Summer is a great season for fresh, colourful salads with so many local vegetables in season. My latest kick in the salad domain has been to go lettuce-less and try out some other main ingredients that are more protein-packed. My two mainstays this summer have been chickpeas and quinoa. Both are super healthy and have fiber and protein, and because they're both a neutral colour, the vegetables and herbs really pop in these dishes.
Quinoa Salad
1 box quinoa
30 grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
10 radishes, sliced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/3 cup goat's cheese
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt, pepper, herbs of your choice to taste
Cook quinoa according to package directions and let cool. While the quinoa is cooling, chop the vegetables and place in a large bowl. Once the quinoa has cooled, pour over the vegetables and stir. Crumble the goat's cheese and add to the salad. (I like to use an herb-crusted goat's cheese as it adds colour and flavour instantly). Pour in the lemon juice, vinegar, and oil, and stir to create the dressing. Season with salt, pepper, and your favourite herbs to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
I had my bowl of quinoa salad with some fresh strawberries on the side and it made for a healthy and satisfying lunch! You can always substitute vegetables based on your own preferences as well. I've done celery in the salad, or different coloured sweet peppers. Make it yours!
Chickpea Salad
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
30 grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
10 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
It could not be simpler! Again, like the quinoa salad, this one changes depending on what vegetables I have on hand. I usually prefer to have a different colour pepper to add some more contrast to the salad, or sometimes I use green or red onions instead of white. No matter how you do it, these salads are quick to whip up and make a simple, pretty side dish or midday snack.
My beats for this post put me in mind of summer. I have a clear memory of being in fourth year when this song came out and riding in my friend Gill's car, windows down, with this song playing. I don't remember where we were going, but it was near the end of the school year and it was one of those unseasonably warm days. The song makes me think of summer every time I hear it. Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis:
This gorgeous dinner is from a few weeks back when I was still toying with the idea of a blog. I snapped a pic of the finished product just in case I actually followed through with this! I'm glad I did, because this was one of the most delicious meals I made this month. It was really more of a fall meal, and I probably could have made it even better, but it was a rush job. I remember I didn't even feel like cooking that night, and I was so close to ordering a pizza or getting fast food. But I had taken out the pork chops and felt guilty about being unhealthy and spending too much money on unnecessary food. So I threw this meal together, and it was far more healthy and satisfying than anything I could have ordered at a restaurant.
I'm drooling just looking at the photo and remembering how scrumptious it was! Now you'll have to bear with me through the recipe. I'm going on memory here since it was a few weeks back that I actually created this. Most of the time when I'm cooking, I don't use a recipe. I also rarely measure anything. I'm comfortable enough in my kitchen that I can eyeball. So I'll do my best to estimate measurements and describe in detail the steps I took, because believe me, you are going to want to make this.
Pork Parmesan in a Pan
2 boneless pork chops, cleaned and excess fat trimmed
1 large egg
a few teaspoons of water
salt, pepper
hand full of breadcrumbs (maybe a cup?)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 jar marinara sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tomato, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, to garnish
Mix the egg, water, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup parmesan, and parsley together on a piece of parchment paper or a plate. Taking the pork chops one at a time with a fork, dip in the egg mixture coating both sides and letting the excess drip off, and then place in the breadcrumb mixture and coat thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a large fry pan that has a lid over medium-high heat. Place the pork chops in the pan and fry, turning after 5-7 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, turn down the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If you're awesome and make your own marinara, that would be even better. But like I said, this is the quick version. Also, traditional chicken/pork/veal/eggplant parmesan is cooked in the oven, but again, I'm doing the fast version).
Flip over the pork chops and top each with half of the mozzarella cheese, and then half of the parmesan cheese. Allow the cheese to melt.
When ready to serve, place the pork chop on the plate with some sauce on the side and garnish with the chopped fresh tomato and basil.
Roasted Balsamic Vegetables
10 cloves of garlic, peeled (and halved, if desired)
1/2 large sweet onion
1 zucchini
20-30 baby carrots
10 cremini mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt, pepper
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
Coarsely chop the onion, zucchini, and mushrooms, and place in a large bowl with the garlic and baby carrots. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and rosemary, and toss to coat vegetables. For an enhanced flavour, cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the vegetables out on a large, flat, baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, stirring/flipping halfway through the cooking time.
