A Feast for a King or Queen!

On Friday I was having lunch with a wonderful Indian lady that I work with, I mentioned to her that I have been craving GULAB JAMUN (Neil calls them Indian Timbits) my favorite Indian dessert. As the conversation went on she mentioned that she buys her desserts at Indian Sweet Shops. I was stunned I have never heard of such a thing. After a little more conversation I became aware that there is a whole Indian Mall in N.E Calgary with Indian groceries stores, sweet shops, jewelry stores and fabric stores. That night I told my sister and she said 'let go' so on Sunday afternoon along with the snow and cold we sought out little India. The first stop was the Delhi Sweet Shop, I ordered my Gulab Jumun however after this I was feeling a little lost so I ordered an assortment of desserts as well as 4 pieces of naan bread. We explored a few Indian grocery stores buying a some spices, exotic fruit, roti, paratha, fresh paneer and few other items. Our last stop was the Village Sweet Shop and Restaurant where we bought samosas. The car smelled of Indian cuisine and we had not even started cooking. We decided that we would make butter chicken with ghee and Silk coffee creamer so it was dairy free and cauliflower chickpea curry. To go with our curry we had partha, roti, naan, samosas, rice and sweets. If you would like to the recipe for "Dairy Free Butter Chicken" please email me otherw as I am just providing my recipe for the Cauliflower Chickpea Curry:

2 Tbsp of Oil

Mix 1 tsp of ground cardamon, 1 Tbsp of coriander, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 Tbsp of cumin, 1 tsp of tumeric, 1 tsp of Garam Marsala, 1 Tbsp of mango powder together in a small bowl.

Heat oil until very hot (have fan on) once oil is hot add spice mixture and keep stirring until the mixure turns slightly brown, add 4 cloves of garlic, 1 large onion continue stirring until onion is slightly soft. Add 1 large tomato (chopped) cook down until you have red sauce, add 1 small head of cauliflower and 1 cup of chick peas, salt to taste. Cook for another 20 minutes until cauliflower is soft, you may need to add water to keep this from burning. You also may need to add more of the spice mixture if the taste is too weak. Serve over basmati rice.

The meal was very good we ate so much we could barely walk, the GULAB JAMUN was better than I expected, the other Indian Sweets no so great. Overall we had a great day exploring little India, trying new food and cooking a feast fit for a King and Queen.

At Last

At last I am feeling better and I was able to make Turkey Black Bean Chili for dinner, although Neil's dad was coming over for dinner I had to tone it down a little. Lately I have been having a few challenges in the kitchen, my sister recently moved to Calgary we have been spending a lot of time together to get to the point she is allergic to milk therefore, I have to think a little harder when and what I cook. Along with the chili I also made vegan cornbread, for me it is easier to search for vegan recipes to accommodate her than it is to try to modify recipes. The chili turned out divine just what I have been craving, so easy to make:
1 lb of ground Turkey
1 lg onion
cook until onion is soft and turkey is cooked
add one jar of your favorite salsa
1 cup of water (depending how watery this mixture is)
5-6 fresh tomatoes
1 cup of black beans drained
1 cup of corn drained
a whole lot of chili powder
1 T of lime juice
Tabasco Sauce or hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 25-60 minutes

The vegan cornbread turned out excellent I will share my recipe because I do believe it tasted just as good a regular cornbread and it goes so well with chili.
1¼ C. all purp flour 1¼ C Corn meal
2 teaspoons Baking powder
2 TBSP of maple syrup 1½ C. soy milk
2 TBSP Olive oil
Directions:Preheat oven to 400 F.
Grease muffin cups or a square pan. Put dry ingredients in one bowl, and mix them. Put oil and milk together, and add to dry... stir just until moist. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Here's to the start of a long winter!

Sick

Sorry I have not been posting, I have been laying in bed fighting off this nasty flu therefore no cooking. I have been thinking a little bit about some meals that I am planning on cooking over the next few days as I feel better. Tonight we will be having Broccoli and Tofu as I desperately need to use my broccoli that has been festering in the fridge as well as the Tofu.

