Easy Dinner - Couscous Salad

Kate has been practicing her cooking skills recently and has made a few meals over the past few weeks, but I'm behind on posting them.  This recipe for a cousous salad is very easy and is nice for a hot evening as it can be eaten at room temperature or warm or cold.  

The hardest part of this recipe is peeling and chopping the eggplant - seriously, it is that easy.

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant - peeled and cut into 1 cm square cubes
1 vidalia (or other sweet) onion - chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
1 can of chick peas
2 pieces of roasted red peppers, chopped or sliced
1 cup of couscous
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
approximately 1/2 cup of olive oil for cooking the eggplant and onion


Method:
1.  Cook the eggplant and onion in a frying pan, adding oil as it is needed so it doesn't stick.  Cook for about 10 minutes until the onion is translucent and the eggplant is cooked.
2.  Add 2 tbsp of water to the frozen peas, cover, and microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring part way through.
3.  Bring 1 cup of salted water to a boil, then remove from the heat, add the couscous, stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  Then fluff with a fork
4.  Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and enjoy.

You can find other quick and easy recipes that take approximately 30 minutes to make and use approximately 6 ingredients at Project 6:30 (you can see I took liberties with the number of ingredients for this recipe, but it's worth it as it is delicious and easy to make).  I would love it if you joined me in linking up easy recipes.  I'm sure we can all do with some new cooking inspiration.

Please Porridge in the Pot, Nine Days Old!

Anyone else like porridge?  I love it on a cold morning.  Nothing fills me up quite like it and it tastes so yummy.

I've recently started using steel cut oats for porridge.  They have a slightly nutty taste and have that lovely hard-soft combination that you either love or hate - and I'm on the love side.

The best part about porridge is all the things you can add to it - like raisins, or apples.  I've recently read about cooking pumpkin in your oatmeal and I have to say I'm intrigued and want to give it a try.  My favourite thing to add to porridge is maple sugar.   In Ontario maple sugar is difficult to find.  Maple syrup and maple candies are readily available, but maple sugar is something you have to really search for.  I love the taste of it on my porridge though, so I try and keep some on hand.

One of the problems I have with any porridge, and steel cut oats in particular, is that it takes so long to cook.  Steel cut oats take about 25 minutes of cooking time, which means I don't have time to make it on a workday morning.   


However, a friend let me in on a fantastic porridge secret!  You can make a pot full of porridge and then put it in a sealed container in the fridge.  To reheat it, you put an appropriate sized blop in a microwavable bowl, add a bit of water or milk, smush it a bit, and microwave on HIGH for two minutes.  Then you stir, add milk and sugar, and enjoy!  I love that I can now have porridge on weekday mornings.  


Thank heavens for microwave ovens and friends who tell you their wonderful secrets! 

Culinary Adventures Around the World - Algeria

We are cooking our way around the world (you can read the details in the page under the header called "Culinary Adventures Around the World") and have finally arrived in Algeria.   It has taken at least a couple of years to make our way through Europe and it is quite exciting to finally be in North Africa.   The food in North Africa is primarily from Berber and Arab culinary traditions, although Algerian food has been influenced by French cuisine more than food in other surrounding areas.  Most of the dishes include meat (chicken, lamb, or beef) with dates, almonds, apricots, chick peas, and other fruits and vegetables mixed with cinnamon, ginger, cumin, coriander, and served with couscous.   


Many of the Algerian recipes were similar to the ones we had when we cooked Moroccan food (here), so I tried to find a recipe that involved different ingredients. The recipe I found online to make for our Algerian meal was Chicken with Chickpeas and Lemon (found here) and served with couscous.

Ingredients (with my alterations in brackets):

• 2 Cloves Garlic -- Chopped
• Salt And Pepper -- To Taste
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1/2 Teaspoon Saffron (I couldn't find this so didn't use any)
• 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter (I used margarine and less than the amount specified)
• 1 Large Chicken -- Cut Into Pieces (I used 2 large chicken breasts)
• 1 Stick Cinnamon (I used 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
• 1 Bunch Parsley -- Chopped
• 1 Bunch Cilantro -- Chopped
• 3 Medium Green Onion -- Chopped
• 1 Can Chick Peas (I drained them and used some of the liquid as needed to help make a sauce)
• 1 Red Onion -- Chopped
• Lemon Juice from one lemon
• 1 1/4 cups couscous

Method:

I didn't follow the directions listed on the website as I was running out of time.  Instead I put the chicken in a frying pan with the butter and as it was cooking I added the other ingredients pretty much in the order listed (with the exception of the couscous).  By the time I was down to the bottom of the ingredient list the chicken was partially cooked, so I put the lid on the frying pan and cooked it on low for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.   As the chicken was cooking, I boiled the water to make the couscous and I chopped up some red peppers and cucumbers to put out on a plate with some dried apricots to serve with the chicken and couscous.

