Stuffed Mushrooms Caps

Picture of before they were cooked because my family devoured them!

These healthy bites were a hit at my family's Christmas party! I took this recipe, changed all the measurements and added more spices, which means the flavour came from the spices and not from the butter. They were quite simple to make and packed with fibre which can be rare for holiday appetizers.

Ingredients
20 medium mushroom, white or crimini
1 tbsp (15mL) margarine or butter
1 tbsp (15mL) olive oil
1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp (5mL) freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp (2.5mL) dried oregano
1 tsp (5mL) smoked paprika
1/2 cup (120mL) lentils, cooked or canned and drained
1/2-3/4 cup (120-180mL) cheese, grated - I chose old cheddar
1/2 cup (120mL) plain breadcrumbs
Smoked paprika for garnish

Method
1. Preheat oven at 375 F
2. Lightly oil a baking dish big enough to hold all your mushroom caps.
3. Remove stems from mushrooms. Finely chop the stems and set aside. Arrange the mushroom caps in the baking dish, round side down.
4. Heat olive oil and margarine in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the chopped stems, onions, black pepper, oregano and smoke paprika. Cook until onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Mix in the lentils, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Once all combined, remove from heat.
6. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixture. Sprinkle smoked paprika on all of them.
7. On middle rack of oven, bake for 8 minutes and broil for 4 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!

If you are making them for a diner party at someone else's house, I suggest you do steps 2 to 6 at home and the baking once you're at the diner party.

One-Pot Chicken Curry

I must start with an apology, I was so hungry and so excited to eat this delicious smelling curry that I forgot to take a picture of my meal. It's the third curry I've made in a month because I was not satisfied with the results of the others. What I was looking for in this curry is a medium heat with a nice and creamy consistency without using cream, you'll see what I mean when you taste it.

Ingredients

Cooking oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, minced

2 red hot peppers, minced, optional for heat

3 tbsp (45mL) red curry paste

3 chicken breasts, cut in about 1" pieces

1 large broccoli, cut the florets and slice the stem (remove some of the hard skin on the bottom of the stem before slicing)

2 carrots, peeled or washed and sliced
1 can (400mL) coconut milk

Method
1. In medium to large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Cook onions, garlic and the hot peppers for 3 minutes, until right before the onions turn translucent.
2. Add the red curry paste and mix it in the onion mixture.
3. Add the chicken and continue cooking for 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Continue flipping/mixing as you cook so that by the end the chicken is coated with the curry paste as well.
4. Add the broccoli (florets and stem) and the carrot slices. Cook covered for 5 minutes.
5. Add the coconut milk and bring down the heat to let simmer for 20-30 minutes, uncover for the last 5 minutes of cooking to reduce the liquid a little and acquire the desired consistency.
6. Serve on a bed of white or infused rice. Enjoy!

Serves 4.

Spicy Coriander Cod with Turnip, Carrots and Potatoes

We just bought a hot coriander chutney at a craft fair and the lady suggested we try it with fish...So we did and it gave a kick to a very simple meal. This meal required a lot of cutting but very little work after it was in the oven and very little ingredients.

Ingredients
1/2 turnip, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
4 medium potatoes, washed
olive oil
black pepper
salt, optional
4 cod filets
1/4 cup (60mL) panko
1/4 cup (60mL) hot coriander chutney*

Method
1. Preheat oven at 350 F.
2. Cut the carrots and the turnip in equal-size sticks, about 2-3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Set them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of oil and season to taste.
3. For this step you can either cut the potatoes like the turnip and carrots or you can slice them like we did (about 1/4 inch thick). Set them on another baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season to taste.
4. Put both baking sheets in the oven on different racks for 40 minutes. After 15 minutes, rotate and switch their spots. After 10 minutes rotate and switch them again.
5. When there is only 10 minutes left for the vegetables, mix the panko and the chutney together. Top all 4 filets with the mixture.
6. Take the vegetables out of the oven and put in the fish for about 7-10 minutes, depending on how you like your fish done.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 2-4.

