Mexican Rice with Cheddar

This is a recipe Rach and I converted from a meat recipe.  We paired it with corn rounds, home-made guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

You will need:

• Vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 cup taco sauce
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 Knorr vegetable cube
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 2 cups cheddar, grated
• 1 cup TVP
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. cumin

Saute onion, pepper, jalapeno, garlic and chili flakes in oil until starting to soften.  Add in chili powder and cumin until spices are fragrant.

Add in all other ingredients except cheese.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about half an hour until water is absorbed and rice is tender.  Add more water if necessary.  Stir and cheddar and serve. No salt or pepper needed on this one.

We used the corn rounds to scoop up the rice with our condiments.  

Good Gluten-Free Find

My sister also got me these raspberry cookies.  They are by Sun Start Bakery.  These cookies weren't bad - they held together well and would be good for dunking.  It's a company worth checking out.

Good Gluten-Free Find

I've come across a new g/f company.  My sister bought me these blueberry muffins.  They are by O'Doughs.  The muffins didn't look like much, but did have a very nice flavour and texture. I'm looking forward to trying more products from this company.

Okay Gluten-Free Find

I found this frozen pizza by Glutino - spinach and feta.  It sounds so gourmet.  I was very disappointed.  The crust was amazing, but the pizza itself wasn't worth the calories to eat it.  It was flavourless and flat. 

They do have other flavours of pizza, so I want to give them a try and hope they are a better experience.  This gluten-free find was okay, but definitely not great.

Great Gluten-Fee Find

I found these crackers made by Glutino.  They are close to "the real thing" as I can find.  They come in original, cheese, vegetable, and multi grain.  I tried the veggie ones.  My next ones are going to cheese.

This is a cracker you can really sink your teeth into. 

Bakes Baby Potatoes with Pesto and Mozzarella

These can be a bit oily if you're not careful, so watch how much olive oil you use.  The mixture of pesto and mozzarella is so good. 

You will need:

• 1 bag of mini potatoes
• 3 tbsp. pesto
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of Mozzarella, shredded
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Cut the potatoes in half and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Mix in the pesto and bake for an hour in 350F oven covered.  Uncover and mix in mozzarella and bake uncovered for 5 or 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.

These with the leftover wine from the chick peas....yum.

Chickpas in Tomato Sauce with Feta and Wine

This one sounds a bit strange, but it turned out really good.  I think Rach has claimed the leftovers on this one.

You will need:

• Olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 can chick peas (drained and rinsed)
• 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Saute onion, garlic and chili flakes in olive oil until softened.  Add in wine and tomatoes.  Boil for about 15 minutes and mixture becomes thickened.  Stir in feta cheese and chick peas, simmering until feta melts.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Oven Roasted Radishes (vegan)

I know what you're thinking, "Roasted radishes???"  The roasting brings out the sweetness in them and this beautiful almost pinkish colour.

You will need:

• Radishes (if they are large, cut them in half)
• Olive oil
• Salt

Toss the radishes in olive oil and salt.  Roast for 45 minutes in 350F oven.  Stir them every so often.  You'll know when they are done when they are golden brown and you can easily pierce them with a fork.

Great Gluten-Free Find

Always being on a quest for the perfect gluten-free pizza, I found these square frozen pizza crusts.  They are by Kinnikinnick and are dairy and nut free.  Just top with sauce, a nice mozzarella and all the veggies you can handle. I have leftovers from last night.  Food I can eat from my lap while I watch Survivor.  How good can it get?

Seenie Sambol (Spicy Onions) (vegan)

This recipe is an authentic Sri Lankan dish my friend, Gail, grew up on. This goes very good with the potato curry.  It is quite oily, so you need some pita bread or rice to soak up the spicy oil.

You will need:

• 4 cups onions, halved and sliced
• 1/4 vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. white vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Saute onions in oil until well browned   Add in paprika, chili flakes, sugar and garlic.  Add a bit more oil it spices are too dry. Add in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Potato Curry (vegan)

This recipe came from my friend, Gail's, blog. I've been looking for something with chick peas and potatoes in it.

You will need:

• 3 large potatoes
• 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 cup water
• vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

First, peel and cube the potatoes. Boil until almost done.  Don't make the cubes too small or the potatoes will fall apart in the curry. 

In vegetable oil saute onion, garlic and jalapenos.  When softened add in mustard seeds, turmeric and cumin. When spices become fragrant, stir in potatoes and chick peas. Add one cup of water and simmer for 20 minutes.  When water has evaporated, add salt and pepper to taste.

Fast and Easy Pasta

I totally cheated on dinner tonight and it turned out be such a good thing.  Philadelphia Cream Cheese has a new product called Philadelphia Cooking Cream.  It comes in four favours:  original, savoury garlic, herb & garlic and tomato basil.  Tonight we tried herb and garlic.  I added a few standby ingredients and I had a fake gourmet meal.

