Jamie to the rescue

This past week, Jeff wanted steak.  I have no doubt that part of this need was aided by the fact that the BBQ was trapped behind a one meter tall wall of snow and he needed something, anything that was reminiscent of summer.  I, on the other hand, wanted to try out my new cookbook.  After getting caught in a 'meh' loop, I decided I needed some external inspiration and picked up Jamie's 15 Minute Meals the last time I was browsing around Winners.

15 Minutes is about my attention span these days, so the title was working for me.  It should be noted that the idea of 15 minutes is cooking time, not prep time.  For things to actually take 15 minutes, make sure you do the prep (chopping, washing, boiling etc) prior to beginning, or you'll get out of step pretty quickly.

Sunday - The first day of the snow.  We knew that we were going to get 40cm of snow.  I knew this was going to give me a serious case of the sads, so I was prepared to dump a bunch of stuff in the slow cooker around breakfast time, and have something wonderful and comforting for dinner.  In this case, it was my stand by Moroccan vegetable stew.  This one also works well with stewing lamb, especially if you have the time to pre-brown the lamb, but straight up veggies is nice too.  I served with a quinoa pilaf with toasted cumin seeds, pistachios an
d slivered almonds.

Monday - Leftovers.  This was Gus's last beginners puppy class.  He is now responding to his name, knows how to sit, and will waiting until you signal he can have the treat in your hand.  These classes are so much fun, but they're really early for us, so leftovers is the only way to go.

Tuesday - I made Jeff steak.  Perfectly on the rare side of medium rare, lovingly grilled on a hot pan with sesame oil and Chinese 5-spice.  This one was out of Jamie's book.  It was lovely.

Wednesday - Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad.  Also from Jamie's book.  I love a hearty salad, and this one was spectacular.  I made it without feta, but I'm sure it would be tasty with.

Thursday - Slow-cooker Asian Pork with Broccoli and Noodles.  This one looks so much better on paper than it turned out.  Jeff still enjoyed it, but the flavours were off for me.  If I were to make it again (and I probably will), I would do a reduction of the sauce on the stovetop, and not add the cornstarch to the slowcooker.  I think I would also use full salt soy sauce, not the reduced sodium stuff I had on hand.

Friday - I took the night off.  We had been invited out, and I had planned on making my customary cupcakes, but I was feeling like hell.  So Jeff and Finnegan headed out to be social, and Gus and I curled up on the couch and watched old Supernatural episodes and drank copious amounts of ginger ale.

Saturday - I did not rebound as quickly as I had hoped, but I had a lovely thawed duck breast in the refrigerator, so I was compelled to cook.  Crispy duck and hoisin tofu in lettuce cups.  Another of Jamie's.  So good.

Today is a travel day for me, headed off for work on the road for the next week.  I've been stockpiling frozen dinners, and I left a stew in the slow cooker, so my honey is well sorted in the food department.  I like to know that he has options, even if he mostly chooses to satisfy his hunger with gluten and dairy.  I am also aware that it is Burger Week in Halifax, so, you know...

s.

Monday's Lazy International Menu

Winter is sucking my kitchen energy dry.  It feels like spring is so deeply covered in ice, we may never see it again.  There's a mini glacier where my veggie beds are.  So, this past week was focused on easy foods from warmer climates.

Sunday - Mexico - Slow Cooker Chipotle Short Ribs with kale salad, guacamole and spicy rice.  The recipe includes instructions for a cabbage slaw - skip it.  The recipe also says boneless short ribs, which is silly, more expensive and hard to find.  Use bone-in, and by the time you're done cooking, the meat falls off the bone anyway.  Served with a light salad and guacamole, this is a wonderfully fragrant and delicious meal.  The smokey peppers will intoxicate you while it's cooking.

Monday - India - Sweet and Sour Dahl with Roasted Butternut Squash, Basmati and coconut yogurt.  This is another from the great cookbook with the irritating title.  This is a tamarind recipe, and I find that is a flavour that you either love or hate.  We love it.  The original recipe calls for roasted eggplant, but, eggplant isn't really my bag unless stewed.

Tuesday - Jamaica - Chicken Curry.  From the book above, this one doesn't quite work for me 'skinny'.  I love the allspice flavour, but broth instead of coconut milk is not inspiring.  I went full fat, not 'light', and it was delicious.

Wednesday - Italy - Sicilian Fish Stew.  Bright and spicy, this one, from that same book, is naturally skinny.  Plus, any recipe that has a healthy splash of wine is alright in my book.