The meal was delicious, although William thought there were too many onions.  It is a meal that I will make again since it was easy to do and tasted good.

And now on to Libya!

Culinary Adventures Around the World - Morocco

On the weekend I got myself organized to cook two recipes from the next country in our around the world cooking tour.  We are now in Morocco (you can read more about it here) so I made Moroccan Casablanca Couscous and Moroccan Chicken with Apricots.  I really think I should have been Moroccan because I loved both of these dishes.  They weren't too hard to make, and they were simply delish.  I'll be making them both again soon.  I have to confess that I forgot to take any photos before we ate so all I had to take pictures of was a little bit of leftovers.  Sigh - the trials of a dedicated blogger!  When I make it again I'll take some better photos and replace these ones.

Moroccan Casablanca Couscous (serves 6) - (adapted from moroccan-recipes.com)

and the couscous (only one delicious spoonful left)!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds tofu, cubed

1 onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup celery, sliced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 can chickpeas

1 can tomato sauce (they didn't list the size so I just used a small one, about 420 mls)

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne 

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups couscous

Method:

1) In large pan, brown tofu with onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, nuts. 

2) Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.

3) Make couscous according to package directions.

Moroccan Chicken with Apricots (serves 6) - (adapted from grouprecipes.com)

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 cups green onions, sliced

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup dried apricots, chopped

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons honey

Method:

1) Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and cook until brown.  Add salt and pepper.

2) Remove chicken from pan and keep warm while you make the sauce.

3) Add onions and garlic to the pan and saute.

4) Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, and cumin to the pan.

5) Whisk in the chicken broth.

6) Stir in apricots, lemon juice, and honey.

7) Boil sauce for about 5 minutes until it thickens, stirring occasionally.

8) Add the chicken to the sauce and serve.

Morocco was so yummy that I'm looking forward to more North African food as we head toward Algeria.

Linked to Working Mommy Wednesday at Work, Wife, Mom ... Life
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Pickled Beets

Anyone else find it difficult to think of good gift ideas for the men in their lives?   Well I certainly do, so last year I got the idea to make pickled beets for hubby.  I know my father likes them too, so I suggested to my mom that we make some together for Christmas.  I should also add that I didn't have a clue how to can so the whole project would go much better with my Mom's help.  Last year we made them at the cottage over Thanksgiving weekend, but this year life got too busy around that time so we finally had a chance a few weekends ago to make the pickled beets.

The recipe couldn't be simpler so I thought I'd share it in case you wanted to try some yourself.  Sometimes simpler is better as these pickled beets are so yummy. 

Ingredients:
fresh whole beets
1 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar

Method:
1. Boil the beets (with skins on) until they are fork-tender (about an hour).
2. While the beets are boiling, wash and then boil the jars and the lids.  You need to use tongs to remove the jars and the lids from the boiling water as you can't touch them once they have been sterilized.
3. Combine the sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil.  You may need more depending on how many beets you are using.  It isn't exactlydifficult to make up more, though, if you run short.
4. Remove the skins from the beets either by rubbing them under water or with a knife.
5. Slice the beets and put them in the sterlizied jars.
6. Pour the boiling sugar-vinegar mix over the beets and use a sterilized knife to help the bubbles escape.  With a clean cloth wipe the lip of the jar so that the lid can seal.
7. Carefully lay the lid on the jar and screw the ring down.  As it cools the lid will pop down and seal the pickled beets.  If it doesn't seal, then you get to enjoy some pickled beets yourself right away (just keep then in the fridge).

Not only are they yummy, but I simply love their deep rich colour!

Linked to Recipe Link Party at Remodelaholic

Culinary Adventures Around the World - Spain

I got the idea a couple of years ago that we should cook our way around the world.  I thought it would be a fun way to get us out of our dinner time rut by trying new dishes.  You can read about the details here.   We started in Ireland and so far have cooked dishes from:

• Ireland (you can read about it here)
• Great Britian
• Norway
• Russia
• the Ukraine
• Poland
• Germany
• Switzerland
• Italy (you can read about it here)
• France (you can read about it here)

Since Spain is next, it seemed logical that I would cook paella, one of its most famous dishes.  I did a quick google search for a recipe so I could cook it this past weekend. 

Here's the Paella recipe I used (based on this one from the Food Network)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into large chunks
2 Italian sausages, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 onions, peeled and chopped
10 whole cloves of garlic, peeled (we all thought a few of them, at least, should have been chopped so that the flavour mingled more)
796 ml (28-oz) can of whole tomates
2 cups arborio rice
3 cups chicken stock (I used bouillion)
1 cup of red or white wine
3 bay leaves
2 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 pound of shrimp, shelled and deveined (I used frozen)

Method:
1. heat oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken and sausages.  When they are cooked, remove them to a plate.
2.  add the onions to the pan (with more oil if needed) and saute until golden
3.  add the garlic and stir for a few minutes
4. add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon.
5.  add the rice, stock, wine, bay leaves, rosemary, red pepper, the reserved meat and the shrimp (although I added mine near the end since mine were already cooked).
6.  bring to a simmer and cook over medium low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes.  I served it with cooked peas.

We always rate the round-the-world dishes on a scale of 1-10 and I have to say that paella rated very highly.  Everyone rated the dish somewhere between 8 and 10.  The recipe I used said it would feed 4, but with 2 cups of rice it could easily have fed 8.  There was plenty left over which we had for another meal.

William is very excited that we are now leaving Europe and starting across North Africa. Months go by when I don't seem to have time or inclination to find a recipe on the internet, get the ingredients, and cook a new meal for the next country, but William has requested that I cook them a little more frequently so my goal is to try and cook a recipe from another country every 2-3 weeks.  That should mean I will be able to get to Bangladesh before I get to Bangladesh in real life.  Ha!

Morroco here we come!

Linked to Recipe Swap Party at Remodelaholic

Gado Gado

My mother and my daughter, Kate, recently cooked Gado Gado for the family.  It was a big hit with everyone.  For those of you who haven't heard of Gado Gado, it is a traditional Indonesian dish consisting of a plate of vegetables, eggs, and tofu served with a seasoned peanut sauce.

The recipe they used was adapted from the More-with-less Cookbook (by the Mennonite Central Committee).
 

SAUCE INGREDIENTS (serves 8)
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
3 tbsp oil
1 cup boiling water
2 cups crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp honey
1-2 tsp Tabasco sauce or finely chopped fresh hot peppers
juice and rind of 1 lemon
2 crushed bay leaves – remove before serving
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
salt to taste
3 cups milk (some could be vegetable stock) 

METHOD:

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in oil until lightly browned
2. Stir in boiling water, peanut butter and remaining
ingredients except milk or stock
3. Cook sauce over medium heat until very hot and peanut
 butter has melted and blended in
4. Gradually stir in the milk; cook a few more minutes.
5. Serve sauce, hot or cold, over raw or cooked vegetables.

INDONESIAN VEGETABLE PLATTER – use some of the following:
½ small head cabbage (lightly steam until tender crisp)
green beans (lightly steam until tender crisp)
bean sprouts
spinach
sliced cucumber
1 small head cauliflower cut into flowerets
carrots finely sliced or grated
finely shredded lettuce
radishes- sliced
firm tofu cubed and sautéed
4 hard boiled eggs – quartered

The bowls of vegetables, eggs, and tofu looked fantastic!

The peanut sauce tasted yummy!

We all loved it!

But .... it just didn't look very pretty.  

Perhaps you could focus on the gorgeous quinoa salad or the potato salad we had.  I'll have to work on styling the gado gado a bit more - poor thing.

If you make it - and you should - I recommend you just close your eyes and enjoy!

Linked to Recipes at Remodelaholic

Fruit BuyingTips

I thought I would share the 2 most important fruit buying tips I know - one from my father and one from my husband.  Since I only found out about these two tips well into my adult years, I assume there are others who may not know them either.  

So to buy the freshest ripest fruit try these tips:

Smell your fruit - My Dad and I both have good noses so we smell soft fruit before buying them.  You should sniff your pears, cantaloupe, and pineapple and if they smell like pears, cantaloupe, and pineapple then you are in business.  You may look a little dog-like, but don't let that come between you and some good fruit.

Feel your fruit - Hubby discovered that if the fruit is cold it tastes better.  The logic being that cold fruit is from the back storage fridges so it is fresh.  You will look like you are laying hands on the fruit but this seriously works, especially for oranges and apples.  You will get the juiciest oranges and crunchiest apples if you only buy cold ones.

So there you have it.  Now you may look a little strange sniffing and feeling your way around the grocery store but it really does work.  Any of you have special fruit buying tips?  I'm always open to other ideas - how much crazier could I look.

Moroccan Chicken

I recently made Moroccan Chicken.  I invented the recipe using ideas from several different sources.  It was a winner with everyone in the family, so I thought I would share the recipe with you.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
small amount of olive oil for cooking chicken
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 orange, peeled and segments cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 yellow or red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 can chickpeas

1 1/4 cups couscous
2 cups chicken broth (I used bouillion in boiling water)

METHOD:
1.  cook chicken with onions and garlic in the oil
2.  when the chicken is no longer pink, add all the other ingredients down to the chickpeas.  Add a small amount of water if it gets too dry.
3.  boil the chicken broth and add the couscous, stir and remove from heat.  cover and let sit for 5 minutes.  Then fluff with a fork.
4.  serve the moroccan chicken on the couscous.

Enjoy!

Linked to the recipe link party at Remodelaholic
and Best of 2010 Blog Party- Recipes at House of Grace

Apple Crisp

I needed to use up some apples so I decided to make apple crisp.  Well actually, there were quite a few apples that needed using up so I made three apple crisps.  We had one for dinner and froze two.

This is the recipe I have used for as long as I can remember - adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

Ingredients:
5 cups apples, peeled and sliced (about 5 apples)
3/4 cup oatmeal flakes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine or butter

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Butter a 1 1/2- quart baking dish
3. Spread the apples in it (sprinkle with up to 1/3 cup of water if they are old apples)
4. Combine the oatmeal, flour, sugar, cinnamon in a bowl and blend in the butter/margarine until it resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Spread topping evenly over apples
6. Bake for about 30 minutes until the crust is browned and the apples are soft.
7. Serve with milk, cream, or ice cream.

Enjoy some appley goodness!

Linked to Inspired by Sunshine at The Inspired Room

Corn Bread and Ballet

Karen Kain dans Le Lac des cygnes (1980)

   

I haven't made corn bread (or Johnny Cake as we sometimes call it) for ages, but Sarah's recent post, at All Our Fingers in the Pie, reminded me about it.  

Corn bread and ballet are linked in my mind.   The recipe I use was from a newspaper article, probably from the 1980s, about a fundraising cookbook for the Hospital for Sick Children.  The article had Karen Kain's Johnny Cake recipe and I've kept it and used it all these years.   Karen Kain is probably Canada's most famous Prima Ballerina, dancing from 1969-1997 with the National Ballet.  She is much loved in Canada and has continued with the National Ballet as artistic director.   When I was a teenager, I saw Karen both on-stage dancing and occasionally across the church at Christmas Eve services as her family attended the same church we did.

KAREN KAIN'S JOHNNY CAKE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

METHOD
1.  In large bowl cream sugar and butter.
2.  Add egg and milk and mix.
3.  In a small bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
4.  Stir into butter mixture and beat vigorously.
5.  Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking pan.
6.  Bake in 350 oven for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Thank you Karen, for your lovely recipe that I have enjoyed all these years.

Linked to Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative

Culinary Adventures Around the World - France

We are cooking our way around the world and have finally arrived in France.  Since I started this long-term project over a year ago (you can read here about how it all began), long before I had a blog, most of the countries do not yet have posts done on them.  So far these are the countries I have made a dinner for:

• Ireland (see the recipe here)
• England
• Norway (see the recipe here)
• Russia
• The Ukraine
• Poland
• Germany
• Switzerland
• Italy (see the recipes here)
• and now France

I made two recipes from France - Salade Nicoise and Seafood Stuffed Crepes.  They both were very highly rated by everyone in the family, so I'm sure I'll be making them again, especially the salad.  I'm not sure why I never made the Salade Nicoise before, as it is anything but complicated, but now I have.

