Vermicelli Bowl

Since Nick and I are no longer a 3 minute walk away from a Vietnamese restaurant (it's now 15 minutes - Ha!), I've been working on making something comparable at home.

Vermicelli Bowl

I've provided the instructions within each section, with assembly at the bottom. I suggest while you are marinading the meat, prepare the Nouc Cham, "Toppings", and salad portion of your bowl. Cook the meat, vermicelli noodles and spring rolls at the same time. This recipe makes enough for 2 bowls.

Meat
8 oz flank steak, cut into strips then pounded thin (or 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips)
3 green onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Marinade for at minimum 30 minutes (1 hour is best). In a hot skillet, cook meat with the remaining marinade. Fry until cooked through.

Bowl
250g  (1/2 pkg) vermicelli noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cup cucumber, julienned
1 cup carrots, julienned
4 spring rolls, cooked and sliced into 1 inch segments

Prepare salad (lettuce, cucumber, carrots) and set aside.

Cook vermicelli noodles in boiling water for approximately 8 minutes, until soft. Drain.

Cook spring rolls as per the instructions they come with (or make your own...I think this recipe is labor intensive enough though that it's okay to cheat with good store bought rolls).  

Toppings
2 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp cilantro, minced
2 Tbsp peanuts, chopped

Combine in a bowl, and set aside. 

Nouc Cham (Dipping Sauce)
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Thai chili, thinly sliced (or a generous pinch of red pepper flakes)


Mix together the lime juice, sugar and water. Adjust to taste, so that the sweet and sour are balance. Add fish sauce to taste (this will depend on the potency of your fish sauce and your preference for saltiness). Add garlic and chili. Let sit.


Assembly: Place vermicelli noodles in a large bowl or shallow plate. Place salad and spring rolls next to vermicelli. Place meat on top of vermicelli and top with your "toppings."

Pour nouc cham over entire bowl, to your preference. A set of chopsticks, and you're ready to dig in.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

 This soup hits all the right notes. Great depth of flavour, and a pleasing texture you just don't get with store bought soups.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

6 large tomatoes, stemmed and quartered
2 red peppers, seeded, roughly chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 whole head of garlic, peeled
salt 

ground black pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped

1 large handful of fresh basil leaves
2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup smoked Gruyere cheese

1 baguette, sliced

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes, peppers, 1/4 cup of the oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper, to taste. Spread the mixture out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast the tomatoes and peppers in the oven until they are very dark in spots, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a bit.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining 1/4 cup oil, the onions, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the basil leaves and saute with the onions for about 1 minute.

Add the roasted tomatoes and peppers and vegetable stock to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Puree the tomato mixture with immersion blender.

Reheat until boiling then serve. Best if topped with smoked Gruyere and served with a great crusty bread for dipping.

Lentil Stew

 A lot of ingredients but worth every one! This recipe originally comes from my Encyclopedia of Cooking.

2 cups green lentils
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
4 strips of thick bacon, diced
1/2 cup leeks, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk,  diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup red wine
5 cups chicken stalk
1 bunch cilantro
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
zest of one orange
2 tsp balsamic vinegar


Add lentils to a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.

Add butter and oil to a deep pan and heat over medium. Add onions and bacon and sweat for about 5 minutes. Add celery, carrot, leeks, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, salt and pepper and fry until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Push the vegetables to the side and add the tomato paste to the empty space. Fry the paste until it thins and loses it's acidity, then mix everything together. Add the drained lentils and cloves and fry them for 2 minutes.

Add the red wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently.

Add the chicken stock, making sure that the lentils are well covered in liquid. Add a bunch of cilantro (preferably tied with kitchen twine, but I also sometimes go without and it just take a little longer in removing after). Bring lentils to a boil and let the simmer slowly until the liquid is gone (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove cilantro bunch.

Right before serving, mix in mustard, orange zest and balsamic vinegar.

It goes best with fried Italian sausages.

