Sausage and Kale Soup

I recently flew my mom out for a week (bless you Airmiles program!) to help me get ready for baby #2. Because of my pelvic girdle pain, I'm often very limited in my movements and can't be on my feet for long periods of time. My mom came to cook, clean, and watch Lily while I tried to organize around her.

Cinderella and her little helper polish the bassinet...

Trouble is, I'm a bit of a control freak in the kitchen (ok, that might be an understatement) and would barely let her cook anything. She did make batch after batch of muffins when I was at work - these will come in very handy when I'm starving in the middle of the night from breastfeeding and need a quick snack to get me through until morning - but her plans of making spaghetti sauce and other meals were squashed.

Despite my mom's intentions to make food for our freezer, I was pleased that I had a chance to do some cooking while she and Lily played. I made a large batch of this soup and couldn't have been happier with the results. I've made it a few times before but this was the best version yet. The original recipe has been adapted slightly from Chatelaine magazine but fear not, this is honestly a quick and easy soup to whip up.  I used my own stock (I know, I know - I promise to post those instructions soon on making stock...) but store-bought stock will work just fine.

Ingredients:
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
4 large Italian sausages (preferably Spolumbo's)
10 cups chicken broth
2 x 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 x 19 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can tomato paste
1 large bunch of kale, removed from stems and chopped into small pieces
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp Hazelwood Chicken Blend (or each parts dried thyme, oregano, parsley)
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Dice onion and garlic into small pieces.
2. Remove casing from sausage and chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. Coat a large soup pot with olive oil and sauté onions, garlic, and sausage until sausage is no longer pink (about 5-8 mins)
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, chickepeas, and enough chicken broth to cover all ingredients (may be more or less than 10 cups). Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and stir in chopped kale along with seasonings.
6. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until kale is soft.
7. Add salt if necessary and stir well before serving.  Serve in bowls with grainy bread on the side.

Only three weeks to go...

Curried coconut squash soup

'Tis the season for soup. It's cheap and easy to make, especially if you are using your own soup stock (I promise to post instructions soon on how to make stock). It's healthy, nutritious, and warms you up on a cold day.

However, many people (myself included) are hesitant to make soup - thinking that it takes too long or is too complicated. It took me a few years to get over my soup-making anxiety but now I make a pot of soup most weeks during the winter. It stores well in the fridge and can be eaten every day for lunch.

This soup recipe is an amalgamation of various soup recipes that I've tried over the years. Soup recipes should just be considered as guidelines - play around with the ingredients until you get to a soup that works for you and your family.

Ingredients:
2 leeks, chopped into small pieces (only white parts - green parts are thrown away)
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper, chopped into small pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
2-3 yams, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
2-4 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp Hazelwood dried chicken blend (or 1 tsp sage + 1 tsp thyme + 1 tsp marjoram)
8-12 cups chicken stock
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
1/2 - 1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp salt (or to taste)

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in the bottom of a large soup stock pot.
2. Add leeks, garlic, and red pepper to the pot. Sauté over medium heat until soft (about 5 mins).
3. Add cubed butternut squash and yams to pot. Add spices and mix well. Cook 5-8 minutes or until fragrant.
4. Cover with stock (using less or more stock depending on how thick you like your soup) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft.
5. Remove from heat briefly and using an immersion blender, blend the soup into a consistency of your choice.
6. Put soup back onto the heat and add cauliflower. Simmer for 5 minutes or until fork tender.
7. Add coconut milk and salt. Mix well.
8. Serve with hot buttered biscuits - yum!

These buttermilk biscuits are from the Canadian Living website. I didn't change a thing about the recipe and they were absolutely fabulous! One could probably cut back on the butter as a 1/2 cup of butter seems a bit much but why mess with a good thing?!

Roast chicken vs roast beef - cooking tips and tricks

With the chilly winter season upon (at least here in the Bow Valley), my thoughts turn to Sunday dinners and roasted meats. We ate roast beef every Sunday of my childhood and I'm quite fond of a big Sunday night supper. 

