Chips! The healthy way (Shhh don't tell anyone)

Got a weekend away at the cottage which was during a heat spell. Lucky us! It made for great weather and great times with family and friends. Being by the lake during the heat wave is the only place I want to be. Basking in the sun, enjoying good food, drinks and great conversation, the time away flew by. Back to reality came too soon and I needed to get back in the garden. Weeds were growing like weeds but the zucchini didn't seem to notice. I've got an entire bushel full of zucchini.

Chips...all for me!

Sorry folks another zucchini post. I don't want to see an ounce of it go to waste so I'm making lasagnas, baked gratins and even loaves to keep using them. Pinterest has tons of pins with chips created from assorted vegetables, zucchini and kale. I've tried the kale chips and wasn't happy with the turn out finding them oily. Zucchini chips seemed only natural and if the chips turn out as good as they look as the pictures; I'm sold! 

Mandoline!

I used the recipe from the Naked Kitchen, a fellow blogger that focuses on food simplified. Enjoying the simple pleasures of food is what I'm all about. The recipe called for slicing the zucchini thinly thankfully I had my mandoline to help with this making the chips crispier.

The breading process.

 This recipe was easy to do, its just time consuming having bread the chips. I would definitely do it again because the first batch came out and was gone within an hour. Yep! Guilty as charged. I ate every single one of them. I loaded the next batch up in the oven and became preoccupied which burnt! (insert sad face here) I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a healthy snack.

Find the local farmers market, support farmers and eat well! 

Big ones, small ones..some the size of your head! (or baby)

The days are getting longer and finally we have had some heat. Work is picking up at the restaurant and our garden at work is beginning to share its goodies too! I'm heading up North in a couple of weeks and figured I should try this recipe before I make it for a vacation treat. The recipe was a keeper.

The garden is producing an overwhelming amount of green and yellow zucchini. They are coming in all sizes hence the title of this post. My mother and I have been trying to stay on top of picking them  before they get too big. The big ones aren't nearly as tasty and sweet as the little ones and I HATE having to fight with their seeds. If zucchini is picked before it gets too big you don't have to worry about any seeds at all.

 My favourite (and go-to) recipe with zucchini is lasagna breaded with panko breadcrumbs but since I'm trying new recipes I made zucchini loaf. I needed to lose a much as I could so I grated extra for the freezer for the winter months so that I could make these delicious loaves in the cold winter months. Mom bought a new loaf pan that is the same size as a regular pan but has four mini loaves spaces in it. Its so handy so I can make mini-loaves to share.

This recipe called for just cocoa powder but I added chocolate chips as well to get my chocolate fix! My nieces and nephews had no idea that there was zucchini in their chocolate loaf. Sneaky me. The new and improved Canadian Living cooking website is more aesthetically pleasing and the layout is easier to read when baking. I haven't been let down yet by any of their recipes and this was a crowd pleaser too. Find the recipe at the Canadian Living link above.  

Despite the increasing heat, get in the kitchen, turn on the oven and make this

sinfully chocolatey loaf.

Summer time and feeling fine.

The summer equinox has just passed and so has the first wedding of the season. The garden is coming along quite nicely and find myself showing my partner my little plants that are growing day by day. He laughs and attempts to care about my love for vegetables.

Finished product!

Long days and warm weather means that barbecue season is here. My Dad arrived home yesterday from his current job out east in Newfoundland and like all me, he loves burgers. I made caprese turkey burgers and YUM! These burgers are flavourful and packed with cheesy goodness in the middle. They were a gift from the burger gods. Fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzarella in every bite made for an extremely satisfying meal every single bite.  

Although the burgers were slightly time consuming to make because every single burger was two patties that had to have the centres stuffed it was totally worth it!  I'll be doing it again so we can stock up the freezer with these tasty alternatives to the traditional beef burger. Found the recipe on Pinterest again from quickfoodrecipes.org. I did not include bacon bits and replaced the ground beef with ground turkey but ground chicken would work well too.

Pull off that barbecue cover, fire up the grill and enjoy!

Presto pesto.

Few ingredients make summer fresh pesto.

The rain seems to have subsided for a couple days at least and was able to get in the garden and harvest buckets of basil.


In the past I have attempted at growing herbs from seeds but have had no luck starting them indoors as they get attacked by all kinds of ailments. To make my gardening life a little easier I cheat and buy my basil plants early in the spring and plop them in the ground next to my seeds. Luckily this year the plants were growing like weeds. Who wants to weed when the sun is shining and the pool looks so tempting?!

Blended in a food processor.

