A Life, Lived

Farro with Feta, Cucumbers, and Sun-dried Tomatoes

 

Whatever you choose to pair farro with the ever-versatile nutty Italian grain is sure to make the salad anything but boring! In fact, it just may be my favourite grain. It can be challenging to find here in Canada. I used to bring bags of it home from Italy (you can get large bags at the COOP for about $1.50). Then I found it for sale in the US and now I bring it home from there.

Farro cooks up quickly to a slightly chewy texture and has a sweet, nutty taste which pairs well with most anything. In this salad, from Skinny Taste, it is joined with mint, veggies, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta.

Paul whipped this together for dinner the other night and we both loved it!

 
Farro with Feta, Cucumbers, and Sun-dried Tomatoes

1 cup uncooked pearled faro
2 tbsp minced red onion
1/4 cup minced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh grated feta
2/3 cup finely chopped cucumber, seeds removed
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped mint or parsley
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Cook farro in salted water according to package directions until al dente, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Combine with remaining ingredients and toss well. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Grilled Pineapple Salsa

I know that there are some folks out there who will cringe at calling this 'salsa'; to them salsa is a tomato, onion, pepper mixture. It is savoury - never sweet. They would look on with an amused expression if someone started talking about a peach salsa . . . or a mango salsa . . . or a pineapple salsa.

Oh well, I have never been a big fan of dogmatic food purists.

Salsa entered English as the Spanish word for sauce. In this case it has a wide meaning.

This salsa is a simple one. You start with pineapple, peppers, and red onion - fruits and veggies which only improve with time over flames. After they were taken off of the grill they were diced and mixed with herbs, lime juice, and seasoned with some salt and pepper. The result is an amazing combination of sweet, spicy, and savory - all with a delicious crunch.

We served this with grilled ham steak but it would also be wonderful served with grilled fish or chicken.

Grilled Pineapple Salsa

1 large pineapple, skinned, cored, and cut into 1-inch rounds
1 red bell pepper
1 medium jalapeño
1 red onion, sliced into rounds and secured with toothpicks
1/2 cup loosely-packed, finely chopped cilantro
2 small limes, juiced
Kosher salt

Clean and oil the grilling grate. Light the grill and heat to medium-high. Place the pineapple slices, bell pepper, jalapeño, and onion slices on the grill.

Cook the pineapple until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill, chop medium, and place in a medium sized bowl.

Cook the peppers until completely charred all over. Remove from the grill to a bowl. seal the bowl with plastic wrap to steam the charred skins from the peppers. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, remove their skins and chop the red pepper medium and the jalapeño finely. Add to the bowl with the pineapple.

Grill the red onion for about 2 minutes per side. Remove the onion from the grill and allow to cool. Remove the toothpicks from the grilled red onion, chop, add to the bowl with the pineapple and peppers.

Add the cilantro, and lime juice to bowl and toss until well combined. Season with salt to taste and serve.

Summer Reads - the Charles Todd Mysteries

When I was in the classroom one of the many joys of the summer was catching up on my reading. I gather books year round but they'd pile up waiting for some time to dig deep into the pages. This is no longer such a dynamic now that I am in the office and can schedule vacation time whenever I want but there is still a pull to a more relaxed time in the summer months.

This mystery series came my way by accident  . . . I can't even remember how. In hindsight I have to wonder how I have missed them all of these years (the first book was published in 1998). The books have everything I love in a mystery novel - well written, historical, and there is more going on than just the actual mystery to solve. Yet somehow missed them I did (of course the problem is even greater given that there are other series by the same authors)

The series I am reading feature Ian Rutledge. Of course I started with one of the middle books and had to work back to the beginning to pick up the thread.

Picking up one of these post-World War I historical mysteries is like starting off on an uncertain journey. In each book, Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard, a shellshocked veteran of the Great War, makes his solitary way to some provincial English town, ostensibly to assist the local constabulary with a baffling crime but also to bear witness to the incalculable devastation brought about by the fighting.

