I am a devoted follower of Nigel Slater, so when I saw this recipe in the Guardian newspaper I had to try it. Especially as I have had cashew nut butter sitting in my cupboard for a while now - I bought it as an impulse purchase when it was half price. Thinking that these are just a twist on peanut butter cookies would be a mistake, as they are so delicious that I had to give them away for fear that I would eat the whole batch myself.
I have also been reading Slater's The Kitchen Diaries since the beginning of the year. As it is written in diary form I am trying to make it last the whole year, adjusting my pace a little to fit with the Canadian growing season. This is a fabulous book documenting simple meals over an entire year, all with seasonal (and mostly local) ingredients. Definitely check it out if you get a chance!
Cashew Nut Cookies (makes 12):
100g butter
50g muscovado
50g sugar
60g salted roasted cashews
100g cashew butter
100g flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
You can find detailed instructions here, but basically just cream the butter and sugars then stir in the nuts and nut butter. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined; bake at 375F/190C for 12-14 min until dry on top.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Cashew Crumbles
Monday, June 15, 2009
Another Spinach Salad!
Apparently Brooke and I are eating similarly this week! Both of us jumping on the salad train, and mixing in some fruit and cheese. My spinach is the first of my garden crops to be ready. I love that about it, you can plant it two to three times in a season as short as ours, and see it come up plentifully over and over again. In honor of my favorite salad green, I present the following easy peasy salad recipe.
Baby spinach greens (one bowl full, washed)
A hand full of dried cranberries
A couple tbsp of toasted pine nuts
Feta to your taste (I like tons!)
Top with simple extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (or your fav.)
This is so quick and easy it frequently appears on my lunch table when I come home for lunch during a work day. The toasted nuts, salty feta and sweet cranberries are lovely in contrast to one another as a topping, and spinach tastes fantastic when eaten pulled fresh from the garden.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
To Market, To Market
I'm off to the market, and you should be too! The awesome St. Albert Farmers' Market opens today, and there are others open around the city and surrounding areas. Check out the Alberta Farmers' Market Map under Edmonton Area Resources on the left to find your nearest one.
St. Albert Farmers' Market
Saturday - open 10-3, St. Anne St & Perron St
City Market Downtown
Saturday - open 9-3, Jasper Ave & 104 St
Old Strathcona Farmers' Market
Saturday - open 8-3, 10310 83 Ave
Friday, June 12, 2009
Grilled Peach & Feta Salad
It feels like summer is just around the corner, and with summer my appetite for salads has returned in full force. I seem to hardly eat salad at all in the winter months, but lately I have found myself often having them for 2 meals a day. It doesn't hurt that almost any combination of greens & fruit works, especially with the addition of cheese.
Grilled Peach & Feta Salad (serves 1):
2 handfuls spinach or other greens
1 peach, sliced
red onion
40-50g feta or chevre
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
pepper, chopped mint
Warm peaches are extra delicious, so I grilled the slices on the hob for a couple of minutes and then tossed them into the salad and seasoned with pepper and fresh mint from my balcony garden.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Finally, Spring has Sprung
While my balcony "garden" isn't nearly as good as Court's was
, it is still enough to supply me with lettuce and greens through the summer and all the herbs I need year-round. I'm also lucky enough to have parents with a big garden where I can grow anything else I want. And the fruits of our labour are finally starting to come up! I definitely do not have a green thumb, and I always find the early days of planting somewhat demoralizing as it always seems to take so long for actual results. When I plant, I want to be eating fresh vegetables the next week. Now, 3 1/2 weeks after first planting, baby greens are nearly ready to eat and pretty soon good (vegetable) times will be here.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Healthy Fare, A Reasonable Option
The restaurant does have a number of tables for eating in, and while we were there, there were a number of in house diners, and also a number just coming and going with take out orders. Although the decor is pretty modern looking and the web site goes through how a good deal of it is also environmentally friendly, we were slightly put off by the fact that we had to ask for a table to be cleaned so that we had a place to sit. It was especially concerning given that when we arrived, it was not busy at all yet (and how many times have people speculated about the cooking facilities if the part you can see is messy?). Additionally, we found the ordering process a bit confusing. It is clear that you order at the till, but the young man who served us did not tell us whether or not to wait for drinks there or where to get the food or if it would be brought to us. In the end, we realized that they call you up to collect your food.
The food itself was actually quite good tasting. Two of us ordered the orange beef bowl, and one the peanut lime bowl, and we got a side order of sweet potato fries to share.
The fries were labeled as being only 85 calories, and so were a good size considering that. They were served with a garlic yogurt dip that I don't think was included in that calorie count. Both the fries and dip were delicious. We gobbled them up, and all agreed they make a great snack.
