Coconut Lime Chicken & Coconut Curry Squash Soup

Tonight I made a recipe I found on Pinterest for Coconut Lime Chicken.  I followed it exactly (but used brown sugar instead of white, and didn't bother cooking the marinade afterwards to make a sauce.)  I also found a recipe for Coconut Curry Squash Soup and whipped that up as a side dish for our meal.  For my super sweet baby (who is 7 months old today!) I puréed the two things together and he gobbled it up (twice!)  He's got good taste!!

Thanks for not feeding me boring food, Mom!

Indian Meal

I've been cooking recipes from the Usborne Children's World Cookbook this week - so far we have had pizza and Spaghetti Bolognese, and tonight we're trying the Indian recipes.
BHUNA GOSHT (one of those words probably means lamb, which is what the recipe calls for, but I used chicken)
3 chicken breasts, cubed

juice of 1 lemon

pinch of salt

4 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 c. chicken stock
3 tomatoes, cut into large pieces
14 oz. can tomatoes
Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice and salt and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot and cook onion and garlic until softened.  Combine spices and add to the pot, stirring for a minute.  Add chicken, tomatoes, and stock to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes.
DHAL
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion, diced
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. Garam Masala
1/2 c. red lentils (I didn't have lentils so I used yellow split peas and they took a lot longer to cook)
1 c. water
salt
Melt butter in a saucepan and cook garlic and onion until softened.  Add spices and cook for a minute.  Add lentils or split peas and water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until lentils are cooked.  (I seemed to be running low on liquid, and my chicken stew had more liquid than I wanted, so I added the stew liquid to the split peas and just let it continue to simmer until they were softened.)  Purée slightly so that it's smooth but still has some whole pieces left in tact.
CUCUMBER RAITA
1/2 c. cucumber, diced
1 c. plain yogurt
salt and pepper
fresh mint, chopped (I didn't have any, so I used some Lamb Seasoning)
Put cucumber in a strainer over a bowl and sprinkle with salt.  Let it sit for an hour so the water comes out.  In another strainer over a bowl, put some cheesecloth and put the yogurt on top to let the water drip out.  Combine the strained cucumbers and yogurt with mint and pepper.

Everything was really tasty, although I made way too much raita and my split peas still weren't cooked all the way through, even after an incredibly long time on the stove.  You could definitely kick up the spices a bit in the stew and the dhal, but it was perfect for kids.

Hawaiian Kalua Pork with Apple Coleslaw

I found this on Pinterest and tried it a couple weeks ago.  It is supposed to taste like the slow-roasted pig that they serve at luaus in Hawaii.  There are lots of recipes online - one of them used bacon to get the smokey flavour, but most of them called for liquid smoke so I went and bought a bottle.  I discovered that the smokey campfire smell kind of gets on my nerves after a few hours -- I put this in the crockpot before bed so that it would be ready for supper the next day, and in the middle of the night my eyes and throat felt like I'd been sitting around a campfire all night.  I was worried the whole house would stink of smoke, but it seemed to dissipate (or I just got used to it).

KALUA PORK
3 lb. pork shoulder roast
1 tbsp. liquid smoke (1-2 tsp. might be enough)
1 tbsp. coarse sea salt (Hawaiian sea salt if you have it - I couldn't find any at the store so I used regular sea salt - don't grind it.)

Remove any fat from the roast.  Rub with sea salt.  (You could also stuff some garlic cloves into it if you like.)  Place in a slow cooker and add liquid smoke.  Cook on low for 16 hours.  Remove from slow cooker (carefully, because it will all fall apart on you!)  Shred with two forks.  I wanted there to be a little bit of crispiness to the meat, so I scooped half of it into an oven-safe frying pan and put it under the broiler for about 10-15 minutes.  (I saved the other half for supper the next night.)  We ate this with rice, grilled pineapple rings, and apple coleslaw.  Freshly squeezed lime juice would be a nice garnish as well.

APPLE COLESLAW (from Canadian Living)
2 apples, thinly sliced (like matchsticks)
4 c. cabbage, shredded
1 c. carrots, shredded
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Lemon Dilly dip mix
salt & pepper

Toss first four ingredients together.  Whisk remaining ingredients together and pour over salad.  Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

This is likely the closest we'll ever get to Hawaii!

