5 ingrediant Spaghetti al Limone

I'm always amazed when I try a new amazing group of flavors. I always think "why didn't I think of that before?" This is one of those combinations. It's not really a recipe at all, just throwing together some ingrediants and ending up with an incredible dinner. It only takes about 5 min and it's light and fresh tasting. I love it. I know it will be a regular menu item now at our place.

Spaghetti Al Limone (from Oprah's Cookbook)

1 Pound Spaghetti

2/3 cup olive oil

juice of 2 or 3 lemons

zest of 2 lemons

cup or so of fresh grated parmesan cheese

handful of fresh basil, torn in to pieces

salt and pepper

Cook spaghetti and drain, but keep about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid aside.

Whisk together the lemon juice and cheese. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Stir in zest and salt and pepper.

Pour lemon cheese mixture over hot spaghetti. Add as much of the hot cooking liquid as needed to make the sauce creamy. Toss in the fresh basil.

Enjoy!

In the Kitchen

I've made a few new things in the kitchen over the past day and I wanted to share them with you.

1) Kale Chips

I know this sounds weird. I've been reading about them a lot on the blogs and since I'm a sucker for salty snacks, I really wanted to try them out. Cory thought they were good but a little odd. I actually really love them. They are crunchy and salty and guilt free.

All you need to do is wash a bunch of kale really well. Rip the leaves off of the stems (discard stems) and tear them into little pieces. Toss them in a bowl with 2 tbsp of olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, some salt and parmasen cheese. Arrange them on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for lok 20 min or until they get crunchy. Let cool.

2)Tofu Pad Thai with Sweet Chili Sauce. This was a recipe from Bite Me. I liked it. It was sweeter than other Pad Thai's I've tried, but it was pretty good. It included Heinz Chili Sauce which is basically glorified ketchup. I don't like bottled junk added in excess to my food. Too much extra ingrediants and things I can't pronounce. I would probably remove this and add something of my own instead.

3) Chewy Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies from Bite Me. Clearly these are good. Bascially chocolate chip cookies with cocoa powder added for extra chocolatly goodness. I like.

4)Tomato and Grainy Mustard Tart from French Food at Home.

This is SO SO SO good. Way better than I thought it would be. I will be bringing it to my next event. It also presents very well.

Savory Galatte Pastry

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/3 cup cold water

Throw all ingrediants in a food processor. Wizz up until it just comes together. Seperate into 2 disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1/2 hr. (You only need 1 disk, you can freeze the other one for later.

Toppings

2 tbsp Whole Grain Mustard

2 tbsp Plain Yogurt

handful of shredded Guyere cheese

3 or 4 Tomatoes thinly sliced

handful of chopped Thyme

salt and pepper

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of prepared pastry on a floured surface so that it covers a cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 15 min or until just browned.

Mix together mustard and yogurt. Spread on tart shell all the way to the edges. Top with shredded cheese. Arrange slices tomatoes on tart. Sprinkle on thyme and salt and pepper. Drizzle with Olive Oil.

Bake until tomatoes are soft and cheese is melted. Serve just warm.

An amazing restaurant experience

(picture from thedivalounge.com)

A local paper around here publishes a list every year of the Best Places to Eat in Vancouver. The list is broken down into regional cuisines, areas, prices and some cool categories like best patio, best places for a date and best places to bring out of town guests. The list came out again a couple months ago and I had it stashed away, knowing that I 'd like to try so many of the restaurants.

Last night we decided to venture into Vancouver and try out the top pick for Indian Cuisine. The place is called "Vij's" and we have actually seen it profiled on the Food Network. It has also been called one of "the finest Indian Restaurants in the world" by the New York Times.

Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I would even go so far as to say it was one of the best meals I have ever had! (Julie have you ever eaten here? How come you never took me????)

This place doesn't take reservations, so we knew we would be in for a bit of a wait. We put our name in and went for a walk down Broadway and Granville while we waited for about and hour and a half. I had the Saag-Peneer with Lentil Curry and Chapti. Basically yummy vegetarian fare. Cory had the Beef Tenderloin with a Fennel Curry. Our dishes were the perfect portions and arrived with rice and naan. AMAZING.

