Closet Cooking: September 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

BELT (Bacon Egg Lettuce Tomato) Sandwich

I certainly have been enjoying a lot of sandwiches lately! Chief among them have been BLT's with all of the fresh local tomatoes that are around right now. While I was researching the fried green tomato BLT that I made not too long ago I came across the idea of a BELT or a Bacon Egg Tomato sandwich where the egg component was in the form of a simple egg salad. The creamy egg and mayo filling reminded me of the avocado and mayo filling that I added to a BLT a while ago, called a BLAT (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato) sandwich, that I really enjoyed. Since I had also been wanting to try making an egg salad the BELT sandwich quickly made it to my meal plan. The egg salad was pretty easy to make and since I was going to be using it in a BLT I decided to keep the flavours nice and simple and I only added some mayo, mustard and chives to the eggs. The BELT sandwich was pretty messy with egg salad squishing out the sides with every bite, but it was so worth the mess as it tasted great! The creamy and tangy egg salad went really well with the juicy tomatoes and the salty bacon. I will definitely be making more of these sandwiches in the future and now I am looking forward to making a full flavoured egg salad even more.

BELT (Bacon Egg Lettuce Tomato) Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chives (chopped)
4 strips of bacon (cooked)
2 leaves of lettuce
1 ripe tomato (sliced)
2 slices of bread

Directions:
1. Place the eggs in a sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil.
2. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for seven minutes.
3. Transfer the eggs to a large bowl filled with cold water and let cool.
4. Peel the eggs and mash to the desired consistency mixing in the mayonnaise, mustard and chives.
5. Assemble sandwich.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Ntomatokeftedes (Greek Tomato and Feta Fritters)

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Ntomatokeftedes (Tomato and Feta Fritters)

Over the last few weeks of summer I certainly enjoyed my fair share of the Greek zucchini fritters! They are super simple to make and they are just packed full of great flavours. When I came across a tomato version otherwise know as ntomatokeftedes or Greek style tomato and feta fitters on Kopiaste I just had to try them and now was the perfect time with all of the perfectly ripe field tomatoes around. These tomato fritters get their tomato flavour in the form of ripe tomatoes and a couple of sun dried tomatoes are also tossed in for even more tomatoy goodness. One of the things that I really liked about the zucchini fritters was that they used a lot of fresh herbs and these tomato fritters use just as much. Another thing that I like about this recipe is the use of the bulgur wheat which makes them a bit healthier. To get even more whole grains in there I replaced the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. These Greek style tomato fritters came together just as easily as the zucchini fritters with the only real difference being the amount of flour that was required to handle the extra juices from the tomatoes. The tomato fritters were so good! They were nice and crispy on the outside and warm and moist and full of flavour on the inside. The tomato and feta combo is a great one and it worked really well in these fritters. I served the tomato fritters with a side of tzatziki, a Greek cucumber salad, for dipping.

Ntomatokeftedes (Greek Tomato and Feta Fritters)

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes (peeled, seeded and diced)
4 sundried tomatoes (chopped)
4 ounces feta (crumbled)
1/4 cup herbs (such as dill, mint, parsley, chopped)
2 green onions (sliced)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
2 eggs
1/4 cup fine bulgur wheat
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup whole wheat flour
* whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1. Mix the tomatoes, feta, herbs, green onions, oregano, paprika, eggs, bulgur, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
2. Slowly mix in some whole wheat flour until the mixture becomes thick enough to form into patties.
3. Heat the oil in a pan.
4. Form the tomato mixture into patties and fry in the oil until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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Last week I had the opportunity to attend an opening party at Joey Don Mills grill and lounge. Joey is a restaurant from the west coast and now they have a location at the Shops at Don Mills here in Toronto. The menu at Joey Don Mills certainly caught my attention with items such as the ahi tuna tacos, lobster grilled cheese sandwich, butter chicken and penang prawn curry. Chef Chris Mills who appeared on the Japanese version of the Iron Chef created the culturally diverse menu. While at the party I got to sample several of the dishes and they were all good! The two that stood out were the penang prawn curry and lobster grilled cheese sandwich. I have made penang prawn curry before and it is certainly among my favorite dishes! Trying the curry at Joey simply wet my appetite and I whipped up a batch this weekend including making my own penang curry paste from scratch.

If you are interested, I took some photos at the event and posted them to a gallery on flicker: Joey Don Mills Opening Gallery Some interesting thing that they had includes an ice bar for the stella and an enomatic wine dispenser so that every glass of wine is perfectly fresh.

Of course the lobster grilled cheese sandwich was pure decadence! With its perfectly crisp and golden brown crust and its warm an gooey, melted cheesy, lobster filled center... I just had to try making it at home and luckily Chef Chris Mills provided us with the recipe. The recipe for the filling reminds me of a lobster salad and it contains brie for a second cheese and one that will melt really well. How can you go wrong with lobster, mayo, and melted cheesy goodness? This grilled cheese sandwich was so stuffed with cheesy filling that it came out while I was grilling it and the cheese that came out fried, caramelized and stuck to the edges of the bread. (That melted cheese that oozes out and fries and sticks to the edges of the bread is always my favorite part of grilled cheese sandwiches!) The lobster grilled cheese sandwich was so good! If only lobster wasn't so expensive I could make these more often. A crab version should also be good.

Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich

by Chef Chris Mills
(makes 4 sandwiches)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound lobster (cooked, shelled and diced)
1/4 pound brie (diced)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon tarragon (chopped)
2 green onions (sliced)
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/2 lemon (juice)
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices bread
4 slices cheddar cheese
salted butter (room temperature)

Directions:
1. Mix the lobster, brie, mayo, tarragon, green onions, grainy mustard, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Butter one side of each slice of bread and assemble sandwiches with the buttered sides of the bread facing out and fill with a slice of cheese and a quarter of the lobster mixture.
3. Grill until the bread is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted on the inside.