This was so tender and delicious - the kids loved it!  Now that I have a bottle of liquid smoke, I'm sure I'll make this recipe more often (although I might wait until it's warmer out so I can leave the windows open while it cooks!)

Québécois Pea Soup

My mom's friend brought us over an awesome meal of ham, scalloped potatoes, broccoli salad, asparagus, and homemade cookies last week.  I am normally not a fan of ham soup, but this ham bone was just staring at me, and I figured it would be a waste not to use it.  Seeing as my husband is from Quebec, I thought I would make some traditional Pea Soup.  I personally hate pea soup (or so I thought), but I knew he liked it and it seemed simple enough, so I gave it a shot.

QUÉBÉCOIS PEA SOUP (adapated from this recipe)
1 leftover ham bone (with some meat still on the bone)
2 tbsp. butter
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 c. dried yellow split peas
2 bay leaves
pepper (don't add any salt - there is enough salt from the ham already)
8 c. water
2 small potatoes, diced

In a large pot, heat butter over medium heat and cook celery, carrots, onion, and garlic for about 15 minutes or until soft.  Add split peas, bay leaves, and pepper.  Cook for 2 minutes, then pour in water and add potatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, simmering for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Discard bay leaves and remove ham bone.  Once it's cool, remove all the meat from the bone and shred into small pieces.  Purée the soup and then add in the pieces of ham.

Someone may have even said it was better than his grandma's.... but I don't want to get anyone into trouble!

This soup was delicious and filling, and it was so inexpensive and easy to make as well, which is an added bonus!  The whole family loved it.

Tourtière

One of my favourite dishes from Quebec is tourtière - a meat pie made with beef & pork and a unique blend of seasonings.  Depending on where you are from in Quebec, there are a few different ways to make this popular dish.  They are all delicious though, and here is my version that blends together a couple recipes I have tried in the past.

TOURTIÈRE
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 onions, diced
1 tbsp. oil
2.5 lbs. ground pork
2.5 lbs. ground beef
1/4 c. flour
2 tbsp. Epicure's 3 Onion Dip Mix
2 tsp. Epicure's Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tbsp. Epicure's Montreal Steak Spice or Beef & Steak Seasoning
salt & pepper
4 potatoes, grated
2 c. beef stock

In a large pot over medium heat, soften the garlic and onions in oil.  Add the ground meat and cook until it is all browned.  Drain if necessary.  Stir in flour and seasonings, add grated potatoes and stock, and continue cooking for about 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and let it cool.

There are a few ways you can make your tourtière:

• The traditional way is to make meat pies.  Roll out a pie crust, fill it up with tourtière filling, and then cover with another pie crust and bake in the oven according to your pie crust recipe.
• You can also try my "Tourtière Triangles" recipe and use puff pastry to make individual popovers which are super delicious.
• You can use a mini muffin tin and make little tarts (which I baked, then froze, then reheated to serve on Christmas Eve as appetizers.)

• Or you can toss the filling into freezer bags (I suggest 4 c. portions) and use it later to make meat pies.

This recipe makes a HUGE BATCH!  I made one meat pie, 2 or 3 freezer bags to make meat pies later on, 8 puff pastry triangles, and about 36 mini tarts.

Tourtière is especially tasty with ketchup on the side.... you can use regular old ketchup, or get a little fancy and try some homemade or gourmet ketchup (made with cranberries or something like that.)  It's great comfort food, and perfect for stocking up your freezer with ready-to-go meals.

Birthday Party Food

It was my husband's birthday party last night, so I made tons of appetizers for the event.  Here are the recipes:

BAKED BRIE WITH APRICOT & JALAPENO
1 brie wheel, with the top sliced off
apricot marmalade
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
crushed pecans

Spread the marmalade on top of the cheese, and sprinkle with jalapeno and pecans.  Bake until gooey, and serve with crackers or bread.

I took the picture before it went in the oven, because it's not nearly as pretty after it's all melted
(but it tastes soooo good!)