Thursday - Multinational - otherwise known as leftovers.
Friday - German escapism to Ireland - otherwise known as, heading to the pub to get away from the wieners because lord knows, we all need to get out of the house sometimes!



Seems like a distant memory!

Saturday - Nova Scotian - we had our book club potluck meeting.  And since the book for this meeting took place in rural NS, we decided to go with classic recipes: Shepard's pie (lentil and sweet potato as the main ingredients), deviled eggs (filled with whipped avocado, not yolks), beet salad (with lovely quinoa), and a veggie soup.  (As always, there was way too much food!).  I made a strawberry rhubarb pie. I froze the hulled strawberries and slice rhubarb straight from my garden last summer.  I know have a recipe that makes a perfect gluten-free pie crust every time...no weird texture issues.  We were all stuffed and had plenty to say about the book (which we all loved).    

Et tu, Brute?

I was in Ottawa for work this past week and early this week. It is always a full schedule with very little down time, but I do quite enjoy visits to our nation's capital. The city is super vibrant, embracing each season with gusto. Winterlude begets spring flowers, transitions to festival season, changes to fall colours and back again. The city is bursting with museums, music and food. I love to cook, and I really appreciate a well cooked meal. I know that I am not the simplest person to accommodate, give my many food special needs, but I've had some brilliant meals in Ottawa.

Some of my favourite spots to eat when visiting:Play - the menu is constantly shifting, masterfully incorporating new flavours and cutting edge, fresh, local ingredients. Whenever I sit down, I self identify as 'that' patron, the one with a million questions, the difficult diet and a self proclaimed foodie. Play actually embraces all of these things, and the staff know their shit. The wait staff do not hesitate to explain each dish, what's adjustable and what is off the table. I love the full engagement. Pricey, yes. Worth every penny, also yes.

Just look at it!!!

The Albion Rooms - go and order the Marcus Brutus right now. It's the best Cesar you've ever had, isn't it? It's a thing of beauty - normally I would quibble about the cucumber garnish (I'm a full on spicy bean girl), but since they use it as a base for a multi layered stack of in house made chorizo and pancetta, I really can't fault them. It's also all about the Walter's Cesar mix, delicious locally made blend of fresh tomatoes and New Brunswick clam juice. I could go on and on about it, but let it be known that the food is equally good!

The Zen Kitchen - this is a new find for me. It's a vegan and gluten free restaurant on the edge of Chinatown. This is vegan fine dining. The setting is upscale but welcoming...no patchouli, no speeches, just really good food. I had the polenta fries with the Zen Burger. It was Divine. Avocado, smoked mushrooms, fresh veggies and a gluten free onion ring. So so good.










Jeff recently got himself a new phone
with a fancy camera and fancy editing app. 
I am mightily jealous. 

Jeff came to join me at the end of my first week.  He was mightily excited by the Ottawa craft beer scene.  He declared their IPAs passable, but many of their more experimental ales exceptional.  We were also treated to fairly underwhelming weather, but it did not damper our enthusiasm for the Ottawa Folk Festival.  The highlight?  Without a doubt, The War on Drugs.








See you tomorrow for Just Bliss - Vintage Patterns!
xo
s.

My babies are all grown up

Summer has really flown by, as evidenced by the first of our winter squash being ready for eating. Every year we try something new in the squash department, and every year it is the butternut squash that emerges victorious. They are gorgeous, and I love them.

Here's my favourite recipe for utilizing our harvest. This works as a chicken dinner or vegan side and is chockablock full of garden goodness.

Another Superfoods Salad

Ingredients:

1 medium Butternut Squash •2lbs•, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized cubes

4 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (optional)

1/3c tahini

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

8c chopped kale

1 can chickpeas, rinsed

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 425F

1. Set oven racks on the bottom third and top third. In one roasting pan, add squash and season with 2 tbsp olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix, and place on bottom rack for 20min.

2. In second roasting pan, place chicken. Season with remaining oil and salt and pepper.  When the first 20min are up for the squash, remove from oven and toss. Place back in oven. Place chicken on top rack. Set timer for both to 20 min.

3. Meanwhile, set kettle to boil. Place kale in a colander and pour boiling water over kale until bright green. Rinse in cold water.  

4. To make dressing, combine tahini, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. The lemon juice will thicken the tahini, so slowly add water until it is a thick but pourable consistency.

5. Split kale, chickpeas and squash evenly between 4 plates. Slice chicken, if using, and split into 4 servings. Top with dressing and fresh chives.

Got to run, dinner is calling! Kale, squash, oregano and chives from our very own garden!!

Xo

S.