Secrets on how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich revealed.

Similar Recipes:
Ahi Tuna Tostadas
Fig and Brie Panini with Prosciutto
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam
Eggplant and Mozzarella Panini
Deviled Ham Sandwich
Tandoori Chicken Melt

More Great Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

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Now that I had my green tomato and jalapeno jam the question was; What to do with it? Since the green tomato and jalapeno jam reminded me of a chutney that got me to thinking about the grilled cheese sandwich with mango chutney that I had enjoyed so much. I figured that a grilled cheese sandwich with green tomato and jalapeno jam would be a perfect place to start trying out the jam. The first time that I tried adding a jam or chutney to a grilled cheese sandwich I was surprised by how well the sweet and savoury combination worked and since then I have been enjoying experimenting with different combinations. The grilled cheese sandwich with green tomato and jalapeno jam was no different and the sweet and savoury jam worked really well with the melted gooey cheese and the crisp and buttery grilled bread. After the flavours died down you were left with a nice warm in your mouth provided by the heat from the jalapenos. So far I am really liking this green tomato and jalapeno jam and I can't wait to use it again.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 slices bread
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
2 slices cheese (cheddar, gruyere, etc.)
1 tablespoon green tomato and jalapeno jam

Directions:
1. Assemble the sandwich and grill until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

How to Make the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Similar Recipes:
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mango Chutney
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mango and Cardamom Jam
Peanut Butter and Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam Sandwich
Onion Chutney Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Gochujang Ketchup for Dipping

More Great Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Friday, September 25, 2009

Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

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When I picked up the green tomatoes for the fried green tomato BLT sandwiches that I made earlier in the week, I got a whole basket of them and I had a lot left over. Luckily I had found just the recipe to use some of them up in on Steamy Kitchen in the form of a green tomato and jalapeno jam. I had heard of chili pepper jams and jellies in the past and they always sounded so interesting and I had been wanting to try one out. With the extra green tomatoes that I had on hand it was to perfect time to make one. This jam kind of reminded me of a chutney with the garlic, ginger and cider and it promised to be good. The jam was pretty easy to make! I boiled the green tomatoes for a while so that I could peel them more easily and then I pureed the other ingredients and simmered everything until it thickened. The final result was really amazing! It was nice and sweet and yet at the same time savoury and of course there was a really nice heat to it! I am looking forward to experimenting with this green tomato and jalapeno jam.

Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

(makes 3 cups of jam)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 jalapenos (sliced)
1/2 cup herbs such as mint and cilantro (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 inch piece ginger (chopped)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound green tomatoes (peeled and chopped)
3 cups sugar

Directions:
1. Puree the jalapenos, herbs, garlic, ginger vinegar and soy sauce in a food processor.
2. Place the mixture into a sauce pan and add the tomatoes and sugar.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer until it thickens, about 45 minutes.

Used in:
Chicken Baked in Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam
Peanut Butter and Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam Sandwich
Roasted Acorn Squash with Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

Similar Recipes:
Pickled Green Tomatoes
Mango Chutney
Fried Green Tomatoes
Strawberry Balsamic Jam
Cranberry Chutney

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tostadas

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I now had some leftover chipotle lime shrimp I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them! I had been wanting to try making tostadas for a while and I thought that some chipotle lime shrimp tostadas would hit the spot. A tostada is essentially a fried or toasted tortilla that is filled with goodies. Mexican cuisine is one of my favorites and one of the things that I really like about it is the fact that there are so many different ways to rearrange the same ingredients into different packages so that you can have something new and interesting each time while still enjoying your favorite flavours. In the case of tostadas it seems like the natural progression; you start with freshly made tortillas and use them for tacos or burritos then when they are a bit older you use them in enchiladas or casseroles and then when they are just about completely stale you can fry them up in some oil and they become something new and wonderful again. I made sure to make extra chipotle lime shrimp and where I enjoyed them in tacos the first night I fried up the old tortillas and made chipotle lime shrimp tostadas the second night.

Once you have the basics down for your tostadas you can pretty much fill them with anything that you want. A good place to start is with your favorite tacos fillings such as lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc. I wanted to keep my tostadas nice and light so I went with lettuce, freshly made pico de gallo, black beans and avocado for the tostadas filling. It turned out to be pretty easy to fry up your own tortillas and the plain freshly made 'toasted' tortillas were great! They were nice and crispy and somehow fresh with a slight sweetness from the corn. (I think that I am going to have to make my own tortilla chips next time instead of buying them from the store.) The tostadas were as easy as throwing them together once you had all of the ingredients on hand. These chipotle lime shrimp tostadas were nice and light and fresh and good! What a great way to breath new life into old tortillas! The chipotle lime shrimp worked really well in the tostadas and I am looking forward to experimenting with tostadas and 'toasted' tortillas more in the future!

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tostadas

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
8 small corn tortillas (day old)
oil for frying
1 pound chipotle lime shrimp
4 cups romaine lettuce (shredded)
2 cups pico de gallo
2 cups black beans
2 avocados (diced)
you other favorite taco/texmex toppings such as cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.