I used a Salade Nicoise recipe from MediterrAsian.com (What a fabulous site - chock full of heart-healthy recipes.)  Here is the recipe:

SALADE NICOISE

Salad Ingredients:

2 small potatoes - peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

16 green beans - ends trimmed and halved

4 cups lettuce leaves 

14 oz (420 g) canned light tuna in olive oil - drained and broken into chunks

2 tomatoes - cut into wedges

1/4 red onion - thinly sliced and rings separated

4 anchovy fillets -halved lengthways and cut into pieces

3 eggs - hard-boiled, peeled and quartered

16 black pitted olives

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 clove garlic - minced

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cook the potatoes until tender (10 minutes), adding the beans for the last 5 minutes of cooking, then set aside to cool.

Arrange the lettuce, potatoes, beans, tuna, tomatoes, onion, anchovies, eggs, and olives on plates.

Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.

Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.

I had a little more difficulty with the seafood stuffed crepe recipe as I had to put together a few different recipes, so I'll give you what I made, since it worked really well.

CREPES (from The Canadian Living Cookbook, 1987).

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp melted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth in a food processor.
2. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.  Stir before cooking.
3. Heat crepe pan (or frying pan) over meduim heat, brush pan with butter before cooking each crepe.  Use a 1/4 cup measure to pour batter into pan, tilting pan so batter covers bottom.
4.  Cook about 1 minute or until lightly browned, turn and cook other side 30-60 seconds or just until lightly browned.
5.  Stack crepes as they are cooked.  Use immediately or store at room temterature for a few hours, or wrap and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days, or place wax paper between crepes and freeze for up to 2 nothes.
Makes 12-16, 7-8 inch crepes.

SEAFOOD STUFFING

Ingredients:
1 pkg  salad shrimp (fresh or frozen, with tails removed)
2 lbs (900 gm) haddock fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pkg scallops
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour

Method:
Melt the butter in a frying pan.
Stir in flour, mix, and cook for 1 minute.
Then add seafood and cook for a few minutes until scallops and haddock are cooked.

SAUCE

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a French cheese)
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Melt butter in a frying pan and add flour.
Cook for 2 minutes.
Whisk in chicken stock, milk, and salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring often until thickened, for about 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until smooth.

Assembling the crepes:
Spread about 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Spoon about 1/3 cup of seafood stuffing onto the centre of each crepe.
Roll up and arrange in a single layer in prepared pan.
Drizzle remaining sauce over the crepes.
Bake in 375 (190 C) oven until golden, bubbly and heated through, about 35 minutes.
 

Bon Appetit!

Linked to Recipe Party at Remodelaholic

St. Patrick's Day

We have been cooking our way around the world for the past year and the first stop we made was Ireland.  I thought I would cook the same thing that I made for our stop in Ireland, since it is St. Patrick's Day.  Colcannon was a big hit with the family, so it is a recipe I'm happy to repeat.

Colcannon is really easy and I have to say one of the best ways to eat cabbage.  You know how healthy cabbage is, but it isn't always easy to use a big head of cabbage.  Colcannon not only uses a lot of cabbage but it is the ultimate comfort food.  I'm sure there are a lot of variations of the recipe but this is the one I used.

COLCANNON

Ingredients:

1 pound green cabbage

1 pound potatoes

2 leeks (for info on how to prepare leeks see here)

1 1/4 cup milk

1 pinch ground mace

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Boil cabbage until tender, then drain and chop well.  Set aside and keep warm.

2. Boil potatoes until tender, then drain, season, and mash. 

3. Wash and chop leeks and simmer in milk until they are soft.

4. Stir the cooked leeks and milk, and chopped cabbage into the mashed potoates and heat the whole until it is a pale green fluff.
5. Make a well in the middle and pour in the melted butter.  Mix well.

Our green table just waiting for some dinner to be served.

One more peek at the fluffy, green yumminess.  Mmmmm!

Wishing you the luck of the Irish today!

Linked to Strut Your Stuff St. Patrick's Day link party at Somewhat Simple

p.s. Don't forget to enter the Easter egg giveaway, on until Sunday, March 21st.