Spicy Hummus

My father-in-law taught me many kitchen lessons. With his hummus recipe I learned:

1. Making your own hummus is easy and tastier than the store-bought version

2. Remembering to keep the lid on the blender is easier than cleaning hummus off of the ceiling.

xo, Trevor ;) !

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed

2 tbsp tahini

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 clove garlic

1/4 tsp chili powder (not Mexican chili powder...Indian chili powder, or you can use cayenne)

1/4 tps cumin

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Place everything in a blender (don't forget to close the lid!!) and purée until smooth. Add a little water to loosen as necessary. I garnished this with an extra sprinkling of cumin and chili powder. Serve with warm naan or pita.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Rapini Salad with Sunflower Seeds

I love rapini. It kind of reminds me of gai lan (Chinese broccoli) but with a slightly bitter bite. I happen to like the contrasting tastes of bitter and sweet, but if you don't like rapini, you could always substitute broccoli in this recipe.

Ingredients

6 stalks of rapini chopped in 2-inch lengths

1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into medium cubes

2 cloves garlic, smashed

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 lemon, juiced

1 green onion sliced finely

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Directions

Bake sweet potato cubes tossed in a little olive oil in a 400 F oven for about 30 minutes until tender but not mushy.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet and add smashed garlic to infuse oil. Once fragrant, remove garlic pieces and sauté rapini until bright green and tender crisp (about 6 minutes).

Remove from heat and add lemon juice, green onions, sunflower seeds and roasted sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine salad. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Moroccan Chicken with Apple Cranberry Couscous

Yesterday I just couldn't decide what to make for dinner. All of my go to dishes felt boring. I didn't want rice or pasta or potatoes...I wanted to try a new starch that I usually never eat, so I thought I'd give couscous a try. I've had it before but have never made it at home. It was so easy! I decided to look up the spices used in Moroccan food and try out my own rendition of Moroccan food at home. Here's what I came up with!

Ingredients

Chicken

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground corriander

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp honey

salt and pepper

Couscous

1 tsp butter

3 green onions sliced

1 macintosh apple diced

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp red onion diced

handful cranberries

2/3 cup couscous

1/3 cup boiling water

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

salt & pepper

Directions

Combine cinnamon, cumin, corriander, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl and coat chicken. Grill until cooked through (about 7-8 minutes per side)

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan and sauté apples, green onions, cinnamon and curry powder until the spices are fragrant and apples have softened slightly.
Stir in red onion and cranberries and couscous.
Stir in orange juice and boiling water and cover pot for 5 minutes.

Once the couscous has absorbed the liquid, fluff it up with a fork and mix in olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.

Serve alongside grilled chicken and vegetable of choice.

Delmonico potatoes

One of the best things about being back home is the home cooking of course! Nothing soothes the soul (or prepares your for childbirth) quite like mom's cooking. What could be more comforting than meatloaf and potatoes? My mom's Delmonico potatoes are comfort food at its finest. They're basically potatoes with mac & cheese sauce. YUM!!



Ingredients:
5-6 potatoes peeled, cooked and diced
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
1/2 package saltine crackers crushed
salt and pepper

Directions
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; stir in flour. Cook for 3 minutes, but do not brown. Stir in milk and continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine potatoes, white sauce, salt, and pepper. Pour into a shallow glass baking dish. Sprinkle shredded cheese over potatoes the top with saltine cracker crumbs. Cook at 425° for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.

More time for Greek fries!

Sorry I haven't flogged in a while.. Sometimes I find it so hard to get everything done and still relax!

And to think, I don't even have kids yet.

I was trying to think of ways to save time. I am going to spend a little more time prepping for the next day's dinner so it will be quicker.

Please post your tips of getting through the week! I'd love to know what things you do to cut time.

Now, to more important things: Greek fries!

Greek fries remind me of Messini, the absolutely best place to have gyros. This is very high on the list of comfort foods.

So easy too.

Ingredients:
Potato wedges or fries (I used the pre-cut frozen ones)
Feta
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
Oregano


Top fries with oregano, feta and lemon juice.

Bravo!

Simple orzo salad

This was one of the very first Greek dishes I made. I had actually never heard of orzo until I met Steve and we had lamb together. I loved it. Orzo is a pasta but has the shape of rice. It is generally used in soups.

