The Bird Nest

I don't know how it happened, it just did.  The fennel needed to be used up so I started from there.  Onion seemed to be an obvious companion to the fennel.  There was some nice sliced ham in the fridge.  Why not add some eggs too?  All of a sudden there was something in my frying pan that looked like a bird nest.
(Ross)

It all started with fennel and onion....

Ham and Eggs with Fennel
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium to large onion
1 medium bulb of fennel
6 oz sliced deli ham
2 to 4 eggs
1 to 1 1/2 oz cheddar cheese (shredded)
Pepper (cracked)
Salt

• Chop onion and fennel then saute both in the olive oil.  This is a good time to add a few grindings of black pepper.
• Once it is translucent, chop the ham and add it to the mixture and continue cooking for about 2 or 3 minutes.
• Create a hole in the middle of the mixture and drop in the raw eggs.  Cover with a lid and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Once the egg whites have set, grind some more pepper over the top and sprinkle on the grated cheddar.  Replace the cover, turn down the heat to low, and leave until the cheese has melted.
• Carefully slide the results onto a plate and enjoy.

The eggs in their nest:

 The results:

Saga of the Steel Cut Oats

I’ve come to the conclusion that the oats are rancid. I check the best before date, still six months. But with good intentions the box has been sitting in my pantry for about a year.

Off to Bulk Barn. History tells me that this trip can be expensive, so I forgo the shopping cart which should limit the bags.

Thinking back, I should have at least picked up a basket at the door. As the oats scatter across the floor at the checkout, all I can think is "can I get a picture for the blog”?

I give the new oats the sniff test. They don’t smell similar to what I’ve been using. They smell like oats. I realize they smell like they should. I toss the old box, grab a mason jar, and add the new oats to the shelf.

Here’s the recipe for the latest taste test. 

(For one)

1/4 cup "fresh" steel cut oats

1 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Add the four ingredients in the order listed in a smaller baking dish. Using a water bath to cook the oats, place the smaller baking dish in the slow cooker. Water should come about half way up the side of the dish.

Set on low, or 10 hours.

I've tried raisins, dried cranberries, and apples, during the cooking process, and like the raw apple best. I add it a few minutes before I'm ready to eat the oats. A little brown sugar and allow it to melt over the top, and I'm good to go.

1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled, and cut in small chunks

1 - 2 tsp brown sugar depending on your taste

After stirred, the apples disappear.

Apples after the 10 hour cooking process

I've exhausted the trial and error of the steel cut oats.

But I do know what I like and what I don't like.

I definitely like the fresh ones for sure!

An Old Reliable

Fruit Salad -- it's a comfort food but it can be healthy too!

Last night, I was out of Weight Watcher points but starving.  Not in the mood for yet another kale salad, I was racking my brain to come up with something that would satisfy me.  In my fridge there was a pineapple, apples, blackberries, oranges, and strawberries.  I could practically hear them yelling to me as soon as I opened the door.  Fruit salad it is!

The trick to a good fruit salad is combining items which go well together.  Some combinations seem like good ideas, but when they hit the plate, yikes!  I like to taste things as I go in order to verify they will work together as a team.  My apologies, that sounded like it came straight out of Corporate America. Basically, start off with a few fruits you want to use and then see what will go with them.

The apple is tart, the pineapple is sweet, the black berries a bit tangy.  The strawberries, orange, and kiwi add colour.  The banana helps balance out the flavours.

Next decision -- how to serve it?

If it's not going to be eaten right away, chances are the banana and apple are going to start turning brown.  Luckily, this is where our friend citrus comes in handy.  By chopping the fruits into bite sized pieces then mixing, them all together, the juice from the orange will coat the banana and apple and keep them looking yummy.

On the other hand, if the fruit salad is going to be eaten right away, then no worries.

My Mango's Not Ripe

Pucker up baby! This sucker is sour. Now what do I do with a mango that's not ripe?

I know...I'll make mango salsa.





Here's the recipe:


1 mango (ripe or otherwise), diced
1 firm plum tomato, remove seeds and dice
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1 tsp shallot, minced fine
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp lemon pepper
cilantro, minced fine

Mix all together and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Now what do I want to cook that goes with mango salsa?

Salmon...after all it is Friday.

The recipe is for one salmon filet:

1/8 cup crushed crisp Chinese chow mein noodles
pinch kosher salt
1 Tbsp Greek yogurt, plain
2-3 tsp butter

Coat the salmon with the yogurt. You might get a little messy.

Once coated with the yogurt, roll the salmon in the chow mein noodles with the pinch of salt.

