cook(ed)book

To Do: GRAPE SALSA ON GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:23:05 -0500

To Do: GRAPE SALSA ON GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

roast chicken with lemon and rosemary roast potatoes

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:10:06 -0500

roast chicken with lemon and rosemary roast potatoes

Leftover Turkey Curry Soup with Brown Rice 1 1/2 cups...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Leftover Turkey Curry Soup with Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked turkey
3 cups turkey stock
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
2 heads broccoli (or broccoli florets from a vegetable tray)
A handful of baby carrots, chopped (another great use for raw, leftover veggies — if you’ve got others — throw them in too!)
1 tbsp (or more) curry powder (I used about 2 tbsp)
1 tsp (or more) cumin
1 can coconut milk
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
3/4 cup brown rice
Salt to taste
Cilantro leaves and lime wedges for garnish

Heat the oil in a heavy stock pot. Add onion and carrot — cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Next add garlic, spices, and ginger. Sauté for a couple more minutes, then add turkey stock, coconut milk and diced tomatoes. Stir in turkey. Add rice and let simmer until rice is tender — about 35-40 minutes. Clean broccoli and cut off the florets (if needed). Add to soup and cook until tender (4 minutes or so). Serve with chopped cilantro and lime wedges garnish.

Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops (Also Works with Pork...

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:46:00 -0400

Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops (Also Works with Pork Loins)

Ingredients

1 cup cool strong coffee
6 ounces molasses, by weight
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6 to 8-ounce) bone-in, 1-inch thick pork chops - OR - 1 pork loin

Directions

Place all of the ingredients into a 1-gallon zip top bag, seal, and shake to combine. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Remove the pork chops from the marinade. Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and boil gently, stirring often, until reduced to about 1/2 cup liquid, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the thyme stems after the glaze has reduced. Meanwhile, grill pork chops 3 to 4 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Allow the pork chops to rest 4 to 5 minutes before serving with the glaze.

Asparagus Stir-Fry Recipe Have all your ingredients prepped and...

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:56:31 -0400

Asparagus Stir-Fry Recipe

Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove.

toasted sesame oil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into slices thick as a pencil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
scant 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
a couple big pinches of fine-grain sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 big handful of toasted cashews, chopped up a bit
a few handfuls of spinach, or chopped kale, or chopped chard
zest and juice of one lime
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 small handful fresh mint, slivered
1 small handful fresh basil, slivered

Heat a splash of sesame oil in a large pan, or well-seasoned wok over medium high heat. When it is hot, add the tofu, and cook until golden - a few minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.

Add another (generous) splash of oil to the pan and, as soon as it is hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt. Stir fry for about a minute.

Then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts.

Return the tofu to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while.

Remove from heat and stir in the mint and basil. Taste and add a bit more salt if needed.

Serves 2-4 (main/side)

TO DO: Coffee Granita

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:02:27 -0400

TO DO: Coffee Granita

101 Simple Salads for the Season

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:55:21 -0400

101 Simple Salads for the Season

Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad Recipe 1/4 cup...

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:25:52 -0400

Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad Recipe

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

more olive oil (or ghee) for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of ghee (I love ghee with carrots). Let them cook in a single layer - they’ll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.

Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans as well heated through. If you are using beans that weren’t canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) - they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can’t. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan - do so.

Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Serves 6 - 8 as a side.

Grilled Boozey Grapefruit (it’s a dessert!) 1 cedar...

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:03:00 -0400

Grilled Boozey Grapefruit (it’s a dessert!)

1 cedar plank, soaked overnight or at least 1 hour

4 pink grapefruits, cut in half

Grand marnier liqueur

1/2 cup (125 ml) liquid honey

Vanilla ice cream

Prepare the grapefruits as if you were going to have them for breakfast, making cuts to loosen the segments in the skin. drizzle each grapefruit with about 1 tsp (5 ml) of the liqueur.

Preheat the grill on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the chamber temperature rises above 500°F (260°C).

Rinse the soaked plank and place it on the cooking grate. Cover the grill and heat the plank for 4 to 5 minutes or until it starts to throw off a bit of smoke and crackles lightly.

Place the grapefruit halves, cut side up, on the plank. Close the grill and reduce the heat to medium.

Cook the grapefruit for about 10 minutes. remove the halves from the plank, place them on the dessert plates, and drizzle them with a little more grand marnier and some honey.

