Thursday; Feeling Inspired!

Tonight I became suddenly inspired while I was driving home from work! I was thinking about what I had at home to make for dinner and all that I could come up with that would be an interesting start was some jumbo prawns I had bought awhile back. I wasn't in the mood to just fry them up in a pan with chilies and garlic like I usually do but that's when it hit me! Shrimp Cakes!

I love Eggs Benedict, and I love Crab Cakes with poached eggs served like eggs benedict. That is where my inspiration for tonight's meal came from! I picked up some free range organic eggs from Pl.anet Organic and everything else I had waiting for me at home.

Shitake Mushroom Prawn Cakes
It's the shitake mushrooms that 'take the cake' on this one!  
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of frozen jumbo prawns
- 5 shitake mushrooms
- a few sprigs of chives
- one egg
- 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
- sea salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
 

Cut prawns in half lengthwise and then finely chop into small, even pieces.

Finely chop shitake mushrooms and chives, add to shrimp in a bowl.

Mix prawns, mushrooms, and chives in a bowl with one egg and dried bread crumbs. 

Use two spoons to create small discs out of mixture. 

Coat outside of cakes with panko bread crumbs.

Store on parchment paper until ready to fry.

Fry cakes in olive or grapeseed oil.

Pat cakes dry with paper towel.

Fry eggs sunny side up and leave yolk soft so you can dip cakes in them.

Top cakes with sprouts or any greens or herbs of your choice.

Served with fried eggs and corn on the cob! Yummmmm!

Only On A Tuesday; Quinoa and Cod

I was happy to get back into the kitchen tonight! Here's what I made and how it all went down:

Tamari and Ginger Marinated Cod
First I started with preparing the fish.I chose Cod because it is a hearty fish, but also because it was one of the only fresh options they had at the grocery store.
Ingredients:
- Two Cod filets
- 2 tbsp Organic Tamari
- One Organic Garlic Clove
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger (from the freezer)
- 1 tsp Sriracha Chili Sauce
- 1 tsp Agave Syrup

I put all of the ingredients into a large zip lock bag and let sit in the fridge for an hour to marinate. In the meantime I prepared the sides. After marinating I took the bag out of the fridge, heated a pan with some oil, and fried each filet individually (they were too large to fry at the same time). After they were cooked through I poured all the marinade into the pan, added some chillies and reduced it down to a sauce.

Gingered Mango and Jalapeno Quinoa
I have attempted Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH) a few times before without success. First I tried a Quinoa Curry and that was a huge fail because as the grain sat in the sauce it started to swell and then dissipate. Yuck. The second time I just couldn't get a good flavor combination. Since quinoa has basically no flavor but a unique texture it's a bit difficult to create a dish that familiar but makes sense with the grain (I'm sure a trained, seasoned chef could do it, but I'm just an amateur so it doesn't come quite as easily). BUT, tonight I think I did it! This quinoa dish was SO yummy!!
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Organic Quinoa
- 1 Jalapeno
- 1 tbsp Finely Diced Dried Mango
- 1 fresh Organic Lemon
- 1 tsp Agave Syrup
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger
- 1 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp Water

First I started on the quinoa. I washed one cup of the grains and added to 1 1/4 cup boiling water, placed a lid on the pot and let simmer for about 12 minutes. While that was going I diced the mango and then in a saute pan I added the 1 tbsp of water, 1 tsp agave syrup, 1 tbsp finely diced dried mango and 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger. I brought it to a boil and then let the liquid reduce out until the mango soaked it all up. This caused the dried mango bits to become soft and taste like ginger candy (yummy ginger candy)!

When the quinoa was done I fluffed it with a fork (kind of like couscous) and then added the quinoa, a dash of sea salt for flavor, and then very finely diced the jalapeno (sans seeds - your choice) and added the chili. I stirred this all together, tasted, and then added the zest of one whole lemon and the juice of half of that lemon.

