Quinoa Salad

4 cups Quinoa

1/2 cup Cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado Avocado

1 Jalepeno Peppers, diced

2 stalks of Celery

CORNMEAL MUFFINS

Makes 1 loaf bread or 1 dozen muffins

You can make your cornbread without sugar if you prefer. Cajuns like it sweet.

DOUBLE THE RECIPE IF YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO BE FLAT

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar (optional)

½ cup corn flour (you can use cornmeal if you don't have corn flour)

5 tablespoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups milk

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 small egg, beaten

In large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, corn flour; baking powder, and salt; mix well, breaking up any lumps. In a separate bowl combine the milk, butter and egg and add to the dry ingredients; blend just until mixed and large lumps are dissolved. Do not overbeat.

FOR BREAD

pour mixture into greased 8x8-inch baking pan and bake at 350*F until golden brown, about 55 minutes. Remove from pan and serve immediately.

FOR MUFFINS

Spoon mixture into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 350*F until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and serve while hot.

Stuffing the Turkey

My mom has always cooked an amazing Thanksgiving Day Turkey and I have been trying to learn for years how to master the art of cooking Thanksgiving Day Dinner. It's always seemed to be such a so long and complicated process but in reality once you get the hang of it, it's a little more simple than you would think. My mother and I teamed up this year to make dinner together which allowed her to show me the ropes. I decided to write everything down so when my turn to cook dinner comes around I'll have a step by step guide to preparing the dinner making the task a little less daunting. I've decided to share this years menu and schedule with you as well. Hopefully it helps you out as much as it has helped me out. 
 
MENU

Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Peas and Carrots
Turnips
Gravy
Acorn Squash
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Apple Salad with Black Walnuts
Buns
Pumpkin Pie

Dinner to be served at 5:00 pm. We were also working with a 16 lb turkey. A smaller turkey will require less cooking time but a larger turkey will require a longer cooking time.
If you're wanting to eat at a different time just adjust the time of preparation accordingly.

STUFFING

9:00 am start the stuffing

This recipe makes enough to stuff a 15 lb (6.75 kg) turkey. With the remaining stuffing (anything that can't fit into the bird) can be baked separately, place it in a greased casserole and moisten it with chicken stock. Cover and bake in 325*F (160*C) oven for 30 minutes; uncover and bake for 30 minutes longer or until top is crisp. 

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup butter or margarine

2-1/2 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped celery

1 (granny smith or Macintosh apples) chopped

4 breakfast sausages squeezed out of casing

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup raisins

2 tsp sage
1 tsp marojarum

5 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp savory

14 cups cubed white bread

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; first add onions, celery and spices and mix together. Next squeeze the sausages from their casings and break into small pieces and mix into the pan. Once the sausage is nearly cooked add the parsley, raisins and dried cranberries.  Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, transfer to large bowl and toss with bread. If the stuffing seems a little dry just melt some more butter and add to the skillet.

STUFFING THE TURKEY

TIPS

When buying a turkey you want to look for a short and fat shaped turkey with short legs, this means the turkey is a female. Male turkey's are long and are very tough, strong tasting and take longer to cook.

PREPARATION

The morning of the day before Thanksgiving Dinner remove the Turkey from your freezer and soak in cold water in a large sink or tub which will allow it to defrost in time for cooking the following morning.

The next morning, once the turkey has defrosted remove it from the packaging and wash out the inside with cold water and dab it dry with scott towels. If you want to cook the neck etc. which is kept inside the turkey you are free to do so but no one in my family likes it so we just throw it away.

Once this is done, you stuff the turkey with stuffing in both the neck cavity and the main cavity until you can't squish any more in there. The remaining stuffing can't be baked in the oven with a little bit of chicken stock.

Smear the top of the turkey with butter or margarine and sprinkle salt and pepper on top of it.

COOKING

Cover your turkey with with tinfoil and seal the edges along the rim of the roasted (make sure the shiny side is on the inside so you don't ruin your oven, because it reflects the heat) Place the lid on top of the tinfoil.

The length of time needed to cook your turkey is based on the size of it.  The heavier the turkey, the longer it needs to be cooked. I would say cook your turkey 15-20 minutes per pound. A 15 lb turkey should take about five hours to cook.

If your turkey is covered cook it at 400 * F for the first 30 minutes, then for the remainder of the time cook it at 325*F. For the last 30 minutes, remove the lid and the tinfoil and baste it to brown it and get all of the juices on the turkey. Make sure you baste the cavity that holds the stuffing to get it nice and moist.