*If you can't find this type of chutney at your local grocery store, which you probably won't unfortunately, I suggest you try looking for a recipe and just mix all ingredients together in a blender. Ours contains fresh coriander, cashew and almond paste, cider vinegar, hot peppers, onions, basil, garlic, ginger, cane sugar, sea salt and spices. This one is the closest I found to my pre-made chutney but there are some varieties that contain either mint or coconut depending on your taste.

Spicy Shrimp Tomato Sauce on Pasta

This dish was fast and simple and I would gladly make it again on a busy week night. Most of the flavour from this dish comes from the spicy sausage and there is just enough tomato to coat everything. This can easily be done with any vegetables you have on hand, we had kale and mushrooms but I can imagine this recipe being delicious with spinach and grated carrots.

Ingredients

1 spicy Italian sausage without the casing

1 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6-8 mushrooms, thinly sliced

16-20 shrimps, uncooked, deveined, shell off

1/2 tbsp (7mL) black pepper

1/4 tsp (2mL) cayenne pepper

1/2 tbsp (7mL) oregano

1/2 tbsp (7mL) parsley
4-6 kale leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 can (400mL) crushed tomatoes, salt free

200g spaghettini (or any long pasta)

Method

1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add sausage meat, cook for 1-2 minutes breaking the meat. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.

2. Make a well with the meat/onion mixture and cook the mushrooms in the middle for about 5 minutes. Mix together.

3. During that time, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until aldente (as per box).

4. Back to the skillet, make another well and cook the shrimps for about 2 minutes on each side. Season while they cook with black pepper, cayenne, oregano and parsley. Mix everything together.
5. Add the kale in the mixture and cook for about 3-5 minutes (depending on how big you cut the leaves).

6. Add the crushed tomato to the mixture and let simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

7. Your pasta should be ready, you can drain it and add it to the sauce. Enjoy!

Serves 3-4. 

'Quick' Cabbage Rolls

It's that time of the year again when I buy a large cabbage, make a coleslaw and don't know what to do with the rest. Last year, I made a soup but this year I figured I'd try myself at cabbage rolls. I started looking online for recipes and noticed that it takes two hours to cook! I therefore chose to alter the recipe so it would only take one hour total, counting prep and cooking. In a shorter amount of time, I was able to create the same result, I am pretty proud of myself for that!

Ingredients
6 cabbage leaves
1 (240mL) cup white rice
2 cups (480mL) vegetable broth (any type of broth can be used)
1lb ground beef, extra lean
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp (15mL) ground black pepper
1 tbsp (15mL) dried basil
1 tbsp (15mL) dried thyme
1 tbsp (15mL) dried oregano
1 1/2 cup (360mL) no added salt crushed tomato
1 tbsp (15mL) dried oregano
1 tbsp (15mL) ground black pepper
1 tsp (5mL) cayenne pepper, optional
Parmesan

Method
1. Cook rice as per package but instead of water use broth.
2. Bring a large pot to a boil.
3. Carefully remove six leaves from the cabbage and, one by one, let them soften in the boiling water. This takes about 5 minutes per leaf. The spine will still be hard but it will be removed before making the rolls.

4. On medium-high heat, cook the onions and garlic in a little bit of oil for about 3 minutes. Add in the ground beef, black pepper, basil, thyme, and oregano. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until you no longer see pink. Make sure that as it's cooking, you break the meat apart.
5. Preheat oven at 400 F.
6. Mix the cayenne pepper as well as the extra oregano and black pepper in the crushed tomatoes. You can skip this step if you use a pre-made tomato sauce, either homemade or canned.
6. The rice should be ready by now. Mix 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of spiced crushed tomatoes with the beef mixture.
7. Place a cabbage leaf on a plate, remove the spine with a knife. Scoop about 1/6th of the beef-rice-tomato mixture on the cabbage leaf. Fold one end of the cabbage leaf over the mixture, roll and tuck the sides in to prevent the filling from falling out. Repeat until you have used all the mixture and cabbage leaves. 

