Cookbooks

I have to admit I love cookbooks. If I could have a library full of them I would... for now I have an overflowing shelf of them. I love the photography, the inspired ideas, the author's stories and shared food information, the myriad of things I'd love to cook but don't. It just all makes me happy. Despite all that I have a simple few go-to cookbooks, the ones I use to cook not just admire.
The Joy of Cooking. I first bought this one for the sheer fact of the encyclopedic nature of the recipe collections. It offers a lot of basic cooking information about meat, beans, veggies etc. There are no photos but nonetheless it's got a array of solid recipes that are reliable time and again. This has become my one true source for many recipes.
The Journey for Food Lovers series. Oh how I love these, I wish I owned them all! I have the Food of France, the Food of Spain, the Food of India, and the Food of Asia. They are beautifully photographed and offer segments on different ingredients that make up the food of each culture. The recipes sometimes require a bit more time or specialty ingredients, particularly in the Food of India. Overall the recipes are very home cooking friendly and turn out as expected. A delish find!
Bon Appetit magazine. Ok so this isn't a cookbook but it's always a treasured read for me. And in every issue I can find a recipe that I really want to make, that I do make, and usually end up keeping as a regular dish. They often do features on a particular cooking technique or food trend which are always a highlight. After returning from Italy earlier this year Bon Appetit had a pasta issue and showcased the simplicity of cooking a "real" pasta sauce. I tried the Amatriciana and I can attest to a good outcome. Perhaps Santa will bring me a subscription next year... ;)
I can't say I need another cookbook, but I don't think I'll ever stop buying them. They inspire me to turn the mundane task of every day cooking into a culinary adventure where the outcome is me eating. How much better can that be?!

Magic Bars

I make this every Christmas, sometimes twice since they magically disappear! This is an Eagle Brand recipe.

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1 can Eagle Brand

Preheat oven to 350F. Put butter in a 9x13 pan and place in oven to melt. When melted remove from oven and add graham cracker crumbs, mix well and pat into bottom of pan to make a base. Top with the walnuts, then chocochips, and finally the cocunut. Drizzle the Eagle Brand over the top. Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool (ya right!), cut, eat. Enjoy!

My new tomato soup

Ok, so I'm back and posting a vegan recipe as my new post....yes, I said vegan. Don't worry, I'm not vegan and have no intention of becoming solely vegan. I love a bbq burger in the summer; that said, there's no reason not to incorporate some heatly alternatives for the "non burger days".

I recently purchased the Vegan YumYum cookbook - and the first recipe I tried was a keeper. I can see this tomato soup recipe being a good one for kids, a good way to hide some healthy into a good soup. http://veganyumyum.com/

I have made mine a little less spicey to appeal to the little ones...

Tomato Chickpea Soup

2 tbsp veg oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can tomatoes
1 tsp salt
2-4 tbsp hot water
black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and dried herbs and spices and stir for one minute. Add the chickpeas and saute for a few minutes until they turn golden.

Add the tomatoes and break the them up with the back of your spoon. Turn to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

You can either transfer this recipe to a blender or use an immersion blender. I think and immersion blender is PRICELESS - you can find them cheap cheap at Superstore - and can be used for soooo many things. So get one.

Add hot water to your blended soup if necessary to thin out, and taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper as you like.

This is a vegan recipe but we like to enjoy it with a toasted baguetter with melted cheddar cheese : )

My mac n cheese

People always say "oh my god, you made it from scratch!". Well, I am here to dispel the myth that homemade mac n cheese is long and tedious to make. The basic premise is that you make a white sauce, add whatever cheese suits yer fancy, toss with whatever noodles suits yer fancy and Voila!

Making it from scratch allows you to control the ingredients - no processed stuff here, just real cheese. If you have kids who like cheesy noodles but not veggies then here's your opportunity... add peas to the topping and you've got something green into their bellies. Try it and you may never go back to the bland box stuff.

For the white sauce...a whisk is essential

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
2 cups grated cheese, whatever you like, my preference is a combo of gruyere and medium white cheddar

Cooked noodles - enough for 4 portions

Heat butter over medium hight heat in a heavy saucepan, and whisk in the flour. It will get thick like a paste, keep stirring it for a few minutes to let the flour cook. Slowly add the milk and whisk until there are no lumps. Reduce heat to low and add the cheese, stir until melted. Remove from heat and toss with your cooked noodles.

You can stop here and serve it up. OR you can dish into individual heat proof dishes and top with a breadcrumb topping (below) and more cheese...We're making mac n cheese right? SO ADD THE CHEESE MAN!

Breadcrumb Topping

Mix
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp melted butter

then add
1/4 cup finely grated cheese

BAKE

375F until bubbling and browned on top.

These freeze well, but don't bake them first.

Au naturel

Low fat, no fat, reduced fat, light, etc. are not words I look for on a label. My shopping cart is actually filled with quite the opposite. I refuse to fall prey to the marketing of food. Food is nutrition, not something to be torn apart and remade with synthetic ingredients. If you can't pronounce an item's list of ingredients then perhaps it's time to reconsider your options.

I buy butter, full fat yogurt, regular mayonnaise. And they taste great. You need a lot less of a full fat item to feel satisfied so you actually eat less of it. There's a reason why obesity and diabetes are an epidemic in America: it's called processed food. It's not just fast food that's to blame, but every day items that people buy are not really food anymore.

Compare the North American diet to that of Europe or South East Asia where they eat fresh local ingredients and don't suffer the heart disease and diabetes issues we do. For example, the French eat cheese, and quite a lot of it. They eat a small portion, savour it, enjoy it for what it is.

Having full fats in your diet doesn't mean you will be fat. Fats are actually good for you in moderation. Just like everything else in life....moderation and balance are key. There are two great books which I recommend that show how to live enjoying food, real food.

Michael Pollan "In Defense of Food"
http://michaelpollan.com/books/

Mireille Guiliano "French Women Don't Get Fat"
http://mireilleguiliano.com/

Zucchini Brownies

Well, it's more like cake. Remember the "snacking cakes" that your Mom made when you were little? Kinda like that but WAY better. And you'd never know there's zuccini in it.

I did not write this recipe, it's one I found online at All Recipes and am passing on to you. It's too good not to! I did tweak it a little....the batter is VERY dry so I added 3/4 cup of milk and it turned out great. I didn't make the frosting since it was for us to snack on at home, but I bet it would be good to add if you were taking these over to a friend's. I'm sure they would appreciate a pan of these : )

Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/zucchini-brownies/Detail.aspx

Make it up

I love recipe books, I love recipes, I love eating the recipes I learn. BUT, I also love to just get in the kitchen and make whatever I feel like eating. Getting inspiration from a walk through the farmer's market, the butcher's, or the bakery...ahhh, I get so excited I just want to buy everything!

Recently my dad made a yummy moroccan inspired lentil stew which went well with the grilled lamb and couscous he also made. I have not asked for the recipe yet, but on this cool fall day I felt like having just that, so I made it up. I came close but it was not quite the same. Nonetheless it was a hearty cozy meal.

I'm not posting a recipe here. What I want is for you to just jump into your fridge or your cupboard and make something up. Close your eyes and listen to your tummy....what does it want? A stir fry over rice? A potato gratin? A roasted chicken breast over braised cabbage and roasted cauliflower? Make something out of your comfort zone, something that you don't have a recipe for. And if it doesn't turn out quite so great, OH WELL. That's how most good recipes start, so just take note of what needs improving and make it again!

Good luck and enjoy the creative process!