Directions:
1. Either fry the tortillas in oil until crispy or brush them with oil and bake them in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown and crispy.
2. Assemble the tostadas by placing the other ingredients on top of the fried tortillas.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Chipotle Lime Shrimp

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I could not stay away from shrimp for too long and now I'm back with a super simple and tasty way of enjoying shrimp in the form of chipotle lime shrimp. The smoky chipotle chilies, lime and cumin bring the flavours to the prawns along with a nice amount of heat which is mellowed out by a touch of sugar. Along with the lime, the cilantro adds a really nice freshness to the shrimp. I could easily polish off a batch of chipotle lime shrimp as they are but with the texmex flavours they go really well in many texmex dishes including; tacos, taco salads, quesadillas, etc. You could add the smoky chipotle flavour to the marinade either in the form of chopped up chipotle chilies in adobo sauce or you could easily use some ground up chipotle chili powder. Right now it is still warm enough to cook them on the outside grill but you could just as easily use a grilling pan when the days get cooler.

Chipotle Lime Shrimp

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 chipotle chili in adobo (chopped)
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 lime (juice and zest)
2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)

Directions:
1. Mix the chipotle, adobo sauce, cumin, brown sugar, lime zest, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl and and let marinate for 20 minutes.
2. Skewer the shrimp.
3. Oil up the grill and grill the shrimp until cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Hot Cheesy Bean Dip

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I am a huge fan of dips! I like dips of all sorts and among my favorites are bean based dips and cheese based dips. Not too long ago I came across a baked bean dip or a santa fe bean dip on Eating Well Living Thin that had both beans and cheese in it and I just had to try it! The beans in this dip come in the form of refried beans and I made my own using black beans. Refried beans are typically cooked in lard or bacon fat which I did not have on hand so I just cooked up some bacon and left the bacon in the beans which added a ton of bacony goodness to the dip. The cheese in this dip comes from both cream cheese and grated cheese and I used a combination of cheddar and monterrey jack. In addition to the cheese the dip is made extra creamy by adding some sour cream. This bean dip is flavoured with taco seasoning and once again I made my own blend. Of course you couldn't have a texmex dip like this without some heat so there are some chopped green chilies and salsa in there for good measure. Finally, this bean dip is taken over the edge by baking it to melt all of the cheese into a gooey mess and meld all of the flavours together. This hot cheesy bean dip was so addictively good! I tried some too soon after it came out of the oven and I was immediatly hooked and continued eating despite the fact that I was huffing and puffing to cool my mouth down. Needless to say, the dip disappeared really quickly and I will have to make some more soon.

Hot Cheesy Bean Dip

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 batch refried beans
4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup green onions (sliced)
1 batch taco seasoning
2/3 cup salsa (extra liquid drained)
1 4 ounce can diced green chilies (drained)
1 cup cheese (grated)

Directions:
1. Mix everything, reserving some of the cheese, in a large bowl.
2. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and top with the reserved cheese.
3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until it is bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 45-60 minutes.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Tomato Pie

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I have been come across this tomato pie a few times lately and it has always looked so good. With the farmers market being full of perfectly ripe field tomatoes, now was the perfect time to make it! One of my favorite ways of enjoying tomatoes is a simple open faced sandwich with a bit of mayo and sliced tomatoes all topped off with some melted cheddar cheese and this pie incorporates all of those ingredients and adds in some bacon to make it even better! It may not be the healthiest of pies but how can you go wrong with tomatoes, bacon, cheese, mayonnaise and a full butter pie crust? Once you have your crust this pie is as easy to make as slicing the tomatoes, mixing the rest of the ingredients and baking for a short while and it is so worth it! This tomato pie is just as good as it looks and as the ingredients suggest! I could barely wait for the pie to cool down before digging in and the slices are disappearing very quickly!

Tomato Pie

(makes 6+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
4 large tomatoes (sliced thickly)
1 tablespoon sugar
pepper to taste
1/4 cup green onions (sliced)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheese (grated)
1/4 cup bacon (sliced into 1 inch pieces and cooked)

Directions:
1. Place the tomato slices on the bottom of the pie shell in one or two layers and sprinkle with the sugar, pepper and green onions.
2. Mix the mayonnaise, cheese and bacon and spread over the tomatoes.
3. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until golden brown and bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Melon and Feta Salad

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Despite the fact that the days are starting to get cooler, I am still enjoying summery salads. We are at the tail end of melon season and I have certainly been enjoying them. In particular I have been focusing on the local musk melons and every one that I have gotten so far this season has been perfectly ripe, nice and juicy and sweet. I first came across the concept of using a sweet melon in a savoury salad a while ago and it intrigued me. These savoury melon salads typically include salty feta which sounded like it would be an interesting combination. In addition the the melon and feta you can toss in herbs like basil or mint and then you can round the salad off with some diced red onion. I like to 'dress' the salad with a simple olive oil and lime juice vinaigrette seasoned with salt and pepper. The sweet and juicy melon and salty feta combo in this salad works surprisingly well! The red onion provides a nice bite and the mint finishes the salad off nicely. What a great way to enjoy the last days of summer.

Melon and Feta Salad

(make 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 cups melon (or cantaloupe, scooped and cut into bite sized pieces)
1/4 cup red onion (sliced, optional)
1 handful feta (crumbled)
1 tablespoon mint (thinly sliced)
1 lime (juice)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix everything together.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Blueberry Maple Oatmeal Smoothie

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Blueberry season is quickly coming to an end and I have been trying to get as many of the blueberry dishes on my to try list in as I can. The next one on the list was a recipe for a blueberry and maple syrup oat smoothie that I found on Lisa's Kitchen. The blueberry, maple and oatmeal combo is a really good one and I have used it many times so I knew that this smoothie was going to be really good. I liked the sound of using the rolled oats in a smoothie like this and I just had to try it. The rolled oats are mixed into the yogurt the night before so that they have a chance to soften up for when you turn them into a drink.