8. Place rolls in a 9x9 pan with seem at the bottom. Cover rolls with the rest of the crushed tomato and grate parmesan over each roll.

9. Cook for 25-30 minutes on the middle rack.

I served mine on a bed of rice because I had leftovers. Serves 6.

Apple Muffins

I went apple picking a couple of weeks ago and decided that buying 14lbs of apple was a good idea. I guess it was because apple picking is so much fun, but then I had to figure out a couple of recipes to incorporate apples into. One of them was apple muffins. I took my mom's muffin recipe and tweeked it to add in my home made applesauce. My applesauce is simply made with apples and cinnamon, so no added sugar, and I kept the peels to give it a nice pink colour.

Ingredients
Dry 
1/2 cup (120mL) white flour
1 cup (240mL) whole wheat flour
1 cup (240mL) old fashion oats
1 tbsp (15mL) wheat germ
1 tsp (5mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5mL) baking soda
1/2 tbsp (7.5mL) cinnamon

Wet
2 eggs
1 cup (240mL) vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2 cup (120mL) brown sugar
1/2 cup (120mL) unsalted butter or margarine, melted
1 cup (240mL) apple sauce

Method
1. Preheat oven at 400 F
2. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together, set a aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix wet ingredients together.
4. Incorporate half of dry ingredients in wet mix. Repeat with other half. Do not over mix. Let sit for 5 minutes, the mixture will fluff up.
5. During that time, butter a 9"x 9" pan.
6. Put mixture in pan.
7. Bake for 20-23 minutes on middle rack. Test it with a clean knife or a toothpick by inserting it in the middle, if it comes out clean, it's ready!
8. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Wait for the loaf to cool at room temperature before cutting it.

This recipe can easily be turned into muffins, bake them for 16-18 minutes. Makes 12-18 muffins.

Pork, Quinoa and Brussel Sprouts

This dish is delicious and simple! I just picked up pork that was on sale and mixed in a vegetable and a carb that I had at home. All three main ingredients can easily be interchanged. I just so happened to have Brussel sprouts and quinoa but this can also be done with broccoli, wild rice, chicken and your favourite spices. This recipe is also nice because you can prepare the meat and relax while it marinates for an hour. May I also suggest that you don't add salt to this dish because the marinade has plenty!

Ingredients
3 pork chops, remove fat and slice
2 tbsp (30mL) ponzu sauce
1/2 tbsp (7mL) fish sauce
2 tbsp (30mL) sesame oil
2 tbsp (30mL) rice vinegar
1 1/2 cup (360mL) quinoa
1 1/2 cup (360mL) no added salt vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup (360mL) water
black pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups (720mL) frozen Brussel sprouts, thawed and sliced in half
black pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne
1 tbsp margarine, optional

Method
1. In a medium bowl, mix the pork, ponzu, fish sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Let marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Just before the pork is done marinating, measure your quinoa, vegetable broth and water in a medium pot. Add the black pepper and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and bring down to low heat. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is all gone.
3. In a large pan or wok, cook the pork with the marinating juice on medium high heat for about 10-12 minutes or until pork is cooked. Reserve in a bowl, covered to keep warm.
4. In the same pan or wok, cook the Brussel sprouts with black pepper and a pinch of cayenne on medium heat for about 7-8 minutes.
5. The quinoa should be ready by now. Remove the bay leaf and mix in the margarine for extra fluffiness.
6. Mix everything together in the pan or wok. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 3.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Although the weather outside is reverting to summer temperature, I'm already in fall season cooking mode.  Stews always warm me up and smell so good while they cook.  You can pretty much put any vegetables to your liking in with the beef and it will taste great no matter what! This is our slow cooker version (a mix of my mom's and this recipe) because it's always easier to set it and forget it. Also, since we chose a leaner piece of meat than the usual stew meat, we were able to skip the browning step at the beginning; the beef was still extremely tender and flavourful at the end.