Place a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of each half and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

TO DO: Chilled Avocado, Fennel & Mint Soup

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:22:00 -0400

TO DO: Chilled Avocado, Fennel & Mint Soup

Ginger Ale Marinated Pork with BBQ’s Apples Pork...

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:01:39 -0400

Ginger Ale Marinated Pork with BBQ’s Apples

Pork Marinade:

2 1/2 cups ginger ale
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup sherry
honey to taste (a tabelspoon to 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped ginger
some onion (yellow or white), chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
6 cardamom seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon red pepper flake

This is enough marinade for lots of pork. Whip it all together and put it in a large zip lock bag. Add pork. Refridgerate for at least a day. Then BBQ it as you like.

BBQ’d Apples:

1 granny smith apple per person
chop into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices
brush with olive oil, put on grill
as apples begin to cook, brush maple syrop on apples. once on each side

Note: cooked apples will be a bit soft. that’s ok.

Poached Mung Beans, Shoots, and Sesame Fried Tofu...

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:58:00 -0400

Poached Mung Beans, Shoots, and Sesame Fried Tofu Salad

Ingredients:

* 2 cups/500 ml water
* 1/2 cup/125 ml soy sauce
* 2 ½ inch/6 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
* ~8 ounces/225 g sprouted mung beans
* ~8 ounces/225 g mixed sprouted beans
* ~6 ounces/170 g pea shoots
* ~6 ounces/170 g sunflower shoots
* 3 tablespoons/50 ml soy vinegar
* 1 ½ tablespoons/25 ml mirin
* 5 tablespoons/75 ml grapeseed oil
* 3 cups/750 ml vegetable or peanut oil for deep frying
* 14 ounces/400 g firm tofu
* 3 ½ ounces/100 g sesame seeds

Method:

In a medium saucepan, place the water, soy sauce and ginger. Add all the beans and bring the cooking liquid nearly to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the beans. Allow the beans to cool. Discard the ginger. The beans should still be crunchy. Mix the shoots together in a large bowl. Add the mung beans and toss to combine.

Place the vinegar and mirin in another large bowl. Slowly add the grapeseed oil, whisking constantly until the mixture is well blended. Set the salad and dressing aside while preparing the tofu and lotus root. Cut the tofu into 8 finger-length rectangles. Place the sesame seeds in a medium bowl and roll the tofu in the sesame seeds to coat.

Heat the vegetable or peanut oil in a medium saucepan or deep fryer to 375°F/190°C. Deep-fry the tofu in the hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden.

Using tongs, transfer the fried tofu to paper towels to drain. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat. Mound the salad in the center of four plates. Top with the tofu and serve.

Comments:

* Rating 3.5/5, impressive… could get you laid, assuming your date doesn’t think tofu is lame
* Based on this original recipe (our take is easier).

Surrey Honey Mustard BBQ Chicken Drumsticks Ingredients:* 12...

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:14:00 -0400

Surrey Honey Mustard BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients:

* 12 fresh chicken drumsticks skin on, rinsed and patted dry

(note: eating 12 drumsticks in a single sitting is insane! Scale entire recipe for smaller batches)

Marinade…

* 1/2 cup (125 mL) of liquid honey
* 1/4 cup (60 mL) Dijon mustard
* 1 tsp (5 mL) mustard seeds
* 2 tsp (10 mL) chopped garlic
* Juice and zest of one lemon
* 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Oil for brushing

Method:

1. In a medium bowl whisk together all marinade ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup (60 mL) for basting later.
2. Place rinsed chicken in a large sealable plastic bag.
3. Pour marinade over chicken and toss the contents in the bag so everything is nicely coated.
4. Refrigerate for at least four hours (do this in the morning before you go to work).
5. Bring your barbecue to 350 F/175 C leaving left burners on and right burners off.
6. Oil the grill.
7. Place chicken on the left side (with heat) and grill for four minutes, turning now and then for char marks. Brush with reserved marinade
8. Move drumsticks to right side (heat off ), close lid and continue cooking for about 20 minutes or until skin is golden brown and juices run clear when poked in the thickest part of drumstick.
9. Remove, tent with foil and let rest for five minutes.

Flank Steak Marinade

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:31:43 -0400

Flank Steak Marinade:

2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T finely minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. smoked paprika or paprika
cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and spices, then whisk in olive oil.

Espresso Rub for BBQ Steak

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:38:00 -0400

Espresso Rub for BBQ Steak:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons finely ground espresso coffee beans
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cumin
salt & pepper to taste

optional:

1/2 tablespoon of chili powder
1/2 tablespoon of cardimum
1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar

Preparation:

Combine coffee & spices. Rub mixture onto steaks. Let steaks sit in fridge for 15 - 30 minutes.

