Tabbouleh Quinoa Salad

Being pretty much banned from your kitchen for two weeks when you have a bountiful herb garden in the back and a fridge full of inspiration is downright torture for a food blogger like myself! This was the case for me, up until last week, when my house was being prepped and went up for sale. With sporadic showings every few hours, forcing me to flee my home, I wasn't allowed to make any sort of mess in the kitchen, or create any food smells that possible buyers may find offensive. I certainly consumed my fair share of toast and instant oatmeal in those two weeks, and was dying for a good home cooked meal. After only being on the market for a short time, we were lucky to find a lovely down-to-earth family that would become our future home owners. With the house sold, I was ready to get back in action in the kitchen, make a great big mess, and create something fantastic! With all the ingredients for a tabbouleh salad in my fridge and garden, and two big bags of organic quinoa in the pantry I had found my mess-making winner of a dish to reunite me with my kitchen! I whipped up this Tabbouleh Quinoa Salad in next to no time, adding some fresh bell peppers for an extra hit of flavour and some crunch. I loved eating this salad alongside fresh grilled fish, and saving the leftovers for my lunch the following day!

Note: If you have any salad leftover, you may want to add more dressing. I find with many quinoa salads that my dressings seem to disappear, which means flavour disappearing, when stored overnight. Just squeeze in some extra lemon juice, olive oil, and perhaps some more garlic and a splash of apple cider vinegar to make your flavour last!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
zest from 1/4 of a lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper (plus more to taste)
1/2 large cucumber, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped fine

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to directions on package. 
2. While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly begin to pour in the olive oil in a small stream while continuing to whisk. 
3. Once quinoa is cooked, fluffed and slightly cooled, stir in the lemon dressing, cucumber, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, scallions, parsley, and mint. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately or, if serving the following day, see above note.

Listening To:
Frank Ocean - Super Rich Kids (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)

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Sooo excited for his concert at the Kool Haus tonight!!

Weekly Roundup - July 27, 2012

  CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

The best French onion soup - Aaaah the comfort in devouring a steaming hot bowl of cheesy, rich French Onion Soup! Even with this blistering heat in Toronto, I couldn't help but crave my favourite French onion soup from Coquine last weekend when heading out to dinner with my mom. "Soup? In this heat?" my mom kept asking. No, not just any soup, the BEST French onion soup! I had to have it! After walking into Coquine and watching a piping hot bowl of French Onion soup get delivered to another table, my mom decided she couldn't go without one either. We enjoyed a really nice evening, just mother and daughter, talking about our future and our hopes and dreams, while sipping on the best French onion soup in Toronto!

Tabbouleh Quinoa Salad - After two weeks of being forbidden to cook anything/make a mess in the kitchen with showings all day every day, I was dying to make a mess in the kitchen! I always say to my mom, the bigger the mess, the better the dish! So off I went to make one delicious mess! Like usual, I found inspiration in my fridge with a cucumber needing to be used up as well as lots of fresh tomatoes and parsley. Chopped bell peppers were my new addition to this salad adding lots of flavour and a bit of crunch. Recipe coming this week!

Chicken Marsala - I mentioned last week that the sage in my herb garden has been growing wild, each day taking over more and more of the large pot it's planted in. Well, in only a week the sage has TRIPLED! What the heck do I do with all this sage? It was easy to find a yummy use for all that sage on Wednesday night with a pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts in the fridge, and a bottle of marsala just calling my name in the liquor cabinet. Chicken Marsala is one of my favourite comfort foods! I remembered that last time there was a ton of that delicious sweet sauce left over from the chicken, begging to have something sop it all up. Fresh fettucini did just the trick to act as a bed for the chicken, the sauce steeping down into the silky ribbons of fettucini. Get my recipe for Chicken Marsala here!

Roast Beef Sliders - I whipped these up for lunch by the pool the other day and thought they were just so darn cute, I couldn't resist taking a pic! Deli fresh roast beef is topped with artisan horseradish mustard and dill pickles on rye bread to create this cute little sandwich. See, burgers aren't the only sandwich that likes to slide! Why not make pulled pork sliders, turkey club sliders, steak sandwich sliders! The list could go on and on!

