'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!