Retreat from Sweets

Banana Ice Cream

We try to stay away from sweets and junk food for the most part. But it does seem like once we start with a little something there is suddenly all these things that come up and we have a three week stint of eating lots of treats. We are coming off one of these stints and so to ease the transition a little, for all of us, I made this banana ice cream. The idea comes from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home cookbook and it is so simple and delicious. Slice some bananas and freeze them on a lined cookie sheet. Once they are frozen you can transfer them to a ziplock bag or container. When you’re ready to eat them, pop them in your food processor, I would think a blender would work as well, and whiz them up until they become creamy. That’s it – it would be really good with a little chocolate sauce – but I think its ideas like that, that seem to keep us on the treat stint so we had it plain.

Menu

Monday: Mediterranean Tuna over Couscous

Tuesday: Curried Potato, Spinach and Garbanzo Bean Soup with Naan Bread

Wednesday: Black Bean Quesadillas with Salad

Thursday: Portobello “Steak” Sandwiches

Friday: Sushi

Saturday: Bruschetta Pasta
Sunday: White Bean Hummus Soup, Toasts, Salad and Brownies with Banana Ice Cream

Weekly Pantry List

Olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, margarine, fresh garlic, capers, curry powder, whole wheat flour, white flour, raisins 

Weekly Grocery List

Parmesan
Cheese (whatever you prefer for quesadillas)
Feta cheese(1/4 cup)
plain greek yogurt (1/3 cup)

sour cream
Olives (1/2 cup)
edamame beans in the shell (two small packages for steaming)
arugula
spinach (need 2 cups packed)
Fresh basil (2 good handfuls)

1 pear
2 red onions
3 onions
1/2 small head of green cabbage
1 lb red potatoes

1 red pepper
1 orange pepper

advocados
1 zuchinni
Portobello mushroom caps (4)
Mushrooms (1 ½ cups)

7 tomatoes (2lb + 3 tomatoes)
3 limes

1 lemon
1 package of powdered mushroom gravy
cilantro
pecan 1/3 cup
salsa
2 cartons veggie stock (need 6 cups)
1 can coconut milk (I use light)
3 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)

1 can kidney beans
2 cans of chickpeas
2 cans of tuna

1 can artichoke hearts

Couscous
300g box of spaghettini

sushi rice
Nori wraps
Whole wheat tortillas

loaf of ciabatta bread
2 baguettes


These are for the sushi filling, you may choose to use different fillings
*shrimp

smoked salmon

capers

cucumber

carrot

avocado

cream cheese

orange pepper

Mediterranean Tuna over Couscous

I can’t get enough of listening to Harper talk these days. Her vocabulary has just exploded! She’ll repeat anything we say and I love listening to her pick up little expressions that we use all the time. Actually (although a little more garbled than that), this is my book. This is one of Hannah’s more commonly used words, actually. She also will yell at me as I pour milk or cereal, “Shwow down mama!” Perhaps we say this to Hannah when she pours things, I’m not sure. There’s really nothing like a little almost two year old parrot to make you accountable for what you say. Although the context is really, really important to be able to understand what she is saying. I often ask Hannah, thinking that there is some sort of secret sister kid code between them and she’ll understand everything Harper has to say. This is not so, Hannah will make up anything; I think she believes in the secret sister kid code too, but mostly she’ll just repeat the garbled sound louder to me. I know that soon I will understand almost everything no matter the context and I’ll probably, at times, long for the silent days but for now, I’m drinking up every little garbled word.

Recipe

On Mondays I often end up having to make up some dish because I shop on Tuesdays but don’t plan for Mondays. I know it doesn’t really make sense because there is usually not very much food left, but it forces me to use up what we have. This is exactly what happened today when I made up this meal. It was actually a fairly big hit and a definite make again for us.

½ red onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cups of mushrooms, sliced

4 large cloves of garlic, chopped fine

½ cup olives, chopped

3 Tbsp capers

2 tomatoes chopped

2 cans of tuna

¼ cup feta

2 artichoke hearts (from a can)

1 cup of couscous

½ lemon, the juice of

3 Tbsp olive oil

olive oil

red wine vinegar

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and then add the red onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add the red pepper and mushrooms, sauté for a few minutes and then add the garlic. Cook until the veggies are tender and add olives, capers, tomatoes, tuna, feta, artichoke hearts, lemon juice and 2 Tbsp olive oil and stir until all is heated through.

Boil 1 cup of water and pour over couscous, put the lid on and let stand for 5 minutes. Once the five minutes is up fluff with a fork and then top with the tuna mixture. I then dressed each one with ½ tsp of red wine vinegar and 1 tsp of olive oil.

I think that if you were not a big tuna fan this would also be very yummy with chickpeas.

Curried Potato, Spinach and Garbanzo Bean Soup with Naan Bread

Ever since Hannah was little she’s had this obsession (and I don’t really think that I’m exaggerating with the word obsession) that she has to watch people leave. She watches anyone leaving the house, we had hardwood floors put in a couple of months ago and every time one of the installers left she would watch them go. Lately there’s the odd time that she doesn’t watch people go, usually if she’s really engrossed in something and doesn’t want to tear herself away, but it makes me kind of sad. It use to be this constant, like she needed to watch you get away safely or send you off with an excited wave and a smile. Yesterday my Dad came over to watch the girls so I could go do a little shopping with my mom and grandma. I left and no one even came to the door, they both just yelled, “Bye!” I was glad that they were so excited to spend some time with my dad but was a little sad that they didn’t even give me a hug and kiss. Plus, Hannah didn’t run to the living room window to watch me go. Mom and I were just discussing this and I looked up and saw Hannah standing in her bedroom window looking down, watching me go and my heart fluttered, she gave me an excited wave and smile and I felt that I got away safely.

Recipe

This recipe comes from the epicurious website where it was rated 3 ½ forks out of 4. Dave, Harper and I loved it but Hannah is not a big curry fan. I don’t ever make separate suppers except when we have curry. I know that Hannah doesn’t like it and it is such a distinct flavour that I don’t feel I can make her it eat when I know she doesn’t like it. She does always try it though.

You’ll notice that in the photo you can’t see any spinach, I completely forgot to add it, but I’m sure it would have been really yummy.

