Camping BLTA's

I love camping. The main reason I like it so much is that Mike enjoys to cook, clean and generally putter around at camping, which means I can sit by the fire with my book and ree-lax. Perfect.

That said, a good menu is necessary when camping, or else it's just not worth it. When we camp with our friends P&T we always trade off meals - so they make a dinner and breakfast and we make a dinner and breakfast. It works out really well and you cook less and clean less. Again, perfect.

Recently we camped at Otter Lake, near Princeton BC. Our dinner included BLTA's - Bacon Lettuce Tomato and Avocado sandwiches. Can't go wrong with that. Instead of the usual suspects, play around with the ingredients - use ciabatta buns and thick cut smokey bacon, smear on some flavoured cream cheese instead of mayo, use a nice dark lettuce and orange heirloom tomatoes. Don't forget the salt and pepper.

You'll be very happy to be camping.

For the cholesterolly-challenged

Some of my friends are...ahem...getting older. And with that, the problems of an aging body. Things like Flemmish Asparagus are out of the question when you're trying to lower your cholesterol, keep your heart-a-ticking, or your blood sugar level. But that doesn't mean sacrificing flavour flav.

I have been making turkey burgers for a long time and love them, however I know several people who don't like poultry burgers since they can be bland and dry. Ground turkey or chicken burgers, unlike the good old beef patty, should be well seasoned, almost meatloaf style. I prefer to make all my burgers sans egg, but if you like the consistency egg gives, then go ahead and add one in...that is, if you're not suffering from the above-mentioned bodily defuncts ; )

Here's my healthy standby for your burger cravings.


TURK-BURGER
Makes 4 patties

1lb ground chicken or turkey (I prefer turkey)
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove
cilantro, or any fresh leafy herb
salt
pepper

whole grain buns
big pile o' spinach
pickled onions (recipe follows)
optional, lowfat curry mayo (recipe follows)

In a large mixing bowl, grate the ginger and garlic. I find these best grated so you don't get large chunks when you bite into your burger. Add finely chopped cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the ground bird but be sure not to overmix as it can make the burgers gluey. And who wants that. Form into 4 patties.

Heat your bbq and lube the grills with some canola oil. Toss on the patties. Let each side char before flipping and be sure to close the bbq lid to create the "oven effect".

Toast your buns. Top with spinach and pickled onions and condiment of your choice, curry mayo is great on these burgers but if you have to avoid the white stuff, then go for a really good mustard.

Eat. Smile.


PICKLED ONION
This recipe comes from Anthony Sedlak's cookbook.

1 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
salt
red onion, sliced

In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil then pour over the sliced red onion and stir. Set aside to cool then drain. This will keep in a sealed container in your fridge for 2 weeks, if you can stand not to eat them all right away...


CURRY MAYO
low fat mayonnaise or tofunnaise
curry powder
pepper

Super duper easy...mix ingredients and refrigerate for a few hours so flavours can blend.

Say cheese

What better place to go than Paris if you love cheese? Well, ok, Holland would do as well, but France was where I travelled and encountered lovely shops every day, calling my name to come in...

The french know their cheese, and they have a plethora of goat cheese. It's hard to choose which variety given the array of options, from little round "pucks" coated in fuzzy mold to towers with a hard rind and gooey interior. In North America we don't have as many options - most of us know goat cheese as that white stuff packaged in a tube from the supermarket.

Why settle for that?

Seek out a local cheese maker and discover something new and tasty. Whatever cheese you choose, grab a baguette and head to a nearby park to indulge...yes, I mean do this now, even if you aren't in Paris.

Flemmish Asparagus

My first entry....hmm, what to start with. So many food choices. I'll start with a starter. Makes sense, non?

Mike and I recently spent a weekend in Bruges with some friends. If you've seen the movie "In Bruges" then you know that it's a beautiful gothic town in Belgium. It's in the northern half of the country where the people speak Flemmish, which is where the name of this dish comes from. (I highly recommend the movie, by the way.)

We went to de Gastro Food Experience and had Flemish Asparagus as a starter : braised asparagus with a hollandaise-style sauce. Although the dish was delish, we all wondered about the lumpy hollandaise....

It wasn't until I came home and Googled this dish that I learned it is made with hard boiled eggs, not raw eggs, which lends to the lumpy texture. I have adapted the recipe somewhat...it is commonly made with very large white asparagus, which are sometimes hard to find, even in season. If so, use the largest green ones you can find.

Serves 4

16 asparagus spears, use the fat ones
stock - veggie or chicken is best

3 soft boiled eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp dijon
1/2 tsp lemon zest
salt & pepper
lemon juice
more stock as needed

Preheat oven to 350F

Snap the first asparagus spear, then trim all the others to the same length. Peel the bottom of any really woodsy ones. Place in a shallow baking dish and pour in some stock just to cover the bottom of the pan - do not completely cover the asparagus. Bake for about 15 minutes until just tender.

Soft boil the eggs, then peel and place in a mini food processor or chop finely by hand. Add the butter, dijon, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be the consistency of runny gravy. If yours is too thick, then thin it out with some stock. Set aside until asparagus are ready.

To serve, line up 4 asparagus on each plate. Add lemon juice to the egg sauce then place a large spoonful over the middle of the asparagus spears.

Great served warm. Enjoy with a cold Belgian ale!