Category: Food in a Hurry

Easter Eggs

20120407-090044.jpg

Today the marathon of cooking begins…hot cross buns and bunny cake for tomorrow’s Easter gathering. We’re hoping the predicted rain will hold off so we can keep it casual and barbecue. In light of all that, we made a light, simple omelette to start the day, and are about to start shopping and organizing ourselves, finishing everything in time for the Easter Vigil.

For two, we used 2 cups of chopped veg (today’s mix included celery, mushrooms, spinach). These were heated in a pan coated with a spray of olive oil, and then we tipped in 3 large brown eggs from Rowe Farms (via Better Bulk), beaten with fresh thyme and a tablespoon or so of water. A quick stir and we grated on an ounce of cheddar we picked up at Leslieville Cheese. Then we rolled the whole thing up, and split it to serve two. …and we’re off!

Vegetarian Delight

20120404-124900.jpg

In preparation of the coming onslaught of hot cross buns and bunny cake, we’ve been sticking to the straight and narrow, diet-wise. Fortunately this isn’t much of a sacrifice when we have great recipes like Kozlik’s delicious mustard chickpeas.

We made a few substitutions but it’s easy to do that with their versatile recipe. A little avocado in orange juice is a nice sidebar.

The Leftover Trend Continues

20120322-201408.jpg

Last night’s grilled chicken was organized for three, and one dropped off the list. (When you’re semi empty nest this happens). So we used the leftovers, plus some soda bread from the weekend’s festivities, and made a sandwich:

For two…

Four slices soda bread
Chop chicken and one tomato in 1cm or 1/2″ dice. Mix with 15ml/1T fat free sour cream and the same amount of Dijon.

Enjoy!

A Cinderella Story

20120120-120127.jpg

Quebec’s stunning Cendrillon cheese from Alexis de Portneuf is delicious all on its own, or with breads, or fruit. But we decided to use it to dress up the ubiquitous beet salad, and elevate that beyond the same old version showing up on menus all over town.

We sliced some leftover roasted beets. Then we sautéed a diced shallot in a little olive oil, and stirred in the juice of a grapefruit and a tiny splash of wine vinegar, plus about a half teaspoon of brown sugar. We reduced this to a couple of tablespoons and mixed with the beets, and set it aside to cool.

On the plates, a mixture of winter and greenhouse lettuces – Boston, radicchio, and arugula. Top it with the beets and grate about an ounce (30g) of the cheese on each (it must be very cold or it is too soft to grate – cubes or slices would work also).

Thanks to this cheese, a dull salad was transformed into a real beauty.

Friday Fish and…Frugality

20120113-195914.jpg

Long day! The bathroom reno revealed that we have been sitting on the upstairs toilet on a wing and a prayer. Weather made us late for an important appointment. It’s payday and we haven’t shopped but have leftovers from the last meal plan. What to do?

We cooked some long whole wheat pasta. Meanwhile, we used a tiny bit of olive oil and sautéed a shallot and half a bulb of fennel. When the pasta was nearly done, we added a can of wild-caught salmon, a diced tomato, and some red pepper pesto to the pan. Then we tipped in the cooked pasta and let it sit for 5 minutes to gain flavour.

When it was ready we stirred, served, and sprinkled with some chopped dill.

Now…off to the couch to forget the day. (Thanks East Dell, we’re sure you’ll help with that).

Spread a Little Sunshine!

20111220-085450.jpg Happy anniversary! Today we’re giving thanks and celebrating as we enter another year of marriage (31!). Breakfast is Grammy Hergett’s Sunshine Salad…to make it for two, cut the rind off a pink grapefruit and a couple of oranges, and dice the, bite-size. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar or honey and some happy memories. Let stand for a few minutes so the flavours can marry. We added a few frozen strawberries from our summer’s effort, but usually we serve it simply. If you’re also celebrating a December anniversary, congratulations, and blessed be your union.

Fast Fennel Chicken

Healthy food! It’s all around us, but with so many tempting treats beginning to make an appearance, being able to cook up a fast feast of healthy food is essential. Today we made a veggie-packed pasta dish.

20111206-203317.jpg

We started by putting 2 ounces or 60 grams per person of whole wheat pasta on to cook. In the meantime, we diced four skinless, boneless chicken thighs into a sauté pan with some olive oil. As the cooked, we finely diced and added a shallot and a clove of garlic. Next came a carrot, peeled and diced fine, and 1/4 head of fennel, finely diced. While it was cooking over low heat,we ground up about a teaspoon/5 ml of fennel seed, and zested a lemon. we juiced the lemon into a small bowl and got rid of any seeds.

When the pasta was al dente, we drained and tipped into the sauté pan with the lemon juice, zest, fennel seed, a small amount of pasta water if needed, and a couple of tablespoons (10 ml) of light whipped cream cheese. We left it in the pan, covered but off the heat, for about 3 minutes for the flavours to come together, and ate it up. The cooking took less than half an hour, including boiling the water…leaving more time to watch Christmas specials and make some presents.

Mushroom and Marinara Pasta

20111121-194612.jpg

Hurry! It’s nearing the end of the year…too much to be done and not enough time to do it in. This is the perfect dinner for that sort of day.

We cooked some whole wheat pasta. Meanwhile, we sautéed a couple of cups of mushrooms, part of a bell pepper, a stalk of celery, and half an onion. Then we tipped in a cup or so of marinara (ours was made and frozen in the summer, but store-bought works, too)!

Let the sauce simmer while the pasta cooks. Then add the drained pasta to the sauce, toss, and let stand for a few minutes for the flavours to absorb.

Serve with some grated Parmesan cheese, and then hurry along to wherever you need to be.

Salmon Basil Pasta

An easy weeknight supper, when you don’t feel much like cooking: pasta. But spaghetti with meat sauce can get old, really fast. So can red sauce from a jar.

So instead, put some whole-grain vegetable pasta on to cook. Meanwhile, quickly stir-cook some fresh veggies in a large skillet with a lid (we had peppers, broccoli, celery, onions, and mushrooms). Stir in a chopped tomato and turn the heat to low, and cover it.

When the pasta’s cooked, toss it all together (use a little pasta water if it needs moisure; ours didn’t). Then stir in some herbs (we had a little basil), pepper, and pop the lid on again. Let it stand with the heat on very low, about 4 minutes, for the flavours to combine.

I'm Hot and Cold on this Lunch!

On Wednesday we had a very interesting lunch. It started as a recipe from Cooking Light, except we didn’t use any of the same ingredients. Theirs called for Serrano Ham, Manchego, sourdough bread and arugula. Instead, our quick trip in the rain and wind to Plank Road yielded multigrain bread, prosciutto, and Crotonese cheese. All good, nonetheless. On the bottom, a piece of toasted multigrain was spread with grainy mustard and just a little mayo. On top of this, the ham, and a grating of cheese. All that was heated under the broiler, then topped with some mizuna picked from our garden, a sliced apple, and a little grainy mustard vinaigrette (using Triple C from Kozlik’s).