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Listening To:
Deerhunter - Agoraphobia

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Cottage Eats

Last week my mom and I were able to take a lovely little escape out of the city and head up north to Jeffery Lake to a beautiful cottage that my aunt and uncle had rented. With our house still up on the market at the time, and offers scattering through, it was nice to have a different atmosphere and be surrounded by close family to take our minds off all of the anxiety and stress we were dealing with. While a lot of people go up to a cottage to escape chores such as cooking, in my family food is once again one of the highlights! No cottage escape is complete without a killer meal! Now what we're going for here is a meal that is killer in flavour, but easy on the effort, which does require some simple planning. This time around all of the three families that were up each brought groceries, with my uncle Eddie taking the reigns in the kitchen. Eddie wanted nothing more than to spend the afternoon blasting his awesome Motown music, while singing and cooking up a feast for us...and possibly sneaking some ribs for himself along the way. Although he spent the day working hard keeping an eye on those delicious slow-cooked ribs that him and my mom collaborated on, the truth is, the meal that we planned was clever and simple enough that you could truly spend all day on the dock, with only a few short last minutes in the kitchen, all it takes is a little planning. When I'm planning cottage meals, I like to think of dishes that allow me and my family to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen. I like to keep things simple, but take things that one step further to make them a little special and memorable. 

THE ENTRÉE

For our entrée, we chose slow cooked ribs. We got two families to each bring up several racks to split the cost, then my mom cooked up her notorious rib sauce recipe back at home so that she could simply pour it into a container to travel up north with us, saving us a lot of time in the kitchen at the cottage. With the ribs needing little babysitting while slow-cooking, you have plenty of time to enjoy cottage life outside! Pulled pork, brisket, ribs, just about any slow cooked recipe will do here.

• Do the prep - Make your sauce ahead of time, back in the city! 
• Take it slow - Go for slow roasted meats like ribs, pork shoulder, brisket, etc. Why not bring up your slow cooker from your city kitchen! You won't regret using up that extra space in the car!
• Start early - Start your cooking first thing in the morning so that you have everything done before the sun comes up, and by dinner time you'll have fall-off-the-bone delicious meat.

THE SIDES

For the sides, we're once again going for simplicity. Little ruby red potatoes and fresh Ontario corn on the cob can be cooked up in no time at all by simply tossing them into some boiling water. Here is where the planning comes in. It's easy to end the dish at that and have your guests and family season up the veggies with some salt and pepper themselves, but why not aim to impress? Whip up some easy and delicious flavoured butters to bring up to the cottage in a cooler. Perfect for topping corn or stirring into hot potatoes, these butters can quickly and easily transform a simple side dish! You can also do all the prep work for an awesome potato salad ahead of time! Just a quick chop of some bell peppers and you're pretty much good to go!

• Herbaceous Butters - Whip up some softened butter with fresh chopped herbs like basil, parsley, chives, mint, and/or rosemary, scoop and drop it onto a piece of plastic wrap, roll into a log, and refrigerate until solid. Serve with corn on the cob or stir into steaming hot ruby red boiled potatoes.
• Hot & Spicy Butters - Whip up some softened butter with cayenne pepper, lime, and cilantro for a festive butter with a kick! Scoop and drop it onto a piece of plastic wrap, roll into a log, and refrigerate until solid. Serve with corn on the cob or stir into steaming hot ruby red boiled potatoes.
• Speedy Potato Salad - Cube up some red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers ahead of time at home and toss into a tupperware container. When your potatoes are boiled and ready to serve quickly stir in those cubed bell peppers, a scoop or two of mayo, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, salt, pepper, chives and a bit of garlic and ta da! You have a simple, delicious, and healthy potato salad!

THE DRINK

No cottage meal is complete without a fantastic drink! My uncle Eddie once again stepped up to the plate this time around, creating a delicious and striking gin and tonic. By simply cutting up some halved cucumber slices and adding just a touch of fresh cracked pepper, the classic gin and tonic is transformed and becomes irresistible! With only two extra steps, Eddie's take on a classic gin and tonic is sure to be your new favourite!

• Play with a classic - It's easy to create your signature cocktail by simply adding an ingredient or two to your favourite classic cocktail! Uncle Eddie chose cucumbers and fresh cracked pepper for his gin and tonic, but don't shy away from other ingredients like hot peppers, fresh herbs, berries, brines, syrups, and more! 

Listening To:

Danny Brown - Grown Up - Love the video for this song! Check it out!