Drink this: Cono Sur Gewurztraminer (2008) I believe I’ve found...

Sat, 30 May 2009 21:43:00 -0400

Drink this: Cono Sur Gewurztraminer (2008)

I believe I’ve found my cheap and cheerful patio wine for the summer. This bad boy retails for a whopping $10.99 at the BC Liquor Stores and drinks like a bottle double the value. Refeshing as heck. Unlike a traditional Gewurz, this one isn’t overly sweet.

Chickpea Hot Pot Recipe 1 large yellow onion, chopped a splash...

Tue, 26 May 2009 16:44:00 -0400

Chickpea Hot Pot Recipe

1 large yellow onion, chopped
a splash of olive oil
a couple pinches of salt
2/3 cup uncooked bulgur
1 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cup cauliflower, trimmed into small trees
2 cup kale or chard, destemmed and cut into thin ribbons

olive oil for finishing drizzle
red onion, chopped for garnish

In a large pot over medium-high heat saute the onion in the olive oil along with the salt - for a minute or until the onion begins to soften a bit. Stir in the bulgur. Stir in the chickpeas and the stock. Bring the ingredients to a simmer. Cook for another few minutes, it should start to thicken. Taste to see if the bulgur is cooked through, if so add the orange juice. If not, simmer for a couple more minutes before adding the juice. Stir in the cauliflower and the kale as well - simmer another few minutes, until the cauliflower is just tender. If the stew is on the thick side, thin with a bit more water or stock. Taste, and add salt if necessary. Serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and red onions.

Serves 4 - 6.

Bacon & Egg Cup 6 eggs 6 slices bacon 1 ounce...

Tue, 26 May 2009 01:25:00 -0400

Bacon & Egg Cup

6 eggs

6 slices bacon

1 ounce shredded cheese

salt

Cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a muffin/cupcake pan, line the holes with a slice of bacon, pressing the bacon around the sides of the hole, not on the bottom.

Crack one egg into each hole (I broke each yolk because my kids don’t like runny eggs).

Sprinkle with salt, cracked black pepper and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or longer for crispier bacon.

Pop out of the muffin tins and serve.

Crazy decadent brunch.

Yogurt Spiced Chicken with Cilantro and Lime

Tue, 26 May 2009 01:21:00 -0400

Yogurt Spiced Chicken with Cilantro and Lime:

2 skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons of curry powder
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 lime
1/4 cup of sour cream
A handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped
Naan bread

Toast the seeds in pan (without oil) and toss until fragrant. Then, grind the spices until you obtain a powder. Mix the yogurt, spices, ginger, garlic, curry powder salt and pepper in a bowl. Cut the chicken breasts into bite size cubes and add to the yogurt mixture. Toss to coat all the pieces, cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350F. Remove the chicken from the bowl, shaking off any excess marinade. Place the chicken on the grill sheet that goes in your oven, and place a an aluminum-lined sheet below (marinade will drip down as it cooks). Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Turn your oven to broil and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and just cooked through.

Serve with warmed Naan bread, a dollop of sour cream, a good drizzle of fresh lime juice and garnish with a small handful of cilantro. Enjoy!

Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Apples Recipe 1 large, crisp...

Tue, 26 May 2009 01:03:00 -0400

Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Apples Recipe

1 large, crisp apple, cut into bite-sized wedges
1 lemon, juice only

4 ounces extra-firm tofu cut into tiny-inch cubes (see photo)
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
a scant tablespoon of maple syrup
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped

12 ounces (3/4 pound). brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons

Soak the apples in a bowl filled with water and the juice of one lemon.

Cook the tofu in large hot skillet with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, wait a few seconds, now stir in the maple syrup, and cook another 30 seconds or so. Drain the apples, and add them to the skillet, cooking for another minute. Scrape the apple and tofu mixture out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.

In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.
Stir the apple mixture back into the skillet alongside the brussels sprouts 1/2 of the pine nuts - gently stir to combine. Remove from heat and enjoy immediately sprinkled with the remaining pine nuts. This isn’t a dish you want sitting around, the flavors change dramatically after ten minutes or so, and I think that is part of the reason brussels sprouts get a bad rap. Even I don’t like them after they’ve been sitting around.

Serves 2 - 3 as a main, 4 as a side.