Steamed Mussels

I was watching my local morning show, Breakfast Television, this morning and their live eye, Jennifer Valentyne was at our local fish market, giving away mussels. I couldn't resist free mussels…so I called my sister Sandra. She lives just down the street from the market and could pick them up and drop them off to me on the way to work.
I don't cook fish and seafood as often as I would like because John is not a fan but I forgot how much I love mussels. They are so easy and quick to make. The only thing missing tonight was a loaf of crusty bread, to sop up all the flavourful liquor the mussels give off.

I'm definitely making these for Good Friday again.

 Steamed Mussels with Vermouth 

2 lbs. mussels, scrubbed, beards removed and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon ghee or butter
1 leek, white part only, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup dry vermouth
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Heat a pot, big enough to hold the mussels and with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and sauté until soft. Add the garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Pour in the vermouth and bring to a boil. Drop in the mussels in and cover with a lid. They should take about 7 minutes to cook. They are ready when the mussels open. Discard the ones that don't open. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve hot with crusty bread, if you have.

Chicken Pozole Soup

I didn't get my Mexican fix the last time I went to NYC, so I decided to make a Mexican influenced dish at home for tonights dinner.

Pozole (also called hominy) are kernels of corn that have ben soaked in lime water, hulled and boiled so they become puffy. You can find canned pozole in most grocery stores nowadays. Traditionally they are used in a soup with pork but I decided to make a lighter version using roasted chicken.

I made this recipe up as I went along and it was pretty good except maybe next time I would add a little chili powder and definitely a jalapeño, for a some heat. It needed some zing and we like it a little spicy. And you definitely need a little squeeze of lime juice before serving, it adds some brightness to the soup. This soup is perfect on a chilly day.

Chicken Pozole Soup

2 chicken thighs, roasted and shredded
4 Roma tomatoes
1 yellow onion, halved
2 garlic cloves, skin on
4 cups chicken stock
1 can pozole, or 1-1 1/2cups
salt and pepper, to taste
cilantro, chopped
lime wedges

In a cast iron skillet, over high heat, place the tomatoes, onion and garlic and cook until there is a nice charr on them. This will give the soup a nice smokey flavour. Transfer the vegetables (take the skin off the garlic) to a blender and pour in the chicken stock. Blend until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. You might have to skim the top. Season with salt and pepper and add the cilantro and shredded chicken. Cook until the chicken is heated through. Serve in soup bowls and squeeze in some lime juice before serving.

m xo

Chocolate Brownie Yogurt Muffins

I made these muffins with my niece Chloe when she was at my house one afternoon. I don't get spend a lot of time with her and I know that she has been wanting to come by and cook or bake with me, so we decided to make muffins.

I have to tell you, we ended up making 2 types of muffins. The first batch of muffins were Chai Chocolate Chip muffins (recipe in a few days). They usually contain almonds but because Chloe is allergic to nuts, I left them out until she gently pointed out that I used almond milk instead of cows milk. Oh Man! I can't believe I did that! I thought I was so careful. Thank goodness she noticed. Sweet kid!

So we decided to make these Chocolate Brownie Yogurt Muffins (no nuts, I promise). I got this recipe from a quinoa cookbook that I have, although I made many alterations. First of all, I didn't have quinoa flour- I used regular all purpose. Second, I didn't have sour cream- I used Greek yogurt and third, I didn't include the toasted nuts, for obdvious reasons. But I have to say, even with all the changes I made, they turned out pretty good. They're not too sweet because of the cocoa powder and they are really moist because of the yogurt. Pretty impressive. The kids and the adults liked them. I will definitely make them again!

My guest photographer for this post is Chloe LeBlanc. She's got a great eye!

Chocolate Brownie Yogurt Muffins
(loosely adapted from Quinoa Revolution by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming)

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup, unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup Greek yogurt
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup grape seed oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400F. Place paper liners in a 12 cup muffin pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar until combined. Stir in the yogurt, milk, grape seed oil, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and stir until combined.. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin pan.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

m xo

Fennel and Beet Salad with Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette

My go-to salad dressing is pretty basic: olive oil and vinegar. It's what I grew up with. Sometimes we would convince my mom to buy the bottled salad dressing because we wanted to be like everyone else, but inevitably we would have it once or twice and then go back to our usual oil and vinegar.