I really like orzo as a side. Orzo really takes on flavor and I love the smooth and creamy texture. Orzo can be served either hot or cold.
Ingredients:

• 2 cups of orzo


• 2 chopped tomatoes


• 1 cup chopped or whole olives


• 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil


• salt and pepper


• feta

Boil water and cook orzo for 10 minutes. Drain all but 1 cup of pasta water.
Cover for 5 minutes. The starchiness of the pasta will create a creamy texture of the orzo.
Add tomatoes, chopped or whole olives, salt and pepper and olive oil. Mix and top with feta!

Spanokorizo

Fasting for Lent is a quite a culinary challenge! Steve and I have been working hard to prepare meatless and dairy-free meals on Wednesdays and Fridays.

So I looked to my Greek family for ideas. Yiasou!

Ingredients:

• 1 med onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 2 cups of cooked brown rice
• 2 frozen packages of spinach thawed
• 28 oz of pureed tomatoes
• feta
• oregano
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add rice and tomatoes. Turn down heat and let simmer. Add spinach. Stir. Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Top with feta (unless fasting) :)

Roast Leg of Lamb with Yorkshire Puddings

My father-in-law is an AMAZING cook. One of my favourite things (among many others) are his roast dinners. Last night, he made roast leg of lamb with roasted potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. I know Yorkshire puddings belong with roast beef, but we thought... why not with lamb too?
One of his tricks in making super flavourful lamb is stuffing garlic pieces into the meat before cooking. Then he coats the lamb with salt and pepper, butter, rosmary and thyme.
Because Yorkshire puddings are my absolute favourite part of the roast dinner, here's the recipe...


Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 large egg
300 ml milk
300 ml water

Directions
Ensure oven is heated to 400 F
Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down sides occasionally.
Put about 1/2 tsp vegetable oil into the bottom of each well of a muffin tin and place in hot oven for 3 minutes.
Once the oil is hot (should be smoking), carefully but QUICKLY pour batter into each well.
Bake for 10 minutes at 400 F, then reduce heat to 325 F and continue to bake until puffy and golden brown.



Here's a picture of Sharl digging in. It must have been torture for poor little Xhosa.

Cornbread

I love the US deep south. After my trip to Savannah, I fell in love with y'all. I love grits, biscuits and gravy, pecan pie and sweet peach tea.

I made a simple chili (still needs work, not worth flogging) and some cornbread on the side.

It was a wonderful combination!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• **1/3 cup olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). **Spray or lightly grease a foil loaf pan
• In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and olive oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for ** 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

**The recipe calls for vegetable oil and a 9-inch round cake pan. I had neither. I also baked it for longer. The original recipe said bake 20 to 25 minutes, but mine wasn't quite ready yet.

"Golden Sweet Cornbread"<http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Golden-Sweet-Cornbread/Detail.aspx>February 2009.

Breaded Zucchini- Snack, side dish or entree!

OMG... this side dish is soo good. We made it last night with bruschetta and broiled chicken thighs covered with mustard, rosemary, and salt. But the showstopper of the night was the breaded n' baked zucchini chips . I made it really quickly because I was hungry, but I bet if I took my time it would be even better! Initially, I questioned the 1/4 slices but it makes sense because you can really taste the zucchini. The best part about it is that it's so crunchy on the outside but soft and hot on the inside...and its so healthy.

The thing about the zucchini chips is that you feel like you're splurging, but you're not. I would have to rate it as one of the best healthy alternatives to fried food I have ever had. I was thinking that a dip would be so good with this. Blue-cheese? Ranch? The zucchini chips leave you with some calories to spare. I could eat this as a side, snack, or main entree.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 " slices
• 1 egg, mixed with
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 clove smashed garlic
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450°.
• Combine egg, milk and garlic in a shallow dish and set aside for about 15 minutes to let flavors combine.
• Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley and pepper in another shallow dish.
• Dip zucchini slices into egg mixture, then into crumbs and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then turn over and bake for 5 minutes more or until brown and crispy.

"Breaded 'n Baked Zucchini Chips".<http://www.recipezaar.com/Breaded-n-Baked-Zucchini-Chips-90331> February 2009.