West African Chicken Stew

When I started this blog, Bex requested that I post this recipe (sorry that it took me so long to get around to posting it!).  I've served this stew at many a potluck and have received rave reviews on it.  Given that it's a bit more labour-intensive, I'd save it for a weekend supper or an afore mentioned potluck dinner with friends.  

I first had this dish at Anthea's house many years ago and it was love at first sight!  The original recipe was made in a pressure cooker so I had to adapt it for cooking on the stove in a dutch oven. I'm sure that it could easily be further adapted for use in a crock pot but I've yet to go that far.  I have no idea where the recipe was originally published but just know that it's not a dish that I created. 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

8 green onions (white parts only but save green parts for garnish)

1 small can tomato paste

2-4 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover chicken and yams)

3 tbsp curry powder (or more/less to your taste)

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

3 lbs chicken - boneless, skinless thighs work best but breasts are good too 

1 large red pepper, chopped into small pieces

2-3 yams, chopped into 1 inch pieces 

6 tbsp peanut butter

Directions:

Saute onions, oil, and red pepper in large dutch oven.  Add spices and tomato paste.  Cook until fragrant and then remove from pan.  

Sauté chicken in same pan until no longer pink.  Return spices and sauted items back to pan.  Add chopped yams. 

Cover with chicken broth.  Bring broth to a boil and turn down heat to medium/low.  Cover with lid and cook until yams are tender (about 60-90 mins).  

Spoon some of the liquid into a small bowl and stir in peanut butter until well mixed.  Add mixture back to dutch oven.  Mix stew well (both to stir in peanut butter and to mash up the softened yams.  Add more pb and spices, if necessary. 

Serve over white rice.  

Enjoy!

20 minute chicken dinner

This chicken dish was half of a fabulous meal that I made a few weeks ago.  I'll post the accompanying quinoa salad recipe soon but in the meantime, make this chicken dish!  It met my usual requirements for a quick and easy weeknight supper.

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp grated fresh garlic
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil for sauce plus more to coat the frying pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a cast-iron frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk maple syrup, vinegar, ginger, olive oil garlic, and spices until well blended.  Using a basting brush, coat the chicken (on both sides) thoroughly.  Put the chicken into the cast-iron pan and cover with any remaining sauce.

Put chicken into hot oven and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until your meat thermometer reads 165F. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Panko-crusted parmesan snapper

I almost always know what I am going to make for supper when I leave for work in the morning.  Yesterday was a bit of a challenging morning and I didn't have time to oganize supper plans.  A quick trip to Nesters brought me to the fish department in search of the halibut that was on sale.  Nesters was out of halibut but the snapper was fresh and decently priced.  I came up with this recipe while I was waiting for my fish to be wrapped - a quick review of a few different recipes on the internet showed me that I was on the right track. Scott declared it "the best dinner we've had in awhile".

Ingredients:
2-4 pieces of snapper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp parika
1 tbsp Hazelwood Herb Farms Fish blend (or equal parts dried thyme, parsley, oregano, basil)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg (+ 1 tbsp cream/milk - see note in recipe)
1/2 cup flour
3 pie plates/low pasta bowls

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place flour in a flat pie plate or low pasta bowl.  Beat egg in another flat pie plate (if using 4 pieces of fish, add the cream to the egg to ensure you have enough liquid to coat the 4 pieces of fish). In your third pie plate, mix the panko, parmesan, and spices using a fork to ensure that the spices are evenly distributed.

Dredge each piece of fish in the flour.  Dip floured fish into egg mixture, turning to cover both sides.  Place the floured/egged fish into the parmesan/panko mixture and coat thoroughly.

Grease a baking sheet with 1 tbsp oil or oil spray.  Place fish on baking sheet and into the oven.  Cook for 10 minutes on one side before turning the fish to cook approximately 10 minutes on the other side.  Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Serve with fresh spring asparagus and the tomato/zucchini side dish.  Yum!

Cooking tip - This recipe would work well with any other type of white fish.  I probably wouldn't use it with salmon because that is such a flavorful fish already.

A little update

I'm still getting used to writing this blog and a couple of things have come up:

1. I've changed the comments section so that anyone can leave a comment.  Comments are moderated by me so I still get final approval but at least you can now leave a comment without signing up for a Gmail account.
2. I've tried to set the site to allow updates by mail.  If there are issues with this, please let me know.
3. If you are having trouble searching for a recipe, shoot me an email and I'll help you find it.