2 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

4 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

5 tsp curry powder

1 pound small red-skinned potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk (I use light)

2 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves (about 3 ounces)

Transfer 1/3 cup garbanzo beans to small plate. Using fork, mash beans to paste.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add curry powder; stir 10 seconds. Add potatoes and stir to coat. Add broth, coconut milk, whole garbanzo beans and mashed garbanzo beans. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 18 minutes. Add spinach (if you can remember); stir until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Naan Bread

I’ve already posted this recipe here. I prefer to use whole wheat flour when I can and so I used 1 cup of white all purpose and 1 ½ cups of whole wheat flour this time and it worked out really well.

Quesadillas

So, we’re at that stage where it takes Harper an hour to go to sleep no matter what time we put her down or the time and length of nap she has had during the day. She sometimes fights her naps and so I have even tried letting her go without, but she’ll usually then crash at four o’clock. I think some of it may stem from the amount she’s learning these days because often when she lies down at night she can’t stop talking. I’ll say (many times a night), “No more talking its time to try and sleep,” she always says, “O.K. Mommy,” and then she continues to mumble and whisper talk to herself until finally an hour and a half later I wake up and she’s finally fallen asleep (she out lasts me every time). I know this too will pass, and I suppose I am getting a little extra rest in the meantime.

Recipe

I think that most of us have our own recipe for quesadillas, really that’s the great thing about them you can throw in whatever you like with a little cheese, cook them up and dip them in a little salsa and they’re always good.

Whole wheat tortillas

1 zucchini, grated

1 ½ cups or more cheese, grated (whatever kind you like or have)

1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

½ red onion, sautéed

½ orange pepper, diced

½ cup cilantro, chopped

salsa, guacamole (recipe on this post), sour cream for dipping

Heat up the sandwich maker, put a little of everything on half a wrap, fold it over and cook it in the sandwich maker. Alternatively you can bake them in the oven or cook them in a lightly oiled pan over low heat until they brown and the cheese is melted.

Portobello “Steak” Sandwiches

This morning I was sitting in the kitchen having my coffee and listening to the girls play in the livingroom. They play so well together in the morning. I love how everyday is a fresh new start for them, they never really seem to be concerned or tainted by what may have happened the day before. They also haven’t really had many frustrations mounted on their patience yet, and so things seem to roll easily off their backs as they play. This morning they were playing sleep, Hannah was reading stories to Harper. I love listening to Hannah read the stories from memory to Harper, if she accidentally changes a word she goes back and corrects herself. After story time Hannah tucked Harper in on the loveseat and then curled up to sleep on the couch. It was quiet for a minute and then Hannah would say to Harper, “Do you mind if I come into bed with you, I’m lonely?” “Ahw,” which is how Harper says yes, and then they cuddled up on the loveseat together. This lasted about a minute and then the whole process started over again. This game lasted for half an hour, sheer bliss for me.

Recipe

4 Portobello mushroom caps

½ red onion

1 loaf of ciabatta bread

2 packages of edamame beans, in the pod

½ small head of green cabbage

1/3 cup olive oil and more for drizzling

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp margarine

salt and pepper

1 package Club House mushroom gravy (I so cheated here), prepared*

*Use whatever brand you like just check the ingredients to be sure that its veggie, you’ll notice that some of the meat flavours are actually all made with soy products and artificial flavours. Honestly these aren’t really very good for you, but sometimes it’s just too much to make it from scratch. 

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place the mushroom caps down in a shallow baking dish, mix the olive oil, balsamic, garlic and mustard in a jar and then pour over the mushrooms. Swirl the mushrooms around in the sauce flipping a couple of times so that they are fairly covered. Bake in the over for 15 to 20 minutes (until they are very tender) flipping part way through.

Slice onions thin and sauté in a pan with a little olive oil over low heat until caramelized.



We just share these, family style.

Steam edamame beans according to package directions. Eat them as is or drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Steam cabbage (I also added the leftover shredded zucchini I had in the fridge) for about 10 minutes, until tender, and then toss with 2 tsp of margarine and season with salt and pepper.

Once Mushrooms are ready take them out and put the broiler on. Cut the loaf of ciabatta in half and slice one side open and cut it in half again so that you have 4 pieces. Place the bread on a pan and drizzle each with olive oil. Place under the broiler until golden brown.

If I could reach my BBQ I would have grilled the mushrooms and the bread but there is still a huge mountain of snow in front of it.

Place the bread on the plate and top with the mushroom, some onions and some of the gravy.

Sushi

Fridays are just so lovely. The sun is shining today, the snow is melting and we’re wearing rubber boots. Dave’s parents bought me these great rubber boots for my birthday two years ago and I am in love with them. These are the first rubber boots I have owned since I was a kid. I love how they look; pink with brown horses, tall and a buckle at the top – they are very cute. But it’s the freedom that they bring that has me smitten. Rubber boots are so liberating, especially when you live somewhere that has mountains of snow to melt come spring. I find that I walk like the kids when I wear them, looking for puddles. It’s like they come with a little water magnet inside the toes and you just can’t help yourself from steering your feet into a puddle. Once you’re in said puddle you need to splash a little, or at least kick up your feet a little to celebrate!

Recipe

We’ve never really made sushi before but I had it last weekend at a friends and she told me that it was, to quote her, “stupid easy” to make. Hannah loves sushi and so I thought that this would be a fun Friday night dinner. The process was really, “stupid easy” and both girls helped. Harper mostly ate her weight in rice while Hannah carefully chose her fillings and rolled hers. Ours were definitely not traditional since the girls chose what went in them. If you’re looking for some traditional combination of fillings the web has a million or just check out your sushi take out menu.

Rolling mat (I got mine at the grocery store for $2, you can get much nicer ones for more)

sushi rice, prepared following package directions

nori wraps

shrimp

smoked salmon

capers

cucumber

carrot

avocado

cream cheese

basil

tomato, deseeded

orange pepper

These were the fillings we used; our avocados had actually gone bad when we cut into them so we didn’t use them. Slice all your veggies in fine strips; you could shave the carrot with a peeler, and lay out so they’re ready to use. When the rice is ready lay it out on a platter and cover with a damp tea towel to stop it from drying out.

