Iced Coffee Goodness

So I haven't blogged much lately but it's because I haven't cooked much lately and what I have made I've found on www.pinterest.com, which is a GREAT site.  The recipe I'm sharing with you today is from there but I just HAD to make sure that all my readers saw this... it's so easy, so delicious and fun.

All you do is freeze some of your leftover coffee into ice cubes... I think it'd be fun to use flavoured coffees too but since I didn't have any I stuck to some great west coast grinds I brought to Turkey with me this past summer. 

Once they are frozen throw them into a glass of sweetened (if you like) milk.  I don't drink regular milk anymore so I used almond milk for mine and a little maple syrup to sweeten with.  Super delicious. 

Happy sipping!

The Secret to a Juicy Roast Chicken

Nope, it's not a can of beer up the bum... it's really simple... salt and rest!

My friend told me that this was the secret and I've been roasting chickens with a pretty good measure of success for a long time and I didn't know it so I wasn't sure I believed her until I tried it. She was right!

So what you do is, get your whole roasting chicken (thawed) and salt it inside and out, then bag it and throw it in your fridge for about 24 hours (yes, this requires some planning... my friend says she salts and bags all her meats right when she gets them home... a good idea for those busy moms out there).

Once you are ready to cook it, pre-heat your oven to about 375 F or 200 C and make sure to pre-heat your pan with it (this I kinda forgot to do... whoops... I was distracted because I was roasting veggies too), so you can seal in more of the juiciness by searing the skin a little... you will want to flip it over after about 10 minutes so that both sides get the searing... again, I forgot about that part.

I rubbed my chicken with garlic, oregano and cayenne pepper before adding it to the pan.

Once it was done, it was the juiciest chicken ever... I've been using it for meals for the past 4 days and it's still juicy and tasty... and not salty tasting either, which was a surprise.

Happy Eating!

Baked Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fries

I know it's all the rage to do this and I looked a few different recipes and this is what I came up with for my spicy version:

I'm also just one person so my measurements reflect that.

1/2 a peeled large sweet potato cut into wedges or whatever fry shape you like
4 baby zucchinis cut into 1/4s length wise
1/2 cup corn meal (you could use bread crumbs but I went with the corn meal)
1 tsp basil (dried)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan
1 cup sunflower oil

Okay... I mixed the corn meal, cheese and the spices together in one bowl and I poured the oil into another bowl. I pre-heated my oven to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 220 degrees Celsius. The temperature in Fahrenheit is approximate since my Turkish oven doesn't convert it... basically you want a good and hot oven.

Then I dumped my cut up sweet potatoes into the oil and then put them onto a baking sheet so they were just one layer. I did the same with the zucchini except that I then tossed them in the corn meal mixture before laying them out on the baking sheet.

I popped them in the oven for about 10 minutes or until I thought they were crispy and brown (some got a little charred because of the difference in temperature at the back of my oven compared to the front but just 3 or 4 I think).

Then I made a dipping sauce with a little ranch dressing and some chipotle tobasco... spicy and YUMMY!!!

Happy Eating!

Mashed What?!

So I've been recently addicted to Pinterest.com and also to a more healthy and wholesome approach to feeding my body. Now, I still want all the flavour in my meals and I hate to give up favourites like bread or potatoes or stuff like that, but I'm learning that I don't have to give them up altogether. There are some great substitutes out there that are SUPER yummy and healthier. Mashed cauliflower is one such sub for mashed potatoes.

Now, if you know me, you know I love, love, LOVE the creamy, buttery flavour and texture of a mashed potato. I don't make it at home often because it's a lot of work for just one person and, well, I can be lazy when it comes to cooking. So I was a little skeptical that mashed cauliflower could be any good...

Here's what I did:

I cut up and boiled 1 head of cauliflower (way more than one person needs... could do 4 servings for sure).
Once it was soft, I added a pat of butter, about 1/4 cup of cheese (I used mozzarella this time), a few leaves of fresh basil, a dash of salt and a dash of garlic powder. I then used my hand-held blender to blend it all together and what I got was a delicious surprise. The texture was creamy and smooth, the flavour was excellent and I felt like I was getting a treat when I was eating really healthy!

