Tabouli Salad

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

This tabouli salad is made with quinoa, so a complete meal for a vegetarian option, or serve alongside a grilled chicken breast …. or tonight’s choice – chicken wings with a Pomegranate Molasses Barbecue Sauce …. yumminess.

1 cup quinoa – rinse well
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, torn in rustic pieces
1 small bunch kale, very finely chopped (remove stem)
1/2 English cucumber, cut into fine quarters
1 cup finely chopped assorted colored sweet peppers
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (pickling instructions below)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp orange zest and 2 tbsp fresh orange juice

Pickling red onions: Thinly slice red onions and pour boiling water over for 10 seconds – drain off, and cover with fresh squeezed lime juice and a sprinkle of kosher salt. They turn such a great color.

Tabouli
Place the rinsed quinoa in a medium sauce pain, ccover with 1 3/4 cup cold water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and cook until water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 18-20 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and let it cool.

In a large bowl toss all prepared vegetables and the cooled quinoa.

Dressing
Combine zest and fruit juices, drizzle oil slowly in to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss with prepared Tabouli Salad and taste …season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Tonight tabouli salad was also made with some grilled zucchini and served on a fresh bed of spinach

Curried Crab Dip

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

This has been a family favorite for many years, and one I am often requested to bring. It is easy to serve with crackers or vegetables. When you want to get fancy, pipe it into little prepared pastry cups – looks like you are a pro!

8 ounce pack cream cheese (softened)
2 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp tabasco sauce
1 small tin crab meat

Blend softened cream cheese with spices until nicely creamed together. Stir in crab meat (if you want to make it extra luxurious use 2 tins crab meat!)

Turn into serving dish and sprinkle with freshly chopped chives.

Torn and Tossed Garlic Bread

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

Everybody loves the crunchy crust and soft tender bits of garlic bread – why not get more of it?

Torn garlic bread is crunchy and soft all at the same time.

I had a loaf of sourdough bread and half a loaf of French bread – rather than tear it I cut it all into approximately 2 inch pieces.

Melt 1/2 cup butter, stir in 2 garlic cloves and 1 small shallot – both chopped fine. Naturally, use more garlic if you feel so inclined (and everybody is eating it…).

In a large bowl combine the melted butter, garlic and shallot mixture – add in the cubed bread, season with salt and pepper and toss well.

This is great made earlier in the day too, just let it sit and absorb all those flavours.

When you are ready to serve, spread cubes on baking sheet – take care not to overcrowd the pieces. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes just until the outside is nice and crispy, golden brown.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve – everybody will love it!

Serve this with as any side dish, or with your favorite soup or salad.

Creamy Tahini Salad Dressing

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

This salad dressing makes a large jar – use it on anything! So great for pasta salads, rice salads, dressed up grilled vegetables, brush it on chicken for grilling, let your imagination run wild. You will love it – something we first had with my “Red Rice Rocks”, also known as a bowl of goodness.

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 generous tbsp tahini paste

2 cloves garlic, crushed

red chili flakes (optional)

1 1/4 – 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a blender – blend briefly, and then slowly drizzle in the oil until smooth and creamy.

Crispy Peanut & Sweet Chili Chicken Wings

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

2 pounds chicken wings
1 tbsp. oil
1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp. sriracha sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ” piece of ginger, minced

Marinate chicken wings for as long as you have available – Remove from marinade (reserve marinade) then bake on a rack in preheated oven (400 or 425 convection) until golden brown and crispy – at least 30 minutes.

Heat the marinade in a small saucepan until it boils and reduces slightly.

When they are starting to get golden brown and crispy, toss them in the reduced marinade and put back on rack to get all crunchy.

Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

Mexican Chicken Salad

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

Last night I made a couple of beer can chickens with a smoky rub …. enough left over that I thought it would make a perfect Mexican Chicken Salad tonight! This would be a great vegetarian dinner, just leave out the chicken….

