Flowfit

I am often asked where I get my inspiration for cooking.  Well, I read cook books like novels, from cover to cover, rarely being opened again.  I have an inability to follow a recipe, which is why I am such a lousy baker.  However, not following a recipe does allow for some great creativity!

My greatest inspiration, honestly comes from the ingredients themselves.

Do you remember that show called “Doorknock Dinners”?  It was on the food network years ago (in the late 1990′s), and I totally loved watching it.  The host, Gordon Elliott unexpectedly shows up on the doorstep of homes with a highly skilled chef in tow. Once welcomed inside, the chef prepares a gourmet meal for the family, using only ingredients found while rummaging through the home owners cupboards and fridge!  I am sure that is when I started getting creative and inspired by the ingredients I had on hand.  My husband says I am the Queen of doorknock dinners…. a title I wear with pride!  Hey Gordon!!  Wanna get the show started again?  I’ll be your doorknock chef!  Seriously!!  Oh what fun that would be for me!!

This dinner was inspired by a box of Sabarot French lentils du Puy I had in the cupboard, as well as a container of that super yummy cilantro pesto from Sunflower Kitchens.  See??  Not everything has to be completely scratch!  Frozen tilapia, a can of baby corn, half a red pepper and a starting to wilt head of iceburg lettuce.  Put it all together, and dinner is served!

Mix it up!  Just choose WHOLEsome ingredients and you’re golden.

For this dinner, simply broil, grill or pan fry your favorite white fish (I broiled this one with a sprinkling of sea salt, pepper and herbs de Provence).  Top fish with Sunflower Kitchens Cilantro “Zesto-pesto”.  GREAT combination!!

If you’ve never had Lentils du Puy before, you really must give them a try!  They are more expensive than other lentils, but in my opinion, worth it.  They really hold up well for salads and sides – they stay firmer than other lentils and have a rich earthy flavour.  They’d be GREAT paired with beets… hmmmm…. put that on the idea shelf for next time.

To cook lentils, add twice as much cold water as lentils to sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med/low, cover and cook for 35-40 minutes.  Check frequently, sometimes you may need to add a bit more water.  These lentils will have a little more bite to them than others you are used to.  I like mine simply with a squeeze of lemon and some sea salt and pepper.  They are also great added to soups, stews and salads.

YUM!

The salad is just some simple crunchy iceburg lettuce, fresh organic watercress from my Plan B box, canned baby corn and sliced red peppers.  The dressing is a simple olive oil and vinegar with a pinch of cumin for fun.

See?  You CAN make a fab dinner WITHOUT a recipe!!  Go on… get your creative juices flowing….have some fun with it!!  Tell me what YOU come up with on your doorknock dinner adventure!

Okay.  I’ve talked about easy before, but this soup is easy peasy!  Seriously, you can’t go wrong and it is soooo good.  With all this chilly damp, rainy weather we’ve had lately, this hit the spot nicely.

Carrot and Lentil Soup:

• 1 bag organic carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups (I used 4 palmfulls) red lentils
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 1 carton vegetable broth (or 4 cups broth of choice)
• 3 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• Sunflower Kitchen “Zest-Oh Pesto” Cilantro Pesto to garnish
• 4 slices stale country style bread for croutons (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In your favorite soup pot, saute onions and carrots with a good sprinkling of sea salt and pepper until onions start to turn colour and get soft – about 5 minutes.  Add in garlic, cumin, bay leaf and lentils and saute for another 2minutes.  Add in broth and water.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium low and cook uncovered for about 20-30 minutes.  Basically until carrots are cooked through and lentils are soft enough to squish with a fork against side of pot.

Get out your handy dandy hand held mixer (if using a blender to do this part, make sure you let it cool down a bit first), remove bay leaf and puree entire mixture until smooth.  Thin with water or broth to taste.  I like mine thick, but thin enough to fall off spoon.

Serve topped with garlic croutons and a few dribbles of Cilantro pesto.  Amazingly delicious!

Quick Garlic Croutons:

Simply cut stale bread (italian loaf or french loaf works best) into thick pieces.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with your favorite herb mixture (I used provincial herbs), sea salt and garlic.  Rub into bread.  Broil for about 30-45 seconds per side – watch them, they burn QUICKLY!  Remove from oven let cool for a few minutes and cut into bite sized pieces.  Awesome in salads, soups or just to munch on.

