Fall

My Favourite Chili

By in Beef, Fall, GF Mains, Gluten Free, Main Dish, Soup 4 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

favourite chili

This chili has a great robust flavour, a good amount of heat and the perfect meat/bean ratio – winning the spot of my favourite chili.

I have a secret to tell you. I used to not be able to make a good pot of chili to save my life. I’ve tried many five-star recipes with promises of perfection, but nothing tasted right when I made it. It wasn’t flavourful enough, hot enough, was too liquidy.. the list goes on. If I had a delicious chili at someone else’s house and asked for the recipe, when I would make it at home, it would always come up lacking.

I’ve heard that everyone has a nemesis in cooking. Something that should be easy to make, that everyone can do, but for some reason it never turns out for you. Chili was my nemesis. But, no more! And, I’m extremely happy about this fact because it is one of my all time favourite meals.

This chili has a great robust flavour, a good amount of heat, without being too hot, and has the perfect amount of meat/bean ratio (for me). Having a thick and hearty chili is a must for us because we like to scoop it up with a side of corn chips.

If this chili wasn’t so filling I would probably eat the entire pot myself. It is that good.

Do you have a cooking/baking nemesis?

Favourite Chili

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1.2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 cans (19 oz each) kidney beans
  • 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
  • 1 cup corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
  • shredded cheese, sour cream and corn chips, to serve

Brown the beef, onion and garlic in a large sauce pot  or Dutch oven over medium heat, until meat is cooked through and onions are tender (drain off fat, if necessary). Add spices, stir to coat. Add beans, tomatoes, broth and chilies. Bring to a simmer. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes. Add corn and cook until heated or cooked through. Serve with cheese, sour cream and chips, if desired.

Makes: 8 servings

Adapted from KraftCanada.

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

By in Breads, Chocolate, Christmas, Fall, Sweets, Valentine's 11 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

This banana bread is much more reminiscent of a cake – with its rich chocolate flavour and deep undertones from the coffee. It”s almost guaranteed to win over even the harshest banana bread critic.

The deep chocolate look of this bread speaks romance to me. Although, the most romantic we got was to sit huddled up to the coffee table sipping milky chai tea and eating this moist, dark, chocolate, banana bread while watching Bones (admittedly not the best show to watch while you”re eating). That”s what romance is when you have a 7 month old and a 3-year-old at home. Any quiet moment to yourselves without being needed by someone else is considered a date! And, a good night sleep makes for marital bliss. :)

This is not the type of banana bread that you eat for breakfast. It”s much more reminiscent of a cake – with its rich chocolate flavour and deep undertones from the coffee. It doesn”t taste anything like a classic banana bread, which makes it a perfect way to use up those old bananas and serve them to people who are otherwise adverse towards baked bananas. I almost guarantee that if you call this Mocha Chocolate Chip Bread (or loaf cake) they will never guess. Not that you want to be sneaky… but sometimes it doesn”t hurt. :)

One note of advice: It”s important to sift cocoa powder, when using it in recipes, because there are always chunks in it that never quite mix into the batter. I don”t own a sifter, but a fine mesh sieve works just as well. Simply place it over your mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and stir to push through. Discard any hard pieces that don”t want to break up.

Do you make banana bread? What”s your favourite way to use up bananas before they go bad?

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

The key to a moist loaf is to not overbake. Ovens vary in temperature so start checking for doneness earlier then the suggested time.

  • 1.5 cups flour

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

  • 1.5 cups sugar

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 medium bananas, mashed (1 cup)

  • 1/2 cup canola oil

  • 1/4 cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 tablespoon hot milk

  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, bananas, oil,sour cream and vanilla. Dissolve instant coffee in hot milk. Stir into banana mixture.

Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake at 325ºF for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

Vegetable Bibimbap

By in Fall, GF Mains, Gluten Free, Main Dish, Meatless 9 Comments Tags: , , ,

vegetable bibimbap

I have a tendency to stay away from foods with weird names that I don’t recognize. I’ve come to the realization that I’ve been doing myself a great disservice. I’ve been missing out on tons of great food just because it doesn’t look like something I would normally eat.

This Vegetable Bibimbap definitely falls into that category. I almost flipped past it on my newest iPad edition of Everyday Food. But then I got after myself and decided to take a look at the ingredient list and found that it actually contained a lot of the foods we love, even if they were in a different format then I was used to. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and give it a try.

I’m so glad I did.

It was a simple meal with a great authentic (Korean) taste. I was a little hesitant about stir-frying cucumber because floppy cucumber didn’t sound great to me, but I was proved wrong and discovered that I like warm, floppy cucumbers. Who would have guessed? I wasn’t too sure about the egg either but everything just worked so well together and had a great Asian flavor.

I wasn’t too nit-picky about cutting the vegetables julienne since I was just serving it to my family. That’s definitely the most time-consuming part of the recipe. But, if you’re not too picky it really doesn’t take too long (or if you’ve got mad knife skills. I do not.).

This recipe has reconfirmed the fact that I need to take a step back from my American food rut and enjoy making something different.

Do you skip by recipes with names you don’t recognize or do they pique your interest?

Vegetable Bibimbap

This recipe uses toasted sesame oil, which I think is a worthwhile ingredient to keep in your pantry if you enjoy making Asian food. It adds much more authentic flavour to many dishes, and since you don’t use much in one recipe it lasts a long time.

  • 3 carrots, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
  • 3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks
  • 5 cups (5 oz) baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • hot cooked rice, for serving
  • Sriracha sauce, for serving (optional)

Add a small bit of oil to a large nonstick skillet, heat over medium-high. Add carrots and cook until crisp-tender (3 minutes). Add garlic and white part of the green onion; cook just until fragrant (1 minute). Add mushrooms; cook for 4 minutes. Add cucumber and baby spinach; cook until softened (3 minutes). Stir in soy sauce; toss to coat. Remove vegetables to serving platter; wipe out skillet.

Add a small amount of oil to the skillet and heat over medium. Add eggs and cook, without flipping, until whites are set but yolks are still runny (5 minutes).

To serve: Place rice in a bowl. Top with vegetables and an egg. Drizzle with a little bit of toasted sesame oil, sprinkle with green parts of green onions. Serve with Sriracha sauce, if desired.

Serves: 4

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Fall: Brussels Sprouts

By in Fall, Fall, In Season 7 Comments Tags:

Fall: Brussels Sprouts

Are you a brussels sprouts lover or hater? They”re a fairly new addition to my families table because I didn”t really grow up eating them and always thought I wouldn”t like them. James, however loves brussels sprouts so I wanted to give them a try. And, I”m glad I did because we all love them. They”re the first thing Max gobbles up off his plate and he always reaches out for more “pease”.

I believe many people dislike brussels sprouts because they were overcooked or not fresh when the had them, as these are the main causes for them to become bitter, sour and strong in flavour. Hopefully if you”re a hater this post will help you give sprouts a second change. And, if you”re a lover then hopefully you”ll learn something new or get inspired by the recipes below.

All About Brussels Sprouts

In Season

Brussels sprouts are in season from from September to February.

Buying

Look for sprouts that are bright green with firm, dense heads and are blemish free. Avoid any with loose, yellowing leaves, that are puffy and soft, or have a dull appearance. The greener they are the better the flavour.

Smaller sprouts have a sweet taste and are more tender, therefore they”re more preferable than larger heads. If possible, choose brussels sprouts that are similar in size. This will help them to cook more evenly.

Storing

Store in the fridge in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 3 days. After 3 or 4 days a strong, unpleasant flavour may develop and they will have a strong cabbage-like odour.

Do not wash or trim ends before storing, although any yellow or wilted leaves are best removed so that they don”t cause the others to turn more quickly.

Cooking

Avoid overcooking brussels sprouts as it will result in the sulphurous smell that turns so many people off of them. If you haven”t liked brussels sprouts for this reason give them another chance and make sure they”re cooked properly. How can you ensure that they”re cooked just right? Here are some tips:

  • Remove any loose, wilted or blemished outer leaves. Rinse in cold water. Trim the stem ends slightly, but not too much or the leaves will fall off while cooking.

  • If cooking whole, score the ends with an “x” which will help the leaves and stem to cook more evenly. Otherwise cut in half lengthwise. (If you have a mixture of small and large heads, cut the large ones in half and leave the small ones whole.)

  • Cook just until crisp tender. Usually about 5-10 minutes when boiling or steaming, 10 minutes when stir-frying and 35-40 minutes (@400ºF) when roasting. The sprouts should remain green in color, any drab looking sprouts have been overcooked.

  • You know a sprout is cooked properly when you can easily stick a fork into the stem end.

If you are boiling make sure to use lot”s of cooking water, this will help to reduce the strong and pungent flavour.

Random Tips

Health Benefits

Brussels sprouts are:

  • rich in vitamin C

  • a good source of folate, vitimin E and beta-carotene

  • contain iron

  • believed to have potent anti-cancer properties

As with all vegetables, boiling reduces nutrient intake because they leach from the sprouts into the water. Steaming, roasting and stir-frying will keep more of the nutrients in the sprouts.

Recipes

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Parmesan

“..a favorite dish that highlights this autumn vegetable, plus several more suggestions to inspire you to add brussels sprouts to your menus this week.”

~ Simple Bites

Brussels Sprouts Baaji

“..it only takes a quick blanching and an equally fast stir fry with some formidable flavors to make you forget all that trauma when you were a kid, the kind that made you grateful when spinach,of all things, was on the dinner menu instead.”

~ The Well-Seasoned Cook

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

“Caramelized brussels sprouts are delicious, especially if you get the teeny-tiny ones, and if you are sure to anoint them liberally with lemon juice and parmesan cheese when you take them out of the oven.”

~ A Girl Named Nick

Linguine with Brussels Spouts, Bacon, and Caramelized Shallots

“I never knew that bacon would compliment the sprouts so well and I think the shallots really rounded out the flavors.”

~ goodLife {eats}

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar

“Roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar are the perfect holiday side dish. They are so easy to make. All you have to do is toss the sprouts in a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. The oven will do the rest of the work.”

~ Two Peas and Their Pod

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto and Shallots

“They were quite a bit better than any I’ve tried  in the past and I’m actually craving the small bowl of leftovers in the fridge and thinking about variations for next time.”

~ our life in the kitchen

Olive Brussels Sprouts with Feta, Roasted Red Peppers and Bacon

“The dish features olive flavor in three forms: chopped kalamatas, kalamata brine and olive oil. So, it’s totally super olive-y. The creamy, salty feta and tender, sweet roasted red peppers are a lovely complement to the slightly sweet roasted Brussels sprouts. And the bacon, it finishes it off perfectly.”

~ Sarah”s Cucina Bella

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberry-Pistachio Pesto

“Chef Todd at Checkers Restaurant at the Hilton Los Angeles created a Cranberry Pistachio Pesto that has all the flavor elements – sweet, salty, tangy – to pair so well with the slightly bitter profile of brussels sprouts.”

~ Steamy Kitchen

That’s it for this months roundup. Feel free to link to  your own brussels sprouts posts or share your thoughts and tips in the comments section.

The next In Season roundup will be Cranberries. You can email or tweet me your posts and/or tips all the way until December 16th. Feel free to pull from the archives, or send me your new posts as you make them!

Simplified Stuffing

By in Fall, Sides, Smithfield, Thanksgiving 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Although I never spent much time in the kitchen growing up my mom”s simple, hearty and homemade cooking had a big impact on me and inspires a lot of the way I cook today. She”s an awesome cook and has produced some of my all time favourite recipes. Today I”m sharing her Simplified Stuffing. If you”re like me and have an aversion to soggy stuffing then I encourage you to give it a try. My mom has converted many a stuffing hater with this recipe.

“The best thing about this stuffing is that it”s so easy to make. No having to take the temperature to make sure it”s cooked through, no complicated steps or procedures and no need to use old crusty bread (fresh is actually best!). Just a simple and delicious recipe that can easily be multiplied to feed a crowd.”

Read more and get the recipe on Smithfield.com

Update: The post is no longer active on Smithfield. But, I don’t want you to miss out so here’s the recipe!

Simplified Stuffing

You can make this up to one day ahead and store it covered in the fridge. Do not add water until just before baking.

  • 12 cups cubed bread (1 loaf)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1.5 cups chopped celery
  • 1 cup margarine or butter
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
  • 2 teaspoons dried sage
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1-2 tablespoons water

Cook onion and celery in butter for 10 min or until softened.

Mix bread and seasonings until well combined. Stir in onions, celery and butter. Toss together.

Put into a large shallow casserole dish or crock pot and pour water around edges.

Bake in the oven at 350ºF for 45 min. or in crock pot on low for 4.5 to 5 hours. Stir occasionally to promote even browning.

Serves: 6

 

Plum Apple Butter

By in Condiments, Fall, GF Sweets, Gluten Free 31 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

Plum Apple Butter

Yesterday I stood staring at the abundance of gorgeous purple plums sitting on my counter. I knew I needed to use them up soon but I wasn”t sure what I wanted to make with them. I love plum jelly but since I don”t have any canning equipment that wasn”t really a possibility. That”s why this recipe immediately caught my eye when I went on my Internet search for recipes.

I”ve never made fruit butter before but it seemed so easy I had to give it a try. It will now be my go to when a little bit of fruit needs using up. It”s really so simple to throw together and makes the house smell amazing while it bubbles away.

Fall spices with the sweetness of plums and crisp tart apples make this a perfect fall spread and a wonderful hostess gift. I mean, just look at that gorgeous purple color! It has me swooning.

Have you made any fruit butters before? What are your favourite combinations?

One Year Ago: Banana Rum Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Plum Apple Butter

adapted from tasteofhome

  • 3 medium sized plums (or 4 small), pitted and quartered

  • 2 medium sized tart apples, peeled, cored and quartered

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • dash cloves

  1. Place plums, apples and water in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until fruit is tender.

  2. Remove from heat and pour into blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour back into saucepan. Add remaining ingredients.

  3. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until thick enough that it mounds on a plate without spreading.

  4. Cool completely before covering. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Makes approximately: 1 1/4 cup

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