Heat a frying pan to medium heat, melt a tsp of butter and add the salmon. Cook about 4 minutes. Add another tsp of butter and flip the salmon. Cook another 4 minutes.



Yum!

Another alternative to a half lime is to buy the lime juice. I almost fell over when I saw the price of limes today. Fresh lime juice is available in most produce departments. Lets hope the price of those doesn't go up as quickly as the real fruit.
(Shelley)

The Baked Pasta Compromise

I love pasta, well, if the truth be told, I love most things starchy and full of carbs.  Part of successfully eating a healthy diet is compromise.  That is what I tried to achieve with this recipe -- I wanted to capture the richness of baked ziti but without so much of the guilt.  The usual ziti pasta was replaced with whole grain penne and chopped broccoli.  The sauce contains no meat, so it's lower in fat, plus to make it richer, I added fat free cottage cheese.  Some of my friends think I'm 'off my rocker' for using cottage cheese in something like this, but the sweetness of it balances nicely with the tang of the tomato.
(Ross)

Whole Grain Baked Pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions
1 large green pepper
2 tbsp dried oregano
Cracked pepper
2 tbsp garlic puree
16 oz package of frozen broccoli
2 28 cans of tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree
Cayenne pepper
6 oz can of tomato paste (only needed if sauce is too thin)
12 oz package of whole grain pasta.  Penne, ziti, macaroni, etc work best.
24 oz fat free cottage cheese
12 oz low fat mozzarella - grated

• Chop onions and green peppers then saute in olive oil in a large pot.
• Once the onions have started to become translucent, add the oregano and several good grinds of cracked black pepper.  Let this cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add the broccoli and the garlic and stir together.
• Let sit for no more than a minute or two (otherwise the garlic may burn) and add the canned tomatoes.  Depending on the type of tomato being used, a small can of tomato paste may be needed too.  I used pureed tomato and didn't need the tomato paste.
• The cayenne pepper is also optional -- I used 1/2 tsp, but everyone's preferences are different.
• Let this mixture simmer over a low heat.  The longer this type of sauce cooks, the better it tastes.  Just make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
• Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the box, but keep it on the firm side as it will continue to cook in the oven.
• Drain the pasta and mix it plus the cottage cheese into the sauce.
• Pour the mixture into a large glass dish such as a lasagna pan.
• Top with the grated mozzarella and bake.
• Remember to turn the oven on.
• 375 F for about 30 minutes or so.  The cheese should be starting to turn brown and the mixture making that lovely sizzling sound.
• Remove from oven and let stand for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

In the pot:

Ready to bake:

Just out of the oven:

On the plate:

Aftermath of Whiteout Wednesday

After a sleepless night listening to the wind howling, I drag my butt from under the electric blanket and head out to shovel the driveway.

The windchill is -15C and it's brisk to say the least. My steps, walk, and driveway have drifted in with snow, and the guy has been by and cleared the end of my driveway.

But he has filled in the sidewalk and left a huge bank of snow jutting out into the road just waiting for the snowplow to drive by and push it back in again.

I get to work.

Ninety minutes later, standing out of the wind, I take a minute to survey my hard work and the beautiful white scenery and think...OMG...the oatmeal.

Bruce is intrigued and had a little lick at the bowl!

It's a little congealed, but still warm. With my fingers still tingling from the cold wind, I add 2 Tbsp of brown sugar (because I shovelled) and scarf it down...I think I'll have toast tomorrow.










I know the shovelling is not done for the day. The sidewalk plow goes by and partially fills in the driveway, and I shovel a path at my son's place. Well more than a path actually. I'm a little bit stubborn so I shovel the driveway. It's now 6:00 pm.

The last thing I feel like doing is making supper. Take out. I've earned it today.
(Shelley)

Let's Try Something New

A day or two ago, I bought a couple of bulbs of fennel so I could give it a try.  I'm ashamed to admit that at my age, this is my first time eating it.  It's not often I use an ingredient that is new to me, so this was a particular challenge.  I like a challenge!

The first thing I wanted to do was to taste it raw.  It has a mild anise flavour and is very pleasant on its own.  I think it would be nice to take a bit raw fennel to work and have it as a mid afternoon snack.  Refreshing and soothing at the same time.  It's important to make sure the fennel is rinsed well as it can be gritty (similar to leeks).  Luckily I was warned by a wise cousin about this.

