Power Brunch!

Okay no recipe today but an inspiration that will take you minutes to make and hours to burn....this is filling, fulfilling, and GOOD FOR YOU! This week, I had 6 hours of Zumba® Fitness in 3 days....talk about calorie burn!

What is it?

One whole grain breakfast pita. I get these at Costco and put them in the freezer right away. When I want one, I take one out and pop it in the toaster. Spilt it down the middle by gently cutting around the edge and pulling the two halves apart. They are good, good for you, and toast up really well - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Most importantly, they don't fall apart!

2 eggs lightly fried. Buy yourself a REALLY good non-stick pan and USE it! You will save on using all that fat to keep the eggs from sticking. Oh and when the pan gets old, THROW IT OUT! Seriously.

2 slices of bacon. Confession: I cheat when it comes to bacon. I buy the pre-cooked stuff at Costco and pop it in the microwave when I want some. Honestly, it really is less greasy than cooking up fresh bacon and who wants that mess?? Super handy too!!

Piece of avocado, fresh, sliced.

Aged white cheddar. Take it easy, you only need a little bit. There is more flavour in AGED cheese so you can use less of it when preparing your favourite foods. Sneaky hey? Get rid of a few calories without sacrificing flavour.

Throw in some tomato slices if you want but I think it gets mushy...that's just me. It is your sandwich.

Oh and some hot sauce, duh!

Burp.

Take that McD's and Timmies....you ain't got nuthin' on this one.

I LOVE SALSA!

Salsa

Simple. Full of flavour. Homemade.

1 can (796 ml) diced tomatoes

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, seeded and diced

2-3 (or more) jalapenos, diced

(use fresh, pickled, or canned)

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

salt and pepper, to taste

Put all ingredients in a medium sized pot and stir.

Bring to a boil. Simmer at medium heat for 20 minutes.

DONE!

Take that Paul Newman!

Makes enough to share with your favourite friends. 

Tightly seal it in smaller containers in the fridge and it should last a few weeks.

Edamame Bean Salad with The LONGEST NAME EVER!

Edamame, Black Bean, Corn, & Tomato Salad 

with Avocado, Onion, and Lime-Cilantro Dressing

Serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4-6 as a main dish

1 cup edamame, shelled, boiled until just tender, then rinsed under cold water and drained 
(I used the steam in bag ones from Costco - giant box in the freezer section - one bag, 300g, steam them as per the box and shell them)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 - 2 cups corn kernels, canned or frozen, if frozen boiled until tender and rinsed under cold water and drained 

(I used two fresh ears and cut the kernels off, steamed lightly in the microwave, maybe 2 minutes)

1 cup diced tomatoes, FRESH 

(I used Roma tomatoes 'cuz that's what I had)

Diced jalapenos or roasted green chilis 

(optional, but you KNOW I chose the jalapenos, pickled this time, but you could definitely use fresh...be careful, wash your hands well after chopping)

Dressing:
Toss it all into the bowl...with the veggies...don't dirty more dishes than you need to!

One half avocado, chopped 

(okay....important tip from yours truly: if you are making this to eat later, don't add the avocado until just before you eat)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro -- FRESH IS BEST!

2 TBSP minced red onion
1 tsp ground cumin
3 TBSP fresh lime juice (about 1.5 limes give or take....FRESH...clearly you should know better than to ask by now)
2 TBSP olive oil (buy yourself some good olive oil already...sheesh)
Salt and pepper to taste....TASTE IT before you add more! And get that shaker off the table, you don't need to season again.

Serve at room temperature (best) or chill for later (also delicious).

If you really want, you can have some tortilla chips on the side.

I am back!

I have decided to bring this baby back to life. Alternatively, I could just keep posting my food adventures all over Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter...oh wait, I will probably do that too. Meh, whatever...you are here, therefore you must care...or at the very least want to steal a recipe or two... ;) I may venture off into different topics on occasion but in the end we all come back to what we love...FOOD (and wine). Sigh, I had to get that out. In the end, I hope to inspire you to see that cooking can be easy, affordable, and fun! Stay tuned...who knows what you may find hidden in these pages and my ramblings... Cheers! Disclaimer: I have no idea how consistent I will be with this blog so don't start giving me a hard time.

Super Yummy Sweet & Sour Spareribs

Super-duper deliciousness that your family will love. Not sure how calorie-wise they are for you but it's got to be better than take out any day!

Originates from a recipe I received years ago and have tweaked it along the way...I still manage to change it up every time I make it. Star Anise is a nice addition and so is fresh chopped ginger (added to the sauce part). Chinese Five Spice is also another good one. Play around and make it your own!

4 cups sweet & sour cut pork side ribs, sliced individually between the bones
Salt, pepper
3 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix together and saute ribs in a deep pan until well browned on all sides.

Once the ribs are nicely browned...

In a separate bowl, mix the following together (who am I kidding, just dump it all in the pan and save yourself some dishes to wash):

1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups of water

Pour the sauce mixture into pans with ribs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover with lid for an hour.