SALSA (this recipe was used to make the world's largest bowl of salsa!)
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
6 tbsp. red onion, diced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
6 mint leaves, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

SUSHI ROLLS (see how to make them here)
nori papers
2 c. sushi rice (soak in 3 1/2 c. water for 30 minutes, then bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover slightly with the lid and simmer for 10 minutes or until water is all gone.  Turn off the burner but leave the pot there and put the lid on tight for 10 minutes.  Stir in 3-4 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar.)
smoked salmon
1/2 cucumber, cut into long skinny pieces
1 avocado. sliced




PINEAPPLE CRAB MUSRHOOMS (adapted from the cookbook "Just Add Rum!" by Angela Spenceley)
1 can crab meat
1/2 small onion, diced
1 garlic cloved, minced
1/8 c. red bell pepper, diced
1/8 c. pineapple, diced
1/8 c. mushroom stems, diced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. rum
pepper
approx. 30 mushrooms, stems removed

Sauté onions, garlic, red pepper, and mushroom stems in some oil in a frying pan.  Add crab, pineapple, and parsley and sauté for 1-2 minutes.  Add breadcrumbs, butter, rum, and pepper and mix well.  Spoon into mushroom caps and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

EXTRAORDINARY CHEESE DIP (I don't have a picture, but there is one on the link.)

All of these appetizers were delicious (either that, or our friends are just really polite and ate everything to make me feel good!)

Epicure's Jambalaya

This was the third time I've tried out one of Epicure's new "What's For Dinner?" packets - this time it was the Jambalaya. As with the Tortilla Soup and Pulled Pork recipes, this one was perfect! I bought a tray of chicken thighs and a tray of Italian sausage and a bag of shrimp - I only needed half of each, so I cut everything up into the right sizes and put half into a freezer bag so that I'm ready to make Jambalaya in the future. (I put the chicken and sausage in individual sandwich bags, and then put those bags in a larger freezer bag with the shrimp.) I ended up using 4 1/2 chicken thighs, 2 1/2 sausages, and about 1 c. shrimp. Simply brown the chicken and sausage with a little salt & pepper on them, add some rice (I used basmati) and stir in a can of diced tomatoes and water along with the seasoning packet. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then add the shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes. It's that easy!
This had just the right amount of spice - the kids thought it was a little spicy, but not so bad that they complained or wouldn't eat it. We had enough for two meals, so it makes quite a large batch. I'm looking forward to trying out the other "What's For Dinner?" meals to see how they turn out!

Epicure's Pulled Pork

I tried out another one of the What's For Dinner? products from Epicure Selections, and just like the Tortilla Soup, this one was a huge hit! The Pulled Pork Seasoning Mix is a fool-proof way to make delicious shredded pork - simply mix with ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and a little water in the crockpot, and add a pork roast (the recipe suggests a 2.5kg. roast, but mine was only 1.5kg.) Coat the roast with the sauce, and then cook on high for 5 hours. Then remove the roast, cut the strings, and use two forks to tear apart the meat. Put all the meat back into the crockpot and let it soak up all that amazing sauce before you serve it up on a crusty bun, piled up nice and high and topped with the most delicious coleslaw!

COLESLAW DRESSING

store-bought coleslaw mix

mayonnaise

sugar

Italian Dressing Mix (the link on the Epicure website isn't working right now, sorry!)

fresh lemon juice

Sorry, I don't have measurements, but I'm going to guess that I used about 2 c. coleslaw mix, 1/2 c. mayo, 1-2 tsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. Italian Dressing Mix, and 1 tbsp. lemon juice. It was the best coleslaw I've ever tasted!!

There was tons of pulled pork leftover, so I put it in the freezer to save for another day. The package says that it makes 20 servings (if you use a 2.5kg roast). I forgot to read the list of ingredients on the back before I put the empty package in the garbage, but I trust that it's filled with wholesome ingredients, just like all the other Epicure products. Low-sodium, no fillers or preseratives, and lots of flavour!

If you live in Canada and would like to order any Epicure products, please let me know and I'd be happy to help you out!

Epicure's Tortilla Soup

I love making homemade soup, and for the most part I find it pretty simple to whip up a batch whenever I feel like it. So I was a little leary when Epicure launched a new Tortilla Soup Mix for the 2011 catalogue. As far as I'm concerned, the key to a great soup is that it tastes homemade, which is rarely the case when you dump in a packet of seasoning and mix it with water and tomatoes. This Tortilla Soup Mix is delicious, though, and it is so simple to make it's almost embarrassing to write down the recipe!

EPICURE'S TORTILLA SOUP
1 package Tortilla Soup Mix
1 can (14 oz./398 ml) crushed tomatoes - Please note, the package says 19 oz./398ml - this is a typo, it should 14 oz./398 ml)
5 c. water

Mix ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with garnishes of tortilla chips, diced avocado, grated cheese, fresh lime juice, and/or sour cream (I forgot the sour cream in the picture!)


