Blackberry Chicken

I love looking to the world wide web for inspirations and ideas for meals, especially when I want to put ingredients together that are not typically paired together.  Our freezer is still full of berries from last summer that we would like to use up before the summer so I decided to hunt for a recipe.  I found a recipe on a great blog called The Gracious Pantry and I modified it a bit based on what I had on hand.  I am sure it is a blog I will return to for more recipe ideas!
 I served it with some roasted vegetables.

Blackberry Chicken

1 onion, sliced into rings

4 chicken breasts

1 cup frozen blackberries

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp minced rosemary

3 cloves minced garlic

1. Make a layer of onions in the bottom of the crockpot and place the chicken over top.
2. Scatter the blackberries over the chicken.
3. Whisk together the balsamic, rosemary and garlic before pouring it over the mixture in the crockpot.
4. Cook on low heat for 6 hours or high for 3.

Mark Bittam's Autumn Bake

On my desktop I have a folder for recipes I would like to try and when ever I come across one that I would like to try I save a copy of it in there.  Today I was looking for a particular recipe I plan on making tomorrow for dinner and I came across this one.  I opened it because I couldn't remember what exactly was in it and it turned out I had everything I needed for it on hand so it became tonight's supper.
I must admit, I have never heard of Mark Bittam before seeing this recipe but I really liked how it turned out so I am might look for more of his recipes in the future.
Don't worry if you don't have any millet because it would work well with other slow cooking grains such as barley.

Mark Bittam's Autumn Bake

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup millet

1 medium winter squash; peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup cranberries

salt and pepper

1 tbsp minced sage leaves

2 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1 cup vegetable stock, warmed

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and oil a 2 quart casserole dish.
2. Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil.  When it is heated add the millet and stir it as the millet becomes fragrant and turns a golden brown.  Remove from the heat and place as a layer on the bottom of the casserole dish.
3. In a bowl, toss together the squash, cranberries, sage, salt and pepper.  Once thoroughly mixed spread on top of the millet.
4. Drizzle the maple syrup on top and then pour the warmed stock over top.  Cover with a lid or tightly with tinfoil and bake undisturbed for 45 minutes.
5. Remove the cover and increase the oven temperature to 400.  Have a taste to see if you need to alter the seasoning or add extra water for the millet to finish cooking.  Bake for about another 10 minutes (or until the millet is cooked through).

Zucchini Bake

It is that time of year again, zucchinis are in season and if you have ever grown them you know how prolific they can be.  With the baby it can be a little tricky to know how long she will sleep so I am not sure if I am going to get a chance to do much preserving this year so I have been on the lookout for new ways to use up zucchinis.  I was doing some house sitting and came across a zucchini and cheese bake recipe but for the life of me I could not find a cheese grater anywhere in the house so I decided to try it with out the cheese.  It turned out quite well and I am pretty sure it will become a summer staple for us.  It is really easy to prepare, especially if you use a food processor or mandolin to slice up the vegetables.

Zucchini Bake

2 large zucchini, thinly sliced

2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp olive oil

1. In a large baking or casserole dish alternate layering the zucchini, mushrooms and red onion.  
2. Sprinkle the top with the oregano and olive oil.
3. Preheat the oven to 400. Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the tinfoil and bake for another 10 minutes. 

Rosemary and Chickpea Soup

I am always looking for new ways to use chickpeas as I am not a big fan of meat.  I was happy to find this recipe because I have a lot of fresh rosemary in my garden and I love to use it in my cooking.  This was an easy soup to make and fairly mild.  If you like spice I would add more red pepper flakes.  This is a fairly thick soup if you make it following the recipe I have posted but if you would prefer a thinner one, simply add more broth or water to it.

Rosemary and Chickpea Soup

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for garnish

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 cups chick broth

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

sea salt

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the rosemary, garlic and pepper flakes.  Stir constantly until the garlic begins to brown.
2. Add the chickpeas and continue to cook for about two minutes, stirring continuously.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a stand blender.
6. Stir in lemon juice and sea salt (to taste).
7. Drizzle with olive oil and some extra pepper flakes when you serve.