Once your turkey is cooked allow it to sit for 15 minutes before cutting into it.

VEGETABLES

10:00 am

Prep the vegetables ahead of time so when it comes time to cook them all you have to do is turn up the heat.

TURNIPS

1 Turnip
salt and pepper to taste
butter (to taste)

Peel and cut the turnip into medium sized pieces, place in an appropriately sized pot on the stove filled with cold water. Let this sit until you are ready to cook them later on in the day.

about 15 minutes before the turkey is done start cooking your turnips. It should take 30 minutes to cook your turnips.

Once cooked, drain (save water for gravy) add butter, salt and pepper and mash. Transfer to a serving dish and cover with tinfoil when ready with the shiny side down and keep them covered until you're ready to eat.


MASHED POTATOES

1-2 medium sized russet potatoes per person
butter (to taste)
milk (to taste)

Peel and cut the potatoes into medium sized pieces, place in an appropriately sized pot on the stove filled with cold water. Let this sit until you are ready to cook them later on in the day.

About 15 minutes before the turkey is done start cooking your potatoes. It should take 30 minutes to cook your potatoes.

Once cooked, drain (saving the water to add to the gravy), add butter and begin to whip the potatoes, once potatoes are smooth, add milk slowly, whipping and adding more until you get the consistency and taste you like.

Once this is done put the potatoes in a serving dish and cover with tinfoil until ready to eat.

PEAS & CARROTS

1-2 per person

Peel and cut the carrots into medium sized round slices, place in an appropriately sized pot on the stove filled with cold water. Let this sit until you are ready to cook them later on in the day.

Once the potatoes and turnips are boiling, start cooking the carrots

When you're ready to cook the peas and carrots. Don't add the peas until the carrots are pretty much cooked. Once the peas are added bring the water to a boil remove the pot from heat, drain the peas and carrots and place in a serving dish with tin foil on top of it to keep the heat in.

ACORN SQUASH

10:30 am

We prepared the squash in the morning (About an hour after we put the turkey in apr. 10:30 am) 

Once the squash is cooked scoop it out and place it in a casserole dish with the remaining ingredients. About an hour before the turkey is ready put the casserole dish back in the oven to heat it up before serving.

1/2 of a squash per person
(4 for 8 people)

4 small squash, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cut squash in half. Remove seeds. Place cut side down on baking pan. Bake in 375*F oven for 40 minutes.

Mix butter, honey, salt and pepper together. Turn squash cut side up. Divide syrup mixture among hollows, spreading around the inside. Continue to bake another 20 minutes or until cooked. Serves 8.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND APPLE SALAD WITH BLACK WALNUTS

Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 12 minutes, Serves: 8

11:30 am

We prepared the dressing around and began slicing up the Brussels Sprouts at noon to get them ready for cooking later on

Blackberry Farm chefs say this recipe convinces anyone to love brussels sprouts. Black walnuts have a more bitter; earthy flavour than traditional walnuts, although either will work well. Here, the sprouts are pan-roasted on the stovetop. If you prefer to cook them in the oven, toss them with 2 tbs. olive oil, place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast at 450*F for about 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

SWEET HOT MUSTARD

1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tbs whole grain mustard
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbs firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp hot sauce

FOR THE SALAD

2 tbsp blackberry farm smoked onion jam or caramelized shallots (available at William Sonoma)
1 tbsp sherry vinegar ( if you don't have sherry vinegar just use 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tbsp cooking sherry)
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
1 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 cup black walnuts, toasted (or just use regular walnuts)
1 1/2 red apples, such as Fuji or Gala. Cored and thinly sliced.

To make the sweet hot mustard, in a howl, whisk both mustards, vinegar, brown sugar and hot sauce. Reserve two tbsp mustard for the salad; refrigerate the rest for up to four weeks.

To make the salad, in a large bowl, whisk the smoked onion jam, vinegar, the 2 tbsp of sweet hot mustard, 3 tbsp of the olive oil, salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the brussels sprouts, salt and pepper.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are just tender and lightly browned, about 11 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the vinaigrette, add the walnuts and apples and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

GRAVY

all of the drippings, seperated from the grease
 3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 cups vegetable water: ( depending on how thick your gravy is)
all of the water from the turnips
all of the water from the peas and carrots
if you still need more use the water from the potatoes
1 package gravy browner

Remove turkey from roaster, pour off drippings into a seperator to remove grease. Measure amount required and pour into large saucepan. Add flour, gravy browner, salt and pepper slowly, whisking it in to avoid lumps. Pour half the water into roaster to blend with brown bits. Stir and pour into flour mixture along with other half of water. Heat and stir until it boils and thickens. Check for salt and pepper. It will probably need more. Makes 6 cups.