Lay your Nori on your mat, shiny side down, and spread evenly with rice being sure to leave about an inch at the end to seal it. Choose your fillings and place about ¾ of the way up on your wrap, roll – tucking the fillings in with your fingers and rolling with your thumbs. Once you get to the end of the roll press down to be sure that it’s sealed and then you can slice them into rounds with a sharp, wet knife.

The instructions are on the back of the package of the nori wraps, with pictures if you find mine hard to follow.

Bruschetta Pasta

I’m exhausted today and I’m not too sure why. I feel the kind of tired like I’ve been doing home renovations all day or something. Dave and I have been talking at length about new cars and did take a few for a test drive today so maybe that’s it. I’ve also had this annoying cold all week that I’ve been fighting so it could be that as well. But there was this wonderful calm over the house this evening. After supper, there was still sunlight and although I was so tired it gave me this wonderful subdued kind of energy. Harper fell asleep early, having skipped her nap today – she’s such a rebel, and when I put her little sleeping body in her bed her room was still light. There’s something that I find so comforting about putting my children to bed and having it still be light out. It may be because it usually follows a day of running around outside, breathing in fresh air. Hannah played on her own quietly with her doll house while Dave and I sat and chatted on the couch. I loved how she kept peeking at us, trying not to make too much noise, because she knew it was past her bedtime.

Recipe

This recipe is so simple, quick and good. It kind of tastes like summer to me and it only takes about 20 minutes from start to table.

Olive oil

4 good quality, ripe tomatoes (about 2lb)

4 cloves of garlic, pressed

2 handfuls of fresh basil

parmesan cheese

1 300g box spaghettini (whole grain)

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Chop tomatoes and basil and mix in with garlic. Once pasta is cooked, strain keeping a little bit of the cooking water in the pot (couple tablespoons), add the pasta back to the pot and add a glugg of olive oil and toss together. Top each serving of pasta with tomato mixture and some parmesan cheese.

White Bean Hummus Soup, Toasts and Salad with Banana Ice Cream and Brownies

I was putting Harper to bed tonight and she was playing and talking and I was getting annoyed. It wasn’t her fault, we’d only been in there for about ten minutes I’m just not very patient tonight. So I asked her nonchalantly, “Do you just want to go to sleep on your own tonight?” she replied yes or ahw as she says. So now I’m sitting in our room listening to her talk to herself waiting for her to call me back in. Wouldn’t it be amazing if she just fell asleep on her own? I think I would be so excited I wouldn’t know what to do with myself…and also a little sad too. I’m quite certain I will be in there before the end of the evening. I was called in there immediately after I wrote that, and I have to admit I was a little disappointed and a little happy all at the same time.

Recipe

We had Sunday dinner at our house this week but I forgot to take photos. The recipe for the soup is from Keep It Simple Foods. It was really simple and had a nice flavour. I served little toasts with some of the leftover cream cheese mixed with a little sour cream and dill, leftover smoked salmon (from the sushi) and capers as an appetizer.

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion

3 cloves of garlic

3 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 limes, the juice and the rind

2 cups of veggies broth

a handful of chopped cilantro

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium low and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the beans, lime rind and cilantro and cook for a minute, then add the stock and lime juice, cover and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat and simmer for another 5 minutes, blend with hand blender or in a food processor until smooth and serve.

Toasts

2 baguettes

olive oil

cracked black pepper

Cut baguette in ½ inch slices drizzle with olive oil (fairly generously), sprinkle with cracked black pepper and toast in the over until golden. I made extra to go with the appetizer.

Salad

Arugula

1 pear

½ cup toasted pecans

grated parmesan cheese

raisins

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Honey

Salt and pepper

Toss the first five ingredients together and drizzle with the olive oil, vinegar and honey (3 parts olive oil, 1 part vinegar and drizzle of honey). Toss.

Have a wonderful week - may the sun shine down on you!

Simple

Apple Sauce

There is something so brilliant and simple about homemade apple sauce. It’s one of those things that I used to often buy pre-made, because really what can they add to applesauce? Then we made some, and it was so much better, like the inside of an apple pie. It’s really so simple, quick and the girls love, love, love it! All I do is peel and core the amount of apples we want (1 per serving) put it in a sauce pan with a little water and lemon juice and let it simmer until soft, about 10 minutes depending on how many apples you have. When it’s ready I take it off the stove and whiz it up with the hand blender. I pour it into bowls and add a little cinnamon. If we’re in a real hurry, like bedtime snack, I do it in the microwave for a minute or two instead of on the stove.

Weekly Menu

Monday: Lentil Taco Salad

Tuesday: Creamy Leek, Potato and Mushroom Stew with Blue Cheese*

Wednesday: Bunless Veggies Burgers with Caprese Salad

Thursday: Baked Salmon with Dill Sauce, Colcannon Mash, Baked Asparagus, Grated Carrot Salad, Irish Soda Bread and Shamrock Shakes

Friday: Pizza and Salad

Saturday: Quiche and Fruit

Sunday: Baked Pickerel, Peas and Corn, Asparagus, Ziti Salad with Bread and a Rhubarb Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

*This is a crock pot meal

Weekly Pantry List

Olive oil, vegetable oil, margarine or butter, balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, baking soda, dried thyme leaves, 3 slices of whole grain toast, flour (white and whole wheat), yeast, sugar, mint extract, green food colouring (optional), fresh garlic

Weekly Grocery List

Mozzarella or provolone cheese (for pizza)

Cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)

Blue Cheese (3 oz)

Buffalo Mozzarella Pearls

Milk

Whipping cream (the consensus was that it wasn’t needed)

Eggs

Vanilla Ice Cream

Frozen puff pastry

Olives (for pizza)

Salmon fillet (enough for all)

Mushrooms (about 3 cups plus 1 lb)

Carrots

Cherry tomatoes

Fresh basil

Fresh mint

Leeks (2 large)

4 celery stalks

Green onions

1 onion

2 red onions

Potatoes (1 ½ pounds + 2 to 3)

Scallions

Green cabbage (small)

Red pepper (1/2)

Yellow pepper (1/2)

Asparagus

3 Tomatoes

Romaine lettuce

Fruit

Micro sprouts (such as alfalfa, broccoli, or onion) – need 1 cup

1 lime

2 lemon

Cilantro

Vegetable broth (need 1 cup)

1 28 oz can tomatoes

1 can artichoke hearts

2 19 oz cans of chickpeas

Package taco seasoning, low sodium (1/2 package)

Whole wheat tortilla wraps

Lentil Taco Salad

How is it, that one little hour can mess up a toddlers schedule so much? We sprung forward this weekend, all of us except for Harper. She skipped her nap Sunday and tonight she took over an hour to get to sleep. I really hope that this straightens itself out soon or else our whole schedule’s going to be shifted until fall. Which will be a problem since Hannah’s schedule seems to be right on track. The extra light and warm temperatures today do kind of make up for it. I feel that light spring feeling and am considering coming off winter strike to enjoy it. I’ve even planned one of our summertime meals to celebrate the occasion.

