!!!!

Curry Pickled Cauliflower

In our CSA basket we received cauliflower for several weeks and when I looked in my fridge, I noticed that I had 1 large head and 2 smaller ones waiting to be used. Since I wasn't intending to use them this week, I decided to preserve them. In my "Complete Book of Pickling" by Jennifer MacKenzie, I found this recipe which is absolutely delicious! I forsee me using this pickled cauliflower heated up in boiled potatoes for a quick aloo gobi, or in muffaletta sandwiches, on an antipasto tray or in couscous, it is that versatile!

CURRY PICKLED CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients

2 large heads of cauliflower (about 5lbs)

6 cloves garlic, halved

1 tbsp finely chopped gingerroot

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp pickling or canning salt

2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

5 cups white vinegar

2 1/4 cups water

• Prepare canner, jars and lids as usual.
• Trim off all leaves from heads of cauliflower. Cut cauliflower into 1 1/2" florets, trimming off thick stems. You should have about 18 cups. Set aside.
• In a large pot, combine garlic, ginger, sugar, salt, curry powder, cumin seeds, turmeric, white vinegar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until sugar and salt is dissolved. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes until mixture is flavourful. Increase heat to medium-high. Add cauliflower and return to a boil, pressing occasionally to immerse cauliflower in liquid as it softens. Remove from heat.
• Using a slotted spoon, pack cauliflower into hot jars leaving 1" headspace, and adding 2 pieces of garlic per jar. Pour in hot pickling liquid, leaving 1/2" headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary by adding hot pickling liquid.
• Wipe jar rims and add hot lid disc on jar. Screw band down until fingertip tight.
• Place jars in canner and return to a boil. Process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid and let jars stand in water for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let stand for 24 hours. Check lids and reprocess any jars that aren't sealed.

*If you purchase your cauliflower from a farm that doesn't use pesticides, like I do, make sure that you prepare a salt water bath in the sink to soak the cauliflower and rid it of any creepy-crawlies! 3/4 cup of kosher salt to 16 cups of cold water. Stir the salt into the water and then immerse the cauliflower florets for approx. 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the cauliflower prior to adding to the recipe.

Rhubarb Juice Concentrate

Next to asparagus, rhubarb is that herald of springtime you'll see now in gardens, the farmers markets and stores. The beautiful red stalks shoot up out of the earth with the sole purpose of providing us with wonderful desserts, chutneys and barbecue sauces....at least I believe that to be true!

I decided to try a new recipe from my canning book that involves extracting the juices from stewed rhubarb to create juice concentrate that can be diluted using water, sparkling water, ginger ale or club soda! My children love it because it is tasty and extremely refreshing! Add some vodka, cassis or gin to the mix and you have a lovely drink to sip in the summer sun!!!

RHUBARB JUICE CONCENTRATE

Ingredients:

12 cups of chopped rhubarb (1" dice)

4 cups water

1 cup sugar

• In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine rhubarb and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently until rhubarb is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Line a large sieve with a couple of layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Pour the contents of the saucepan into the sieve and let drip, undisturbed for at least 2 hours.
• Once all the juice has collected in the bowl, transfer the juice to a large, clean stainless steel saucepan and combine the rhubarb juice with the sugar. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Do not boil. Remove from heat and skim off the foam.
• To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic water, ginger ale, or club soda; adjust to suit your taste!

If you are a home preserver like myself, then prepare 4 pint jars (500mL) in your canner and then ladle the hot concentrate into the jars leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe rim, centre lid on the jar and screw the band down until finger tight. Place jars in canner,ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil, and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 mins, then remove the jars. Cool and store for delicious rhubarb juice all year round!!!

Braised Red Cabbage

Admittedly I didn't grow up eating cabbage and have only started enjoying it for about the past 5 years ~ and I've discovered that I LOVE it! Savoy is my favourite and I use it in a pasta dish quite frequently, and I love green cabbage for salad etc., but when I received a red cabbage in my CSA box I was a little flummoxed! I hadn't really used one outside of grating it into a coleslaw. So I turned to my trusty reference site http://www.recipezaar.com/ and found this simple and easy recipe that requires 5 ingredients (6 if you decide to top it with crumbled goat's cheese like I did!) and tastes fantastic! It's sweet and tart while the goat's cheese juxtaposes the slight crunch of the cabbage, perfectly!

BRAISED RED CABBAGE

Ingredients:

1 head chopped red cabbage

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 tbsp butter

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

• Heat the white wine vinegar, water, butter and the sugar together in an ovenproof casserole dish (I used my enamelled cast iron baking dish whose lid can handle the high heat in an oven), until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the cabbage and stir till it's coated with the vinegar mixture.
• Cover and braise in an oven at 325F for 2 hours, stirring every half an hour or so to ensure even cooking.
• Remove from oven, transfer to a serving and dish and crumble creamy goat's cheese over top (optional).
• ENJOY!