I love hearing that people are making some of the recipes that I've posted and I'm happy to share other recipes or food ideas if there is something specific that you are looking for.  Just let me know.

Happy cooking!
Becca

Easy-peasy Sunday night supper

This recipe isn't gourmet but it is really fast to prepare and the results are fabulous!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
1 package Clubhouse Pulled Pork seasoning mix
1 Boneless pork roast - leg or shoulder (size is dependent on your crock pot)

Directions:
Turn your crockpot to high.  Let it warm up while you brown the pork roast in 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Turn the roast so all sides get browned.  Prepare the seasoning mix according to directions on the package.  Place pork roast in crock pot and pour prepared seasoning mix over top.  Cook for 4 - 6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.  Pull the pork apart using two forks - your goal is to shred the meat into strings.  Stir meat into the sauce until well coated.

Serve pulled pork on yummy white buns (or whole wheat if that's your thing) and top with your favorite coleslaw.

Keep lots of napkins handy because this is one messy meal!

Cooking tip - if you are really in a hurry, you can skip the meat browning step.  There are mixed reviews about whether or not browning meat actually increasing flavour.  I am of the opinion that it does but I've read articles to the contrary.  It's your choice.

Cooking tip two - Pork shoulders are a very cheap meat to buy.  It's worth grabbing one to throw in your freezer when they are on sale.

Community Supported Fishing

You could probably say that I grew up on the water.  While I was officially born in Nanaimo, my parents only moved there in the weeks leading up to my birth.  Before that, they lived on Lasqueti Island and made a living log salvaging in the Wee Gordie.

The Wee Gordie is a 40 ft steel tugboat that my dad bought sometime back in the early 1970's.  It carried my parents all around the Georgia Straight and helped my dad earn enough money to support his new family.  Our time on Lasqueti was short-lived but we simply moved onto other, smaller islands from there.

The arrival of my sister Katie and subsequently, Angela, meant the challenges of living without running water or electricity became more than my parents wanted to deal with. We moved permanently onto Vancouver Island, settling first in Nanaimo before my parents found a house to buy in Ladysmith.

While my parents became 'big' islanders, the call of the ocean never left them (or us).  We spent our summers on the Wee Gordie, scouring the beaches of Hornby Island and swimming in Little Tribune Bay.  Many weekends were spent in a small dinghy, fishing for cod off Yellow Point.  I learned to spin cast on Stocking Lake for trout while my sisters played with salamanders at the water's edge.  I raised salmon fry throughout high school to be released in the creeks near Cedar (I even did an internship at the Bamfield Marine Station as a result of my salmon enhancement work).  Family legend has it that I caught my first fish at the age of two.  Most importantly, when finances got tight and the employment world was hard on my parents, the Wee Gordie and the government docks in Ladysmith harbour became our home for one long, cold winter.

All of this is to say that I love the ocean.  The ocean is in my blood, my heart, and my soul. I don't always totally understand how it is that I came to live in the Rocky Mountains but I know that one day, I will return home to the Pacific Ocean.  However, that will likely be many years from now and in the meantime, this girl needs to get her hands on some decent fish!

Not surprisingly, it is difficult to get fresh fish around these parts.  Most of the fish that is sold in the Bow Valley is either frozen or farmed or both.  It's expensive and the quality often leaves little to be desired.  I first heard of Skipper Otto's Community Supported Fishery last year but held off on ordering from them because my dad thought that it was too expensive.  A recent review of salmon prices at a fish market in Calgary reminded me that while Skipper Otto's prices are higher than one would find on Vancouver Island, they are pretty reasonable  for fish sold in Alberta.

After speaking to two of their Alberta customers, I've decided to order a CSF share this year.  They deliver their fish to Alberta in the fall with the possibility of other delivery dates at some point before that.  They also sell CSF shares to folks in Vancouver and Regina. Take a look at their website and see if this is something you'd be interested in.  It seems like a great concept and another fabulous way to support a small food operations.

This week's flyers

A few more shopping tips courtesy of Lisa:

Sobey's:
package of 4 avocados- $2
kiwis- 4/$1
grape tomatoes- $2
sour cream- 500ml- $2

Safeway:
long english cucumber- .99
10lb box delicious oranges- 4.99
Frozen Grade 'A' turkeys - .99/lb
Cheese Whiz - $4.99

Plus, it's 100 Bonus Airmiles week at Safeway.  There are also two other Airmiles coupons floating around the internet - bonus coupons for up to 300 airmiles.

