Sausage, Mushroom and Pea Risotto

INGREDIENTS

1/2 – 1 lb sausages

3/4 c arborio rice

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 c white wine

4 c chicken broth, warmed

1 c Button or Cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 c peas, thawed

Grated parmesan

Salt + pepper to taste

Directions:

* Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in skillet. Remove casings from sausages and saute, breaking the meat up with a spoon until the crumbles are brown.
* In a saucepan, add rice to the remaining oil over medium-low heat. Stir to coat. Add white wine and stir until absorbed.
* Warm chicken broth in a separate saucepan and saute slice mushrooms in another pan.
* Add broth to the rice a ladleful at a time (stirring after each addition) until absorbed and cook until the risotto tastes creamy but still firm, about 20 minutes. Add sauteed sliced mushrooms.
* Add sausage, peas, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper. Cook until heated through.
* Serve warm!

Belgian Waffles

Emeril's recipe, apparently. Really good. Although, I couldn't get mine crisp enough...


Ingredients

* 2 cups cake flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 large eggs, separated
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
* 2 cups milk
* non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. In 1 medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a second bowl use the wooden spoon to beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine the egg-milk mixture with the flour mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix. In third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Do not overmix! Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour enough batter in iron to just cover waffle grid. Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Inside-Out Sandwich Wands

serves:4
ingredients

* 4 slices roast turkey
* 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup dried cranberries
* 4 thick grissini bread sticks, about 6 inches long
* 1 piece fruit leather, cut into 4 strips

directions

1. Lay a turkey slice on a clean, dry surface. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese on it. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cranberries.
2. Lay breadstick across short side of turkey. Roll turkey around breadstick and secure with fruit leather tied in a knot. Repeat.

Chef's Tip: If you can’t find thick grissini bread sticks, try using two thinner ones. Pretzel rods and twisted cheese sticks are other great picks. Or try using sliced ham, cream cheese and pineapple pieces (or any of your favourite ingredients)

Wicked-Good Pizza Muffins

serves:Makes 12 muffins

time:about 25 minutes
ingredients

* 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
* 1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
* 1 tsp (5 mL) each salt and dried basil
* 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
* 1 cup (250 mL) tiny cubes old orange cheddar
* 1 cup (250 mL) plain yogurt
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted
* 1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped red or green sweet pepper (optional)
* 1/4 cup (50 mL) pizza sauce
* 1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded mozzarella

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, basil and baking soda until combined. Stir in cheddar cubes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, eggs and butter until smooth. Stir into flour mixture just until well combined and no dry spots remain; stir in sweet pepper (batter will be very thick). Spoon batter into muffin cups, dividing evenly. Spoon 1 tsp (5 mL) pizza sauce on top of each muffin; sprinkle each with shredded mozzarella.
3. Bake about 20 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in centre of one of middle muffins comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan at least 5 minutes before removing, then let cool completely on a wire rack. (Freeze muffins in an airtight container for up to 1 month; defrost at room temperature.)

Grab-and-Go Mixed Fruit Burrito

serves:4

time:15 minutes
ingredients

* 1 tbsp granulated sugar
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 4 store-bought 9-inch crêpes (10 to a package)
* 4 tsp smooth peanut butter or cream cheese
* 2 bananas diced
* 1 pear halved, cored and cut lengthwise into 12 pieces
* 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
* 1/4 cup raisins
* 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

directions

1. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Lay crêpes out on a flat, dry surface. Spread 1 teaspoon peanut butter on one side of each crêpe. In centre of each crêpe, mound equal portions of banana, pear, blueberries and raisins. Place 2 tablespoons yogurt on top. Dust with a pinch of reserved cinnamon sugar.
3. Wrap crêpes one at a time: Fold each side in towards middle. Fold bottom of crêpe over filling and roll it up tightly; repeat with remaining crêpes.

Cheesy Ham and Spinach Muffins

serves:12 servings
time:40 minutes, plus the bread needs to soak up the egg mixture for at least 2 hours or overnight.

• 4 cups cubed whole wheat bread (for extra flavour, bread cubes may be toasted)
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped baby spinach
• 4 oz cooked ham, divided into ¼-inch cubes
• 5 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Toss bread, cheese, spinach and ham together in a bowl. Divide evenly between 12 greased muffin cups.
2. In a bowl, whisk remaining ingredients together. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Bake in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes or until set. Let cool 5 minutes before removing muffins.