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Filling

In today's consumer society it can be very hard to buy affordable presents for people.  Usually if people want something they go out and get it for themselves when they see it instead of waiting to get it as a birthday or Christmas present.  I am as guilty as anyone of this so I can't really complain but it can make it difficult when you are trying to find a present for someone.
A couple of years ago my in-laws instated a gift giving rule where gifts they received had to be consumable.  This was such a great idea and provided me with a revelation because I love to bake and cook.  I have many family and friends who love my creations in the kitchen plus it meant I wouldn't have to spend hours in the store looking for the perfect gift for them.
I have two family members who need to eat gluten free diets but love chicken pot pies so I decided that for one of their presents I would make them gluten free chicken pot pies.  I started searching and I found this recipe.  I even enjoyed the filling (which says a lot because I am usually not a fan of things made gluten free).  So far everyone who has tried it has really enjoyed it as well. I am only posting the filling because I haven't found a pastry recipe that I am happy with yet but when I do I will post it.
A great thing about this recipe is it tastes great how it is but I am sure if you felt like adding other vegetables it would only add to the flavour.  Next time I try it will probably add some mushrooms to it.

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Filling

3 tbsp olive oil

3 cups cooked chicken, diced

3 medium carrots, finely chopped

3 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups green beans, chopped into about 1 inch lengths

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot minced

1/2 tsp salt

sprinkle of pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1 cup white wine, divided

4 cups chicken broth, hot

2 tbsp all purpose gluten free flour

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot.  Add the vegetables, salt, pepper and thyme to the heated oil and sauté until the vegetables are beginning to wilt and begin to caramelize.
2. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine.  Add the hot chicken broth and stir to combine.
3. Add the chicken to the mixture.
4. Add the flour to the other 1/2 cup of white wine and whisk to combine.  Add to the hot broth mixture and stir until it begins to boil and thicken.  Remove from heat.
5. Preheat the oven to 375.
6. Place equal portions of the mixture into pie dishes or individual ramekin dishes and set them on a baking sheet.
7. Top the pie(s) with dough circles.
8. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

I must admit this recipe one I came across while I was looking at a celebrity blogger during a mental break the other day.  I thought the recipe looked great and since I already had all the ingredients at hand I thought I would give it a try.
It turned out really well and it looks great with all of the different colours in it.  I think this dish would also make a great side served hot. I also plan to experiment by using different dried fruit in future batches

Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth or water

2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

juice of 1 lemon (optional)

honey  (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Cook the quinoa in the broth/water.
3. In a baking dish, toss the cubed butternut squash with the olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and nutmeg.  Place it in the oven and roast until the pieces are tender.  About 30 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, squash, raisins, dried cranberries, pine nuts, celery and onion. Toss until it is thoroughly mixed.  
5. If you would like to add a dressing, mix together the lemon juice, some olive oil and enough honey for you desired sweetness.  Pour over the top and toss the salad once again.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is one of my preferred guards and I had a big one to use up so I thought I would look for a new recipe.  I came across this one and it worked out well because I already had most of these items in my fridge.  I am glad I decided to make a double batch, I am looking forward to enjoying some on an evening where cooking is the last thing on my mind.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 small butternut squash, peeled and chunked

2 leeks, cut into small chunks

4 celery ribs, cut into small chunks

1 red onion, peeled and cut into small chunks

2 large carrots, cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp rosemary

1/4 cup maple syrup

6 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the butternut squash, leeks, celery, onion, carrots, garlic, olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in a large bowl and toss until evenly mixed.
3. Spread the vegetables on a large greased baking sheet and roast for 25min, or until browned.
4. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large pot and add the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, maple syrup, vegetable stock and cider vinegar.
5. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 30min or until the vegetables are tender.
6. Remove from heat and remove the bay leaf. Puree until smooth and strain to remove any chunks if desired.
7. Return to the heat adjusting the consistency with water if required and adding salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Tomato Soup

I love to make soups in the fall, they are so easy and a great way to warm up on a chilly day.  Soups are also so easy to make and freeze well so you don't have to eat the whole pot at once.  This year we probably had close to fifteen tomato plants in our backyard that turned into more of a tomato hedge.  I had so many to use up I thought that making a soup would be a great way to use up the tomatoes and enjoy them when we can no longer eat them fresh off the vine.  Plus I love tomato soup.  It makes me think of rainy days spent at my Grandma's house when I was growing up.  This isn't her recipe but any tomato soup brings back the memories.
This is an easy recipe to make and one you can do while making something else for dinner.  It has a lovely flavour to it and a wonderful thick consistency.  If you prefer a thinner soup simply add more stock to it.

