The "I hate vegetables but I like this soup" soup aka Butternut Squash Ginger

I inherited my distrust of anything legume from my mother. It's taken 30 years but I now recognize when she "runs out of beans" and has to skimp on her plate. This soup is so tasty anyone who hates veggies as much as me will love it.

4 cups of butternut squash, peeled and chopped (about 1 small squash)
4 cups chicken, veggie or beef stock (gluten free)
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 onions chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 tsp ginger (I honestly can't remember if I used the jar minced stuff or the dried. Gonna go with jar)


In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, potato and ginger. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until onions are softened.

Add the squash and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

With immersion blender, puree until smooth. I actually used an immersion blender and then I put it in a regular one to make sure it was not chunky. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I recommend serving it with croutons and a few pieces of plain goat cheese.

Accident #1

So yeah, this happened tonight. Mental note: don't leave a glass pan full of juices on top of an element that is still on.

Good thing these 8x8 pans were on sale at Superstore last time I went. I stocked up knowing myself all too well. In fact, the whole reason I own a dustpan and broom is because within my first month living in Calgary I did this exact same thing and the pan exploded. It was before I owned a vacuum and I had to walk to Safeway to buy a dustpan before I could clean it up.

I'm totally improving. At least this time it didn't explode.

Salmon with lime and soy sauce

There's a by-election going on tonight in Calgary which means I got home late from voting and need a quick dinner. Here's another great way to spice up salmon if it is getting boring.

Serves 4

4 skin-on salmon fillets
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce (I use Kikkoman's gluten free, but VH is also a gf alternative)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I usually use the tube stuff from the vegetable aisle)

Preheat overn to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, and sugar; fold in cilantro. The recipe says to add this sauce on after the salmon is cooked but I like to add about a tablespoon before  so it gets to soak in nice and good. It adds a lovely flavour.

Arrange salmon in a shallow baking dish (line with foil to make clean up easier). Season with pepper. Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of sauce over salmon.

Roast salmon in oven until no longer pink in the middle, about 10-13 minutes. Using a flat spatula, remove fillets, leaving skin on the baking sheet.

Spoon the remainder of sauce over salmon. Goes great with sauteed sugar snap peas (recipe to follow) or asparagus (so I'm told, I think asparagus is nasty).

Courtesy of Everyday Food. They have an app on the iphone which is money!

Grey Cup Ribs

I got a slow-cooker from my besties last month for my birthday. This is only the second thing I've made in it. Who knew slow-cookers were this amazing?

2 racks of pork back ribs
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt (I left this out)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bottle (455 ml) barbeque sauce (I used Cattle Boyz original as it is gluten free)

Trim fat from ribs. Cut into 2 rib portions; placed on rimmed baking sheet lined with tinfoil. Broil until browned; about 7 minutes per side. Transfer to slow cooker.

Meanwhile, in large nonstick pan, heat oil over medium heat. Fry onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme and pepper. This takes about 5 minutes until onions are softened. Remove from heat and add barbeque sauce.

Pour sauce into slow-cooker to cover ribs. Stir them a few times to get them nice and saucy. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Courtesy of Canadian Living. Next time I'm going to try to make the sauce from scratch.

Sesame-Lime Rice

Things you should own: a rice cooker. Nuff said. Serves 4.

1 cup of rice. I use brown.
1/4 of a chicken stock cube
2 Tbsp of toasted sesame seeds.
1 Tbsp of vegetable oil, though I like sesame for the nutty flavour
1/2 tsp finely grated lime rind
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice


Step 1: Cook the rice in your amazing rice cooker. I throw a little bit of chicken stock in with the water to make the brown rice not taste like cardboard. Once it's cooked, leave it on warm for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Throw the sesame seeds in a small pot on the stove. Cook at medium heat until they start to brown. Shake pan regularly. Takes 2 minutes. They burn so keep an eye on them.

Step 3: Add sesame seeds, oil, lime zest and juice to rice. Season with pepper. Fluff with a fork and toss!