My first reaction these days seems to be to make a salad.  Today was no exception.  Although it looks a bit like the Asian salad I had last week, it actually is quite different.
(Ross)

Chopped Salad with Fennel
Half a large bulb of fennel
5 raw Brussels sprouts
Half of an English cucumber
1 tomato
1/4 cup of chopped green onion
1 1/2 oz crumbled feta cheese
2 tsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Cracked pepper

• Slice the Brussels sprouts and place in salad bowl.
• Chop the cucumber into bite sized pieces, then add it to the bowl.
• Chop the fennel into smallish pieces and add to the mixture.
• Slice the tomato in half and cut one side into pieces similar in size to the fennel and cucumber.  Add this to the salad.
• Chop the remaining tomato half fairly finely and add.  Make sure to also add any juice that came out of the tomato while being chopped.
• Add the green onion and feta and toss the ingredients to mix.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the top and let salad sit for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle a pinch or two of kosher salt on top along with a couple of good turns of cracked pepper.
• Toss one additional time, then enjoy.

Besides using it raw, I wanted to try it cooked as well.  When I cut it up, it reminded me of an onion, so I thought saute it in a bit of olive oil.  Yum.  The cooking adds a sweetness to it the same way that frying an onion will make it taste sweeter too.  I had some artisan salami in the fridge, so I sliced off a few pieces and fried them in with the fennel.  Double yum!  I need to come up with an appetizer using this combination.

Oatmeal Update

I'm like a dog with a bone with this oatmeal. I'm not going to be happy until I get it just right.  I made some changes to the recipe and tried it again.

Here we go for round 2:

1/4 cup steel cut oats
1 cup water
1/4 cup milk
pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

This morning I added a Tbsp brown sugar when I was ready to sample.

I didn't make the crowd size this time, and although I was able to put it away, 1/4 cup was still a little too much for me.

But there is just something about it that's not quite right.

Maybe my taste has been skewed by the quick cooking packages I've bought over the years.


So we are on to round three. Here's tonight's recipe:

1/4 cup steel cut oats
1 cup water
2 pinches salt
1 tsp vanilla


Perhaps I'll add a few strawberries to the top this time with the brown sugar.

Today has been one of those cold and windy snowy days we are not supposed to have once spring has arrived. I hear the plow go by yet again, and remember there is still about 250 square feet of snow sitting at the end of the driveway that I have to tackle in the morning. Oatmeal will hit the spot for sure tomorrow. I just know it!

Pork Stir Fry

Love stir fry. Chicken or pork, whatever is handy. Today it's the pork I took from the freezer yesterday and didn't use. I usually have oyster, fish, or stir fry sauce on hand, but today I had none of the above. I decided to try something new and not make a sauce. Turned out pretty darned good.

I have a terrible habit of making too much, so I was very careful measuring out the portions.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 broccoli
1/2 cauliflower
1/2 cup snap sugar peas
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 cloves garlic minced
4 oz sliced pork loin, fat trimmed
1/2 - 1 cup water (boiling)
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
juice from 1/2 lime
cooking spray

Spray the frying pan with cooking spray and heat to medium. When oil is hot, add the pork and cook until browned.  remove pork and set aside.

Give the pan another good shot (about 2 seconds) of the cooking oil, and add the garlic. Saute just until starting to brown, add the vegetables and 1/2 cup of the water. If you have a lid for the pan, cover and let cook about 7 to 10 minutes. I tend to like mine a little crisp. Cook off the water.

If you are cooking uncovered, you may have to add more water as the vegetables cook.

Once the vegetables are cooked how you like them, add the pork, the soy sauce, and the lime juice.

Heat through.

Oops...technical difficulties! I think I was so excited to try the stir fry, I may have forgotten to take the picture of the finished product.

This is the calm before the storm. If the weather does what the reports say, everything will be white tomorrow and at least three feet deep.

Stay tuned....

Kamut

I'm on a mission to have more whole grains in my diet.  A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a bag of Kamut to try.  Also known as Khorasan wheat, it looks like large grains of brown rice.  The instructions on the package said to either soak overnight and boil for 30 to 40 minutes, or if not soaked, boil for 45 to 60 minutes.  Not being a patient person, I didn't bother doing the overnight soak.  The result was a pleasant surprise with a slightly nutty taste and a pleasantly chewy texture.
(Ross)


Kamut as a Side Dish
1 cup dried Kamut Berries
4 cups Water
1 tsp Butter, Garlic Olive Oil, or other interesting oil.
Sea Salt
Cracked Pepper

• Boil the Kamut in the water for 45 to 50 minutes. Add additional liquid if needed.
• Drain, then toss with the butter, sea salt, and cracked pepper.
• Serve

Kamut Salad
1 cup of cooked and cooled Kamut
1 tomato - chopped
1/3 of an English cucumber - chopped
2 tbsp of green onion - chopped
2 oz Feta cheese - crumbled
1 to 2 tsp olive oil or garlic flavoured oil
Cracked pepper
Sea salt

• Combine all ingredients and toss together.
• Serve and enjoy

Dried Kumat:

In the pot:

Cooked and ready to eat:

Kumat Salad:

Ugh! Mondays

I'm always ready to tackle a new week, until about noon. The weekend late nights start to kick in and all my best laid plans for Monday go out the window.

