in case of emergency - recipe: "emergency” granola bars

I recently read a blogger’s list of summertime favourites — it included the likes of bare shoulders, sleeping without covers, and tomato & mayo sandwiches.

Of the many items on that list, a good road trip was nowhere to be found. A road trip is definitely on my summertime list. Who doesn’t love a quick afternoon car adventure or a lengthy drive to a much-anticipated vacation spot?

Last weekend, David, John and I were invited to a friend’s cottage in the Huntsville area. It’s safe to say that David and I were both a little nervous about how John would take to being car-bound for three-plus hours on highways 401, 400 and 11.

We played it safe and packed a few new toys and lots of yummy treats in case of an emergency — the emergency being rather loud verbal protesting by John, in case you’re wondering.

I’m both pleased and proud to announce that little John did very well in the car, although that didn’t stop us from devouring the yummy “emergency” treats like these granola bars anyway. As it turned out, David was more in need of pacifying than John...

Because granola bars are inexpensive and easy to make, as well as easy to eat on the run, they make for perfect road food. This recipe was adapted from the Whitewater Cooks granola bar recipe. I added cocoa powder, various seeds and dried fruit for richness and texture.

'emergency' granola bars

ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut, toasted
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 cup dried fruit — cranberries, blueberries, for example
• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
• 3 and 1/2 cups oats

method

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 13” by 18” rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large frying pan, toast the coconut, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds over medium heat until coconut is light golden and seeds are glistening. Set aside to cool.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Next, add the peanut butter, vanilla and cocoa powder until whipped and well combined. Next, add in the maple syrup and corn syrup until combined.
• On medium low speed, add in the coconut seed mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure that everything is well-mixed.
• On low speed, add in the oats, dried fruit and chocolate chips.
• Pour the granola mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and pack down the granola until it is spread evenly across the pan.
• For crunchy granola bars, bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown; rotating the pan every 10 minutes or so. Let cool slightly and cut into 30 squares while still warm.
• For chewy granola bars, bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden, rotating the pan once after 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and cut into 30 squares while still warm.

variety of veggies means saying goodbye to ho-hum salads - recipe: caprese salad skewers

Arugula, mache or dandelion greens? Hallumi, chevre or gorgonzola? Meyer lemon dressing, Asian sesame drizzle or Ponzu vinaigrette? Don’t forget the accompaniments such as crispy wonton strips, candied nuts and apple chips. Due to the plethora of grocery store items from which to choose, gone are the days of ho-hum salads.

While salad ingredients and their combinations are more creative than ever, the presentation of salads hasn’t changed all that much. As a food shop and catering business owner, one of my favourite tasks is coming up with creative ways to present standard fare such as salads.

Here are five ideas for one-or two-bite salads that are consistently received with what I like to call the “wow factor”.

fresh salad rolls

Rice paper wraps (pre-soaked in water) filled with Asian ingredients like shrimp, fresh herbs, shredded vegetables, mango and hoisin sauce. For a twist, try something different like Japanese caesar salad rolls (romaine, edamame, crispy bacon, wasabi caesar dressing) or pad thai summer rollas.

mini parmesan cup salads

Make tiny parmesan cups using mini-muffin tins. Stuff cups with chopped mixed greens and roasted grape tomatoes; drizzle with reduced balsamic to finish.

mini cucumber

cup salads Cut a cucumber into one inch slices and use a melon-baller to scoop out the centre of each slice, leaving a shell of flesh. For a one-bite Greek salad, fill cups with chopped tomatoes, olives, fresh oregano, red onion and feta cheese. For something less conventional, how about sesame Asian chicken or shrimp salad?

mini filled cherry tomato salads

Using a bread knife, cut a thin slice off the bottoms of cherry tomatoes so that they will sit flat. Then cut a thin slice from tops of the cherry tomatoes. Using a melon-baller, carefully scoop out the centres, leaving ‘shells’ of tomato flesh.

For mini BLT’s, stuff the tomatoes with bacon, lettuce and lemon-pepper mayo. For a Mexican twist, fill them with guacamole and top with a few black beans and a sprig of cilantro.

salads-on-sticks

I’ve found that almost any salad can be re-invented using a skewer. Skewers make for a fun presentation and are perfect for buffets or casual “fork only” dinners where guests sit on a chair or sofa instead of at the dining room table. In a nutshell, you skewer the various salad items.

I always use a mini four inch skewer. Guests dip the skewers into dressing.

For a Cobb salad, thread a skewer with a piece of bibb lettuce, a piece of avocado, a grape tomato, a piece of bacon (or a cube of ham) and a piece of hard-boiled egg (or a halved quail’s egg). Serve with a blue cheese dipping sauce.