Recipe

Instead of buying tortilla chips we toast up the wraps so that they’re nice and crispy and then we don’t end up eating a bag of tortillas.

1 cup dry lentils

½ package taco seasoning, low sodium

4 cups Romaine lettuce, washed and torn

½ red pepper, chopped

½ yellow pepper, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

½ cup cilantro, chopped

½ cup cheddar cheese, grated

4 whole wheat tortillas wraps

juice of 1 lime

salt

3 Tbsp olive oil

Put the lentils in a pot, cover with water and boil until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. While the lentils are cooking put all your veggies in a boil, and dress with the juice of a lime and olive oil (you could add a clove of garlic crushed if you like). Once lentils are ready, drain the water leaving about ½ cup in with the lentils and add the taco seasoning. Simmer, stirring often, until most of the liquid is gone and lentils are seasoned and saucy. Toast both sides of tortillas under the broiler for a minute or two, watching very closely, they will be golden brown and bubbly.

Place 1 cup of lettuce in each bowl; top with ¼ of the veggies (being sure to spoon some of the dressing over), lentils, cheese, the crumbled tortilla and toss.

Creamy Leek, Potato and Mushroom Stew with Blue Cheese

We had a meeting with an interior designer this evening about our house. We have so many plans for our house and need a little help with the vision of it all before we start chipping away at it. The meeting did put a few things into perspective for us; we have more vision than we thought. We want to take a few walls out and redo the kitchen, for starters, but I am having trouble picturing how the kitchen will be set up once the walls are down. Honestly the kitchen is the most important room to me, I spend a lot of time in there and I want to make sure that we do it right. I think we’ve decided to try it on our own first, by buying a computer program where we can input our house and then play around with it and remove walls, set up kitchens, even input furniture. I have to be honest, I don’t really have much interest in computer/video games but this just sounds like so much fun!

After our meeting we went to my mom and dad’s place for dinner and they made this wonderful stew/soup with sour dough rye bread and Greek salad – it was very yummy!

Recipe

The recipe is from The 150 best Slow Cooker Recipes. Only part of the whipping cream was added, but we all decided that it wasn’t really necessary.

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 large leeks, white part only, cleaned and thinly sliced

4 stalks celery, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 lb mushrooms, quartered

1 28 oz can tomatoes, including juice, coarsely chopped

1 cup vegetable stock

2 to 3 potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

3 oz blue cheese

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks and celery and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, thyme, pepper, salt and cook stirring for 1 minute. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they are well integrated into mixture. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil.

Place potatoes in stoneware. Add contents of pan and stir.

Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours, until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream (if using) and cheese. Cover and cook on High for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted into sauce and mixture is hot and bubbling.

Bunless Burgers and Caprese Salad

I think I’m coming off winter strike. I even went for a run with a friend outside this evening. I really didn’t want to go, she’s on an inside strike, and I was wishing she’d cave and we’d go to the gym but I’m so glad that she didn’t. It felt so great to be outside! I have actually played outside with the kid this week, because Harper can’t go out on her own and I didn’t want to put them on strike as well, but I haven’t really felt that light, free feeling out there…could be the ski pants! I’m not sure if it was the fresh air, the run, the great company or a combination of all but I felt that light, free, spring feeling to the point where I can’t wait to get out there again. I enjoyed my run so much more, instead of trying to zone out I was focused in on how my leg muscles felt with each landing of my foot, in a good way. That familiar addiction to running is coming back; oppose to the habit, obligation and determination that I has been driving me lately. Thank you my good friend!

Recipe

Bunless burger? I know it sounds a little odd but not so odd that you shouldn’t try it. You probably want to have a napkin near buy for your messy fingers. This recipe is from 101 Cookbooks and she claims to have cracked the code on veggie burgers. She thinks that the bean patty mixed with the bun makes the burger too dry so has used the burger as the bun. I really like these but do still like other burgers that include the bun as well. Give these a try and see what you think.

2 ½ cups sprouted garbanzo beans or canned, drained and rinsed

4 large eggs

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 onion, chopped

grated zest of 1 large lemon

1 cup micro sprouts (try broccoli, onion or alfalfa)

1 cup toasted (whole grain) bread crumbs

1 Tbsp olive oil (or clarified butter), you may need more for cooking

If you are using sprouted garbanzo beans steam until just tender, about 10 minutes. Puree the beans in a food processor until crumbly and then stir in eggs and salt. Once the mixture resembles a chunky hummus add cilantro, onion, lemon zest and sprouts and mix. Stir in the bread crumbs and let it sit for about 10 minutes to let the bread crumbs absorb some of the mixture. Form mixture into 12 mini burgers, I did this ahead and placed them on parchment paper, covered them and set them in the fridge for a couple of hours, or you could cook them right away.

Ground chickpeas before adding the egg.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium low heat and put in four burgers, cover and let cook for 7 to 10 minutes until the bottoms are browned (turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes) flip and cook covered for another 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack while cooking the remaining burgers. Carefully cut each patty in half and insert your favourite fillings. We used some leftover roasted garlic mayonnaise, avocado, tomato, sliced pickle and arugula/spinach mix.

Tomato Caprese Skewers

I found these at Carla’s Tasty Treat and they just looked so good and summery I had to try them. I didn’t make them into little skewers (on toothpicks) like she did simply because I thought it would be bad news for Harper so I chopped everything up in salad form. It did taste like summer!