One of the odd things about the books is that they are written by two authors - a mother and son writing team. They don't even live in the same state yet somehow they are able to collaborate and write tightly crafted books which keep your mind engaged until the last page.

If you have been living under a rock like I apparently was and haven't read one of these I highly recommend them!

Travel Tuesdays - Camping

We're off to Letchworth State park on the weekend.

I figured I'd head back to our last camping trip in the US for Travel Tuesdays.

I just hope we forgo the torrential downpours this year!

Grilled Fish Tacos

After yesterday's heart attack of a casserole (but oh so yummy) I thought I would post something a bit more healthy.

OK. A LOT more healthy!

Fish tacos are one of those amazing things we have to have every time we are in southern California (where they were invented). A fish taco is a beautiful thing to eat with a great combination of textures and flavours. The classic fish taco is not low fat/low calorie though. Because of that we prefer to make them with grilled fish.

This recipe from the folks at Fine Cooking is one of our favourites. I've made them many times but for some reason have never posted the recipe here. It is time to correct that!

Here, instead of deep-frying the fish for these fish tacos, you marinate the fish with a flavor-packed chile rub and grill it instead. The grilled fish is flaked, and served with crispy cabbage, a lime-cilantro sauce, pico de gallo, and corn tortillas.

You'll want to make sure the fillets are no more than 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick so they cook quickly. Sometimes flipping fish on the grill can be tricky since the fish can stick to the grill or fall apart. The solution is to invest in a grill basket that easily holds 4 to 6 fish fillets and secures the fish in the basket for easy flipping. If you don’t have a grilling basket, make sure the grill is hot and well oiled before adding the fish.

We have also made this recipe with shrimp and it is delicious!

Grilled Fish Tacos

For the lime-cilantro sauce:

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice

For the tacos:
2 tsp. ground ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 lb. firm-fleshed whitefish fillets (halibut, snapper, mahi-mahi, cod)
2 dozen 6-inch corn tortillas
2-1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
2-1/2 cups shredded red cabbage
Pico de Gallo
4 limes, quartered

Lime-cilantro sauce:
Combine all the ingredients in a 2-cup measuring cup and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to use.

Tacos:
In a small bowl, combine the ancho powder, cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir to mix. Add the oil and whisk until a loose paste is formed. Rub the fish with the spice paste and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.   

Light a charcoal fire or preheat your gas grill on high. Oil the grill’s cooking surface. Let the coals burn down to a medium-hot fire or adjust the gas grill burners to medium-high.

Grill the fish until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and coarsely chop.

Divide the tortillas into 2 stacks and wrap each in aluminum foil. Place on the grill until heated through, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the green and red cabbage.

To assemble the tacos, take 2 tortillas, top it with chunks of fish, a dollop of the sauce, a spoonful of the Pico de Gallo, and some of the cabbage. Squeeze a wedge of  lime over the filling, fold the tortillas, and eat.

Cheesy Bacon Pierogi Casserole

This ladies and gentleman is a casserole of pure comfort. I do not believe that there are any redeeming nutritional qualities about it but oh my, it is good! I made this last week while we had houseguests, I doubled the recipe ( so it would serve 8) and it was almost devoured by 4 people. Hardly shocking - potatoes, cheese, bacon, more cheese, pasta . . . what's not to love about that?

I was amazed at how easy it was to make - I guess many trailer trash type dishes are like that . . . I came home from work, changed, and had this bubbling dish on the table in less than an hour.

We served it with some cabbage salad and sauerkraut and kielbasa sautéed with onion and beer.

I'd definitely make this again as a special treat. . . I'm not sure I could afford the new wardrobe that would be required if I made this dish more often. :-)

Cheesy Bacon Pierogi Casserole

1/2 cup chicken broth
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon black
1 (16-ounce) package frozen potato and onion pierogies, cooked according to package directions, using the boil method
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 scallions, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine chicken broth, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, and pepper. Whisk until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir the pierogies into the mixture and pour into prepared baking dish.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle with bacon and scallions; serve immediately.