I have been craving Turkey Corn Chili this is on my menu for the weekend. Also I have had two bags of sun-chokes as known as Jerusalem Artichokes in my fridge for a month although these little tubers keep well they do cause extreme gas and bloating if not used within an appropriate amount of time. I am well beyond this point but this rare vegetable is one of my favorites. I was a little reluctant to write about these rare vegetables mostly because I have never seen them in the store. Living in Calgary I have the luxury of getting organic vegetables delivered to my door on a weekly basis for the same cost as buying them in the grocery store but I have a huge selection, I don't know what I would do with out SPUD. Back to sun-chokes these vegetable look like pototos gone bad, they require a lot of patience to peel but the flavor is amazing kind of like a nutty potato. They are high in Inulin which is a soluble fiber thus causing gas and bloating. I am laughing as I write this thinking you all must think I am crazy for wanting to cause myself this pain but a few times a year I can put up with pain (smell) as the taste is really worth it! Here's to feeling better and a whole week of cooking great meals!

I am on a roll

I am not feeling too well today and I have a sick kid, the joys of mother-hood!

I was going to make something a little more challenging today but I really wanted Mexican so tonight's dinner Enchiladas. I wanted to make these on the lower calorie side since (as I have done for all of my life) I am watching what I am eating. I figure these have about 350 calories each. These are pretty easy to make but they do need to bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes so they are not what I consider a 15 minute meal.

2 large green pepper julienned

1 large onion cut thinly into rings

1 chicken breast minced

Saute green pepper and onion in a little olive oil until it starts to brown, add the chicken cook until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked. Heat oven to 350.

Add 1 cup of Enchilada Sauce ( I used President's Choice Fajita sauce) and

1 can of refried beans ( I used refried Kidney beans, yes from a can!)

Mix together until heated thoroughly.

Set out 6 whole wheat tortilla shells

Divide mixture into 6 servings placing each in the middle of the tortilla.

Wrap tortillas and place in a 8X10 casserole dish.

Top with 1 cup of grated cheese and 1 jar of your favorite Salsa

Bake for 35-40 minutes, serves with a little cilantro sprinkled on top and sour cream on the side.

My husband said these were awsome! and he never lies.

I am back

I am sorry I have been away for so long I wasn't' sure if anyone actually missed me. Tonight just as I was going to eat Heidi called and said "hey what's with your blog" needless to say I felt a little bad so here I am. I am going to try really hard to keep this up. Tonight's dinner Cranberry Bean Minestrone complimentary of Chef Ramsay. I must say I was more than disappointed in this recipe. I started out this morning with a fresh chicken carcass boiled it for several hours, drained it and had myself 6 cups of fresh chicken broth, Chef Ramsay would be so proud! I have no idea what Cranberry Beans are so I substituted black beans my first of many substitutions.
Here is Chef Ramsay's recipe:

2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
2 Onions chopped and peeled
2 medium carrots
1 celery stalk
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp of tomato paste
1 Bay leaf
2 oz of Canadian Back Bacon
2 cans of Cranberry beans
5 oz of grape tomatoes halved.
4 cups of chicken stock
2 1/2 oz of broken spaghetti
Parmesan cheese

His soup tasted like dish water so here is my recipe:

2 Onions chopped and peeled
2 medium carrots
1 celery stalk
salt and peeper
2 pieced of organic bacon chopped finely
Saute in pan until slightly browned add 6 cups of chicken stock and chicken stripped from the bones
8-10 fresh tomatoes chopped, I pureed half in the food processor
1 Tbsp of basil
1 Tbsp of oregano
Salt and Pepper
1 1/2 cups of black beans
3/4 cup of pasta shells
Top with fresh Parmesan just before you serve.

I ended up with 6-7 servings of soup. A rich hardy soup perfect for a Fall day.

