CARROT POMEGRANATE SALAD

And as promised here is the recipe for this very simple but delicious salad. Stay vibrant, eat colourfully :)

Skill : Easy
Serves : 2-3
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup carrot grated
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 2 Tbsp dessicated coconut
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• salt to taste

METHOD

1. Add carrots, coriander, coconut and lemon juice to a bowl and mix 
2. Toss with pomegranate seeds and season to taste

BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN CURRY

I am blessed to have my parents visiting right now and love it when Ma cooks old favourites. My constant request is that she not deviate at all from my childhood memory of the dish; even the addition of cilantro where there is none alters the end result from what I remember. Yes, I know, I am a little wierd but who among us does not have a quirk or two or three ?
This is one of my favourite curries. It is fiery hot because of black pepper which I like a lot more than the heat from chili. This was made using a pressure cooker but can just as easily be made in a pot. For those of you that I still have not succeeded in convincing about a pressure cooker, I will keep on trying : ) 
Just a few ingredients and a delicious result. Please go to our facebook page Spice Divas and let us know what you think. Ma served this with white basmati rice and a delicious carrot salad (pictured below). 

Skill Level: Easy 

Serves: 5-6

INGREDIENTS: 

• 8 chicken thighs (skinless, bone in)  
• 1 large tomato chopped 
• 2 medium white potatoes cut in half
• 3 medium onions sliced
• 1" piece of ginger chopped 
• 10 curry leaves (available at most Indian & Chinese supermarkets)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp black pepper powder (use less if you prefer a milder curry)
• 1 tsp salt

METHOD: 

1. Wash and pat the chicken dry
2. In a large bowl add all the ingredients to the chicken and mix well
3. Allow chicken to marinate for 15 minutes 
4. Put into a pressure cooker for three whistles (about 5 minutes)
5. Put cut potatoes on the top, do not mix it in or it will overcook in the pressure cooker
6. If not using a pressure cooker, add the chicken to a pot with a tight fitting lid and cook on high for 2-4 minutes. Add potatoes and mix in with the chicken. Stir, reduce the heat and cook for 20 -25 minutes
7. The only liquid in this is from the tomato and the chicken. 
8. Serve with rice and a salad. Ma made this colourful pomegranate and carrot salad which tastes every bit as good as it looks

Kimchi Fried Rice with Smoked Ham

 

If I have to name one dish that I must eat before I die, this must be the dish! Kimchi is a national dish of South Korea. It's a pickle made of Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger, hot pepper flakes and fish sauce. It is then fermented and can last indefinitely.

At my house, we frequently have leftover cooked rice in the fridge and chances are, we also never run out of kimchi. This is a dish that I whip up quickly for a busy weeknight family dinner. You can either use a homemade kimchi or store bought kimchi for this dish. The rice is perfectly seasoned with gochujang, a Korean fermented hot pepper paste, which you can find easily in Asian grocery stores.

Skill Level: Easy 

Serves: 5-6

INGREDIENTS: 

• 5 cups cooked long grain white rice, overnight in fridge 
• 1 cup chopped smoked ham 
• 1.5 cups kimchi
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans) 
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean fermented hot pepper paste)
• 2 springs of green onions, finely chopped
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 5 tbsp cooking oil
• black pepper, to tast

METHODS: 

1. In a wok or cooking pan, heat up cooking oil till medium hot
2. Add in sliced onions and garlic. Saute till translucent
3. Stir in chopped ham, cook over high heat till slightly brown
4. Add in frozen mixed vegetables and kimchi. Cook for 2 minutes
5. Add in cooked rice, gochujang paste, soy sauce and black pepper
6. Stir all ingredients till the rice is uniformly coated with all wet ingredients with no white granules left. Cook under high heat for another 5 minutes or until you hear some "toasted popping" sounds
7. Stir in chopped green onions, saute for another minute and turn off the heat
8. Serve hot with sunny side-up eggs

HEARTY SOUP WITH SAVOURY SPIRALS

Soup became a regular feature in my diet when I lived in Europe where it was consumed daily, and I certainly did not appreciate it at the time. Of course, today I get a real thrill at the endless possibilities with soup and one cannot deny that the long Canadian winters provide the ideal opportunity to serve soup as a meal. My mother-in-law makes some of the best soups I have ever tasted; I am more adventerous while she remains traditional in her creations. 

As winter seems to have made an early appearance this year, with snow flurries on Halloween and a light dusting yesterday, soup seemed like the perfect choice for a Sunday lunch. Murphy's Law at it's finest, the sun shone brightly and laughed at my choice but I enjoyed putting this vegetarian soup together for lunch. A big batch of soup, the kitchen warm from the sun, the smell of olive spirals baking and friends around the table made for a beautiful Sunday afternoon. 

This is really easy and contrary to my usual routine of soaking legumes, I used canned chickpeas which really sped up the cooking process. Soup's on. Enjoy!

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 - 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 leeks thinly sliced
• 4 medium zucchini chopped
• 2 1/2 cups finely chopped spinach
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 x 796 mL can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning 
• 1 x 456 g can chickpeas
• 1 x 398 mL can corn
• 2 L vegetable stock (I added three vegetable cubes to hot water)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp herbes de provence
• 2 tsp red chili flakes 
• 3/4 tbsp hot Hungarian paprika powder
• 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• serve with crusty bread or olive spirals (recipe below)

METHOD:

1.Heat oil in a saucepan. Add bay leaves, garlic, leeks, zucchini and corn and saute for 5 minutes

2. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, chickpeas, spices and the vegetable stock. cook for 5-7 minutes  

3. Add the shredded spinach and heat for 2 minutes 
4. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot with crusty bread or better yet with olive spirals (recipe below) 

SAVOURY SPIRALS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 tsp (7g) dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 cups plain white flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 250 g pitted black olives 
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
• 3 cloves chopped garlic

METHOD:

1. Mix sugar, yeast and 1/2 a cup of warm water in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes or until frothy
2. Sift flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add 1 Tbsp oil, frothy yeast and the remaining cup of warm water. Mix into a smooth dough ball. Turn onto a board and knead until smooth
3. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour
4. Process the olives, parmesan and garlic in the food processor, with the motor still running, add the remaining Tbsp of olive oil and mix till you get a smooth paste
5. Once the dough has risen, punch down and knead for 1 minute. Roll out to a rectangle, spread the olive paste on the dough leaving a strip along one of the sides
6. Roll up lengthways until you have a log. Cut into 14 slices and place close together on a greased baking sheet. 
7. Cover with a dampl tea towel and set aside for another 30 minutes until well risen
8. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown

East African Chicken

Most of my friends and all my family are aware that I do not like anything sweet added to my protein. On my plate, horror of all horrors would be to see pieces of fruit with chicken, pork or beef, so as you can guess, no Hawaiian pizza, no pineapple chicken or sweet and sour pork for me. However, I must say that my brother-in-law's - East African Chicken - is making me reconsider my position. There is a lot of flavour in this dish and a generous amount of heat; and the marriage between the spices and fruits (dates and rasins) is a happy one. As we enjoyed this for dinner yesterday, I was reminded that love of food demands a healthy amount of a spirit of adventure and I am glad to say that I have altered my position after eating this dish.  

So, to the proteinfrutophobes (word not yet in the English dictionary which means fear of protein and fruit in the same dish), I say, try this recipe and if it is still not your thing, then try it one more time after which I say, congratulations for having tried - proteinfrutism may not be for everyone (yes, another word that has yet to make it to the English dictionary....)

My brother in law is not just a fabulous cook, he makes the effort of going back to his blog and updating any changes he has made to his recipe. I have shamelessly copied it word for word from his blog and although it may appear time consuming, the finished product is certainly time well spent. I served it with quinoa cooked with a little salt and nothing else, because chicken with such bold flavours needs no competition from an overly dressed side dish. 

p.s. I have to confess, the only change I made was to use 12 instead of the 16 dates suggested, blame it on the proteinfrutophobia that I could not shake off entirely.

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 - 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 large chicken thighs skinned
• 1 tbsp salt (or more if desired)
• 4 tsp black pepper ground
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups sliced onion
• 2 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 8-oz can diced tomato
• 16  pitted dates cut in half
• 1/2 cup golden raisins 

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and black pepper

3. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, cook 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the chicken from pan
4. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently 
5. Add the ginger and next 5 ingredients (ginger through garlic); cook for 1 minute
6. Stir in chicken, broth, and the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil

7. Cover and bake at 360 degrees for 90 minutes

Nutty Eggplant Dip

It feels like spring is trying really hard to show itself. We are at the end of April and my tulips are mere leaves with the promise of flowers sometime in the near future. In the hopes that seeing patio furniture would change the weather, we brought out our BBQ and deck chairs over this weekend, but it did not work - the temperature today is a mere 10 degrees C/50 degrees F. But, since the BBQ is ready, I put on some eggplant and garlic and decided to make a dip that I saw in Canadian Living recently. The dip is light and has a good blend of flavours and is smple to make. One of these days, (hopefully real soon), the weather will be warm and when you sit out on the deck with a cold beer, this will be an appetizer to try with pita or crackers, but for now, let me go and put away my patio chair cushions since they are calling for rain tonight and tomorrow.
Happy spring !!!

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 - 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup walnuts soaked in water for 8 hours (this makes the walnuts less astringent)
• 1 can chickpeas (540 mL)
• 1 clove of garlic grilled
• 2 large eggplants grilled
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp za'atar powder *
• 4 Tbsp Tahini
• 2 Tbsp chopped clilantro or parsley

*Za'atar is a Middle Eastern seasoning made using ground thyme, oregano, marjoram, salt, sumac and toasted sesame. Available in Middle Eastern stores but is easy to make at home by combining the following:

• 1/4 cup sumac
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons marjoram
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months

METHOD:

1. Wash and dry eggplants. Pierce the eggplants and place on the BBQ and grill until soft. Remove and allow to cool

2. Cut the top of a clove of garlic and wrap it in foil and grill for approximately 15 minutes. Cool before using
3. Drain water from the walnuts and spread onto a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 300 degrees F turning once until they are dry and toasted

3. Cut and scoop out the eggplant and put into the food processor, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, and peeled garlic and mix until it is well belended.

