Dirty Dogs and a little Dip

Very dirty dogs require human energy for the clean-up, refresh yourself with a little Dip

Chili Bean Dip

Equipment: Large bowl

Servings: 8-12

Ingredients

¼ cup onion, chopped fine

3 Tbsp parsley, chopped fine

2 (16 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed or 3 cups cooked

3 Tbsp canned green chilies or fresh jalapeños

1 Tbsp vinegar

1 tsp chili powder

⅛ tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 dashes Tabasco sauce

Order of Events

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until mixed through.

2. Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

3. Rest in the fridge 1 hour before serving.

4. Serve with vegetables, crackers or pitas.

Kitchen Gossip

Beans are a great source of dietary fibre and protein.

Serve with nacho chips or pita bread. Use for stuffing tacos

Sweet Hot Salty

This weekend Sweet & Hot Salty Nuts with a Negroni

Sweet & Hot Salty Nuts

Oven Temperature: 400 F

Baking Time : 10 minutes for Nuts

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes for candy mixture

Equipment: candy thermometer (optional), jelly roll pan, large heavy saucepan

 Ingredients

3 cups pecans

1 cups almonds

1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

Or

5 cups total your favorite mixed nuts and seeds

11/2 cups sugar

1 cup corn syrup, light or golden

1/3 cup water

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp each salt & vanilla

1-2 Tbsp hot sauce,

1 Tbsp butter, to grease pan

Course salt to taste

Order of Events

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix together nuts and seeds on a jelly roll pan and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes to roast. Remove from oven and set aside.

2. In a large heavy saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, and water, mix thoroughly. Bring to a rolling simmer on medium heat. Simmer until candy thermometer reads 290 F which is the soft crack stage. This will take approximately 10-15 minutes. Do not stir when simmering as this will lower the temperature and take longer to reach the soft crack stage. The syrup will be rolling and bubbly. If you do not have a candy thermometer drip a drop of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. Remove from water and pull apart between fingers. The soft crack stage has been reached when syrup forms firm but pliable threads.

3. In a small bowl mix together butter, vanilla, salt and hot sauce while sugar mixture is simmering.

4. Remove roasted nuts from pan. Line pan with parchment paper or grease pan with 1 Tbsp of butter. Add nuts back, spread out in a thin layer.

5. When sugar mixture reaches 290 F, soft crack stage, remove it from heat; carefully stir in butter, vanilla, salt and hot sauce. It will sizzle and steam. Using an oven mitt on the pot and a spatula carefully drizzle sugar mixture evenly over nuts. Use the spatula to gently move the nuts apart a bit and let the hot mixture seep through. Sprinkle with course salt. Cool completely, break into pieces.

Nuts, Herbs & Lilly Penelope

I can't wait to get my bike out.
For the last of the snow and ice to melt away. 

This year I want to train our dog Lilly Penelope to run along beside my bike. I bought a harness from Canadog to hook her up to.
Our 10 months of vinegar, has an infatigable amount of energy. Edmonton's amazing river valley trails should wear her out. 

I will need some good energy to keep up with her and one of my favourite sources of energy is nuts. I like to add nuts and herbs to everything. Chop nuts and fresh herbs together and sprinkle them over cooked diners, soups and salads. They make a great garnish with a hit of colour, flavour and protein. 

Lilly Penelope loves nuts too!

No Meat Tonight -Pasta, Nuts, Fresh Herbs

Below is a fabulous recipe to throw together any night of the week. No meat tonight your protein comes from nuts and cheese.

Pasta, Nuts & Fresh Herbs

Deborah Anzinger P.H.Ec.

Serves 4

Equipment: large pot, food processor

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

1 lb pasta, papparadelle or penne or favorite, cooked

Pasta Sauce

2 handfuls fresh roasted almonds or pecans or favorite

1 large bunch fresh basil leaves, or throw in a little flat leaf parsley or cilantro or favorite herb

1 clove garlic or more

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1-2 handfuls slim cut parmigiano-reggiano or aged percorino cheese

4-6 tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Order of Events

1.    Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water.

