Sunday Delights

Rosemary Garlic Focaccia


Orzo Salad:

Party Food for Two

Let me share with you how we are achieving to gain weight on a vegetarian diet.

On tonights menu:
Mixed green salad with homemade garlic croutons

Not a bad start, right?

Had a selection of veggies as a side:


Then it was time to pull out the big guns: Bread and Cheese ... Camembert and Aged Cheddar with Rustic Bread:




And to drink, you might ask?
Jackson Triggs, Sauvignon Blanc


Our little way of contributing to the Winter Olympics, 2010:


... I wouldn't mind doing this again sometime.

Cabbage Noodle Salad with Mango Shrimp Rolls

Tonight's meal was a sort of "kick back" to what was on the menu during my Asian inspired week.
On the menu:

Cabbage Noodle Salad, and


Mango Shrimp Rolls

The Cabbage Noodle Salad was a hit with my life partner who happens to double as my culinary guinea pig. When his palate is pleased, I feel confident in sharing the recipe with whoever may happen upon this blog and who may be looking for a recipe to try.
This one I would suggest making for a pot luck contribution ... it makes a LOT, is pretty quick to make, and is tasty and unique without being overly exotic.


Cabbage Noodle Salad (serves 6)
Dressing:
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar (I just used 1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Salad:
1 small head of red or green cabbage, chopped
2 green onions, chopped (I didn't have any on hand so used a small amount of finely chopped white onion)
1 carrot, grated (I used 2)
1 pkg raman noodles, crushed

1. Make dressing by combining ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve sugar.
2. Combine the first three salad ingredients, toss well. Add crushed ramen noodles and dressing to salad and toss again.
3. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend.

Vi's for Pies and The Duchess

Today I met my friend, Diana, at Vi's for Pies and had a lovely afternoon of yummy food and great conversation.
This is what I had as we discussed the books we are currently reading (Sense and Sensibility for Diana, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for myself):


Vegetable Bunwhich with dill dressing. Diana had a fabulous looking Shepherd's Pie, which I wasn't stealthy enough to capture.

We then moved our party of two to one of Edmonton's finest bakeries, The Duchess. This place is incredible. Like walking into what I imagine a pastry shop in Paris to look like.
This is what we shared for dessert:

Chocolate Eclaire, Fruit Tart (with the best crust ever to grace these lips), and sweet little macaroons - lemon and strawberry.

Does it look as divine as it tasted?
For more on The Duchess, go here:
http://duchessbakeshop.com/wp/

Quinoa Salad with Potato Wedges

Tonight's meal was a humble one. Kept it simple, but surprisingly the flavour really came through in both dishes which made it taste so much more than what it was.

On the menu:
1. Quinoa Salad - this seemed a simple variation from a black bean salad I love to make - pretty much just swapped out the black beans for quinoa (a hearty little grain that is packed full of protein!). This grain is easier to make than rice (or at the very least, just as easy). All it needs is a rinse or two (takes any bitterness out of the grain) then it's on the burner (one part grain, two parts water) ... turn it up to high heat until a boil begins. Turn the heat right down and let it sit there for 15mins with the lid securely on the pot. The salad ingredients are easily prepared within this timeframe.

2. Potato Wedges - I love potato wedges. I used two russet potatoes, cut them into 1inch wedges and lay them flat on a baking sheet (lined with tinfoil - easier cleanup!). Three garlic cloves were minced and scattered over the wedges along with a douse of olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. 30mins on the lowest rack at 400F. Flip the wedges halfway through and there will be golden nuggets of goodness awaiting you at the end.

3. What I like to call "Labour of Love" aka Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie
This recipe make FOUR DOZEN COOKIES. No joke. That's what was promised and it actually delivered. I didn't have the stamina to scoop that many cookies out, so I froze 1/3 of the batch in the freezer. What I WISH I KNEW before doing this:
It's possible to scoop the batter on parchment paper, put this in the freezer. When the batter is hard enough not to stick together, throw them into a ziplock bag and freeze for future use.
This recipe is courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis from her cookbook, "Giada's Family Dinners"

1/2 cup old-fashioned (not instant) oats
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (Anyone know where to find PURE vanilla extract?? Last time I saw it, I was in Mexico ... )
4 oz. english toffee candy, finely chopped (I used 3x SKOR BARS)
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, and chopped
1 (12oz.) bag of semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line 2 large, heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Finely chop the oats in a food processor. Transfer the oats to a medium bowl. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the toffee pieces, hazelnuts, and chocolate chips.
4. Drop the dough onto the prepared sheets by rounded tablespoonful, spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake until the cookies are golden (they will flatten slightly), about 15mins. (I COOKED MINE FOR 11MINS ... came out nice and chewy!). Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Brie Honey Almond Melt with Fruit Salad

Oh. My. Goodness. Where has this combination of flavour been my whole life??? This meal is nothing short of fabulous. To the very last bite. I love love love brunch but never think to incorporate brunch food items at dinner time. Why Not?? I honestly could eat this at least once a week and here's why:

1. It's the most extravagent comfort food that has ever touched my lips
2. The warm melted brie over the fresh sesame bagel, topped with lovely drizzled honey and a smattering of toasted almond flakes ... this is the only food that appealed to me ALL DAY as I was feeling under the weather.
3. I realize that #2 is merely a description of the ingredients going into this melt, but oh ... can't you just taste it???
4. Fresh fruit salad on the side gives that perfect "bite" to freshen the palate between creamy yummy bites of brie

Eating In with Friends

It was so nice to have Diana and Meghan over for dinner last night. I need to give them HUGE kudos for hanging in there ... Diana had the privilege of entertaining Jack for a full hour so that I could be in the kitchen and get dinner prepared. Meghan had numerous hurdles to leap over in order to get here and she did it!
And Jay ... he was my true knight in shining armour ... picking up last minute ingredients for the meal on his way home from work. The meal would NOT have turned out without his efforts!

On the menu:
We had vegan Caesar salad,
Grilled Vegetable Paninnis,
A side plate of shrimp and
Zucchini chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing.

The Caesar salad and cupcakes were from the Rebar cookbook ... the paninni and shrimp recipes were compliments of Giada de Laurentis from the Food Network.

Everything took so long to prepare because it was all made FROM SCRATCH. From the salad croutons to all the dipping sauces to the roasted garlic and roasted peppers. Was it worth it???