It's always good to have something on hand that's a quick lunch or dinner. Egg whites. I never knew you could buy just egg whites in a carton. I thought they must be artificial, after all, what do they do with the yolks? Are there hens that lay eggs without yolks?

Thanks to my son and his wife, I now keep a couple cartons in the fridge. One of my favourite ways to prepare is in a small frying pan (about 4 inches across), and have them in a toasted bagel with a little shredded asiago cheese, (yes the $20 block from Costco is still going strong) salt and pepper.

To prepare, spray the frying pan with a little oil and heat the pan to medium high. Pour in a half cup of the egg whites, sprinkle a little kosher salt and fresh pepper. When the egg has just about cooked through, evenly spread the shredded cheese and flip. Add a little more cheese if desired. I weigh the cheese and use 20 grams. (Aren't I good?)

Today this was a late lunch.

There are all kinds of things you can add to this sandwich; tomato, crisp bacon (I use chicken bacon), lettuce, green pepper, and the list goes on. I didn't have time to add anything.

Supper...

Ross had me thinking about the Asian salad dressing and I wanted to give it a try.

Wasn't colourful enough with the lettuce, cucumber, snap peas, and pecans. I added sliced strawberries and goat cheese.

Another quick meal to prepare. What you can't see is the glass of Pinot Grigio...bring on Tuesday!

Leftover Oatmeal

I know I said I'd have more please, but not the very next day. I'm not a big fan of leftovers, and I also don't like to throw anything away. (But that's not to say I don't.)

I have a cup and a half of cooked steel cut oats sitting in the fridge. Since we are on a bread theme already today, I thought lets make oatmeal raisin bread. I proceed without a recipe. Might have been a slight error in judgement on my part...

I dig out the bread maker. No paddle. I really don't feel like kneading by hand. I hear there is more snow coming so will be getting a workout shortly.

Once the paddle is located (note to self - put away with the bucket next time), I dump in the leftover oatmeal.

Here's where the fun begins. How do I know how much water;  how much flour. I think back to when I started the overnight oatmeal and do some quick calculations. A cup of water should do. I add the rest of the ingredients and start the bread maker on dough setting.

Maybe I was wrong. Some funny noises coming from the kitchen. I realize I should have done long division. I seemed to have forgotten in my calculations that the oatmeal has already soaked up water during the cooking process. I stop the bread maker, add more flour and start it again. Trial and error once more and we are good to go.

Here's the recipe

1 1/2 prepared steel cut oats
2 Tbsp brown sugar (adjust if oats have been prepared with sugar)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour (you will need to adjust depending on how wet the oats are)
1 1/2 tsp quick rising yeast.

My dough setting on the bread machine is 1 1/2 hours. Once the cycle is complete. Dump the mixture on a floured surface and give it a couple kneads. I split mine in two lots, and pan in well buttered heavy loaf pans. Let rise someplace warm for about an hour. I use the timer on my microwave (wink wink).

Bake 375F for 20 - 25 minutes. Test by giving the loaf a few raps on the bottom. Should sound hollow.

Sunday brunch - two slices toasted with a little specialty lime ginger marmalade, Dubliner cheese, and coffee, with or without the Baileys.
(Shelley)

Whole Wheat Bread

Years ago, my friend Jon shared with me his recipe for making white bread in the bread maker.  It's straight forward, reliable, and makes good tasting bread.  Since then, I've been experimenting with it to make all kinds of varieties.  Today it's whole wheat.
(Ross)

1 1/4 cups water
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast

• Place all above ingredients (in order) into the bread machine and set it on the dough cycle.  As it mixes, watch to make sure the dough is a nice sturdy consistency.  I think I might have used more than 2 tbsp of the molasses, so I had to add more flour to compensate.
•  After the dough cycle completes, turn out the dough on a floured board and form into a ball.  Decision time -- make one large loaf, or multiple smaller ones.  If using loaf pans, grease (or use cooking spray).  I decided to make rolls, so I placed a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet, divided the dough into eight, and formed them into little torpedoes.
• Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm dry place until double in bulk.  This took about 45 minutes.
• Bake at 375 until browned and they sound hollow when tapped.  Don't bake the dishtowel though!
• Cool and enjoy.

