Summery Succotash Salad

Oh Summer, where for art thou? I have been waiting all month for a few nice, sunny days, and low and behold my prayers were answered! What to do on this gorgeous day? Why not take all your market finds and make a super scrumptious summery succotash salad (how's that for alliteration?).

Corn on the cob, cucumbers, yellow teardrop tomatoes, radishes, pois mange tout, eggs, basil and a miso vinaigrette. Sound delicious? Well, it is. Better yet, this salad is pretty too. Perfect for a dinner party or pot luck. Have I inspired you?

Try this recipe as is, or put your own spin on it. Make sure to let me know how it turns out.

Summery Succotash Salad

serves 4-6

• 6 ears of corn; cook and remove kernels
• 8 radishes; thinly sliced
• 1 pint golden teardrop tomatoes; cut in half
• 1/2 lbs pois mange tout (snow peas); thinly sliced
• 1 english cucumber; diced
• 1 bunch basil; chiffonade
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 4 eggs; hard boiled and quartered

Mix all the ingredients (except the eggs) together and toss with miso vinaigrette. Garnish with boiled eggs and fresh basil. 

Miso Vinaigrette

• 2 tbsp miso paste
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp mirin
• water
• 1 tsp sriracha

Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients and think to desired consistency using water.

Bountiful Banana Muffins

I am no baker. Actually, I loathe baking, but since having kids, baking seems to be part of my "job". It would be easy for me to go out and buy cookies or muffins for my brood, but taking five minutes to make these super easy, delicious and actually healthy muffins is right up my alley. If you are like me, and buy bananas on a regular basis, you are more often than not left with a few ultra-ripe ones.  This recipe is the perfect way to use them up, and get your kids to eat healthy too.

Whole Wheat, Flax, Banana And Pumpkin Seed Muffins

Yields 10-12 muffins

• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C flax flour (or meal) 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 3-4 ripe bananas; mashed
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C melted butter ( I use salted ) 
• 1/2 C toasted pumpkin seeds

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a bowl, mash your bananas with a fork. Add the egg, brown sugar and melted butter. Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Fold in pumpkin seeds.  Spoon into muffin tins lined with paper. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops bounce back.

Lunch Time!

Funny thing happened recently; my husband's office moved from Bedford to Downtown Dartmouth. What does that mean? It means that when I'm available, I can make his lunch and hand deliver it to his office. How great is that? For him? Pretty awesome!

On this particular day, a snowy Thursday, I made Doug a lunch that even made me cry with hunger pangs; homemade pork and lamb Kefta on a chickpea, tomato and avocado salad with Zataar, sumac, tahini and buttered pine nuts.

I have a little video about the Kefta that I will post in the next day or two, but here is the recipe for the quick, easy and delicious salad. Check out some of my other videos.

Chickpea, Avocado & Tomato Salad

Serves 4

• 2C cooked chickpeas
• 12 grape tomatoes; quartered
• 1/2 avocado; diced
• 2 scallions; thinly sliced
• 1/2C chopped fresh cilantro

Mix and add dressing.

Tahini-Zataar Dressing

• 1/2C tahini paste
• 1Tbsp Zataar
• 1 lemon; juice
• 2tsp sumac
• Salt & pepper
• Water to thin out

Mix ingredients and season to taste. Thin with warm water if needed. Pour over vegetables and mix.

Granola - Breakfast of Champions

Are there mornings where you find yourself on auto pilot? Wake up, roam around like a zombie, caffinate, and attempt to begin the day. Wait, did I miss something? Probably like most of you, I did. Breakfast.

If you are like me, this is a meal that I have skipped for ages. Just because I cook for a living, it does not mean that I eat properly. Sure, some of us consider that cup of Joe our breakfast, but that is by no means considered a meal.

I am not promoting skipping this most important meal of the day, and yes it is the most important. I take the time the make sure both of my kids eat a healthy breakfast, but as I sit there, beside them and encourage them to eat it all up, I am still skipping my morning nosh. So, what can I do to change my unhealthy behavior?

Maybe I need an incentive. Some food item that excites me and makes me want to take the time to nourish my poor sleep deprived body, and make sure that I fill it up with the fuel that is needed to make me function properly throughout my day.

The list of possibilities are endless; eggs, toast and smoothies. In a perfect world, my man servant would serve me up a European style breakfast of cured meats and cheese, but alas, my winning lottery ticket has yet to be bought.

My husband leaves the house every morning with a jar of milk, a piece of fruit and his incentive, my homemade granola. Yes, this fruit and nut mixture is what makes him run like a fine tuned sports car, and purr all day long.

Ah the granola. Making your own granola sounds like a lot  of work but it isn't. Think of it as a fun project to make at night instead of watching the boob tube, or a rainy day activity with the kids. I switch mine up by adding whatever dried fruit and nuts I have on hand at the time. You can add honey, molasses or maple syrup to the mix, and if you want to be sassy, add some dried, crystallized ginger.