In my opinion this dish was a great success! I don't know exactly how the palate works but if I could describe it, it would be this way. You get the sweetness of the candied mango on the tip of your tongue right off the start and then the sour zip from the lemon . Then the ginger sweeps into your nasal passage finished by the heat of the jalapeno in the back of your throat. It covers all taste buds, but so subtly. The layers of flavors just work! And maybe I'm just crazy and it really doesn't work this way, so I urge you to try this recipe yourself and let me know what you think!

Pan Seared Asparagus Spears and Shitake Mushrooms
I finished this dinner off with some green asparagus and shitake mushrooms to add some final umami to the overall meal. This is super easy but just in case here's what I did:
Ingredients
- 1 handful of asparagus spears with the woody ends snapped off
- 1 handful of shitake mushrooms with the stems cut off
- olive oil heated in a pan
- sea salt and pepper
- juice from 1/2 lemon

All I did was toss the asparagus into the pan, season, and then when they had a minute or two to start to sear I added the shitake mushrooms cut into strips. Once they were all in there doing their thing I squeezed half a lemon over top and then they were done!

(Sorry, no photos. Camera battery was dead).

Decorating the TREE!

I have three sets of Christmas Tree decorations from my childhood that I am very fond of, two of which I currently have in my possession. The set I used on the tree this year are the pearlized doves, angels, and instruments. The second set, the small red apples, are so cute and I hope to use them when I do more decorating for the Christmas Party I am hosting on the 19th. The third set, which my mom still has, are a set of brass instruments. They are made of brass and are actually playable! I'm sure you couldn't play in a symphony with one, but still! They brought many amusing holiday nights as my sister and I tried to squeak out songs from these mini instruments.

Hope you enjoy our tree as much as I do!

Merry Christmas!

A Mother Daughter Getaway... Without Leaving My Kitchen

Today I am getting caught up on some of the Food Creations and Home Decorating I've been up to over the past couple weeks! I'm starting with a visit I had from my beautiful Mom a week and a bit ago. Saturday November 27th she was in town and decided to spend an extra night at my place! It was perfect my Mom and I got to spend the night just the two of us.

We started at the Mall I work at, did a quick round of shopping and then we were treated to an AMAZING meal at the L2 Grill http://www.fantasylandhotel.com/dining/l2_grill.asp in the mall. The Chef there shops at my store and since he and I have become acquainted he treated us to a few extras! We started with a Salmon Ceviche and a glass of house white whine (Pino Grigio I believe). For the main I had the Ahi Tuna Two ways, my mom had the Salmon (again) and my aunt had the  halibut. The star was by far the tuna! The first way was a seared Tuna with an apple glaze and the second way was Tempura Tuna! Wow!! I could eat a plate of tempura tuna for breakfast lunch and dinner everyday! But I would be large.... and likely have high levels of mercury in my system (lol). After our meal we were fat and happy, but then they brought out a tray of assorted chocolates (that they make on site), and a glass of Port for each of us! Oh how I love to be spoiled, and spoiled we were!

After dinner my mom followed me back to my place and we crashed on the couch watching Chopped! Unfortunately, when you're in my house you watch what I want to watch and usually that is the food network (or Ellen). The following morning we woke up and I got to cooking a big breakfast for my momma. She had said the night before that she would love to travel Europe and eat cheese in France. While I didn't make a completely French (or European) breakfast, I made sure that it was a bit fancy :)

We started with a mixed fruit salad that I let sit for about an hour in Lemon Basil Sugar.

I love these mini Mandarin Oranges! They're so sweet and you can eat like 5 of them and not even notice ;) I sipped on Mango Lemonade while my mom drank her much needed coffee.

We then each dipped into an Anthropology  bowl of Cream of Wheat with cinnamon, brown sugar, pumpkin seeds and bits of dried apricot. You have to try this! Even if you don't like dried apricots (I don't) and this is so yummy and comforting. 