Pumpkin Pie

BAKING TIPS

MIXING

Use cold utensils and water will help make a flaky crust.
Do not handle the ball excessively; an overworked dough ball will result in a tough, not flaky pastry.

ROLLING

If dough is sticky, chill 15-30 minutes before rolling. 

To prevent sticking, sprinkle flour on the rolling surface and rolling pin, roll dough between two pieces of waxed paper or use a pastry cloth. 

Roll crusts to approximately 1 1/2 inches larger than inverted pie plate (You can mark the proper measurements on your rolling service) 

To keep pastry tender, patch any tears; do no re-roll pastry.

TRANSFERRING TO PIE PLATE

 If rolling between waxed paper, remove the top waxed layer, turn pastry into pie plate and then removebottom sheet of waxed paper. 

Or, try rolling the pastry in half and openinto the pie plate. To avoid shrinking, ease dough into pan by lifting edges; do not stretch pastry.

CRUST

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups All Purpose-Flour

1 tsp Salt

3/4 Cup CRISCO All-Vegetable Shortening, well chilled

4-8 tbsp cold water

METHOD

1 

BLEND Flour and salt in medium mixing bowl. 

Cut ½ inch (1.5 cm) cubes of chilled shortening into flour mixture 

with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse

 crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining.

2 

SPRINKLE 4 tbsp (60 mL) of the ice cold water over the flour mixture. 

Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl to the top; 

press chunks down to bottom of bowl with fork. 

Add more water by the tablespoon, mixing until dough holds together.

3 

DIVIDE dough in two, one ball slightly larger than the other. 

Flatten balls into ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick disks, 

wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

4 

PLACE larger disk of dough on lightly floured work surface. With floured rolling pin, 

roll dough outward from center into circle 1 inch (2.5 cm) wider than pie plate. 

Transfer dough into pie plate without stretching and trim evenly around plate. 

Fill unbaked pie crust according to recipe.

5 

ROLL Top pie crust; lift onto filled pie. Trim dough to  ¾ inch (2 cm) overhang; 

fold top crust under bottom dough edge. Press edges together and flute. 

Cut slits in top crust. Bake according to recipe directions. 

FILLING

INGREDIENTS

To make one pie:

2 eggs

398 mL (1/2 can of 796 mL) of E.D. Smith Pure Pumpkin

1 Cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 (9”/23 cm) unbaked home-made or 

frozen deep dish pie shell

METHOD

Beat Eggs lightly in medium bowl.

Add pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt; stir until well combined.

Blend in milk. Pour filling in pie shell. Bake at 425*F 15 min.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 *F and continue baking 30 to 35 minutes longer

or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.

Makes 1 pie.

Serves eight.

Preperation time: 35 minutes.

Baking time: 40-45 minutes.

To make two pies, use 1 can and double all ingredients.

Quinoa Cauliflower Patties

Quinoa Cauliflower Patties

Sprouted Kitchen

I was over the moon excited this afternoon when I came across a new veggie patty recipe on my favorite food blog, Sprouted Kitchen. I will definitely be giving these a try this week and will be sure to let you know what I think. In the mean time if you'd like to try them for yourself, just click the link above.

Arugula Caprese Salad with Kale Pesto

Arugula Caprese Salad with Kale Pesto

I made this incredible Arugula Caprese Salad with Kale Pesto tonight from the Sprouted Kitchen website. It was incredibly easy to make and it tasted so good. It's great on its own but would also serve as a great side dish for a big dinner. I made a few adjustments to the recipe to make it a little more calorie conscious and adapted the pesto recipe to work better for a people who don't have a food processor. 

Kale Pesto

1 bunch kale

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1 handful fresh basil

1/3 cup shredded parmesan

pinch of red pepper flakes

juice of two lemons

1/3 cup water

sea salt and pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, blanch the kale by placing it in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Run the kale under cool water to stop the cooking. 

Add the garlic cloves and walnuts to a blender or food processor and blend. Once they have been chopped add in the kale leaves, basil, parmesan, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper and olive oil. Pulse until blended to the consistency you like. If you're having trouble blending add little bits of water and lemon juice to help it along. 