Want to turn it into a snack your kids will ask for? Throw in some chocolate chips and dried banana at the end once it is all cooled down. Granola in a fancy pants jar also makes a perfect gift for a hostess or birthday gal.

Try whipping up a batch of granola and make it your own. This mix goes great with yogurt, and I even sprinkle it on ice cream. Soak it in milk and plain yogurt for an hour an it turns into the ultimate muesli too.

Granola

• 450ml (5C) old fashioned rolled oats
• 375ml (3C) chopped almonds (or any nut that you prefer)
• 125ml (1C) sunflower seeds
• 125ml (1C) pumpkin seeds
• 125ml (1C) unsweetened shredded coconut
• 30ml (2tbsp) ground flax seeds

Mix all ingredients and add:

• 250ml (1C) honey
• 250ml (1C) maple syrup
• 150ml (1/2C) canola oil (or walnut oil works too)

Mix together and put on parchment lined baking sheets in thin layers and bake at 150c (300F) for about 45 minutes; making sure to stir every ten minutes.

Cook until golden brown, cool, and then add:

• 125g (1C) raisins
• 125g (1C) dried blueberries
• 125g (1C) dried cranberries

Store in a sealed jar. Keeps for about a month. 

Fesity Chef Cooking Classes - Fall 2012

It has been awhile, but the cooking classes at Two If By Sea in Dartmouth are back! Classes will be held Wednesday nights, at 7pm. Each class is $50. Registration can be done through email at Renee@feistychef.ca. Hope to see you this Fall. Please note that there is no class on Wednesday September 19th.  

Class #1: All Things Must Fall

Wednesday, September 12th - On this first evening, we will cook up some Fall favorites such as pumpkin soup, apple and bacon salad, seared scallops with celery root puree and salt roasted pears.

Class #2: Ciao Italia

Wednesday, September 26th - I am going to Italy this Fall, so tonight we will cook Italian! Fresh potato gnocchi with sage brown butter, tiramisu, spaghetti Carnonara and a very infamous warm cabbage and balsamic salad.

Class #3: Thanksgiving

Wednesday, October 3rd - A popular class from last year, a take on some Thanksgiving favorites. Brussel sprout and bacon salad, creamy mashed potatoes with grainy mustard, roast pork with crackling and a sweet potato pie.

Class #4: A Few of My Favorite Things

Wednesday, October 10th - An ode to some of my favorite dishes: meaty lasagna, frisee salad with lardons and goat cheese, Doug's No Knead bread and chocolate pudding.

Renee & Zoe's Strawberry Ice Cream

As I had promised in my blog post last week and as per the video, here is my recipe for Strawberry Ice Cream.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Makes Approximately 2L

• 2C of strawberries; hulled and washed
• 1C sugar
• 2C whole milk
• 2C 35% cream
• 1 vanilla bean; scraped (optional)
• 6 egg yolks

In a pot, add the strawberries and about 1 tbsp of the sugar. Bring to a boil and turn off.

In another pot, add the milk, 1/2C of the sugar and the vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer but not a boil. While this is happening, separate your eggs and whisk yolks with the sugar. Once the milk and cream has come to s simmer, slowly add a ladleful at a time to the egg mixture; constantly whisking so that they eggs do not cook. Add a few more until the egg mixture is tempered then pour back into the pot with the remaining milk and cream.

Slowly cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon. Pour through a sieve to remove vanilla beans and any solid and mix with the cooked strawberry mixture.

Cool completely, preferably overnight in the fridge. To make the ice cream the next day, follow the manufacturers instructions on your ice cream machine.

Rice Noodle Salad

It seems that as my days get busier and the weather gets hotter, it is a huge challenge for me to whip up a meal. We all have things we have as "go-to's", and my go-to is always a simple cold noodle salad.

I know that many of us may not keep such ingredients in the pantry, but for me, rice noodles, fish sauce and sambal olek are always floating around. And in the fridge, you will always find cilantro, carrots, cucumbers and a piece of meat.

On this particular day, as the temperature rose and the humidity became almost unbearable, I made my go-to salad and enjoyed it immensely. The crunch of the carrots and cucumber with the salty peanuts, the spicy vinaigrette, and the tender slices of striploin, filled the void on this day.

I started by soaking the rice noodles in warm water while I julienned my vegetables and chopped my cilantro. A vinaigrette of lime juice, ginger, fish sauce, sambal olek and sesame oil awaited the noodles and vegetables. To finish the dish off, I topped the noodles with some thinly sliced striploin steak from the night before and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

In less than ten minutes I had a delicious and fresh dinner that would also be great as leftovers for lunch the next day. Quick, simple and fresh; it's that easy.