Churros with Mayan Hot Chocolate

Makes 24 Churros

Churros
1 cup water
4 Tbsp salted butter
2 Tbsp + 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
vegetable oil for frying

Mayan Hot Chocolate
1 vanilla bean
3 cups Homo (whole) milk
200 g good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter and 2 Tbsp of the sugar.  Bring to a boil then  remove from heat. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated; stir in the vanilla extract. Scrape the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 3/8" pastry star tip.  Mix together the remaining sugar and the cinnamon in a wide shallow bowl and set aside.

Fill a large pot with vegetable oil, about 4" deep, and heat the oil to 375F.

Meanwhile, make the hot chocolate.  Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a paring knife.  Place the seeds and the pod in a small saucepan.  Add the milk, chocolate and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer over med-high heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has been thoroughly incorporated and the mixture has thickened.  Discard the vanilla bean pod and keep the mixture warm until ready to serve.

Hold the piping bag vertically above the hot oil.  Pipe a 6" length of dough, then quickly cut the dough from the tip of the bag with an oiled paring knife, letting it slide away from you into the oil.  Repeat, frying up to 5 churros at a time, turning once and cooking until golden brown.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet, and while still hot roll each churro in the cinnamon sugar mix. Serve with the Mayan hot chocolate for dipping.

Sweet Potato Casserole

 

 

Okay, so this isn't really a recipe as there are no measurements; it all depends on how many sweet potatoes you use, and the flavour you like.

 

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes

Butter

Cream

Brown Sugar

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Pecan Halves

Steam the sweet potatoes and mash with butter and cream.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.
Place in a casserole dish and top with pecan halves and sprinkle with brown sugar.
Bake at 375 until heated through.

Coleslaw

Salad Dressing
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp honey

4 cups sliced cabbage (red, green, or a combo of both)
1 shredded carrot (use a cheese grater or a peeler to get ribbons)
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Add other ingredients and toss.

Variations can include:
Add 2 apples, scrubbed well, cored and quartered and thinly sliced + 1/4 cup dried cranberries.
or
Add 2 oranges peeled and coarsely chopped + 1/4 cup dried cranberries.

Arugula with Goat Cheese and roasted Beets

 

 

 

8 cups (142 g) arugula

4 beets, roasted (you can boil them but there is more flavour if you roast them)

2 oz (50g) goat cheese at room temperature (you can use a flavoured goat cheese for a different twist)

 

Dressing

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1 large shallot, minced

1. Roast the beets the night before. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.  Place washed, whole beets in a metal baking pan lined with foil or parchment paper and bake for 1-2 hrs until soft (will depend on size of beets and desired softness). Cool and place in covered container in fridge overnight.

2. One serving day: Clean and dry arugula.  Place in a large bowl.

3.  Peel beets and cut into chunks or slices, depending on your preference. *Wear rubber gloves unless you want purple fingers

4. Whisk together liquid dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then stir in shallots.  Reserve 2 Tbsp and toss the rest with the arugula.

5. Divide the arugula between 4 plates.  Top each plate with 1/4 of the beets and 1/4 of the goat cheese, crumbled. 

6. Drizzle each plate with 1/4 of the reserved dressing before serving.

Broccoli, Cauliflower and Potato Salad

Equal parts broccoli, cauliflower and cooked potato, all cut in bite-sized pieces
2 dill pickles, cut in small pieces
1 cup chopped red onion
mayonnaise
sour cream
2 tsp. brine from dill pickles
1 tsp. celery seeds
1/2 tsp. dried mustard

Combine all vegetables in a large bowl.  Using enough mayo and sour cream to coat the veggies, mix other ingredients together before tossing it all together.
Let flavours blend in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Easy Potato Salad

Another childhood staple.  Basic, easy and definitely needed for a BBQ.
I won't include amounts because you just make as much as you want.

Potatoes - peel them or just wash, cut into bite-sized pieces and cooked
carrots - peeled and diced
celery - diced
radishes - diced
cucumber - diced
mayonnaise
salt and pepper
Hard boiled egg, chopped, if desired

Just throw it all together in a bowl and enjoy.

Tuna Macaroni Salad

This was a summer staple growing up.  Quick and simple, it makes me feel 10 years old again.

1 bag elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 can peas, drained
1 can tuna, drained and flaked
mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
dust with paprika, to look pretty :)

Combine macaroni, peas and tuna in a bowl; add enough mayo to coat and season to your taste.  Dust top of salad with paprika.

Simple.

Enchiladas Verde

This is super easy!  Uses yummy salsa verde - this is what I used



3 Chicken breasts, boneless
1 jar salsa verde - you could use another salsa if you prefer
Re-fried beans - I just used a can, or you can make your own
Soft, flour tortillas
Shredded cheese - I used a Tex-Mex blend

Place chicken breasts in a crock pot and pour the jar of salsa on top.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours.
You should be able to shred the chicken with forks when cooked.  Do this right in the crock pot and be careful not to burn yourself.

On a flour tortilla, spread approximately 1 1/2 Tbsp of re-fried beans in the centre of the tortilla.   Using a slotted spoon to allow liquid to drain, add a couple spoonfulls of the chicken mix.

Roll the torilla and place 'fold down' in a baking dish.  Repeat this until you've used all the chicken, or the pan is full.  Pour some remaining liquid over rolls, but don't drown them.

