Sweeteners February 12, 2011
Posted by Teresa in : General , add a commentI just thought I’d share some sugar alternatives that I’ve discovered!
Instead of processed white sugar, why not try:
- brown sugar
- organic sugar
- sucanat (raw sugar cane)
- molasses
- honey
- agave nectar
While these are all better options than white sugar, why not try sweet fruits instead? Depending on the recipe, you can try
- dates
- figs
- bananas
- raisins
- sweet fruit juice such as pear, white grape or nectarine
For example, molasses or agave nectar is great as a sweetener in BBQ sauce. Notice I haven’t mentioned corn syrup? It’s no better than white sugar.
So next time you need to sweeten something, why not use fruit and benefit from the nutrients and flavour too!
Puff Pastry! October 24, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch, Snacks/Party Food , add a commentI bought a package of puff pastry on sale, but I had no idea what to do with it. I thought I might make a messy apple pie (galette) or something else, but then I thought of cheese. Mmmmmm… Cheese.
So here’s what I came up with!
Garlic and Cheese Galette
1 piece prepared frozen puff pastry, about 30 cm x 30 cm unrolled
1 cup leftover brown or wild rice
1 cup grated medium cheddar cheese
1 cup grated old cheddar cheese
1 tsp heavy cream (whipping or coffee cream)
1 – 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
~1/3 cup chopped almonds
1 tsp dried basil (or a few tbsp fresh basil if you have, chopped)
Few pinches of salt — I used himalayan rock salt
A pinch of nutritional yeast (optional)
Thaw puff pastry on the counter. Move it to a cookie sheet and unroll it. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, then pour out into center of the pastry, leaving about 1″ of pastry showing on all sides. Starting at one corner and working your way around clockwise, fold the sides up until the filling is mostly enclosed – it’s okay if there are gaps. Put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
You could try lots of other fillings and spices, like mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, cayenne pepper, pine nuts, etc. Let your leftovers inspire you! 
Smoothies I Have Loved March 9, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : General , add a commentWe are into smoothies lately, and we’ve made a few delicious ones! Thought I’d get these on here so we don’t forget the formula!
Simple and Sweet Smoothie
- a little water
- frozen strawberries
- banana
Variation on a Theme Smoothie
- a little rice milk
- baby cucumber
- an orange
- banana
Purple Wonder
- blueberries (frozen, add a little water to get them moving)
- an orange
- half a banana
- flax seeds
Light Green Goodness
- 3 small green apples
- a little water
- half a cucumber
- banana
- flax seeds
“Let’s use every kitchen appliance” Smoothie
- carrot juice (from juicer)
- frozen strawberries
- apples
- banana
- kale
- ginger (from juicer)
My Favourite Lunch February 26, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Lunch , add a commentMy new favourite lunch is simple, and so delicious! I roughly dice 2 rona tomatoes. I open up an avocado and dice it too. Add them together in a glass bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil over, a tiny bit of vinegar (not the white kind, a nice balsamic or apple cider), then a few spices: oregano, sea salt, and black pepper.
That’s it! Stir and enjoy! You can have it on a pita, which is nice, or just plain on your plate!
If you need more excitement, you can add some diced celery, too.
My second favourite new lunch is a cold salad, too! A can of chick peas (or mixed beans), diced celery, almonds, and a little finely diced sundried tomato. A similar dressing as for the tomato-avocado salad, or a mixture of these spices, just a little of each: cumin, paprika, onion powder, sea salt. You can also add a little cubed cheese (whatever is handy)!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares February 26, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Dessert , add a commentI made these recently for a group of people — how yummy! Great for a potluck – quick and easy to make! I, of course, left off the coconut and other nuts.
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tbsp bleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, or slightly less — I used the Organics kind that isn’t totally white.