Pan Fried Curry Tofu Steaks

Nick got this recipe from a friend. It'll make a tofu lover out of anyone!


1 pkg firm tofu
2 cups sour cream
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp lemon Juice
1 heaping tsp cayenne pepper, cumin, curry powder
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil

Cut tofu into 1 cm steaks and place in shallow dish. In a large bowl combine sour cream, salt and pepper, lemon juice, garlic and spices. Mix and pour over tofu. Make sure all sides of tofu are covered by the sour cream. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for minimum 4 hours (I usually make it in the morning for cooking that evening).

Place the butter and oil in a non-stick fry pan over high heat. Place the flour on a dish then coat the sour cream covered tofu  on both sides (this part is a little messy, I use tongs) then place in the fry pan. Don't overcrowd.

Fry until golden brown on one side, then with a spatula quickly flip. The sour cream/flour crust doesn't like to stick to the tofu so it may come off, but do your best. These little crust bits are the most delicious part so make sure you don't just throw them away! Once golden brown place on a plate to cool slightly.

Once all your batches of tofu is complete serve over rice and top with the extra sour cream marinade.

Green Onion Chickpea Curry

This is a close variation to a recipe from Vikram Vij's Indian Cuisine Cookbook, which I highly recommend (I cook from it weekly). I've previously reviewed his restaurant which is also excellent if you're in Vancouver.

1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp grated ginger
2 jalapenos, deseeded, finely chopped (or more if you like it spicy)
1 can chickpeas
1 can coconut milk
8 stalks green onions, chopped

Heat oil in medium pot or high lipped pan, and add cumin. Toast for 1 minute. Add onions and saute until they being to brown.

Stir in tomatoes, salt, ginger and jalapenos, and saute for 5-8 minutes, until oil glistens on top.

Add chickpeas and coconut milk. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes until curry begins to thicken.

Add green onions and cook for another minute, then remove curry from heat. Serve over rice or with naan.

Laksa

My friend Joy made this for us at her house warming party and I've been craving it ever since. Laksa is a Malaysian noodle soup and it is delicious. Spicy, tangy and very quick to make.

Laksa

Stock

2 Tbsp oil
1 heaping Tbsp of red curry paste
3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 piece of lemongrass, pounded
1 small knob ginger
1 can coconut milk
1/2 lime, juiced

Toppings

Vermicelli noodles, cooked
Shrimp, or crab
Bean Sprouts
Shredded Carrots
Sliced Cucumber
Hard boiled egg slices
Cilantro
Lime Wedges

In a stockpot, add the oil and saute the curry paste until aromatic.

Add the chicken broth, lemongrass, and ginger knob and bring the a boil.

Lower the heat to simmer. Add the coconut milk and lime juice. Keep the stock on simmer and let the flavors come together for 10 minutes or so. This broth shouldn't be thick, so add water or more chicken stock if necessary.

Remove the ginger and lemongrass. Pour broth over vermicelli noodles. Add the toppings of your choice and enjoy!







PS: Did you all notice my beautiful new white plates? Crate and Barrel is my new obsession, and I just recently replaced all my mismatched IKEA dishware with a gorgeous red and white set! I also got some amazing "giant bowls" from Stokes to serve vermicelli dishes and Thai/Vietnamese food in. So happy!

Ricotta Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato Arugula Sauce

I found a really simple ricotta gnocchi recipe which I think I like more then my potato one (less steps!). A simple tomato and arugula sauce and you're set!

Ricotta Gnocchi

1 cup (250 g) ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra

Stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.    

On a well floured surface, divide the dough into 6 balls. Roll each ball into a 1/2 inch wide rope, and then cut every 1/2 inch to make small dumplings. Place on a well floured baking sheet, making sure each piece does not ouch one another and stick together.

