Ginger Beef

It is widely accepted that Ginger Beef was first created in Western Canada. The story goes that a Chinese restauranteur was having difficulty getting locals to try the exotic dishes on his menu. He created a dish with local beef and a Chinese-inspired sauce and a new classic was born. 

Fast forward to this weekend. Nine people in the house, a craving for Chinese food, as a chunk of beef in the fridge. Voila. 

RECIPE: GINGER BEEF

Ingredients:

Beef (prepare however you want - could be left over roast, grilled steaks, or ground beef)

1 tbsp oil for cooking

1 onion, finely minced

1 large hand of ginger, finely minced

A splash of water (maybe 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup Srirachia

2 lemons, juiced

Method:

> prepare beef as usual (grill steak, slice roast into strips and fry, cook ground beef or make meatballs, etc.)

> heat up the oil in a pan and sauté the onions until soft; add in the ginger and water and let cook another 5 minutes or so

> pour onion and ginger mix along with the rest of the ingredients into the blender; blend until smooth 

> pour the sauce over the beef, garnish with bell peppers, cilantro, green onion, and sesame seeds

> serve over rice or rice noodles and enjoy!!

Kosher Salt & Mint Crusted Leg of Lamb

When our church announced we would be moving locations for Sunday mornings to a Jewish Temple, we knew we wanted the first church lunch there to be inspired by the Jewish culture.

Clearly, lamb would HAVE to be on the menu.

After some research, we found an amazing local farm with fresh lamb available weekly. To order your own, go here.

RECIPE: Kosher Salt and Mint Crusted Lamb

Ingredients:
1 leg or shoulder lamb roast (with or without the bone)
1 large bunch of fresh mint
1/3 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp kosher salt
up to 1 cup olive oil

Method:
1. in a blender, blitz the mint, 1/3 cup kosher salt, and add olive oil until the mixture blends into a thick, liquidy mixture

2. place the lamb roast and the mint mix into a ziplock bag and allow to marinate for one day

3. once you are ready to cook the lamb, preheat the oven to 190ºC or 375ºF

4.  place the lamb in a roasting pan and pour over the remainder of the marinade then sprinkle 2 tbsp of kosher salt over the works

5. roast until cooked through - the FDA suggests a temperature of 145ºF or 63ºC

6. slice the roasted lamb and serve in the roast drippings

Twenty Minute Dinner

Right now, I don't have time. I don't have extra time at any point in my day. There is just so much going on with the end of the school year, spring sports, our dogs, my husband's job change, garden, family moving... and then it's time to make a healthy dinner before rushing out the door and on to the sport of the evening.

I just don't have time.

But I have these cubes of stewing lamb in the fridge. And I a litre of canned tomatoes. We must be out the door in less than one hour so I have 20 minutes - at most - to make a healthy, filling, delicious dinner. Here I go!

RECIPE: Quick Curry
serves 6

Ingredients:
3 cups white rice (+ water to make the rice)

<for the curry>
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala (brown curry powder)
0.5 tsp kosher salt
1 to 1.5 lb (450-700g) stewing lamb, beef, or cubed meat of any kind
1 litre (quart) of canned tomatoes
1 cup raisins
1 cup yogurt

<for the cauliflower>
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp madras curry (yellow curry powder)
1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

<serve with>
chopped cilantro
unsalted peanuts


Method:

1. measure the rice and get on with cooking it

2. bring the oven rack up to the second from the top and turn the broiler to high

3. over high heat, heat the oil for the curry in a large skillet then add the spices and stir together for 1 minute until fragrant

4. add in the meat and stir to coat the meat with oil and spices

5. in a large bowl, mix the olive oil and madras curry; chop the cauliflower and add in the florets and toss them to coat the cauliflower (I also had a leek in the fridge and chopped that into the cauliflower; any veggies would work here)

6. once the meat is cooked, add the litre of tomatoes and the cup of raisins; stir together

7. pour the cauliflower onto a cookie sheet - in one even layer - and put under the broiler for about 10 minutes

8. chop the cilantro and pour the peanuts into a bowl for the table

9. set the table and pour a glass of wine (or crack open a beer)

10. stir in the yogurt right before serving the curry; it may curdle a little, not altering the flavour at all, it just looks a little funny, like when I made it!

11. ENJOY!!!

Alternate:
- instead of stewing lamb, you could use beef, chicken, shrimp, pork, goat, chopped onions, mushrooms, or chickpeas
- instead of in the oven, you could steam the cauliflower in a pot on the stovetop
- instead of cauliflower, you could use cabbage

This was so delicious, I really did make it two nights in a row!!

