Revamped Tuna Melts

31 May

A  tuna melt is one of those classic dishes that my mom used to make and to which I turn for a quick meal. But after making many, MANY tuna melts I was looking to switch things up a bit, maybe even make them a little healthier. Then, lo and behold, I came across a show and they used portobello mushrooms instead of bread. This, I can get behind. Inspired, I headed into the kitchen…

Note that the mushrooms do shrink in the oven. This recipe calls for two per person, but if you’re feeding extra-hungry people, you might want to add a third.

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 portobello mushrooms
1 tb extra virgin olive oil
1 can tuna
1 tb sesame oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 sweet pepper, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 c parsley, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
4 slices of cheese (cheddar, havarti)
4 slices of tomato

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Clean and stem the mushrooms, then brush with  olive oil. Broil on lined baking sheet for 10 minutes, turning once.
3. Meanwhile, combine the tuna, sesame oil, celery, pepper, parsley, lemon juice, salt & pepper.
4. Divide the tuna among the mushrooms  and top with cheese slice. Broil two more minutes for melty goodness.
5. Remove the melts from the oven and top with tomato slice. Serve with green salad, or put greens on top!

Courtesy of FN

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Mussels with Chorizo in White Wine Sauce

30 May

I have been keeping a list of all the new things I want to try to cook this year and I finally got around to trying out mussels! I was assured that they were not only cheap, but incredibly easy to make and I was not led astray. This recipe cooks enough for two hungry people, but can easily be modified to accommodate more.

Ingredients

1/4 extra virgin olive oil
1 chorizo, casing removed
2 shallots, minced
1 tb garlic, minced
1/2 c white wine
2 lb mussels, cleaned and steamed
1/4 c parsley, chopped
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
2 tb lemon juice
salt & pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or sauce pan and medium-high heat. Crumble and sauté the chorizo with the shallots for four minutes. Add the garlic, stirring, and cook for another minute. (Your kitchen is going to smell deee-vine.)
2. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about five minutes.
3. Add the mussels, herbs and 1/2 c of reserved mussel broth to the sauce.  Cook over low heat until all mussels are heated through.
4. Toss with lemon juice, a little bit of salt (you don’t need much: the mussels’ liquid is briny already) and pepper.
5. Serve with crusty, warm bread. Garlic bread is especially good!

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Steamed Mussels w/ White Wine

30 May

A super-simple way to cook up mussels!

Ingredients

1/2 white onion, chopped
1 tb extra virgin olive oil
2 lb mussels, cleaned and bearded
1 c white wine

Directions

1. Rinse the mussels, removing the little beard if it’s still attached. Ensure that all mussels are CLOSED. If they are open, do not use them.


2. Cook the onion in the olive oil in a large pot for three to five minutes, until softened.
3. Add wine and mussels.  Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open. This should only take four to five minutes.

Almost there...

4. Discard any unopened shells.
5. Eat as is, or add into recipe for Mussels with Chorizo in White Wine Sauce. If so, reserve 1 cup of liquid.

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Chocolate-Crusted Creamy Caramel Cheesecake

10 May

(Who likes alliteration?!)

As mentioned previously, I absolutely love the Bite Me cookbook. It has provided endless delicious recipes that have become staples in our home. One recipe in particular jumped out at me immediately when I flipped through the book in the store and that was the insane cheesecake that encompassed all the things I love in a dessert: sweetness, tartness, crunch and creaminess. I mean…really, people. It’s a supermegadeluxe cheesecake: how could it go wrong?

Happily for me, J already makes great cheesecake and I knew this would be something he’d knock outta the park. I was not wrong. We served it for Mother’s Day and, judging by the silence that befell the table (followed by a chorus of “Oh, wow” and “Damn…” and a high five between us) it was a hit.

I would definitely recommend making it the day before as it needs at least 6 hours to set up. The recipe calls for a 9″ springform pan. If yours is smaller, you can always make mini cheesecakes in a muffin in to use up the rest of the mix. (Thanks to the always reliable Hot Biscuit for both the pan and tip!)