You will need:

• 1 package of corn pasta
• 1 package of Philadelphia Cooking Cream
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 tin tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• Salt & pepper

Cook pasta as per usual.  Drain.  Return back to the pot and add tomato sauce and chili flakes.  When heated through stir in cooking cream. Heat through.  Stir in walnuts and Parmesan.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Snow Pea & Sugar Snap Pea Stir Fry (vegan)

Rach and I based this one from a vegetarian magazine, but by the time we changed it up the original recipe was unrecognizable.  This turned out really good and worth giving a try.

You will need:

• 2 cups snow peas
• 2 cups sugar snap peas
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 1 tsp. hot sauce
• 3 tsp. corn starch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce (remember to make sure it's gluten free)
• 1 cup cooked rice
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

Saute onion, garlic, chili flakes and yellow pepper in vegetable oil. After a couple of minutes stir in cashews.  When vegetables are crunchy tender add in snow peas and sugar snap peas for 2 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

In a bowl mix water, hot sauce, soy sauce and cornstarch in a bowl.  Stir into stir fry and stir until thickened.

Server over rice.  I used my rice cooked in the microwave steamer in Knorr vegetable cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Strawberry Walnut Salad

With such a beautiful day outside I wanted to make something summery for dinner.  We came up with this strawberry and walnut salad.

You will need:

• 1 package of salad greens
• 1 container of strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 cup walnut halves
• 1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 3/4 cup sugar

Make the salad:  mix greens, strawberries, walnuts and cheese.

Toss with dressing (best made the day before):  olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and paprika.

That's all there is to it!

Greek Pasta Salad

This was a pasta salad I made up and it turned out really good.  The feta from the St. Lawrence Market really makes it.

You will need:

• 1 package of corn pasta
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 English cucumber, chopped
• 1 container of grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup sweet onion, chopped
• 1 container of Renee's Greek salad dressing
• 3/4 cup feta, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

 Cook the pasta and drain with cold water.  Mix in all other remaining ingredients.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

That's all there is.  Easy and will definitely impress.

Provolone Winter Vegetable Bake

This one turned out pretty good, but I wouldn't put it in my top ten.  We used crushed Zesty Cheese Doritos instead of bread crumbs.

You will need:

• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 cup cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup baby carrots, cut into small pieces
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 1/2 cups provolone cheese, shredded
• Spices
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup crushed Zesty Cheese Doritos
• Non-stick cooking spray.

Boil potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, carrots and garlic until done.  Drain water and mash with a potato masher.   Add in margarine and half of the cheese.  Add whatever spices you like.  I added some generic cooking spice blends and salt and pepper.  I through in a tablespoon of hot sauce as well. 

Put in a casserole bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Top with crushed Doritos and the remainder of the cheese.  Bake in 400F oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Curried Carrots (vegan)

I still don't think I like carrots.  These were okay, but I'm still not convinced carrots are for me.  These had a lot of flavour and definitely something different and worth trying (if you like carrots).

You will need:

• 2 cups of baby carrots
• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 tbsp. curry paste
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper

I boiled the carrots until half way done and drained the water off.  Add apple juice, raisins, curry paste, garlic and onion.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Boil with the lid off until all liquid disappears.  Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Chickpea Dinner Salad

This is a salad we partly made up and partly got from the Longos magazine.  It is really good.  I can see eating this on the back patio in the summer at least once a week.

You will need:

• 1 package of salad greens
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 mango, chopped
• 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. liquid honey
• Salt

Toss greens, pepper, mango, chickpeas, walnuts and goat cheese. 

To make the dressing, mix honey, white white vinegar, olive oil and vinegar. 

Plate salad, and spoon over desired amount of dressing.  Lightly salt before serving.

Carrots and Snow Peas (vegan)

This is a nice colourful dish and something different than just plain carrots.

You will need:

• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 2 cups snow peas
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper

Boil carrots and garlic in vegetable stock until almost done.  Add snow peas and cook for another 5 minutes or so. 

Drain off the vegetable stock and add olive oil.  Toss with salt and pepper to taste.

Scalloped Potatoes

Rach and I tried these, but think we can do better next time. Rach thinks we should sub in chives for the onion and add some 3-year-old cheddar into the cream sauce next time. For now, this is what we tried tonight.

You will need:

• 6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• Salt and pepper
• Non stick cooking spray

Spray a rectangular casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  

In a sauce pan add cornstarch, thyme and salt and pepper to taste.  Add milk, a bring to a boil of low to medium head, stirring constantly.  Once bubbling, stir for another 1 or 2 minutes.

Layer potatoes in casserole dish, then onion, another layer of potatoes and onion, topping with a final layer of potatoes.  Pour cream sauce over potatoes and use a butter knife to help distribute cream sauce through all the layers of potatoes.

Bake covered in a 350F oven for one hour.  Bake for another 30 minutes uncovered.