This was perfect - I wouldn't change a thing! And check out the list of ingredients: dried black beans, dried corn, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, spices, salt, garlic, green onion. How often do you find a soup mix at the store that has 6 "real" ingredients listed before salt? Usually it's MSG, a bunch of words from a chemistry textbook, salt, and then the real ingredients. My kids loved this soup, and I felt good about serving them something healthy. I hope Epicure will start selling larger jars of this stuff, but in the meantime I'll stock up on the little packages!

East Indian Meal

This one came from the Best Recipes Ever episode for Best Slow Cooked Chicken Dinner. I made the Easy Chicken Curry in my dutch oven because my crockpot is tall & round, not oval and wide, and I didn't want the chicken thighs all piled on top of eachother in the slowcooker. So I cooked it at 350 F for 1 hour. I made my own curry paste because all I had was a Thai green curry paste and I didn't think that would taste good. So I mixed together roughly 1 tsp. each of Garam Masala, curry powder, paprika, cumin, and coriander, and enough olive oil to make a paste.

I also made the Indian Tomato Salad and the Mango Smoothie (with some juice instead of milk, and frozen mango instead of fresh mango & icecubes).
The whole meal was delicious!!

Spanish Roasted Chicken with Spicy Sausage & Gremolata

Kindra from The Meal Planner posted a recipe on Facebook the other day and she said it was the best roasted chicken recipe ever! I decided to put her recipe to the test, and guess what, she was right!

She posted her recipe here: SPANISH ROAST CHICKEN and I followed her recipe almost exactly, but here is my version with just a couple changes to suit what we had in the pantry.

SPANISH ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SPICY SAUSAGE & GREMOLATA

1 chicken

olive oil

salt & pepper

paprika (I love this stuff from Epicure)

4 potatoes, cubed (leave the peel on)

4 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces

2 lemons

1/2 c. parsley

5 Italian sausages (we used spicy ones, but you could use mild)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Preheat oven to 425 F, and drizzle roasting pan with olive oil. Zest the lemons and save the zest in a separate bowl. Boil potatoes and carrots for 5 minutes, then drain and place in the bottom of the roasting pan. Stuff chicken with one of the zested lemons (cut in half) and half of the fresh parsley. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika, and drizzle with olive oil. Lay chicken on top of vegetables and put in the oven for 40 minutes. Cut each sausage into 4 or 5 pieces and arrange around the chicken in the roaster. Return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes (my chicken took longer to cook for some reason.) Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining parsley and garlic cloves, and add the lemon zest, stirring to combine. (This is the "gremolata".) Serve chicken with roasted vegetables and sauasage and a spoonful of gremolata on top.

This was such any easy meal to make, and it uses such simple ingredients. Our entire family loved it, and I especially loved the gremolata. It added an extra layer of flavour to the smokey, spicy chicken & sausage. I will definitely be making this meal again sometime when we have friends over for supper. I think next time I would use a larger roaster so that I could add more potatoes and carrots, and I would double the gremolata recipe just so there was lots to go around! Thanks for the great recipe, Kindra!

Chinese Take-Out

We used to order Chinese take-out a lot, but for some reason we never do it anymore. When I saw this recipe for Shrimp Fried Rice on Best Recipes Ever last week, I knew my family would love it. I asked the show's host, Kary Osmond, what she would recommend as a main dish to serve with this (thank goodness for Twitter!) and she suggested this recipe for Beef & Broccoli Stir-fry.

I followed the recipes exactly as they are on the website, except on the stir-fry I used fish sauce instead of oyster sauce, and I sprinkled the broccoli with Teriyaki Seasoning instead of pepper. Both dishes were fantastic, and they were a huge hit with the family!

World Cup Supper

I'll admit it, I've got World Cup fever. Not a serious case of it - but I'm surprised at the amount of soccer I have willingly watched over the past few weeks. I'm notorious for my hatred of sports, and those vuvuzelas were frickin' annoying at the beginning, but something won me over. Perhaps it was Ronaldo Cristiano, perhaps not, we'll never know for sure. All the teams I was cheering for have been eliminated, but considering how little I know about the sport and its players, my allegiance to any particular team is fairly wishy-washy. I cheered for Mexico because I used to live there. I cheered for whoever was playing against the USA, because that's what Canadians usually do. I cheered for Portugal for reasons that were previously mentioned. And I cheered for Ghana because they just wanted it so. darn. badly. But now that the four semi-finalists have been chosen, I thought it would be fitting to prepare a meal that features food or beverages that represent each country. Here's what I came up with:

GAZPACHO (Spain) - The first (and probably only) time I had gazpacho was at my friend Isabelle's mother's farm in Quebec. I always thought cold tomato soup would be so disgusting, but her recipe was fantastic and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make it again.