Photo Hunt - Stop

This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'stop'.

I took this pic when I was in the Okanagan valley this spring. I love how someone made this stop sign political (Stephen Harper is the current Canadian Prime Minister and we hope he will be stopped in October when we have our next Federal election).

Raspberry Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a baked custard like cake that originated in the countryside of central France. It is a rustic dish that is simple to make and tastes so good that people will believe you slaved in the kitchen for hours.

Traditionally it is made with cherries but after I had made cherry jam last week there wasn't enough cherries left for eating out of hand AND the clafoutis. Happily I had plenty of raspberries so I sapped them in instead.

Clafoutis is normally made with whole cherries - pits and all - with the pits providing an almond flavouring but also make eating the dessert a tad challenging. Most cooks opt to use pitted cherries and add a bit of almond flavoring instead. As I was using raspberries I decided to forgo the almond flavouring all together.

I used my regular recipe which was created by Elise at Simply Recipes with a few adaptations.

Raspberry Clafoutis

2 cups of fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons of blanched slivered almonds
3 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of milk (2% or whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and lightly flour a 9X9 or 10X7 baking dish. Scatter the raspberries and slivered almonds over the bottom of the dish.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the salt and flour until smooth.

Add the milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the baking dish over the raspberries and slivered almonds.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until lightly browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Check about halfway through the baking and if the top is getting well browned tent it loosely with aluminum foil.

When you pull it put of the oven it will wiggle a bit which is normal. Place on a wire rack to cool. The clafoutis will have puffed up quite a bit and will deflate while cooling. When cool dust the clafoutis with powdered sugar. Serve.

Fiesta Bean Salad

Summer is in full swing, so that means we're still happily swimming in salads over here. This one is hearty with a nice protein boost from all the beans. Garbanzos (although I opened a can of the wrong ones so we had white kidney beans instead) and black beans are my two favorites, so I love them joining forces in the same dish.

I've always been a huge fan of the cumin-lime-garlic combination and it's the perfect way to make this salad shine. Can't go wrong with southwestern flavors!  This was a great accompaniment with the grilled fish tacos we made last week.

This is definitely a great choice for packed lunches and BBQ's/picnics as well.

Fiesta Bean Salad

 

15 oz. can garbanzo beans

15 oz. can black beans

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 small red onion

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup corn (we used Trader Joe's roasted corn)

1/3 cup cilantro

1 avocado

 

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Juice from 1 lime

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

 

Make the dressing: in a small bowl, add all ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside.

 

Rinse and drain beans. Add to a medium bowl.

 

Mix in the remaining ingredients (except avocado).

 

Pour dressing over bean mixture and stir.

 

Peel and dice avocado. Add it to the salad and lightly toss to combine. 

 

Can serve immediately or chill for at least an hour. (If not serving immediately, you can add the avocado right before serving to prevent it from browning if you wish.)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

This goes on the list of the best thing I have made in awhile.

Yes Joanne, I made it before we went to California - no desserts for me now. :-(

Dessert bans aside - if you can get your hands on some lovely, local, ripe strawberries make this. Of course, I suspect any fruit would work just fine - strawberry season over - try some peaches or plums. You get the picture.

One of the many great things about this recipe is how quickly it goes from a pile of ingredients on the counter to an amazing dessert which will 'wow' folks. Or if you're not intent on wowing folks it will added a delicious hit of yummy goodness at the end of your meal. . . or for breakfast the next day because it is just that yummy.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

For the topping:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons sugar in the raw
Zest of one lemon
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped (1-inch pieces)
1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat oven to 375°F.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon zest and add the melted butter. Mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed.

Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

Remove topping from refrigerator. If it has settled into one giant mound, rough it up a bit with your hands to create the crumbles again. Cover fruit thickly and evenly with crumble (and don’t forget to get the edges good).

Place pie plate on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.  If your crumble starts to get too brown, but the fruit isn’t quite bubbling yet, cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking until it does.