Maple Roasted Almond Butter

By in Breakfast, Condiments 9 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Max is my good little eater. He”ll eat basically anything and everything under the sun. But for some strange reason he doesn”t like peanut butter. He always loves helping me make scrambled eggs and toast in the morning but he”s always adamant that his toast have only “just honey”, nothing else to adulterate it.

But, to my excitement he loved this almond butter. We were eating it by the spoonful right after I churned it up in the food processor. I”ve never been a big fan of almond butter myself, but this stuff has turned me into a convert. Not to the store-bought stuff though, because it simply can”t compare to homemade.

The biggest plus for me in making it homemade, besides that it”s far more flavourful, is that it”s sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar. I feel far better about eating hoards of it knowing that it”s so much better for you. I used canola oil  in this recipe because it”s what I had on hand, but I”m planning to buy the walnut oil called for because I”m sure it adds that much more of a nutty flavour. But, if you don”t have it on hand then canola oil is a fine substitute.

Maple Roasted Almond Butter

  • 2 cups raw almonds

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons walnut oil (or canola oil)

Place almonds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with maple syrup; toss to coat. Bake at 325ºF for 20 minutes, until nuts are browned and syrup has darkened, stirring once halfway through. Allow to cool 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

Place almonds in a food processor making sure to include any bits of roasted maple syrup. Pulse to break up the nuts. Add salt and a little drizzle of oil. Process for 30-45 seconds, scrape down, add another drizzle of oil. Repeat the process until the almonds take on a buttery consistency (you may not need all of the oil). Scrape into a jar and store in the fridge for up to one month.

Makes approximately: 1.5 cups

Adapted from Food in Jars.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

By in Main Dish, Poultry 2 Comments Tags: , , , ,

I”ve tried a couple different recipes for taquitos in the past, but none of them were ever quite right for me, it always seemed that there was a lack of flavour or something was just missing. Then I remembered making an appetizer a long time ago, when we were first married, that was basically like a taquito but it was baked in a puff pastry shell. I remembered them being so delicious, so I decided to take that filling, adapt it a bit and then wrap it in flour tortillas instead. They were perfect. I wish I could find the original recipe so I could site it, but it was so long ago I don”t remember where I found it.

These are so tasty and crave-worthy, with so many flavours that I love. And, it”s a great quick, weeknight meal – basically just assembling and then a quick 10 minute bake. We served ours with a version of Quick Mexican Rice, based on what I had on hand at the time, and I ate mine with a little bit of leftover Avocado Salsa. This will definitely be a go-to meal for this mexican food loving family.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

  • 4 small chicken breasts (or 2 large), chopped small

  • 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese

  • 1 (4 0z.) can chopped green chilies

  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

  • 12-14 6-inch flour tortillas

  • sour cream and salsa, to serve

Pre-heat a pan over medium heat. Add a bit of oil and the chicken, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until chicken is cooked through. Place in a medium-sized bowl along with cheese, chilies, onions, garlic, pepper, cumin, and paprika. Mix well. Place 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture into the centre of each tortilla and roll up tightly. Place seam-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray taquitos lightly with oil. Bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy. Serve warm with sour cream and salsa.

Makes: 12-14

Garlic Naan

By in Breads, Sides 4 Comments Tags: , , ,

I always have such a hard time knowing what to serve with stir-fry. It”s pretty much a one dish meal but sometimes you want just a little bit of something on the side. That”s where this naan comes in for us. It”s a filler of the best kind – freshly baked bread.

The recipe may not seem to have a lot of garlic but it kind of marinates into the dough while it”s rising and has the perfect subtle garlicky flavour that makes it go with any dish you serve. And, the fact that it”s slathered with butter before being popped on the grill makes it one of the best versions of garlic bread to be had. Garlic. Butter. Grill. Bread. It doesn”t get much better.

The key to the best naan (IMO) is to not roll it too thin. You want it to have a little bit of body so you have some chew. Roll it too thin and it will be more like a cracker. Mind you, it will be a very tasty cracker, but fluffy, chewiness is so much better.

This makes a large recipe, which means you do the work once and then you can freeze the rest and enjoy the fruits of your labour for subsequent meals. All you have to do is pop the frozen naan on a preheated grill or in a screaming hot oven for a couple of minutes, until it”s warmed through.

Time to put more stir-fry on the menu because I can”t wait to eat these leftovers.

Garlic Naan

Bread flour makes everything better. But if it”s not something you have on hand, I”ve made these with all-purpose flour and they were still very delicious.

  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast

  • 1 cup warm water

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 3 tablespoons milk

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 4 + cups bread flour

  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2)

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Beat in sugar, milk and egg. Stir in flour and salt. Knead until smooth and pliable, adding more flour if necessary, until tacky but not sticky. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in the bowl and spray lightly with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm oven (I turn the oven on for one minute and then shut it back off) with the door closed, for one hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and knead in garlic until evenly distributed. Pinch off golf ball sized pieces, roll into balls and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray balls with cooking spray and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

To grill: roll out only as many naan as can fit on the grill at one time, keep the rest covered. Preheat grill to medium-high. Roll each ball into a thin circle (but no too thin). Brush naan with a bit of butter; put butter side down on grill. Once grill marks appear and naan is puffy, brush top half with butter and flip. Continue to cook until browned. Remove from grill and repeat with remaining dough.