Then, the waitress brought out some Cardamom Chai Tea for us. LIFE CHANGING. I don't know about you, but I'm used to Starbucks style Chai Tea (thick pumpkin pie flavored, uber sweet...) But this Chai was something totally different. The flavors were incredible, it was slightly creamy and FREE! I had two glasses and I can not wait to try it again.

Finally, since we were at a world class restaurant, we thought we should share a dessert. I'm not a huge restaurant dessert person because I cannot stand store bought frozen treats being passed off for the real stuff. But we had a feeling (ok, Cory had a feeling) that we should not pass this up. After much debate, we ended up going with something that was called "Dumplings in a Cardamom Sauce." Sounds weird, I know. But the waitress explained it to us and we had to try it. Basically it was two gently fried? balls of yummy dough (think high class mini doughnuts) served swimming in a slightly sweet and incredible cardamom sauce. I truly think it is the best dessert I have ever tasted.

I wanted to shout my praises all over the street when we left. I was so happy. I love you Vij's.

On a totally different note. I LOVE the show the Shopping Bags (with Anna and Kristina) on W and Diva and Cosmo. I know they live in Vancouver. On the way to the restaurant I was telling Cory how awesome it would be to see them and how I would love to meet them. While we were waiting for our table, Cory went out to refill our parking meter. Guess who was standing right outside the door? Anna Wallner from the Shopping Bags! By the time I went out, she was gone :( I was very sad. It's probably for the best, as I'm sure I would have embarrassed myself with my star-struck antics. Maybe I will meet them one day though, now that I know where they roll. haha.

Michael

I will be celebrating Michael Jackson today. His music continues to inspire me everyday. Take a moment and remember the man and the music.

All for love, L.O.V.E.

New Laptop!

My computer has been on its last legs for several years now. We keep hoping that it wont crash in the middle of the night. Weve been looking for a reasonable laptop for me for a while, and Cory spotted a good deal at Best Buy. SO I went and picked it up this morning. Its quite awesome to not be confined to my little computer room while on the internet. YAY. That being said, I think my keyboard is set to french and I dont know how ti fix it. When I try and make an apostrphe it does this "é" so apostrophys for me today. Dont french people use apostrophysÉ....turns out I cant make a question mark either. Must get that fixed.

Anyways, very exciting.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. I just finished my wonderful lunch of Balsamic Chicken with Sweet Peppers. It was fantastic. I will share the recipe later.

The Green Monster Returns

Made myself a Green Monster for breakfast today. I dabbled with these last year when I was an awesome Weight Watcher, but I went a little intense, as usual, and over did it.

If you haven't heard of a Green Monster before, it's basically a super Smoothy packed with greens and veggies and fruits, and a little protein if possible. It was all the rage on the food/health blogs last year and continues to make many appearances. When you drink one of these it feels like pure energy going through your veins. I forgot how much I enjoy them.

Here's the basics, but really put in whatever you want.

You must have:
-A few handfuls of something green (fresh spinach, mixed greens, bok choy, kale, ...)

-Some kind of fruit (Melon, grapes, strawberries, banana, blueberries, anything.)

-Liquid (I use plain yogurt and a little milk, but it could be fruit juice, flavored yogurt or even water)

-If possible, some kind of protein (Protein powder, unsalted cashews or almonds or other nuts, tofu...)

-Anything else! I've tossed in cut up carrots, cucumber, cooked beets, bean sprouts Flax or Hemp Seeds are great too!

MAKE SURE IT IS ALL WASHED VERY WELL. Otherwise you'll end up with a chemical smoothy and a sore stomach. Throw it all in a bender and wizz away. It will be green. That's the point. Serve it in a tall glass or even a nice wine glass to make you feel special. Add a dab of honey if it's too intense.

It's also a great way to use up aging greens and veggies and fruit. Plus it's green so it feels great!

Try it!

