Weekday Recipe Roundup

Hello lovelies... How is your week going?  I am sooo ready for a holiday, I can't even tell you!  Thank goodness I have pasta to look forward to tonight cos I really need a pick me up. : ) Here's your menu for the week!

Sunday - Meat Loaf with Roasted Veggies and Mashed Potatoes
I love this classic! Such comfort, such flavour... : )

What you'll need:
A pack of extra lean ground beef- about 1.5lbs
Bread crumbs - a little more than a half a cup
1 Egg
1 Onion chopped
Worcestershire - a couple squirts
2 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary finely chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Mix it all up with your hands until it's one big meat ball and squish it into a loaf pan.

Make the sauce:
I use maple bbq sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and garlic salt but ketchup and brown sugar will do just fine.
Make about a 1/2 cup.

Cover your loaf in sauce and cook uncovered for 1-1.5 hours at 350.
Serve with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes.
SOOOO good.

Tea and sweets for dessert! 

 Brazilian Donuts from the bakery...they melt in your mouth right down to your thighs!

 Monday - Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Sauce

This was effing good!

I've often seen spaghetti squash at the grocery store but I've never tried it and now that I have I'll definitely be adding this recipe into the rotation! It's not pasta, but it's a pretty good guiltless version I must say!
What you'll need:

1 spaghetti squash
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves sliced thinly
1 red onion
1 can diced tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp capers
3 tbsp sliced kalamata olives
1/3 cup of red wine
Package of panchetta (Italian bacon)fried and crumbled
1 cup Parmesan cheese 

Pepper to taste

Directions:
-To start with, slice your squash down the centre and remove all the seeds. Place both halves down on a baking tray and poke with a fork a few times to let out the steam.
-Preheat oven to 350 and cook the squash for 50 minutes to an hour.

-Meanwhile fry up the panchetta until crispy and set aside.
-Add your olive oil to the pan and fry up the onion until soft and then add the garlic.
-Cook the garlic till fragrant and then add the tomatoes, capers, olives and basil leaves and cook for 5 minutes.
-Add the red wine and bring to a boil for an additional 2-3 minutes.
-Set aside and keep warm.
-Take out your squash and begin pulling the insides out with a fork and placing in a bowl.
-Crumble up the panchetta and add to the squash.
-Toss with cheese, and 2 tbsp of basil immediately.

Divide the squash mixture onto plates and top with your sauce.  Top with some more cheese and garnish with basil. 

  
Tuesday - Garlic Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

What you'll need:

Sauce:
1/4 cup ponzu sauce (or in my case, just low sodium soya sauce)
1/2 tsp of dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar

Juice of 1 lime (or 1/4 cup of bottled lime juice)
Noodles and shrimp:
1x  8 or 9 ounce package of soba noodles
3/4 pound bag of med shrimp peeled and deveined.1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
1 shallot thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 tbsp ginger chopped
8-10 brown mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 green onion
1 lime quartered

Directions:
-Combine all sauce components in a bowl.
-Fry up garlic and shallots and ginger in oil for 2 minutes, add mushrooms and cook 5-7 minutes until tender. 

-Set Aside
-Fry shrimp with salt and oil until hot.

-Cook soba noodles for 4 minutes or until soft, drain and rinse with cold water.  Don't overcook!

-Toss noodles with mushroom mixture and sauce.

-Divide onto plates and top with cilantro and green onion.

Wednesday - Pizza and Arugula Salad

What you'll need:
2 crusts with sauce included but I used pesto on one instead of the sauce.
Mozzarella cheese
Toppings of your choosing… I used prosciutto, mushrooms, tomato, and shallots on one and mushrooms, prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil pesto on the other.
Just follow the directions on the package for cooking.
Serve with a green salad

Thursday - Jerk Chicken with a Baked Sweet Potato and Salad

What you'll need:
Jar of Jerk Sauce (Mr. Gouda's brand is my fav)
Chicken Drumsticks (12)
Sweet Potatoes x 2

Directions:
-Toss your chicken in half a jar of jerk sauce and let sit for a little bit…(1/2 hour is best)
-Meanwhile wrap two sweet potatoes in foil and cook at 350 for an hour or until soft.
-Meanwhile put the chicken and all the sauce in a casserole dish and place in the oven with the sweet potatoes for 1 hour or until chicken is fully cooked

-Once your sweet potatoes and soft, cut them in half and serve each half with 3 chicken drumsticks and green salad.