Makes: 14-17

Adapted from allrecipes.

Last-Minute Iced Tea

By in Beverages, Cold 1 Comment Tags: , , ,

last minute iced tea

It’s been a while since I made my usual cold brewed iced tea. We’ve been having some pretty nice days again lately and the other day, when the temperature was climbing, I was craving a cold drink to share with the kids – Iced Tea to be exact, and I wanted it right now. Thankfully I had stumbled upon a brilliant last-minute iced tea just a couple of weeks before, so I quickly whipped some up and me and the kids were sipping away in no time. It was completely refreshing and gave me the boost I needed to get through that hot and sticky afternoon. (Just remember that regular black tea has caffeine! I water my kids’ iced tea down with additional water but if you’re worried about it make sure to use a caffeine-free tea.)

This last-minute iced tea works because it starts with a concentrated tea that’s quickly cooled down by the addition of ice, ice and more ice (so smart!). This will definitely be my go-to for the rest of the summer since the weather is so unpredictable and the hot days are getting a little fewer and farther between. I like to add a squeeze of lemon juice because that’s how my mom always made it and it just wouldn’t be the same without it. But, if you prefer you can leave the lemon out. To care-free sunny days!

Last-Minute Iced Tea

  • 4 cups water
  • 6 black tea bags
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups ice cubes (12 ice cubes) + more for ice bath and serving
  • juice of 1/2 lemon, optional
  • slices of remaining half lemon to garnish, if desired

Bring water to a boil. Add tea bags. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and stir in sugar. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl or sink with ice and water. Place 2 cups of ice in a large pitcher or bowl (I prefer a bowl because more surface area comes in contact with the ice bath). Stir in tea. Set over ice bath and stir until ice is melted and tea is cold. Stir in lemon juice. Fill glasses with ice and pour tea over, to serve. Garnish with lemon slices.

Adapted from Foodess.

Sour Cherry Jam

By in Condiments 1 Comment Tags: , ,

Do you remember those sour cherries I picked a couple weeks ago? This was their destiny. I”ve been wanting to make sour cherry jam since I first started jamming and I was not disappointed, even though my expectations were high. Sour cherry jam is where it”s at! I”m sharing the recipe over on Simple Bites today along with several other ideas of what to make with sour cherries. Head on over to read the post.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa

By in Main Dish, Seafood 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

fish tacos

Sometimes when I suggest a meal to my hubby I get a raised eyebrow and I know, it’s a no go. But, sometimes I know that the aversion is all in his head, so I go ahead and make it anyways, sure that he’ll love it. Sometimes it just end up putting a nail in the coffin, other times he’s pleasantly surprised and we add another delicious meal to our repertoire. The latter is the case with these fish tacos – none of us could get enough.

This is the type of meal that I end up thinking about all evening after we’ve had it for dinner. Even after eating it, I still crave it because it’s just so good. And it’s pretty darn healthy too, which just makes it that much more crave worthy. I had never had red snapper before having this dish. We’re not major seafood people, we don’t like things too fishy tasting. To my delight red snapper isn’t fishy at all, especially when marinated in tex mex herbs and spices. And the avocado salsa. Oh my, I could eat it with a spoon. It’s not your typical chunky salsa, it’s smooth and silky and lends a nice spicy kick and cooling factor all at once.

Please give this recipe a try, even if you’re unsure about fish tacos or fish in general. I’m pretty sure it will be a win.

Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Grilled Fish
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 pounds of red snapper fillets
Avocado Salsa
  • 1-2 jalapeño peppers (depending on heat preference)
  • 1/2 avocado, pitted
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
  • juice of 1 small lime
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons water
Serve with
  • tortillas
  • leftover avocado, chopped
  • cilantro
  • chopped tomato
  • chopped green onions

For the fish: Mix together cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, cilantro and olive oil until it is a paste. Spread it over both sides of the fish fillets, making sure it is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and no longer than 2 hours.

To make the salsa: Lightly oil grill grates with an oil soaked paper towel and preheat to high heat. Grill jalapeno peppers until blackened all over. Place jalapeño in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare remaining salsa ingredients and put them into the bowl of a food processor.

Place the fish on the hot, greased, grill. Cook on one side for 3-5 minutes, or until opaque. Flip fish and cook until the fish flakes easily and is opaque throughout.

Peel the blackened skin off the grilled jalapeños, cut in half and remove seeds. Place peppers in the bowl of the food processor along with the other salsa ingredients. Process until smooth.

Flake fish with a fork and serve on tortillas along with avocado salsa, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocado, cilantro and green onions.

Makes: 12 small tacos

Grilled Fish adapted from Martha Stewart. Avocado Salsa adapted from The Martha Stewart Show.
« 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 »