For a pasta primavera salad, thread a four inch skewer with a small (cooked) cheese tortellini, cubes of roasted grilled vegetables (i. e. pepper, eggplant, zucchini) and finish with a second cheese tortellini. Dip in marinara sauce or red pepper pesto.

Caesar, Greek and Caprese salad skewers work well too.

caprese salad skewers

makes about two dozen

ingredients for skewers

• 48 grape tomatoes
• 48 mini bocconcini mozzarella balls
• 1 cup homemade or store bought pesto

ingredients for reduced balsamic dressing

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup light soya sauce

method for skewers

• Marinate bocconcini in pesto for an hour or up to two days in fridge.
• Thread a four inch skewer with a grape tomato, a bocconcini ball and repeat.
• Dip skewers into reduced balsamic dressing, or drizzle skewers with balsamic dressing before serving.

method for dressing

Place all ingredients in a pot and boil on high heat until thickened, about six to nine minutes.

nostalgic noshing on some grownup s'mores - recipe: grownup s'mores

I was recently asked to be a guest on a future episode of Global TV’s cooking show, Foodies.

I’ll never forget my first television appearance — it was on the program Daytime with host Susan Cook Scheerer and former host Mark Paine. Was I ever nervous! Fortunately, Susan and Mark both did a fine job of making me feel at ease.

Since that first show in 2004, I’ve had the pleasure of being a guest on a few different television shows. I love the rush and thrill of live TV — strangely enough, it’s actually addictive.

After much thought (perhaps too much), I sent the Foodies producers and host some ideas for an episode based on “nostalgic nosh with a twist” (think: grown up s’mores, beef sliders with blue cheese and fried onions, macaroni and goat cheese croquettes, one-bite savory French toast with baked brie and pepper jelly). Hopefully they’ll like the concept for the show and you’ll see me on an episode in the not-too-distant future.

Here’s the recipe for my grown-up s’mores – guaranteed to have your guests swooning at the cottage or around the campfire!

grownup s'mores

ingredients for marshmallows

• 1/2 cup white corn syrup
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• icing sugar

additional ingredients

• 8 graham crackers, each cut into quarters
• 2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup coffee liqueur (such as Tia Maria)
• 1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

method for marshmallows

• Place gelatin and water in a medium saucepan (off the heat) and let sit for about eight minutes until the gelatin softens. Add sugar and heat the mixture over medium-low heat to gently dissolve all of the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup and the vanilla. Pour in the warm gelatin-sugar mixture. Beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes or until the mixture is white, thick and glossy with stiff peaks.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with icing sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture onto the sheet and spread quickly until the depth is about an inch high. Smooth the top and allow it to set — this will take at least six hours or overnight. Once set, cut into one inch by inch pieces using a wet knife. Note: marshmallow recipe adapted from Food and Drink magazine.

to assemble

• Dip marshmallows into coffee liqueur, set aside. Meanwhile, melt dark chocolate in a medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water. Stir until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.
• Repeat process with white chocolate.
• Dip graham crackers in melted dark chocolate until coated on all sides and set on a piece of parchment paper.
• Dip marshmallows in dark chocolate until coated on all sides.
• Set each piece of marshmallow on top of each graham cracker square.
• Drizzle squares with melted white chocolate and dust with a sprinkling of crushed graham cracker crumbs for garnish. Set in fridge to cool.

banana rice goes great with barbecue - recipe: banana-rice

published: june 16, 2010

A few weeks back, my brother Adam, and sister-in-law Michelle, decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and host an impromptu barbeque for a few friends and family. It was a potluck of sorts, and luckily, I had already stocked-up on fresh vegetables at the market that very morning.

I brought roasted asparagus with a bacon-shallot vinaigrette to the gathering. My husband and I are firm believers that “everything tastes better with bacon” although I do love asparagus au naturel too. Kim came with a delicious tossed salad with oranges, cranberries and a balsamic vinaigrette, while Jess’s contribution was a lovely mixed green salad with olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and a sweet-onion dressing. For the entrée, Adam made pork tenderloin two ways: with a dry spice rub; and with an orange-garlic wet rub. Quite some time was spent debating the merits of each.

Of all of the various offerings, by far the most popular was Adam’s “banana basmati rice”, a tribute to the former Uptown Waterloo restaurant, Hannah’s Bella Bistro. Adam and Michelle loved Hannah’s and found themselves in withdrawal when it closed. This popular side dish is one of the items they particularly missed.