Cherry tomatoes

Buffalo mozzarella, I used the pearls

Fresh basil

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Slice cherry tomatoes in half and then string a toothpick with half a tomato, a pearl of cheese wrapped in a basil leaf, and then another half tomato. Once all your skewers are done drizzle them with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Alternatively, if you have little ones who need the tomatoes chopped for them to avoid chocking, chop everything up in a bowl and dress with the olive oil and balsamic.

  

Baked Salmon with Dill Sauce, Colcannon Mash, Baked Asparagus, Grated Carrot Salad, Irish Soda Bread and Shamrock Shakes

May you always walk in sunshine.

May you never want for more.

May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Well, I suppose it has passed already but I hope you had a great one. We had a lot of fun, I may have worked the kids up for it a little too much because when Hannah got up and saw Dave going to work she was so confused, “Why are you going to work today Daddy? It’s St. Patrick’s Day!”

We ate St. Paddy’s Day cookies, wore green and talked about leprechauns. We also made some traditional Irish food for dinner. I thought it was quite funny that the recipes for the soda bread that I looked at all said to mark the top with a cross (not an x) to let the steam escape the top, is that to protect it from evil spirits as well?

I went to a wonderful St. Paddy’s Day party at my aunt and uncle’s house. They have one every year and it’s always fun, of course it is, it’s a household of Irish (with the exception of a couple of honorary Irish and one Scot – who wore orange instead of green)!

Recipes

Hannah loves salmon, or at least she did, but the past couple of times that we’ve had it she hasn’t eaten it. She claims it’s the sauce or topping so I kept this salmon plain and made a side sauce to see if she would eat it. She did eat it all up.

1 salmon fillet (the size you need for your group)

¼ cup of olive oil for drizzling (really this varies the size of fillet you have)

I laid the fish out on a foil lined pan and drizzled it with olive oil and then baked it at 425 for about 10 minutes.

Sauce

¼ cup light mayonnaise

½ cup light sour cream

1 ½ Tbsp dill

a dash of salt

Mix all ingredients together and serve on the side of the fish.

Baked Asparagus

Bunch of asparagus

¼ cup olive oil

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper

Spread the asparagus out in an oven proof dish and drizzle over the olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 425F for 10 minutes.

Colcannon

This recipe comes from a site called YOURIRISH.  I don’t ever remember eating boiled cabbage and the thought of it sounds awful to me, like it should be categorized with overdone food. I steamed the cabbage for the colcannon and added a little margarine, salt and pepper – yum, it’s so good and I have half a cabbage left so you’ll be sure to see it next week at some point.

1 ½ lbs potatoes

½ cup of milk

1 ½ cups of steamed green cabbage or curly kale

1 Tbsp butter

Salt and Pepper

Chop the cabbage and steam until tender and then mix in the butter and season with salt and pepper.

Boil the potatoes and then add the milk and mash. Once the potatoes are mashed mix in the cabbage and season again to taste.

Irish Soda Bread

The recipe for the bread comes from Irelandseye.com and was very easy and delicious, but don’t do like me and flour the whole pan and then place the bread only in the center because, and I know this will surprise you, the rest of the flour will burn and fill the house up with smoke!

4 cups of plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sugar

2 cups buttermilk or sour milk

Preheat oven 450F.

Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Scoop up handfuls and allow to drop back into the bowl to aerate the mixture. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Now work quickly as the buttermilk and soda are already reacting. Knead the dough lightly – too much handling will toughen it, while too little means it won’t rise properly.

Form a round loaf about as thick as your fist. Place it on a lightly-floured baking sheet and cut a cross on the top with a floured knife. Put at once to bake near the top of pre-heated oven. When baked, the loaf will sound hollow when rapped on the bottom with your knuckles. Wrap immediately in a clean tea-towel to stop the crust hardening too much.

Grated Carrot Salad

My mom actually brought the salad and I realized too late before posting that I didn’t have the recipe in here so I’ve adapted one from Foodgeeks.

5 to 6 carrots, grated

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

¼ cup mint

Salt and pepper to season

Pizza and Salad

It's time to play the music

It's time to light the lights

It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.

It's time to dress up right

It's time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight.

Why do we always come here

I guess we'll never know

It's like a kind of torture

To have to watch the show

And now let's get things started

Why don't you get things started

It's time to get things started

On the most sensational insoirational celebrational Mupperational

This is what we call the Muppet Show

Every Friday night we have movie night. Hannah use to pick, but now we take turns to avoid watching Little Einstein’s every night. We all do love to watch Planet Earth and often will pick one of those – they’re so amazing and interesting. Clearly we chose the Muppet Show this Friday. It’s fun to be able to watch something that we enjoyed as kids and can still enjoy as adults. We’ve all been singing this song since we decided to watch The Muppet Show and can’t seem to get it out of our heads, so I thought I’d share – cruel I know.
Dinner was pizza again. I know we have this almost every Friday but seriously we all love it. This week we topped it with onions, mushrooms, olives, and artichoke hearts and then I had all this dribs and drabs of cheese left, buffalo mozzarella, creamy feta and some regular mozzarella. We also finished up the rest of the carrot salad.

Again if you need a dough recipe you’ll find one on this week’s menu.

Quiche and Fruit Salad

It was raining and I couldn’t see the moon, did you see the moon tonight? I’m always amazed when things like this happen and suddenly the world is small. I remember when I was a kid and we moved to Belgium for a couple of years when I was twelve. We went to an international school on the military base there and met different kids from all around the world. It was then that I realized we were all the same (and of course different). We may have spoken different languages, ate different food and celebrated different holidays but we were all human with the same basic needs and a lot of the same basic wants (I’m not suggesting that we all get these met, or in the same way). Sometimes I live in my own little Canadian world and even though with all the new technology I know that the world has really become a village it still seems so big and vast – I mean it’s the whole world. Then something as simple as the moon seems to bring the whole world together. It reminds me that although we may be scattered across thousands and thousands of miles we are all of one planet, one world and all able to share the sight of a super moon.

Recipe

I’ve already put a recipe for quiche on this week’s menu; I did use some different veggies in this one. I had left over colcannon and asparagus from Thursday and so I lined a pan with the a sheet of puff pastry, spread on the colcannon, placed a layer of asparagus, a layer of grated cheese and then covered it all with 6 eggs, beaten. We used some of the left over dill sauce for dipping and I was very excited and satisfied to have used up the leftovers.