Green Onion Chickpea Curry

This is easily one of our favourite dishes. It is simple to make, cook, and easy to eat.

RECIPE: Green Onion Chickpea Curry

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
2 large tomatoes, diced (or a can of diced tomatoes)
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp minced ginger
2-4 large jalapeños, minced
3 cans (16 oz each) chickpeas, drained
1 can coconut milk, stirred
8 stalks green onions, cut in 1 cm lengths

Stovetop Method:
> heat the oil and fry the cumin seeds for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant
> sauté the ginger, jalapeños, and onion until soft
> add the tomatoes, salt, chickpeas, and coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes or until the rest of dinner is ready (add water to thin the curry as needed)
> stir in the green onions just before serving

Oven Method:
> pre-heat the oven to 190ºC or 375ºF
> the oil can be omitted if the cumin and vegetables are not being sautéed
> throw all the ingredients into a deep pan or lidded casserole dish and stir it all together
> put the lid on and bake it

Serve over:
> rice or noodles
> salad greens like spinach, arugula, or endive
> thinly sliced sautéed cabbage

For an interesting twist, add a chopped apple or two to the curry before cooking. Pairs well with tangy chilli sauce.

Subanik / Roasted Aubergine & Mushroom Stew

Subanik / Roasted Aubergine & Mushroom Stew

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

For the sauce

- 4 medium red bell peppers, cut in half from top to bottom, then stemmed and seeded

- 9 roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

- 1 onion, cut into quarters

- 4 tomatillos, husks removed

- 1 dried ancho chili pepper, washed inside and out, seeds and stem removed

- 1 dried red chili pepper, such as chili de arbol

- 1 or 2 Thai red chili peppers

For the mushroom and aubergine (eggplant)

- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- 1.25 pounds mushrooms

- 1.5 tsp salt

- freshly ground black pepper

- water, as needed

- 1.25 pounds aubergine, cubed into 1-inch pieces

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 to 4 sprigs thyme

Method:

For the sauce

> preheat the oven to 500ºF

> place the red bell peppers on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them once or twice, until their skins are blistered with black spots all around

> foil another baking sheet and place the tomatoes and onion cut side down on the sheet, along with the whole tomatillos, dried chili peppers and Thai red chili pepper; roast for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are quite tender, with blistered skins

> working in several batches, transfer the roasted peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, onion and Thai red chili pepper to a blender; pulse for 1 to 2 minutes for each batch, until a fairly smooth sauce forms; do not over-process the mixture

> break off pieces of the dried chili peppers and add them through the top of the blender while the motor is running; stop to taste, and add more of the dried chili peppers to achieve the desired level of spiciness

For the mushroom and aubergine:

> toss the cleaned mushrooms and cubed aubergine in the oil with thyme and gently salt and pepper

> place on an unlined baking sheet and place into the broiling hot oven

> broil until golden all over, turning a few times

> add a little water to the baking sheet to scrape up the browned on bits from broiling the mushrooms and aubergine; pour over the vegetables

> in a large pot, add together the puréed vegetables, roasted mushroom and eggplant, and the bay leaves

> cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended

> salt and pepper to taste

For the full menu of what was served at the Guatemala lunch, go here.  

Kaq Ik / Roasted Pepper Turkey Stew

Kaq Ik / Roasted Pepper Turkey Stew

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

- 1/4 turkey (hind quarter, breast "roast")

- 4 cups chicken stock

- 1 head of garlic

- 1/2 pound of tomatoes

- 1 onions

- salt

- 1 large tomatillo

- 1 onion

- 1 fresh sweet red pepper

- 1 dried chile guajilla

- 1 dried chile pasilla

- half to 1 tbsp chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/2 tbsp achiote

- 3 corn tortillas

- 1 bunch fresh cilantro

- 1 bunch fresh mint

- salt

Method:

> place the turkey and the whole garlic head in the chicken stock; salt to taste.

> in a separate pan, cook tomato, onion, sweet red pepper, chile guajillo, and chile pasilla, chipotle pepper until soft; once fully cooked, puree in blender; partial vegetable chunks also work

> once the turkey is cooked, add the vegetable mix to the stew

> place achiote in a small bowl and add some of the “soup” to it and stir until it is a smooth paste; stir into soup pot with adobo chipotle

> to thicken the soup, tear up corn tortillas into small pieces and add to soup pot; stir well

> bring to boil for about ten minutes, or until tortillas have dissolved and soup has thickened

> add cilantro and mint and season with salt to taste.

Served with rice on the side to be added to the bowl. Garnish with lime wedges and avocado slices.

