Monday, May 28
New Site! I'm the master of my own domain!!
Hey - I'm not sure if I'm going about this right, but I'm really excited to announce that I finally have a new site with my own domain! Check it out the NEW Red Deer Foodie and set your bookmarks, and follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook to catch all of my updates and recipes! Any hints on how long I need to keep the old one up? And any tips for WordPress - please let me know too - I'm learning!!
Saturday, May 26
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Corn on the Cob
You know it's almost summer when all of the cooking magazines have lines like "Let's Grill!" or "Get Your Grill On" and pictures of hamburgers and anything charred grace the covers. I freaking love grilling!
I picked up the June issue of Food Network Magazine and basically want to make every single page but I obviously have to settle down and cook one thing at a time! Today I started with the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Corn on the Cob, as featured on page 148. So simple and delicious! I cooked my corn in foil, with butter and salt rather than directly on the grill, as I like it to kind of steam/poach in the melted butter... I changed the sauce a little bit by adding sriracha rather than the red pepper flakes they called for and was really happy at how it turned out - this would also be a great rub/sauce for chicken too! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 large pork tenderloin
4 ears of corn, remove the leaves and silk
Spice Rub:
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp packed light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Keen's Mustard Powder (not sure if available in the States, but this stuff is the bomb!)
1/2 tsp onion powder (I crused about a tbsp of onion flakes in my mortar)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp olive oil to coat the tenderloin with
Sauce:
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
Method:
At least 3 hours before you want to bbq, prepare the spice rub. Spread out a big piece of Saran Wrap and lightly oil the tenderloin. Work the spice rub into the tenderloin with your fingers and wrap it up tightly in the plastic - then throw in the fridge for 3-6 hours.
Thirty minutes before you're wanting to cook, remove the tenderloin from the fridge and let come to room temp. Preheat your bbq to medium high. Chuck the tenderloin on the bbq and grill for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally - be patient and let grill marks appear yo!
Now it's time to make the sauce - combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat - make sure the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside till you're ready to serve!!
Back to the bbq: when the internal temp gets to about 140-145, remove from the bbq and let rest for about 15 minutes. Slice, drizzle with the sauce and serve!! With more of the spicy sauce if you're inclined! And the buttery yummy corn! Oh and I also had some potatoes ;)
So looking forward to a summer of grilling goodness!!
I picked up the June issue of Food Network Magazine and basically want to make every single page but I obviously have to settle down and cook one thing at a time! Today I started with the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Corn on the Cob, as featured on page 148. So simple and delicious! I cooked my corn in foil, with butter and salt rather than directly on the grill, as I like it to kind of steam/poach in the melted butter... I changed the sauce a little bit by adding sriracha rather than the red pepper flakes they called for and was really happy at how it turned out - this would also be a great rub/sauce for chicken too! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 large pork tenderloin
4 ears of corn, remove the leaves and silk
Spice Rub:
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp packed light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Keen's Mustard Powder (not sure if available in the States, but this stuff is the bomb!)
1/2 tsp onion powder (I crused about a tbsp of onion flakes in my mortar)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp olive oil to coat the tenderloin with
Sauce:
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
 |
| Secret Sauce |
Method:
At least 3 hours before you want to bbq, prepare the spice rub. Spread out a big piece of Saran Wrap and lightly oil the tenderloin. Work the spice rub into the tenderloin with your fingers and wrap it up tightly in the plastic - then throw in the fridge for 3-6 hours.
 |
| You can reserve extra spice rub as long as you didn't touch it with your ditry pork hands! |
 |
| After one turn... foiled corn in the background... |
Back to the bbq: when the internal temp gets to about 140-145, remove from the bbq and let rest for about 15 minutes. Slice, drizzle with the sauce and serve!! With more of the spicy sauce if you're inclined! And the buttery yummy corn! Oh and I also had some potatoes ;)
So looking forward to a summer of grilling goodness!!
Tuesday, May 22
Sneaky Chocolate Brownie Muffins II
Hope everyone had a great long weekend!! We were on the road most of the weekend, but today I had an entire day to relax and have some "me" time. I dropped the boys off at Heritage Ranch, they went for a monster bike trip and I did a quick 4km run through the trails. I went shopping for the week and then came home and did some experimenting with an old recipe for Chocolate Surprise Muffins. This is my famous recipe that includes spinach as the main ingredient! I fooled around with the fats and flours and here's my latest rendition of these muffins! I'm just starting to cook with coconut flour and wanted to see what it would bake like - just as good as whole wheat flour in my opinion and smells really yummy!!