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 package (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (340 g)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted (optional)
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
Preparation
Place oven rack in lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on rimmed baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer nuts to cutting board to cool; chop coarsely and set aside. Toast coconut on same rimmed baking sheet, stirring 2 to 3 times, until light golden, about 5 to 7 minutes; set aside. (Keep a close eye on the coconut when toasting as it can burn quickly.) Lower oven temperature to 325 °F. Lightly butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan; set aside. If the pan is glass or Pyrex, turn the oven heat down to 300 °F.
Whisk flour, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.
In a Large bowl, whisk melted butter, brown and granulated sugars together until combined. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in chips, coconut, and nuts, if desired, and turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with spatula.
Bake until top is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Transfer to cutting board, cut into bars and serve. Mine did not pull away from the sides of the pan at all (glass pan), but they were done and still a little moist, the way they should be.
Makes about 3 dozen (1 1/2- by 2 1/2-inch) bars.
Eggplant Parmigiana February 26, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner , add a commentWell, we’ve gone mostly vegetarian, and I haven’t posted here in ages, but there’ll be a flurry of new recipes in the next little while (if I have time). I made this one tonight, and although it takes about 50 minutes to make, it’s worth it!
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggplants (or less, just scale ingredients accordingly)
- 3 cups breadcrumbs, or use croutons and pound them into crumbs
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 4 cups mozzarella, shredded
- jar of pasta sauce, any variety, or plain tomato sauce and add your own spices (oregano, basil, onion salt, celery salt, garlic powder)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400.
Slice the eggplant (leave the skin on) into 1/3 inch thick discs. Whisk the milk and eggs together.
Line two baking sheets with parchment or spray with cooking spray (do not use foil).
Dip each piece of eggplant into the egg mixture then coat well with breadcrumbs and place on baking sheet.
Bake eggplant until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
Spread 1/4 cup of pasta sauce all over the bottom of a 9×12 glass baking dish (or smaller one if you’re using less eggplant) and layer single pieces of the baked eggplant until the bottom is covered.
Spread a thin coating of pasta sauce over the eggplant.
Sprinkle the layer with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella.
Continue to create layers until all of the eggplant has been used.
Sprinkle final layer with 1/2 cup of mozzarella.
Tent loosely and return to oven.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the shredded cheese on top is melted and slightly bubbly. Delicious!
Protein Pancakes January 8, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Breakfast, Lunch , add a commentCreamier and softer than normal pancakes, with great flavour!
Protein Pancakes
Ingredients Supplies/Equipment
1 cup ricotta cheese food processor
2 eggs frying pan
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Measure all ingredients into a food processor. Pour 1/4 cup bat-
ter for each pancake; makes 8 pancakes.
Herbed Goat Cheese Toasts January 8, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Snacks/Party Food , add a commentVery yummy, a little expensive, but hey! Great for a treat, very rich…
Herbed Goat Cheese Toasts
Ingredients
170 g fresh chevre-style goat cheese
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, tarragon,
. etc) If using dried, use 4 tsp instead.
1 egg
1 baguette-loaf French bread
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
In bowl, mash together with a fork: goat cheese, ricotta, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper, then beat in egg. Cut the baguette into diagonal slices 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Toast slices lightly to firm them up, spread with goat cheese mix and broil lightly and serve. Serves 8 – 12 as an appetizer.
Cheddar Beer Bread January 8, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a commentAnother little gem from the Misericordia O.R. Staff Cookbook (thanks Edie for this great cookbook!)!
Cheddar Beer Bread
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 cups grated sharp (old) cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz. can beer
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients except the beer in a bowl with a fork. Add beer a quarter at a time until all the ingredients are blended. Spoon into a greased 4 X 8 loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Lemon Garlic Hummus January 8, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : General , add a commentNow, I am no hummus expert, but this is the best I can remember ever having! And I made it myself! (Recipe from Misericordia O.R. Staff Cookbook)
Lemon Garlic Hummus
Ingredients
1 can chick peas
2 Tbsp Tahini paste (sesame paste)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander (I used seeds, but I think ground would be better)
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
fresh ground pepper
In a blender, combine all ingredients together and mix until smooth. (A food processor may also work.) Serve with pita bread or veggies.
