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This past Sunday my step daughter had her First Communion Ceremony. And as with any right of passage, there was food. Fruit and veggie trays, cheese, pate and crackers, sushi, deli meats, taco dip, cake and the list goes on. Here is a recipe for Japanese Gyoza dumplings that we served with some fresh sushi.
Gyoza Dumplings
This super easy recipe is a variation of one I watched Anna Olson make only the day before. So simple my step daughter made most of this herself.
1 small savory cabbage chopped finely
1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 TBSP both grated fresh garlic and ginger
Fresh black pepper
Won ton wrappers
Combine all ingredients (except the wrappers) into a large bowl. Mix together using your hands.
Put roughly 1 TBSP of mixture in each wrapper. Wet 2 edges and press wrapper together to form a triangle. Make sure you shape the dumpling so that it can stand up on its own.
Place finished dumpling onto a cookie sheet in individual rows. Freeze. Once frozen you can put the dumplings into a container or freezer bag, this way they will not clump together.
Cook from frozen. Heat 1 TBSP cooking oil in a pan over medium heat and add frozen dumplings. Brown the bottoms of the dumplings for 1-2 minutes. Add enough water to cover the dumplings 1/2 way and allow to boil away, about 7 minutes. Serve warm.
Today I’m guest blogging at Practical Mum – you can see my recipe for Chocolate Mousse there! http://practicalmum.com/2010/04/recipe-of-the-week-easy-chocolate-mousse-from-simply-fresh/
Enjoy!
My latest video shows you the way to pack the most flavour into your mushrooms. The quantities given in the video are based on 8oz or approximately 5 large mushrooms.
Enjoy!
This is one of my all time favorite ways to cook chicken. It’s quick, easy and oh so good! To get started you will need:
Can with cooking liquid to put inside (I’m using beer here but feel free to use wine or fruit juice)
Frying chicken
Herbs to season
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
The following video will get you started:
From there just cook on your BBQ on a medium high heat (BBQ temperature should be around 450 – 500 degrees) for an hour and 15 minutes, until the chicken has a minimum internal temperature of 185 degrees. If you are ever curious about what temperature to cook your chicken, the Chicken Farmers of Canada is a great source of information – http://www.chicken.ca/DefaultSite/index.aspx?ArticleID=51&lang=en-CA will show you the cooking times for roasted, grilled or skillet cooked chicken of all kinds.
Let the chicken sit away from the heat of the grill for about 5 minutes then slice and serve. Enjoy!
No, it’s not international Lemon day – though I’m sure there is one of those. Today is my little Lemon’s first birthday! To celebrate I have drawn on the following picture:
And here is a great recipe for Lemon Garlic Bread!
1 baguette
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup of melted butter
3 TBSP of grated parmesan
1 TBSP of grated lemon peel
4 TSP of lemon juice
Pepper
Slice the bread diagonally into one-inch slices.
Mix the other ingredients together, then brush them over the cut sides of the bread.
Assemble slices together to re-form the loaf. Wrap the baguette in foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
One of the growing concerns in food health is sodium. Too often we are eating foods that contain levels of sodium that can be dangerous for our health. A good rule of thumb is anything under 200mg of sodium per serving is good, 200-399mg is alright and anything over 400mg is a bit high.
Personally I find it quite frustrating that even things that are supposed to be good for us can be swimming in sodium. Canned beans for example can have anywhere from 280-500mg per one cup serving (depending on the brand and breed of bean). But there is an easy work around this. Though it takes a little planning you can use dried bulk beans instead – not only do they contain much less sodium, but they are even cheaper than those found in cans.
My newest video posting shows you step by step how to re-hydrate dried beans.
As promised here are the slow cooker cook times for your dried beans.
| Presoaked Dried Bean | Cooking Time on High |
| Anasazi | 3 hours |
| Black Bean | 3 hours |
| Black eyed peas | 3 ½ hours |
| Cannellini beans | 3 hours |
| Chickpeas | 4 hours |
| Fava beens | 2 ½ hours |
| Flageolets | 4 hours |
| Great Northern Beans | 2 ½ hours |
| Kidney Beans | 3 hours |
| Lentils, green | 2 hours |
| Lentils, red | 1 ½ hours |
| Lima beans | 2 ½ hours (small) 2 hours (large) |
| Navy beans | 3 hours |
| Pinto beans | 3 hours |
| Soy beans | 4 hours |
| Split peas, green or yellow | 2 ½ hours |
| White beans | 3 hours |
Cook times may depend on your slow cooker, remember that if you are planning to use the beans for soup you can stop the cooking time when they are still a little dry inside so that they will continue to cook in your soup and absorb that liquid/flavour.
Cooked beans can last up to one week in your fridge.
Happy low sodium cooking!
There is a new movement in the United States that is asking all citizens to eat vegetarian meals one day a week in order to improve personal health while helping to improve our environment – it is called Meatless Monday. They claim that by going meatless one day a week you may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.