YUM!

The perfect dinner.

Well in my opinion anyway.  Imagine this outside, by the sea in France…..ahhhh.

Yep, it’s perfect.

This meal actually comes from a friends house!  So being that I didn’t have to make the mess or clean up the mess, it tasted EVEN better!!  Thank you, thank you!!

We have been very lucky through this renovation to have so many great friends have us for dinner… multiple times!  I have to admit, as “zen” as I have been through the last six (onto seven) weeks of chaos, dust and destruction, the last two weeks have me a little weary.  I am truly ready to be cooking, eating and functioning in a wide open, clean, dust free kitchen!  Enough with banging my head on the ducts, chewing on dust, drying my dishes on top of my washing machine and cooking on a hot plate.  It’s been an adventure, but I’m done.

I suppose I will be repaying all those lovely nights in the company of friends by cooking up a storm in my brand new (dust free)  kitchen!  You know who you are… and you know I’ll be repaying you all in food!!

Speaking of the renovation, we now have our beautiful (huge) new doors where our bow window used to be… take a peek:

New doors - they fill the wall!

window hole - it goes wall to wall

The end is truly insight…. this week we should see the counters and sinks installed, the week following the backsplash.  After that we can move in!

This means, more cooking, and more blogging!!  Stay tuned…

Provincial Moulles:

• 4 lbs mussels
• 1 red onion
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 bulb fennel
• 1/3 bottle dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• large bunch fresh parsley, stems chopped separate from leaves
• 1 tbsp Herbs de Provence
• extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 stick butter or 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• juice of lemon

Wash and remove beards from mussels.  Set aside.  In large heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil.  Add onions, garlic and fennel and saute on medium for 2-3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, herbs, butter and parsley stems.  Saute for another minute and wine and broth.  Bring to boil and add mussels.  Cover and cook, (stirring every 2 minutes) on medium high for 4-7 minutes depending on your stove – mussels are cooked when they are all open.  Remove from heat immediately.

This salad doesn’t need a separate dressing.  It’s super simple and dee-lish!  The dressing is made right in the same bowl.  It couldn’t be easier or tastier!!

Provincial Salad:

• mixed greens
• 2 oranges, peel and pith removed and cut into segments (reserve peels for juice)
• 2 green onions
• 2 avocados
• balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• juice of orange
• 1 tsp herbs de Provence

Place greens in bowl, add oranges cut into segments and squeeze remaining juice from peels.  Add avacados, green onions and sprinkle of herbs, salt and pepper.  Drizzle olive oil followed by balsamic vinegar.  Toss and serve.  Could it be any easier?!

Serve entire meal with crusty French stick to sop up all the awesome sauce and don’t forget your favorite wine.

YUM!

Cannellini beans are large and have a kidney bean shape. With a slightly nutty taste and mild earthiness, they have a thinner skin and tender, creamy, almost buttery flesh.  They hold their shape well and are one of the best white beans for salads and stews.  I just love them!

One of my favorite ways to eat these little beauties is quite simply, drained out of the can, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, some dried herbs (rosemary is awesome!), sea salt and cracked pepper.  That’s it!  YUM!

Another great thing is that just one cup of these beans has nearly 18g protein, a good dose of folate, magnesium, iron and nearly 15g of fiber.  All of that with only 220 calories and less than 1g of fat!  Nice!

If you are hankerin for something hearty and healthy, this ragu is the way to go.  And it only takes about 10 minutes!

Cannelli Bean and Chard Ragu:

• 1 can Canelli Beans (buy the best quality you can afford – I like the ones that come from Italy)
• 1 small can tomato juice (250 mls)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bunch chard, washed and rough chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil)
• sea salt and cracked black pepper

On medium heat, warm saute pan, add olive oil and garlic.  Add in chopped chard and stir to coat in olive oil and garlic.  Like making a risotto, pour in the tomato juice a bit at a time (about a quarter each time) and wait for it to be absorbed by the chard.  Continue adding until chard has softened and juice is gone.  This takes about 5-7 minutes.  Add in beans just to heat through and serve!  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.