Simple, flavourful, healthy, and delicious! This would make a great date meal with a nice bottle of wine and some soft tunes playing in the background. My pick for this meal is a little Adele. I am obsessed with her album 21, and I can't wait until I get my piano moved into my house from my parents so that I can start learning to play the songs. Since I'm thinking date meal, I won't pick one of her breakup songs (of which there are many!), but one about a newly blossoming love - One and Only.
I was in the mood for something chocolatey this afternoon and decided on some cookies. I found this recipe online sometime last year and saved it, but hadn't yet tested it out. I can't remember where I found it now, but I made a few adjustments (as I'm wont to do) to make it mine.
Double Chocolate Crackle Cookies
1 1/2cups all-purpose
flour
3/4cup Dutch-processed
unsweetened cocoa powder
2teaspoons baking
powder
3/4teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/2cup unsalted
butter, at room temperature
3/4cup dark brown
sugar, firmly packed
1/4cup sugar
2large eggs
1teaspoon pure
vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate
chips
1cup confectioners'
sugar
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (if desired) in a medium bowl and
set aside. Cream butter until smooth in a large bowl. Add the sugars and beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla
and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture to
the egg mixture in three additions, and mix until a soft dough forms. Add chocolate chips and mix
to incorporate. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking pans with parchment
paper and set aside. Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and set
aside. Keeping dough well chilled, shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball.
Roll the ball in the confectioners' sugar to coat generously -- do not shake
off excess sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking pans. Bake
until cookies have puffed and cracked and are slightly firm to the touch -- 10
to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Makes two dozen.
One tray rolled in sugar, about to go in the oven:
I made the note above about the cinnamon being an optional touch. That was my own personal addition today. I love adding cinnamon to chocolate - it adds a unique flavour and also enhances the chocolate. Coffee is my other favourite ingredient to add to chocolate. Really, these cookies could be flavoured with anything - you could add an extract (peppermint, almond) or a liqueur of your choice (Kahlua, Grand Marnier). Or if you're a purist and you like your chocolate plain and simple, then don't add any fancy extras.
The finished product:
They were SO good. There aren't words to accurately describe how amazing these cookies tasted, especially fresh out of the oven when the chocolate chips were still melted inside. Might just be my new favourite cookie. It will be difficult to usurp my favourite cookie of all-time, however (to come in a later post).
Lastly are my beats for these cookies. I cranked up some Black Keys while concocting these beauties. I'm in love with all the singles off El Camino, but figured I'd post a different, lesser-known track off the album. Although they're all strong offerings, I'm going with Dead and Gone today because it made me bounce up and down in the kitchen while mixing the dough!
Tonight's dinner was healthy and delectable - a perfect first eats post. My main was tilapia baked with onions, tomatoes (fresh from my garden!) and a citrus sauce garnished with fresh rosemary (also from my garden). My side dish was an old family favourite - stuffed mushrooms.
Baked Citrus Tilapia
2 frozen tilapia filets (I had frozen mutligrain coated tilapia. You could use plain or breaded, or fresh fish would be even better, but this is what I had on hand).
1/2 onion, quartered
2 small tomatoes, cut into eighths
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (375 for fresh fish). Lightly grease an oven-proof dish. Place onion and tomato in the dish and pour in both juices. Place the filets on top of the vegetables. Cook for 20-25 minutes, turning the fish halfway through the cooking time. Garnish with fresh rosemary before serving.
Stuffed Mushrooms
6 large
mushrooms
1/2 small
onion – finely chopped
2 cloves
garlic – finely chopped
½ cup bread
crumbs
¼ cup
butter
¼ cup
parmesan cheese
grated
cheddar cheese – for topping
1
tablespoon parsley
salt
pepper
Wash the
mushrooms under cold water and dry thoroughly.Remove the stems from the mushrooms and set aside.Place the mushroom caps in a greased oven-proof dish.
Finely chop
mushroom stems, onion, and garlic.Melt the
butter in a small skillet over medium heat.Add the mushroom stems, onion, and garlic and sauté over medium /low
heat until tender.Add the bread crumbs,
parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper and stir until combined.If the mixture is dry add a bit more butter, and
if the mixture is wet add a bit more bread crumbs.Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps and
bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and return to the oven for another 5
minutes.