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Weekly Roundup - July 20, 2012

  CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Burgers with Grilled Pineapple - You know those perfect summer days? Saturday could have been absolutely horrible with our first Open House taking place at home, but we all turned our day around and ended up having another one of those perfect summer days. Unable to make a mess for the next Open House, we decided to make a mess-free dinner of burgers on the barbeque. To make our burgers just as perfect as our day, my sister Justine suggested grilling up pineapple slices to top our cheeseburgers with. WOAH! Did they ever turn out incredible! Top those babies with sriracha hot sauce and grilled onions and you've got one perfect burger! You've gotta try it!

Hot Stone Beef Bulgogi - On that same perfect Saturday, my mom and I decided to spend the day together so that we could both be out of the house while the Open House was taking place. We decided to finally check out the Picasso exhibit at the AGO, but first I suggested we grab some Korean food across the street. I was first introduced to Korean Hot Stone Bulgogi last summer and have been hooked ever since! I love how the piping hot bowl crisps the rice on the outside as well as mixing up the egg with all of the delicious veggies and savory beef. Mmmm sooo good!

Cottage Fishin' - While the offers were coming in for our house, my mom and I decided to escape the city and spend two days with our family up north at a cottage that my aunt and uncle rented on Jeffery Lake. It was great to have the distraction to keep my mom and I from stressing about the house, and to have people to lean on in this difficult time. It was so nice to be able to spend some quality time with my cousins Lucas, Evan, and Nick fishing, making bracelets, and goofing around on the dock. 

Picasso at the AGO - A fantastic exhibit, I absolutely loved Picasso at the AGO. I loved being able to go right up and see every brush stroke and learn more about his life and career. You can't help but feel inspired walking away from an exhibit like that! 

  CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Cottage Fishin' - The greatest. These boys are the coolest.

Cottage Meals - We sure know how to cook up a cottage meal in our family! My mom and uncle Eddie collaborated to make some seriously delicious ribs! More about our meal in a post coming soon!

SOLD - Yup.

Frog - Look at this little guy who I found swimming around the pool! He looks big but he was just a wee lil' guy!

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Listening To:
Frank Ocean - Forrest Gump

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Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce

With only a few precious months of my herb garden being able to grow in Toronto, it's hard for me to snip out any of my herbs, but when it looks like a sage monster is trying to escape out of your herb garden pot and devour the rest of the herbs, you know it's definitely time to do some snipping!  I couldn't let any of the sage that I snipped out go to waste, so I had to think up an easy and quick recipe that I could make to utilize all that delicious sage.  With a fresh package of potato gnocchi in the fridge, and little other sauce ingredients, I knew I had my dinner fix! I have tried making a brown butter and sage sauce in the past but unfortunately learned the hard way that brown butter can turn black very quickly. With my brown butter burning memory clear in my mind, I knew I could perfect the simple sauce this time around. The last time I attempted the sauce I was pouring it over delicious sweet potato agnolotti which already has a lot of flavour in it. I knew the dish would be a little one dimensional if I had left it as is with just the mild flavoured gnocchi, so I kicked up the flavour by adding fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, and lots of parmesan cheese. I also wanted to play around with the texture of the dish a little bit. I was able to achieve a slightly crispy coating to the soft and slightly chewy gnocchi by sautéing it until golden in a pan. A quick toss with the nutty and sage infused brown butter, a squeeze of lemon, a bit of seasoning and you've got an elegant, satisfying, and quick weeknight meal that will keep you coming back for more!

Ingredients:
about 8 tbsp unsalted butter, sliced
about 10-15 fresh sage leaves
1 package potato gnocchi
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
salt & pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to top

Directions:

1. Cook gnocchi according to instructions on package.
2. Heat a large skillet at medium heat. When pan is hot, add the butter.  Whisk frequently as butter melts. When butter has melted, add the sage leaves.
3. The butter will foam up then die down and will begin to turn brown. Keep your eye on the stove as the butter can burn really quickly at this point. When you begin to see brown specks form at the bottom of the pan and the butter begins to smell a little nutty, turn the heat off immediately and take the pan off the heat. Pour butter into a glass cup/measuring cup and set aside.
4. When the gnocchi are cooked, rinse and add to the same skillet that the butter was melted in. Add a small amount of butter and sauté the gnocchi at medium - medium-high heat until the gnocchi begins to get golden in colour.
5. Meanwhile, use a spoon to carefully scoop out the white bits that will form at the top of the butter so that you are only left with brown butter. 
6. Once gnocchi is golden, add the brown butter and sage back into the pan at medium-low heat and toss to coat. Add the lemon juice and zest, season with salt and pepper, and top with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. 

Listening To:
Frank Ocean - Sweet Life

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