Top with shredded cheese and bake at 375 F for 10 - 12 minutes until cheese is melted.

Mexican Soup



 

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 cups chopped onion
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 green pepper, chopped
as many jalapenos as you'd like
3/4 cup frozen corn
2/3 cup quinoa
1 can tomato paste
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup water
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp grated lime zest
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until tender (about 7 minutes). 
Add the beans, tomatoes, green pepper, corn, quinoa, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, stock and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. 
Stir in the cilantro and lime zest. 
Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. 
Serve with a spoonful of sour cream and corn tortillas if desired.

Cream of Vegetable Soup

 



2 cups chopped sweet onions
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
4 cups cubed, peeled potatoes
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 cans condensed chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup half and half cream

top bowls of soup with shredded cheese

In a large pot, saute onions, carrots and celery in oil until tender. Add potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli and saute 5-6 minutes more. Add broth, water and seasonings;  bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Let stand to cool.

Puree vegetable mixture using immersion blender, or in batches in a blender or food processor.  Return all to pot and add cream.  Heat through, do not boil.  Top bowls with shredded cheese.

Winter Slaw

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 head of shredded saavoy cabbage
1 cup proscuitto, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, grated

Comine first 7 ingredients to make the dressing then toss with remaining ingredients to coat.

Kale and Sweet Potato Pizza

450 g (1lb.) pizza dough
300 g (11 oz.) shredded mozzarella
1 head of kale (7-8 leaves)
2 sweet potatoes, cut in 1 cm (1/2 inch) slices
4 shallots, finely sliced
olive oil, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface and spread it out in a 12-inch baking sheet with a 1-inch rim.  Make sure it covers the entire pan and is rolled out to the edge.  Set aside.

Wash and dry kale leaves, remove stems and chop roughly.  Put kale in a bowl, add salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss gently, mix well and spread leaves on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Garnish pizza with half of the cheese.  Add sweet potato slices and onions.  Season to taste.

Bake pizza on bottom rack.  At the same time, bake kale leaves on the top rack for 7-8 minutes or until crisp.  Remove and set aside.

Place pizza on the top rack and bake for another 25 minutes or until edges are golden.

Garnish pizza with remaining cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is lightly golden.

Sprinkle with kale chips and serve.

*Be careful not to burn the kale chips as they will taste bitter

Caramelized Onions from your Crock Pot

6-8 onions, peeled with the ends cut off - do not chop the onions
2 Tbsp olive oil to coat

Toss onions and oil in Crock Pot.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Store in fridge to use as a condiment on sandwiches, salads, meats.
The best part...no tears because you don't have to cut the onions!

Pad Thai

Serves 4

2 Tbsp tamarind paste
¾ c boiling water
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
¾ tsp cayenne
4 Tbsp veg oil
8 oz dried rice stick noodle, ¼ -inch wide
2 lg eggs
Salt
12 oz med shrimp, (40-50 per pound), peeled & deveined
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 med shallot
2 Tbsp dried shrimp, chopped fine (optional)
2 Tbsp chopped Thai salted preserved radish (optional)
6 Tbsp chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
3 c bean sprouts
5 med green onions, green part only, sliced on diagonal
¼ c cilantro leaves, loosely packed
Lime wedges for serving

Rehydrate tamarind in boiling water for 10 min. Push through strainer to remove seeds and fibres. Or use tamarind concentrate: mix 1 Tbsp with 2/3 c hot water.

Stir tamarind with fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, cayenne & 2 Tbsp oil.

Cover rice sticks with hot water until softened but not tender, 20min. Drain and set aside.

Beat eggs w/ 1/8 tsp salt in small bowl. Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in pan until beginning to smoke. Add shrimp and sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt. Cook until shrimp are opaque and browned, about 3 min. Set aside.

Add 1 Tbsp oil to same pan. Add garlic, shallot and saute over med heat until golden brown, about 1 ½ min. Add eggs and stir vigorously until scrambled and barely moist, 20 sec. Add rice noodles, dried shrimp, radish. Toss. Pour tamarind mixture over noodles, increase heat to high and cook, tossing constantly until noodles are coated evenly.

Scatter ¼ c peanuts, bean sprouts, all but ¼ c green onion and cooked shrimp over noodles. Continue to cook, tossing, until noodles are tender. Add water if noodles are not yet tender.

Transfer to platter, sprinkle with remaining green onion, peanuts and cilantro.

Lemon-Herb Cream Cheese

1 c cream cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chive, finely chopped
1 Tbsp thyme, finely chopped
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Use whatever herbs you prefer: tarragon, oregano, sage, dill, etc, singly or in combination.

Always use FRESH herbs for this recipe, never dried

Caramel Apple Skor Dip

1 package cream cheese, softened
Caramel sauce (or caramel apple dip)
2 Skor bars
4 Apples

Spread cream cheese in a large plate or shallow bowl. (To make it a bit sweeter, add 2 tbsp brown sugar to the cream cheese).

Pour caramel sauce over the cream cheese.

Chop up the SKOR bars and sprinkle over top.

 

Cut up the apples (an apple wedger works great!).

Pour a little Sprite/7 up over the apples to keep them from browning.

 

If using a shallow bowl, arrange apples around the edge of the bowl. If using a plate, serve apples on the side.

 

Dip the apples and enjoy!!