When ready, place gnocchi into a pot of salted boiling water. When the gnocchi begin to float they are ready (will only take a few minutes)

Spicy Tomato Arugula Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, diced

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes

Salt and pepper

½ tsp red pepper flakes

3 cups (2 large handfuls) arugula

Parmesan cheese as topping

Heat oil over medium heat in a pan, add onion and garlic and sauté until soft (about 5-8 minutes). Add the cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook until the tomatoes start to burst open and soften.

Add cooked gnocchi and arugula and combine. Take off the heat right away and serve with Parmesan cheese. 

Note: you can add in spicy Italian sausage if you'd like.

Fish and Chips

When making the weekly grocery list and asking Nick what he wanted, he suggested Fish and Chips. We got to talking about Tar Tar sauce and I was disgusted to find out that it was just mayo and relish - that would not do. So I set out to make a killer Tar Tar Sauce from scratch that wasn't 2 pre-made condiments mixed together. And according to Nick after trying it - he won't go back!

Fish Batter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 beer, or as needed 

Mix ingredients together to make a thick paste looking batter and dip fish in (I used cod filets). Fry fish in 350 degree F oil for about 3 minutes a side, until golden brown.

Tar Tar Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 large dill pickle, finely diced
1 Tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 pinch of salt and black pepper

Mix ingredients until combined. Generously top on your fried fish. 

Bacon Gruyere Quiche

I just realized I have yet to put a quiche recipe on my blog - which is inexcusable! The quiche I made tonight kinda blew my mind - especially because it was just a mix of all the ingredients in my fridge! And it has bacon in it, so of course it's awesome.

Bacon Gruyere Quiche

1 pie crust (I cheaped out and just bought one)
4 pieces of thick smoked bacon, sliced and cooked to crispy state
5 large eggs
5 Tbsp milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup onion, minced
8 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup smoked gruyere cheese, grated
1/8 cup baby spinach, chopped
1/8 cup mushrooms, diced

Cook pie crust as per recipe/box instructions. Let cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the bottom of the pie crust place bacon bits.

In a large bowl scramble eggs and milk together. Add all other ingredients to the eggs and mix to combine. Pour over bacon, into the pie crust.

Place in the oven, and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before diving in!

I also made a salad with baby romaine, peach slices, goat cheese, and pistachios, and a homemade orange juice vinaigrette. It really rocked in taste and in presentation - the green and purple of the pistachios mimicked the green and purple of the lettuce, so it just looked really awesome.

Chicken and Waffles

I finally bought myself a waffle maker! And I decided to christen it by trying to make Chicken and Waffles for dinner. I added rosemary to my waffle batter to make it more savoury and was very pleased with the result.

Chicken and Waffles

Chicken

4 bone in chicken thighs
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp seasoning salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 L canola oil

Waffles

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sugar

pinch salt

1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

1 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme

1 large egg

2 Tbsp butter, melted

3/4 cup buttermilk

Baby Spinach

Butter

Warm Maple Syrup

For chicken, heat up oil in a deep set frying pan, or pot, to 350 degrees F. 

Place flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a plastic bag. Rinse chicken thighs and place in the bag full of the flour mixture. Shake to coat.

Take each piece out of the bag, shaking off a bit of the excess flour and place into the oil. Flip every 5 minutes, until cooked (about 20-25 minutes). Once cooked, place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil, then cut the bone out once cooled.

Mix all ingredients for the waffles in a bowl. Waffle batter should be fairly thick, like a cake batter, so adjust milk to flour ratio as needed.

Cook in your waffle maker as per it's directions. 

Place waffles on a plate and butter. Top with spinach and fried chicken. Drizzle maple syrup over top. Devour!

Pulled Pork

Spicy, vinegary, meaty goodness!

Pulled Pork

1 Pork Tenderloin Roast
2 Tbsp Mexican spice

1 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp mustard
5 Tbsp BBQ sauce of chioce
2 Tbsp salsa
1 chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
1 generous squirt of hot sauce or 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 can of beer
1/2 cup of beef or chicken stock

1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup BBQ sauce of choice


In a crock pot, combine onion, garlic, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, salsa, chipotle pepper, hot sauce, balsamic vinegar and beef stock, and mix. Rub pork tenderloin with Mexican spice and place in the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the crock pot and place in a bowl. With 2 forks, shred the meat.

