My Market Inspiration

This is the time of year when inspiration can still be lurking in my closet, just waiting for the sunshine and flowers to arrive. But, give me a solid day at the farmers' market and a lil' bit if old fashioned sunshine and that inspiration can manage to emerge for a few hours.

On this particular day, while child #1 was away from the house on a 'field trip' with our friends, Scott and Joy, and child #2 quietly enjoying a nap, I was able to whip up a quick and beautiful meal of flank steak, carrot salad and slow roasted fingerling potatoes with lemon and garlic.

The steak, purchased at the market the day before, was marinated overnight in Worcestershire, lemon juice, rosemary and olive oil. After quick broil (BBQ's still in the basement) and a much needed rest, the meat was thinly sliced and ready to serve. Simple and delicious.

Next was my carrot salad. You've seen it before in a previous post. This is my go to salad these days. It is super easy, only needs a few key ingredients, makes use of produce still in season and it's delicious!

Last, but not least, was the potatoes - the star of this dinner! These gorgeous french fingerlings from Elmridge Farm, were sliced and slowly roasted in a mixture of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. The only word to describe these potatoes which were cooked for 2 hours in a low oven, is succulent!

Needless to say, the peak market days are still many weeks away, but with a little imagination, some lovely seasonal produce and some great company there is still much to be inspired by at this time of year!

Terrible Two's Carrot Muffins

These days, I find myself fighting with my 2 year old on a daily basis. Is it because she is knee deep in the terrible two's? Perhaps. But one of the biggest issues we have is her "choice" in what she now wants to eat.

This is coming from my perfect child whom I bragged about because she ate everything and anything. Well, times have changed and so has my game plan. Now, the tofu is hidden in a smoothie, the peas are perfectly placed in mashed potatoes and the broccoli is buzzed up with a banana. A new trick that has brought me a little bit of peace and quiet is the carrot muffin.

I know, just because it is a muffin, and it contains carrots, does not necessarily mean it is healthy. Well, being aware of this, I don't want it to be! Yep, bring on a treat that contains carrots, apples and raisins and I'll turn a blind eye to the amount of fat involved if it makes her happy. If Zoe screams at me 'cause she wants one, well let us not let the lil' lass wait.

Here is a quick carrot muffin recipe that has kept the peace at my house lately, and hopefully will do the same for yours!

Terrible Two's Carrot Muffins

• 1 1/2C sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1C oil
• 2tsp vanilla
• 2C flour
• 2tsp baking soda
• 1tsp baking powder
• 2tsp cinnamon
• 2C  grated carrots
• ½ C  raisins
• ½ C chopped walnuts
• ½ C coconut
• 1 apple; grated

Cream together sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and fruit. Mix and spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 400°F for 18 - 20 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Consume with your kids!

Costas' Spice Is Ever So Nice

[/caption] It doesn't take much to make me smile. A nap, a glass of wine or some extra stinky cheese can often be enough. But on a day where I thought I might lose my mind, just as the screams from my kids were piercing my ears, a smooth male voice came to me from my mudroom. There he was, the velvety voiced Costas Halavrezos, standing in my entry way while being harassed by child #1. As I ran to shield him from her begging, he handed over a small container of what I can now only describe as bliss. It was a  jar of the Ethopian Berbere spice from the Montreal based company Épices De Cru.

Since retiring from CBC Radio a few months ago, Costas has decided to pair up with acquaintances from Montreal and become the Épices De Cru man on the East coast. After recently mentioning this spice mix to me, and as he lives in my 'hood, he was kind enough to help out this damsel in distress on drop some off.

I had no intention of letting the day finish without giving this extra special spice mix a test drive. After some quick decision making, I decided to marinate some Pacific white shrimp in the spice mix before sauteing them in a hot pan. I used the same pan to fry some cauliflower with cumin seeds, fresh tomatoes and cilantro. I placed the cauliflower along with the shrimp on top of  a quick couscous of raisins and orange. (Keep in mind, I only have 20 minutes to make dinner each night while Doug reads to bebe #1!).

After reading Green Eggs & Ham the our lil' Queen, Doug floated down the stairs  to find the the heady aromas of the Berbere spice emanating from the kitchen. Our dinner was ready! You have to believe me when I tell you how happy I was to sit down with a large glass of Nova Scotia L'Acadie Blanc and a plate of my quick Épices De Cru inspired concontion.

Thank you again Mr. Halavrezos for the spices and for saving this poor soul's life! If you aren't as lucky as me to have such a dapper man deliver spices to your door, you can find him at the Halifax Brewery Market on Saturdays or on Twitter @CWNH.

It Was A "Bean" Of A Weekend

How does it go? Beans, beans, good for your heart, the more you eat,the more you ....well, I think you get the gist of it! I recently went back to my homeland (yep, good 'ol Shawville, PQ) and had the most fantabulous weekend! Not only did I get a break from the suckling piggy (my very large and always hungry 6 month old) but also got to enjoy some amazing cooking and tons of baked beans.