Granola

There is nothing better than a handful of granola. You can eat it by itself, as a cereal, or top it on your favourite dessert. Here's a simple recipe that I like to make with my kids. There are tons of options, so if you don't hae allergies in your family, throw in some nuts, too!

Dry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups gluten free granola (no sugar added)
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1/4 cup of sesame seeds (optional)
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Coating Mixture Ingredients:
1/2 cup sucanat
Pinch of se salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup of canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup honey

At the End:
Mix in dried fruits, such as raisins, cranberries, cherries, etc....

Preheat the over to 275 degrees.
Mix the dry ingredients together and set to the side.
In a small saucepan, mix all coating ingredients and warm on low until well blended.
Pour coating mixture over the dry ingredients.
Spread granola over a large baking sheet lined in parchment paper.
Bake for about 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes with a wooden spoon.
Transfer this onto a cooling rack and allow to cool. Sprinkle with dried fruits of your choice.

Keep in an airtight container for about a week or freeze it!

Adapted from The Clean Eating Cookbook by Tosca Reno.

Savoury Veggie Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

3 tbs of canola oil 2 c of shredded vegetables (carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, brown cremini mushrooms, or white mushrooms) 2 large egg yolks, 1 egg or egg substitution equivalent 1/2 c sour cream 3 tbs cornstarch 1 tbs minced, fresh chives 1/4 tsp salt Ground pepper (for taste) ...

DIRECTIONS

• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add desired veggies. Saute 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp but tender, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Cool slightly.
• In a bowl, beat egg yolks or egg and mix in the sour cream, cornstarch, chives, salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the sauteed vegetables.
• In a large skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat.  Spoon 3 tbs batter into skillet to form 3-inch patties.  Cook until lightly browned underneath, about 2 minutes.  Turn and brown the other side, about 1 minute.
• Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree oven while making the rest of the batter.
• Serve hot.  NOTE:  These can be made in advance- just reheat at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

Mushroom Meatloaf

Ingredients

* 2 pounds lean ground beef
* 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, all minced except for 6
* 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup minced onion
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground meat, minced mushrooms, bread crumbs, onion, ketchup, eggs, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread 1/2 of the mixture into the bottom of a loaf pan. Arrange 6 whole mushrooms stem down into meat. Top with rest of meat, patting to combine both halves.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until done. Internal temperature should measure 160 degrees F (70 degrees C) when done.

Pina Colada Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (50 mL) butter (1/2 stick)
• 1 cup (250 mL) packed dark brown sugar
• 1 medium pineapple
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) maraschino cherries (15-20 cherries)
• 1 pkg (18.25 oz/510 g) yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 can (13.25 oz/398 mL) unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tsp (5 mL) rum extract
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) sweetened flaked coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Melt butter in a 12-in Skillet over low heat (do not use stainless cookware). Brush sides of skillet with butter using a basting brush. Remove from heat; sprinkle brown sugar over butter and set aside.

2. Slice top and bottom off of pineapple, creating a flat base. Stand pineapple upright; core and peel. Cut each pineapple half crosswise into 12 slices (24 slices total). Arrange 22 of the pineapple slices around outer edge of Skillet; place two pineapple slices in center, forming a ring. Place one cherry in center of pineapple ring and additional cherries around outside of ring.

3. Combine cake mix, eggs, coconut milk and rum extract in a 4-qt. mixing bowl; whisk until well blended. Carefully pour batter over pineapple in Skillet.

4. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Toast coconut on a cookie sheet in oven. Remove cake from oven to cooling rack; cool 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a platter; gently press coconut around top edge and sides of cake.

Yield: 16 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 330, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrate 53 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 250 mg, Fiber 1 g

Crunchy Tuna Bites

Now that Trent is off formula and eating more real food, I need to think of things to feed him at lunch. I've been a bit stumped. But I found this recipe from another mommy blogger, and I think I will try this next week.

7-10 oz tuna-drained,
1 egg,
1 tsp fresh parsley
1 cup bread crumbs
1 TB whole wheat flour, olive oil, salt and pepper


Mash the tuna a/ the egg, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper

Add bread crumbs, mix well. Then add enough flour to bind mixture together.
Shape into 15-20 balls

Refrigerate for 15 min. & preheat your oven to 375

Drizzle olive oil on baking sheet, place tuna bites on top, drizzle more olive oil on top of tuna bites

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Add some veggies and enjoy!