Roasted Tomato Soup

5 large tomatoes, cut into 3/4" slices1 onion, cut into 1/2" slices1/2 jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise, seeded2 bell peppers, seeded, cut into 4 piecesolive oil1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika1/2 teaspoon garlic powder3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)freshly ground black pepper2 cups vegetable broth1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus additional cheese for garnishing)few tablespoons of heavy cream or creme fraiche (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 375.  On cookie sheets or in a roasting pan place the vegetables and sprinkle with olive oil.  Roast them for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Blend the roasted vegetables in a standard blender and add them to a pot.  Add the remaining ingredients.  If you are using an immersion hand blender add all the ingredients into the pot and then blend.  
3. Bring the soup to a boil and then serve.  Garnish with parmesan cheese and or cream if you desire.

Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Garlic

So this year we decided to grow some chard in our backyard this year and we still have a lot left to use up before the frost comes so when I had my family over for dinner I thought it would be a great time to use some of it up.  I wanted to try something different so I decided to search for a new recipe.
This recipe was fairly easy to through together last minute while my husband was carving the beef.  I hope you enjoy it.

Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Pan Roasted Garlic

2 tbsp oliveoil

3 cloves garlic

1/3 pine nuts

1 bunch Swiss chard

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper

dash of lemon juice

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  
2. Slice garlic very thinly and add to the oil, cooking until it is lightly browned.
3. Add the pine nuts and sauté until golden brown.  Remove the garlic and pine nuts and set aside.
4. Trim stems from the chard and cut them into bite size pieces.  Add the stems to the pan with water and simmer until the water has evaporated.
5. Chop chard leaves roughly and add to pan.  Season lightly and toss them until they wilt. 
6. Return the garlic and pine nuts to the pan and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Roasted Carrot Soup

I have always found going back to school a really busy time trying to adapt to the new schedule.  The past couple of years I have started to try and make a pot of soup a week so I can take it with me for lunch or on a busy night I can have it for dinner.  This was the first pot I have made for the year and it turned out marvelously so I thought I would share the recipe.

Roasted Carrot Soup

Preheat your oven to 400.
Wash and cut up 5 pounds of carrots. (I cut them into about 3 inch peices)
Cut 2 large onions into chunks.
Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle the vegetables with 2 Tbsp of vegetable seasoning.
Place the pan in the oven to roast for an hour, tossing the vegetables a few times.
Prepare 8 cups of Bouillon
In batches puree the vegetables together with the bouillon.

It makes roughly 12 cups of a thick soup.  If you prefer a thinner soup just add more bouillon.  You could also add some ginger, garlic and turnip if you wanted.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

When I was at the farmer's market the other day there was a great deal on some cauliflower that was close to expiring so I decided to grab some to make some soup.  I enjoy making soups because the leftovers freeze well and make great lunches.
2 heads cauliflower
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 cups heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Cut cauliflower into 1-inch flowerets (about 10 cups). In a large baking pan toss cauliflower, garlic, and shallots with oil to coat and roast in middle of oven about 30 minutes, or until golden.
3. In a 4-quart kettle simmer broth, water, roasted cauliflower mixture, and herbs 30 minutes, or until cauliflower is very tender. 
4. Discard bay leaf and in a blender puree soup in batches until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a bowl. 
5. Return soup to kettle and stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat soup over moderate heat until just heated through.

The original recipe can be seen here.