I don't want my basil plants to go to seed for two reasons: they slow down growing and tend to make the leaves taste more bitter. I made my first batch of pesto to keep up with the amount of basil this year. Since my tomatoes won't be ready until August caprese salads will have to wait. (insert sad face here) 

Pesto is a great to have on hand once winter comes when we need to be reminded of all of the goodness that summer provides. I use it in pasta, pesto aioli, dressings and to even make fish less fishy.  

I've used Jamie Oliver's recipe without the lemon juice and pour the pesto into ice cube trays or little muffin tins and freeze overnight. I pop them out and store in ziploc bags in the freezer when I need a little summer love in my food. 

We be jammin'

Good news! I have planted the entirety of my garden. It took me several hours and a painful sunburn to get everything in the ground. The day began cool and before I knew it I was peeling off my layers of clothes without applying sunscreen. So for the sake of an entire season of veggies I am currently in pain, soaking in a vat of aloe vera as I write this post. 

Seeds galore.

Strawberries have just begun and I cannot miss the opportunity to make jam from the first fruit of the season. My other, older nieces and nephews love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches especially when they aren't in school. Today kids are allergic to everything including the sun which makes for some sad lunches during the school year without the good ol' PB and J.  

I went to market, bought strawberries and my Mom and I canned until our hearts content. We like to use an easy and super quick recipe  from Canadian Living because it doesn't call for hours of simmering. Who wants to linger around the kitchen with the gorgeous days of summer ahead??

Get growing, fellow food lovers. Plant, jam and enjoy!

Welcome landlubber! (An ode to Mila, my little Newfie niece)

Baby Mila 

Baby Mila has arrived and since she is half-Newfie I figured a fish dinner was a fun way to welcome her into this world. 

Mila's grandfather has been a fisherman for his entire life and he has  been fortunate enough to see whales, sea turtles and fish of all kinds, including tuna. 

Local goodness.

Frozen tuna steaks found buried in our freezer and needing to be used became a quick, filling and tasty meal. My mom and I love seafood, we're convinced that we should've been born out East because we love it so much. So thankfully with Mila and Meagan in our lives we will be travelling to the rock frequently.

Using the first of Niagara's asparagus mixed with my baby lettuce leaves from the garden this salad was a warm welcome with all of the rain we've been having this spring. I made a green goddess dressing that I found on Pinterest.....again. It is refreshing, yummy and healthy. Find the recipe here from the Lemon Bowls blog. She has delicious and healthy recipes for all kinds of stuff. Definitely worth a look at if your looking to clean up your eating. 

With BBQ season just around the corner, these steaks would be fantastic done on the grill with a cold one and some good tunes playing by!

Spring has sprung!

Spring is always a rejuvenating time for me.  After a bit of a hiatus I'm back at my blogging and am more excited than a kid in Toys R Us because of my upcoming seed shopping extravaganza!  I know, what 26 year old can't wait to spend a Saturday afternoon at a seed store like Stokes or William Dam Seeds? 

Garden 2013!

Coming out of the long, dark days of winter I look forward to planning garden this summer. I have been fortunate to discover that there are many people in my generation who are beginning to understand and are curious about gardening for themselves and I am always eager to share my experiences. 

I have planned out my garden plot accordingly and look forward to the upcoming growing season, in the meantime it April has been a busy month. We are anticipating the newest arrival of the family and she is taking her sweet time, deciding to chill outside in my sister-in-law's womb it seems they will have to schedule an induction because baby Mila is in no rush to meet all of us. Also my partner's only sister and dear mother have birthdays back to back and just finishing school I am running short on funds. Naturally I decided to make a meal for them in celebration of their birthdays.

Chocolate brownie Reese's cheesecake was the dessert for my evening with the outlaws. What girls (and guys for that matter) of any age could resist chocolatey, cheesy goodness?  The cake was rich, decadent and delightful, having got the recipe from Pinterest it was easy to make. A little too time consuming for me because I prefer desserts that take no more than an hour to make but it was well worth it. 

Click here for the recipe to this awesome cake. Happy Birthday Laurie and Amber!

Tom Yummy

Mommy wow! I vlogged for the first time now. This weeks dinner was Asian inspired again and it was soup because it was a cold, damp, rainy day. This sweet and spicy soup is great this time of year because its has all of the ingredients that ward off colds, spice from chiles, garlic, onion and broth. 

It doesn't normally call for noodles but I added rice vermicelli noodles to make it a bit more filling.

Warm up your heart and feet and find the recipe here.

Asian Invasion

Wrap deliciousness!

I recently found a recipe for Asian inspired chicken wraps on Pinterest. I love anything Asian inspired because it usually so fresh tasting with a hint of spice. I find Asian food has so much depth of flavour. Its probably just because I love citrusy, garlicy, and cilantro so much.