Sometimes I Cheat

Life gets busy and sometime you need to cheat a little. I was at Ikea this week and picked up a bag of their meatballs for those night when you just don't feel like cooking. Tonights dinner, Ikea meatballs, green beans, purple potatoes with Ikea gravy, total time 15 minutes.

Purple potatoes, okay they look a little weird but I didn't want to buy a bag of 100 seedlings when I came across these Russian Blues there were only 6 in the bag so that is what I planted. They don't have much flavor I don't think I will plant them again.

I think the blog will be put on hold for a few days as I not sure if supper will be on my agenda with the move. See you in my new kitchen. Yeah!

Teriyaki Marinated Tofu, Grilled Peppers and Rice

It has been a busy week getting ready for our move, I did manage to make dinner on Tuesday night, I had everything read to go on the BBQ when Neil reminded me we were out of propane, so we had left over Chili instead. I did manage to make it to the garden on Tuesday; I picked a large bowl of green beans, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, carrots and potatoes. Tonight's Dinner Teriyaki Marinated Tofu, Grilled Peppers and Rice total time 20 minutes. I am so glad I discovered President's Choice






Teriyaki Marinated Tofu it is so good, I think even the toughest tofu critic would think this was good. Slice peppers in half, place in baggy, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, Balsamic Vinegar and oilive oil, shake, grill for 10 mintues on 400F. For the Tofu, remove from package place on BBQ turning once, cooking time about 5 minutes. Serve with rice. You can also makes these into skewers. Here's to trying to get supper on the table tomorrow night.

It felt like a cool Fall day in Calgary today - I think it perhaps hit a high of 13, a perfect day for Chili. I always find it more difficult to avoid meat when you are feeling cold; perhaps this is what my body needs when the temperature plummets.
Tonight’s dinner: Chili Con Carne Jamie Oliver style. This is probably one of the best Chili recipes I have ever made. Jamie recommends you serve this with rice, something I have never done, but tonight I took the plunge and made a big pot of rice to go along with my Chili.

Total prep time about 15 minutes... cooking time 35 minutes just enough time to call a friend.
2 medium onions
1Lb of lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic
2 medium carrots
2 celery stalks
2 sweet peppers (I used green that is all I had)
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 tsp of cumin
2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 Can or 1 Cup of chickpeas
1 Can or 1 Cup of Kidney beans
8-10 Romano tomatoes (4 large tomatos)
1 bunch of cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown onion until soft, add ground beef cook until no longer pink, add all vegetables (except tomatoes) cook for 5 minutes add a little water 1/2 cup so vegetables don't burn. Add tomatoes, spices, vinegar and beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for 35-40 minutes stir occasionally. Add finely chopped cilantro and serve on a bed of rice. YUM!

(I am sorry the picture doesn't look so great we were all so hungry we dug in before I took the picture.)

We do eat normal!

Tonight's dinner Bacon Wrapped Steak with Beets and Beet Greens (from my garden).
Cooking time 30 minutes .
We found some great steaks at Costco that have the Environmental Choice logo - this simply means that they have been ethically raised, no hormones or antibiodics have fed to the cattle and the cattle are grass fed not confined, but more importantly they taste great!

I roasted the beets on the BBQ . You don't need to peel them, cut off the tops and bottoms, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil, and BBQ for about 25 minutes. The beet greens I boiled for about 25 minutes, drained and dosed with Balsamic Vinegar - a great summer meal.

Sounds like an easy meal however as I am writing this blog the BBQ ran our of propane. Meat went into the grill pan and then into the oven to roast, it won't taste as good as the BBQ but you have to roll with the punches.

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas with Salsa

Back in the kitchen tonight... yesterday was a crazy day we had McDonald's whoops!