Mushroom and Broccoli Crustless Quiche

Last week my husband and I ate out a couple times and we didn't get through all the produce that we usually do so today my task was to use it up before it went bad.  What I usually do when I am in this situation is type one of the ingredients I have to use in a search bar and start looking through the recipes it comes up with.  I was excited to find this recipe because it contained all of the ingredients I had to use up.
When making a recipe for the first time I try to be good and follow the recipe to the letter, today was one of the days where I had to make a minor substitution but I don't think it changed the overall flavour of the dish.  Where the recipe calls for bread crumbs, I used wheat germ simply because I didn't have any bread crumbs.  It worked well so if you are in the same predicament for this or another recipe give wheat germ a try as a substitution.
This is a great dish that you can freeze, I doubled the recipe and put one in the freezer to have on a busy night when I am not up for cooking.  If there are any leftovers and you do not feel like having them the next day you could also freeze portion sized servings to take for lunch.

1 tbsp butter

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 cup grated cheese (old cheddar, swiss, mozzarella)

3/4 cup soft bread crumbs (or wheat germ)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 diced red pepper (optional)

1 tbsp parmesan cheese

1. In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until the moisture has evaporated.
2. Add the garlic and broccoli and sauté until the broccoli is bright green (about 2 minutes).  Spoon the mixture into a lightly grease pie plate.
3. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and the milk.  Stir in the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, basil and cheese.
4. Pour over the mixture in the pie plate and gently stir to combine.  Sprinkle with the diced red pepper if you are using it and the parmesan cheese.
5. Bake at 400 F for 25-30 minutes and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach Bake

This recipe is one that I learned from my mother years ago and it is one she first made out of necessity but then started to make it regularly.  It all started when she was trying to prepare a spinach quiche for a potluck she was going to.  She had prepared the filling but when she went to grab the crust from the basement it was not there.  Instead of going to the store to grab another crust she decide to just put it in a dish and bake it as is.
The great thing about this recipe is that there are so many things that you can add or leave out depending on what you like and what you have available.  This dish freezes really well so I will often make a lot more than I plan on using and freeze the rest either as individual slices or in smaller dishes to use later.
I will give you the basic recipe and then at the bottom list some things I have added in the past.  The basic recipe does not call for many eggs but if you would like it to be more like a quiche just add more eggs.

Spinach Bake

2 packages chopped frozen spinach (thawed and squeeze out as much excess water as you can)

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 eggs

3/4 and 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tbsp dill

1 can tomato paste (optional)

1. In a frying pan with a bit of olive oil, sauté the onion until it is soft. (Sometimes I will caramelize them).
2. Add the garlic, dill and spinach to the pan. Stir to combine and take off the heat.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the spinach mix as well as the 3/4 cup of feta. Blend these together until they are thoroughly combined.
4. Grease a casserole dish and spread the mixture out evenly.  Bake at 375 F for about 40 minutes.  Take it out of the often and spread the tomato paste on top and sprinkle with the remaining feta cheese.  Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

*** In the past I have added things like peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and celery.  I am sure it would taste great with other additions to.

Velvety Coconut Soup

I love making soups for so many reasons! They are a great comfort food and I love making something that I can eat on several occasions.  I invested in some great corning ware containers that have good lids on them so when I make a batch of soup I will freeze some.  This way on days when I am not in the mood to pack a lunch or if I don't have the time to make a meal I can just grab one out of the freezer.  My husband will often take a couple to keep stashed in his work freezer for when he forgets his lunch.

This recipe is from a cookbook a friend gave me and so I made a point of choosing a recipe to cook from it when I had her over for dinner.  It was amazing fresh and when I ate some of the leftovers the next day it had a richer flavour to it.

Velvety Coconut Soup

1/2 butternut squash 

2 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves

1 medium onion, diced

1 tbsp fresh ginger

1 tsp butter

1 apple peeled and diced

1 cup coconut milk

1-1/2 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp ground cardamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Scoop out the strings and seeds of the butternut squash.  Brush the squash with oil and place garlic inside.  
3. Place butternut squash on a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until very tender.
4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute onion and ginger in butter over medium heat.  Add apple to the mixture and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Scoop out the cooked flesh of the butternut squash and mash with a fork. Add to saucepan
6. mix together the coconut milk and chicken stock.  Pour into the saucepan.
7. Season with salt, pepper and cardamom.
8. Simmer soup for about 15 minutes.