Serves 12.

Now THAT is cheesecake.

Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/2 c Oreo cookie crumbs
1/2 c melted butter
1/4 c whipping cream
1 c semi-sweet chocolate

Filling:
4 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 c sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 ts vanilla extract
2 c Skor or Heath bar, crumbled
1/4 c caramel sauce (purchased)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Wrap the inside of a 9″ springform pan with foil.
2. Combine Oreo crumbs and butter in a medium bowl. Press the mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom and halfway up the sides.
2a. In a small saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a simmer over low heat. Add semi-sweet chocolate and stir til melted. Remove from heat and pour evenly over the crust.
2b. Chill the crust in the fridge to firm while preparing the filling.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and medium speed until smooth, scraping the sides  of the bowl several times. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat mixture. One at a time, add the eggs, scraping as needed.
3b. Using a spatula, fold in the vanilla and bits of chocolate bar bits.
3c. Pour the entire mixture into the crust and finish by spoon caramel sauce on top.
4. Place on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for 65-70 minutes. (45 or so if you’re using the muffin tins)
5. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least six hours.

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Grilled Skirt Steak w/ Lentils, Cilantro & Grapes

4 May

Yes, with grapes. It might sound strange initially, but the texture and freshness of the fruit goes very well with the creaminess of the lentils. I promise. And if you still don’t think you’ll like it, blame Tyler Florence.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 head garlic, sliced horizontally
salt
extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lb steak
black pepper

3 thyme sprigs
1 c lentils
1 garlic clove, smashed (NOT minced or chopped)
1 green chile, minced
zest & juice of 1 lemon

1 bunch cilantro
1 lb green grapes
6 oz feta
black pepper

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 400. Cut a 12″ foil piece and place the garlic on one half and sprinkle with salt, a little olive oil, 2 ts water and 2 sprigs of thyme. Fold to cover and seal. Roast for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a grill to  medium high heat. Wipe the grill quickly with olive oil to create a non-stick surface. Rub the steak with some olive oil and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
3. Pour the lentils into a sauce pan and add enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches. Add the smashed garlic, remaining thyme and 1 ts salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Discard garlic and thyme.
4. When the grill is hot, toss on the steak and cook to medium-rare, 5-7 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes and then cut into thin slices.
5. Place the lentils in a bowl and add the chile, lemon zest & juice, cilantro, grapes, feta and 1/3 c olive oil.  Toss and add salt to taste.
6. On four plates, make a bed of lentils and place the steak slices on top. Drizzle the steak with a little olive oil and black pepper. Serve the roasted garlic on the side.

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Review: Origin Restaurant

3 May

I have been itching to get to Origin for months now, after a friend had gone and raved about the food. I dug the concept: tapas with a twist. This is definitely not your traditional, Spanish tapas. At Origin, you’ll sample small plates with Asian, Italian and Latin influences. I didn’t find the menu overwhelming, but our server was more than happy to help steer the meal so that similar and complimentary flavours were eaten together.

So what did my companions and I choose for dinner last night? It was tough to narrow it down as we would have been happy with just about anything on the menu. We started with the tostones: smashed, flattened and deep-fried plantains with guacamole on the side. The plantains were very well seasoned, with generous use of  kosher salt and a light dusting of curry powder. This particular dish inspired J to try to make it at home and I, for one, am looking forward to being the taste tester.

Tostones.

Next up were the deviled eggs with smoked bacon and gremolata and the smoked cod croquettes with saffron aioli. Both were a big hit at the table, disappearing in a flash. I preferred the  croquettes of the two, but I didn’t exactly NOT eat my share of the deviled eggs.

Everything is better with bacon.

Smoked Cod Croquettes

Those scrumptious bites devoured, we ordered another bottle of wine (three cheers for Monday night dinners with lots of wine!) and anticipated the arrival of more delectable plates. In the meantime, we marveled at the strangeness of the cutlery provided. The only way to balance your knife was blade up. That seemed…dangerous. Especially after the third glass of cabernet sauvignon.