YUM!

This was dinner for me.

I like this as is, but you could also add in some canned tuna or top with grilled fish if you like.

People often assume that we as a family don’t eat any junk.  They think my kids are deprived and that I have the willpower of a saint.

False.

All of it.

The past few weeks in particular have been what I call junky.  Some days have been markedly worse than others – some downright shamefull.  Yesterday was one of those days.  We had fried eggs on toast for breakfast, tuna and cheese in a tortilla for lunch with a side of kettle cooked salt and vinegar potato chips.  A few hours later, at the movie theatre it was popcorn (with REAL butter) and peanut m&m’s washed down with iced tea (fruitopia for the kids  gasp!).

When dinnertime rolled around, my body just wanted something clean….this stew is what came of that…

Pressure Cooker Vegetable Stew:

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 head of cabbage, chopped
• 3 large carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into chunky pieces
• 1/2 container of kale pesto (see below)
• 1 bunch kale, washed and finely chopped
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 and 1/2 cartons vegetable stock
• 1 tsp Tom Yum Soup mix (or seasoning of choice)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste (I didn’t need it with the soy)

First, have everything chopped and ready at hand.  Preheat pressure cooker and saute onions in the coconut oil and sesame oil.  Add cabbage, rice, carrots, Tom Yum and broth and bring to a boil.  Cover.  Once pressure is reached, time 5 minutes.  Release pressure and add kale, cauliflower, pesto and soy sauce.  Return lid, bring back up to pressure and time another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and release pressure immediately.  Serve as is in a bowl.

YUM!

After thoughts – this would have also been great with the addition of lentils or barley as a substitute for the rice.  No rules here… just use what you have and remember to cook the harder vegetables first so the softer ones don’t turn to mush…. no one likes mushy vegetables (unless you’re under 2 or over 90).

We all gobbled this up.  Some of us even had seconds… ;o)

Kale and Oregano Pesto from Sunflower Kitchen -

http://www.sunflowerkitchen.com/

Sunflower Kitchen produces an incredibly delicious line of vegan dips, spreads and hummus.  I’ve tried them all and they are all incredible.  I am inspired by their clean big flavours and will have many recipes come from their delicious products.  What they don’t contain is equally as important as what the do…. you will not find:

• Preservatives or additives
• nitrates
• nuts (they use sesame and sunflower seeds)
• gluten
• GMO ingredients
• Transfats
• Colours/dies
• Dairy

What you will find are nutritious ingredients with lots of flavour.  Simple but simply delicious! They also have a selection of ready made soups.  I have yet to try them, but am sure they are delicious!

Today is the start of week six of the renovation.

We would be in and using our kitchen, however, we ran into a little snag with the marble… ah the marble… the inspiration for the entire kitchen.  Let’s just say it was WAY more of an investment than originally planned and it took us a week (with all else on hold) to decide or digest the new number.  So, my island sits, marbleless waiting to wear it’s hat.  In a few days our new doors will be installed, leaving the final piece… the marble.  Soon… soon…. soon…. I await you my lovely.

Thankfully, the beverage (ah-hem – beer) fridge has not had any snags and sits happily watching and waiting for the rest to be done.   A little trim and mouldings, some new plate covers, the counters and back splash are all that remain.

Do people mourn the completion of their rennovation and the loss of the people in and out of their house?

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Guess not!

Odd post title I know.  It’ll make sense in a minute… keep reading.

I am still cooking on a hot plate, and using the BBQ, although with last weeks snow that was out of the picture for a while, so it was just me and my lil two burner hot plate gettin creative.

I have to admit, I have never put chard into an omelette before, and I am glad I did… these were great!  The texture of the egg with the chewiness of the chard was outstanding!  This with salad was dinner for us.