Smoothies are one of those things that you can do pretty much whatever you want with them. Once you have determined the primary ingredients that you want you can go wild with the rest. For this smoothie I went with the original recipes idea of using a yogurt base and to that I added some milk to smooth it out a bit, though you could easily use juice or any other liquid. If I had had a banana on hand I would have thrown one in as well but I didn't so I kept things nice and simple. In the full heat of summer I would have considered adding some vanilla frozen yogurt to make it an even cooler treat. It is hard to beat the cool and refreshing blueberry and maple combo in smoothie form and the the rolled oats added a really nice texture to this smoothie. I definitely look forward to making more of these.

Blueberry Maple Oatmeal Smoothie

(makes 2 smoothies)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup yogurt
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup liquid (I used milk but juices like apple juice would also work well.)

Directions:
1. Mix the rolled oats into the yogurt and let sit in the fridge over night.
2. Puree everything in a food processor.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Kolokythokeftedes (Zucchini and Feta Balls)

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When I went to Greece on vacation last year, at one of the restaurants we went to we decided to skip having a main course and we ordered a bunch of mezes or appetizers to share. Among the appetizers were of course some of the classics including tzatziki (a Greek cucumber salad), melitzanosalata (a Greek roasted eggplant salad) and a few others. The one that really caught my attention however was the zucchini balls otherwise know as kolokythokeftedes. They were like meatballs only made with zucchini along with some herbs and feta. They were perfectly round, golden brown, slightly crispy on the outside and warm, soft, moist and tasty on the inside. The zucchini balls were so good and luckily I got to have a lot of them as many at the table passed on them when they heard that they were made with zucchini.

I had been meaning to try making the kolokithokeftedes at home for a while and now that zucchini season is running out it was time to get to making them. I pretty much just started with the recipe that I used for my Greek style zucchini fritters and modified it slightly for the zucchini balls. Where the zucchini fritters could be fairly liquidy and even be poured into the pan to fry the zucchini balls needed to be able to hold their form so I kept adding equal parts whole wheat flour and whole wheat bread crumbs until the mixture could hold the form of a ball. I also added a splash of ouzo to the batter to add a hint of anise that would add that something special that you just can't quite put your finger on. Despite the fact that my skills at forming perfect balls falls a bit short, the zucchini balls tasted great! I served them with some tzatziki to dip them in and they made a really nice snack. They would also make for a nice light meal. It is always fun trying to recreate dishes that you remember fondly from another time!

Kolokythokeftedes (Zucchini and Feta Balls)

(makes 12 zucchini balls)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups zucchini (grated and squeezed)
1/4 cup of feta (crumbled)
1 splash ouzo
1 clove garlic (chopped)
2 green onions (chopped)
1 handful herbs (such as mint, dill and parsley, chopped)
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
flour (I used whole wheat)
breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
oil for frying

Directions:
1. Mix the zucchini, feta, ouzo, garlic, green onion, herbs and egg and season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix in equal parts flour and breadcrumbs until you can work with the mixture to form balls.
3. Form the mixture into balls and dust in flour.
4. Fry in oil until golden brown and set aside to cool.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Roasted Portobello Mushroom Salad

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I am a big fan of mushrooms and I am always on the lookout for new ways to enjoy them. One mushroom that I do not seem to use that often if a fairly common one, the portobello or portabella mushroom. Sure I've done stuffed portabella mushrooms and I've done portobello mushroom sandwiches but that seems to be about it. When I came across the idea of a roasted portabella salad on eat me, delicious I immediatly jumped at the chance to try using portobello mushrooms in a new way. This roasted portobello mushroom salad is pretty much like a chicken salad where it is a salad with a sliced roasted portobello mushroom on top. The mushroom is marinated in a tasty balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and garlic marinade and then roasted to perfection before being added to the salad.

Despite the fact that it takes a bit of time to marinate and roast the mushrooms, this salad is pretty easy to make. In fact you could easily marinate and roast the mushrooms a day or so ahead of time and all that is left is to assemble the salad. For the dressing, I went with a grainy mustard version of a honey dijon vinaigrette as I have been into grainy mustards lately. The roasted portobello mushroom salad with honey dijon dressing turned out really well! The mushrooms were nice and tender and they had soaked up all of the wonderful flavours of the marinade. I really liked the creamy avocado and chickpea combo in the salad and the dressing was a nice combination of sweet, sour, hot, tangy and the whole grin mustard added a texture to everything. The portobello mushrooms worked really well in the salad and I look forward to trying more salads with them!

Roasted Portobello Mushroom Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing

(makes 2 salads)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups salad greens
1 cup chickpeas
1 avocado (stoned, scooped and diced)
1/4 cup red onion (sliced)
2 small roasted portabello mushrooms (see below, sliced)
honey dijon dressing (see below)

Directions:
1. Assemble salad.

Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients:
2 small portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic (chopped)

Directions:
1. Marinate the mushrooms in the vinegar, soy sauce and garlic for 20 minutes.
2. Place the mushrooms and the marinade in a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
3. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 30 minutes.
4. Flip the mushrooms and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

Honey Dijon Dressing

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic (grated)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix everything in a bowl.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Peach and Maple Sour Cream Pecan Pie

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With the final days of summer quickly dwindling away I find myself trying to get in as much enjoyment of the fresh fruits and vegetables as I can. The peaches at the farmers market are still looking amazing and I thought that it was the perfect time to try making the sour cream peach pecan pie that I came across on very culinary. I had recently tried making and enjoyed a sour cream pie so I knew that the sour cream filling part of the pie would be great. You can't go wrong topping treats like this off with crumbs and I really liked the idea of all of the pecans in the crumbs. With the pecans in the crumb topping it got me thinking about the maple pecan pie that I made a while ago and I could not resist mixing some maple into the pie in the form of maple sugar in both the sour cream filling and the crumb topping. The maple sour cream peach pecan pie turned out great! The peach, sour cream and maple flavour combo was amazingly good! The pecan filled crumb topping also went really well with the peach filling and the light and flaky pasty finished off the pie perfectly. What a great way to enjoy the fresh local peaches!