Happily, our next dish appeared and we dove right back in (carefully, so as not to cut ourselves on our upturned knives).  A gorgeously-presented order from the Mozzarella Bar: bufala mozzarella with pear, rosemary oil, pine nuts that was drizzled with honey and placed on a crunchy, toasted slice of calabrese bread. Want it? You know you do:

Fancy Cheese!

Creamy, gorgeous cheese eaten, next up was the Bangkok beef salad with peanuts, mint, mango, fried shallots and a sweet and sour dressing. There was a moment of hesitation while we all tried to dance around the fact that splitting this thing among the three of us might get violent. In the end, however, we shared well. Our kindergarten teachers would be so proud! This wasn’t an exceptionally complicated dish, but it was done to perfection: the beef was tender and pink; the mangoes were ripe and slippery;  the shallots and peanuts added the crunch the dish needed; and the cilantro added the wonderful, bright note at the end. It should be noted that my friend said it was the third time she’d had this particular dish and it was exactly the same every time. THAT is a sign of a great restaurant.

Bangkok Beef Salad.

Our final round of food was to arrive and we were practically giddy with excitement. We had decided on the Chinois duck with pickled cucumber, hoisin and sriracha sauce on a chive pancake, the curried shrimp with naan and the miso-glazed black cod with soba noodles and a ginger vinaigrette. We knew each dish would be good, but didn’t know HOW good. We had spent the first half of the meal happily eating away and we were by no means disappointed with our choices. But these last three dishes absolutely blew it out of the water.

The duck was crispy and, I must say, substantial. The kitchen does not scrimp on the portions! The sweet hoisin sauce was a great compliment to the duck and the heat of the sriracha. A definite must-order.

More, please.

Next up, we attacked the curried shrimp which was intensely flavoured. In fact, it was quite spicy which is just fine with me. The soft, aromatic naan bread sopped up the spicy broth that was left after devouring the plump, juicy shrimp.  Another dish that hit its mark!

Curried Shrimp

Finally (and kind of sadly), we came to our last dish: the black cod. Black cod is one my favourite fish and I have it a fair bit. When I was out in Vancouver earlier this year, I had it almost once a day. This black cod might be the best I’ve had.  Ever.  It was flaky, tender and moist. The miso glaze was pleasantly salty and the skin, importantly, was crispy. (Soggy fish skin? Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.) The soba noodles were slurped up along with the ginger vinaigrette and, literally, there was nothing left when we were done with it. In all likelihood, the best dish of the night though the three of us never could decide on a clear winner in that category.

This bowl was bare in minutes flat.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Origin to anyone who has some reasonably adventurous taste buds and who is willing to share! There is one composed plate that makes a meal – a burger combo with Spanish fries and a float. I have no doubt it’s delicious, but it seems kind of beside the point of a restaurant like this. Go with friends, go on a date, go with family. It’s not a cheap night out, but it is most definitely money well spent.

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Sweet & Spiced Salmon

2 May

I keep a list of recipes that I want to try in my trusty little blue book. So when J & I have an exchange that goes something like, “What do you want for dinner this weekend?” “Um…fish?” I have a few ideas all ready to go. This is one that I’d been meaning to try for a while and, this weekend, I got my opportunity. Incredibly easy and all done with stuff I had in the fridge and cupboards already.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

2  skinless, boneless salmon filets
1/2 c orange juice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c brown sugar
1 ts lemon zest
1 1/2 ts chili powder
1 ts cumin
1/2 ts Kosher salt
1/4 ts ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In baking dish or resealable plastic bag, combine the orange and lemon juices. Add in the salmon and refrigerate for an hour. Turn the fish occasionally to ensure even marination.
2. Mix  brown sugar, lemon zest, chili powder, cumin salt and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with foil (this is very important as the brown sugar will caramelize and cleaning the sheet will be a nightmare!) and place the fish on the sheet.  Discard the marinade.
4. Rub the spice mixture into the fish and bake for 12 minutes.