While they may take a few hours to cook, making roast beef or roast chicken isn't complicated and there is no need to be afraid! But, I've figured out a few tips that  should hopefully make things even easier for those who want to try a traditional Sunday night supper.  

Roasting rules:

1. Roast beef always takes longer to cook than you might think. The Joy of Cooking (my mom's cooking bible when we were kids) suggests that roast will take 20 mins per pound to cook to medium-rare. This means that a 3 lb roast should cook within an hour. This is simply not true. I've found that roast almost always takes at least 1 1/2 hours to cook to medium rare - even for the small-sized roasts that we get from our farmer. 

2. Chicken always cooks quicker than you expect. Again, the Joy of Cooking recommends 20-25 minutes per pound for birds up to 6 pounds (when cooking at 350 degrees). This means they are suggesting that a 5 lb chicken would take over 1 1/2 - 2 hrs to cook. In reality, it will probably take between 1- 1 1/2 hrs to cook. 

3. Regardless of size, 5-8 lbs chickens and turkeys all seems to cook within 1 1/2 - 2 hrs. They do not need an extra 20 minutes per pound when they are within this size range. It's weird and I don't know why this is but honest, this is how it works.  

4. Using a meat thermometer is the most accurate way to determine if your roast chicken/beef is cooked properly. Start checking for doneness at the lowest end of the cooking time suggestion. Roast beef is medium-rare at 145 degrees and chicken is done when it reads 180 degrees in the breast.

5. Always let your roast chicken/beef rest on the counter for 10-20 minutes after you remove it from the oven. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and makes for a more flavourful meal. Plus, this gives you lots of time to make yummy gravy!

Tortilla Pizzas

One of my last posts talked about quick and easy supper options for times when I don't really feel like cooking. Tortilla pizzas fit within that category too, except that they are super yummy and most people have never heard of them (unlike chicken caesar salad).

I first came across this recipe idea a few years ago - the original calls for a double layer of tortilla + cheese but I've since cut that back to a single tortilla per pizza. Try both and see which one you prefer.

Think of this as more of a recipe idea than an actual recipe - as with any pizza, you can top the tortilla with anything that you like. I'm fond of using fresh spinach and feta or Soppressata salami. Use whole wheat or white flour tortillas. Thinly cover tortilla with bottled pizza sauce or open a can of tomato paste and mix it with olive oil and some dried basil/oregano/garlic powder (in a pinch, jarred tomato pasta sauce works just fine too!). Top with meat or veggies of your choice along with a generous amount of cheese. Place two tortilla pizzas on a cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven.  Check pizzas after 8-10 minutes - pizzas are done when cheese has bubbled and is golden in places. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing.  Serve with salad or raw vegetables.

P.S. These pizzas bake equally well in the BBQ as they do in the oven.

Dad's first guest post: Gluten-free Banana Bread

When my mom came out to visit earlier this year, I subjected her to our Whole 30 eating experiment. While she survived, she (like us) didn't carry on with the gluten-free diet. However, it seems that it got my dad to ponder his eating habits and he's now trying to eliminate gluten from his diet.

My dad was always an equal contributor in the kitchen when I was growing up. Both my parents did shift work which meant that usually only one of them was home to watch us and subsequently, make us dinner. Besides excelling at meat + potato suppers, my dad's other specialty is pastry crust (a skill that I've yet to develop!). Sadly, his pastry making days might be on hold if he sticks to this gluten-free eating but in the meantime, he's working on his gluten-free baking. Here's one of the first recipe that he's successfully adapted - a recipe that he's proud of and wanted to share with others. Happy baking!

Banana Raisin Bread with Chocolate Chips (Gluten and Dairy Free)

A good first gluten-free treat (that’s also made with soy milk). This was adapted from a regular banana bread recipe so it could be made with regular ingredients. I used Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All purpose baking flour. I like it because it is a mixture of 5 kinds of flour which makes a loaf more like we are used to with wheat flour. It slices well and is great with tahini or peanut butter and honey. Xanthan Gum is used to help hold all the different flours together. I sprinkle it on top of the dry ingredients and mix it in well.