Personally, I try to make vegetarian dinners for my family two to three times a week. I love the challenge of coming up with new recipes to feature seasonal produce and I also love how friendly it is on my wallet. By eating meatless a couple of times a week, we can afford to eat better quality meat the other nights of the week. I don’t mean t-bone steaks every other night, but it becomes possible to purchase organic, grass fed, free range meat from local sources. It is true that meat that has not been farmed in a factory costs more, but the benefits to eating meat that has been ethically and properly produced are numerous. I think that is a subject for another day!
Today’s recipe is one I made for my family on our last Meatless Monday.
Eggplant and Zucchini Primavera
1 medium eggplant, washed and sliced
1 medium zucchini, washed and sliced
8 white button mushrooms, washed and sliced
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Oregano
Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper
1 can of whole tomatoes with ½ the juices drained
1 box of whole wheat macaroni noodles cooked via the package directions
Grated cheese for garnish
Place a layer of eggplant slices in a casserole dish sprayed with no stick spray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle garlic powder, oregano and onion powder over top. Place a layer of zucchini over the eggplant and repeat the seasonings. Finish with a layer of mushrooms and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Add the can of tomatoes with ½ of their juices. Use a fork to break down the whole tomatoes. Put back in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes until heated through and liquid has started to thicken.
Add sauce to macaroni and top with a sprinkle of grated cheese. It has the freshness of spring, but is still hearty for those cooler March nights.
For more information on Meatless Mondays you can visit http://www.meatlessmonday.com/ .
Happy Eating!
I’m very excited today because I didn’t have to write today’s post! It comes from my cousin Ann in Belgium and it looks amazing. Ann is a talented artist – you can check out her work here: www.annvervoenen.centerall.com
So take it away Ann!
Supplies ( for 10 trouts )
8 cloves garlic pressed
8 teaspoons coarse sea salt ( you can also use regular salt, but less)
lots of black pepper ( because it has a soft taste )
juice of 3 lemons
3 pots of chives
6 finely chopped shalots
3 finely chopped onions
6 teaspoons leaf parsley
8 sprigs fresh thyme rinsed
+- 8 bay leaves
1 bunch parsley ordinary
MethodChop all herbs, mix together with all ingredients and pouring with olive oil to a paste. Clean the trouts and dry with paper towel. Make 3 or 4 incisions in the trouts.
Fill the stomach with the mixture and put in a dish with tinfoil + put some mixture over it.
Cover with tinfoil and leave overnight in the fridge.
Next day: grill on the BBQ.
Important!
Burn the charcoal until you have no flames anymore. Now you have a nice heat. Grill each side 5 minutes and it’s ready!
Very good with fries or bread.
Bon apetit!
Alright – so here is my first attempt at video. As you can see things may not have gone as planned but you have to start somewhere!
The following video shows you how to make a quick, simple and healthy chicken stock. I should have mentioned that you can use any part of the chicken for this (bones mostly because you obviously want to use the flesh for other meals).
This recipe can be adapted for beef, lamb or pork by using cow, sheep or pig bones instead. Also you can forget the bones all together to make veggie stock. Another great flavour to add is broccoli (by adding broccoli stems) but it does have quite a distinct taste so if you want something that is very versatile you will stick to the basics.
Refrigerated stock lasts 5-7 days and freezes quite well for a couple of months.
** This is a sneak preview of the article that will be published in today’s Villager. A local paper focused on Russell and surrounding area.**
It’s that time of year again! The days are warming up, but the nights are still below freezing. This can mean just one thing – Maple Syrup Time! I love maple syrup not only can you source this great sweetener locally, but it has some great health benefits as well. In addition to giving you energy, maple syrup contains antioxidants that are good for your heart and immune system. So here are a couple great recipes that feature this wonderful syrup!
Maple Smoked Salmon
1 small red onion cut into rings
4 salmon fillets, skin on
4 TBSP maple syrup
2 TSP lemon juice
1 TBSP water
1 cedar plank for BBQ, soaked in water for at least an hour
Lay the salmon skin side down on the cedar plank. Top with red onion. Place plank on a BBQ that has been pre heated to a medium setting.
In a small bowl combine maple syrup, lemon juice and water. Stir to combine. Top salmon and onions with syrup mixture and cook on BBQ for 15 – 20 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.
Maple Lemonade
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP maple syrup
2 1/3 cup water
1 1/5 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 TSP lemon zest
Water
Combine sugar, syrup and water in a pot. Heat over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved in the water.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice and zest. Stir and allow cooling for 20 minutes.
Pour the contents of the pot into a large pitcher and add to it an equal amount of water. Allow to chill for at least an hour before serving.
Hopefully these recipes will help you to embrace the warm weather, while celebrating the ingredients it has to offer! Enjoy.