Peach and Maple Sour Cream Pecan Pie

(makes 6+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups peaches (sliced and peeled)
3 tablespoons peach preserves (I used apricot)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pie crust
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter (melted)

Directions:
1. Mix the peaches and preserves and place them into the pie crust.
2. Mix the sugar, sour cream, egg yolks, flour and vanilla and pour over the peaches.
3. Bake in a preheated 425F oven for 30 minutes.
4. Mix the flours, sugars, pecans, cinnamon and butter until it forms crumbs.
5. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pie.
6. Bake in a preheated 425F oven until the top is golden brown and a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Thai Curried Zucchini Fritters with Spicy Peanut Sauce

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With all the zucchini that I have had this summer one of my favorite quick and easy ways to enjoy it has been simple zucchini fritters or cakes. Zucchini fritters are pretty just grated zucchini that is mixed up to form a batter and then it is fried in a pan until golden brown, rather like a pancake. Other than being easy to make, one of the things that I like so much about them is the fact that you can play around with the flavours in them and you can serve them with various condiments so you can have something new each time. Recently I have made texmex zucchini fritters with salsa and Greek style zucchini fritters with tzatziki. The next version that I wanted to try was Thai curried zucchini fritters with a spicy peanut sauce.

I thought I would keep it simple and I mixed some home made Thai curry paste into the zucchini batter along with some Thai inspired herbs and a birds eye chili for some extra heat. I used my favorite spicy Thai peanut sauce recipe and I served the zucchini cakes smothered in it. The Thai curried zucchini fritters turned out great! They were nice and crispy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside and just packed full of flavour. These zucchini cakes were easily tasty enough to eat by themselves or with a simple fish sauce based dipping sauce but they were great with the savoury peanut sauce. That peanut sauce is so addictive and I just can't seem to get enough of it! Now I am off to think of new ways to enjoy the zucchini that I have left.

Thai Curried Zucchini Fritters with Spicy Peanut Sauce

(makes 2 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cup zucchini (grated and squeezed to drain)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons green curry paste (or red curry paste)
1 green onion (chopped)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
1 birds eye chili (thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup Thai spicy peanut sauce

Directions:
1. Mix the zucchini, flour, egg, curry paste, green onion, cilantro, chili, fish sauce and lime juice in a bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Spoon the zucchini mixture into the pan to form patties and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
4. Serve with spicy peanut sauce.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Blueberry Buckle

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Over the last few weeks I have been seeing a few really nice looking blueberry buckles and I just had to make one while the fresh local blueberries were still in season. I am not really sure why it is called a buckle but what caught my attention was the full two cups of blueberries in it! The next thing that I liked about it was the crumb topping of course. I made a few changes to the recipe including replacing half of the flour with whole wheat flour to make it a bit healthier and replacing some the sugar with maple sugar both in the cake and in the crumbs. Maple and blueberries go so well together that I could not resist working some maple into the recipe. The maple blueberry buckle was as easy to make as mix and bake and it turn out amazingly well. The cake was nice and moist and light and fluffy and just packed with blueberry goodness. I am not really sure if you could fit any more blueberries into this cake but that's what makes it so good. The maple went really well in the buckle bringing an amazing aroma and flavour that finished it off perfectly. I practically inhaled the first slice but luckily there are a few more slices for breakfasts during the week.

Blueberry Buckle

(makes 6+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter (melted)

Directions:
1. Mix the flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugars.
3. Mix the egg and vanilla into the butter mixture.
4. Mix the flour mixture and milk into the butter mixture.
5. Fold in the blueberries.
6. Pour the batter into a greased 10 inch spring form pan.
7. Mix the flours, sugars, cinnamon and butter in a bowl until crumbs form.
8. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the cake.
7. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Zucchini and Kimchi Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust

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After successfully combining cheese and kimchi in the kimchi quesadillas I was looking to try the combo again. As is usual these days, I had a ton of zucchini in my fridge and I needed something for quick breakfasts for the week. While I was thinking about zucchini and breakfasts I remembered the herbed zucchini and feta quiche with a brown rice crust that I had made recently and really enjoyed. The next thing that I knew I had settled on a kimchi and zucchini quiche and I decided to go with a healthy serving of gruyere as the cheese in the quiche. I have really been liking the brown rice crust with quiches so I decided to use it again in this this one though I used short grained rice rather than long this time. The zucchini and kimchi quiche with a brown rice crust was easy to make and it turned out surprisingly well! Once again the kimchi went really well with the cheese and it added a ton of flavour to the quiche along with a nice kick of heat that will really wake me up in the mornings when I eat it for breakfast this week. With these successful fusion kimchi dishes down I am looking forward to experimenting with kimchi more.