Left Over Tomato Soup

If you try that tomato soup from yesterday (and I really think you should,) you are sure to have some left over. If you do, you can definitely freeze it OR here is a simple use for a completely new meal.

Toss a couple ladles of left over tomato soup with cooked whole wheat rotini (or any other pasta for that matter.) Toss in a few chunks of fresh goat cheese and fresh parsley. Instant dinner and DELICIOUS!

Back to normal...

I sure haven't been a very good blogger lately. Work has been crazy but things are settling down now, so time to get back to it.

I just finished one of the two busiest weekends of the year at work. I organized and ran a series of 8 huge music recitals in a local high school theatre Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Three 12 hour days and let me just say, I am glad they are over!

I got a new cookbook a couple weeks ago too. It's called Bite Me. It's super fun and so far all the recipes I've tried have been great!

I've got a couple recipes for you from the book. (Better than Campbell's, in my opinion) Roasted Tomato Soup
(from Bite Me)
2 x 796ml cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 dried bay leaf
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter (optional)
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.
Strain canned tomatoes over a bowl, reserving the juice. Put strained tomatoes on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 min.

2) Meanwhile, in a large soup pot set on med-low, combine olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until soft, about 8 min. Add flour and stir. Turn up the heat. Add roasted tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken broth, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer with the lid on for 30 min.

3) Remove bay leaf. Puree in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth. Stir in butter and basil if using.
** The recipe gives the idea to top with "mini grilled cheese croutons. Basically make grilled cheese and cut it into crouton size pieces and float in the soup. Might be fun for kids.**

Piquant Pasta Puttanesca
(from Bite Me)

This may sound a little strange, but it is AMAZING! Apparently this pasta is also called "Whore's Pasta" because it used to be used to lure men off the street into bordello's. Not that we need strange men in our houses, but it will definitely keep your husbands at home :)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of black pitted olives, halved
1 tbsp capers, drained
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 796ml can of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 lb fettuccine or linguine
fresh Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley

1) Heat olive oil in a big skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add olives, capers, oregano, salt and red pepper flakes, and saute for 3 min. Add diced tomatoes (with juice) and red wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 min.

2) Cook pasta and drain. Toss hot pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.


The book also has a great recipe for White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. I've made those too and they are great. I will post the recipe later this week.

Home on the Range and Coconut Shrimp

First let me just say that it snowed in Calgary and it was freezing. I only packed sandals. It's amazing how quickly one forgets.

We had an amazing time in Calgary this past weekend. We got to see Cory's family and celebrate Kate's Graduation from the Nursing program. Just as important, I was able to have some much needed reconnecting time with my best friends while celebrating the wedding of Christina and Kirk. It definitely did not seem like it had been a year since we'd seen everyone. I've realized how important it is to spend time with the people that really know you. Past and present. I find my love for the girls, who were my world growing up, never changes.

I had a wonderful time staying with the Wetsch Family. I had been waiting forever to see little Charlie again and let me tell you, she did not disappoint. What a cutie. Such a nice little girl and almost too adorable to look at. My hosts were gracious as usual and I had a very comfortable stay. Complete with fresh flowers in the bathroom :) I treasure the times I get to spend with Kelsey and her family and always look forward to my next visits.

Here's Charlie riding the Turtle we brought for her :)

Here is a super duper easy recipe for baked Coconut Shrimp. I made it up yesterday and it totally rocked my world.

Baked Coconut Shrimp in 10 minutes!

30 or so raw shrimp or prawns (peeled and devained. Tails on or off.)
1/2 cup mango salsa (or chili sauce, or 2 egg whites)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded (toasted if you want...)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs, available in the Asian section.)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray parchment with cooking spray.

Get three plates.
Plate one - flour.
Plate two - salsa (or equivalent)
Plate three - panko, coconut, salt, pepper, paprika

Dredge the shrimp in flour, dip them in salsa, then coat in coconut mixture. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops with cooking spray.

Bake for about 6 minutes. Then, turn on the broiler and watch them closely until they brown, 2 minutes or so. Serve with plum sauce or chili sauce for dipping. Enjoy!