Strain the crock pot liquids into a pot and add vinegar and more BBQ sauce. Boil over medium to reduce slightly (should still be very watery). Return shredded pork to liquid before serving.

This meat makes an amazing pulled pork burrito. I serve it in a tortilla, with brown rice, warmed back beans, sauteed peppers, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheese.

Pulled pork sandwiches are also a great option. It goes best topped with a creamy coleslaw (recipe below)!





Homemade Coleslaw

1/2 pkg of coleslaw mix (or 1/2 a white cabbage shredded, 1/4 cup of each carrots and red cabbage shredded)
3/4 cucumber, sliced and quartered
3 Tbsp sour cream
4 Tbsp veggie dip (ranch or dill)
1 Tbsp dried dill (or 1/2 cup fresh)

Mix everything in a bowl. Add more or less of the dressing and dill to your personal tastes. Place on top of your pulled pork and on the side!

Ginger Soy Salmon

As I've mentioned before - I need salmon to be interesting in order for me to want to eat it. I decided nothing would make me want to eat salmon more then if I marinated it with some of my favourite flavours: soy sauce and fresh ginger!

We had bought a bunch of cedar planks last BBQ season and decided to pull one out the other night to cook our salmon. It added a great smoky flavour, but certainly isn't necessary.

Ginger Soy Marinade for Ginger Soy Salmon

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2" piece fresh ginger, grated (the more the better!)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 


Mix ingredients in a shallow bowl. Place in two salmon fillets (or protein of choice) and let it marinate in the fridge for 30-45 minutes. 


Cook and enjoy with rice and veggies!

Cobb Salad

Salads are sometimes hit and miss; when they are uninspired and generic - I'll pass; but, when they are bursting with all sorts of delicious goodies (ie. BACON), they can make a great meal!

Here is my simple version of a traditional Cobb Salad.

Cobb Salad 

Salad Fixings

1 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced*
1 baby cucumber, sliced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, diced (I put just a bit on lemon juice on them to keep them from turning brown)
1 cup of marble cheese, cubed
2 small chicken breasts, cooked and diced
6 slices of thick bacon, fried and diced

Place the lettuce in the bottom of the bowl. Layer the rest of the ingredients in rows on top! Voila, how simple is that!?

I also made a really easy dressing to go with it!

Basic Cobb Salad Dressing

1/3 cup red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

1-2 teaspoons sugar

Salt and pepper

2/3 cup olive oil

Mix ingredient until combined, pour over salad!

The great thing about Cobb Salad is you can add whatever your favourite salad fixings are (beets, blue cheese, carrot...) and it'll turn out great!

* Here is my foolproof way in which to hard boil and egg: Place your eggs in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to high-medium (7) and let cook for 10 minutes. Once cooked immediately place in cold water and let sit for 5 minutes. Peel and eat!

Thai Noodle Bowl

This is a really really great dish. The recipe is adapted from one of my Michael Smith cookbooks. Full of lots of green curry, cilantro and lime flavour. It makes a lot so be prepared for lots of leftovers, or to feed an army.

Thai Noodle Bowl

Two cans of premium coconut milk

A heaping spoonful of green curry paste

One bunch of cilantro, roots and leaves chopped separately

A few cups of chicken broth

A cup of shredded carrot

Two lemongrass stalks, cut in half lengthwise and peel off any woody outer leaves (This can be omitted if you can’t find it at your grocery store)

A few spoonfuls of fish sauce

The juice and zest of two limes

A large knob of frozen ginger

A handful of bean sprouts

A package of rice noodles

Two or three thinly sliced green onions

A sprinkle or two of salt or soy sauce

Scoop the thick coconut cream from the top of one of the cans into a wok set over a medium-high heat. Melt the cream, add the curry paste and stir for a few minutes until they begin to sizzle. Add the cilantro roots and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the coconut juice from the first can and all the contents of the second can with the chicken broth, carrot, lemon grass, fish sauce and lime. Grate the frozen ginger into the broth. Simmer for twenty minutes or so.