Ingredients
1/4 cup (60mL) all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1 tsp (5mL) black pepper
1/2 tsp (2.5mL) dried thyme
1 1/2-2lbs sirloin tip roast, cubed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp (5mL) paprika
1 tsp (5mL) Worcestershire sauce
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 medium potatoes, washed and cubed
4 carrots, largely sliced
3 celery stalks, largely sliced
2 cups (480mL) mushroom, washed and whole
3 1/2 cups (900mL) no salt beef broth
2 bay leaves

Method
1. In a small bowl mix the flour, salt and black pepper. In a 6-quart slow cooker, coat the beef with the flour mixture.
2. Add the garlic, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onions, potatoes, carrots, celery and mushrooms in the slow cooker. Mix well.
3. Add the broth and the bay leaves.
4. Cook for 10-12 hours on low or 4 to 6 hours on high.

Serves 6.

Beet Soup with Homemade Garlic Croutons

I had leftover cooked beets that were about to go bad and since I have no idea what else to do with beets other than pickle them or make a soup, I made a soup (inspired by this recipe). It's less time consuming and I figured it would go great with my croutons! They add nice flavour and texture to the soup.

How I cook my beets
I remove the greens and the root so the beets become round-ish, and I wrap them up in foil. I cook them directly on the rack at 350 F for 30-75 minutes, depending on the size, or until a fork easily goes through it. A medium beet will take about one hour. I them let them cool for 10 minutes and unwrap them. Now you have two choices to keep your hands clean, you either use a sharp knife and a fork or a pair of medical gloves to remove the skin, it will peel off quite easily. You can keep the beets in the refrigerator for up to a week, incorporating them in salads, soups or eating them on their own as the vegetable in your meal.

My homemade croutons
Preheat your oven at 350 F. Take whatever is left of your stale bread; the better the bread, the better the croutons. Slice and apply margarine or butter to one side of the slice. Now, cut the slices into equally sized cubes. Place the cubes on a cooking sheet with the butter side up, and sprinkle whatever spice you prefer on it. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until golden-brown and crispy.

Ingredients for the soup
7-8 medium beets, cooked
2 potatoes, washed
olive oil
1 medium to large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp yellow curry powder
3 1/2 cups (900mL) no salt beef broth
1 tbsp honey
1 pinch of salt, optional
1 cup milk
chopped chives and croutons as garnish

Method
1. Cube the beets and the potatoes the same size.
2. In a large pot (holding a minimum of 6 liters), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and curry powder, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the beets and the potatoes, cook for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the broth, the honey and the optional pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat so the soup simmers for about 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.
4. When ready, remove the pot from the heat and put it on a heat resistant flat surface. Use a hand blender to puree the soup*. Once smooth, add the milk to thin it out to the desired consistency. 

5. Serve the soup with the croutons and chives as garnish. Enjoy!

Serves 5-6.

*This can also be done in batches in a blender, but the soup has to be cooled first and reheated afterwards. 

Gnocchi on Eggplant Parmesan

I love gnocchi! They can easily replace pasta in any recipe to add a whole new texture to the dish. Unfortunately the ones you buy at grocery stores are quite salty so I set out to make my own. Surfing on the internet I found this Italian man making gnocchi inside his villa. I find he transfers his passion for cooking so well that it makes me want to leave everything behind and just buy a villa in Italy so I can cook all day over a fire. Essentially, I reproduced his gnocchi but with no salt because I was adding bacon to the sauce and sitting them on a bed of eggplant parmesan. Also, just a couple of pointers: when you cut your gnocchi, make sure they size is even and small enough so that they cook thoroughly, a couple of mine were slightly too large.