That's all folks!

Hope you enjoyed these weekly meal ideas...

Thanks for reading...

Love Desiree

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Weekday Recipe Roundup

Hello my lovelies...I'm back with another recipe roundup! 

My Menu:

Sunday: Roast Beef Dinner with Roasted Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes

 James whipped up this Sunday feast which made it taste even better...There's just something about food that someone else cooks right?!

For the beef:

What you'll need:

Inside round cut of beef

Flour, garlic salt, rosemary, pepper

Directions:

Dry the meat with paper towels and roll it on a cutting board covered in flour, garlic salt, rosemary, and pepper.

Sear it on all sides in a cast iron pan for about 3 minutes per side. (Our smoke alarm went off several times) 

Bake it in the oven uncovered for 425 for the first half hour and then turn the oven down to 375.

Cook for 14 minutes per pound if you want medium rare.

For the veggies:

Roast in an oven safe dish tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper for about 45 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Serve with mashed potatoes.

Monday: Roasted Trout with Beet Salad

 Last Christmas James' Aunt gave me a little recipe book with all her best soups and salads and this is one of them.  Isn't that just the nicest gift?  I was touched... : )

 I added pecans in my version and served with roasted trout.

Tuesday - Ditali Tomato Chick Pea Pasta

 This recipe is a great one and satisfied my intense longing for PASTA!

What you need

2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups (750 mL) sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 can (14 oz/398 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) tomatoes, chopped

3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt

1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper

1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano

1-3/4 cups (425 mL) ditali pasta or penne or macaroni

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup (60 mL) grated parmesan cheese

Parsley sprig

Directions:

-In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook mushrooms, garlic and onion, stirring

occasionally, until no liquid remains and mushrooms are browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

-Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, salt, pepper and oregano; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer

until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

-Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook ditali until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain

and return to pot. 
-Add sauce and chopped parsley; toss to coat. 
-Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese; garnish with parsley sprigs.

Wednesday - Roast Beef Sandwiches with Arugula and Mushroom Salad

For yoga night I used the left over beef from Sunday's roast to throw together some beef on a bun topped with cheese, onion, and horseradish and then broiled to perfection..quick and easy so we can get out the door fast.  In an effort to give this meal some nutritional benefits I served it with a tasty arugula salad...

For the salad you'll need:
Arugula
White mushrooms
Parmesan Cheese
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

-Toss the arugula with sliced mushrooms and shaved parm
-Mix a 1/4 cup each of lemon juice and olive oil or to your personal taste and add salt and pepper to season
-Voila!

Thursday - Chicken Goulash on Crushed Potatoes
 When LCBO's Food and Drink Magazine claims something is quick and easy they are almost always lying and this recipe was no exception.  It was tasty but way too lengthy of a process for a weeknight...

Ingredients:

2 lbs small boiling potatoes

1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cups flour

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 medium onion diced

2 large garlic cloves minced

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup juice drained from canned tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp hot paprika or sweet paprika with 1/4 tsp of cayenne

1 tsp caraway seeds

1/2 pound parsnips peeled and sliced lengthways

1 large carrot thinly sliced on a diagonal

1 green pepper diced (I used a zucchini instead)

1 cup of drained canned tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

Several grindings of black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

-Cover whole potatoes in cold water in a pot with cold salted water.

-Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender

-Keep warm.

-Cut chicken into one inch squares.

-Toss with flour

-Heat oil and butter over medium high heat in a large pan until hot and bubbly.

