Asian Turkey Burgers

Time to refill the propane tanks, pull the BBQ out of storage, clean it and start grilling.  Last weekend I had some friends over and had one of the first of many backyard evenings and tried a new burger recipe.  It was fantastic.  Give it a go, the consensus was this recipe would work equally well with lamb!  Wine suggestion... Riesling... maybe from Alsace.

For the Burger, 4 burgers
1 garlic clove, smashed
1" piece of ginger finely chopped
1 lb ground turkey (chicken or lamb)

1/4 cup each FRESH chopped cilantro, mint and basil

1 cup panko crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper
Tabasco if desired
4 burger buns, toasted

Mix all ingredient together, divide into 4 and form into a burger patties.  BBQ until fully cooked, juices run clear.  Serve on a toasted bun with picked cucumbers and wasbi mayo.  Recipes to follow.

Picked Cucumbers
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 tablespoon sugar
1 long English cucumber, sliced

Mix first 3 ingredients, pour over cucumbers and marinate 30 mins to 4 hours.  Serve in burgers

Wasabi Mayo
1 cup mayo
1 tsp wasabi paste, or to taste

Roast Beef and Arugula Crostini with Roasted Red Pepper Relish

Yield: Makes 16

1 red peppers, roasted, skin removed and chopped

3 tablespoons slivered pitted Kalamata olives

2 teaspoons fresh thyme chopped

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

5 ounces fresh goat cheese (2 tablespoons reserved for garnish)

16 1/4-inch-thick diagonal sourdough baguette slices, rubbed with a garlic clove and toasted

1 ounce baby arugula

16 very thin slices rare roast beef

Mix red peppers, olives, thyme, and vinegar in small bowl for relish.

Reserve 2 tablespoons goat cheese for garnish.

Spread goat cheese on toasted baguette slices.

Divide arugula among toasts.

Fold roast beef slices to fit toasts; place atop arugula.

Sprinkle beef slices lightly with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Top each with 1/3 teaspoon reserved goat cheese and a dollop of relish.

Pour glass of your favourite Cabernet Sauvignon and enjoy!

Christmas Menu

Wild greens with cranberries, almonds and goats cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette or Caesar salad with croutons and shaved parmesean

Ratatouille, sautéed peppers, zucchini and eggplant in a classic marinara sauce (optional add $2/person, good if you have a vegetairan)

Classic mashed potatoes

Caramelized yams, carrots, garlic and shallots with a spicy maple sauce

Sautéed green beans

Traditional stuffing with onions, celery and sage

Gravy and cranberry sauce

Turkey stuffed and ready to cook (may add a ham as well for an additional $2/person)

Pumpkin and/or apple pie

Minimum order for 10 people please

Cost is $25/person (cost is $14/person for everything but the turkey/ham)

Orders will be ready for pick up on Dec 24^th between 10am – 2pm with cooking and reheating instructions

Homemade Granola

Making homemade granola is so simple...why wouldn't you? Here is a basic recipe but feel free to add at the end any variation of dried fruits and toasted nuts.

Cranberry Almond Granola
yield 10 cups

4 cups rolled oats
2 cups unsweetened coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable or grape seed oil
2 cups dried cranberries ( any other toasted nuts or dried fruit or combination of)

Mix oats, coconut and almonds in a bowl. Toss with oil and honey and cinnamon. Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake 30 mins until toasted stirring occasionally. Allow to cool. Scrape into a large bowl and break apart by hand. Add cranberries and any other dried fruits or nuts that you would like. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. I will post my favourite banana granola recipe for the occasion when it doesn't all get eaten in time!

Back to School Idea 2

The chocolate chip cookies (with chickpeas) were a huge after school hit yesterday. I felt great when she gobbled down four knowing that I had cut back the sugar and added the chickpeas...a sweet treat loaded with protein!! The trick this time was chopping up the chickpeas in the food processor first. The last time I made them I had kept them whole and she just picked them out!

A friend and avid foody, Lisa posted on facebook yesterday that she had made this vegan chocolate pudding with avocado that I just had to try. My daughter is the perfect tester for this as she has disliked avocado since she was a baby...could I fool her. I played with the recipe, brought it home and then offered her some for dessert. She ate half a bowl raving and then went and got some strawberries to dip in the second half.....and did not notice the avocado. The pudding is so creamy and delicious and takes all of about 3 minutes to make, no cooking or chilling required!!! However I will have to continue making this recipe at the kitchen and bringing it home...because is she found out there was avocado.... game over!!!

Chocolate (Avocado) Pudding

2 ripe avocados, peeled and seed removed
1/2 cup agave syrup ( or honey) or to taste but start here
2 tsp vanilla, mint or desired extract
5 tbsp good quality cocoa powder (fair trade if possible)

other options 1 tsp of cinnamon or cardamom

Place avocado in the food processor and mix until smooth. Add the rest of your ingredients and mix until incorporated. Thin with water if desired.

Serve as a pudding or with sliced fruits as a fondue!
Enjoy.

Back to School Ideas

It has been a crazy summer and a long time since I have updated my blog. I hope everyone had a fantastic summer. My daughter started grade 1 and of course this made me think about ideas for recess and after school snacks. Kids love cookies but do we really want to load them with just sugar?? Why not add a great protein that is nut free and school yard friendly.??? What I like to do when I make cookies is to line a large cookie tray with parchment, then scoop the cookies with an ice cream scoop, placing close together but not touching. Then you can put them in the freezer. Once frozen transfer to a Ziploc bag. Now you can bake the cookies as needed keeping them fresh and tasty. Just increase baking time by about 5 mins and lower temperature to 325'F when backing from frozen.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Chickpeas
makes about 2 dz cookies

3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (can replace here with 1/2 cup agave syrup)
3/4 cup butter (or margarine if you prefer)
1 egg or 2 egg whites
2 tsp pure vanilla (always use the real stuff!!)
1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and finally chopped
2 cups semi or bitter sweet chocolate chips
2 cups flour(can substitute with spelt for wheat allergies)
1/2 cup oats (optional)or chopped nuts could be added here as well if desired
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt

Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, vanilla, chickpeas and chocolate chips
In a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda and salt.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing until just combined.
Scoop on parchment lined cookie sheet
Bake at 350'F for 10-12 mins
Allow to cool and enjoy!

Back in the blog

Finally back and time to start blogging again. With the sun out today and spring around the corner I am craving asparagus. So tonight for dinner this is the plan, not a prefect recipe but follow along and this is great for 4 people.

Cheese Tortellini tossed with Asparagus, Grape Tomatoes and Pesto

Cook off 1 package of your favourite tortellini or stuffed pasta. For the sauce, trim 1 bunch of asparagus into 2" pieces and blanch in boiling salted water or 1 minute (can use this water to cook pasta after) and put aside. In a sauce pan saute 2sliced shallots and two chopped cloves of garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add to taste 2-3 tbsp of premade pesto sauce, 1/4 cup of the pasta water, zest of 1 lemon and simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add asparagus and 1 small container of grape tomatoes sliced in half. Bring back to a boil and add cooked pasta and toss. Topped with toasted pinenuts and fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Quick 15 minute meal and full of flavour. For wine maybe a crisp sauvignon blanc or a pinot noir. Don't forget a crunch baguette to dip in the extra sauce and a mixed green salad on the side.