Asian Salmon Patties and Sesame Mayonnaise

 

 

Martha Stewart's Everyday Food is my go to for quick, mouth-watering weeknight dinners. Most of the required ingredients are already in your cupboards and fridge. I typically serve this with a sesame lime brown rice (recipe to follow).

Asian Salmon Patties with Sesame Mayo

11/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, finely chopped (who knew you can chop salmon!?)
2 shallots, minced (I use green onions)
2 Tbsp grated, minced ginger (I use the jar stuff from the vegetable section)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup of gluten-free bread crumbs, preferred brand is PaneRiso
Lime wedges for serving
Sesame Mayo, recipe below.

In a large bowel, combine salmon, green onion, ginger, egg, red-pepper flakes, 1 tsp pepper and bread crumbs. (The recipe also calls for a tsp of salt, but I feel most foods have enough flavour/sodium on their own so I usually leave salt out. The orginal recipe didn't call for bread crumbs but I like the texture). Form mixture into small patties about 1 inch thick. The recipe says it makes enough for 8 small patties. I usually make 4-5.  Transfer to a plate and pop in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This helps firm them up and keeps them from crumbling in the pan.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook salmon patties (in batches) until browned on both sides and just opaque throughout. 4 to 6 minutes per side. Serve with lime wedges and sesame mayo!

Seasame Mayonnaise

1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (I use green onion)
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, green onions, lime juice and sesame oil. Cover and chill until read to serve, up to 3 days.

Maple Chicken Curry Sauce on Pasta

This is courtesy of my dad, Stephen Heard. He uses penne pasta but I prefer fusilli. A healthier option is brown rice.

Serves 4 people

2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 Tbsp of olive oil
Pasta (approx. 1/2 cup per person)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter/margarine
1-2 Tbsp mild curry paste (for a nut-free/gluten free option, I use VH's Yellow curry)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup diced red pepper
3 Tbsp cream cheese, in small pieces.
3 Tbsp chopped chives, or the ends of green onions
1-2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Saute chicken pieces in large skillet until cooked. Remove to a bowl.

Saute onion and garlic in oil and butter for 2 minutes at low-medium heat. Add curry pates and cook 1 minute, stirring.

Start cooking pasta

Add the maple syrup to the onions and garlic in the skillet and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add chicken stock and the yogurt. Turn up the heat and boil until reduced by half, stirring occasionally. This takes at least 10 minutes.

Turn down the heat to a simmer, add red pepper and chives. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and blended in. This takes 3-4 minutes.

Stir in chicken and chopped parsley. Drain pastsa, when cooked add to the chicken sauce and stir to coat.

Serve and enjoy!

Smoked Salmon Dip

I combined two of my favourite recipes to make this easy party favourite. My mother says it's good and she doesn't lie.

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature. (1 block of philly)
3 tablespoons of horseradish
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
4-5 oz smoked salmon, chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, cottage cheese, horseradish, dill, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Fold in the salmon into the cheese mixture. Serve with a spoon/knife as it tends to be thick. Add more cottage cheese if you want to soften it.

Great with crackers, and veggies!

Due to popular demand...introductions

I'm not a very good writer. But I've been told I'm a pretty good cook. As more and more people have been asking for the recipes of pictures I keep posting to Twitter and Facebook, I thought this would be the easiest way to share them. That and I'm up way too early on Grey Cup Sunday making slow cooker ribs,(spoiler alert: recipe to follow).

So things you need to know about me: I'm accident prone, and allergic to life. With a host of food allergies, and most recently a diagnosis of Celiac disease, I refuse to let that get in the way of good cooking. I am not someone who thinks everything gluten-free is better for you and delicious. It's usually higher in fat and somehow still manages to taste like cardboard. So I'm bouncing through new recipes and substitutions trying to maintain a balance between good home cooking and health.

Hope you try out some of these recipes and enjoy!