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2 orange bell pepper, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 c. V8 or tomato juice

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tbsp. White Balsamic Vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. hot sauce

1/4 tsp. Greek Oregano

1/4 tsp. basil

Purée everything and pour into bowls. You can garnish with a bit of green onions and season with pepper if you like.

HUTSPOT (Netherlands) - My friends Wybo and Glenna suggested a few different options for Dutch food, one of which was mashed potatoes with various other veggies added to it. It can be served with beef or sausage on the side, but we've had so many hotdogs and sausages lately, so I think we'll keep this a vegetarian meal. I did find one version that suggested adding cheese to it, so I thought I'd get some Edam or Gouda and give that a try, just to make it Dutchier.

4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped (I didn't have an onion, so I used 1 tbsp. 3 Onion Dip Mix instead and stirred it in before mashing)

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

milk

butter

salt & pepper

1/2 c. Edam or Gouda cheese, grated

Bring salted water to a boil and add potatoes, onion, and carrots. Cook for about 15 minutes or until soft but not mushy. Drain and add milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Mash everything together and serve with grated cheese on top. (I also made some gravy to go with it.)

ALFAJORES (Uruguay) - I wasn't sure what to pick for Uruguayan food, but when I saw this recipe I knew it was perfect. It's basically two shortbread cookies stuck together with dulce de leche. There was no question, these would be good!

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg + 2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon rind

1 1/2 c. cornstarch

1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

dulce de leche (you can buy this at the store)

Cream butter and sugar, and then add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and lemon rind and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add to butter mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Once they cool off, sandwich them together with dulce de leche.

REISLING (Germany) - Okay, to be honest I was getting tired of looking through recipe websites, and I didn't want to spend all day in the kitchen making this meal. So I took the easy way out, and decided to choose a German wine to represent the fourth semi-finalist country. Reisling is my favourite type of wine, so why mess with a good thing? (Turns out I forgot to go buy the Reisling, but we had a German sparkling wine in the wine rack, so did the trick!)

Of course the kids hated the gazpacho, but the hustpot was a hit, and so were the cookies. The sparkling wine was disgusting, but I promise I'll drink some Reisling soon to make up for it.

Now I'm going to leave you with the soundtrack of our household for the past three weeks: Geneviève's favourite World Cup song is "Waka Waka", and William loves "Wavin' Flag" - both of which we listen to at least 10 times a day! (I must admit, I love the songs just as much as the kids do!)

Leave a comment and let me know who you think will win the World Cup!

A Caribbean Meal

The other day I was browsing through the Food Network website, and I decided to check out some recipes from "Chef at Home" Michael Smith. I was intrigued by his recipe for Caribbean Coconut Crusted Salmon, partly because it sounded delicious, and party because it's quite possibly the simplest recipe I've ever seen! (Coat the salmon in coconut, season with salt & pepper, and bake for 15 minutes - I can do that!) I decided I'd try out a few of the other recipes he suggests to go with this meal, and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to have our friends over for supper. What are friends for, if not to use them as guinea pigs for new recipes, right?

So here's what I made:

Caribbean Coconut Crusted Salmon served with Caribbean Salsa

Caribbean Salad with a coconut-ginger-lime dressing

Reggae Rice (isn't that the best name??)

I only made a half-batch of the salsa (and there was plenty of it), and I didn't use as much cilantro as I was supposed to in any of the recipes, simply because the cilantro in my herb garen wasn't big enough. But otherwise I followed the recipes fairly closely.

I must say, the salmon was nothing to get excited over on its own, but with the pineapple salsa it was quite good. The rice was really good and full of flavour, but the real winner was the salad. That dressing was fantastic! Can't wait to make it again sometime.

