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!