Stir in the bean sprouts. Add the rice noodles gently pushing them beneath the surface of the broth. Turn off the heat and let stand until the noodles soften, about five minutes.

Stir in most of the cilantro leaves. Remove the lemongrass stalks. Taste and season with a touch more salt or soy sauce as needed.

Ladle into large bowls and garnish with the green onions and remaining cilantro.

Fish Tacos

Warm weather has finally hit Edmonton (I'm actually blogging this from my patio)! And with that comes a whole new group of light spring/summer recipes! Nick and I went to Original Joe's a month or so ago and I had some amazing fish tacos! After coming back from Vancouver I had a craving for them again, so I made up my own version at home. These are light and really fresh and full of great cilantro flavour.

Fish Tacos

1 pound white flaky fish (I used tilapia)
1/4 cup oil
1 lime, juiced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 large tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

8 small tortilla shells
lime wedges
sour cream
salsa

Marinate the fish in the oil, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, jalapeno and cilantro in a shallow dish for 30 minutes. Fry in a skillet or on a BBQ on high heat until cooked (approximately 10 minutes). Flake the fish into bite size pieces.

While the fish is cooking, mix together salad of shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado, green onion and cilantro.

On a small tortilla shell layer fish, salad, sour cream and salsa. Spritz with lime juice and eat!

Enchiladas

When you stick to burritos and tacos, Mexican food can be kinda boring. So for our Sunday dinner I thought I'd kick it up a notch and make Enchiladas. I got this recipe the show "Eat Shrink and Be Merry" (which I find somewhat irritating, but have great recipes). 

Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce

2 tsp olive oil

1½ cups diced onions

2 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) crushed tomatoes

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 Tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro 

Filling

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup each grated carrots, minced red bell pepper, chopped green onions, and

whole kernel corn

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

½ tsp each ground cumin and chili powder

2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

12 small whole wheat flour tortillas

2 cups packed grated light old (sharp) cheddar cheese, divided (8 oz / 227 g)

Sour cream (light) and chopped green onions for garnish

To make sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onions and garlic. Cook slowly and stir until onions begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Mix well. Add all remaining sauce ingredients, except cilantro. Bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. 
 

While sauce is simmering, prepare filling. Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray two 9 x 13-inch casserole dishes with cooking spray. Add ½ cup sauce to filling and mix well. Set aside 1 cup cheese for sprinkling over rolled enchiladas.
 

Working one at a time, spread a heaping ⅓ cup filling in center of tortilla. Top with a heaping tablespoon of cheese. Roll up tightly and place seam-side down in baking dish. Each dish will hold 5 enchiladas. Repeat with remaining tortillas, filling, and cheese. Spoon sauce evenly over enchiladas, making sure each enchilada is covered with sauce. Top with reserved cheese. 

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly. Serve enchiladas hot with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of green onions on top. Enjoy!

Sag and Paneer

My quest to make decent homemade Indian food continues! I was beyond excited when I found paneer hidden in the cheese section at our grocery store. The paneer dishes at the Indian buffets are always my favourite. I got this recipe after watching Bal Arneson on the Food Network show "Spice Goddess." She's really great at making Indian food approachable in the kitchen and always offers alternatives to ingredients in case you don't have something in your cupboard.

Sag and Paneer

2 cups chopped broccoli 
2 cups chopped rapini (also known as broccoli rabe, can substitute for swiss chard if you can't find it)
2 cups spinach
2 Tbsp grape seed oil  (any oil will do)
1  Tbsp chopped ginger 
1 Tbsp chopped garlic 
1/2 cup chopped onion 
1 tsp finely chopped green chili 
1 Tbsp garam masala 
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (I've substituted this with curry powder before, but these things taste great so they are worth the purchase)
pinch of salt and pepper 
1 cup cubed paneer

Steam the broccoli, rapini and spinach until bright green. Puree the mixture. If you're having issues with pureeing this, you can add water, coconut milk or cream to the mixture to help the process (just don't go crazy - once it hits soup consistency there is no going back).