Part of my quest to eat less meat was inspired by Mark Bittman's Book "Food Matters" an easy read on eating more environmentally responsible. One of Mark's main points in his book it that "beans" are a great meat substitution, over the years the meat industry has actually convinced us that meat is the only good source of protein. It is Mark's mission to get everyone to eat and cook beans. The economics of cooking beans yourself is worth the little effort they actually take. I normally pay around $2.50-3.00 for a can of organic beans, I can buy of bag of organic uncooked beans for around $4.00 this makes about 8 cups, if this is not enough to convince you to cook your own beans the taste will.
Start with your bag / bulk beans about 2-3 cups put them in a large pot (10-12 cups) Fill the pot 3/4 full of water, put the lid on and walk away. The next day when you have a few minutes rise the beans in cold water put them back in the pot with a little less water than the day before and boil for 10-15 minutes, turn off and walk away. If you do this last step in the morning the beans should be ready by supper, if you do this in the afternoon / evening drain and rise them in morning. These freeze really well ... 1 minute in the microwave to unthaw.

Tonight’s dinner:
Corn Black Bean Quesadilla with Salsa

These takes about 15 minutes to make including cooking time.
1/2 - 1 Cup of Corn
1/2-1 Cup of Black Beans
1-2 cups of shredded cheese
4-8 tortilla shells depending on hunger level

Heat frying pan to medium heat add the Quesadilla cook for 3 minutes on each side, cut and serve with Salsa.

I recently started to make my own salsa is so easy! Put 1/4 of a small onion in the food processor until fine, add a piece of jalapeno if desired and a handful of fresh cilantro once these are finely chopped add 2-3 Romano tomatoes ( any tomatoes will work) chop slightly until chunky. I do have a secret ingredient I use in all my Mexican cooking salsa, quesadilla etc. I bought this bottle of season at Loco Boco about 4 years ago it is almost gone so I do hope I can get more, it is called Tajin Fruit and Snack Seasoning it adds a little zip. Enjoy your Quesadilla.

Inspired to cook

As with all housewives, mothers... actually anyone who needs to eat, what's for dinner in always on our mind. I have become inspired to cook for many reasons, I love to eat, I love to create, I don't have a lot of hobbies but I do like to cook when I know what I am making. I hate making supper when there is nothing in the house to cook with and when I am out of ideas. I hoping this blog does two things 1. I hope it inspires others to cook 2. I hope it helps me with some idea of what's for dinner, what I have made so I don't fall into a rut.

We all fall into ruts of pasta and sauce etc. because it is quick and easy. I am not the sort of person to spend several hours in the kitchen, my daughter likes to go to bed around 6:30, when I work I get home around 5:20 therefore I have just over an hour to get her fed and in bed before the melt down begins. Now for all you parents out there who say my kid is picky eater be warned my daughter eats what we give her, I strongly believe children will not starve themselves. If my daughter does not like what is for supper she says "I am full" in which I respond "that's okay we will save this for lunch tomorrow" she then eats more or has it for lunch the next day... Back to what I make for dinner, my husband and I made a choice about a year ago to eat less meat, the meat I do eat is ethically raised and/ or organic therefore expensive and forces us to eat less.

I hope the majority of my meals are vegetarian, I also promise the majority of them will be quick, edible and healthy. I must forewarn we really like ethnic food.

So here it goes I challenge myself to be creative in the kitchen not to make the same meal in a two week period and never make a dish more than twice a month.

Tonight's dinner Broccoli and Stew Tofu with Indonesian Ketjup and rice. Indonesian Ketjup is one of my stables you can buy this at the dutch import store or sometimes Asian markets. I used to make this with ground beef instead of Tofu however ever since I discovered StewTofu I don't mind using it as a substitute. I was alway a little afraid of Tofu however this has a totally different texture less like eggs and more like chicken. This recipe takes about 20 minutes including rice.

1 Large head of broccoli cut into bite sized pieces

1-2 cups of Stewed Tofu or 1/2 pound of ground beef.

1/3 cup of Indonesian Ketjup

Stir-fry broccoli in a small amount of olive oil, keep 1/4 cup of water on side incase it sticks, cook for 5-10 minutes I like mine a little crunchy, add tofu stir-fry until heated as 1/3 cup or Ketcup heat another 2 minutes and serve over rice.

Enjoy!