-Add chicken all at once, increase heat a little bit and wait 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is brown on the bottom.

-Stir around when the pink is just gone for about 2 minutes.

-Remove to a plate.

-Reduce heat to medium and add the onion and garlic to the pan and sautee for 2 minutes.

-Meanwhile mix up broth, tomato juice, tomato pasta, paprika, and caraway seeds.

-Add to the pan slowly scraping up the brown bits.

-Stir in parsnips, carrots, green pepper and bring to a boil

-Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

-Return chicken to pan and cover and simmer for another 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked thru.

-Stir in tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste.

-Heat.

-Divide the drained potatoes to plates and crush with a fork or masher.

-Spoon goulash overtop with a dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley

-Serve!

That's it for my meal plan for the week but how lucky were we to get invited over to Ron and Sarah's this weekend for a feast of epic proportions! Not having to do any of the cooking I made sure to capture the festivities on film...

Check it out!

Sunday Roast from The Farmer's Only Daughter on Vimeo.

Happy feasting!

xo

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Weekday Recipe Roundup

Are you hungry?  Looking for some meal ideas?  Well, you're come to the right place!

Behold...

The Menu

 I love Sunday Dinner...especially when I get to share it with special people and this Sunday was extra special because it was my brother Harley's birthday!  I made him his favourite.  Chicken. 

Sunday - Roast Chicken Dinner with Roasted Veggies and Mash

What you'll need:

1 Whole Chicken

2 Lemons and 2 Limes

Olive oil

Salt/Pepper

Head of Garlic or more

Carrots

Celery

Onion

Parsnips

Red Potatoes (for mashing)

Directions:

-Preheat your oven to 425.

-Roughly chop a bunch of carrots, celery and onion and place in a roasting pan or casserole dish.

-Toss with olive oil and whatever herbs you have on hand.

-Rub your chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (be sure to cut any strings off the bird if there are any)

-Stuff it with pieces of lemon, lime and whole cloves of peeled garlic.

-Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.

-Throw in a bunch of unpeeled garlic cloves. (they'll turn into yummy roasted garlic)

-Cook for about 1- 1hr15 or until the veggies are soft.

Gravy:

-Once the chicken is done cooking let it sit covered in tinfoil for about 10 minutes to let the juices drain out.

-Remove the chicken and veg to a serving plate.

-Pour the juices into a small sauce pan, spoon off the grease.

-Add a splash of milk and a dash of flour and begin to stir over medium heat until it begins to bubble.

Hmmm...you've got gravy! (this doesn't make a ton, but it was plenty for four of us.)

Since it is a special occasion I mashed my potatoes with butter, milk, sour cream, AND cream cheese.  Sinful!

Waiting patiently...

 Dessert: Croissant Surprise Cake!

 I also made this ridiculously delicious dessert that I've been thinking about ever since.

 

What you'll need:

600mL (2.5 cups) whipping cream (35% milk fat)
3 eggs
100g (3.5oz) sugar
3 large croissants
small handful dark chocolate, broken into chunks

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350. Line the base and sides of a loaf pan with baking paper.
-Combine cream, eggs and sugar in a large bowl.
-Slice croissants into rounds about 1cm thick. Add to the cream mixture and stand for a few minutes allowing the croissants to soak up the custard.
-Layer half the soaked croissants in the prepared loaf pan. Scatter over the chocolate.
-Layer remaining croissants over the top and pour any leftover custard on top.
-Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the cake is well browned and you can’t see any liquid custard when you press on the top. Cool in the tin.
(Follow this link for the original recipe which includes a video)
I'm pretty sure I gained a couple pounds after that meal!

Monday - Sweet Potato Burritos

The sweet and salty combo in these tasty little wraps keep me coming back for more week after week! 

What you'll need:
Soft tortillas
3 Mashed sweet potatoes
Cheddar cheese
1 Can of re-fried beans
1 Cup of thawed frozen corn
Cilantro (optional)
Red or green onions
Salsa and sour cream

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350.
-Chop and boil your sweet potatoes until tender.
-Mash with 1 tbsp of brown sugar.
-Assemble as many burritos as you can manage with the above ingredients and place them on a baking sheet.
-Cook for 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges are golden.
-Serve with salsa and sour cream.