Baked Pickerel, Peas and Corn, Asparagus, Ziti Salad with Bread and a Rhubarb Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

It’s the first day of spring today. New birth, new beginnings, let us come out of the darkness and let the light shine upon us! I always feel like bursting out of the doors the first day of spring, shaking off the cave of the house where we have been hibernating all winter long and letting the sun shine down on me. It’s actually raining today but that doesn’t really matter because it’s true this time. It’s really true, this time spring is really coming and the snow will melt and I will once again be able to feel the grass on my feet, grounding me to the earth and at the same time letting my spirit feel light and airy.

We had dinner at my parents tonight and Hannah and I splashed home in our rubber boots. I don't have the recipes to share for supper so instead I will share a picture of my Irish darlings!

Happy St. Paddy's Day

I wanted to mention this wonderfully delicious sandwich that Dave made for lunch on Sunday. We had these pears that needed to be used up and so he poached them in a little red wine, sautéed some red onion and toasted some wholegrain bread. He then spread some creamy feta on the toast and layered on the onion, pear, some arugula and then drizzled a tiny bit of honey over it all. It was very yummy and not at all boring.

Meal Plan

Monday: Sicilian Seafood Stew

Tuesday: Poached Egg on Potato Pancakes with Greek Salad

Wednesday: Veggie Pot Pie and Salad

Thursday: Easy Bake Enchilada or check out the St. Paddy’s Day Plan

Friday: Roasted Veggie Sandwiches with Zucchini Fries

Saturday; Real Mushroom Soup, Toasted Ciabatta and Edamame Beans

*Sunday: We were invited to a birthday party!

Weekly Pantry List

Flour, baking powder, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, mayonnaise, butter, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, pecans, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes or cayenne, oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaf, marjoram, chilli powder, ground cumin, black pepper, capers, fresh garlic (you will need more than one full head),

Weekly Grocery List

Ricotta cheese

1 small round brie cheese

Plain yogurt

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)

Creamy feta (this is for a salad – any cheese or no cheese would be alright too)

Marscapone cheese (I didn’t use this I used some ricotta instead)

6 oz of smoked salmon

1 sheet of puff pastry

eggs

Black Olives

½ lb scallops

½ lb shrimp (the recipe calls for ½ lb but I use 1 lb)

olives

fresh thyme

arugula/spinach mix

strawberries (handful)

6 small red potatoes

2 red onion

6 onions

mushrooms (2 cups)

a small handful of dried porcini mushrooms

600g mixed fresh wild mushrooms

3 celery sticks

3 green pepper

2 red pepper

2 zucchini

3 carrots

1 parsnip

green beans (3 cups)

4 apples

3 lemons

flat leaf parsley

1 package dry figs

1 ½ cup brown lentils

Shake and Bake

Veggie Stock (8 ½ cups)

bottled clam juice (2 cups)

2 - 28 oz can tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes

19oz can of red kidney beans or black beans

large whole wheat tortillas

5 triangular ciabatta buns (or a crusty bun/bread of your choice), sliced open

Sicilian Seafood Stew and Salad

Mondays are swimming days. It’s wonderful to have preschool age children and be a stay at home mom because swimming can take place in the afternoon. The pool is very quiet and the classes are small. Hannah has a really great teacher who is lots of fun and works really well with the diverse little group of 3-5 year olds in the class. The down side of having preschool aged kids is that I have to go in with Harper. Something about having to go in a pool in winter that makes me cold, cranky and tired (although her little smiling face does make up for a lot of this). But what really makes up for it is that swimming day also means bath day. There is nothing better in the whole world than two freshly bathed little girls cuddling on your lap reading stories in their cozy jammies before bed. I’ll be honest by the end of the day I’m usually looking forward to the kids bed time (to be fair I look forward to seeing them in the morning too), but tonight I was a little reluctant and a little sad when it was time to go up to bed.

Recipe

This one is from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. It’s a little more like a soup than a stew. It’s really simple, tasty and quick. We all really like it although; you can tell the difference in age and experience of the girls from what’s left in their bowl. Both girls were full before finishing their entire bowls, Harper had just a smaller portion of stew left, Hannah was sure to eat up all the shrimp and scallops when she was starting to get full leaving only the broth and a few peppers!

1 cup chopped onion

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup chopped celery

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, pressed

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne

1 tsp dried oregano (2 tsp fresh)

1 tsp dried basil (2 Tbsp fresh)

1 tsp dried marjoram (2 tsp fresh)

2 cups bottled clam juice

3 cups undrained canned tomatoes, chopped or crushed (28 oz can), or 4 cups undrained chopped fresh tomatoes

½ cup red wine

½ pound scallops, rinsed

½ pound fresh or frozen shelled shrimp (I use 1 pound)

juice of 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp)

ground black pepper to taste

lemon wedges

capers, rinsed and drained (optional)

chopped olives (optional)

In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil over high heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the celery and bell peppers and sauté, stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne, oregano, basil, and marjoram. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the clam juice, tomatoes, and wine. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the scallops and shrimp, and cook until the scallops are no longer opaque and the shrimp are just tender pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with pepper to taste.

Serve with lemon wedges, and top each serving with a sprinkling of capers and/or crushed black olives if desired.

We started with a lovely little salad and then sopped up the rest of the stew with a nice piece of whole wheat rye bread from Stella’s Bakery – Yum!

Salad

For the salad I just tossed together some arugula, slice strawberries, creamy feta, a hand full of toasted pecans, sunflower seeds and almonds and then I topped it with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and maple syrup.

Poached Eggs on Potato Pancakes with Greek Salad

Its funny how a day can go along so calmly and then it seems like it all comes crashing down and you’re running around at the last minute trying to do everything and get out the door for a meeting at the same time. The meeting? It was a meeting, or more an information session, at the school for kindergarten next year. I can’t believe that Hannah is going to start school next year. I know that she is ready, more than ready really, I’m just not sure if I am (as I’ve been told, it’s not actually about me). I’m sitting in the meeting half listening to the principal sell the French immersion experience (which I’m already sold on, being a French immersion child myself) and looking at all these wonderful images of smiling school age children flashing across the screen and I realize that she’ll be school age. It’s like I feel like I can try and maybe slow down the aging of my children when they’re at home safe with me, but once they enter school that’s it, time just slips away and before you know it you’re sitting at that little kindergarten graduation and then you blink and you somehow find yourself at their grade twelve graduation. So now I’m panicky, not at all hearing what the principal has to say and trying not to break down crying. Luckily the principal stopped talking and turned our attention over to the kindergarten teacher which pulled me out of my little world and allowed me to refocus. I know it’s crazy; you can’t slow down time you need to enjoy the moments as they come, live in them and appreciate them, but sometimes I’m running around trying to do everything and get out the door at the same time and I forget to do that!

Recipe

For the salad I just chopped up a tomato, 1/3 of an English cucumber, ¼ cup red onion, ¼ olives and ¼ cup creamy feta cheese. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and let it sit at room temperature while I prepared everything else.

This recipe is slightly altered from a blog called Tri to Cook. The combination of flavours was delicious.

Potato Pancakes

3 small red potatoes, grated (skins on)

2 small onions, grated

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp sea salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp baking powder

6 Tbsp flour

For Assembly

6 eggs

6 oz of smoked salmon

1 to 1 ½ cup of baby spinach and arugula mix (or one or the other)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Squeeze all the liquid out of the potatoes and onions, using a cheese cloth can help with this if you have one. Mix potato/onion mixture with the rest of the potato pancake ingredients. Heat a splash of olive oil (about a tsp) over medium low heat and then add as pancakes (about ½ cup of mixture) to the pan, spread out to flatten a little. Cook until brown on each side, about 3 to 4 minutes a side. If they are a little thick pop them in the oven on pan while you cook the eggs to be sure they are cooked through.

Meanwhile bring a pan of water to a boil. Once water is boiling gently crack in your eggs, when the water has returned to a boil reduce heat to medium high and cook for about 3 minutes, you want the yoke to be runny. Remove eggs from water as soon as they are ready.

Stack potato pancake, smoked salmon, spinach/arugula and then poached egg.



Veggie Pot Pie

If you’ve been following my blog you may remember that a couple of weeks ago I made two veggie pot pies and put one in the freezer, and its been haunting me ever since. So today I ended the haunting and cooked the pot pie. I’m embarrassed to admit the relief that came over me when I took it out of the freezer knowing that it would be used and not left abandoned in the freezer to go bad, pathetic I know. This coupled with the fact that our investor popped in this evening so we could sign some papers and the kids were off the wall excited waiting for him to arrive made me feel that perhaps we need to get out more.

Recipe

The recipe can be found on this post. Dave also put together a salad of arugula/spinach mix, creamy feta, cucumber, red onion and then dressed it with olive oil, lemon and a drizzle of honey – delicious.

Easy Bake Enchilada

Do all kids love crafts as much as mine? I seem to go on spurts where I’m inspired to organize different crafts and then we display them on our craft board. It seems when I make the effort to go on line and find a craft idea for the kids I am rewarded with being the best mother in the world (in their eyes), way more so than when they ask to do a craft and I throw some paper and markers on the table and challenge them to draw something. So why don’t I do this more often, it’s really quite simple with the online resources? I’m not sure, but I’m sure soon I will again abandon the craft ideas; I lack consistency in my life.

We are on a craft bender now and have been filling our board up with all things St.Paddy’s Day! We have leprechauns, clovers, rainbows with pots of gold and Irish flags. Since this will be St. Paddy’s day next week when you read this I will also include our dinner plan for the day and if you so desire you can switch this Thursday and next Thursday around because everyone’s a little Irish come St. Paddy’s Day!

Making Leprechauns!

Finding a traditional Irish dish is slightly more difficult if you don’t eat meat. I suppose you could go with something green but I wanted to do a little of both. So I found that fish is quite popular and traditional in Ireland and so we are having baked salmon, colcannon mash, asparagus (because it’s green), salad, Irish soda bread and small mint shakes.

Recipe

We have this veggie recipe book called; Vegetarian Times Cookbook and I’ve only ever made this one recipe out of it. I’m not sure why because this one recipe is one of our family’s favourites, maybe I’ll try something else next week.

1 onion, chopped,

1 clove garlic, pressed

5 -6 mushrooms, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 19oz can of red kidney beans or black beans

1 ½ cups stewed tomatoes

1 Tbsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

½ cup red wine (I often don’t have any open and just use an extra ½ cup of tomatoes and it’s just as good)

3 large whole wheat tortillas

¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese

½ cup light ricotta cheese

¼ cup plain yogurt

black olives sliced

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together the ricotta cheese and plain yogurt. Sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms and pepper until soft. Add beans, tomatoes, spices and wine (if using). Simmer gently about 30 minutes. In an oiled 1 ½ quart casserole, put a layer of tortilla, a layer of sauce, 1 ½ Tbsp of mozzarella, and 4 Tbsp of yogurt-ricotta mixture. Repeat until all ingredients are used and then top with black olives. Bake in the oven for 20 -25 minutes.

Let stand for a couple of minutes and then serve topped with salsa and sour cream.

Roasted Veggie Sandwiches with Zucchini Fries

Hannah had a bad cough this week (actually, it only lasted a couple of days) but I kept her home from pre-school Tuesday to keep her from hacking on the other children and so thought that I shouldn’t bring her to the grocery store as well. Luckily my Dad was able to come and stay with the girls and I went and did the shopping. A trip to the grocery store on my own, it was very…quiet. I didn’t find myself nattering to the girls the whole time about what we’re buying and why and please watch where you’re going Hannah, and Harper you need to stay in the cart, blah, blah, blah. At least I don’t think that I was nattering the whole time, but I very well may have been…maybe it’s better to have the girls with me to keep me looking sane. I actually had the energy to go back and get anything I forgot, normally if I’m heading to the check out and I realize there’s something I forgot, we go without. I also had the energy to search for things on the list that I don’t normally buy, like Shake and Bake.