Zucchini and Kimchi Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust

(makes 6+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup gruyere (grated)
1 egg
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup gruyere (grated)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 cup kimchi (drained and chopped)
1 cup zucchini (grated, squeezed and drained)
2 green onions (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix the rice, cheese and egg in a bowl.
2. Press the rice mixture into a pie plate, about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Bake in a preheated 450F oven until the edges and bottom just start turning golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Mix the eggs, milk, gruyere, garlic, kimchi, zucchini, green onions, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust.
6. Bake in a preheated 375F oven until golden brown and set in the center, about 30-35 minutes.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Zucchini and Corn Taco Seasoned Quinoa Salad

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I was looking for something lighter and healthier and since both corn and zucchini are in season, plentiful, and on hand I wanted to use both of them. Quinoa salads never fail when light and tasty meals are on the table and I was thinking that a corn and zucchini quinoa salad would be nice. The corn got me to thinking texmex and the next thing I knew it was a corn and zucchini quinoa salad seasoned with taco spices. I feel that spices like this are best when they have had a chance to cook with the dish to release all of their flavours and mingle with the rest of the ingredients. Since this was going to be a mostly fresh salad I decided to add the taco seasoning to the quinoa while it cooked so that the quinoa would be infused with its flavours. I then finished the salad off with some more texmex style ingredients including black beans, green onions, cilantro and some cotija cheese. This quinoa salad was nice and easy to make and it turned out really well. I really liked the way the spicy taco seasoned quinoa worked with the sweet corn and raw zucchini in this salad. The beans added a nice creaminess and the cotija cheese was the perfect finish to this salad. One of the good things about salads like this is that the leftovers are just as good straight from the fridge so they make super quick snacks or light meals.

Zucchini and Corn Taco Seasoned Quinoa Salad

(makes 2 light meal sized servings or 4 side dish sized servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 batch taco seasoning
1 ear corn (grilled and kernels cut from cob)
1 cup zucchini (grated)
1 cup black beans
1 jalapeno (sliced)
1 green onion (sliced)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon oil
1 lime (juice)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cotija (crumbled)

Directions:
1. Simmer the quinoa in the water along with the taco seasoning until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Mix the quinoa, corn, zucchini, black beans, jalapeno pepper, green onion and cilantro in a large bowl.
3. Mix the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Toss the salad in the dressing and serve garnished with cotija cheese.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

BLAST (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Shrimp and Tomato) Sandwich

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One of my favorite ways to enjoy the perfectly ripe field tomatoes at this time of year is in sandwiches as they are nice and simple to make and they always hit the spot. At first there was the simple BT or Bacon and Tomato sandwich which was good while it lasted but then I quickly discovered the BLT (Bacon Lettuce and Tomato) sandwich which was even better. After a while I started getting into avocados and the BLAT (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato sandwich was born. I really liked this combo and so I played around with it a bit starting with sliced avocado and then moving on to mashed avocado, which did not keep popping out of the sandwich while eating it like the slices did. Then I tried mixing mayonnaise into the mashed avocado and then onto a full blown guacamole in the BLT. I thought I had gone as far as I could with the bacon and tomato sandwiches when I came across the BLAST or Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Shrimp and Tomato sandwich on Soup Belly which just had to be tried! How could you possibly go wrong adding something as good as shrimp to an already great sandwich? Though the original recipe called for some spicy marinated shrimp I decided to keep it simple and I sauteed the prawns in the leftover bacon grease for some more bacony goodness. I went with the avocado mayo for the avocado component as it is my favorite way to add avocado to a sandwich. The bacon, lettuce, avocado, shrimp and tomato sandwich is definitely a winner! The succulent shrimp went really well with the salty bacon, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado mayo and the lettuce rounded the sandwich off nicely. Of course I used a whole wheat bread to try to add a bit of healthiness to the sandwich. I will definitely be making a few more of these while the tomatoes are so good!

BLAST (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Shrimp and Tomato) Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
4 shrimp (peeled and deveined)
salt and pepper to taste
2 slices bread
1/2 avocado (stoned, scooped and mashed)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 leaves lettuce
2 slices tomato

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a pan and set aside.
2. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the shrimp to the pan and saute in the bacon grease until cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Mix the avocado and mayo.
5. Assemble sandwich.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Creamy Dilled Cucumber Salad

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Cucumbers are another of summers fresh bounty that I have been enjoying a lot lately. I normally bring home two or more of them from the farmers market every week and I tend to use them in salads or just snack on them as they are. I really like cucumbers on warm summer days as they are nice and juicy and perfect still cool from the fridge. I have however noticed that cucumbers rarely get the attention that they deserve! Every once in a while it is nice to let the humble cucumber shine and to be the star of the show and this cool and creamy cucumber salad is a great way to do so. This is one of those salads where it is nice to make it ahead of time so that you can let the flavours mingle a bit while it chills out in the fridge. The crisp and juicy cucumbers go so well with a creamy coating made slightly tangy by the lemon and the red peppers provide a bit of sweet pungency and of course the dill finishes the salad off perfectly. This salad is best served straight from the fridge while it is still cool which makes it a great way to beat the heat.

Creamy Dilled Cucumber Salad

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber (sliced)
1/4 cup red onion (sliced)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 handful dill (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix everything and chill in the fridge for 20+ minutes.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Zucchini and Feta Ricotta Tart

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A while ago I made an asparagus and gruyere tart that I really enjoyed. It was pretty much as easy to make as rolling out the puff pastry, throwing the toppings on and baking it. The tart was so good that it is still on my mind and I have been wanting to try new variations of it. I had been thinking about doing a zucchini version and since I had some extra zucchini on hand it was the perfect time it try it. I have also been enjoying the zucchini, feta, lemon and herb combo lately I wanted to try to work them into the tart somehow but I would need something to bind everything and hold it together. When I was looking for recipes for Greek phyllo pies I noticed that some of them used ricotta cheese and I thought that the ricotta along with an egg would help hold all of the toppings together. This zucchini tart was also pretty easy to pull together and it turned out great! The zucchini, feta, herb and lemon combo was amazing and it worked really well on the light, flaky and buttery puff pastry. All of the flavours from the kolokithopita (Greek zucchini pie) are in this tart but the puff pastry is much easier to work with than the phyllo dough so this is a great quicker and easier alternative.