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 4 minutes. Add spices and stir well to toast. Stir in the steamed greens and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Heat another skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Add cubed paneer and cook until golden. Stir into the spinach mixture and let cook for 5 minutes on low heat to let the flavours meld.

Serve with rice and naan!

PS: Still looking for a naan recipe people! Help a girl out!

Salmon with a Goat Cheese and Lemon Herb Butter

Nick loves salmon, but I get sick of it pretty quickly. This recipe however might change my mind about how often I can eat salmon. Lemon and goat cheese are perfect for salmon (it's like saskatoon jam and peanut butter to toast).


Salmon with a Goat Cheese and Lemon Herb Butter

2/3 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp chopped dill (or 1 tbsp dry dill)
2 Tbsp chopped parsley (or 2 tsp dry parsley)
1 egg yolk
zest of one lemon
pinch of salt and pepper
1/4 crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
4 salmon fillets
1/2 cup white wine (dry wines are best)
4 slices of lemon

Whip the butter until creamy. Add the dill, parsley, egg yolk, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended. Add goat cheese and bread crumbs and blend in.

Place the salmon fillets in a baking dish. Top with herb butter. Pour wine around fillets and place slices of lemon in the dish.

Cook in a 185 degree F oven for 45 minutes. Remove and serve with rice and garlic Parmesan sauteed green beans.

Note: If you're like me and too hungry to wait 45 minutes, you can cook the fillets at 300 degrees for half an hour. The slower you cook though, the more time there is for all the wine and herb flavour to get into the salmon and the more moist it stays.

Chili

We've had some pretty cold weather here in Edmonton, so it's been hearty home favourites this week. I altered a recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook to make a nice spicy, thick, chili.

Chili

500 g lean ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder (or we have some random tex mex spice blend that makes a good substitute)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn

Place all the ingredients but kidney beans and corn in your slow cooker, and stir. Cook on low heat for approximately 8 hours.

Add the kidney beans and corn and let it cook for 10 -15 minutes longer. Don't you just love slow cookers, it's so easy!

Serve the chili with this:

AND it is absolutely imperative that you have the chili with these biscuits!

Udon Soup

This week has been all about craving Asian food. I attempted to look up a easy Pho recipe online and realized they don't exist. So instead I picked up my new pasta cookbook that my friend Jenna got me for my birthday (as a substitute for the older version that I've been pining for since forever) and went to the Asian noodle section. It had a great simple udon noodle soup recipe so I thought I'd give it a go. I didn't have all the ingredients so I made a few substitutes and it turned out great, so I think I'll keep them.


Udon Soup

250 g fresh or 375 g dried udon noodles
500 g pork tenderloin, or pork chop thinly sliced
2 L low sodium beef broth
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
400 g sliced mushrooms (if you want to get fancy you can slice up some shiitake and enoki mushrooms)
1 heaping Tbsp of grated fresh ginger (never can have to much ginger!)
2 fresh red chiles, slightly crushed to release some of it's oils
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
5 stocks of green onion, sliced
toasted sesame seeds

Boil udon noodles as per instuctions on package. Rinse with cold water when cooked and set aside.

In a large pot over high heat combine broth, carrots, mushrooms, ginger, chiles, fish sauce, and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the pork, raise the heat and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in noodles, spinach, green onions. Simmer until the spinach wilts and the noodles are heated through.

Remove the soup from the heat and discard the chiles. Taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. Laddle to soup into individual bowls and top generously with the toasted sesame seeds.

Slurp away! This soup has a lot of depth to the broth despite the short cooking time and few ingredients, and the sesame seeds add a great flavour so don't skip out on those!