I made it as a side for my salmon (I didn't finish the salmon but went back for more of the mash... *sigh* carbs are always my downfall). I can't wait to make more varieties (like one with garlic and parmesan... or one with ranch seasoning in it and a little butter... or a spicy version with some crispy bacon chunks in it and chipotle seasoning... the varieties are ENDLESS)! Needless to say, I am a convert... it's easy to make and super delicious! Have fun and enjoy!!

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

I've always loved grilled cheese sandwiches. And, yes, as a kid I LOVED the Kraft processed cheese kind of sandwiches. I loved the crisp, buttery bread with the cheesy inside. But as I've grown up, I've looked for more interesting versions of the same thing. And until recently my favourite kind of grilled cheese was a simple grilled sandwich with smoked Gruyere and thin sliced tomatoes inside.

But this week I got a little creative and this is what I did:




You'll need the following and you can adapt it however you want:

• bacon (Turkey bacon or regular or not at all if you don't want... I just liked the smokey, salty addition)
• avocado (about 1/3 per sandwich)
• fresh purple basil (whole leaves)
• 2 kinds of cheese (I used white cheddar and Turkish kasar)
• butter or margarine
• garlic powder
• dried dillweed
• dried oregano
• dijon mustard
• cayenne pepper
  

Okay... I baked my bacon so that it didn't crinkle or curl and was just easier to work with.

I mixed all the dry spices with enough margarine to spread on the slices of bread that I used (whole wheat for me... trying to make it somewhat healthy)

Then I layed one slice of the buttered bread in a pan that wasn't on the heat yet (I like to build my sandwiches before heating so that the cheese gets all melty). I then spread the avocado onto the bread and put on one layer of the cheese. Then I added the basil and bacon and the last layer of cheese. Before I added the last slice of bread I added the dijon mustard to the inside of the bread.

Grilling is a little tricky with something so stacked unless you have a panini press, and I don't so it was tricky but turned out great and made me want to think of a billion different variations! Enjoy!

Amazing Eggplant

In my quest to eat healthier, delicious meals I asked around for some recipes. My teaching partner, Nilay, shared a recipe that her roommate shared with her for cooking eggplant. And of course, I tweaked and played with it in order to come to my own interpretation. :) What can I say? It's just my way.

I used one of the large eggplants and sliced it into 1/3" slices or so. I then boiled and salted some water. I dropped my eggplants into the water to soften them up a bit. I think they sat in there for about 3-5 minutes. While they were boiling away I made the following mix for coating them for the next step of cooking:

1 cup corn meal
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
a dash of salt and pepper.

Then I took out my eggplant circles from their water (but I didn't get rid of the water, instead I poured in a little extra virgin olive oil and my pasta) and tossed them in the coating mixture. Once they were well coated, I put them in a hot pan with olive oil and browned them on both sides.

Then I plated the whole mess up and topped the pasta with diced, canned tomatoes. It was delicious and for a leftover, I put the eggplant circles in a container, topped them with the rest of the tomatoes and a slice of cheese (like eggplant parmesan) for heating up at the lunchroom.

It was an excellent, fulfilling and healthy dish. I hope you enjoy!!!

Beautiful Brunch

Pinterest strikes again (yes... it's official and I have no real life)!! I was browsing on there the other night while waiting for a show I wanted to stream to load. I saw this recipe for avocado eggs and became intrigued so I thought I'd try it on Saturday... so I did (with a few twists of my own of course).

You will need:

1 avocado pitted and sliced into 1/2" slices (keeping the skin on in order to keep the shape)
2 eggs (I made this for one... because it's just me)
olive oil (just enough to cover the pan)
salt (just a pinch)
1 tbsp grated fresh parmesan
Chipotle Tobasco sauce

Let your pan get warm and make sure it's coated with the oil. Put your avocado slices in it and crack and egg in the center of each slice. Sprinkle your salt and tobasco on top and then evenly sprinkle on the cheese. Cover the pan with a lid and let cook until the eggs are done how you like (I like runny yolks so... )

And that's it... it looks impressive, tastes incredible and is just that easy!!


Happy Eating!