Lemon Basil Orzo

This recipe is an Iz Original. I was just playing around in the kitchen one night and decided to wing it!

Ingredients:

1 cup orzo (uncooked)

1/2 onion, diced to about the size of the orzo

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 can navy beans

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced (packed in oil or rehydrated in water if you buy the dried ones)

1/4 cup diced artichokes

2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1.5-2 tbsp finely-grated lemon zest

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the orzo as directed on the package.
2. In 1 tbsp olive oil, cook onions and garlic until onions are soft and transparent
3. Stir in the artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and beans. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in remaining olive oil, lemon zest, basil, and parmesan cheese.
6. Add orzo and toss to combine evenly.
7. Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe turned out really well. The lemon + basil combination was fantastic, and I might even add more lemon next time. I would also suggest using freshly cracked pepper - it was a nice complement to the lemon and basil flavours. Also, I would recommend chopping the vegetables as close to the size of the orzo as you can. It's nice to have that consistency in size. One thing I might try next time is adding some spicy heat - like a pinch of dried chili flakes.

Either way, this recipe was great and fresh-tasting. I will definitely make it again!

Pasta with Artichokes and Asparagus.

This is a recipe that a recent houseguest made for my roommate and I as a thank you. It was SO delicious and I have made it once since. It is a little pricey to buy all the ingredients, but it is such a treat.

Ingredients:

• ½ lb pasta (fettuccini or linguini)
• ½ cup olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, julienned
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ lb asparagus, cut into small spears
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and diced
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 6.5 ounce jar of marinated artichokes, drained and quartered
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 tbsp pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions.

2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over low-to-medium heat.

3. Add onions and stir frequently, until caramelized (about 15-20 minutes).

4. Add remaining olive oil, garlic, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, and walnuts.

5. Cook until asparagus is tender (about 5 minutes).

6. Remove pan from heat and stir in artichokes, oregano, and olives.

7. Toss veggies with pasta, adding salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Stuffed Tomatoes

I'm a little behind on my blog postings, but I've been cooking up a storm ever since I finished my Masters paper. (Yay me!)... Anyway, here is the first of many blog postings for today/this week.

I had hit up a local farmers' market and bought a whole bunch of local produce, including way too many tomatoes. So, I needed a way to use them up fast. I thought of stuffed tomatoes, which my mom used to make all the time. I googled a few recipes and didn't find one I was happy with, so I winged it and came up with this one.

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes

1 onion, sliced into half-rings

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 can black beans

1 cup bread crumbs

1 tsbp fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees C.
2. Saute the onions and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil on low-to-medium heat until very soft.
3. Meanwhile, cut top 1 inch off of tomatoes and scoop out the insides. Dice the tops and set aside.
4. Grease 4 oven-proof ramekins with some olive oil. Place tomatoes open-side up in the ramekins.
5. Add black beans to onions and garlic with some salt and pepper. Heat for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in basil, thyme, and 2/3 cup bread crumbs. Add a bit of olive oil and stir until combined. (The breadcrumbs should bind the ingredients together a bit).
7. Fill each tomato with the stuffing and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes or until tomatoes are heated through and breadcrumbs are browned and crispy.

This recipe turned out really well. Though I ate a few of these on their own, they'd make a great side dish to some grilled chicken or even chicken parm.

Thai Coconut Red Curry and Rice Noodles

It's been a while since my last post. I haven't stopped cooking, I just haven't had time to write. I'm working on completing my Masters in Linguistics and have a 40-60 page research paper due (kinda like my thesis) in a few weeks. Needless to say, writing even more than I have to is not always on my agenda. However, I have just submitted a second draft of the entire paper for editing... So I'm almost done and am feeling like writing a good blog post!

So I had tried to make this Thai soup on the weekend that called for 1/4 cup of coconut milk. The recipe was a fail, but thankfully I had all the leftover coconut milk to use up! I had planned on using a recipe that called for a can of diced tomatoes... Alas when I opened the can I realized it was seasoned with Italian spices... No go for a coconut Thai curry noodle dish! So I decided to just wing it and make my own recipe... And it worked PERFECTLY.

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1 tbsp fish sauce

3/4 cup coconut milk

1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter (smooth or chunky!)

2 tbsp brown sugar

chili sauce, to taste

1/2 cup snow peas, sliced on an angle

1/2 cup each, red and orange pepper

1/4 package rice noodles (or enough to serve 2 people)

Directions

1. Place rice noodles in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit.
2. Saute garlic and ginger in a pan with some vegetable oil until soft.
3. Stir in curry paste until fragrant (30 seconds or so - don't burn it!)
4. Add in fish sauce, coconut milk, peanut butter, and sugar. Stir well.
5. Bring to a boil. In the meantime, rinse and drain the noodles. They should a little harder than al dente.
6. Once sauce has come to a boil, add snow peas and peppers.
7. Reduce heat and simmer.
8. Once sauce has reduced until almost the desired texture, stir in the rice noodles.
9. Heat on low until sauce is at desired thickness and noodles are cooked to preference.