Sneaky Chocolate Brownie Muffins II
Ingredients:
3/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 cup oatmeal, pulsed thru the food processor
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups packed baby spinach leaves
1 whole apple, quartered
1 ripe banana
2/3 cup coconut oil (in it's solid form, then melt in microwave and it will equal 2/3cup + 1 tbsp liquid coconut oil)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup agave syrup
2 extra large eggs
seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean
Method:
Preheat oven to 350degrees and coat mini muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients, including the ground oats. Don't bother rinsing out the food processor at this point!
Now combine all of the rest of the other ingredients in the food processor and pulse till liquid. If your kids are super picky, you may want to really go nuts and pulse completely, otherwise they may object to the tiny green flecks once baked!! Nick didn't notice... YET.... it's funny when kids pick up on these things though!
Anyways, add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and give it a good stir. Spoon little plops into your mini muffin tins and shove in the oven for 15-18 minutes... today 17 minutes seemed to be my magic number!
Remove from oven and let cool slightly before removing from tins - they're done and unless the kids were helping you in the kitchen, it's unlikely that they will figure out the secret ingredients!! This batch makes 5 dozen little moist muffins. They freeze really well and are a pop into lunch bags quite nicely!! Only thing I DON'T know: is coconut considered dangerous on the nut-allergy listing?? If anyone knows, please leave me a little message!
Sneaky Chocolate Brownie Muffins II
Ingredients:
3/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 cup oatmeal, pulsed thru the food processor
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups packed baby spinach leaves
1 whole apple, quartered
1 ripe banana
2/3 cup coconut oil (in it's solid form, then melt in microwave and it will equal 2/3cup + 1 tbsp liquid coconut oil)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup agave syrup
2 extra large eggs
seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean
Method:
Preheat oven to 350degrees and coat mini muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients, including the ground oats. Don't bother rinsing out the food processor at this point!
Now combine all of the rest of the other ingredients in the food processor and pulse till liquid. If your kids are super picky, you may want to really go nuts and pulse completely, otherwise they may object to the tiny green flecks once baked!! Nick didn't notice... YET.... it's funny when kids pick up on these things though!
Anyways, add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and give it a good stir. Spoon little plops into your mini muffin tins and shove in the oven for 15-18 minutes... today 17 minutes seemed to be my magic number!
Remove from oven and let cool slightly before removing from tins - they're done and unless the kids were helping you in the kitchen, it's unlikely that they will figure out the secret ingredients!! This batch makes 5 dozen little moist muffins. They freeze really well and are a pop into lunch bags quite nicely!! Only thing I DON'T know: is coconut considered dangerous on the nut-allergy listing?? If anyone knows, please leave me a little message!
Friday, May 18
Antipasto Sandwiches
I'm a sucker for sandwiches - especially anything on a chewy French bagette! I'm also a sucker for anything in the antipasto family; anything that's marinated in olive oil is big deal in my books! So when I flipped through this month's drool-worthy issue of Food & Wine Magazine, I was so excited to see their recipe for Double-Grilled Antipasto Sandwiches! This is a great recipe for when you just want to run into the deli and grab a couple quick items! So easy and so delicious! Rather than the provolone that the original recipe called for, I used extra old cheddar for more of a bite. I also served this with fresh basil leaves and a basil mayo. Check it out!
Antipasto Sandwiches
Ingredients:
250g thinly sliced proscuitto
125g extra old cheddar cut into 3/4 inch x 3 inch sticks
olive oil for brushing
1 large bagette, cut down the centre and cut into 2-3 pieces
1 large garlic clove, halved
250g marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
125-250g roasted red peppers, cut into strips
a couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves
Basil Mayo:
1/4 cup mayonaisse
2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
splash of white wine vinegar, to taste
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
Heat up your grill pan, or light a grill, or fire up the Gordon Ramsay grill (or George Foreman grill....) Lay out 2 slices of proscuitto, overlapping slightly. Position on chunk of cheese at one end and lay a large basil leaf down the centre of the proscuitto. Roll up. Repeat with the other two chunks of cheese.