Then we ended with Soft Boiled Eggs and strips of Sprouted Whole Grain Toast. And the final "French" touch, some cheese!

Thursday!! Potato Croquettes and Duck Rillettes

Potato Croquette
The croquette (from the French croquer, "to crunch") was a French invention[citation needed] that gained worldwide popularity, both as a delicacy and as a fast food. - Wikepedia

Duck Rillettes
Like cassoulet or fondue, this French dish has its many regional definitions. In general most rillettes are served at room temperature, as a spread with toast points, much like a paté. Pork rillettes from the Northwestern regions of Tours and Anjou are famous for their rich texture and bronze color achieved during the cooking process. These rillettes have lovingly been referred to as "brown jam." Rillettes from the adjacent département of Sarthe are distinguished by a more rustic texture, complete with larger pieces of pork and less color.
In Quebec, cretons are similar to rillettes. - Wikepedia

I finally got around to making duck rillettes! I have been wanting to try it for a couple months now, but it is such a process getting to the end result! If you've been following this blog for a month or so you will have seen the first few obstacles I had to overcome to get here. But if not, here's a quick run down:
- Buy whole frozen duck
- Defrost whole frozen duck
- Carve thawed duck, seperate breasts and legs
- Start Confit process;
- Salt and store breasts and legs in a tuperware with shallots, garlic, and thyme
- Refigerate for one to two days
- Remove and clean off breasts and legs
- Place in a deep baking pan and cover to top with duck fat
- Add bay leaf and any other seasonings to oil around the pieces (black cardamom, garlic)
- Slow roast at 250 f for 3.5 hrs

Now if you had the time from this point, you could start making the rillettes. I, on the other hand, did not have time at 10:30pm on a Tuesday night so my duck breasts went into a tuperware container topped off to the brim with duck fat and into the fridge. And then when I realized that it would be days or weeks before I got back to it, I put it in the fridge (this was about 3 weeks ago). Finally, today I mustered up the ambition to give it a go!

Melt fat by placing dish in a pot with simmering water.

Use two forks to shred the meat

Season meat and mix with a bit of the fat so it becomes smooth.  Press into dish and top with a layer of fat.

Store in fridge until sets ( 1 - 2 hrs)

Serve on a croustini with baby pickles or lingon berries. ( I like both! )

These rillettes turned out perfectly!! Just like we had in Canmore for my birthday. The only thing I would have done differently, was used plain croustinis, or made my own. I used store bought Italian Seasoned ones, and while they were good, plain would have better suited the flavors of the rillettes.

In addition to the rillettes I made Potato Croquettes! The first time I had a potato croquette was in Amsterdam November 2007. I recently saw these delicious little wonders on the food network and it inspired me to give those a try to! While still a lengthy process, these guys were much easier to make.

Boil 6 - 8 small/medium russet potatoes and drain.

Mash the potatoes and add 1/2 block of aged cheddar

Finely chop shallots and add to potatoes

Whisk two eggs to a froth

Add eggs to potatoes and mix well for 1-2 min with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

Set up bread coating station. One whisked egg in one bowl, and fine bread crumbs in another. Parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Roll potato mixture into 2" balls, dip in egg, coat in crumbs, and set on paper.

Fry in oil. I had leftover duck fat so I used that.

Soak up extra grease on paper towel.

Crispy golden brown on the outside, fluffy potato inside, with a zip of sharp cheddar and onion! Mmmmwhoaya!

And lucky for my staff, I'm bringing leftovers to work tomorrow!!

Only on a Tuesday; Baked Penne and Turkey Meatballs

I've been a little off track with my days these past couple weeks! But today was another blessed Tuesday to myself. I did nothing worth mentioning other than cleaning my living room and then cooking dinner. But I came up with a new recipe today so I figured I would share it with you guys!