I served it with Dressed Up Asparagus.

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Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

12 Apr

You know you want it.

J made this scrumptious, deliciously calorie-laden classic-with-a-twist and we haven’t been able to stop ourselves from eating the whole dang thing. Haven’t shared a single slice and you won’t want to, either.

 

Mmmmm...Banana Bread...

Ingredients

2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
1/2 ts salt
2 medium, ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
3 tb unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 ts vanilla extract
1/2 c milk
3/4 c semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 ts turbinado sugar – optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and coat a 9″ loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder & soda and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together banana, peanut butter, 2 tb butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy, roughly 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract until just combined and then stir in the chips.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50 minutes. If you’re using the turbinado sugar, melt the last tb of butter, brushing it over the top and top with sugar. Bake an additional 5 minutes.
5. Cool 20 minutes before running a knife around the outside edges. Remove bread and transfer to a wire rack to cook for an additional 30 minutes.

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Crispy Chicken w/ Lime & Poblano Sour Cream

4 Apr

Many thanks to a girlfriend who sent this recipe along! (Check out her blog here!) The roasted chiles provide a smoky background in the smooth sour cream while the lime brightens it. This recipe could also be modified to make it healthier with low-fat sour cream and skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs. If you’re going to use breasts, I’d recommend roasting them as opposed to using the broiler!

Serves 4.

Ingredients

4 poblano/cubanelle peppers
1 lime
1/2 c sour cream
2 tb cilantro, chopped
2 ts Kosher salt
1 tb ground coriander
1 ts cumin
1/2 ts ground black pepper
8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on, trimmed of fat
3 tb extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Position oven rack 5″-6″ below the broiler.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place chiles on top.  Broil 12-15 minutes, turning several times, until the skin of the chiles has charred.
2.  Remove the chiles, put them in a bowl and place a plate on top. Allow to rest of 5 minutes.
3. In a bowl, add the juice of half a lime, the cilantro and sour cream.
4.  Once the peppers have cooled, remove the skins, stem and seeds. Chop them into a 1/2″ dice and add them to the sour cream mixture. Season with salt to taste. (You could also add in a little hot sauce if you need more heat!)
5. In a small bowl, combine the salt, coriander, cumin and pepper. Coat the chicken with the olive oil and then with the seasoning.
6. Place the thighs skin-side down on a foil-lined sheet and broil for 7-10 minutes. Turn the chicken and broil another 7-10 or until a meat thermometer reads 180F. If the chicken looks like it might burn, lower the oven rack.
7. Plate the chicken with the sour cream sauce on the side. Garnish with a few cilantro sprigs and lime wedges from the other half of the lime et voila!

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Roasted Poblanos w/ Chicken & Cheese

14 Mar

So many things about our trip to Belize made a lasting impression, not the least of which was the food.  I am seriously missing the flavours of Central America! I stumbled across a recipe for stuffed peppers a while back and, since I had some leftover roasted chicken in the fridge, it was clearly time to bust this one out!

Serves 2.

Ingredients

4 poblano/cubanelle peppers
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 ts dried oregano
1 ts cumin
1 ts cinnamon
1 ts salt
1 ts pepper
1 tb olive oil
2 c shredded chicken
1 1/2 c cooked rice
2 c cheddar, grated
1/4 cilantro, chopped
1 tb lime juice

Directions

1. Position oven rack 4 inches from broiler. Line sheet with foil.
2. Slit peppers from step to tip. Place on the sheet and broil, turning several times, until they are blackened.
3. Let the peppers cool then peel the skins, cut out the cores and return to the baking sheet.
4. Meanwhile, puree the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes on medium-high heat until all the liquid evaporates.
5.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the chicken, rice, 1 cup of the cheese, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt to taste.
6. Divide filling among the four peppers. (This gets a little messy – don’t worry if some spills out.) Broil for 4 minutes.
7. Top the peppers with the remaining cup of cheese and then broil 2 more minutes.

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