Baked Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce or Shakshuka

23 Jan

This egg dish is so simple to make and would be great for a big brunch where you didn’t want to spend a lot of time slaving over the oven. After posting this picture to Twitter/Instagram, I was informed that it’s called Shakshuka. I did a little research, and though this recipe isn’t the traditional form of the dish, it’s definitely along the same lines.

You can add whatever herbs and spices catch your fancy. Also, add any type of sausage, bacon or ham you like. I made a vegetarian version just by omitting the sausage and adding a few more whole tomatoes.

This was on the menu for the Interactive Monday Night dinner at Market 17 I hosted last week. Read about the Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cheese Biscuits I made for it too. So. Yummy.

Continue reading →

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Melt-in-your-mouth Cheese Biscuits

18 Jan

I made these a few days ago for the Interactive Monday Dinner hosted by Casel Marche. It’s a dinner to introduce new people to Market 17 and J. Webb Wine Merchant using Cassis Bistro’s space. Not only do I love introducing people to good food, I love any opportunity to have free reign at a grocery store!

My theme was Breakfast (my favourite meal) for Dinner. I knew I wouldn’t have a ton of time to cook, so I chose simple items that still packed the wow-factor.

These biscuits from Canadian Living were so melt-in-your-mouth, even I was surprised! Whenever I’m making a cheesy pastry, I like to double the amount of cheese, so add as much or more of what’s called for in this recipe.

Continue reading →

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Chia Smoothies

2 Jan

Here’s the latest article from the Bodhi Tree’s Breathing Room Newsletter.

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A few months ago I wrote about incorporating a new ingredient into your repertoire. What better time to revisit this concept than January, I say!

In the last few months I’ve been experimenting with chia and at the same time experimenting with bringing headstand and forearm stand back into my yoga practice – a little sprinkle here and there. You may have a yoga pose that you tried once, twice or many times, that has fallen out of your regular practice. Or perhaps you have a pose that you’ve always wanted to try but aren’t quite sure you’re able to. Well, this month it’s time to take the plunge!

Take a moment to think of that elusive pose you’d like to work on, then make a commitment to yourself to make slight modifications in your practice to accommodate that pose. Every little opening of the body is reaching that goal, no matter how long it takes to actually get into the shape.

I’ve been making an effort to do dolphin pose instead of downward dog and warrior pose with cactus arms to gradually ready my body for my goal pose of forearm stand. In the kitchen, I’ve been adding a tablespoon of chia into my baked oatmeal or a smoothie, experimenting with the texture and flavor of chia.

To help you along your way, try this Chia Smoothie recipe. One thing to note about chia is that it raises energy levels, which makes it a good substitute for coffee and not so great to ingest at night.

Continue reading →

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Gingerbread Houses from Scratch!

22 Dec

I made an appearance on Breakfast Television today! It was a little nerve-wracking but super fun. Here’s a link to the CityTV video of the segment.

Chatting with Tara!

My friend Kendra came over to help me assemble and decorate one house for the show. Making this a group activity makes it much faster and more fun!

Here’s the recipe that my friend Trisha sent to me. It’s from a very old Better Homes & Gardens. I’ll continue searching for a link, but for now here’s a PDF version of the gingerbread recipe & template.

Homemade Gingerbread Houses (and/or cookies)

1 cup shortening (I used butter)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup fancy molasses
1/2 blackstrap molasses (I just used blackstrap. Makes the gingerbread much darker)
5 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp each of baking soda, salt, cloves and cinnamon

Continue reading →

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Chocolate Quinoa Cake

20 Dec

The first thing I’d like to say about this cake is make it. Make it now. Or soon, if you’re at work or some other important place that would frown upon you leaving to make a chocolate cake in the middle of the afternoon.

The second thing is: share it once you’ve made it. This cake is too good to have all to yourself. Or at least, you might feel a tad guilty after finishing it off so to avoid any guilt share it with one and all.

The third is: you will not believe that it’s gluten-free. I’m not much of a gluten-free baker, so the fact that it turned out great even for me is a very good sign!

Finally, and somewhat related: I’ve resorted to using my Instagram photos of my food. The Winter light here in Calgary is making it very difficult for me, a novice photographer, to get good light for photos! So, if anyone has any good, cheap photography tips for Winter, please let me know.

This recipe came to me through my friend Kendra who found it at Dinner With Julie. Julie excerpted the recipe from the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood in a post featured on The Family Kitchen. Continue reading →

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Mulled Wine

9 Dec

During last Saturday’s blizzard, I decided I wanted to have some good old-fashioned mulled wine. It was a perfect night for this warm, spiced red wine concoction. Except that I didn’t have any red wine. And there was a blizzard. But, once I set my mind on something I’ve got to have it! The 5-block drive was quite the adventure, but well worth it. Here’s how I made it, with what I had on hand.