I came across this tarragon and shallot vinaigrette recipe awhile ago and filed it away for when I had tarragon to use up. This time it wasn't my tarragon but my sister's, who had leftover from something she made with it. Alexandra, from "Alexandra's Kitchen" blog, suggests you double the batch just to have on hand, well thank goodness I did because I loved it! The tarragon gives it a nice anise flavour and really enhanced the fennel that I made my salad with. I'm planning on making the salad the rest of the week!!

I combined all the ingredients in a mason jar. It was easy to shake up and store in refrigerator.

Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette
(from Alexandra's Kitchen)

4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons tarragon, finely chopped

Combine vinegar, shallots, sugar, mustard, salt, olive oil and tarragon. Macerate for a few minutes before using.

I just threw this salad together with what I happened to have in my refrigerator. The combination totally rocked!! 

Baby greens

Fennel

Roasted beets

Dried cranberries

Almonds

Feta cheese

 m xo

Breakfast A Go-Go

It seems like everywhere I look, there are mason jar recipes. Salad in a mason jar, pasta in a mason jar, cookies in a mason jar, lemonade in a mason jar, soup in a mason jar. You get the picture...Well I love this idea!! They look so pretty and best of all, they're portable. I really like this concept for lunches or any on the go meal. Think how fabulous they would be for picnics or the beach. You can get real creative with this concept.

I came across oatmeal in a jar on Pinterest I think. And because my favourite way to eat oatmeal is soaked overnight, I thought I would give it a try. It was great, especially on mornings you know are going to be rushed. Or if you go to the gym before you go to work in the morning, just pop it in your gym bag and it's ready for you when you're done your work out. And so easy to put together the night before.

The recipe I'm sharing with you is made with quinoa flakes instead of oatmeal. I had them sitting in my pantry and gave it a try with this method instead of cooking them, which I never did. It was good! I used raspberries but you can obviously use any fruit you like.

Breakfast in a Jar

1/4 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon honey
cinnamon, to taste
raspberries

Combine all ingredients, except the raspberries in a mason jar and shake. Top with raspberries and refrigerate overnight.

m xo

Loaded with Chips, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Every year in April, the staff and everyone at The Wild Strawberry Salon raises money for WaterCan in honour of Earth month. WaterCan is a charity that provides clean drinking water for the world's poorest people. We take pride in doing this by raffling tickets for great prizes that are donated to us and having bake sales. So this year to kick start the campaign, I thought I would make chocolate chip cookies because who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies?

This is one of my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipes ever. I have been making them for years. It's my go-to recipe. They're easy to make, loaded with chocolate chips, not too hard, not too soft and you can use any nut you like. I like walnuts. You can also omit them.

They are from a cookbook I've had on my book shelf for many years called "Cookies Unlimited" by Nick Malgieri, who I used to love watching on the Food Network when it first aired many years ago. I've made quite a few of the recipes in this book and they have always turned out great and I can't say that about many other cookbook recipes that I have tried.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
(recipe by Nick Malgieri from "Cookies Unlimited)

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup nuts, coursley chopped (optional)


Preheat oven to 375F.
In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda; mix well.
In a bowl of standing mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars until combined, then beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add the flour mixture, the chocolate chips and the optional nuts.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the dough on parchment lined cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies 10-12 minutes or until golden and firm. Slide onto a cooling rack.

m xo

One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

I came across this pilaf on Food52, the site that I absolutely adore! I can't get enough of this site. Some people read novels in their spare time. I read cookbooks and browse food blogs. Is that wrong?

I usually like to bring my lunch from home when I can and so does my husband. While he is ok with a can of tuna and a green salad, every single day, (may I add), I am not. I don't mind having the same thing for a couple days, especially if it's leftovers from dinner, but John CAN and DOES eat the same thing for weeks on end. Remember the granola bar he has every morning? Hahaha!

I saw this recipe and happen to have all the ingredients on hand and thought it would be perfect for our lunches. I tweaked it a little by deleting the green onions, switching up pine nuts for walnuts, feta for goat cheese (not a fan) and I added dried cranberries. Deliscous and easy. Pack in to-go containers and you have healthy lunches. By the way, I got 3 lunches out of it. But depending on your hunger, you might get 2.

One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

2 cups salted water
1 cup quinoa
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped into 1/2 inch ribbons
1 organic lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons walnut oil
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
1/4 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper, to taste


Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it steam for 5-10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, zest, walnut oil, nuts, cranberries and salt and pepper.
Check the quinoa and kale and make sure the water has all been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and tip in the bowl with the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine. Serve warm or room temperature if you are serving right away. I also liked it cold, from the refrigerator.

m xo