Sticky Chicken

I'm always starving when I get home from work at the end of the day.  I want week night suppers to be easy to prepare and quick to cook.  This recipe from the Dinner with Julie website fits the bill.  I have made a few changes (of course!) and the adapted version is below.


Sweet, Spicy, Sticky Chicken



1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp. sambel oelek or sriracha hot chile sauce (see cooking tips)
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (bone-in can also be used)
Canola, coconut or olive oil, for cooking  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   


In a small saucepan, stir together the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and chile sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced slightly (about 3-5 minutes) . Stir occasionally.


Heat a drizzle of oil in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown quickly on all sides. Pour the prepared sauce over the chicken and stir gently.  Place pan into hot oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, using a meat thermometer to determine if the chicken is done.  


Serve immediately, with rice and veg 


Cooking tips:
1. If you don't like spicy foods, don't worry!  This dish isn't too spicy.  But, you can substitute 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce instead of hot chile sauce if you are worried about spiciness.
2. If you like spicy, buy your sriracha chile sauce at Superstore - it's crazy cheap there.
3. If you use bone-in chicken thighs, you will likely need to cook your chicken for another 5 minutes or so.  Again, your meat thermometer is your friend.  Don't overcook your chicken! 

The Dirty Dozen

I like to buy organic whenever possible.  But, I'm cheap and don't always want to pay the extra price for organic food.  To help ease my guilty conscience about only being able to afford organic food sometimes, I follow the Dirty Dozen list put out by the Environmental Working Group.  I used to carry around the handy wallet card that EWG puts out but they have since developed a free app for Iphones which makes my life just that much easier!

It is still important to do a quick price comparison between the organic and non-organic versions of the Clean 15 foods - there is occasionally only a minimal price difference between the two.  In those instances, I'll always buy the organic produce because I still think that organic is a better option (when possible).

EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce

Dirty Dozen

Buy these organic

1

Apples

2

Celery

3

Strawberries

4

Peaches

5

Spinach

6

Nectarines
– imported

7

Grapes – imported

8

Sweet bell peppers

9

Potatoes

10

Blueberries
– domestic

11

Lettuce

12

Kale/collard greens

Clean 15

Lowest in Pesticide

1

Onions

2

Sweet Corn

3

Pineapples

4

Avocado

5

Asparagus

6

Sweet peas

7

Mangoes

8

Eggplant

9

Cantaloupe
- domestic

10

Kiwi

11

Cabbage

12

Watermelon

13

Sweet potatoes

14

Grapefruit

15

Mushrooms

Hidden Gem

As much as I love making good food to share with family and friends, I really love it when someone else makes good food for me.  To find that good food, I read a lot of restaurant reviews in the newspaper, on blogs, and in magazines.  One of my favourite food magazines is City Palate, published out of Calgary.  City Palate helps me stay on top of local food trends and keeps me informed about new restaurants to check out.

City Palate made note of the Owl St. Kitchen in Banff awhile back.  I can't remember exactly what they said but it received rave reviews.  Then, I heard that Owl St. Kitchen was on John Gilchrist's top 12 list on CBC this past December and I knew that I've have to check it out.  I finally found a chance to go there for lunch yesterday with some friends and it lived up to the hype!

Owl St. Kitchen is in the Banff industrial park (in the old Cozy Cave bakery space on, wait for it, Owl St.).  It is a small three table cafe with decor that leaves a little to be desired. But, the menu is varied and reasonably priced.  There were 6 or 8 sandwich options plus daily lunch specials, including soup and salad.  Everything is made in-house using as many local ingredients as possible.

Lisa and I shared two sandwiches plus we each had our own soup.  We tried the porchetta sandwich on rosemary apple bread and the pulled chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread.  Both sandwiches were AMAZING but I think that the chicken sandwich may have been one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten.  It was filled with spiced nuts, yummy bacon, and a creamy mayo.  While it was the tiniest bit too salty, it wasn't too mayonnaise heavy - a feature that is often overlooked in a chicken salad sandwich.  The soup was heavenly - some type of lentil, roasted apple, maple syrup, yam concoction.  I'd love to get my hands on that recipe! Carrie also had the pulled chicken sandwich with the soup and she was thrilled with her choice.  

