A recipe and a cute photo!

Lately I have been having lots of good memories of childhood, whether it songs I heard when I was a kid, crafts I did, or old photos, it's put me in a warm nostalgic mood. The recipe I'm sharing today is one my Mama used to make, and it was one of my favorites! It's a white bean and escarole (or spinach) soup. Maybe this is where my love of white beans first began! 
It is a very simple soup and therefore each ingredients really shines. I highly recommend it for these cold days of winter.
The original recipe calls for escarole (a bitter green, similar to kale and swiss chard) but I like it with spinach, which is much easier to find!

White Bean and Spinach Soup
adapted from Molly Katzen

2 cups cooked white beans (canned or 1 cup uncooked, simmered in water for 1 1/2-2 hours)
1 tablespoon oil and butter
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
5 cups stock/water (if you cooked your own beans you can use some of the leftover cooking water)
1/2 pound chopped spinach

In a pot, melt the butter and oil. Saute the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Saute another 5 minutes.
Add the stock/water. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.
Add the beans and spinach, cook on low heat for another 15 minutes. Season to taste.
Simple and delicious!

Here is one of those nostalgic photos...

That's me on the left, my dad in the middle and Zoe on the right! We were quite the ragamuffins!

Mushroom Bourguignon

It looks like Monday is going to be recipe day! Today I am making a recipe from my new favorite cookbook/old favorite blog. I got this cookbook last month and have already enjoyed many recipes out of it! Its the Smitten Kitchen blog's cookbook. It is awesome and delicious.

The recipe for today first appeared on her blog in 2009, and was made by my friend Tracy in PEI around the same time. I rediscovered it last month in the cookbook and am already making it for the second time this season (rare for me!). The recipe is for mushroom bourguignon, the vegetarian version of beef bourguignon. Very good and perfect for the winter months.
Here is the link to the recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog and here are my side notes...
Mushrooms: I have yet to use portabello mushrooms as the recipe calls for, I've used a combination of cremini and white button mushrooms. And I just quarter them because I like chunky mushrooms.
Red Wine: If you have it use, it makes it extra rich and yummy, but if you don't usually have red wine kicking around just use extra stock/broth.
Pearl Onions: I haven't found these yet, but honestly I haven't looked that hard. I am just as happy to add a bit of extra white onion in. But if you want the real deal, I think there may be pearl onions in the frozen section of grocery stores.
Noodles: I love egg noodles with this, I usually cook them in boiling water and then saute them with a lot of butter when the mushrooms are ready. If you have some parsley or dill in the fridge, chop a bit up and sprinkle it in with the noodles too.
Gluten-Free (known as G-Free in our house): Substitute the flour in the bourguignon for rice flour and serve on rice noodles (but don't forget to saute them in butter!).
Just a 'few' changes!
Enjoy!

Only 14 days now...

Today was a special day...my Mama and I cooked together! I had a small catering job and she just wanted spanakopita (I actually really wanted it too). I made spanakopita triangles and she/we made full size squares.
I was having a not-so-great morning and was definitely cheered after some time in the kitchen with her and a full belly of warm spanakopita!
I love my mama, I love cooking and I LOVE this spanakopita recipe!
If you've never worked with phyllo before don't be put off! The number one trick is too keep whatever phyllo you aren't working with covered in a damp dish/paper towel.
I hope this recipe inspires you to get in the kitchen!

Spanakopita (Greek spinach and feta pie)

Filling:
3 cups feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces (seems like a lot, but it's totally worth it!)
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/3 cup fresh dill, minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Phyllo Layers
3/4 cup olive oil or melted butter

1. For the filling: Mix all of the filling ingredients together until uniform.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F. Brush a 9x13 baking dish with oil. Lay one phyllo sheet in the bottom of the dish. Brush with oil/butter. Repeat with 7 more phyllo layers, brushing each with oil. Spread half the spinach mixture evenly in the dish. Top with 4 more phyllo/oil layers.
3. Spread the remaining filling into the dish. Top with 7 more phyllo/oil layers.
4. Working from the center outward, use the palms of your hands and press out any air bubbles. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the pie into serving squares (I usually cut it into 8), but do not cut through more than 3 layers.
5. Bake until phyllo is golden and crisp, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes. And enjoy!

A recipe.

Now that it is Spring I am having full on cravings for fresh green foods, alas here in Manitoba we still have a while to wait. Hopefully we don't have that much longer to wait for some rhubarb at least!
Until then here is a kind of winter-y recipe but with some fresher flavors!
I served this over pasta but it would also taste great over a baked sweet potato.



Coconut Spinach with Chickpeas and Lemon
serves 4

2 teaspoons oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 lb baby spinach, fresh or frozen
1 can coconut milk
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes.
Add in handfuls of spinach, one at a time. Adding another handful as it wilts down. When all the spinach has been added stir in the coconut milk and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.
Serve over a multitude of things...pasta, baked sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa. Or just eat it with a fork!

Food for new Mommas

Friends of ours just had a baby yesterday, she was a little over due so I was totally ready with my "new baby" food prep. I remember at my Great Grandma's funeral a woman talked about how my Great Grandma always brought food over to her house every time she had a baby. Well, today I channeled her while making some treats for the two new Mommas!

A pile of burritos!

Soup is always a good way to go, especially since it's winter (despite the temperature!). My go to is a simple Carrot Ginger Soup. For a quick lunch or supper I whipped up some burritos for the freezer. And of course a sweet treat, one of my faves...lemon poppy seed cookies! Over the next couple of days I'll be posting these recipes for you to cook for yourself and be comforted or share with your friends and family!

Freezer Friendly Burritos
These are so easy to make and they can be customized to fit your tastes.