Salad

1 package cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup bocconcini cheese balls, halved

3 cups baby arugula

Half the cherry tomatoes and bocconcini cheese and add them to a large bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of the pesto to the salad and mix it in. Add the arugula, mix and serve. 

Bon Appétit 

For Sprouted Kitchen's recipe visit the link below:

 Sprouted Kitchen

Tomato Mozzarella + Cilantro Risotto

Tomato, Mozerella, Cilantro Risotto

1 package Uncle Ben’s Bistro Express Tomato + Herb Risotto

½ Jar Classico Roasted Tomato and Garlic Tomato Sauce

1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella

1 bundle, Fresh Cilantro

1 tbsp RSF Margarine (Butter of your preference)

1 Onion, chopped

1.     Prepare the onion by removing the external layers of skin and chopping it into small squares.

2.     Place in a pot with 1 tbsp of butter or margarine. Heat over the stove on medium high until browned.

3.     Add ½ the bottle of Classico Tomato Sauce and allowing it to simmer, once the sauce begins to boil, reduce heat and add the mozzarella cheese. 

4.     Chop up the cilantro, making sure to remove the stems and add half of the cilantro to the sauce, reduce the heat to low

5.     Prepare the risotto by following the instructions on the package. Once it’s finished add it to the sauce mixture. Gently mix in the risotto and allow the mixture to simmer for 2-5 minutes, add ½ of the cilantro remaining.

6.     Spoon the risotto into a bowl and top with the remaining cilantro.

7.     Bon Appétit 

Prociutto Wrapped Asparagus

This is such a simple and delicious recipe. It takes next to no time to whip up and it always looks beautiful.

Click on the recipe image to enlarge. 

Mediterranean Pasta

Picture coming soon! To see the recipe better, click on the image and you can zoom in,

Dragon Bowl

Dragon Bowl

Inspired by the Naam

1 carrot, grated

2 canned beets, grated

1 potato, grated

1 handfull, broccoli and cauliflower heads,

1 tomato, sliced

2 cucumber slices

1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts

1/4 cup bean sprouts

1/4 cup cilantro

1 green onion, sliced

1/4 cup, part skim mozzarella, grated

1 tbsp olive oil

sauce

1 tbsp tamari sauce

2 tbsp, water

1 tsp, garlic powder (or fresh)

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and saute the grated potato until browned to your desire ( i like mine a little crispy), onced cooked remove from heat and add sliced green onion and half of the grated cheese. 

While the potatoes are cooking boil a small amount of water, once it begins to boil add broccoli and cauliflower, cover and allow to steam for approximately 3-5 minutes or until tender.

While the potatoes and vegetables are cooking, prepare the other vegetables. 

Once everything is finished layer the ingredients in a large enough bowl as follows:

cauliflower and broccoli

remaining cheese

1/2 of the potato mixture

bean sprouts

grated carrots

grated beets

cilantro

bean sprouts

garnish on the side with sliced cucumber and tomato

top with the sauce. 

Quinoa Soft Tacos

Quinoa and Mango Soft Tacos

1 Baked Quinoa Patty

1 tbsp mango salsa

1 splash tabasco sauce

1 handfull alfalfa sprouts

If you have pre made the Baked Quinoa Patties (try the link for the recipe for baked quinoa patties, also on my blog) and are looking for ways to use them as left overs, this is a great way! 

Split one quinoa patty in half and place each half on a separate small tortilla shell. 

One by one, place each tortilla shell with half of the quinoa patty in the microwave for 40 seconds.

Remove the taco from the microwave and top with tabasco sauce, pre made or home made mango salsa (mine was purchased from Granville Island Market in Vancouver) 

Last of all, top with alfalfa sprouts. 

Enjoy!

Salad de Lola

Salad de Lola

1 tomato, diced

1 carrot, grated

1/3 cup red cabbage, sliced thinly

1 orange, sliced

1 handfull pea shoots sliced

1 handfull alfaalfa sprouts

1/3 cup sprouted beans

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp curry powder

Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tbsp splenda

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp powdered ginger

Directions
Set the oven to broil or 450 degrees

Mix chickpeas, lemon juice and curry powder, making sure chickpeas are evenly coated. If you prefer your chickpeas to be a little crunchier add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the mixture. Spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet and place in the oven once it has reached the proper temperature. Allow the chickpeas to bake 10 minutes. Remove the chickpeas from the oven, shake and return them to the oven for another 10 minutes to bake on the other side.