Take 2 wooden skewers and thread thru the bundles. Cut down the centre & set aside.
Lightly brush the insides of the baguettes with olive oil and lightly grill - get some lines going if you want! Remove from grill and rub the cut side of the garlic cloves along the insides. Set aside.
Next up, add the proscuitto skewers to the grill (medium-high) and cook 5-7 minutes, until the proscuitto is getting crispy and the cheese is getting melty.
While that's cooking, spread the inside of the baguettes with the basil mayo. Top with artichokes and red peppers and wait for those delicious proscuitto bundles to be ready!
Once the bundles are done, carefully remove from the skewers and position on your sandwiches. Serve immediately and be prepared to be a kitchen hero for the next couple days!!
Antipasto Sandwiches
Ingredients:
250g thinly sliced proscuitto
125g extra old cheddar cut into 3/4 inch x 3 inch sticks
olive oil for brushing
1 large bagette, cut down the centre and cut into 2-3 pieces
1 large garlic clove, halved
250g marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
125-250g roasted red peppers, cut into strips
a couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves
Basil Mayo:
1/4 cup mayonaisse
2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
splash of white wine vinegar, to taste
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
Heat up your grill pan, or light a grill, or fire up the Gordon Ramsay grill (or George Foreman grill....) Lay out 2 slices of proscuitto, overlapping slightly. Position on chunk of cheese at one end and lay a large basil leaf down the centre of the proscuitto. Roll up. Repeat with the other two chunks of cheese.
Take 2 wooden skewers and thread thru the bundles. Cut down the centre & set aside.
Lightly brush the insides of the baguettes with olive oil and lightly grill - get some lines going if you want! Remove from grill and rub the cut side of the garlic cloves along the insides. Set aside.
Next up, add the proscuitto skewers to the grill (medium-high) and cook 5-7 minutes, until the proscuitto is getting crispy and the cheese is getting melty.
While that's cooking, spread the inside of the baguettes with the basil mayo. Top with artichokes and red peppers and wait for those delicious proscuitto bundles to be ready!
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| waiting for the nom nom bundles! |
Wednesday, May 16
PSA: National Hunger Awareness Week 2012
Last week was National Hunger Awareness week, and although I'm a bit late in posting this, I thought it's still really important to share!
Did you know?
It was a great success, as all of our fundraising schemes, and best part - the lunches were delicious!! I don't know why, but a sandwich always tastes better when someone else makes it for you ;)
There is probably a pretty good chance that right now, your local Food Bank has a need for food or funds to stock their shelves - take a quick look in your pantry or even your wallet; a little goes a long way! Share with others some of the benefits you may enjoy because of the opportunities you are given!
xo
Did you know?
- Hundreds of thousands of Canadians use food banks because they do not have enough money to feed themselves or their families. Children. Seniors. People with disabilities. People who have jobs and still can't make ends meet.
- Hunger in Canada exists because deep and persistent poverty continues in the country. For more than a decade, diverse and inter-related factors have sustained this situation: a labour market that fails to provide enough jobs with stable, livable wages; a rise in precarious and non-standard employment; a fraying income security system that does not provide sufficient financial support for those in need; a lack of affordable, social housing; and accessible and affordable child care. People living in poverty cannot afford sufficient, nutritious food. Many turn to food banks to help them meet this most basic need.
- Hunger in Canada can be alleviated. Everyone can play a part in reducing hunger! Not just at Christmas either - people need help all year long!
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| Choices: chicken, ham or veggie! |
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| Ready for delivery!! |
xo
Monday, May 14
Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad (featuring Israeli Couscous!)
I don't want to jinx anything, but I gotta say: I think that sunny days are here to stay!! Judging by my burnt arms and legs, it's easy to see that I had a great weekend!
Yesterday I spent the day in Calgary with my sister - first we ate at Clive Burger - I swear I had been dreaming of those burgers for weeks and they did not disappoint! Then she took me to an interesting market called Kingsland Farmer's Market - what a delight that place is! It's definitely no St. Lawrence Market, but very cool, almost like Old Strathcona's Farmer's Market! My sister told me that it's bigger during produce season, so I can't wait to go back this summer! I ended up purchasing some delicious pitas and tzaziki sauce from Sichani’s Mediterranean, which was the inspiration for tonight's dinner: Pork Souvlaki!!