Penne cooked al dente and turkey meatballs

Turkey Meatballs: - ground turkey
                            - one organic egg
                            - chopped flat leaf parsley (I have yet to find a local grocery store that carries it so I use      regular parsley for now)
                            - sea salt and pepper
                            - handful bread crumbs
                            - dash of nutmeg

Add all of the above ingredients into a bowl and use your hands to mix thoroughly. 

Don't over handle the meat as it can cause it to become tough. 

Add enough breadcrumbs that the mixture just holds together and is not watery

(ground turkey tends to hold more liquid that ground beef so you may need more breadcrumbs). 

Heat a pan on medium-low heat and add a bit of oil.

Form meat into balls and add to pan onced oil is heated. 

Place a lid on the pan so that the meat cooks evenly and through, turning as needed. 

Do not undercook but don't overcook because they will be going in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.

Place the strained penne and meatballs in a casserole dish. 

Sauteed garlic, shallots, and spinach

Add tomato sauce and whole milk

Rose Sauce: - 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

                    - 1 large shallot finely chopped

                    - 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, cleaned and roughly chopped

                    - 1/2 jar of four cheese tomato sauce

                    - 1/2 cup whole milk

                    - 1/4 cup grated mozzarela

In the same pan you cooked the meatballs heat some olive oil

and saute the garlic, then add the shallots and spinach. 

Lightly saute then add just under 1/2 a jar of tomato sauce. 

Once heated add about 1/2 cup of whole milk. 

Mix thoroughly and then add mozzarela. 

Pour the rose sauce over the pasta and meatballs and then top with halved grape tomatoes.

1/4 panko bread crumbs and 1/4 fresh grated parmegiano regiano 

Top dish off with panko and cheese and drizzle EVOO over top

Broil for about 10-15 minutes at 400 f

Golden Panko Bread crumbs and Parmegiano Cheese!

Clean Food

I have been neglecting my "home and food" lately. Since I went back to work after my short holiday I felt like I was thrown back in with many things to catch up on. I spent one day traveling across the province, and the rest of the day are spent trying to stay on top of my many many tasks or trying to catch up on rest! Wah wah wah... hey? Lol! Well now that I'm feeling caught up I'm getting the 'itch' to get creative in the kitchen again!

My favorite things to eat are always the simplest things. Clean, simple, good food. For breakfast today I had my favorites. Plain yogurt, hard boiled eggs, and sprouted whole grain bread, but of course it's the details that make these simple foods exquisite!



Plain yogurt and pumpkin seeds, drizzled with agave syrup.



- "Plain, nonfat yogurt with live cultures is a healthful addition to any diet, as one cup has only an average of 110 calories and provides 11 to 14 grams of protein. Live cultures are beneficial bacteria used to culture the yogurt and also feed the friendly intestinal bacteria in the body, improving digestion and absorption of nutrients."http://www.ehow.com/

- "Pumpkin seeds have been shown to promote prostate health. A benign prostatic hypertrophy occurs when the prostate becomes enlarged. This can lead to frequent urination. The oil found in the pumpkin seeds can interrupt the triggering of the prostate gland, allowing it to remain its normal size. It's unclear how many pumpkin seeds you must eat each day in order for this to occur.

As men and women get older, their bones tend to lose density, leading to a higher rate of breaks and fractures. The safe, high levels of zinc found in pumpkin seeds are a natural way to maintain bone density. Osteoporosis, while it may still occur, will progress at a much slower rate than for someone who is not increasing her levels of zinc. Pumpkin seeds are a natural way to ingest this mineral.

Arthritis can affect both older and younger people. When it happens, anti-inflammatory drugs are often taken to ease the pain of swelling joints. Pumpkin seeds have been found to provide the same anti-inflammatory effect as drugs such as indomethacin, without all the negative side effects.

Pumpkin seeds are a natural way of lowering bad cholesterol. Phytosterols, which are found in pumpkin seeds, tend to reduce cholesterol levels when ingested at a steady rate daily over a long period of time. Instead of eating artificial substances that promise to lower cholesterol, it can be more healthy and beneficial to eat a natural snack such as pumpkin seeds.