Seriously... This recipe was amazing. I wouldn't change a thing - except maybe I would make more next time! This made about 2 servings.

Mashed Cauliflower with Caramelized Onions, Black Beans, and Sauteed Spinach

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store and found that cauliflower was on sale. As much as I love it raw or steamed, I was hoping to do something fancy with this cauliflower. I had seen a few cooking shows where they mashed it, like you would do with potatoes, so I thought I'd try that out... I also had some leftover black beans and wanted to work that into the meal as well. So I steamed and mashed the cauliflower, caramelized some onions, and added the beans and spinach. DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 3-4 tbsp sour cream
• garlic salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• a little bit of chicken broth

Directions:

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets and place in a large pot, with enough water to cover the florets by about an inch or so.
2. Boil for 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork tender.
3. Meanwhile, heat a bit of veggie oil in a frying pan on medium-high.
4. Add onions and lower heat to medium. Cook slowly, added chicken broth as necessary to keep the onions moist.
5. While the onions are cooking, drain cauliflower.
6. Add sour cream, garlic salt, and black pepper.
7. Mash with a potato mashed or an immersion blender, depending on the texture you'd like.
8. Add the black beans and spinach to the frying pan, and cook until spinach is wilted and bright green.
9. Spoon mashed cauliflower onto plate and top with onions, beans, and spinach.

ENJOY!

Brown Lentils and Vegetables

I've always tried to cook with lentils, and somehow I always manage to mess it up! Nonetheless, I continue to try to cook them. This time, instead of purchasing canned lentils I decided to go with dried ones. It seemed to work out! I found this simple recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 C of brown lentils
• 1 C carrots, diced
• 1 C red onions, diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 C celery stalks, diced (I used bell peppers, since I didn't have celery on hand!)
• 1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, put lentils, carrots, onions, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add just enough water to cover.
2. Bring to a quick boil, and then reduce heat and cover until lentils are tender but not mushy.
3. Drain well and then put the mixture in a medium bowl.
4. Add peppers (or celery... or both!), lemon juice, olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and parsley.

Notes:

As I mentioned, I didn't have any celery on hand so I used finely diced bell peppers instead. I also didn't have any parsely, so I added a few dashes of other spices - cayenne pepper, cumin, and turmeric - to give it some flavour.

All around, this recipe was a success! Lentil win!

White Chicken Chili

This recipe is care of Dr. Skarakis-Doyle, my Masters supervisor. I recently purchased a cast iron casserole and was desperate to cook something in it, so Dr S-D sent this recipe to me. It was so easy to make and it's delicious!

Ingredients:

1.5 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves of garlic, diced

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp hot sauce (Tabasco or whatever you prefer)

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

2 cans of white beans (navy or kidney), drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained (I used about a cup of frozen corn)

1 can of chopped green chilis (found in the Mexican food section of your grocery store)

Toppings:

6 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

6 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Put all of the ingredients (aside from the toppings) into a pot.
2. Simmer covered on medium-high for one hour, stirring regularly.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for three hours.
4. Pour into bowls and top each bowl with a tbsp of sour cream, a tbsp of of shredded cheese, and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

The recipe was delicious! A word of caution - if you're using a cast iron pot, stir the chili frequently so as not to burn the bottom of the chili. Also, the chili turned out not to be too spicy, so I added a bit more hot sauce when I served it. Drizzle it over the sour cream for a nice presentation!

Leek and Cauliflower Soup

After I made my delicious rosemary bread, I decided I needed some tasty soup to go with it. I had 2 leeks in the fridge and some cauliflower. I googled "leek and cauliflower soup" and came across this blog entry. It was simple and made use of ingredients that I already had!

Ingredients:

2 leeks, roughly chopped

1 onion, chopped

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

some broccoli florets (however many you'd like!)

2 cups chicken broth

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a large saucepan.
2. Saute onions and leaks until onions are transparent.
3. Add in cauliflower, broccoli, and broth.
4. Bring to a boil and then simmer until veggies are cooked.
5. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

This was a simple and quick soup to make. I served it with my rosemary bread, and it was roomie-approved! I will be making this soup often in the future.