Since I only used part of the can of coconut milk, I made some Tropical Smoothies this morning with some of the leftover ingredients:

TROPICAL SMOOTHIES

1 c. frozen mango

1/3 c. coconut milk

1 1/2 c. pineapple juice

1 tbsp. lime juice (from 1/2 a lime)

a couple grates of fresh ginger

I'm not sure if I like this smoothie or not.... something's not quite right, and I don't know if it's just because it reminds me of the salad dressing last night (which was awesome on the salad, but not in a smoothie) or if I just should have left out the lime and/or ginger. Anyway, it'll do for breakfast this morning.

Hope you enjoyed these recipes!

Fish Tacos

I got a seafood cookbook for my birthday last week, and I also picked up a copy of this month's Rachael Ray magazine, both of which had a recipe for fish tacos. So tonight, guess what we had for supper? You betcha - fish tacos!

I'm not sure which recipe I really followed - I think most fish taco recipes are essentially the same: fish soaked in lime juice, chili powder, maybe some cumin, a little oil, and then grilled and topped off with fresh veggies in a tortilla. It's not rocket science, it's just really delicious. Here's a rough idea of how I made them tonight:

FISH TACOS

6 tilapia filets

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. lime juice

3 tsp. Cuban Seasoning (or try a mixture of chili powder, cumin, and whatever else you like)

avocado

radishes

coleslaw or shredded lettuce

cilantro

green onions

salsa verde

Marinate fish in a mixture of oil, lime juice, and seasonings for about 10 minutes. Cook in a grill pan over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side. Break fish into pieces and place in tortillas with remaining ingredients.

I was all excited that I found corn tortillas at the store instead of just wheat ones. When I lived in Mexico, I didn't like corn tortillas, but that was 10 years ago and my palette has matured since then. Apparently it has not matured to the point of liking corn tortillas, however. They were dry and mealy - but otherwise the fish tacos were delicious! So quick and simple to make, and super healthy too. Next time I'll remember to scrap the corn tortillas, or maybe try using iceberg lettuce instead to make lettuce wraps.

Caribbean Supper

I've started taping the recipe show Best Recipes Ever each day, and I really like the simple, quick menus that they show. This week they had a Caribbean-inspired meal that looked delicious and so easy to make, so I whipped it up tonight for supper. Here are the recipes:

JERK PORKCHOPS (I made a larger batch, and changed up the spices slightly)

8 bone-in porkchops

4 tbsp. soy sauce

4 tbsp. orange juice

4 tbsp. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

6 green onions, finely chopped

4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (or allspice or Jamaican Jerk Seasoning)

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Mix together soy sauce, orange juice, oil, garlic, green onions, and spices. Lay porkchops in a glass baking dish. Rub spice mixture into porkchops and pour excess sauce overtop. Marinate for a couple hours if you have time, then transfer to a grill pan or roasting pan. Bake at 375 F for 7-9 minutes per side.

PEAS, PEPPERS & RICE
1 tbsp. oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3/4 c. rice

1 1/2 c. vegetable stock

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

salt & pepper

1 c. frozen peas

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onions until soft, then add bell pepper and rice, stirring to coat the rice with oil. Add remaining ingredients (except peas) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add peas and fluff with a fork. Keep the lid on for a few minutes to let the peas thaw before serving.

GRILLED PINEAPPLE (This recipe came from my friend Kimberly)

1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/2" slices (you can core it if you like, but I left it whole)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. lemon juice (or use all lime or all lemon juice)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat grill (I used an indoor grill, but you could do them on the bbq.) Combine brown sugar, juices, and cinnamon and brush over one side of the pineapple slices. Lay that side down on the hot grill and brush the other side with more of the sugar mixture while they are grilling. Grill for 5 min. per side. Can be served with rice and porkchops, or as a dessert with vanilla icecream.

GINGER BEER SHANDY

ice

fresh lime juice

ginger beer

lager

Fill a glass half-full with ice, and squeeze a little lime juice overtop. Pour in equal parts ginger beer (or ginger ale if you can't find ginger beer) and your favourite lager.

Everything was awesome! I'm loving the ginger beer shandy -- I think I might go make myself another one!

Enoy the long weekend!!

Arroz Clavado (Rice with Smoked Sausage and Cheese)

I saw this recipe on My Colombian Recipes and new that it would be fantastic! It was very easy to make, and we doubled the recipe to make a huge batch since our friends were coming over for supper.