The Owl St. Kitchen is a bit out of the way but it is well worth the drive.  I'd highly recommend that you check it out when you are next in Banff.

Well, that was easy!

When I was trying to follow the Whole30 eating plan, I couldn't stop thinking about peanut butter cookies.  I have no idea where that obsessive thought came from but it wouldn't go away.  A little bit of internet research led me to this gluten-free peanut butter cookie dough recipe. I love a good peanut butter cookie but never make them because I find it's a bit of a pain to stir all that flour into the cookie dough (I know, first world problems...).

I've changed it a bit and my adapted version is below.  The original recipe was from the Kraft Canada website.  These are some of the better peanut butter cookies I've had and they probably only take 15 minutes to make (including the 10 minutes in the fridge). They might even be too easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 cup Peanut Butter (smooth or chunky - your choice)

1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar

1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F

2. Mix peanut butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg until well blended.  Dough should stiffen as you stir it.

3. Add chocolate chips and mix. 

4. Let dough sit for 10 minutes in the fridge so that dough becomes more solid.

5. Scope the dough out with a teaspoon and quickly roll it into small balls and place on cookie sheet.  Use parchment paper for ease of clean-up. Flatten dough with a fork.

6. Bake for approximately 14 minutes, checking the cookies at 12 minutes to see if they are lightly browned around the edges (the middle will still be soft - do not overbake!).

7. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.  

8. Store in container for up to one week.  

Enjoy!

  

Registration deadline for CSA

Today is the deadline to sign up for a CSA basket for summer 2012.  Noble Gardens delivers to both Canmore and Calgary on a weekly basis (see my post from Feb 26th for more details about CSA's).  The Canmore delivery is in jeopardy this year because as of two weeks ago, there wasn't enough people signed up to make it financial feasible for the farmers to deliver here from their home in Nobleford.  Please consider joining if you able - half and full shares are available.  I've had a few friends opt to split a half share which is a nice way to go if you are concerned about being able to eat all the veggies.  Registration forms can be found on the Noble Gardens website.

Whole30 Eating Plan

Scott and I have been following the Whole30 eating plan for the past three weeks.  Scott followed it diligently for the better part of the three weeks; I followed it diligently for the better part of three days...

It promotes 30 days of clean eating - no wheat, no dairy, no sugar, no legumes, and no alcohol (amongst other things).  The idea is to reset your digestion and your metabolism.  I'm not sure that I completely buy into the science on their website but I was intrigued enough by the idea to try it out.

I did really well for the first three days and then had a melt-down on the evening of the third day.  I ended up eating some cheese and half an english muffin *gasp*.  I don't do well with severe food restrictions (again, I'm writing this blog simply because I love food!) and it felt good to give myself some freedom within the eating plan.

After I allowed myself a small amount of flexibility within the plan, I've actually found it pretty easy to stick to. I've learned to enjoy the break from carb heavy meals and I've incorporated way more fruits/veggies into my eating habits.  I've discovered that I feel better (which is a hard thing to explain) when I'm eating less dairy and less gluten.  Most importantly, I've appreciated the opportunity to become mindful about my eating habits.  I will never be one to turn away from dairy, wheat, or sugar completely but I'm more conscious of what I put in my body and I'm more aware of the importance of seeing food as fuel, rather than something that just makes you feel good.

The first 30

A month has passed since I started my 30/90 exercise challenge and I'm pleased to say that the first month went really well.  I've done a minimum of 30 minutes of dedicated exercise, every day for the past month....with one exception.  My mom was here for two weeks to help out while our dayhome was closed.  On her last full day here, I tried to maximum the opportunity to get as many errands done as possible.  I loaded up my Matrix twice with bottles to return to the bottle depot and recycling to take to the recycling depot.  I walked around downtown, buying runners and new glasses.  I returned books to the library and met a friend for tea.  I went for dinner with friends and had two lovely glasses of wine.  But, I didn't do 30 minutes of dedicated exercise.  I allowed myself to put errands before exercise time. Loading all those bottles and the recycling were effort but it wasn't the same as making time for myself.  So, one day missed but a big lesson learned.

And if there was ever any doubt about the benefits of exercise (even just a short 30 minute walk), you should watch this video.  It was created by Dr. Mike Evans and it is an amazing illustration of the benefits of exercise.  The video is about 8 minutes long but it may change your perspective on finding time to exercise.  I know that it has changed mine.