Taste sauce. Too sweet, add a bit more vinegar. Too sour, add a bit more sugar.

Simmer for another half hour or so, until ribs are super tender, falling of the bones, and the sauce has reduced.

Serve over rice.

I usually double the recipe — trust me, you will eat a second helping. Or maybe that's just me….

Fish Taco Platter

This is not my recipe but has become one our family favourites and one of the very FEW times we fry anything in this house!

Fish Taco Platter
Bon Appétit | January 2006
by Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes

yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

Pickled Red Onion and Jalapeños
1 red onion (about 12 ounces), halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
5 whole small jalapeños
2 cups seasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt


Baja cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lime peel
Pinch of salt


Tomatillo Salsa Verde
12 ounces tomatillos,* husked, stemmed, divided
4 green onions, white and green parts separated
1 jalapeño chile
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 1/4 cups (packed) fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lime juice


Fish
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
3 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 pounds skinless halibut, sea bass, or striped bass fillets, cut into 1/2x1/2-inch strips


16 corn tortillas
2 cups self-rising flour
Vegetable oil (for frying)


Fresh salsa
Guacamole

Preparation:
For pickled red onion and jalapeños:
Place onion and jalapeños in heatproof medium bowl. Mix vinegar, lime juice, and salt in small saucepan. Bring just to boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Pour over onion and jalapeños. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For baja cream:
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For tomatillo salsa verde:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil roasting pan. Char half of tomatillos, white parts of green onions, and jalapeño directly over gas flame or in broiler. Transfer charred vegetables to prepared roasting pan. Add remaining tomatillos and garlic cloves to pan. Roast until all vegetables are soft, about 12 minutes. Cool.

Stem and seed jalapeño. Place all roasted vegetables, green onion tops, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon lime juice in blender. Puree until smooth, stopping to push vegetables down into blades several times. Transfer to medium bowl. Season with salt and more lime juice, if desired.

For fish:
Mix buttermilk, cilantro, pepper sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and lime juice in large bowl. Add fish; toss. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Wrap tortillas in foil; place in oven to warm. Whisk flour and remaining 2 teaspoons salt in medium bowl. Add enough oil to large skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Heat oil until thermometer registers 350°F. Working in batches, remove fish from marinade and dredge in flour. Carefully add fish to skillet, cover partially, and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain, then transfer to oven to keep warm.

Set up buffet with all taco fixings, along with fresh salsa and guacamole.

*Green and tomato-like with a papery husk, tomatillos are available in the produce section of some supermarkets and Latin markets.

Original: http://www.epicurious.com:80/recipes/food/views/Fish-Taco-Platter-233703#ixzz1loqQtwZM

Garlic Herb-Crusted Spring Creek Beef Roast with Creamy Mustard-Wasabi Sauce

I adapted this from a recipe received from Kirstin at Spring Creek Ranch. It was her mom's tried and true Herb-Crusted Spring Creek Beef with Creamy Mustard Sauce recipe. I always feel extra special when the recipe comes from "mom's kitchen". Thanks Kirstin for sharing!!

I made some changes, as I usually do. It is a great recipe using a less expensive cut of meat and since the beef was grown locally, raised the RIGHT way, it was just that much better!!

Approx. 2lb Spring Creek Inside Round Roast

Herb Paste
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seed, crushed or cracked with a spoon
1 tsp coarse salt, best to use a sea salt or very coarse salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
Combine all ingredients into a paste.

Mustard-Wasabi Sauce
½ cup sour cream (or thick, strained plain yogurt)
2 tbsp grainy brown mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 - 1 tsp wasabi powder (add to taste, depending on how wimpy you may be)
Whisk together in a small bowl. Chill until eating time!

Cook roast from thawed (room temperature is preferred). Rub roast with herb paste. Let the roast sit in herb paste for 1-2 hours. Place roast in small baking dish that is similar in size to the roast, so that juices can be captured. Bake uncovered at 400⁰F for approx. 25 min to brown outside, then turn oven down to 275⁰F. Do not use convection oven settings for this -- sometimes you just gotta go old school. Add a little water or beef broth to keep juices from burning to the bottom of the pan. Bake until the roast reaches an internal temp of 130⁰F. Remove roast from oven, cover with foil & let rest for 5 min. Carve against the grain, drizzle with pan juices and serve with mustard-wasabi sauce. It will be pink in the centre -- don't overcook it. Try to slice it as thin as possible...yum!

Kirstin's tips: The mustard sauce also works great to spread on roast beef sandwiches (so true) or as a dipping sauce for our Spring Creek Top Sirloin Medallions (I will try this soon).

Yeah, I am not usually a roast beef fan but this was delish!

Froze up the extra slices for future sandwiches. I always do this when I cook too much that way we don't get tired of leftovers and later on it is a nice quick treat on a lazy Sunday afternoon.