ARROZ CLAVADO (this is the double-batch version)

4 tbsp. oil

4 c. smoked sausage, sliced (I used 3 large sausages - wouldn't hurt to use more!)

4 c. rice (I used basmati)

2 c. hogao (see recipe below)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. smoked paprika

8 c. water

salt

1 c. mozzarella cheese (or any white cheese)

fresh cilantro, for garnish

Heat oil in a large pot, and brown sausage for 5 minutes. Stir in rice, hogao, cumin, paprika, and water. Season with a little salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Fluff with fork, and serve with cubed cheese and cilantro.

Our friends brought over a side dish of black beans simmered with corn, tomato, garlic, and cumin, and we ended up tossing the two dishes together, resulting in a most delicious creation!

To make the hogao, I followed this recipe from My Colombian Recipes:

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 c. onions, diced (the recipe called for scallions, but I used a regular white onion)

2 c. fresh tomatoes, diced

1 garlic cloved, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a pot and cook onions, tomatoes, and garlic until softened (about 10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, stir in cilantro, and simmer for another 10 minutes until thickened.

This made just under 2 c. of hogao, and so next time I would probably use this same amount and only make the regular batch of rice (instead of doubling it). I think that would just pump up the flavour of this dish a bit. If you were in a rush, I bet it wouldn't hurt to use a can of diced tomatoes instead. (But this stuff is way better!)

All 4 adults and 4 children cleaned off their plates last night - this dish was wonderful!! I absolutely loved the cheese tossed in at the end... it melted a little bit in the warm rice, and it was so delicious. You could play around with this dish in so many different ways.... try adding shrimp or chicken instead of (or along with) the sausage, or try different types of white cheese. I'd definitely recommend the addition of the bean side dish.... it was such a great meal, and I can't wait to make it again!

Butter Chicken

I've posted this recipe before, but it's a family favourite so I'm posting it again. I made it with sour cream this time instead of buttermilk, and it was perfect. I swear, my kids would eat dirt if it meant they could have a piece of naan with it - that stuff is like a drug to them! (But just to be clear, my Butter Chicken does not taste like dirt!)

BUTTER CHICKEN

1/4 c. sour cream
1 can tomato paste
2 tbsp. Curry Powder
2 tsp. ginger
salt, to taste
3-4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 onion, sliced
1 c. cream

Mix first 5 ingredients together and marinate chicken for about 30 minutes (or overnight.) Sauté onions in butter until soft, then add chicken and sauce mixture. Cook for 15 minutes, then add cream and heat for another 5 minutes. Serve over basmati rice or naan bread.

Leftover Samosa Filling = Potato Curry!

I had a little bit of samosa filling (and a whole lot of baked potatoes) leftover from yesterday, so I decided to put it all to good use. I used some of the potatoes and made a double-batch of samosa filling (with 1 tsp. Garam Masala tossed in, just to be different.) Once everything was in the pan (along with the leftovers from yesterday) I added 1 c. vegetable broth and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. We ate it with naan bread, and guess what? William even ate all of his! (I'm telling you, naan bread solves all our problems when it comes to mealtime.)

Bobotie

My daughter got a Children's World Cookbook for Christmas, and I finally decided to try one of the recipes in there. It sounded interesting, to say the least: South African Bobotie is a mixture of meat, bread, eggs, curry, onions, and dried fruit. Mmmm???

BOBOTIE
2 slices of bread, cut into pieces

2 c. milk (divided)

1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. ground beef

1-2 tsp. Curry Dip Mix

1/2 tsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. lemon juice

salt & pepper

1/4 c. dried fruit (it called for apricots, but I used Cherries & Berries)
1/4 c. raisins

1/4 c. flaked almonds (I didn't use any)

2 eggs

Soak the bread in 1 c. milk. Melt some butter in a pan and cook the onion and garlic over medium heat until soft. Add ground beef and brown it, then drain off the fat. Combine curry, chili powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix into the meat. Stir in bread (with the milk), fruit and almonds. Pour into a greased baking dish. Whisk together eggs and 1 c. milk, and pour overtop of the meat mixture. Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour. Serve with rice (I added some curry powder and ginger to my rice.) Some recipes say to serve it with chutney as well.

This actually wasn't half bad! It was like a meatloaf, and the fruit actually went quite well with the curry/chili flavour (which wasn't very strong at all.) With the exception of my son (who hates most things I make), the whole family ate this without any complaints!