2.    Add pasta sauce ingredients, except for tomatoes, salt and pepper, to the food processor and blend until smooth.

3.    While your pasta is draining in the colander, pour blended sauce ingredients into pot.

4.    Add ¼ cup pasta water, chopped tomatoes and cooked pasta to pot. Stir, adding more pasta water if necessary until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5.    Serve immediately with more grated cheese if desired.

Table Talk

This dish is simple. Even without exact measurements, with fresh ingredients, you will knock it out of the park every time.

If the nuts are fresh you do not need to roast them. I love the taste of roasted nuts. Buy a large package of raw nuts; roast them all at once on a jelly roll pan in a 400 F oven for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely store them in the fridge in an airtight bag. Alternately roast nuts in a frying pan on high for 5-8 minutes, flipping regularly.

Citrus with Cocktails Baby

The weekend is here!  Boo Ha cold weather I am making a Gin Fizz.  

So long G&T. 
A recent trip to Ontario introduced me to Dillons small batch gin and I have converted to the Gin Fizz.
Dillons is a classic distilled gin crafted in copper pots. It is unfiltered to maintain its flavour, its base is the local Niagara grape, its finished by sending vapour through 22 botanicals. The flavour is so amazing that I have traded in the tonic for club soda. If the lemon or lime juice is fresh and sweet, try it with a meyer lemon, you can leave out the simple syrup. Alas I can't find Dillons Gin in Alberta but I have stocked my bar with a bounty of small batch gins and I'll let you know how things progress!

Cocktail Gin Fizz

Equipment: Pitcher or Shaker, tall or high ball glasses

Servings: 2

Ingredients for Two

Ice

3 oz gin

11/2 oz fresh lemon or lime juice

1-2 oz simple syrup or 2 tsp super fine sugar or to taste

Club soda

Order of Events

1. Pour all ingredients over ice in a mixing container, pitcher or shaker except club soda.
2. Shake or stir and strain into 2 high ball glasses.
3. Fill with club soda.
4. Traditionally no garnish but I love a slice of citrus and a bit of mint.
5. Repeat

Simple Syrup for Cocktails

Ingredients

2 parts water

1 part sugar

Order of Events

1. Boil 2 parts water and 1 part sugar in a pot, stirring to dissolve sugar.

2. Cool completely before using.

Keeps for 6 months refrigerated 

Citrus & Fish

I live in Alberta and today, Wednesday April 2, it is snowing! Tonight I am eating an easy meal of fish, veggies and rice topped off with bright lemon and dreaming of  a hot summer sun.


Fish en Papillote

Oven temperature: 400F

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Equipment: jelly roll pan, parchment paper

Ingredients

4 cups cooked jasmine rice

8 (4- ounce) Fish Fillets, Cod, Sole, Tilapia, Halibut, Flounder or other white fish

4 green onions, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 carrots, thinly sliced lengthwise

4 tsp olive oil

4 tsp white wine or lemon juice

1 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp butter
2 thin slices lemon

8 sprigs fresh thyme

Fresh ground black pepper

8 sheets of parchment or baking paper approx. 13 X 13 inches

Order of Events

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Lay parchment papers out on the counter ready to assemble.

3. Place ½ cup of cooked rice on each piece of parchment. Top with a fish fillet. Top each fillet with green onions and carrots.

4. Top packets with ½ tsp each of olive oil and white wine or lemon juice. Crush garlic into salt and chop fine, sprinkle on top.

5. Top with a dot of butter, 2 slices lemon, sprig of fresh thyme and fresh ground black pepper.

6. Pull edges of parchment paper together and fold over a number of times. Fold ends in and tuck under. Tightly seal the edges around the ingredients. Or Pull the sides of the parchment up and tie tightly with oven proof string.

7. Place packets on a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with sides as some juices may escape. Bake in the centre of the oven until the fish is opaque and the vegetables are tender crisp, 10-15 minutes. Carefully open one packet (watching out for steam) to check for doneness; fish should flake with a fork. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

8. Serve directly in the parchment on a plate. This keeps the fish warm until everyone sits down. For variety choose your favourite veggies thinly sliced.