Adam did an amazing job recreating the flavours, and even added his own spin on the dish by adding raisins. This rice is delicious served alongside grilled meats and vegetables, or try it “Hannah-Style” with chicken satays and spicy peanut sauce.

banana basmati rice

ingredients

• 1 cup high quality basmati rice
• 1 very ripe banana, mashed well
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• salt and pepper to taste

method

• Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes. Alternatively, if you are pressed for time you can soak the rice in cold water, stir until the water is cloudy, drain, and repeat until the water is no longer cloudy (this takes about 5 or 6 repetitions). Don't skip this step – it’s what gets the starch out of the grains and produces a nice fluffy rice.
• Prepare rice according to package directions.
• Add banana, raisins, coconut extract and gently stir to combine.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Enjoy!

more world-famous salmon & scrumptious salad - recipe: sesame-crusted salmon on greens

I was at a community garage sale this past weekend, and while scouting out backyard play items for little John I got to talking to one of the homeowners. When she found out who I was she requested a copy of a salad recipe that she recently lost.

Which brings me to my point — I’m continually amazed at the number of people who tell me how much they love one of two recipes: Tina Robert’s award-winning blueberry drizzle salad and Julie Garner’s famous brown sugar salmon.

It’s not that both recipes don’t deserve so much praise, it’s just that I’m pleasantly surprised by how often people tell me they prepare them. One customer informed me that the brown sugar salmon recipe is the only thing that she will ever make for company. It’s easy, delicious and never fails to please.

I can’t count the number of people who’ve told me that they make the blueberry drizzle salad over and over and over again. By the way, both recipes are available on my website.

I have two items of good news! The first is that I’ll soon be sharing another famous salad recipe from Tina Roberts — stay tuned for her summertime pasta salad with fresh tomatoes, brie and basil.

The second is that I’m about to share another incredible salmon recipe, courtesy of Bonnie Stern. I love this salmon salad. I have a feeling that you will too. It’s perfect for this time of the year when asparagus is in season.

sesame-crusted salmon on greens
(from Bonnie Stern’s Simply HeartSmart)

makes 6 servings

ingredients for salmon

• 6 four-ounce fillets fresh salmon,
• skin removed
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey-style mustard
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

ingredients for orange-ginger dressing

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

ingredients for salad

• 12 cups mixed greens
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed, cooked and cut into two-inch
• pieces 1 sweet red bell pepper, cut in strips
• 1 orange, peeled and sectioned
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or green onions

method

• Pat salmon dry. In small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce and mustard. Rub over salmon. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Brush non-stick ovenproof skillet lightly with oil and heat skillet over high heat. Add salmon and cook for 1 minute per side. Transfer to preheated 425 degree oven. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until just cooked.
• To make orange-ginger dressing, whisk together garlic, ginger, orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, honey and hot pepper sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
• Toss dressing with greens, asparagus, red pepper, orange, cilantro and chives. Serve salad topped with salmon.

reclaiming the south in the kitchen - recipe: cream cheese pound cake

A few years back, my husband David and I took a trip to celebrate my 30th birthday. I’d always wanted to travel around the southern ‘US of A’, so we flew into Atlanta and then spent a few days in each of Charleston and Savannah, with a couple days between those two beautiful cities on the beach in Hilton Head.

I knew I’d love the weather (I like it H-O-T), the history, architecture and of course, the people famous for their hospitality. I wasn’t sure how much I would love the food, though. I adore Paula Deen – I’ve even met her in person, and yes, she is actually that friendly & charming! That being said, I’m not as crazy about her recipes.

Paula says that there are 3 reasons why southern cookin’ tastes so good – mainly, the frequent use of: 1) mayo, 2) cream cheese, and 3) any part of the pig. Well, I certainly concur with Paula on the last point. Chef Mark and I regularly joke that a pig would definitely be tops on our list if we could only choose one type of meat for an extended stay on a deserted island. As for the mayo – I’m not a huge fan, and in my house, cream cheese is generally used on toasted bagels or in pound cake.

Long story short, I fell in love with South Carolina and with the city of Charleston in particular. The food was pretty good too! One of the best meals of my life was at a restaurant called Sienna, a few minutes outside Charleston, on Daniel Island. In fact, there is a big joke around the shop that I want to franchise my business so that I can eventually open up a store in Charleston. I can’t wait to go back, but I have no idea when that next trip will happen.

Over the last few months, I’ve been borrowing all kinds of southern cookbooks and stories from the public library in order to get my fix. One of my favorites has been “The Lee Bros Southern Cookbook – Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-be Southerners”. Shortly after moving to Manhattan, these southern brothers were homesick and found themselves craving a taste of the Carolina’s. After cooking up some hard-core southern comfort food, they felt more at home and said they could almost see the creek banks and marshes of South Carolina. They declared that “the feeling of having cheated geography through food was exhilarating.”