Just panned:

 After 45 minutes:

Ready to eat:

Mmmm Oatmeal

I like to have my morning coffee, and do a little work before I start thinking about making breakfast.

I know, probably not the best way to tackle the most important meal of the day.

I do try to have low calorie, high protein choices, and quite often end up with a banana.

A lot of weight loss programs will try their hardest to get you eating oatmeal. It's like they own shares or are on commission. I've bought the different flavoured quick oats and find them in the cupboard three years later.

A friend and co-worker suggested I try steel cut oats, and she gave me a recipe for overnight crockpot oatmeal. It's taken me a long time to give it a try since I'm not sold that oatmeal is for me.

Steel cut oats are something new for me, not something that I would put in a cookie, they look like little bits of rock. But last night I got the slow cooker out and decided to give them a try.

Here's the recipe I used. I did modify a little from the one I had.

1/2 cup steel cut oats (enough for three hardy gents..I had a bit left over)
2 cups water
1/2 cup skim milk
shake of cinnamon (I will omit next time)
1 Tbsp brown sugar (I will also omit next time and add it after it's cooked)
2 Tbsp dried cranberries

I didn't add salt, and I should have. not a lot, maybe 1/4 tsp or less. Had a bit of a flat taste that I think salt would have taken care of.

I used a water bath. The smaller pot is easier to clean than the larger crockpot.

Set the timer to 8 hours and go to bed.

The result was not too bad. I'm impressed with the flavour, and it's much more "stick to your ribs" than the quick cooking oats. Will I make it again? Yes please, I'll have some more.
(Shelley)

I'm in a Hurry!

It seems like every night this week I've been getting home late, and have used up most of my Weight Watchers points already.  Fast and healthy?  Hmmmm....

Quick Substantial Salad

2 cups of kale (the prewashed, bagged kind)
2 cups of shredded cabbage (bagged coleslaw mix)
1/3 of an English cucumber - diced
1/4 pound of deli sliced turkey
2 tsp roasted sesame seeds (from a bottle)
4 tbsp Asian Sesame Ginger salad dressing (low fat organic)

Combine kale, cabbage, cucumber, and turkey then toss.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cracked pepper.  Drizzle dressing over the top.  For extra heat, sprinkle on some freshly grated ginger.
(Ross)

When Things Go Wrong

My favourite way to cook a side of veggies is to oven roast them. Add a little olive oil and whatever spices you feel like at the time, and you have a great alternative to steaming or boiling. Tonight I roasted cauliflower and broccoli together. Carrots (cut small), Brussels sprouts (cut in half), Lima beans, or any other vegetable that would have similar cooking time can be added as well.

1 cup cauliflower
1 cup broccoli
1 Tbsp olive oil (or canola if you prefer)
a sprinkle of Kosher salt
a few grinds of fresh black pepper
and a few good shakes of garlic powder

Give it a good stir to get the vegetables coated with the oil.
Set the over temperature to 375F, and slide them into a cold oven.

Set your timer for 20 minutes, and give them another good stir.

Set the timer for another 20 minutes.

I like mine well done. No, not really. (sigh) I forgot to set the timer the second time.

Here's the thing. I'm usually pretty good in the kitchen, but I forget things. (And that has nothing to do with my age...it's genetic) I have lists and notes, and use the kitchen timer on my microwave 100% of the time. Well except for today.

Usually the only time things go wrong in the kitchen is when I have company or alcohol is involved. Tonight it was neither.

They didn't taste bad, the cauliflower was good, just the broccoli was a little crisp.
(Shelley)

I Know it's not Friday

Fish again today. I don't know which is more my favourite, salmon or haddock. I've been sort of off cooking vegetables, and I really don't like potato so it was salad again today with the haddock.

I used the mixed greens I had, and added some arugula. I topped with broken pecans, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and a few croutons. The dressing I made with balsamic vinegar, orange juice, and olive oil.

I dredged the fish in a little flour and fried in a Tbsp (or so) of butter.

There are so many recipes for baked haddock, poached haddock, and haddock with sauce. I like the simple things when it comes to my haddock. I find that the sauce takes away from the taste of the fish rather than enhance.

I used to smother all my fish in white vinegar, and still do if I'm out ordering battered fish and chips. But I have refined my taste somewhat and now use lemon when cooking at home.

(Shelley)