4. Add toasted walnuts, lemon juice, tahini, spices and salt and pulse until it is mixed

5. Refrigerate for an hour. Garnish with cilantro and serve with pita or crackers

Delectable Delicious Brownies

My apologies dear readers, I expected to have this post up last week but we went out of town for a few days hence the delay.We went to Niagara on the Lake and had a fabulous time. Highly recommend the Pillar and Post Inn, terrific accomadation, delightful spa and outdoor hottub. The Cannery restaurant onsite serves the best slow cooked prime rib I have eaten.The highlight of the trip was a drive to see Niagara Falls where a large part of the falls are frozen. I know I have griped a lot about this winter but the sight was spectacular. 

Of course having to shovel snow today, after a few warmish (7 - 8 degree C) days was a cruel return to reality. To ease the misery of this winter that will not go away, I baked - using the excuse that I needed to take pictures of square brownies as opposed to the round cake brownie picture I posted on our facebook page. So here it is. When our close friends S & A mentioned this brownie they make using black beans, I did not have major expectations, because let's face it, a tofu cheesecake no matter how good it is, is not really cheesecake so I figured a bean brownie would be along those lines. I am glad to admit that I was totally wrong. This is delicious, easy to make and a perfect sweet treat. You could even tell yourself that it is a source of fibre and would not be far off the mark, I did not call it Blackbean brownies, because despite the best of intentions, I know that sometimes we just cannot help but get turned off by a name..... Enjoy.


Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can 540 mL or 15.5 oz can of black beans washed and rinsed
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp oil
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup of sugar (I used 1/2 cup and added chocolate chips and it was sweet enough
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan 
2. In a food processor add all ingredients except the chocolate chips and blend until smooth 
3. Pour into the prepared baking pan
4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top 
5. Bake until the top is dry and edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Aprox. 30 - 35 minutes 
6. Allow to cool before cutting

Spicy Mussels in a Ginger Coconut broth

Have you even cooked a meal where you wanted to ensure that all remnants of your dish needed to make it out of the house by garbage day to avoid having it sit in your compost bin for a week? Have you managed to pull something off in less than half an hour that you concocted for the first time and that tasted delicious? Have you recreated something you ate at a restaurant and liked your version better? Yes, dear friends, it was all of the above that leads me to this post.I bought a bag of mussels on Friday, got busy over the weekend and realized that I had no real plans for our lunch on Monday. Today, Tuesday being garbage day, meant that if the mussels were made mid week, I'd have the shells sitting around for a few days.So looking at the ingredients on hand, I thought I'd try to recreate mussels we'd eaten at a restaurant some years ago. That was in a thick coconut milk broth that was perfect for soaking up the warm bread that came with the dish. Now, I wanted something lighter with an Asian influence, so I  put a few ingredients together and came up with this recipe. I use the entire gamut of coconut ingredients from oil, to milk, cream and desiccated. What I have in addition is a Nestlé brand Maggi Coconut Milk powder because it allows me to create the consistency of the coconut milk I require. Also, I like this is because unlike a can that you have to use all at once, this can be used as needed thereby ensuring you always have some on hand when needed.
There were three star players in this recipe, they are (not in any order of importance)



These are staples in my kitchen and the Tom Yom Paste is really versatile, I've used it as a marinade for chicken but that's a recipe for another time. On our facebook page I said 5 - 7 ingredients, here are three the others of course are the mussels, chili powder, fresh ginger and coriander leaves. Here is the recipe.

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 2 - 4

INGREDIENTS:

• one bag of mussels (wt. 700 g)
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk powder added to 2 cups of water
• 2 Tbsp chicken broth added to 2 cups of water
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 inch piece of ginger thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp Tom Yom paste added to 1 cup of water
• 4 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves

METHOD:

1. Scrub, wash and debeard the mussels and set aside. Discard any mussels that are cracked or bruised

2. In a large stock pot add the coconut milk, chicken broth and ginger

3. Allow it to come to a boil and add Tom Yom paste and cayenne. Stir well and cook for an additional 2 minutes

4. Add the mussels to the pot, cover and allow it to cook for 7 - 8 minutes

5. Take it off the heat, spoon the broth into bowls, garnish with cilantro and add the mussels. Discard the ginger if you like, I enjoyed chewing it for extra flavour

6. There is no salt in this recipe as both the chicken broth and the Tom yom paste have added salt

7. Left overs today was good too (mussels are sitting in the bottom of the bowl)