Rosemary Bread

I went in search of a yummy, savory bread recipe this evening after a snowy day. I perused a few different recipes and came across this one. It seemed simple enough! This is the halved version of the recipe, so it makes one loaf.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/4 tsp instant yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp margarine, softened

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water.
2. After sugar is dissolved, stir in yeast until yeast is bubbly.
3. Add salt, margarine, rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Stir well.
4. Add 1 cup of flour and mix until dough starts to form.
5. Add flour as needed until dough forms a nice ball.
6. Knead for 10-12 minutes and roll into a ball.
7. Oil a large bowl and place dough in center. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Punch dough down and roll into another ball.
10. Place dough on a cookie sheet, lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

This bread tasted delicious... Unfortunately, mine didn't rise! I think my yeast had gone bad. Otherwise, the bread was awesome.

Turnip and Bean Stew (I need a better name for this recipe!)

This recipe is a K-Iz original. I had been craving some fast food - either pad Thai or a footlong sub. and I was desperately trying to talk myself out of it (for financial and dietary reasons!). I got home and took a good look at what I had on hand. A half of a turnip, red onion, celery, carrots, garlic... Homemade veggie broth, canned tomatoes. Sounds like a delicious stew to me!! So off I went.

Ingredients:

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 turnip, cubed into 1cm pieces

1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups broth (I used homemade veggie broth)

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Saute the celery, onions, carrots, and garlic on medium heat until onions are transparent.
2. Add the chick peas, black beans, and turnips. Stir well and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in the broth and tomatoes. Stir well.
4. Add bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper.
5. Simmer for about an hour, or until turnips are tender.
6. Test for spice levels and re-season if necessary!

This was a delicious, fast, and easy meal for me to make, and it was so hearty that it curbed my craving for icky fast foods! It would have been good with any other combination of veggies, maybe some cauliflower would've been nice too.

Penna alla "Not-ka"

I borrowed this recipe from a show called Cook Yourself Thin, where the chefs alter favourite recipes to have lower fat and caloric content. This particular recipe is an adjustment of Penna alla Vodka... minus the vodka!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes in juice, pureed in a food processor
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces penne
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 teaspoons oil with the garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 more minutes.
4. Add the tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently 10 minutes.
5. Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.
6. Meanwhile, after the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water.
7. Add the drained penne to the saucepan and simmer until the penne is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture is dry.
8. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, along with the basil and black pepper.
9. Garnish with some extra grated parm and pepper flakes.

I served this to my friends this weekend as part of our Girls' Night, and it was a big hit! Delicious and simple.

Carrot Ginger Soup

I'm not feeling too well this morning - cough, fever, stuffy nose - so I thought I'd make some homemade soup to try and clear my head. My mom had given me a ton of homemade turkey broth after Christmas, and my kitchen was stocked with about 4lbs of carrots... Natch, I decided to make some sort of carrot soup.

As usual, I googled for a recipe. I didn't find any one in particular that I liked, so I mixed and matched from a few. Here's what I came up with:

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp margarine

2lbs carrots, grated

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

6 cups turkey broth (you could use chicken or veggie)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat margarine over medium heat, add onions, and cook until onions are softened (but not browned).
2. Add carrots and ginger, and stir. Let cook for about 5 minutes, or until carrots are sort of "al dente".
3. Add broth and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until carrots are soft.
5. Puree with a hand blender or in a food processor.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe turned out really well, for the most part. Maybe it's just because I have a cold and I can't taste anything, but I thought the soup could use more ginger. So I added about a tsp of powdered ginger, and that seemed to do the trick.

Otherwise - this recipe will definitely become one of my go-tos!

Easy Corn Chowder

This recipe by Nigella Lawson was forwarded to me by my fellow foodie, Elijah. It was so easy and fast to make, and the chowder tasted so good!!

Ingredients:

750g bag of frozen corn niblets

3 green onions, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup semolina flour

6 cups vegetable broth

salt and pepper

chili powder (optional)

hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Soak corn in warm water to soften kernels. Drain.
2. In food processor, blend corn, garlic, green onion, and semolina flour until it reaches a desired texture.
3. Put corn mixture into a saucepan, and add broth. Stir thoroughly.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes, adding salt and pepper and other spices to taste.

This recipe was so easy to make, and turned out really well. It's very flexible as well - you could vary the spices that you add in order to alter the flavours.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

My favourite cookie is the Ginger Molasses cookie that Starbucks sells... It's so chewy and delicious (and expensive... and really high-calorie....). Nonetheless, I've wanted to find a recipe for these cookies forever!

I've tried a few out before, and by far this is the best one. It's lacking a some chewiness, but the taste was really nice.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 extra large egg

1/4 cup regular unsulphured molasses

granulated sugar (to roll cookies in)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with the rack in the center. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves into a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in egg and molasses until well-mixed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as you go.
5. Mix in the flour until well-mixed,
6. Place some sugar on a saucer. Using an ice cream scoop, measure dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheet, spacing evenly.
7. Flatten cookies a little using your fingers.
8. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet halfway through baking time.
9. Remove from oven and let cool.
10. Enjoy!

These were delicious, but much less chewy than I expected. I would definitely make these again!