Zucchini and Feta Ricotta Tart

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 cup feta (crumbled)
1 lemon (juice and zest)
1/4 cup herbs (such as dill, mint, parsley, chopped)
1 egg (lightly beaten)
salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet puff pastry (thawed according to the packages directions)
1 large zucchini (thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Mix the ricotta, feta, lemon, herbs, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Roll the puff pastry out to a 16x10 inch rectangle.
3. Score a line around the puff pastry 1 inch from the edge.
4. Spread the ricotta mixture over the center of the dough.
5. Arrange the zucchini slices in a single layer on top of the ricotta mixture.
6. Brush the outside inch of the pastry with the oil.
7. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until the zucchini is tender and the pastry is golden brown, about 15-25 minutes.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Blueberry Crumb Bars with Lemon Cream Filling

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When I came across this recipe for blueberry streusel bars with lemon cream filling on The Recipe Girl I added it to my meal plan right away. With blueberries, lemon, crumbs and cream, how can you go wrong? I really like the blueberry and lemon combo and this sounded like a nice take on it. When I looked at the recipe for the cream layer I noticed that it looked a lot like the recipe for key lime pie filling only with lemon so I knew that it was going to be really good. The recipe for the actual bars also looked very similar to the recipe that I use for crumb bars. So we basically have blueberry crumb bars with a lemon key lime pie filling! It just keeps getting better and better. I modified the recipe a bit by reducing the the amount so that it would fit into my 8 inch square baking dish and I replaced some of the flour with whole wheat flour to make it a bit healthier. The bars were really easy to make and they turned out so well! The blueberry and lemon cream combo was amazingly good and the sweet crumb topping finished off the bars perfectly. Tip: For crumb bars like these you want to make sure that you press the bottom layer into the dish well so that the bars hold together.

Blueberry Crumb Bars with Lemon Cream Filling

(makes 9+ bars)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter (melted)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg (separated)
3/4 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups blueberries

Directions:
1. Mix the butter, flours, rolled oats, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl until it forms crumbs.
2. Set 1 cup of the mixture aside for the topping.
3. Mix the egg white into the mixture.
4. Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 8 inch square baking pan.
5. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile mix the egg yolk into the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and zest and let it sit.
7. Spread the blueberries out over the bottom crust and top with the lemon mixture.
8. Bake until the lemon mixture forms a shiny skin, about 7-8 minutes.
9. Sprinkle on the reserved crumbs.
10. Bake until the top is golden brown and the sides are bubbling, about 20-25 minutes.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Diced Caprese Salad with a Pesto Dressing

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The farmers market is just full of fresh ripe field tomatoes that just seem to call my name. One of my favorite way to enjoy these late summer juicy treats is in a simple caprese salad that focuses nicely on the perfect tomatoes. I have played around with with the caprese salad flavours before including a caprese sandwich with basil pesto which was really good. When I came across the idea of simply using a basil pesto as the dressing on a caprese salad on Smitten Kitchen I already knew the combo was a killer one. This salad is as easy to make as to dice some tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and toss them in a basil pesto. I made my own basil pesto and I used a bit more lemon juice than usual to make it more like a dressing for the salad. The diced caprese salad with basil pesto dressing was amazing! It was nice and cool and light and refreshing. The basil pesto worked really well as the basil component of the caprese salad and it also worked well as a dressing. I will have to remember to use a basil pesto dressing more often. This salad really is a great way to enjoy the perfectly ripe field tomatoes!

Diced Caprese Salad with a Pesto Dressing

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound tomatoes (diced)
1 pound fresh mozzarella (diced)
1/4 cup basil pesto (I made it with a bit of extra lemon juice for some tanginess.)

Directions:
1. Toss the tomatoes mozzarella in the basil pesto to coat.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Zucchini and Kimchi Quinoa Salad

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I recently made a big batch of kimchi to use in the Kogi kimchi quesadillas and luckily I had a bunch left over. I was looking for a lighter meal and I was thinking that a quinoa salad with kimchi would be nice. Since I had some zucchini in the fridge there was no question that I would be adding some and I thought that it would work best if it was grated. I then bulked the salad up a bit with some black beans which I always enjoy using in salads like this. I knew exactly what I wanted to use as the dressing; the gochujang dressing that I have been using for a while now is full of flavour and it works really well on salads of all kinds. In fact it is a little like a Korean barbecue sauce where it has a nice heat but that heat is balanced by a sweetness, a saltiness and a tartness and finished off with some sesame flavours. This zucchini and kimchi quinoa salad was really easy to make and it turned out great! It was nice and light and yet filling and healthy and packed with flavour! The kimchi worked really well in the salad and the gochujang dressing really shone and both brought a nice amount of heat.