Dry Ingredients:
2 cups flour Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free
1½ teaspoons Xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup honey

Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 or 3 ripe bananas mashed
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons sugar for topping

Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, using a whisk to combine thoroughly.
2. Using a wooden spoon, mix wet ingredients in another bowl.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Gently stir together.
4. Pour into loaf pan sprayed with Pam or coated with butter or margarine.
5. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
6. Bake at 350 for about an hour and ten minutes, until golden brown.
7. Cool completely before slicing and enjoying with your choice of topping!

Tired, sore, and uninspired

It's been a month since I last posted a recipe. In that post, I talked about all the cooking that I was doing as a result of my pelvic girdle pain and my friend's new baby. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm has since faded while my pain and discomfort has increased. This has led to a lack of inspiration in the kitchen and a few lackluster supers. But, I'm making a few of my go-to, easy-breezy dinners and while they don't really involve recipes, I thought that I'd share the ideas here, just in case some of you were looking for something quick to make for dinner tonight!

1. Beef tacos - Use one pound of ground beef and a can of black beans with a store bought taco kit . Serve with tomatoes, avocado and green onions. Your choice of hard or soft shells (or try crumbling a hard taco shell into a soft burrito and melting cheese on top prior to adding your beef/beans - yum!)

2. Sloppy joes - Use one pound of ground chicken and a can of Sloppy Joe mix. Serve with squishy buns and top with cheddar cheese and fresh tomatoes. Throw a few cucumber slices on the side for a veggie hit.

3. Chicken Caesar salad - Buy a hot rotisserie chicken from the grocery store along with a package of chopped romaine lettuce (or chop your own lettuce). Mix with a caesar salad dressing of your choice and toss with cheese (whatever you have on hand). Make garlic buns (1 tsbp butter per bun plus a sprinkle of garlic powder - broil until crispy) or cook up a loaf of premade garlic bread.

4. Perogies and sausage - Buy some Italian sausages and frozen perogies from the grocery store. Fry up the sausages while you cook the perogies according to directions. If you like, saute some diced onions in your sausage grease. Top perogies with onions and shredded cheddar. Serve with sour cream.

5. Frozen pizza - stock up when they are on sale and pull them out of the freezer as you need to. Cheaper than ordering pizza but not nearly as good. Fills the void though!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Some parts of this recent pregnancy have been hard on me. I gave up downhill mountain biking for the summer and have sworn off cold beers on the patio until after the wee one arrives. And while these first two items are decidedly first-world problems, my other issue is more of an actual concern.

Since about the 17th week of pregnancy, I've been unable to walk without pain and can't stand on one leg without severe discomfort. I had a similar issue when I was pregnant with Lily but it didn't start until well into my third trimester. Unfortunately, pelvic girdle pain (or SPD, as it is also sometimes called) is a common re-occurrence in second (and subsequent) pregnancies, so I wasn't totally surprised when I developed symptoms this time around. There is not much that I can do about the SPD and while I know that things will improve after I give birth, it is fairly frustrating to be so limited in my movements - at this point, I can't walk longer than about 20 minutes at a time (even at a very slow pace) and I can't participate in many of the physical activities that I normally like to do.

Because I need to find a silver lining in this situation, I've yet again turned to cooking to take my mind off my frustrations. A good friend of mine recently gave birth to her first child and I've been inspired to stock her fridge and freezer with goodies that will fill her (and her husband's) belly while they adjust to parenthood.

Muffins are one of my go-to gifts for new parents. I remember how challenging it was to find time to eat after I gave birth to Lily and muffins became a saviour food for me. I try to make a batch whenever a friend has a baby - baby clothes make great gifts but food is always well received!

I photocopied this recipe many years ago from some un-named cookbook. These muffins are high in fibre, low in fat, and amazingly delicious! They are simple to make and have always turned out well. I wish that I could remember the name of the cookbook so I could give credit where credit is due but I can't. Please just know that this is not an original recipe of mine.

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (approx 4-5 really ripe ones)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Line a muffin pan with paper cup liners
3. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients using a fork or wire whisk
4. In a medium bowl, beat together all the wet ingredients. The mashed banana needs to be really well mixed in.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
6. Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes (or until done)

makes 12