I also have been eyeing up a bag of Israeli Couscous blend in my pantry that was given to me (I WON!) from Lindsey's blog! She is a Trader Joe's addict and put together a gigantic Trader Joe's prize including many amazing thing from their store! So I decided to make a couscous salad with all the Greek flavours and got a super nom nom salad! (In case you're wondering, Israeli couscous is a large version of couscouc, similar to pearl barley) Check out the recipes:
Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad (featuring Israeli Couscous!)
Pork Souvlaki Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped finely
fresh ground salt & pepper
Greek Salad Ingredients:
3/4 cup Israeli Couscous (or blend)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
fresh ground salt & papper
1 large shallot or red onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup each chopped red & green pepper
2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Serve with: tzaziki sauce, soft pitas & chopped jalapeno pepper
Method:
In a medium glass bowl, combine all of the souvlaki marinade ingredients and add the cubed pork tenderloin. Allow to marinate in the fridge for about an hour... while this is happening soak some wooden skewers in water - this will prevent them from burning on the BBQ (I didn't soak mine long enough and they became very blackened!)
After the tenderloin has had a chance to soak up the delicious marinade, thread the meat onto the prepared skewers and fire up the BBQ! Cook at about 400degrees for about 12 - 15 minutes, turning a couple times.
If you're an eager beaver, while the pork is marinating, you could be prepping your amazing salad! Start with getting the couscous cooked: get a medium pot of water boiling - add a generous pinch of salt and the couscous. Boil for about 8-12 minutes; read the instructions on your package and follow those times! When it's done cooking, rinse under cold water and let drain well.
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper. Whisk until it thickens slightly. Once this ready, add the cucumber, tomato, peppers, feta and couscous. Wait till right before you're going to eat to add the spinach, because it will wilt a little bit!
To serve, warm up some pitas. Spread some tzaziki on a pita, add a souvlaki skewer, some more tzaziki and top with some chopped jalapeno! Put a big spoonful of the salad on the side and dinner is served!
Yesterday I spent the day in Calgary with my sister - first we ate at Clive Burger - I swear I had been dreaming of those burgers for weeks and they did not disappoint! Then she took me to an interesting market called Kingsland Farmer's Market - what a delight that place is! It's definitely no St. Lawrence Market, but very cool, almost like Old Strathcona's Farmer's Market! My sister told me that it's bigger during produce season, so I can't wait to go back this summer! I ended up purchasing some delicious pitas and tzaziki sauce from Sichani’s Mediterranean, which was the inspiration for tonight's dinner: Pork Souvlaki!!
I also have been eyeing up a bag of Israeli Couscous blend in my pantry that was given to me (I WON!) from Lindsey's blog! She is a Trader Joe's addict and put together a gigantic Trader Joe's prize including many amazing thing from their store! So I decided to make a couscous salad with all the Greek flavours and got a super nom nom salad! (In case you're wondering, Israeli couscous is a large version of couscouc, similar to pearl barley) Check out the recipes:
Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad (featuring Israeli Couscous!)
Pork Souvlaki Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped finely
fresh ground salt & pepper
 |
| If you don't have one of these blends, you could use plain Israeli Couscous! |
3/4 cup Israeli Couscous (or blend)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
fresh ground salt & papper
1 large shallot or red onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup each chopped red & green pepper
2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Serve with: tzaziki sauce, soft pitas & chopped jalapeno pepper
Method:
In a medium glass bowl, combine all of the souvlaki marinade ingredients and add the cubed pork tenderloin. Allow to marinate in the fridge for about an hour... while this is happening soak some wooden skewers in water - this will prevent them from burning on the BBQ (I didn't soak mine long enough and they became very blackened!)
 |
| Ready for Todd to get his grill on! |
If you're an eager beaver, while the pork is marinating, you could be prepping your amazing salad! Start with getting the couscous cooked: get a medium pot of water boiling - add a generous pinch of salt and the couscous. Boil for about 8-12 minutes; read the instructions on your package and follow those times! When it's done cooking, rinse under cold water and let drain well.