Variation:

- add corn (fresh or frozen) for the last 10 minutes of cooking

For a full menu of what was served at the Guatemalan lunch, go here.  

Jocón / Guatemalan Chicken in Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce

RECIPE: Jocón / Guatemalan Chicken in Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

- 3 pounds chicken, cut into serving pieces

- 4 cups water

- 2 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

- 1/4 cup sesame seeds

- 2 corn tortillas, chopped, soaked in water, drained

- 1 cup tomatillos, hulled and chopped

- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

- 1 bunch scallions, chopped

- 1-5 jalapeño or serrano chile peppers, chopped

Method:

> place the chicken, water, and salt into a large pot over medium-high

> bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour

> heat a dry skillet over medium; add the pumpkin and sesame seeds and toast, stirring, until lightly browned; remove to a coffee grinder or food processor and grind to a fine powder

> add the sesame and pumpkin seeds, tortillas, tomatillos, cilantro, scallions, and chile peppers to a food processor or blender; add 6 cups of the broth from the chicken and process until smooth; you may have to do this step in batches

> pour pureed sauce into the pot with the chicken pieces

> heat over medium-low and simmer for an additional 15-25 minutes; adjust seasoning and serve

For a full view of the menu served at the Guatemalan lunch, go here. 

Tapas for Dinner

It was one of those nights where we just did not feel like making or eating a "real" dinner. So instead, I made this:

Mexican Night

I get fully inspired by various cultures... and then I make it my own, usually blending cultures along the way.

Take last night, for example. We had corn tortillas and I was not sure where we would end up, but Mexico was my inspiration and I managed to convince the ingredients to join our culinary adventure.

Fresh Fish

There is something to be said for fresh fish. It is amazing. Entirely unlike anything else. And what do I mean when I say "fresh"?

We spent part of early September in a little town called Ucluelet (you-clue-let), BC. What a treasure! It is perched literally at the end of the road on the west side of Vancouver Island.

The rainforest outside our cabin.

Satay Chicken

RECIPE: Thai Satay Chicken

This is currently my favourite thing to eat!! I have also recently shared it with several groups of friends and family. This posting is for those who have been hounding me for the recipe and for those who want a super simple, incredible dish that is certain to impress every time.

Simple Salad Dressing

I love salad. I love salad dressing. I love home made salad dressing. And my favourite dressing could not be simpler to make.

Are you ready?

The Vegetable Fritter

I found myself staring into the fridge, unsure what would be for dinner. I was making some minced beef that could have been served on rice or pasta, but I didn't want either.

There it was - a zucchini - but what would it become?

Philly Cheese Steak

Sometimes I think that any cookbook I make might have a full chapter devoted to "things that go on a bun". This sandwich would be in that chapter.

Neither I nor my husband have ever been to the east coast, but this is our best guess at what this legendary sandwich might taste like...

En Papillote

One of my favourite ways to cook fish is the french style 'en papillote' (in parchment). All it means is that you cook the fish in the oven, wrapped in parchment paper. The result is always perfectly done moist fish. Here is how it breaks down...

Steak and Salad

Dinner Saturday night was amazing!! I made a salad and My husband grilled the steaks. Sounds simple, but it was incredible!!

Broiled Tilapia on Japanese Inspired Slaw

I cannot BELIEVE how hectic life has been these past two months. The last bit of school was more involved than I thought it would be and I have started organizing my friend's house. Add in swimming lessons and lots of overtime at work for my husband, my own home organization and cleaning, and there is little time left in the day!

On top of that, my husband has embarked on a weight loss journey, so I have been cooking nearly exclusively from his diet plan (with additions of starch, dairy, and fats for the kids). I have had to forge creativity in the midst of strict diet rules and it has been a challenge.

Here is what I made for dinner the other night...

Turkey Mini Meatballs

The other day, I wanted something fun, yummy, and different. We are on quite the salad and fish kick right now, but the ground turkey in the fridge was begging for inspiration. What to do? Turkey Meatballs, of course!

Lunch With A Friend

Friends came over for lunch and a visit yesterday and it was delightful! The kids had a blast and my friend and I had a lovely visit.

Good company, good coffee, good food... excellent day!

Lazy Pizza

The other day, I decided on pizza for dinner. It was already nearly 5:00 pm and I was low on ideas.

The kids decided on ham, pineapple, and bell pepper pizza. For Chris and I, vegetarian. We picked up two pizza crusts (gasp) at the store and got to making it. I really did not want a tomato pizza sauce, so I made a "white" pizza sauce that worked quite well.