Strawberry Bread

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped* (optional)
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of an 8-cup loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) (23 x 13 x 8 cm). Set aside.

*(Place the walnuts (or pecans) on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until brown and fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool completely before chopping coarsely. Set aside.)

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and sour cream (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined.

Gently fold in the chopped strawberries and walnuts

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake an hour to an hour & 20 min, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread can be frozen.

Makes 1 loaf.

Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato & Bacon Sandwiches

* For the Aioli:
* ¼ cup mayonnaise
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 tsp lemon juice
* 1 tsp dijon mustard
* Salt & pepper, to taste
* For the Sandwiches:
* 8 slices bacon or turkey bacon
* 8 slices French bread
* Aioli
* 1 tomato, sliced
* 12-16 fresh basil leaves
* 1 large ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
* Salt & pepper, to taste


Make aioli by whisking together all of the aioli ingredients. Set aside in refrigerator.

Fry bacon in a large skillet. Once cooked through, place on paper towels to drain excess grease.

Toast bread and lay out 4 slices.

Spread aioli on each of the 4 slices. Top the aioli with 2 tomato slices, 2 slices of bacon, 3-4 basil leaves and then about 2 mozzarella slices.

Season the mozzarella with salt and pepper and then top with the remaining bread slices to form sandwiches.

You can also grill this sandwich. Simply assemble the sandwiches without toasting the bread, brush the outsides with olive oil and grill in a skillet until golden brown.

Fish Tacos with Guacamole

Prep & cook time: 35 minutes

per serving: 547 calories; 35 grams protein; 32 grams total fat; 14 grams fiber; 7 grams saturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 55 mgs cholesterol; 340 mgs sodium

2 halibut fillets (6 ounces each, can sub tilapia)
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 avocado , pitted and flseh removed
1/4 jalapeño pepper , seeded and minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 plum tomato , seeded and chopped
1 green onion , thinly sliced on an angle
1/4 head Romaine lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 8-inch flour tortillas
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Preheat a grill pan or large skillet
over medium-high heat.
[1] Drizzle fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in oven.
[2] Grill fish until opaque, 4-5 minutes per side. Squeeze lime juice over fish and remove from grill pan. Flake with fork into large chunks.
[3] While fish is cooking, in a blender or food processor combine avocado, jalapeno, lemon juice, yogurt and salt and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in chopped tomatoes and green onions.
[4] Fill tortillas with flaked fish and top with guacamole, shredded lettuce and cheese.

Salmon With Balsamic Strawberries w/ asparagus and parmesan

Dinner for Two

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

per serving: 267 calories; 34 grams protein; 11 grams total fat; 1 gram fiber; 2
gram saturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 92 mgs cholesterol; 76 mgs
sodium

2 salmon fillet(s) (6 ounces each)
3/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

[1] Clean, hull and slice the strawberries in half. In a small bowl, combine the strawberries, vinegar, and zest and juice from the orange. Let stand for 15 minutes.
[2] Brush a grill pan with olive oil and heat pan (or skillet if you don’t have one) over medium-high heat until very hot. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the fish to the pan and cook for 4 minutes on one side. Turn and cook for 4 minutes
more or until salmon flakes easily.
[3] Transfer the salmon to plates.
[4] Using a slotted spoon, remove the strawberries from the vinegar and spoon over the salmon. Discard the remaining vinegar and serve immediately.

Asparagus with Parmesan

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes

per serving: 79 calories; 5 grams protein; 5 grams total fat; 2 grams fiber; 2
grams saturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 6 mgs cholesterol; 98 mgs
sodium

1/2 pound asparagus
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

[1] Snap the tough ends from the asparagus.
[2] On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer and sprinkle with the cheese.
[3] Roast until the they are tender and the cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes.




I thought that the strawberries were nice with the salmon, but the husband didn't like it. He doesn't have a very adventurous palate though. Here's what I did different:

• quartered the strawberries, instead of just halving them. This lets them pick up more of the balsamic/orange dressing
• lightly saute the strawberries in the pan after the salmon. This sweetens and warms them up just a smidge

All in all, a very satisfying meal, would make it again. Even if my ungrateful husband ;) doesn't go for the strawberries. More for me.