Golden Savory Granola

This is such a welcome idea for a crunchy addition to salad or soup. A salty, spicy, herb-y twist to a homemade granola. Incredibly easy and truly delicious! More fun than a crouton.

Be creative and add combos you think will be good together. Really anything goes!

Heat oven to 325F.
You need 2 egg whites for 1 to 1.5 cups of oats.

Here is one that turned out great.

Combine all together in a bowl:
1 to 1.5 cups of oats
Mixed seeds (we get them from Bulk Barn ) so any variation of sesame seeds, flax, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat groats, sunflower seeds, chia seeds etc. Really anything you like works.
Add dried rosemary, any dried herb you love works.
Add coarse salt, coarse pepper, paprika, garlic salt, onion salt.
Fennel seeds (what a great addition for a super flavour)
Various peppers work really well, we added some Aleppo pepper.

Cayenne or chili pepper would be good too.
Cumin seeds and coriander seeds would be great too for that type of Middle Eastern slant.

I think you can really theme this crumble with any flavour profile you want.

Add in the egg whites and a bit of olive oil to coat the mixture. We also added a bit of maple syrup for a little sweet hit. Honey or brown sugar is probably just as good.

On parchment paper or foil, spread out this mixture on a flat pan/cookie sheet and bake for about 40-50 minutes.

Once cooled, crumble in pieces that can be stored in a zip lock or jar, and will last a long while.

I'm addicted to this crunchy treat!!

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Blissful Buckwheat Pancakes

A Mother's day treat! Nothing beats this pancake with its nutty yummy buckwheat "galettes au sarrasin" flavour. 

1 c. Buckwheat, or half buckwheat and half flour of choice

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (make your own, milk and lemon juice or vinegar, so easy)

1 egg

Vanilla

Combine wet with flour and it will thicken a bit but it's not an overly thick batter. 

Serve these pancakes with tons of butter, maple syrup and cream cheese. The cat's ass!! 

No fruit for me...

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Awesome Almond Flour Brownies

We've been making these beautiful cushion-

y, oooooey-gooey brownies for years. Time to share!

Heat oven to 350F.

3 steps: wet, dry and melted chocolate.

Wet: in a medium bowl, hand whisk 3 eggs, 3/4 c. white sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Dry: in a small bowl, mix 3/4 c. Almond flour, pinch of salt, 2 tbsp. Cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp. Baking powder.

Choco: in a double boiler, so pot in pot, melt 5 semi sweet Bakers chocolate cubes, or 3/4 c. Choco chips. When melty and glistening, take off the heat and set aside to cool a bit. 

Once cooled, in a slim stream, add melted chocolate to the wet bowl and whisk. Then add the dry and combine well. 

In a square pyrex or pie plate, bake the brownies for about 20 min. Be careful not to overcook so they will be gooey. Just the way we like it!!

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Southern Comfort Feast

Anyone for Southern crunchy fish fry, okra casserole and sweet and savory corn muffins?! Of course! Who would ever say no to that!

I love cod for this dish because it is dense enough to hold up to the light fry without falling apart and stays super moist. With the 1-2-3 dip method, here we go:

1- seasoned flour,.salt and pepper, with a bit of cornstarch.

2- egg dip

3- panko breadcrumbs and cornmeal, half and half.  Season heavily with salt, lots of pepper, paprika, old bay seasoning, garlic salt, oregano. 

Saute medium to large chunks of dipped cod in hot canola oil. Don't move it around. Let it get golden brown and pop into the oven at 325F to keep warm, while you work in batches. The crispy crunchy outcome is to die for!

Okra Casserole- in a stove to oven skillet, with a good amount of olive oil, saute 2 chopped onions until golden, add about a 1/2 cup of chopped tomato or tomato sauce,( not too much), and tons of fresh chopped parsley. Add frozen okra, the small ones are really yummy if you can find them. Mix this together, add salt and pepper. Cover the top with sweet paprika and a bit more oil. Pop this in the oven at 350F for about 25 min or so. A dollop of yogourt when serving is fabulous. 

Any hot sauce, I love Frank's, works so well with this entire dinner.

Great side dish: Honey Cornbread (muffins or loaf.) Out of the over with butter...watch out!
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour ( NOT whole wheat...doesn't work here)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup honey

Add pepper and thyme for a more savory flavour. Our favorite combo! 