The wrap was extremely easy to make, and I mean easy. All you have to do for this recipe is cook chicken and make a peanut sauce. All of the other ingredients are ready to put into the wrap, you toss chicken and sauce on top and BAM! just like Emeril, you have lunch or dinner.

I have not made any Asian yet for my blog and to be honest its because I used to be a stir-fry whore in university. I would literally make stir-fry's at least three times a week. So I apologize if I am disappointing anyone with this news but this blog is a no stir-fry zone. 
Just to clarify, I do make stir-frys still but since I make them so much and I am trying new recipes in this blog I won't be making one unless its a brand new one that I haven't tried. I'm open to suggestions fellow bloggers.

I would highly recommend anyone to try this recipe because it uses ingredients almost everyone has sitting in their cupboards and it's so damn tasty! If you wanted a vegetarian version I would saute firm tofu in the sauce that I cooked the chicken in. 

Find this awesomely Asian wrap recipe here. 

Enjoy cooking friends! 

Just before assembling the wraps.

Dish 'o' Fish

Having recently returned from Mexico, I was in the mood for some homemade deliciousness. I wanted fish as most of the seafood I had down there was overcooked and unenjoyable. I really wanted to make my own fish that isn't overcooked, dried out and tasteless. Wanting to make something easy because lets be honest, who doesn't like easy?! Having to get back to reality after sitting on a beach all week I wasn't in the mood for spending all afternoon in the kitchen. I'm still in vacation mode and I still can't seem to get myself into gear. I decided to copy our fisherman friend Highlander and make some homemade fish sticks. 

Using halibut we had frozen, I cut the fillets into quarters making them easy finger foods for my family to enjoy later that evening. I was afraid that baking fish sticks might make them mushy but at a hot, hot heat and smothered in panko (Japanese style) breadcrumbs they were very tasty with homemade tartar sauce. Panko is the only style of breadcrumbs I use now because they seem to be courser than most breadcrumbs and everything I have made using them turn out crunchy and delicious. If you've never tried using them I would try it. I make eggplant parmesan from the eggplant in my garden all summer using panko and freezing it too. The panko keeps the eggplant crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside even after spending months in the freezer.

I made a big, green salad to go with it and we had a delightful dinner of fish sticks. Since it was the first time making these I was happy that they came out almost like chicken fingers but with the blandness of halibut, which is why the tartar sauce was a welcomed addition. Highlander couldn't have made them better himself!

This would also be a great way to cook fish for children because its finger foods that are fun and similar to chicken strips. Give them a tasty dipping sauce and they will be none the wiser.

Click here for recipe for fish sticks and tartar sauce.

Tastes like chicken!

Mmmmmussels

Creamy, curried and yummy.

Mussels is the quintessential entertaining meal. They are easy, delicious and fun to eat. For a quick dinner Saturday I bought some mussels and fresh bread at Superstore and voila dinner is made.  
Well…its not quite that easy. The broth is the most difficult part. There are several different broths I like to make to cook mymussels in but I decided on making a brand new curry coconut flavoured broth. It again took a couple of ingredients because unless I'm in the mood to spend all day in the kitchen I like to make something quick, easy, tasty and somewhat healthy. In all honesty the entire process took me about half of an hour and we were filling our bellies with seafood before I knew it.

So in the middle of February why not look ahead to the long, hot summer nights when seafood seems to be the food of the season. Get some friends, a good bottle of wine (or beer) and laugh, eat, drink and dig into some mussels.

Just a couple of tasty ingredients.

Check out Curried Coconut Mussel recipe, I created here.

Mexican Madness

Mexican right at home.

Ingredients for guacamole.

In spirit of my upcoming trip to Mexico I made fajitas. Most people have made tacos and fajitas including me, however I have never made homemade tortillas or my own Mexican seasoning.  Fajitas are quite easy, I chopped the chicken and fried it up with the peppers and onions and added my Mexican seasoning at the end. The Mexican seasoning recipe was found on Pintrest, I love that website. It could occupy me for hours.

Like a pancake, but better.

I pre-made guacamole as a garnish that we could accompany our fajitas with. I started making this particular recipe from The Healthy College Cookbook I bought myself in university knowing I wouldn't have a lot of time to cook.

Guacamole.

Much like the pasta dough the tortilla dough only had a few ingredients and was easy to make.  The only time consuming part is rolling out your dough and frying up each individual tortilla. But the little amount of work I had to do paid off and was well worth the final product. 

Cooking the onions, peppers and chicken.

If you feel a little SAD cause of the winter weather and lack of sunshine make some Mexican food, turn on the white noise app with some soothing beach waves crashing and pretend your on a sandy beach drinking a margarita. Andele! 

Caesar--its all in the name.