Now, do you think that perhaps I am just asking for trouble by eating beans all weekend? Hardly now. How could I resist the rich and sweet baked beans at Murray Street KWC in Ottawa? Molasses baked beans with succulent duck confit all topped off with baked eggs and duck fat fried bread crumbs? Yowza, it was a wonderful start to my Saturday! But my beans weren't the only amazing thing about my meal. Zoe, the ever adventurous 2 year old that she is, ordered headcheese. Doug, had the "whole cow challenge". Both of these dishes blew us out of the water! Doug's dish came in the form of a chicken fried steak served with some fresh, free range fried eggs and a side salad. Perfect. Zoe and her headcheese; now that is a story in itself! The flavors of this delicacy blew us all out of the water, and Zoe certainly enjoyed the homemade crostinis and "baby pickles" as she called them. My only wish would have been that we could have returned for dinner, but alas, the big boy back home and a pot of baking "feves au lard" were awaiting us.

My second foray into baked beans on this weekend came in the form of my momma's famous "feves au lard". Different from the Murray Street beans, by way of salted pork belly and lard, instead of their sweeter version. My mother makes these in her special bean pot, and they have "bean" a favorite in the Lavallée home since God only knows when! These salty baked beans always remind me of going to my grandmother's house on holidays and enjoying a big bowl of them doused in brown sugar. Yes, you read right.

There are two schools of thought on the "feves au lard". (See the recipe below). Those of us who put brown sugar on them, to get a salty, sweet bowl of beans, and those (like my better half) who opt for ketchup. Anyway you garnish your beans, these stink makers are worth eating.

Whether you enjoy the sweet, molasses infused version of baked beans or the French Canadian "feves au lard", my only advice to you: do not make any plans that have you and other people confined in close quarters! Happy tooting to you!

LOUISE LAVALLEE’S FEVES AU LARD

• 900g (2lbs) white navy beans; soaked over night
• 454g (1lbs) salt pork; cubed
• 225g ( ½ lbs) lard
• 2 onions; peeled and left whole
• Salt and pepper

Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain the next morning and place in a ceramic casserole or bean pot. Add the ingredients and cover with cold water. Place foil over the top and bake in a 175 (350) oven for 3 to 4 hours or until soft. Check occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid and that the beans do not dry out. Serve with brown sugar, ketchup or chopped raw onion.

Sunday Night Dinner #7: Kitchen Sink Soup

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....wait, that's just a typical Sunday at my house! I don't think I need to go into any detail as to what happened on this last Sunday; I had dragged my sorry ass into the kitchen to make us a somewhat healthy and hot meal, blah, blah, blah. The only saving grace on this particular Sunday was that we had made a trip to the Dartmouth Market the day before and had scored a few gems; tatsoi and loads of basil from my favorite Mennonite farmer, and the last of the sweet corn from Noggins. The rain had decided to pay us a visit in Halifax (hard to believe!) and the chill was setting into all of our bones. The only sustenance that I could muster up was a good 'ol kitchen sink soup; aka, the soup of soups, the king of kings, the thing that dreams are made of.

Into my giant green Creuset pot, chopped bacon,onions and garlic started to dance and were screaming out for more friends to join them. A handful of isreali couscous, fingerling potatoes and the last of the yellow teardrop tomatoes decided to join the fun, and brought along their friend Mr. Basil. A splash of chicken stock that had been hiding in the freezer and a slow simmer for an hour, the kitchen sink soup was almost ready to be consumed.  A sad looking piece of cauliflower and a few ears of corn and the tatsoi were added to the giant pot of bubbling goo. Off the heat and into big white bowls where it was topped off with little croutons made from our week old bread and a shaving of Old Growler cheese. This steaming bowl of goodness was by far the most favorite of my recent dinners, and it was all made with the goodies that were lurking in the cupboards and fridge, just waiting for their time to shine.

Crunchy Salad

I recently had a request for a gluten and dairy free recipe. As most of you know by now, bread and cheese are two of my favourite things, but felt that I should expand my horizons and come up with a dish that would accommodate people that have allergies or aversions to these. So, with a few cookbooks in hand, I did some research and I came up with this fresh and simple dish that I haphazardly named "crunchy salad".  Once you make it and try it out, you'll understand why I've called it this. As always, this recipe is intended to be a guide for those of you at home. So take it and run with it! Who knows, yours may end up being a whole lot better than mine!

Crunchy Salad

• 1 english cucumber; diced
• 1 red pepper; julienned
• 4 carrots; julienne
• 1 pkg tofu; diced and fried
• ½ bunch cilantro; roughly chopped
• ½ C. basil; roughly chopped
• 1 C. cashews or peanuts; roughly chopped (optional)
• 4 scallions; julienne
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• ½ pineapple; large dice
• 12 x 16/20 shrimp, sauteed (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together with vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette

• ½ C. canola or grape seed oil
• ¼ C. sesame oil
• ½ C. tamari or soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• ½ inch ginger; peeled and minced
• 2 cloves garlic; minced
• ¼ C. chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp sambal olek (optional)

Whisk together all the ingredients and pour over the salad.