In large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Spray muffin tin and fill the cornbread mixture into each cup. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. If using a loaf pan, you will need to bake until the toothpick comes out clean, so check after 15 minutes but will probably need more time. 

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Terrific "Tandoori" Marinade

My friend Jackie makes the most delicious BBQ fish on skewers with a yummy "Tandoori" flavour marinade. So, I decided to mimic this on a whole piece of salmon filet. I would actually use this delicious and light marinade with any type of firm fish, or poultry, and for BBQ or baking. 

It is that good!!

Mash 1 clove of garlic and 2 tbsp of ginger to a paste. 
Scrape the paste into a medium bowl and add:

1 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin 
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground fenugreek ( this is a MUST ingredient)
1 tsp. turmeric 
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne 
1/2 tsp. garam masala
Salt and pepper 

To this spice mixture, add 1.5 c. yogurt and 2 tbsp. of canola or olive oil and whisk until smooth. Will smell heavenly.

In a large zip lock, coat the fish or meat with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.

Once cooked, the flavours are pronounced but light at the same time. Love the salmon especially. Serve with chopped fresh coriander and spritz of lemon or lime. Basmati rice scented with smashed cardamom pods, raisins and a bay leaf is the perfect accompaniment, and of course sweet peas!!

As a fantastic side, roast and caramelize cauliflower pieces for about 45 min, turning half way. Season with turmeric, ground fenugreek, cumin, salt and pepper. In the meantime,. sauté onions with fresh ginger, a bit of garlic if you like, raisins, garam masala, a few cherry tomatoes and more turmeric. Add the roasted cauliflower to this, and then add fresh spinach until wilted. 

Serve with any Tandoori flavour. Fabulous!

Make Raita, Greek yogourt, shredded Cucumber, lots of fresh mint, a squeeze of lemon and salt. Wowwww!

I could eat this dish every week! 

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Succulent Spices and Secrets

When my son cooks, don't expect or look for a recipe to attempt to re-create the dish. The end result is always a wonderful taste sensation, and you will never have a "step by step" of how he got there (unless you sit and watch!!)

Here are some of the spices he says he used for this fabulous Middle Eastern chicken and rice feast:

Simple Chicken marinade:

Salt, whole and crushed peppercorn, paprika, ground cumin and coriander, fenugreek (ground or whole leaf), harissa and turmeric. 

This marinated chicken is grilled for a delicious BBQ angle to the dish. 

Now for the basmati rice concoction: ( I think...)

In olive oil, saute lots of onion union until golden, add chopped garlic, ginger. Don't forget the bay leaf!

Add spice mixture of cinnamon, cumin, cilantro, turmeric, cardamom, harissa, paprika.

Add lots of pitted dates. WOW, what a great addition, they kind of melt while staying whole.

Add the rice to toast in this scented saute and cover with water. You can add a hit of chicken stock or Bovril. Cover the pan for about 10 min or until rice is cooked.

Garnish with toasted almonds. YUM!

This is one of the best rice combinations I have ever tasted. It is simply mouth watering.

Serve the chicken and rice on one big platter.

Garnish your plate with fresh parsley or cilantro, dollop of yogourt, squeeze of lemon or lime. 

Hope I didn't miss anything...I probably did, but you get the gist of it, right!!

Such a winner to enjoy for a family or group meal!!

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Beloved Quickie Bernaise Sauce

If you love Paris, and you love steak, you probably love Bernaise sauce. This luxurious sauce just takes you there. That buttery, tangy, tarragon lemony sensation that is dipping heaven for steak. I dream of it...

So finally, tried a quick homemade version that worked with dried tarragon. Who knew it could be so incredibly delicious, and too easy! Really underestimated this microwave sauce that was just perfect with a BBQ flank steak. Will become a staple with steak and salmon for sure. 

In a small microwavable bowl, melt 1/4 c. butter. Once melted, whisk in:

a finely minced shallot

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 beaten egg yolks

2 tbsp. Cream or yogourt 

1.5 tsp. Lemon juice 

Touch of salt

1 tsp. Dried tarragon 

1 tsp or more finely chopped fresh parsley (dried works too)

Whisk all together. That's it!

Then, in 20 second intervals, 2 or 3 times, microwave and whisk the sauce until a thicker consistency unfolds. It takes a couple of times to thicken even if you think it isn't, it will! 

Serve right away, will be so warm and velvety. Steak, salad and Bernaise, dreamy, tellement délicieux! 

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