 Tuesday - Linguini Margarita

Did I mention that I'm obsessed with pasta! James found this recipe in the local commuter paper...

What you'll need:

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely diced onion
1 lb (500 g) fresh asparagus, cut into 2 inch lengths
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 cup (250 ml) drained, patted dry, and coarsely chopped, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 cup (175 ml) dry white wine
1/4 cup (60 ml) low-fat whipping cream
3/4 lb. (375 g) dry linguine pasta
1/2 cup (125 ml) grated Parmesan
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh basil

Directions:
 -In a large skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and asparagus and cook until asparagus is slightly soft and bright green, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 – 2 minutes until fragrant, being careful not to burn garlic. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and keep warm.
-To the same skillet, add tomatoes and white wine. Cover and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are softened, about 8 – 10 minutes. Return asparagus to skillet and add cream. Cook 2 – 3 minutes to meld flavours. Season to taste with pepper.
-In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Strain and place in a serving bowl. Cover with sauce and stir to combine. Top with Parmesan cheese, garnish with fresh basil, and serve.

Wednesday - Perogies and Salad

It's yoga night and I need a quick meal!  

 

What you'll need:

A bag of pierogies obviously!

Cook according to package directions.

For my salad:

1 box of organic mixed greens, prewashed

1 shallot thinly sliced

1 tomato chopped

1/2 cucumber chopped

1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Drizzle with olive oil and white balsamic

A sprinkle of my Dad's toasted garlic powder is the key! (follow the link to see how he makes it.)

It's sooo good and may even still be available! Last I heard there were a few bottles at Churchill Natural Meats in Fonthill.

 Thursday - Winter Burgers

I love, love, love a pan fried homemade burger!

What you'll need:

Extra lean ground beef (I just get the small package at the grocery store.)

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 grated onion

2 sprigs of finely chopped fresh rosemary (1-2 tbsp)

1tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp of chilli sauce or ketchup

3 squirts of Worcestershire

Salt and pepper

8 Sliced mushrooms

Red onion, sliced

Cheddar cheese (optional)

 

Directions:

-Mix everything but the mushrooms, onion, and cheese until it looks like one big meatball.

-Break it into two balls, and then into 4 and mold them into the shape of a patty.

-Set aside

- Fry up the onions and garlic and set aside.

- Add patties to the pan and fry on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until there's no pink inside.

- Top with cheese until melted and then top with mushrooms and onion.

- Dress your burger with the condiments of your choice....

I served these with the same salad from the night before but omitted the feta cheese. 

 Friday - Taco Party!

We had an impromptu taco party on Friday night....

 I don't think I really need to explain how to make a taco right?  Try using a soft taco on the outside and a hard one on the inside....  It's the only way to go. : )

That's it for this week! Happy cooking...

xo

Desiree

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Weekday Recipe Round Up!

Are you ready for another week of meals ideas?  Well you're in luck!  Check out the menu....

Monday - Trout with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

Super healthy, super tasty, and super easy!  Exactly what I need for a Monday night...

-Preheat oven to 400
-Slice up 3-4 sweet potatoes and place them in a casserole dish tossed with olive oil, rosemary and a little brown sugar.
-Cook for about 30 minutes or until they're starting to brown up on the corners.
-Meanwhile place the fish on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper and begin to boil a large pot of water.
-After the 30 minutes are up and the sweet potatoes are starting to brown up; turn the oven down to 350 and cook the fish with the potatoes for 12 minutes or until the fish flakes apart.
-At the last moment blanch a bag of spinach in a pot of boiling water for a minute and drain.

I like to sprinkle my spinach with balsamic vinegar but James likes butter and salt...pick a side and enjoy!

Tuesday - Simple Pasta

I like pasta on Tuesdays...well, I like it on all days but I only allow it once a week to avoid a monumental weight gain...and Tuesday seems like a perfect choice because Tuesdays have nothing going for them on their own....they pretty much suck except for Pasta. I sound kind of negative this week don't I? I blame the rain.

I can whip up a pasta with pretty much anything because I have an unhealthy obsession with noodles, but for this one I used:

1 can tomatoes
1 red onion
5 garlic cloves crushed and chopped
6 mushrooms chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine (left over from the weekend)
A pinch of Vegeta
A pinch of sugar
1/2 tbsp of basil, and oregano
A splash of whipping cream
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts (I burned mine) : )
1/2 cups of grated Parmesan
4 handfuls of baby arugula

-Fry up your onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until soft and then add the mushrooms.
-Fry for another few minutes until mushrooms are softened.
-Add the can of tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat to low and simmer for a half hour or so.
-Add cream.

Meanwhile cook your pasta according to directions on the bag, drain and return to the pot
Toss with Arugula and then add all the sauce and combine.
Top with cheese and pine-nuts.

HMMMMMMMMM...damn that's good!

 Wednesday - Slow Cooker Beef and Stout Stew
This is a mans meal so I let a man cook it.

This was the recipe he used:
Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb (680 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb (454 g) carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 lb (454 g) parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
3 lb (1.4 kg) stewing beef cubes
4 strips thick-sliced bacon, chopped
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) Stout beer
3/4 cup (175 mL) sodium-reduced beef broth
2 tsp (10 mL) Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup (75 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas

-In slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Top with beef and bacon.

-Whisk together stout, broth, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce; pour over beef. Cover and cook on low until beef and vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 hours. Discard bay leaves.

-Whisk flour with 1 cup of the cooking liquid until smooth; whisk into slow cooker. Stir in peas; cook, covered, on high until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Thursday - Grilled Chicken and Caramelized Onion Panini's with Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado Salad

If you don't have a sandwich press...just grill these up in a pan.

First Up: Caramelized your onions! It takes a while but it is sooo worth it.
- Slice up 5 or 6 white onions and pop the rings out.
- Fry them on low in a little olive oil.
- Sprinkle with salt and then once they are cooked down a bit, add a tbsp of brown sugar.
- Continue to fry on low for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile - Cook a couple chicken breasts in a small casserole dish filled with balsamic vinegar for about 30 minutes or until cooked.  Slice up.
 
Time to construct your sandwiches!
On mine:
Pesto
Sliced Havarti
Goat Cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Chicken
Caramelized Onions

Salad:
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber
Shallots
Avocado
Olive Oil
White Balsamic
Goat Cheese

Press them or pan grill them until the cheese melts.
Now THAT was delicious!

Hope you're sufficiently inspired to cook up a feast!
Stay tuned for next week when I bake a special dessert that blew many minds...

Thanks for reading!
Love Desiree

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Weekday Recipe Round Up!

My weekday menu is not something I take lightly. You could say I'm obsessive compulsive about it, sure....but I prefer to say I'm delightfully efficient!  That's why, every Sunday morning before anyone else gets up, I come downstairs, make my breakfast, and sit down with my coffee to plan out our meals for the week.  I find inspiration from a variety of sources... The net, the paper, my family, my friends...I'm always on the hunt for ideas to add to my collection - and perhaps you are too, which is why I'm going to start sharing my weekday eats with you.  It's not going to be fancy, I'm no chef!  My favourite recipes are the ones that take the least amount of time, dishes, and money but are tasty and good for next day lunches.

Once I make up the menu I transpose it into ingredients and then I write it out again in order by aisle at the grocery store.... James procures the food while I clean the house... I do the cooking, he does the dishes... A pretty good deal we've got going... : )

I HATE letting any food go to waste, so we only buy what we know we're going to use and by Sunday the fridge is bare...and if it's not, it's going into the next week's meals.

So without further ado....here is what was on the menu last week! Hopefully you'll find inspiration!

 Sunday - Chicken with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes served with Mashed Potatoes

This gem was inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe and it's SO easy and SO good. Perfect for a Sunday feast

-Preheat the oven to 350

-Throw 2-3 chicken breasts, a bundle of trimmed asparagus, a quart of rinsed whole cherry tomatoes, a handful of fresh herbs of your choosing and a couple glugs of white wine and olive oil.
- Mix it up and cover tightly with tin foil and cook for about 45 minutes.
- Serve with mashed potatoes

Just the comforting dish I needed for a rainy fall Sunday night. Now it's time to cuddle up for an episode of Downton Abbey!
  

Monday - Trout with Roasted Carrot and Arugula Salad

I always try to make something extra healthy on Mondays to make up for the weekend (where I survive mostly on wine and pizza) but this salad tastes like it should be bad for you...which makes it one of my favourites!  I found this recipe among many others on Miss Tracey Nolan.

Salad:
-Preheat the oven to 400 and roast your carrots for about 45 minutes or until they're nice and caramelized looking.
- Toast up a bag of pecan halves
- Mix the pecans and carrots with a bunch of arugula
- Toss with olive oil and WHITE balsamic vinegar (white balsamic is my new favourite dressing)
- Top with goat cheese

Fish:
-Lower the oven to 350
-Sprinkle the fish with salt and freshly ground black pepper
-Cook on a baking sheet for 12 minutes or until it flakes apart

EAT THAT SH%$ and feel great about it!

Tuesday - Lemon Linguini

Pasta is one of my best friends...and this recipe will never betray me.

-Toast up some pine nuts and set aside
- Dice up a couple shallots and mince or crush up a few garlic cloves. I always do more than the recipe calls for.  TIP: Wear swimming goggles when dicing onions and you won't cry.
- measure out a heaping 1/4 cup of sliced sun-dried tomatoes
- Fry it all in about 1/4 cup of olive oil until cooked and then add 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- Meanwhile cook your linguini according to package directions, drain, add your spinach to the pot and then toss with the pasta and sauce.
Serve topped with pine nuts and parmesan cheese.  My mouth is watering.

Wednesday - Chana Masala

We have yoga on Wednesday evenings so we need to cook and eat fast...this is a quick one to whip up but after last weeks yoga session I've decided it's a bit heavy for pre work out... : ) A Canadian Living classic...

 

Gather up your ingredients:

3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil

2 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp (30 mL) grated fresh ginger
2 tsp (10 mL) chili powder
2 tsp (10 mL) ground coriander
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin
2 tsp (10 mL) garam masala
1/2 cup (125 mL) tomato paste
2 tsp (10 mL) packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
2 cans (19 oz/540 mL each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice

In saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook onions, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, coriander, cumin and garam masala; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in 1 cup water, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and chickpeas, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. (recipe)

Thursday - One Pot Coconut Curry

I know, two days of curry...not sure what I was thinking...but this is still a great recipe...

Get your ingredients together:

1 pound chicken strips

salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled, crushed and chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 large Granny Smith apple, cut into small chunks
Assorted toppingsRoasted cashews or peanuts, fresh mango chunks, toasted coconut, chopped scallions, raisins

 -Season the chicken with the salt; set aside. Over medium-high heat, warm the oil in a wide, shallow saucepan or small Dutch oven.
-Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger for 2 minutes. Add the curry powder, coriander, and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, another minute or two.
-Add the broth and coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Add the chicken and apple and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with rice and whatever toppings you like.

I throw planning to the wind on the weekends and try to be spontaneous so I never plan for Friday or Saturday which usually results in unhealthy choices, but hey, it's the weekend!

 
So there you have it!  A pretty good weekday round up! Stay tuned for next week when I'll tell you more about my culinary adventures that require very little skill, a low budget, and ingredients that are widely available... : )

Thanks for reading!

Oh ya, and if you have any recipes you think I should try please let me know!

Lots of love,

Desiree

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