Mulled Wine (Modified from the Joy Of Cooking)

1 – 750 mL bottle red wine of choice (I used my trusty favourite, Fuzion)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 whole nutmeg, slightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
2 lemons, juiced and zested
1 orange, juiced and zested

Heat water and sugar in a pot until sugar dissolves. Add spices, citrus juice and zest and let simmer for 3 minutes. Add wine and let bubble just below a boil for 10 minutes. Serve hot with a slice of orange, cinnamon stick and a fresh cranberry.

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Roasted Parsnip Soup

29 Nov

Here’s the November article from Bodhi Tree’s Breathing Room Newsletter. I also made this soup for a recent Monday Night Supper Club potluck. It worked very well as an amuse-bouche garnished with a little thyme and a baby parsnip. Delish!

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Yoga, in its purest form, is about being present and aware in every moment of your life. We are all built with five tools that act as a gateway to this present moment awareness: the senses. Some moments your senses may be engaged with perfect clarity; you are aware that you feel the body you’re in, see the colours around you, hear the sounds in your environment, taste each morsel you eat and smell every aroma that wafts your way. Other moments, due to stress, routine or the mind’s games, your senses may be clouded, or on auto-pilot.

Along with the senses, asana, meditation and pranayama use drishti (focal point), intention (love!) and mantra (om) to help you focus, calm the mind and bring about present moment awareness, if only just for a second. What’s great about these techniques is that they can be applied outside of yoga as well, to work, relationships and even cooking.

This month’s recipe stars parsnips, which are abundant at farmers’ markets as Autumn matures. Using a recipe that focuses on one ingredient will help you engage your five senses, becoming present and aware as you’re cooking. Pay particular attention to how the parsnip’s aroma changes from raw to cooked. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss!

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Roasted Parsnip Soup

1 kg/2.2 lbs. parsnips, cut in half
1 large onion, sliced
1 head garlic, top ¼” cut off
2 carrots, cut in half
2 stalks celery, cut in half
2 Tbsps. olive oil
2 tsps. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
1 L/4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F. Arrange all vegetables on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive
oil and toss with salt and pepper. Bake 40 minutes, until vegetables are soft and garlic is golden.

In a large pot, squeeze garlic out of its peel, combine with roasted vegetables and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Purée in a blender or food processor. Add ginger, thyme, nutmeg and season to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme and roasted baby parsnips.

Serves 4-6.

Happy Cooking!
Jacinthe

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Cherry Cardamom Vanilla Loaf

22 Nov

My friend Kendra and I had a bread day last week. We went a little crazy and made five different types! This Cherry Loaf came from modifying a recipe Kendra had for Strawberry Loaf (which is also delicious and which some day I will also post here) using ingredients that I had in my freezer – namely, 10 pounds of cherries I brought back from B.C. this Summer.

I’ll name some modifications we would both make next time we make it. We both thought it would be good with grapefruit glaze or some other citrus. This is delicious served with a fragrant tea like Roobois or Chamomile.

Cherry Cardamom Vanilla Loaf

5 cups of sweet cherries, pitted and mashed (next time I’d pulse it a few times in the food processor)
2/3 cup grapeseed oil
2/3 cup applesauce (I used the Crabapple Sauce I canned a few months ago)
1.5 cups sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsps ground cardamom (I only had whole cardamom, so we ground it ourselves)
2 pinches of allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt Continue reading →

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Pumpkin Carrot Sweet Potato Soup

15 Nov

I made this soup last week after a trip to the dentist – I’ll spare you the details – left me only able to eat soft foods for a few days. I had one small pie pumpkin left, an abundance of carrots and some fresh sweet potatoes (or yams, depending on who you ask).

What resulted is a rich and creamy soup (without cream!) that’s perfect for fall days and sore mouths.

Pumpkin Carrot Sweet Potato Soup

2 medium sized yams, cut into 1″ cubes
1 small pie pumpkin, cut in quarters, seeds removed
3 medium sized carrots, cut in 4
1 onion, small dice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup orange juice
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Roast yams, pumpkin and carrots on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 F for 30 minutes, until just starting to brown.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add thyme and garlic and saute until just fragrant.

When roasted mixture is done, add it to the pot along with stock and orange juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. When cooled slightly, partially or fully puree mixture and pour back into a clean pot. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves. Can be frozen or kept in fridge for up to 5 days.

Enjoy!
Jacinthe

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Autumn Kale Salad

11 Nov

I’ve been making a version of this salad a lot over the past few weeks because of the abundance of kale at the farmers’ market and thus in my fridge. It’s super quick to make and because kale is so hearty, it lasts for up to 4 days. Experiment with different greens, dried fruits and ingredients in general! I like to make a large mason jar of vinaigrette and have it in the fridge to use at any time.

Autumn Kale Salad

2 cups raw kale, finely chopped
2 small heritage carrots, finely sliced
1/2 small red pepper, finely sliced
1/2 a large parsnip, shredded
1/4 white or red onion, finely sliced
2 dried nectarine halves, finely slice (or any other dried fruit)

Dressing:
1/4 olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp dried herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary)
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp sugar

Toss everything in a bowl with dressing and let sit for about 2 hours. Kale will start to soften. Portion out individually and store for up to 4 days.

Enjoy!
Jacinthe

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