The recipe below for zucchini fries calls for Shake and Bake. I normally would have just made my own bread coating, way better for us and less salt, but I thought since this was the first time I tried this recipe I would use what was recommended and then change it next time. I was secretly thinking that Shake and Bake would be tasty, salty goodness and even though I wouldn’t use it a second time it gave me permission to use it this time. I was a little leery that I would find it so easily, I know that it was popular in the 80s when I was a kid, but did people still use it? I can remember wishing that my parents used it and bought all kinds of other pre-made food. I would go to certain friend’s houses and they had frozen egg rolls and pizza pops and I thought they were so lucky because my parents made everything. I’m a little wiser now and am terribly grateful that they made everything along with not making junk food a regular grocery item in our house, instilling these eating habits in me. So I found the Shake and Bake in the spice isle and was dumbfounded as I stood in front of a huge section of Shake and Bake. There were so many different kinds, Italian, Extra Crispy, Cajun, Lemon Pepper, BBQ Chicken, Honey Garlic and about ten other different kinds except for original. So after about five or ten minutes of total confusion I decided on the Italian, to be honest, I should have made my own.

Recipe

I was reminded of this recipe last weekend when Dave made that sandwich for lunch on Sunday. Hannah’s favourite kind of cheese is brie and so it is always a challenge to get the cheese on the sandwiches before she sneaks it all!

5 triangular ciabatta buns (or a crusty bun/bread of your choice), sliced open

½ red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

½ green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small red onion (or part of a big one), cut into 1 inch pieces

1 ½ cup slice mushrooms

1 zucchini, quartered and sliced into ½ inch pieces

4 apples, peeled and sliced

1 bulb garlic

1 cup mayonnaise

1 package dry figs (chopped)

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 small round brie cheese, sliced as thing as you can

Preheat oven to 400F. Place garlic on a square of tin foil, drizzle with a little olive oil (½ tsp – 1 tsp), wrap garlic in tin foil and place in oven to roast for 30 – 40 minutes. In an oven proof baking dish spread veggie in one layer mix in olive oil and roast in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes until veggies are soft and a little caramelized. In a separate pan place the apples and drizzle with a little olive oil and roast in the oven until apples are soft, about 5 minutes.

Once garlic is roasted and cool enough to handle squeeze each clove into a bowl. Mush the garlic with a fork and then add in the mayonnaise and stir until combined.

                                                                                                                                   

To assemble; place an open ciabatta on a square of tin foil, spread 1 Tbsp of the mayonnaise on the bun top with a splattering off figs, 3 slices of cheese, a layer of roasted veggies, a layer of apples, top with the top of the ciabatta and wrap in foil. Place the sandwich in the oven on the top rack. Repeat until all the sandwiches are done and let them warm in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes so that the cheese gets all melty and gooey.

Zucchini Fries

So I got the recipe for the zucchini fries from Fun and Food Café: For Good Food and Fine Living. Harper loved these, the rest of us were luke warm on it. Now I know, I don’t actually like Shake and Bake. I think that if you took the deseeded the zucchini to avoid them from getting soggy, dipped them in the egg and then mixed up panko bread crumbs (which are actually found on the shelf under the Shake and Bake at my grocery store) and parmesan cheese and baked them they may be good. I’ll include the original recipe as well in case you want to try it, we all have different tastes right?

2 zucchini (1 lb)

1 egg, beaten

1 package of Shake and Bake

¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 450F. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and then into ¼ inch sticks. Mix the Shake and Bake and the parmesan cheese together in the bag. Toss the zucchini in a bowl with the egg and then coat with Shake and Bake and place on a greased cookie sheet (I, of course, lined mine with parchment paper). Bake for 12 – 13 minutes turning halfway through.

Mushroom Soup, Toasted Ciabatta and Edamame Beans

Well, we can no longer drive over the snow in the driveway to pack it down. We had a blizzard last night and got too much snow. I tried to drive over it, after we had gone to do some shopping, and did get into the garage after taking a few running jumps at it but we had to shovel. Lucky for me Dave and the kids did it while I went for a run. We aren’t complaining about though. There’s nothing like a major natural disaster somewhere to remind you about what’s important in life and how lucky we are that we only need to shovel a little, or a lot, of snow. My thoughts, prayers and energy go out to those in Japan that are hurt, grieving and trying to survive. I am truly grateful for my safety and that of my loved ones.

Harper trying to sneak the mushrooms.

Recipe

This one is from Jaime Oliver: Jaime’s Dinners. The response to this soup was varied. I loved it, Hannah gave it an eight but told me that the soup from a can was better, Dave thought that it was good but decided that mushroom soup was not one of his favourite soups, and Harper ate some said she was done and then ate some more.

a small handful of dried porcini mushrooms

olive oil
600g mixed fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, girolles, trompettes de mort, shitake, oyster), cleaned and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
a knob of butter
a handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
1 lemon
optional: truffle oil

Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and add enough boiling water to just cover them. In a soup pot heat a couple good gluggs of olive oil and add your fresh mushrooms and stir around very quickly for a minute, then add your garlic, onion, butter, thyme and salt and pepper. After about a minute of cooking you’ll see the moisture starting to release from the mushrooms at this point add your porcini mushrooms, some chopped and some whole. Strain the soaking liquid to remove any grit and add that to the pot as well. Continue to cook for about 20 minutes until most of the moisture disappears.

Season to taste, and add your stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for around 20 minutes. Remove half the soup and whizz it up to a puree at this point, then pour it back in adding the parsley and mascarpone and season to taste.*

*I used a hand blender right in the pot. I also used ricotta cheese instead of mascarpone, I’m not suggesting that this is a substitute but, marscapone can be pricey and I had some left over ricotta to use up. It was still a very tasty soup.

Cut the ciabatta, put on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and broil for a minute or two until toasty.

Mix the zest of one lemon, ½ its juice and some salt and pepper in a bowl together.

Put the ciabatta in a bowl spoon in the soup and add a little of the lemon mixture.

Steam the edamame beans in their shell and place in a bowl. We just put them on the table and share them plain, but you can drizzle them with a little oil and season them with a little salt and pepper as well if you like. Harper just learned how to get them out of the shell and this was a great source of entertainment tonight!

We Were Invited to a Birthday Party

We were invited to a birthday party for two very special little girls tonight. One of them turned one and the other three. I remember that birthday feeling inside when I was a child. The feeling of the family party when all my cousins were there to play and run around with. It was always such a great feeling to have all the people that I love come and celebrate me. I loved celebrating these two little ones tonight!

We also ate very well, baked salmon, coconut milk rice, stir fried veggies, salad buns and two kinds of cake (chocolate and white with pink icing) and ice cream! It was oh so very delicious.