1 pkg flour tortillas, I usually use whole wheat but you can use any kind (spinach, tomato, white)
1 jar of your favorite salsa, from the store or home made
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice, cooked (I usually throw in a can of diced tomatoes and cook the rice in a stock)
1 1/2 cups refried beans, canned or homemade
A protein, this could be anything (beef, pork, chicken, black beans...), about a pound
Grated cheese

1. Cook your protein, I usually throw in some onions and garlic as well as some chili powder and ground cumin. I also will add veggies, like chopped peppers or corn.
2. Layer your fillings onto your burrito, wrap them up with tin foil, and put them in the freezer.
3. When you are ready to eat one there are two options...
          1. In the oven: Leave the foil on and put them in at 375F for 35-45 min, flipping over halfway        through.
          2. In the microwave: Remove the foil and place the burrito on a plate. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Ask and ye' shall receive...

Maybe it's because I'm on holidays or maybe just because I am so happy for all of your comments but here is the recipe requested by an "anonymous" (ha!) comment.

Its really yummy and this is the perfect time to make it! I haven't frozen it but this would be another one of those handy things to pop in the freezer for a busy weeknight.

Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

serve 4 - 5

Adapted from Andrea Chesman

2 peppers (red, orange, or yellow) chopped

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into medium chunks

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 onion, halved and sliced

1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen

3 tbsp oil

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 cups salsa (homemade or store bought)

2 handfuls spinach leaves

9-10 corn or flour tortillas, halved

2 cups shredded cheese

Sour cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. In a large bowl toss together the bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, corn kernels, cumin, and garlic. Drizzle oil over the vegetables and add generous shake of salt and pepper. Toss again and then spread evenly onto a shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.

3. Roast the vegetables for 30-40 minutes, stirring or shaking the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting. Remove the vegetables from the oven once they are tender and turn the oven down to 350 F.

4. In a small bowl stir together the salsa and cilantro. Spread a 1/4 cup of the salsa in the bottom of a 9" baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa.

Top with:

a third of the vegetables,

a handful of spinach and

a third of the cheese.

Make a second layer of:

tortilla,

salsa,

vegetables,

spinach and

cheese.

Top with a layer of

tortilla,

salsa,

vegetables and

cheese

5. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 1o. Remove it from the oven and let it sit 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with sour cream.

Yum! Please if you try this recipe out let me know how it goes!

Happy cooking!

Summer Salad Rolls

When I was in Vancouver in February I ate so many of these, they were the perfect quick lunch and they kinda made me forget it was still winter and back in Charlottetown it was freezing cold! I made them for the first time this summer and I was so pleased with them, perfect snack, side dish, or lunch!

Makes 8 rolls

1 1/2 oz cellophane noodles (also called 'bean thread' noodles)

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into very thin strips

1 carrot, peeled and cut into very thin strips

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into very thin strips

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Juice of half a lime

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped

16 fresh mint leaves

8 rice paper wrappers, can be found at Superstore in the Ethnic Cuisine section

Cook noodles according to package directions. If your noodles don't have directions or they are in another language, a good method is to bring a pot of water to a boil, turn of the heat, and add the noodles, let them sit for about 10 minutes and then drain. Toss drained noodles with sesame oil.

Combine all the vegetables, green onion and cilantro in a large bowl. Whisk together rice vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and some salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Taste it, if it doesn't taste good now it's not going taste good when you're done. Add salt if it's needed or any of the other marinade ingredients.

Fill a round cake pan or pie plate halfway with hot water. For each wrapper, immerse it in the hot water until it softens, about 30 seconds. Lay it on your work surface and fill it with 1-2 tablespoons of noodles. Then add 1/8 of the veggie mixture. Add 2-3 mint leaves. Roll it up like a burrito! Might take a couple of trys to get a 'nice' roll, keep at it, experiment with putting veggies on first, or placing ingredients in different areas or the rice paper (middle, front). Eat immediately or store in the fridge, covered, for at most 2 days.

Very important notes:

1. Originally this recipe came with a dipping sauce, the first time I made it I was taking them 'togo' and didn't want to have to deal with spilling sauce, so I just doubled the vegetable marinade so they veggies were extra juicy and even poured a bit on the noodles. They were juicy and flavourful enough to not need a sauce.

2. If you want a sauce you can use and Asian dipping sauce, either store bought or homemade. A peanut sauce, sweet chili sauce, etc.

3. I have made both vegetarian and non salad rolls, just omit the fish oil and add in soy sauce.

4. I used small-ish rice paper rounds that were perfect for appetizers. Experiment with what works best for you.

4. Lastly, to make this more filling I added strips of tofu that I tossed with the vegetable marinade and seasoned. You could also use cooked chicken or shrimp.

Ricotta Stuffed Tomatoes

This is the perfect time to make this recipe....tomatoes, corn, zucchini....all ready right now! Either wait for the farmer's market on Saturday or head out to St. Leon Gardens or Cramptons (or if you're lucky to your own backyard) and pick up some fresh and local ingredients to make this recipe.

Serves 4

4 large tomatoes

1 egg

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoon basil, chopped

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/2 cup zucchini, diced

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Slice tops off tomatoes, and scoop out pulp of centers to make stuffable tomato shells; set aside. Discard half of the tomato pulp; remove seeds from and finely chop remaining half of pulp.

Whisk together egg and ricotta in medium bowl until smooth. Stir in red onion, basil, parmesan, and garlic. Add corn, zucchini, chopped tomato pulp; stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Fill tomatoes just to top with 1/2 cup ricotta mixture, top with tomato top. Place in large baking dish.

Bake 45 minutes, or until filling is puffed up and tops are browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Note: If some of the ricotta mixture leaks out while cooking scrap it up off the pan and serve alongside the tomatoes. Zach likened it to Alfredo Sauce!

Adapted from Vegetarian Times