Zucchini and Kimchi Quinoa Salad

(makes 2 large serving or 4 side dish sized servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup red quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup black beans
1 cup zucchini (grated)
1/4 cup kimchi (chopped)
2 tablespoons gochujang dressing
1 green onion (sliced)
1 green chili (sliced)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)

Directions:
1. Simmer the quinoa in the water until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Mix the quinoa, beans, zucchini and kimchi and toss with the dressing.
3. Serve garnished with green onions, chilies and toasted sesame seeds.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Roasted Tomato and Gorgonzola Sauce

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Late summer and early fall is such a great time of the year! The farmers markets are just jam packed with tons of good things and some of the ones that I like the most are the perfectly ripe field tomatoes and the red peppers. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the tomatoes is to roast them and use them in various things like pasta sauces. My favorite way to enjoy red peppers is also to roast them as it bring out their amazing flavour and I tend to go through a lot of them. In fact I commonly get a bunch of both the tomatoes and the red peppers that I roast and then freeze them for the use throughout the winter.

Not to completely jump topics here but bear with me; I also really enjoy creamy gorgonzola sauces. You can see where this is going now right? I recently came across the brilliant idea of combing them all into one amazing sounding roasted tomato and red pepper sauce with blue cheese on Kayotic Kitchen and I just had to try it. Well the original recipe called for magor which is a combination of mascarpone cheese and gorgonzola but I was unable to find the magor so I just used equal parts of both the mascarpone and the gorgonzola. The first thing that always comes to mind when trying out new sauces it to use them in a simple pasta where they are the star of the show. It seems that I always have some extra zucchini on hand these days so I decided to add some to the pasta to fill it out a bit. The roasted tomato and red pepper gorgonzola sauce so good!! It was just packed full of the flavours of the roasted tomatoes and red peppers and the cheeses made the sauce so nice and creamy. The gorgonzola really worked well in the sauce adding a really nice undertone of the tangy cheese without overpowering the rest of the flavours. What a great way to enjoy the bounty of these dwindling days of summer!

Roasted Tomato and Gorgonzola Sauce

(makes 4+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 roasted red pepper
8 plum tomatoes (halved)
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion (quartered)
1 tablespoon olive oil
oregano to taste
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces of gorgonzola dolce (or other blue cheese)
4 ounces of mascarpone

Directions:
1. Toss the tomatoes, garlic and onion in the oil, oregano, salt and pepper to coat.
2. Spread the veggies out in a single layer in a baking dish.
3. Bake in a preheated 400F over until nice and roasted, about 45-60 minutes.
4. Squeeze the garlic from there skins and puree everything.
5. Mix in the cheese and heat on the stove until the cheese has melted into the sauce.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Mango, Avocado and Grilled Shrimp Salad with a Peanut Dressing

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I had some tom yum grilled shrimp left over and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I had recently come across a recipe for a mango and avocado salad with a peanut dressing on Cara's Cravings that sounded amazingly good and it called for finishing the salad off with some shrimp. I really like the creamy avocado and juicy mango combo and that immediatly caught my attention with this salad. If the shrimp, mango and avocado weren't enough the salad was dressed up in a peanut and coconut dressing and I had recently tried and really liked a peanut dressing with coconut milk on the Thai green bean and crab salad. The shrimp are of course optional but if you have some already cooked shrimp on hand then this salad is a piece of cake to throw together and well worth it! The salad was nice and light and yet filling and packed with flavour. The peanut and coconut dressing was really tasty and it went well with the mango and avocado and the tasty tom yum shrimp finished the salad off perfectly.

Mango, Avocado and Grilled Shrimp Salad with a Peanut Dressing

(makes 2 salads)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
1 lime (juice and zest)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 birds eye chili (sliced)
1 teaspoon palm sugar (grated or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon mint (chopped)
1 mango (stoned, scooped and sliced)
1 avocado (stoned, scooped and sliced)
2 handfuls salad greens
2 green onions (sliced)
2 tablespoons peanuts (roasted and chopped)
6 tom yum grilled shrimp (optional)

Directions:
1. Mix the coconut milk, lime, fish sauce, peanut butter, chili, sugar and cilantro in a bowl and set aside.
2. Assemble the salad, toss with dressing to coat and serve garnished with chopped roasted peanuts.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Tom Yum Grilled Shrimp

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After trying and really enjoying the tom yum grilled fish I came across the grilled shrimp version on About.com: Thai Food. How can you go wrong using the tom yum paste that is used to make the amazing tom yum soup and grilled skewered shrimp? This time when I looked at the recipe the fact that the shrimp was skewered reminded me of a Thai style satay only using a marinade with more fresh ingredients such as the lemongrass, cilantro, green onions, fresh birds eye chilies, etc. There was no way that I could pass up on making this shrimp dish and I got to it on the weekend. The tom yum grilled shrimp was as easy to make as pulsing the marinade in a food processor, marinating the shrimp for a while and finally grilling them for a few minutes on both sides. For the minimal amount of effort these shrimp took to make they turned out excellent! The shrimp were nice and juicy and super tasty! Although the shrimp were flavourful enough to serve by themselves you could also serve them with a spicy Thai peanut dipping sauce if you like. One thing that I really like about simple meat dishes like this is that you can serve them as an appetizer by themselves or with a dipping sauce or you can use them as just another tasty component in other dishes like salads or sandwiches.

Tom Yum Grilled Shrimp

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 stalks lemongrass (peeled and chopped, or lemon zest or myrtle leaves)
3 cloves garlic
1 thumb sized piece galangal (or ginger, peeled and chopped)
1+ birds eye chili (or other hot chili or 1 teaspoon chili sauce, etc.)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
1 lime (juice and zest)
2 green onions (sliced)
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons palm sugar (grated or sugar)

Directions:
1. Place the lemon grass, garlic, galangal, chili, cilantro, lime juice and zest, green onions, shrimp paste, fish sauce, oil and palm sugar in a foor processor and process.
2. Marinate the shrimp in the paste for at least 10 minutes.
3. Skewer the shrimp.
4. Grill until cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side.