Bacon-wrapped turkey meatloaf

We have a Christmas party every year and the theme changes from year to year.  This past December, the party's theme was bacon.  People brought amazing bacon dishes - too many to list here.  A few dishes really stood out and the turkey bacon meatloaf from the Kraft Canada website was one of them.  It was very easy to make and while it used a few processed foods that I normally don't have on hand, I would like to make it again.  Meatloaf  takes awhile to cook in the oven but it's fast to prep and yummy to eat.  When I made this for our party, I used cream instead of milk (because that's what I had excess of) but I wouldn't do that on a normal night.  While the cream made the meatloaf very moist, it certainly raised the fat content!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups milk

1 pkg. (120 g) Stove Top Lower Sodium Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1-3/4 lb. (790 g) lean ground turkey

5 green onions, chopped

1 egg

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 cup Kraft Double Cheddar Shredded Cheese

6 slices bacon

make it

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

ADD milk to stuffing mix in large bowl; stir just until moistened. Add all remaining ingredients except bacon; mix lightly.

SHAPE into 10x6-inch loaf in 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange bacon slices in lengthwise fashion on top of loaf, overlapping slices as necessary to completely cover top.

BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until done (170ºF). Let stand 10 min. before removing from dish and slicing to serve.

NOTE

Allowing the meatloaf to stand before slicing it helps to retain the juices in the cooked meatloaf.

Cooking tip - I turned the broiler on at the very end of the cooking time as I like my bacon very crispy and I felt like the bacon wasn't done enough for me after 60 mins in the oven.  Only leave the meatloaf under the broiler for 2-4 minutes and watch it closely so it doesn't burn.

Shopping tips from Lisa

My girlfriend Lisa is my cheap shopping partner-in-crime.  Lisa knows the prices of many food items and alerts me when there are good deals at Safeway/Sobey's (she's much more diligent at reading flyers than I am!).  We buy food for each other whenever one of us is in Calgary and we take turns hitting the various stores on 10/20% Tuesdays.  So, in honour of Lisa's amazing shopping habits, this post is brought to you by her.  Expect more shopping tips from her in the future.

Deals at Sobey's:

Primo beans - $1/can
Oasis Apple Juice - 4 for $5 (5 x 200ml boxes)
Hot House Tomatoes - $1.25/lb
Avocados - $1/each
Mangos - 2 for $3
Dairyland Sour Cream - $1/each
Catelli Noodles - $1/each

Deals at Safeway:

100 Airlmiles for $100 purchase
Purex Toilet Paper - $4.99 for Double 12 roll (doesn't get cheaper than this!)
Duracell Batteries*- BOGO + 50 Airmiles
4lb bag oranges - $2.99
Gold Seal Tuna - $1.25/each

Happy shopping this week!

A new fav

As I mentioned before, I love using quinoa to make salads.  I've been grain-free for much of the past three weeks but have officially fallen off the Whole30 wagon and am starting to add variety back into my eating habits.  I came across this quinoa salad recipe a few weeks ago and have been dying to make it every since.  I whipped it up tonight for supper with friends, and trust me, it did not disappoint.  The original recipe can be found here but I will post it as well.  So far, I haven't made any major changes and don't know that I will.

Quinoa Salad with Kale and Feta (from Dinner with Julie and Babble)

Adapted from Beyond the Plate, where it was inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s Chard Stuffing. Quantities of each ingredient are up to you, of course – adjust each according to your taste.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup dried cranberries
olive oil, for cooking
a small chunk of purple or white onion, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of kale, thinly sliced (discard the tough ribs)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
a squeeze of lemon (optional)

Using the directions on the package, cook the quinoa for 15 minutes, until just tender and the germ separates, making a little curly Q. Add the cranberries to the pot, cover with a tea towel and the lid, and set aside to cool.

In a medium skillet set over medium-high heat, heat a drizzle of oil and sauté the onion for a couple minutes, until soft. Add the kale the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until wilted. If you like, add a small splash of water to the pan to create steam, and cover for a few minutes (I did not do this step). Season with salt. If you added water, remove the lid and cook until the moisture has cooked off.

Add the kale to the quinoa, along with the feta and almonds. Drizzle with oil (I probably used 1-2 tbsp of my good olive oil) and season with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon, if you like. Toss again and serve immediately. Serves 4.