Isn’t that a great thought? Whenever I find myself longing for a trip down south, I can be found in my kitchen making any combination of these items: cheese straws, pulled pork and cornbread, spiced pecans, sautéed mustard greens, anything with sweet Vidalia onions, shrimp and grits, and cream cheese pound cake. As Paula might say, Bon Appetite, Ya’ll.

cream cheese pound cake

ingredients

• 1 (one) cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1, 8-oz (one eight-ounce) package of cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 (three) cups sugar
• 1 (one) teaspoon salt
• 6 (six) large eggs, room temperature
• 4 (four) teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 (three) cups all-purpose flour, sifted

method

• Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add sugar and salt; beat 10 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.
• Add eggs 1-at-a-time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour at low speed until batter is smooth (do not overbeat). Transfer batter to pan.
• Place pan in cold oven. Set temperature at 200°F; bake for 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 250°F; bake 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 275°F; bake 10 minutes. Increase temperature to 300°F; bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour longer. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely.

go to the sea without the boat - recipe: pan fried tilapia with mango and nuoc nam sauce

I often imagine living by the sea. I love the smell of the salt lingering in the air, the sound of the waves and the peaceful feeling that I have whenever I am near the ocean.

Ah . . . a girl can dream. For now, mentally transporting myself to the beach through reading my favourite magazine, Coastal Living, will have to do.

The magazine is “for people who love the coast” and month after month, I am inspired by the beautiful beach homes, exotic locales and coastal kitchen recipes.

Whether we like it or not, bathing suit season is just around the corner! I’m trying to cook a bit lighter to look a bit lighter, and seafood fits the bill. I’m also trying to squeeze in a few more workouts — which is harder now that John is almost two and starting to resist the jogging stroller. Luckily for me, I recently won a free trial membership to Columbia Lake Health Club. I can’t wait to try Zumba, a dance-fitness program.

This week’s recipe is from the April 2010 edition of you guessed it, Coastal Living. I knew I had to try it as soon as I read it. I’ve lightened it up a little by omitting the cream and pan frying the fish instead of shallow frying it. The original recipe calls for yellowtail snapper but it wasn’t available so I substituted tilapia.

I’ve made some lower-cal fish dishes over the last few weeks, but I want to share this one with you because it is so good.

pan fried tilapia with mango and nuoc nam sauce

serves four

ingredients

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons of canola or peanut oil
• Four 6 to 8 ounce tilapia fillets
• Hot cooked rice

method

• Combine milk and egg in a large shallow bowl. In a separate large shallow bowl, combine flour and cornstarch
• Place tilapia in the flour mixture, coating both sides and shaking off excess.
• Dip the tilapia into the egg mixture and then back into the flour mixture, shaking off excess.
• Pour three tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place tilapia into pan, and fry for three minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy.
• Serve immediately over hot cooked rice with Nuoc Nam sauce, mango and jalapeno.

nuoc nam sauce

ingredients

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1/2 to 1 fresh jalapeno, thinly sliced (use more if you like it spicy)
• Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 jalapeno, thinly sliced

method

combine all ingredients

a brunch so good you’ll need to detox - recipe: twisted hickory bacon with brown sugar rub

I’ve got brunch on the brain these days. My husband and I hosted a brunch on Easter Sunday and this coming week, I’ll be teaching a brunch-by-the bite cooking class at Household China.

Easter morning began with an egg hunt for our son and his good friend Avery. It was so much fun to watch them run around and squeal with delight as they found the eggs and discovered the jelly beans and chocolates tucked within them.

“Detox” the next day, however, was not so fun.

Anyway, they certainly worked up quite an appetite running around — as did the rest of the doting adult guests, chasing after them with cameras.

For starters, I served a few quiches and stuffed chicken breasts. By the way, David does not like quiche. He claims it’s the texture he’s at odds with.

I also served home fried potatoes, cream cheese coffee cake, mini blueberry muffins, cinnamon raisin scones, fruit salad, and twisted hickory bacon with brown sugar rub.

In addition, my friend Kelly brought her addictive lemon squares and a festive Bunny cake... for the kids. Well, to be honest, we all devoured it.

The most popular item was the bacon, which truthfully, didn’t surprise me. You can never make enough bacon at a brunch. The same goes for mashed potatoes and gravy at Thanksgiving.

I love the combo of the salty, smoky bacon with the sweet brown sugar. If you like bacon with maple syrup and pancakes or waffles, you’ll love this recipe.

Warning — the resulting bacon is highly, highly addictive.

twisted hickory bacon with brown sugar rub

Makes eight long pieces. I cut each piece of bacon into two or three. Best to do that after cooking and before serving.

note: this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled

ingredients

• 16 slices/strips bacon (not thick cut)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar

method

• Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with parchment paper.
• Place 8 slices of bacon on the tray.
• Sprinkle each slice of bacon with about two teaspoons of brown sugar.
• Cover these eight sugared slices with the other eight slices of bacon so that the brown sugar is sandwiched between two slices of bacon.
• Twist each of the double bacon slices until it is entirely “spiraled” like a twisted cheese straw.
• Bake in the oven until bacon is crisp, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
• Check half way through cooking and turn tray if required.