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper. Whisk until it thickens slightly. Once this ready, add the cucumber, tomato, peppers, feta and couscous. Wait till right before you're going to eat to add the spinach, because it will wilt a little bit!
To serve, warm up some pitas. Spread some tzaziki on a pita, add a souvlaki skewer, some more tzaziki and top with some chopped jalapeno! Put a big spoonful of the salad on the side and dinner is served!
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| Me at Clive Burger, surrounded by my sister's drawings! |
Wednesday, May 9
Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Pastry Roll-Ups
Here's another recipe that looks like your spent a ton of time on, but really all you need is a box of Tenderflake Puff Pastry! Super easy! This is a little bit like spanakopita, but I lightened it up on the feta, used some cottage cheese and added roasted red peppers.
Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Pastry Roll-Ups
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 large egg
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, finely diced
1/2 pkg Tenderflake Puff Pastry
salt & pepper
flour for surface and rolling pin
1 tbsp egg-whites
Method:
Preheat oven to 425degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pile spinach into a microwave-safe bowl and add a bit of water. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for about 1-2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Strain spinach and allow to cool a bit - squeeze ALL of the moisture out - I even let it rest in a collander lined with paper towels to get the liquid out!
Once that's ready, give the spinach a bit of a rough chop and combine with the cottage cheese, feta, whole egg, garlic, parm, red pepper, salt & pepper.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry. Cut into 4 squares.
Divide the filling equally between the 4 pastry sheets - spooning it evenly down one side.
Start rolling and arrange seam side down on the cookie sheet. Brush the tops with egg whites and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Once tops are nice and golden, remove from oven, let rest for about 5 minutes and serve! You could also cut smaller squares and make into mini-appies - nom nom!
Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Pastry Roll-Ups
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 large egg
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, finely diced
1/2 pkg Tenderflake Puff Pastry
salt & pepper
flour for surface and rolling pin
1 tbsp egg-whites
Method:
Preheat oven to 425degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pile spinach into a microwave-safe bowl and add a bit of water. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for about 1-2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Strain spinach and allow to cool a bit - squeeze ALL of the moisture out - I even let it rest in a collander lined with paper towels to get the liquid out!
Once that's ready, give the spinach a bit of a rough chop and combine with the cottage cheese, feta, whole egg, garlic, parm, red pepper, salt & pepper.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry. Cut into 4 squares.
Divide the filling equally between the 4 pastry sheets - spooning it evenly down one side.
Start rolling and arrange seam side down on the cookie sheet. Brush the tops with egg whites and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Once tops are nice and golden, remove from oven, let rest for about 5 minutes and serve! You could also cut smaller squares and make into mini-appies - nom nom!
Tuesday, May 8
Fig & Walnut Fibre Bars
I love food mags of any kind and I spied a new one last week called Fresh Juice and it's available at the Real Canadian Superstores... I do think that there are just enough carefully placed pro-Superstore/Loblaws ads that it should actually be free with purchase, but whatevs - I spent $2.99 on it and I'm okay with that.
Anyways, they have a ton of amazing recipes, and I adapted one of them for squares called "Super Dominoes" - I swapped out a few of the ingredients and re-named the recipe to something that made a bit more sense ;)
Fig & Walnut Fibre Bars
Ingredients:
1lb dried figs, chopped
2 eggs
2/3 cup fancy molasses
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
pinch salt
1 1/2 whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
Method:
Preheat oven to 375degrees and line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper. Soak figs in 1/2 cup boiling water - set aside for about 30 minutes while you get everything ready.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, molasses, margarine, agave, ginger and spices.
In another bowl, sift together all of the dried ingredients. Add dry to the wet ingredients and stir until moistened.
Fold in the figs (and liquid) and the walnuts. *What I would change here is that I would pulse the figs and liquid in the mini food processor before adding to the batter only because it was too chunky/crunchy for my liking - I would almost describe the fig seeds as "ant-like" in texture!
Spread into the pan and bake for 40 minutes.
Let cool completely and then cut into bars. Seal in an air-tight container and/or freeze for a quick snack.