Ingredients
Gnocchi
1kg potatoes
100g all purpose flour
2 egg yolks
rice flour to roll the gnocchi (I used all purpose flour and they did stick a little but it's no big deal)

Eggplant parmesan
eggplant
olive oil
black pepper
bread crumbs
fresh parmesan aka parmigiano reggiano

Sauce
3 slices bacon, cut up in 1/4-1/2 inch chunks
black pepper
fresh basil, coarsely chopped

Method
1. Preheat oven at 400 F.
2. Peal the potatoes and cut them into cubes. In a large pot, bring the potatoes to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes approx.
3. While the potatoes cook, cut the eggplant in 1/2 inch slices. Starting from the larger side, cut enough for 2-3 slices for each person.
4. On a baking sheet covered with parchement paper, place the slices evenly.  Sprinkle the slices with a bit of oil, flavour with black pepper and cover the whole surface of the eggplant with bread crumbs then grated parmesan (put as much as you want). Set aside.
5. When the potatoes are done, drain and pat them dry. Mash them and allow them to cool enough to be handled with your hands.
6. Cook the eggplants for 15 minutes, and broil for 5 minutes until they are crispy on top.
7. The mashed potatoes should be cooler by now so, in a large bowl, mix them with the egg yolk and the flour to make a dough.
8. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you cut your gnocchis.
9. On a clean work surface, sprinkle flour and roll out the potato dough in a long sausage - about 3/4-1 inch in diameter. With a sharp knife cut the dough sausage every 1/2 inch or so to make little gnocchi.
10. For the sauce, on medium heat, drizzle a little oil in a pan and throw your bacon chunks.
11. Your water should be boiling by now, so you can place your gnocchis in the boiling water. Let simmer, when they rise to the top they are cooked - it happens pretty fast.
12. You can then remove the gnocchi from the hot water with a slotted spoon for the water to drain, and place them in your pan since the bacon chunks should be cooked. Season with black pepper and gently mix in the chopped basil, be careful not to break the gnocchis.
13. It's time to plate your meal. Whether you put the eggplant slices on top or below the gnocchi, this meal is delicious. Enjoy!

This made enough for 3-4 portions, depending on your appetite.

Pulled Pork Tacos with Bean Salsa

We were looking for something quick and refreshing to do with our leftover pulled pork. We scavenged our pantry and came up with pulled pork tacos topped with a bean salsa. Now that I think about it, a mango salsa (with some red peppers, green onions and balsamic vinaigrette) would have been good, too.

Ingredients
Bean salsa
1 celery stick, cubed
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1/2 can corn kernels
juice of 1/2 lime
pepper and a tiny pinch of salt
cilantro, minced

8 small whole wheat tortillas
about 2 cups pulled pork
salsa
mozzarella cheese, grated
sour cream or mayonnaise

Method
1. Mix everything from the bean salsa together.
2. During that time, heat up the leftover pulled pork.
3. Make the tacos and enjoy!

Spinach Pasta

This was delicious! As always, of course, because I only showcase our delicious meals and never speak of our in progress recipes. Our inspiration came from Chef John always making béchamel seem easy to make, and he's right! One part butter/margarine, one part flour, fast whisking and then you add as much milk as you want to the consistency you desire. Just check out Chef John's video, you'll see.

Ingredients
225g rigatoni (any type of pasta will do)
3 tbsp margarine
3 tsbp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
pinch of salt, if not using salted margarine
pinch of cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and patted dry-ish

Method
1. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil to cook the pasta.
2. In the meantime, in a large frying pan, melt the butter on low-medium heat.

3. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk vigorously until combined and no longer clumpy. 

4. Add the milk and keep whisking.

5. Add the spices for flavour.

6. Add the spinach and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

7. Add pasta and mix well.

8. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Enjoy!