A little rustic-looking on the plate, but I'm going for deliciousness as opposed to pretty points.
And it was a delicious meal! Paired with a nice crisp glass of white wine, it was fresh, summer-like, and very classy. My tune to match is also very classy in my humble opinion, and one of my favourite French songs. Being bilingual I like to explore and discover French music as well. This little ditty was actually featured in the film 500 Days of Summer, but I stumbled upon it before that and loved its simplicity. Voilà: Quelqu'un m'a dit by Carla Bruni.
First treat of the blog! These I made yesterday in the heat of the afternoon. One of the favourite recipes in our family growing up was Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. The recipe evolved over the years, but none of us ever had the idea to add peanut butter. I'm a fan of bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate together, so I thought they could make a perfect marriage in a muffin. Because I couldn't find the original family recipe on my computer, I did a quick google search and came across a recipe on Baked Perfection that I modified slightly to make my muffins:
Banana Peanut
Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (my teaspoon is generous…more like two!)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup peanut butter (I would add more next time, at least ¾ cup)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup butter melted
3/4 cup chocolate chips
¼ cup peanut butter
chips
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar (just cinnamon and white sugar stirred together)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line 12 muffin cups.
In a medium-sized bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt,
and cinnamon. In a second bowl beat together bananas, peanut butter, sugars,
vanilla, egg, and melted butter. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture
in two additions until just combined. Stir the chocolate chips and peanut
butter chips into the batter. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin
cups. Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with cinnamon sugar. Bake in preheated
oven for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin
comes out clean.
You can tell that's an old pan...pretty certain that's one from my childhood that my mother donated to me when I moved out! But the muffins turned out quite well. As I stated in the ingredients, I would add more peanut butter next time as there wasn't quite enough of a peanut butter hit for my tastes, but they're still moist and delicious!
To power me through the muffin-making, I threw on my favourite band this month, Mumford and Sons. I can't believe that I just discovered them this summer. Love the harmonies and the instrumentation in their stuff. Puts me in mind a bit of the Rankin Family, who my Mom listens to quite a bit. Anyway, this is their newest single - I Will Wait - that I was belting out while baking:
It has been far too hot in Hamilton this weekend to be cranking up the oven and baking. That, however, is how I have chosen to spend my weekend. When a girl gets a hankering for freshly baked cookies and muffins, she's gotta have them. Thank goodness I have air conditioning!
I started this blog for many reasons. I've been debating putting myself out there on the internet for quite some time. I am a very private person, but I believe I have some interesting and useful stories to share. Cooking and baking has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories involve 'helping' my mother bake muffins or squares and filling my little tummy with cookie dough and cake batter. Both my parents also loved cooking and we always had delicious home-cooked meals growing up. As I got older, they started to involve me and share their secrets and tricks of the trade.
Now that I'm all grown up and living on my own, I spend a ridiculous amount of time in my kitchen. I find great satisfaction in sharing my baked creations with friends and colleagues and spreading a little sugary joy wherever I go. I also have received dozens of compliments on my lunches from co-workers. Being a girl with a healthy appetite, I am incapable of cooking for one. My eyes are always somehow much larger than my stomach. The advantage of this, however, is that I never have to make lunches - I just pack up my leftovers from last night's dinner. I'm often explaining to jealous colleagues how I crafted this gourmet dish that made the lunchroom smell so good. Why not share my recipes with the internet world?
So that's the eats and the treats explained, but there's also the matter of the beats. I am a lover of music and a musician myself. My childhood was full of music (apparently all we ever did was cook, bake, and dance around the house to fun music!). I'm always playing music while cooking and baking - it just livens up the process. My tastes are pretty eclectic, and my plan is to share a song or two that inspired me while creating each dish that I post.
Finally, I have always enjoyed writing. I'm a bit of an introvert and kept a diary through elementary and high school. I haven't written as much as an adult - funny how free time gets diverted to other concerns as we get older. I do miss it and am hoping that this blog will be a great creative outlet. I'll be posting quite a bit these first few days as I have a backlog of pictures and recipes to share. Plus I'll feel better about the blog if it has more than one post! So no eats or treats quite yet, but we'll start with some beats. In honour of my childhood reminiscing to begin the blog, we'll start with Chantal Kreviazuk's Time. Hope you enjoy, and come back often!