Chard Omelettes:

For the chard:

• washed, chopped chard
• garlic
• coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
• dried herb of choicce (I used a Tuscan blend)
• sea salt
• fresh cracked black pepper

Saute chard with oil and seasonings until it becomes limp.  Approximately 4 minutes.  Set aside

For omelette:

• 2 organic farm eggs per person
• 1tbsp warm water per egg
• earth balance butter or butter of choice

Heat non stick skillet to medium.  Add butter and swirl around to coat pan.  Beat eggs and water with a fork until light and frothy.  Add to pan and swirl to coat evenly.  Eggs will set quickly, so keep your eye on them.  Once they set around the edges (middle may still be uncooked), add cooked chard to one side.  Using a wide spatula, gently lift the opposite side of the omelette and fold over chard side.  You may need to loosen the edges before trying to get your spatula under.  Cook for another minute, gently flip and cook for another minute.

Serve with mixed green salad.

YUM!

Cracked Pepper Cabinets?

I am so excited that I have cabinets!  And the colour is called “Cracked Pepper”.  They are an off black.  The white cabinets are called “Popcorn”.  How perfectly perfect for my cabinet colours to be named after food!

Makes me giggle.

I woke up this morning to the sound of birds.  I love the sound of birds, especially in the morning.  Their happy little songs make me smile. I wonder what they are saying to each other?  ”Hello, good morning, hi there, oh hello….”?  I always peek out to see what they are doing.  I think the same three little birds hang out in the tree just below my bedroom window.

I wonder if they are related?  When I peeked out this morning, however, not only did I see my familiar trio, I saw SNOW!!

Wha-a-a-a-at?!

Even the super soakers left on my covered front porch are nearly burried in snow! That’s March for ya… a tease of spring, kids playing outside without coats – even using squirt guns and carrying out buckets of water to make their mud pies.  The bikes and scooters, footballs and bubble blowers were littered on our front lawn…. SPRING!!

We love the sound of the birds being back in town, the feel of the warm sun on our bodies and even the damp smell of compost that permiates the air.  And then – BAM!  Another snow fall.  Life is like that sometimes, isn’t it?  You’ve gotta laugh!

We all have our favorite comfort foods, ones we turn to on days like today.  For most (myself included), cold weather food is coated in gravy or spices or oooey gooey cheese!  Today, for me, I was craving colour… something green that reminded me of spring!!  My lunch was green indeed!  I made sauteed bok choy and mushrooms.  So totally yummy I had to share!!

Bok Choy with Mushrooms:

No amounts needed here, it’s all just to taste.  You really can’t go wrong…. get out a bowl and some chop sticks and enjoy!

• Baby Bok choy, ends cut off and washed
• Shiitake mushrooms (thank you Plan B – my new favorite!)
• fresh garlic
• fresh ginger
• Peanut oil
• Sesame oil
• Tamari Sauce
• sprinkling of Tom Yum seasoning
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp water

Heat oils in skillet.  Add garlic and ginger and mushrooms and saute for 1 minute.  Add tamari and bok choy followed by water mixed with Tom Yum seasoning.  Saute until bok choy starts to wilt.  Done!  Add sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

YUM!

I know the snow will once again melt away, and the newness of spring will shine through.  As I write this, lunch eaten and my belly full, I keep peering out at the falling snow. I am listening to Bob Marley – the man, the poet, the musical prophet.  I adore him, wish I was fortunate enough to see him live.  He is a legend that believed in peace, equality, living without judgement, spirituality and most of all love.

Sit back, take a moment and enjoy the feeling this song creates.  I hope it makes you smile ….

Three Little Birds – Bob Marley

Who would have thought that mustard goes so well with salmon?  This is truly a great combo – one that can be prepared camping!  Well, that’s what my cooking facilities are like at the moment, so yours should turn out even better than mine!  Right?  The asparagus was cooked in a saute pan on my hot plate, while the salmon was cooked on the BBQ.

For the asparagus, simply wash and cut off hard ends.  Into a saute pan add, 1 tsp peanut oil, 1 tsp sesame oil and the asparagus.  Add some sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and toss to combine.  Saute on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and squeeze lemon over asparagus and serve.

YUM!

I’m not going to type a formal recipe for the salmon… you’ll laugh, but I used what I had, and it worked, so I challenge you to do the same!  I used a squirt of plain ol’ yellow mustard, a dollop of whole grain mustard, another dollop of dijonaise and about 1tbsp of soy sauce and about 1tsp of sesame oil.  Add in some cracked pepper and a glug of peanut oil.  Mix all together, and pour over salmon, reserving a bit to add after salmon is cooked.  Grill for about 4 minutes per side.  Soooooo good!  The mustardy sesame sauce was amazing!