These same phytosterols that lower cholesterol also enhance the immune system and its response time, as well as fighting certain cancers. The pumpkin itself has been linked to fighting breast, gastric, lung and colorectal cancers. The seeds have been shown to fight prostate cancer, much like they promote prostate health. Breast cancer can be caused by estrogen found in the body; pumpkin seeds can help to block the harmful effects of estrogen."  http://www.ehow.com/

-"Although it is not as thick as honey, agave nectar is much sweeter than either honey or sugar.

The syrup is made up of mostly fructose (about 90%) and glucose (about 10%). Because it is so high in fructose, it has a lower glycemic index than other sweeteners such as honey, corn syrup, sugar, etc.

The glycemic index measures how quickly carbohydrates break down during digestion to release glucose into your bloodstream. If a carbohydrate breaks down very quickly, it is said to have a high glycemic index. If it breaks down slowly, it is said to have a low glycemic index.

A low glycemic index is more ideal because it prevents your blood sugar levels from going too high. Basically, low glycemic index foods keep you from getting that “sugar rush” that is common when you eat refined sugars.

Having a low glycemic index makes this sweet syrup an ideal sugar substitute for anyone with diabetes or Syndrome X (insulin resistance). It is a safe, natural alternative to refined sugars and artificial sweeteners."

http://www.natural-health-restored.com/agave-syrup.html



Organic Free Range Hardboiled Eggs with Decorated Sea Salt
Sprouted Grains Bread with Unsweetened Strawberry Jam

-"There is a reason that so many individuals eat eggs for breakfast: they are packed with nutrients, protein and healthy fats to start the day off right. Significant quantities of vitamins such as A, D, B12 and B2, as well as niacin and folic acid are found in eggs. Aside from the nutrition facts label, health-enhancing caretenoids, like lutein and zeaxanthin that promote ocular health are found in eggs as well. Organic eggs contain all of this good stuff without hormones, antibiotics or other harmful additives.

Dr. Suess may have written about eggs that were green in color, however, organic eggs can define eggs that are environmentally-friendly. Organic eggs that earn a seal from the USDA must come from hens that were not subjected to antibiotics, hormones, pesticides or herbicides, as well as the food that they ate. Fewer toxins and pesticides make for a healthier environment, as well as happier chickens."  http://www.articlesbase.com/

-"Like dry grain, grain sprouts, also simply called "sprouts" contain protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins A and B.
But sprouts also contain vitamin C, which is missing in the dry grain. You need vitamin C to protect yourself against infections and to help heal wounds. Vitamin C also helps the body absorb iron which is also necessary for good health, especially for women. It helps keep the blood vessels strong, particularly the tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Vitamin C helps in many other ways to keep the body healthy. Everyone needs Vitamin C every day." http://www.farmradio.org/
 

-"Sea salt obtained from solar evaporation of sea water is entirely different from modern refined salt, and it contains a variety of minerals that play a role in keeping the body's electrolytes in a healthy balance.

Unfortunately, the common table salt, we use today is primarily kiln-dried sodium chloride with anti-caking agents added. Trace minerals, as well as calcium, magnesium and potassium salts are removed in processing. Kiln-drying involves scorching salt at high heat to remove moisture. This refining process creates a product that is unnatural and hard on the body. It is the true culprit that contributes to high blood pressure, heart trouble, kidney disease and eczema, among other problems" - Read all about the crazy benefits of salt

here http://www.healt-benefits-of-water.com/.



Splash Sea Salt contains sea salt, nori, sea lettuce, oregano, parsley
basil, pepper, coriander, mustard, onion, garlic, poppy seeds, lemon grass
celery, bay, chilli and petals.

Beautiful!

I'm going to make another healthful dinner, and just in case you guys thought I was actually healthy?... I'm making peanut butter cookies (the Hubs favorite) too. Don't worry! I haven't gone off the deep end or anything!