A Very Spicy Chili

This chilli is pretty quick and mostly necessitates ingredients you have in your pantry. As for the recipe, I tweaked my mom's recipe and I removed the meat to make it vegetarian. There's only one problem if there is no meat, the spice is unbearable! So here's the recipe but with a little less heat than what I used.

Ingredients

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

1 large carrot, diced

1-2 cans red kidney beans

1 can low sodium corn or 1 1/2 cup frozen corn

1 can low sodium crushed or diced tomatoes

Method

1. On medium-high heat, in a large pot, heat up cooking oil and cook the onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add in the spices and cook for 3-5 more minutes.

2. Add the the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Let simmer on low-medium for 30 minutes.

3. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro. 

If you want to add some ground meat to your chilli, just add about 1/2-1lb at the same time as the onions and garlic.

Almost Perfect Vegan Burger

The summer is here!...Well almost and this meal makes it feel that much closer. We were having our vegan friend over for board game night so we quickly combined chickpea burger recipes from Yummly and Oh She Glows, and came up with the patty you have before you. Although, this patty will not fill a hamburger craving, if you think of it as a whole new meal instead of a meat replacement, it's quite tasty! The only thing is, we have tried a couple of version of this, and the patties just can't stay together when we eat them. Our journey for a crumble free vegan patty continues but, in the meantime, here's what we used.

Ingredients
1 can chickpea, drained
1 medium carrot
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 small zucchini
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 tbsp tahini or peanut butter
1 Chinese eggplant, cooked
1/2-1 cup panko (breadcrumbs)

Method
1. Preheat oven at 400 F.
2. In a food processor, mix everything but the panko.
3. In a medium to large bowl, combine the vegetable-chickpea mush with the bread crumbs. Start with about 1/2 cup of panko and, if need be, add the rest.
4. Form into patties, makes 4-6 depending on the size.
5. Place on baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes, or until they start to brown and are all warm on the inside.

Don't hesitate to use other kinds of vegetables in your patty, you can basically just use leftover vegetables that are about to go bad. For alternate methods of baking, check out the links from Yummly and Oh She Glows.

Burger dog

This is my version of a hot dog without all the salt or the preservatives...and apparently without the bun because I forgot to buy some. Oh well, it was delicious! I'd try it again with some ground pork or turkey and maybe change up the flavours in the meat to make a spicy burger dog.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of thyme, cayenne, black pepper, basil

Method
1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together. Form them into 4-5 sausage like shapes.
2. On medium heat, cook the meat covered for about 20 minutes - turn them so each side can brown evenly.
3. Toast your bread. And top your meat the way you like it!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken with Grown-Up Tater-Tots and Bok Choy

The chicken breasts and the boy choy were on sale so I tried to be a little adventurous and opted for stuffed chicken with smashed potatoes and bok choy. I think the work I put into the whole meal was worth it. I wouldn't change any of it! Although, the amount of garlic you put in your recipe is left at your discretion, I just happen to love garlic.

Ingredients

10 small-ish red or fingerling potatoes

olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 green onion, sliced

black pepper

2 chicken breasts

3/4 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1/3 cup cream cheese (ricotta cheese would have been good too)

black pepper, cayenne, dried basil

6-8 medium bok choy (large baby bok choy)

2 garlic cloves, minced

olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven at 350 F.

2. Place potatoes on baking sheet, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until fork tender. 

3. Take potatoes out and let cool for about 10 minutes.

4. During that time, raise oven temperature to 450 F. Wash the bok choy, set aside.

5. Put a potato between two plates and smoosh it to about a 3/4 inch thick. Repeat.

6. Once all potatoes are smashed, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with onions and garlic, season with black pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy golden brown. 

7. During that time, mix spinach and cream cheese (softening the cream cheese before hand will help with this step).

8. Cut chicken breasts in the middle from one long side to the next, leaving about half and inch attached so as to make a pocket.