Double YUM!

We have WALLS!  And a ceiling! Tomorrow the flooring goes down – hooray!  What a difference walls can make! And the amazing thing? Sometimes you don’t know how bad something was until you change it – for us, that means insulation!!  WOW!  No more cold pockets.  Our house actually feels warmer!  Too warm in fact… we’ve been turning the heat off at night – it’s too warm!  Funny eh?

As I type, the walls are being painted as is the ceiling.  The pot lights are installed, and we had fun last night playing with all the dimmers.  This week is a full one – our floors (African walnut) will go down, the walls and ceiling will be completely painted and some of the cabinets will arrive!  Can’t wait to see it!  It’s amazing watching it all come to life.  So exciting!

Yesterday at Healthy Snack we served broccoli, cauliflower and carrot sticks along with cheese wiggles (new white cheese curd-like thingies) and crackers.  The grades JK to 5 loved all aspects of the snack, however, the six, sevens and grade eights dissed ALL the veggies.  Really!! This is the second week in a row our fresh veggie offerings have been met with harrumphs and grumbles….I have no idea what has changed!  Hopefully this is only a temporary set back.  Perhaps it is time to survey these grades… ask them what has changed?

Sigh…

Thankfully none of the food goes to waste.  We do pass any leftovers to the Halton Women’s Shelter, who are always happy to receive our produce.

Speaking of waste… I really do not like to see food going to waste.  I am one of those people who thinks of starving children every time I throw food in the recycle bin.  I can still hear my mother repeating over and over again….”do you know how many starving children there are in this world that would give their right arm for that food?!!”

Ah-hem

In keeping with that thought, I couldn’t throw out the broccoli stems left from the lovely flowerettes cut for the children’s snack now could I?  Nope.  I bagged em up, brought em home and made soup!  And Broccoli Stem Soup was born!  YUM!

Broccoli Stem Soup:

• broccoli stems, peeled and rough chopped
• onion
• celery (I used celery root)
• potato
• garlic
• broth
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and cracked black pepper

No measurements here.  Into heated heavy bottom pot add olive oil, onion and celery.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add broccoli and potato.  Cover whole lot with enough broth so that nearly all veggies are submerged.

Bring to boil, stir and reduce heat to medium low.  Cover and cook for 45 miinutes or until all veggies are soft.  Remove from heat and puree (I use a hand blender but you can use your blender if you prefer – if using blender you must let it cool further).

That’s it!  Ladle it up, add salt and pepper to taste, serve with fresh bread, pitas or croutons and side salad.  Dinner is served!  And nothing went to waste )

YUM!

Everyone knows chicken soup soothes the soul, but it also soothes what ails you.  Well, thanks to Alicia Silverstone, I’ve discovered that you don’t need chicken fat to create an equally delicious, nutritious and literally healing soup.  This soup was inspired by Alicia’s “Magical Healing Soup” from her book, The Kind Diet.  For me, this soup is never the same thing twice – if I have broccoli I add that, bok choy – awesome!  Just take a look and add whatever veggies you have on hand, keeping some colours in mind as you go.  Remember, each wonderful colour of vegetable has a different variety of minerals and nutrients!

Healing Soup:

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 potatoes, chopped (I like to leave the peels on for extra texture)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup chopped cabbage
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 cartons vegetable broth (or 6-8 cups broth of choice)
• 1 good sized piece of ginger (about 1 inch by 2 inches, cut into 3 pieces)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Heat oils in heavy bottomed soup pot.  Add onions, celery and carrots and saute on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add remainder of vegetables (except spinach) and enough broth to completely cover vegetables.  Stir and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, add parsley, cilantro and ginger.  Simmer uncovered for 30 – 45 minutes.  I like my vegetables to still have a good firmness to them, but if you prefer them softer, cook a little longer.

Remove from heat, toss in spinach and lemon juice, stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Time to go fishing!!

Remove parsley and cilantro with tongs.  Fish out ginger – biting into that wouldn’t be too nice.

Serve up steaming hot.  It’ll do ya good.

And it’ll also cure a hangover ;o)  Honest…

YUM!