The bowls both also tasted very good. They had a large variety of well cooked vegetables, and a lot of meat, especially in the beef bowls. The only thing I would note is that although both tasty, the beef bowl didn't taste all that orangey (for being called an orange beef bowl), and the Peanut lime bowl had a good lime taste, but not much peanut. They were both served atop a small portion of brown rice. We tried each other's food, and two of the three preferred the peanut lime, one the orange beef bowl.I did find that I ended up feeling hungry by the intermission of the ballet. Whether it wasn't quite substantial enough for me or I am just needing more due to being pregnant is hard to say. I would suggest though that a lot of guys might not find that this is quite enough to fill them as a supper.
In general though I would say this is a good alternative to typical fast food. It will be a bit pricier, but still reasonable, and worth it if you want to know that you and/or your family is eating food that is a bit more nutritious while still being fast.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Creamy Courgette and Brie Soup
With the horrible weather over the weekend, and the fact that my apartment was freeeezing, I decided to make soup for lunch. We have mentioned the Fresh Food Fast cookbook before, and this is another recipe from that book. This was my first go at making it after hearing Court rave about it a couple of years ago, and it definitely lived up to the hype. The creaminess comes from delicious melted brie - so I'm pretty happy I made a full pot and have the leftovers all to myself.
Courgette & Brie Soup (serves 4-5):
2 knobs/25g butter
1 medium/250g onion
3 smallish/200g potatoes
1 garlic clove
1/8-1/4 cup white wine
300ml vegetable stock
2 medium/500g zucchini
200ml milk or cream
125-200g brie
1 tbsp fresh basil, or to taste
salt & pepper
Melt the butter and then add the finely chopped onion. Soften for 5-7 minutes, then add the cubed potato, minced garlic, and wine and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the stock and zucchini and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is cooked (around 25 minutes). Add in the milk and brie and heat until the cheese has melted, then add the basil and heat through.
If you want to reduce the calories, this was actually quite good even without the milk and brie - just as a broth with vegetables.
Friday, June 5, 2009
White Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake
I don't think it is a secret that Brooke and I really really like cheesecake (don't act like you are too good for it!). I'm sure I have mentioned the past shame of eating 3/4 of a full cake by myself in the course of a couple of days before taking the last quarter to a party and begging my girlfriends to take it away from me before I did myself in. This is that cake! Well, it's not that particular cake, which was long ago in my belly, but one I made again using the same recipe, this time knowing I would have guests to help with the eating. Even though it is made with a good amount of white chocolate, it doesn't have that overly sweet taste some people don't like about white chocolate. It is just subtle and perfectly delish. It's also flexible in that it is flavor that goes well with a lot of different fruit toppings if you decide you want to try to make your cheesecake seem "healthier."
White Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake:
Crust
3/4 cup hazelnuts (optional)
12 whole graham crackers, broken (I up this to 15-18 if not using the nuts)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
Filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 ounces imported white chocolate (such as Lindt), finely chopped
3 tablespoons liqueur (I used Kahlua, but if I have Bailey's or Tia Maria I use what I have that tastes like coffee or chocolate or both)
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Grease 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Wrap aluminum foil around outside of pan. Place hazelnuts in pie pan and roast until brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to kitchen towel, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Rub hazelnuts with towel to remove husks. Chop coarsely in food processor. Add graham crackers and sugar and process until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together. Press crumbs into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool crust on rack.
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in white chocolate and hazelnut liqueur. Pour filling into crust, covering completely.
Bake cake until edges are set and center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, a little over an hour. Cool completely in pan on rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead.) Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen. Release pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter. Cut into wedges and serve. You can cook it in a bain marie (on a tray filled with water) if you feel that helps avoid cracking. I feel like cracking is pretty inevitable with a nice cream colored cheesecake, and instead of fretting about it, I just put something pretty on top like chocolate shavings, fruit, whipped cream or all of those. I mean really, who looks at a cheesecake for more than a few seconds before it is gone!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Eggs and Soldiers
Breakfast in less than 10 minutes! A soft boiled egg, 5 spears of asparagus, and a slice of toast: this is a nice sit-down breakfast that is also quick and healthy. I cut my toast into dip-able spears as well so I wouldn't miss out on any of that liquid yellow heaven.
For a soft boiled egg, 
bring a small pot of water to a simmer then add the egg and cook for 6 minutes. While the egg is cooking, make a slice of toast and with 3 minutes left on the egg drop the asparagus into the pot of simmering water to cook. When the timer goes, everything is ready to eat. Once done, drop the egg into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove & serve.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Back on Track
I'm attempting to lose some of the winter padding now that summer is around the corner (although, with the threat of frost tonight it certainly doesn't feel like it). Bringing lunch to work everyday definitely helps with that, and helps keep my pocketbook full as well.
- 1 large pesto garlic tortilla with lettuce, 1/2 can tuna & 1 tsp caesar dressing, 1 small gherkin, 1 slice onion
- 1 kiwi fruit
- 9 grape tomatoes
- 2 rice crackers with nori
In the tuna salad I used caesar salad dressing in place of mayonnaise, which I rarely have. I can't finish more than a quarter jar before it spoils so I just don't bother buying it anymore. The caesar dressing was a great substitute, as it provided all the seasoning as well .
