Popsicles & Paletas

Nothing makes me happier on a hot and sticky Summer day than a refreshing popsicle. As a kid, my favourite flavours were banana and chocolate. These days, trying to find those nostalgic flavours seem almost impossible, so I decided why not make my own? Easy enough, right? Yep, that is right. So easy that I recently started making some for The Shack Oyster Bar and TIBS At Nite. These popsicles or paletas are easy to make, using seasonal fruit and molds that are redly available. Here is a recipe for a raspberry and bitters paleta that I recently made (also pictured).

Raspberry-Peychaud's Bitters Paleta

Makes 6-8  

• 2 C fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 Tbsp Peychaud's Bitters
• 1 lemon; juice
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 C water
• In a blender, puree all ingredients for 2-3 minutes. Strain and pour into prepared molds. Freeze. These keep in the freezer for a week. 

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.

Spring Has Sprung

Can you feel it? I can. The first twinges of Spring have set into my being and I am now excited about those first few food items that come along with this season; rhubarb, fiddleheads and lovage. Yes, a crazy combination of sorts, but hey, I am a crazy kinda gal.

Let's start with lovage. When I was growing up in Quebec, my parents had this big, crazy bush of lovage that I had to walk by everyday. Everyday that I walked by that bush I complained that it stank and that the smell made me sick to my stomach; typical child behaviour. To me, lovage was the bane of my existence! It was only many years later, when I moved to Prince Edward Island to become Executive Chef of The Inn At Bay Fortune, that I had to face my fear. 

Working in a kitchen where I changed the menu daily, and depended on the garden for ninety percent of my produce, I realized that lovage and I were going to have to fall in love with one another. I took it upon myself to learn about this magical herb, that I could only describe as "celery on crack".

Lovage grows year round in some parts of the world, and unlike most herbs, when you cook it, it does not lose it's flavour. So, out came lovage soups, oils, purees and salads.  It works wonders in a chicken salad sandwich, and pairs perfectly with pears! I am now proud to admit that the first thing I planted when we bought our house, was a tiny lovage plant that has now turned into a beautiful, aromatic bush.

Fiddleheads, those green little creatures that look like a caterpillar. Full of Omega 3, 6, iron and fibre, these green guys pack a major punch. Only available for about 4-6 weeks out of the year, I hoard them and freeze, pickle and devour them until their short season is over. The thing about these ferny friends is that you must wash them several times and fully cook them to get rid of any harmful microbes. A trick? Soak them in cold water, rinsing several times and a quick blanch in salted boiling water. A little olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice is all these guys need.

Doug and I have lived in our little blue house on Lake Banook in Dartmouth for 6 years now, and it wasn't until last spring, while doing some major yard work, that I discovered a very random patch of rhubarb growing in our yard. How exciting, I thought. It reminded me of my childhood days, and how I would go over to Sheila's (she was our neighbor in Shawville), and secretly cut her rhubarb from the patch behind her garage, and hope that none of the neighbors saw me! I would stuff it under my shirt, and make a run for my yard and bolt through the side door completely out of breath. Of course, my rhubarb cutting never went unnoticed, as my mother would interrogate me on my "lucky" find, and would place a call to the McDowell residence to inform Sheila of my bad behaviour. To make it up to everyone, I would bake a rhubarb crisp, taken from a local Shawville Minor Hockey Cookbook, and eat it hot right out of the pan! Now that I have my own rhubarb patch, I can make this sweet and sour concoction anytime.

The Shawville Rhubarb Crisp

• 250ml (1 C) all purpose flour
• 250ml (1C) packed brown sugar
• 200ml (¾ C) oatmeal
• 125ml (½ C) melted butter
• 2 1/2 L (5 C) chopped fresh rhubarb
• 250ml (1C) white sugar
• 250ml (1C) cold water
• 30ml (2 Tbsp) cornstarch
• 5ml (1 Tsp) vanilla

In a bowl, mix the flour and brown sugar with the butter and oatmeal. Press ¾ of the mixture into the bottom of a 9" pan; cover with the rhubarb. In a saucepan, mix all the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Pour over the rhubarb and sprinkle the remaining topping on top. Bake in a 350F oven for 45-60 minutes until it is oozy, bubbly and brown!

Green Onion Cakes - Edmonton's secret no more.

Have you ever had a friend make you something that was so delicious that you couldn’t stop thinking about it? Well, that is what my friend, Zane Kelsall, and his addictive green onion cakes have done to me.

He first whipped me up a batch for this past New Years Eve. While I was stuffing my face with this addictive snack, I couldn't help but wonder how could he have waited so long to serve me this hot and savoury little treat. I mean, we have been good friends now for a few years, and we do the TIBS Family Dinners together. What gives? 

Anyhow, I obsessed about them for days until Zane promised to have me over for dinner for his wife Alexis’ fabulous Pad Thai and his amzing green onion cakes.

After eating way too many, dipped in a mix of Sambal Olek and soy sauce, I just had to write about them and share the recipe (which has been borrowed from Alexis’ wonderful blog “Domestic Bliss”).

Zane pointed out that this divine creation was considered street food in his hometown of Edmonton - something you eat after a night out on the town. I would take these over a donair any day. He also made it very clear that they're NOT to be called scallion cakes!

I won't make you wait any longer, here is the recipe for Green Onion Cakes. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Green Onion Cakes

• 2 1/2 cups white flour
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 bunch of green onions chopped
• canola oil for frying
• Sambal Olek & soy sauce for dipping

Mix the flour, salt, oil, and a little water together. Slowly add more and more water until dough forms a ball. Knead slightly until smooth and let rest under a damp cloth for an hour.

Roll out on a floured surface (add more flour as necessary so as to not let dough stick to the counter) as thin as possible. Avoid ripping or tearing the dough. Rub dough with olive oil and evenly cover with chopped green onions. Starting at one end roll dough tightly onto itself (like rolling cinnamon buns).

Slice the roll of dough into pieces anywhere between 1"- 3" in length. With each slice gently press the dough on the ends into itself ("like a present" my husband says), sealing the ends. Then with the slice standing upright in your palm, use your other hand to squish it into a patty like shape. Roll out this patty as thin as you can (without ripping).  Heat up a skillet over medium heat with oil. One by one, fry the green onion cakes until each side is golden brown.

Slice into wedges and serve immediately with Sambal Olek and soya sauce.

Super Awesome Granola Bars

I often try to do a baking project with my kids when at home, so today I decided to make a family favorite, granola bars.

This recipe literally took me 10 minutes to make and an extra 30 minutes in the oven. How easy is that? Next time you are thinking of buying bars at the store, but the ingredients to make them yourself. You will thank me for it.

Granola Bars

Makes 12-14 large bars

• 2C rolled oats
• 3/4C brown sugar
• 1/2C molasses
• 1/2C canola oil
• 1C flour
• 1/2C flax seed; ground
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1egg
• Pinch of salt
• 1C chopped dates
• 3/4C raisins
• 1/2C pumpkin seeds

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients and pat down firmly onto baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes. Let rest for five minutes then cut into desired size. Keep in airtight container.