Anyways, they have a ton of amazing recipes, and I adapted one of them for squares called "Super Dominoes" - I swapped out a few of the ingredients and re-named the recipe to something that made a bit more sense ;)
Fig & Walnut Fibre Bars
Ingredients:
1lb dried figs, chopped
2 eggs
2/3 cup fancy molasses
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
pinch salt
1 1/2 whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
Method:
Preheat oven to 375degrees and line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper. Soak figs in 1/2 cup boiling water - set aside for about 30 minutes while you get everything ready.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, molasses, margarine, agave, ginger and spices.
In another bowl, sift together all of the dried ingredients. Add dry to the wet ingredients and stir until moistened.
Fold in the figs (and liquid) and the walnuts. *What I would change here is that I would pulse the figs and liquid in the mini food processor before adding to the batter only because it was too chunky/crunchy for my liking - I would almost describe the fig seeds as "ant-like" in texture!
Spread into the pan and bake for 40 minutes.
Let cool completely and then cut into bars. Seal in an air-tight container and/or freeze for a quick snack.
Wednesday, May 2
Spicy Asian Chicken Wings
Todd has a hoarding problem - especially when it comes to anything made of paper from the 1990's... must have been a great decade for him??? Anyways, I'm not going to diss him too much because he has been working super hard to dispose/recycle out the clutter from his youth and he's finding some real gems!
Today he produced a hilarious mini-cookbook from 1992 called "Favorite Slow Cooker recipes," pointing at a recipe for Easy Oriental Chicken Wings. I was skeptical that tasty wings could be achieved in a slow cooker, but I wanted to indulge my husband for his trip down hoarder memory lane.
I looked at the recipe and decided it needed to be jazzed up with sambal oelek and got to work. The result was super delicious, tender, meat-falling-off-the-bone wings... with a kick!
Here's the recipe:
Spicy Asian Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs chicken wings
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sambal oelek or asian chili garlic sauce
Method:
In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water & sambal oelek. Bring to a boil & simmer for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly.
In a large frying pan, brown the chicken wings in batches and let rest on paper towels (the recipe actually suggested doing this in a pan of shortening, but I actually browned them in vegetable oil - would I do that again? NO! There's enough fat on the wings, brown in a non-stick pan without extra fat).
Next step: place the wings in the slow cooker and pour your sauce over top. According to the recipe, we are to cook on high for 2-3 hours. At the 2 hour mark, I decided they were too "saucy" for my liking and I transferred them to a baking dish and cooked them (uncovered) for the last hour in the oven at 325degrees. Stir couple times during that last hour, then at the end, broil for about 3 minutes, stirring at the 1 1/2 minute mark.
These wings were great - most of the skin part was melted away and we were left with really tender chicken meat! Super nom! I served with fresh vegetables and a herb/sour cream dip that I whipped up.
THE VERDICT:
Why not ditch the slow cooker aspect completely and just cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes?
Today he produced a hilarious mini-cookbook from 1992 called "Favorite Slow Cooker recipes," pointing at a recipe for Easy Oriental Chicken Wings. I was skeptical that tasty wings could be achieved in a slow cooker, but I wanted to indulge my husband for his trip down hoarder memory lane.
I looked at the recipe and decided it needed to be jazzed up with sambal oelek and got to work. The result was super delicious, tender, meat-falling-off-the-bone wings... with a kick!
 |
| ...sometimes it's better for things to stay in the 90's! |
Spicy Asian Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs chicken wings
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sambal oelek or asian chili garlic sauce
Method:
In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water & sambal oelek. Bring to a boil & simmer for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly.
In a large frying pan, brown the chicken wings in batches and let rest on paper towels (the recipe actually suggested doing this in a pan of shortening, but I actually browned them in vegetable oil - would I do that again? NO! There's enough fat on the wings, brown in a non-stick pan without extra fat).
Next step: place the wings in the slow cooker and pour your sauce over top. According to the recipe, we are to cook on high for 2-3 hours. At the 2 hour mark, I decided they were too "saucy" for my liking and I transferred them to a baking dish and cooked them (uncovered) for the last hour in the oven at 325degrees. Stir couple times during that last hour, then at the end, broil for about 3 minutes, stirring at the 1 1/2 minute mark.
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| I like my wings more dry and sticky!! |
THE VERDICT:
Why not ditch the slow cooker aspect completely and just cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes?
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