9. Stuff each breast with half the spinach mixture. 

10. Place the breasts on a baking sheet. Season with black pepper, cayenne and basil.

11. Once potatoes are baked, lower oven temperature to 375 F. Set potatoes aside and bake the chicken for about 20 minutes.

12. While the chicken bakes, heat olive oil in a wok on medium-heat. Add garlic and bok choy. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until leaves (not stems) are tender.

13. Plate up and enjoy!

My First Meatloaf

I never liked meatloaf as a kid and never though more of it. Why did I decide to make it then, you ask? Well I wanted to surprise my boyfriend during his end of the school year stressfest. He has been boasting about how good meatloaves are for years, and, I must say, I think this one measured up to his boasting. It was delicious and I was able to use it in so many leftovers: meatloaf sandwich, crumbled in a quinoa salad, cheesy quesadillas, etc. The meatloaf was delicious and I'm glad we paired it with simple lighter sides: quinoa and spinach salad.

Basically, for this recipe you can go two ways: 1) you follow a long recipe that makes it seem more complicated than it is (what I did), or 2) use the basic (meat, milk, bread crumbs, eggs) and mix in whatever you want in it (what I'll do next time).

Ingredients
2 strips of bacon, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped*
1 medium onion, finely chopped*
1 medium carrot, finely chopped*
4 mushrooms, finely chopped*
1 pound extra lean ground pork
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 1/2 tbsp horseradish, well drained
1 tsp dried parsley
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves

Method
1. Preheat oven at 375 F
2. Cook the bacon in a sauté pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or when it starts to crisp up. Add the garlic, onion, carrot and mushrooms, and sauté for about 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the onions translucent. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the two meats using your hands. Add the eggs and the milk. After the liquid has been incorporated in the meat, add the bread crumbs. And, finally, add the cooled vegetables, the mustard, the barbecue sauce, the horseradish, as well as the parsley, salt, black pepper and thyme.
4. Once all the ingredients are well combined, form a loaf the size of your pan, preferably a bread pan about 4''x10''. Press the four bay leaves into the top of the loaf.
5. Cook for about an hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F and the top is nicely browned.
6. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and cut crosswise into slices.

*Note: Toss these vegetables in a food processor on chop for a few seconds to save some time.

Thai Green Curry with Tofu on Quinoa

We had green beans, cauliflower and tofu, and we looked up online what we could make with that. We found a great recipe for Thai green curry that combined all of these, but we didn't respect any of the measurements. It was nutritious and delicious! If you aren't a fan of tofu, this can easily be made with chicken and taste just as great.

Ingredients
10oz extra firm tofu
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, diced
3-4 tbsp green curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1 head cauliflower, cut in 1-inch florets
1 cup green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1-2 tbsp lemon juice concentrate - we didn't have fresh lime juice.

Method
1. Cut up the tofu in dice sized cubes, put then in a tupperware with the soy sauce. Shake and set aside.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a large wok on medium heat. Toss in the tofu, keeping the soy sauce for later, and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add in the onions, cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the green curry paste, the tofu and the leftover soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute while stirring to coat evenly.
5. Add the coconut milk and water. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
6. Add the cauliflower and green beans. Cover and cook on medium-low for about 10-15 minutes.
7. Remove from heat, incorporate the coriander and the lemon juice.

We had it with quinoa and it made enough for 3 extra lunches.

Not Your Average Chicken Soup

When I was sick at home this week, my boyfriend surprised me with homemade soup. It's not the kind that your mom or your grandma would make when you were sick as a kid; yes it was packed with goodness but it also had a kick to it. He was inspired by Bon Appetit's Cilantro-Lime Soup but he adapted the measurements to our liking and added some leftover quinoa for an all-in-one meal soup.