Just a quick post to share my vegan caesar salad dressing.  I got the recipe from my ex, the professional cook and memorized all of the ingredients. I have been making it for over 2 years now and don't/haven't ever used actual measurements.

Vegan Caesar Dressing

1/2 cup of cashews or any oily nut 

2 cups olive oil

1 cup lemon juice

1 clove of garlic

4 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tsp Frank's hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Put the cashews, 1 cup olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, hot sauce and mustard into a food processor and combine.

While the machine is on, slowly add the rest of your olive oil, emulsifying all of your ingredients so they are combined.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

All ingredients combined should form a creamy dressing that you can use on any type of greens.

NOTE: if you find your dressing tasting like garlic add more oil and lemon juice. Adjust the dressing to how you prefer it to taste. At my house we love garlic so much you'd think the vampire apocalypse is coming.

Muy Bueno!

Who doesn’t love fresh pasta? This week I channelled my inner Italian and became a pasta-making queen.  This week’s menu included homemade ravioli. I have made fresh pasta before but never a delicious pocket filled pasta. So I started with making the insides of my ravioli using swiss chard, onion and parmesan cheese.  I sauteed the  onions and swiss chard and let them cool as I started making my pasta.

Pasta dough, much like any other dough is quite simple to make. It only takes a couple of ingredients and a lot of love…kneading. I kneaded until my arm was sore,  then let the dough sit for half of an hour. I got the recipe offline from the Food & Wine website (a fantastic magazine resource for food lovers).  I purchased a pasta sheeter a couple of years ago and today I put it to good use.Looking like an old Italian lady with flour everywhere, in my hair,  on my face and all over the kitchen, I slowly and surely rolled the dough thinner.  In the future I plan on getting technology to help me out; Ill be buying a Kitchenaid  mixer that comes with a pasta sheeter attachment.

Pasta sheeter hard at work.

Fill, fill, fill it up.

Its ready when floating!

The most difficult part about ravioli is putting the filling in the dough and having to seal it with an egg wash, pinch it together with hands or fork and hope that all your hard work isn't destroyed the minute you drop it in boiling water. If not sealed properly your ravioli will leak and get filled with water which doesn't make for a tasty piece of ravioli. 

One of the best things about homemade pasta is that it cooks in only a couple of minutes. You know when your dough is done because it floats to the top of the boiling water. The ravioli was tossed with our homemade tomato sauce that my Mom and I made this past summer.  I also paired it with my homemade vegan caesar salad dressing. The raw (local) garlic will ward off any kind of cold this time of year.

Memories of summer, tomato sauce.

After my pasta making escapade,I’m going to relax and indulge in a glass of vino. 

Beans, capers, trout...oh my!

Nicoise Salad.

The French do it right. Foie gras, duck confit and charcuterie are just some of the French foods or French cooking concepts I have come to love. This week I was craving what I call a substantial salad. A substantial salad is the kind of salad you can eat for dinner that incorporates all of the food groups. It's not your basic lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber kinda salad.

 I've never made a nicoise salad (pronounced nee-suaz). So all day Monday (my experimental cooking day) I called around St. Catharines looking for a reputable grocery store and fish monger who sold fresh, sashimi grade tuna. Unfortunately,  in the middle of January the only place that had some was Sobey's. It was previously frozen from the Philippines and was not sashimi grade. So needless to say I did not buy that to put on top of my salad. Many recipes also suggested using canned tuna, but in my mind that seemed like it was going to taste disgusting and ruin the beautiful salad. With an even more beautiful name. I decided on some fresh trout instead of tuna and I thought it tasted great! So here MY version of the beautifully sounding and tasting nicoise salad.

Find your inner Julia Child in you and make some French food. Find the recipe here.

Food for thought.

 I cannot distinctively remember when I began cooking, or even why I started. It has become one of my favourite daily activities and I am often thinking about my next meal. 
I had the benefits of dating a chef who exposed me to 5-diamond dining, bizarre ingredients and a wealth of knowledge. Also, planning and tending to my vegetable garden for the past few years has increased my love for food and its my inspiration during the warmer months. I'm constantly picking up food magazines and browsing through cookbooks wherever I go.  Talking to people about food at work (I'm a server), asking questions and listening to how people make recipes they like are ways that I enhance my knowledge in the cooking world. 

But enough about me, onto the good stuff.

Dinner tonight: Butter Chicken

Most essential part-the sauce.

chopped chicken breast

On this extremely cold, winter day I was inspired by the warm, welcoming flavours of India. I was craving something stew-like that was hearty and filling. The kind of food that warms you from the inside out. I decided on butter chicken. I looked online for some inspiration and came across a fantastic recipe that seemed straightforward and it really was. 

For the recipe click here.


Bon appetit friends!














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