Dressing:
1/2 tsp Mexican Chile powder
1/2 tsp Chipotle Chile powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried mustard powder
1/4 tsp dried chile flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 minced garlic cloves
Blend well and slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup grapeseed oil.

Taste it (with a sliver of lettuce) and adjust your seasonings to your preference.

Make a green salad packed with all your favorite ingredients, ours tonight included:

red leaf lettuce
roasted corn
garden peas (uncooked, and shelled)
roasted baby spring onions
cucumber
red and yellow peppers
toasted pumpkin seeds
toasted slivered almonds
(I wish we had avocado but there weren’t any available that were perfect..)

Garnish with:

shredded white cheese
cooked and shredded chicken
crushed tortilla chips
croutons
cooked and cooked Mexican rice
(Mexican rice is easily made substituting the liquid in your rice recipe with chicken stock, a bit of tomato paste, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.

We love salads like this – arrange the toppings around the salad and everybody gets to build their own at the table.

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups rolled (old-fashioned) oats
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans (I like to lightly toast & cool them first)
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup coconut flakes
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup maple syrup (can sub honey)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Set 2 racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, oats, pecans, cranberries and coconut flakes together with a whisk or fork.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 30 seconds until blended. Beat in the egg until smooth and barely fluffy. With mixer running on medium high, drizzle in the maple syrup, and vanilla until incorporated. Turn the mixer down to its lowest setting and gradually add the flour-oatmeal mixture
Drop walnut-sized balls of dough onto a nonstick or parchment-lined cookie sheet at 3-inch intervals. With moistened fingers, flatten and round out the cookies a little. Bake for 10 minutes, turning the pan once for even baking, then bake approximately another 7-10 minutes. They will not spread out or change in shape …
The cookies are done when they are lightly browned on top. Set the cookie sheets on a rack to cool.

Cold Peanut Noodle Salad

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

Cook 1 pound Chinese noodles (chow mein style) – drain and rinse.

Whisk together:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Sriracha sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp fish sauce

juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp grated ginger

1 clove garlic – minced

Blend well, and set aside.

Chop up an assortment of your favorite vegetables – about 3-4 cups worth for 1 pound noodles.

Tonight’s included: red & orange peppers, snow peas, thinly sliced baby bok choy, slivered radishes, minced chives, and bean sprouts,

Toss everything together with the dressing.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, cilantro and fresh basil.

Breakfast Cookies

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

1 ¼ cup flour (or any combination of whole wheat and white flours)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1 medium carrot, grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup coconut
1/3 cup raisins, or any dried fruit
1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped (or any nut – chopped and toasted)

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot, and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, coconut, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a tsp to drop cookie batter on cookie sheet, or if you prefer a large cookie use a tablespoon between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, using the tsp you will get about 30-32 cookies. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. These cookies will not spread out, nor change shape so if you want a perfect cookie, create that shape before you bake it.

Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is a great recipe to adapt to your own preferences – I used blueberry craisins in my latest version, and will try adding zucchini next time ….

Shrimp Cocktail

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Chatty Kathy

I love shrimp cocktail ….. so why not make it at home instead of buying that frozen ring with the canned cocktail sauce?? I get it, when you are in a hurry, or just need to pick something up – those work. If you have a few minutes though, and really only a few moments, make your own at home, infusing the shrimp with flavour along the way ….

Soooo delicious!

Poached Shrimp

3 cups water

1 cup your favourite white wine (dry)

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 bay leaves

2 tsp salt

1 1lb bag of frozen shrimp

Pour all ingredients except shrimp into a medium saucepan, and heat to boiling. Turn down the heat and allow flavours to simmer and blend for about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, stir, and cover with a lid. Remove from heat and allow shrimp to poach for 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them, you don’t want them to do any more than turn pink. Strain the shrimp out and put in fridge to completely cool.

Cocktail Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup (heaping) horseradish

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce