Recipe #5: Chicken with Potatoes, Bacon and Cabbage

Sometimes what looks like the most boring thing on the plate ("beige" dinner) can actually be delicious. I'm thinking chicken fingers and fries... cheese perogies and sour cream... and this new recipe! This recipe cheats a little from straight beige as it's sprinkled with pink bacon. It has some lovely flavour combinations that you can't really see from a photo - thankfully I've posted the recipe so you can atleast read the subtle flavours...

Bacon, not so subtle. And it's pink so it's breaking with the mold. Loving Naturally Select bacon - no preservatives!! (and their whole line of lunch meat including hot dogs!). I used small new potatoes to start which made them get even crispier and flavourful. I like cabbage. It is definitely underrated as a vegetable - not just for coleslaw and sauerkraut. I didn't have any whole-grain mustard on hand so a bit of President's Choice new black-label sweet chipotle mustard might have jumped in with the cider vinegar. I baked the chicken instead of cooking it in the skillet because I don't really have a true skillet, let alone two, and baking just felt healthier. Instead of straight salt and pepper, I seasoned it with Herbamere.

Ingredients

3/4 pound new potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon whole-grained mustard
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 small head savory cabbage (8 ounces), cut into 1/2 inch strips

Instructions

Heat oven to 425F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 easpoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook until golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per side.

In a second large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; remove. Add the shallot, mustard, and vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, until the shalot is soft, 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, tossing, until wilted, 2 to 4 minutes more. Serve with the chicken and sprinkle with the bacon.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Sincerely xoxo

Recipe #4: Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, and Fontina

This recipe is a little counter productive for someone who is trying to reduce wheat in their life, but I'm a sucker for cheese and tortellini (right up there with fresh bread and butter in my gluten world). Plus butternut squash is probably one of the best kept secrets out there (close behind spaghetti squash, though less of a secret). It's misleading because it just looks like a boring orange vegetable, but has this surprising flavour that just makes everything around it taste better. Next time, I'm definitely going to buy the pre-chopped package at the store as there are definitely better uses for my time than trying to chop a butternut squash (google it --> awkward shape, thick skin, it was the most labour intensive part of this recipe). I'm always a bit hesitant about cooking with mushrooms, but button mushrooms are just so cute and keep their firmness when being roasted that I was pleasantly surprised.

I opted out of fancy cheese and just used a delicious old cheddar that I had on hand - definitely needs a cheese with a nice bite to it for this recipe just to enhance the other flavours. The next time I cave and make this recipe (or magically discover a gluten-free cheese tortellini), I'll probably opt for dry sage as I discovered that I'm not a huge fan of a lot of fresh sage, texture-wise and intense flavour (even though I chopped it up).

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound button mushrooms, stems trimmed and halved (if large)
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
1 pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
2 ounces fontina or Gruyere, grated (1/2 cup), plus more for serving

Instructions
Heat oven to 450F. On a rimmed baking sheets, toss the squash and mushrooms with the sage, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cok the tortellini according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain the tortellini and return to the pot. Add the vegetables, fontina, 1/4 cup of the cooking water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss gently to coat (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry). Sprinkle with additional fontina.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Sincerely xoxo

Recipe #3: Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges

The disaster formerly known as this recipe was a bit of a turn off for me. I like porkchops and I was feeling a bit adventurous about trying the beets with oranges and arugula! I confess that there is something about a purple root vegetable that isn't that appealing to me. I thought that perhaps I didn't like pickled beets (not a huge fan of pickled anything), but as pretty as these beets are, I still don't like the taste of beets. They taste like purple dirt. End of story. No nice way to say it. They're so pretty and they dye everything they touch purple, but they're not tasty. I'm also not sure what happened with the arugula, it didn't wilt like I thought it would and didn't stay fresh like it should for a salad so it looked kind of lost in the veggie side (so I just took it out). I think I'll roast oranges again with something - maybe sweet potatoes? They were delicious at least!!

So glad that I opted to make one of my favourite vegetables with this recipe - spaghetti squash! Delicious and nutrious and unfortunately very seasonal. I've already eaten one, I hope that I have enough time to grab another one before the season is up! It was the saving grace for this meal. The pork chop was pretty good - I baked it instead of putting it in the skillet and seasoning it is pretty standard for me before putting it into the pan.

Ingredients

1 pound beets, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges

4 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 oranges, cut into large chunks

6 cups baby arugula (5 ounces)

4 bone-in pork chops (1 inch thick; about 2 pounds total)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Instructions

Heat oven to 450F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the beets with 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon  salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast until beginning to soften, 13 to 15 minutes. Add the oranges to the baking sheet and roast, tossing once, until the beets and oranges are tender, 15 to 17 minutes more. Add the arugula and toss to combine.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the poke with the oregano, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and peppr and cook until browned and cooked through, 7 to 9 minutes per side. Serve with the beets and oranges.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Sincerely xoxo

Recipe #2: Tomato Soup with Roast Beef, Cheddar, and Horseradish Panini

Next up, a delicious twist on an old classic. I've actually never made soup before (that wasn't from a package) so perhaps tackling a tomato soup with only a small blender was a bad idea. The mess in my kitchen is likely evidence of that. 

You might ask yourself when you look at the picture - why is that sandwich so small? And that is because I used a loaf of gluten-free cheese bread which made a surprisingly delicious grilled cheese-roast beef-arugula sandwich. 

I am not a fan of horseradish so I vetoed that. I used parmesan cheese sprinkled on the tomato soup and on the sandwich went with a sweet chipotle honey mustard instead of the horseradish spread. Excellent choice if I do say so myself!

Ingredients

2 tablesppons olive oil, plus more for the grill pan

2 large onions, chopped

4 gloves garlic, chopped

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

8 slices sandwich bread

8 ounces thinly sliced roast beef

8 ounces sharp white Cheddar, sliced

2 cups baby arugula

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), broth, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Working in batches, in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and horseradish. Form sandwiches with the bread, roast beef, Cheddar, arugula, and half the horseradish mixture. Heat a lightly oiled grill pan over medium heat and cook the sandwiches until the cheese is melted, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Top the soup with the remaining horseradish mixture and serve with the sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Sincerely xoxo

Recipe #1: Salmon with Gingery Green Beans and Bok Choy

In attempt to eat more naturally and less boxed foods for both my health and my taste buds, I will be tackling new recipes that test my boundaries for what I am comfortable cooking - both with new items and flavour combinations. In honour of my friend Query, I have agreed to blog about this adventure and hope to both amaze and delight with photos and recipes.


Thanks to a family blessing, there are certain additives and preservatives that don't agree with my body. This can be extremely frustrating in a world of pre-made foods where everything is preserved for "freshness" and presented in a convenient package for ease and time efficiency. There's actually something amazing about having a shopping list where most of the items can be found in the grocery store permimeter (produce, deli, bread, dairy - good things!).


First up, this delicious salmon with gingery green beans and bok choy. I was excited for this recipe as I love fish but confess that I have never bought real fish before (why would you buy it when you can catch it with a fishing rod?) and as much as I love vegetables, I had never attempted to purchase and cook bok choy before. The most difficulty with this meal was the twenty minutes waiting at the fish counter in the grocery store to select my salmon while the grocery store employee was busy fileting the fish of the order before me.


This recipe and the next five are from a magazine called "Real Simple". I love their recipes because they are just that 'real simple' and show how delicious food can be with both fresh and minimal ingredients. The salmon itself was cooked in a frying pan with a little bit of salt that brought out the delicious fishy flavour. The green beans, bok choy and carrots were tossed in the pan after cooking oil with ginger, garlic and green onions. That's it!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
1 1/4 pounds skinless salmon filet, cut into 4 pieces
Kosher salt
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
3/4 pound green beans, trimmed
3/4 pound baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
4 small carrots, cut into thin strips

Instructions

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until opaque throughout, 4 to 5 minutes per side.


Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a second large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger and cook, tossing, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the green beans, bok choy, carrots, 1/4 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, tossing occassionally, until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve with the salmon.


I confess the recipe recommends serving the salmon drizzled with Sriracha or Asian chili-garlic sauce, but I didn't have any on hand. And the fish didn't need it! If anything, I might have put a little lemon on the salmon, but that's my favourite for fish anyway.


Enjoy!!


Sincerely,
Sincerely xoxo