Ingredients
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp chili powder (omitted since I was sick)
1/2 tbsp black pepper
2 small skinless boneless chicken breast, cut in 1/2 inch chuncks
946mL no added salt chicken broth (aka 1 container of Campbell's)
1 can (corn kernels, rinsed
1 large tomato, chopped (we didn't bother seeding it)
1 cup quinoa, cooked
fresh cilantro, chopped
lime juice

Method
1. Heat oil in medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until softened. Season with pepper (and chili powder).
2. Add chicken, cook 2-5 minutes while stirring.
3. Add broth, corn and tomatoes, bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, add quinoa and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Serve with a little splash of lime juice (the more you add the more acidic the soup becomes) and as much cilantro as you want.

Our version made enough for 5 servings.

Breaded Fish, Steak Fries and Brussel Sprouts

My boyfriend and I follow a food blog called Foodwishes; Allrecipes.com sponsors this chef to showcase some of the recipes on their website. He adds way too much salt but boy oh boy does his food look delicious! For this meal, we were inspired by his steak fries. We then balanced the starch with baked breaded perch and bacon Brussels sprouts. It was very little prep and quite delicious! The perch was on sale and that is why we chose it but we should have opted for haddock or cod, they stay moist and are more flavourful than perch.

Our slightly healthier version of the steak fries
Ingredients
2 medium russet potatoes
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
pepper
pinch of cayenne
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Method
1. Preheat oven at 325 F
2. Wash and cut the potatoes in thick wedges.
3. In a medium bowl, coat the wedges with the oil, sprinkle with pepper and cayenne.
4. Place on a baking sheet and cook for 40 minutes. Flip the wedges halfway through.
5. Turn up the heat to 450 F for 10-20 minutes.

Bacon Brussels sprouts
Ingredients
1 strip of bacon
2 cups of Brussels sprouts, fresh or frozen
pepper

Method
1. Heat the pan at medium.
2. During that time, thinly slice the bacon. Add to pan.
3. If you are using fresh Brussels sprouts, wash, core and slice them in half.
4. Once bacon is almost cooked, add the Brussels sprouts. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the sprouts are ready; stirring occasionally.

Breaded fish 

Ingredients

4 fish filets
about 1/2 cup of flour
1 egg
about 3/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs
cayenne, pepper (or your favourite spices)

Method
1. The oven will already be heated at 450 F, turn it down to 375 F once the potatoes are out.
2. For the breading station, put the flour, the egg and the bread crumbs in 3 separate medium bowls (or plates). Season the flour with cayenne and pepper (don't hesitate to put extra) and beat the egg.
3. Coat each filet with seasonned flour, then egg and finally panko.
4. Place the breaded filets on a cooking sheet. Cook for 10 minutes.

Enjoy your meal!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I've been baking quite a bit lately mostly carrot and banana loaves for snacks. They are pretty healthy and mostly keep me away from the junk drawer. I just bought frozen blueberries so I decided to try and make lemon blueberry muffins. I wasn't satisfied with the recipes in my cookbooks or online, they either had too much sugar or too little fibre. So instead I started with my mom's plain muffin recipe and added in the flavour.

It turned out pretty well and they are delicious! The only thing I would change for next time is folding in the blueberries once all the ingredients are mixed so that they don't turn out as purple.

Recipe
Dry ingredients
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup old fashion oats or all bran cereal
1 tbsp wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt

Wet ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
juice from half a lemon
zest from 1 lemon

1 cup frozen blueberries (still frozen)

Method
1. Preheat oven at 375 F
2. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together, set a aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix wet ingredients together.
4. Incorporate half of dry ingredients in wet mix. Repeat with other half. Do not over mix.
5. Gently fold in blueberries. Let sit for 5 minutes.
6. During that time, butter a 9"x 9" pan.
7. Put mixture in pan.
8. Bake for 20-23 minutes on middle rack. Test it with a clean knife or a toothpick by inserting it in the middle, if it comes out clean, it's ready!
9. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Wait for it to be room temperature to cut it.

This recipe can easily be turned into muffins, I would bake them for 16-18 minutes in that case.