While waiting for the chickpeas, prepare the vegetables for the salad,  mixing them together, leaving the orange slices on the sides.

Only use about 1/3 of the chickpeas for the salad.

Mix together, dressing, salad and chickpeas adding the orange slices on the side as a garnish and enjoy

Steak Frites

Steak Frites with Asian-Style Stir Fried Green Beans

Rib Eye Steak

How to cook the perfect Rib Eye Steak 

in 8 minutes

Lemon Salt + Rosemary French Fries

A few notes:

• This recipe requires a mandoline — the fine shape of the julienned potato allows them to fry up first time around (as opposed to thick-cut fries, which require a double fry) — and calls for deep frying.
• When deep frying, be very careful. Use a pot with high sides to be safe, and make sure the oil is not filled as far as half-way up the sides — two or three inches should do.
• Fry in small batches: If you add too many potatoes to the hot oil, the oil will bubble over the side of the pan and creep along your stove top, creating a huge mess and posing a serious danger to you and anyone crawling around your floor. Too many potatoes at one time, too, will bring the temperature of the oil down, which will cause the potatoes to take longer to cook also making them soggy in the process.

April Bloomfield’s Rosemary Straw Potatoes with Lemon Salt
Source: Cooking with Jamie

for the lemon salt:
zest of one lemon
4 tablespoons sea salt (I used 3)

sunflower oil (I used a mix of canola and vegetable oil)
1 3/4 lb. potatoes, peeled and julienned* (I used Yukon Gold, and I didn’t peel)
a few sprigs of rosemary

* The potatoes can be julienned in advance — about an hour or so — before they start turning slightly brown. A little brown is OK, but too much brown is probably not a good idea. Storing the potatoes in water will prevent browning, but you also must dry the potatoes very well before you start frying, which is kind of a pain.

1. Make the lemon salt: In a mortar and pestle, bash together the lemon zest and salt until salt is flavored, colored, and fine. Place in a dish. Use whatever you need right away or allow it to dry out for a couple of hours before storing it. (I made my lemon salt a day in advance and stored it in the mortar wrapped in plastic wrap.)

2. Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a sturdy, high-sided pan; bring to deep-frying temperature (350°F; to avoid oil catching fire, be sure to maintain its temperature at 350°F). Jamie’s tip: place a potato in the cold oil before you turn the burner on. When the potato rises to the top of the oil and begins to turn golden brown, the oil is ready. Remove the potato piece and start frying in small batches.

3. Pat the julienne strips dry with some paper towels to remove any excess starch. Making sure you’ve got a slotted spoon or spider (which is like a flat colander with a handle) and a big pile of paper towels to one side (I did not use paper towels, but instead transfered the finished fries to a large aluminum bowl, which allows for easy tossing), carefully place some of your potatoes into the pan of oil (don’t overcrowd it) for a couple of minutes (1 to 2) until golden brown and crisp. Cook potatoes in batches until they are all used up. Add the rosemary for the last 30 seconds. (Note: It’s hard to judge when the last 30 seconds will be, but the rosemary can be in the oil for as few as 10 seconds. I basically added the rosemary in at the last few seconds of each batch). Remove the potatoes and rosemary to the paper towels (or a large bowl) to soak up any excess oil; dust with your lemon salt. Serve immediately, perhaps alongside a blue cheese burger as they are at the Spotted Pig.

Asian-Style Stir Fried Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen green beans, thawed and drained (Obviously, fresh would be better. But if you’re short on time, the frozen stuff is great.)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp garlic, pepper flakes, and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is uniform.
2. Add drained/dried green beans, and toss to coat in sauce
3. Heat sesame oil in a pan/wok on medium-high heat. When tiny bubbles start to form in the oil, add remaining minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
4. Pour green beans/sauce into the heated, oiled pan. Using a spatula, spread green beans out in a more or less even layer in the pan. Cover, and let cook for about 3-5 minutes.
5. Stir/toss green beans to avoid burning, then cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until your green beans get soft and you start seeing browned bits at the tips.
6. Enjoy immediately, over a bowl of rice.

Raspberry tarts

I had to create an 8 page how-to booklet for school and chose to do it on the cook atelier's raspberry tart recipe. I was inspired by the layout and photography of Knfolk Magazine. To read the recipe, just click on each photo and zoom in to see the directions