Warm artichoke crostini

2 Jan

Happy 2012! I hope everyone had a great weekend. While I am sure everyone has their own new years eve story, I have a general idea of what happened. New years can go a few ways but it usually ends up being either;

1) un-expectantly awesome

or

2) you-had-such-high-hopes-but-it-was-a-bust

kind of night.

Usually, it ends up being the latter (or is it the former…? I always get the 2 mixed up, Yikes!) This year, my night had a couple bumps along the way but turned out to be a fun night with friends. Unfortunately, due to the mess that follows me in and out of the kitchen, my boyfriend pleaded that I hold back from making any snacks for our new years guests.

Rude right?

Asking me to hold back from creating something awesome? With the sliiiiiight chance that I would get fried cheese all over his apartment?

Clearly I’m still hurting.

I respected his “wishes” and I watched everyone pig out on nachos, salsa, starbursts…and skittles (my nemesis). So, please allow me the pleasure of living vicariously through the interweb and introducing you to warm artichoke crostinis!

Asides from being a good party bite, they are also an easy appetizer to munch on while dinner is being made. A quick starter like that needs to be easily prepared – you don’t want to spend your time putting it together since you’re focusing on the main meal. This starter uses baguette, ricotta cheese, garlic and canned artichokes and it all comes together in a snap.

You thinly slice the baguette and toast the pieces. You mix together ricotta cheese and olive oil, and heat up the artichokes and garlic in a pan.

Put them all together and you get a warm artichoke crostini. With a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, parsley and black pepper, you get a stunning starter.

This recipe is from a cookbook I’ve sourced before, the Panache Cookbook – All profits from its sale goes to the Jewish General Hospital’s Emergency Department. The pepper crusted maple salmon and unbelievable lemon squares are from this book. It has easy recipes that can be made to serve your family or to entertain. If anyone is interested in purchasing or would like more information, you can email chefshawna@hotmail.com or click here.

Warm Artichoke Crostini

Source: Panache Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 small baguette

Cheese mixture:

1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used low fat)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Artichoke Mixture:

1 can artichokes, cut into quarters
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tsp of olive oil

Garnish:

1-2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 tbsp parsley, chopped
freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

Thinly slice the baguette, and toast the pieces. If using the oven, set to broil and toast for 2 minutes per side.
Mix together the ricotta with olive oil and pepper, set aside.
Heat up 1-2 tsp of olive oil in a pan and saute the garlic. Add in the artichokes and mix well in the oil and garlic.
Set everything out and start preparing : Spread ricotta mixture on baguette slices, add artichokes, and sprinkle with Parmesan, parsley and black pepper.
Serve and Enjoy!

Hopefully these can be used for a dinner party at your house!

P.S: Any suggestions for clean cooking or baking in a small kitchen for the tidy-impaired? Help!

- Jennie

Comments Comments Off
Categories Recipes, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Author Jennie

Pomegranate and Goat Cheese Salad

13 Dec

Pomegranates are a beautiful but dangerous fruit. That’s right – dangerous. A fruit that menacingly sprays bloody red juice onto every surface of your kitchen and body which (when you’re not shrink-wrapped by Dexter (best show!)) is a danger. Lucky for me (unlucky for Mr. Pomegranate, tee hee hee), my sister taught me a trick to avoid the mess – remove the seeds in a bowl of water. You cut the pomegranate on your counter/cutting board, but then remove all seeds in a deep bowl of water. The seeds sink to the bottom and the white stuff floats to the top – and no one gets stained. Wohoo!

Jennie 1 – Mr. Pomegranate 0

Is it weird that my pomegranate is male, has a mustache, top hat and an evil french laugh “Hon Hon Hon”? No? That’s what I thought.

This salad is beautiful – it’s a great side salad or appetizer for a dinner party or to impress a date (insert giggity comment here). The creamy goat cheese, crunchy pistachios and sweet pomegranate go well together in flavor, texture, and appearance. All of this is tossed with a honey-dijon balsamic dressing. Amazing!

This salad is one of my favorite things I have made in a while! I served it with pepper crusted maple salmon.

Pomegranate Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups of arugula salad
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
goat cheese (as much as or as little as you want)
6 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:

Prepare your ingredients by seeding a pomegranate (or you can go to Costco and buy the seeds), and shelling the pistachios. Slice as much or as little goat cheese wanted in the salad.
Mix together the vinegar, honey, mustard and lemon juice. Whisk in the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toss the arugula with dressing. Add pomegranate seeds, pistachios and goat cheese to the lettuce.
Plate and serve.

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I did. I think it’s an amazing salad for a New Year’s dinner! You can always use different nuts, or different cheese to change it up!

Bon Appetit!

- Jennie

Comments 7 Comments
Categories Recipes, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Author Jennie

Thai Mango Salad

29 Nov

It’s cold, gray and dreary. No… I’m not talking about the hospitals in Montreal, I’m talking about the weather. This is put-on-my-fuzzy-pink-socks and drink chai tea (I warned you I’m nerdy!) weather. Ugh – I guess that means winter is coming to the great white north. I hate the cold and dark winter’s we have here – but I do love my socks!

With winter fast approaching, most people make a nice warm soup, but I strangely buy mangos. I really can’t explain my motives – I admit it’s strange, but so are pink fuzzy socks in birkenstocks as makeshift slippers. Whatever.

With winter on the way, people’s moods worsen and everyone’s always tired. If anyone is feeling down, brighten up their day with this thai mango salad – It’s a fresh tasting salad that is both sweet and spicy. It uses fresh mint and basil, crunchy peanuts, sweet red peppers and mangoes and is covered in a lime-soy sauce dressing. Delicious!

Thai Mango Salad, adapted from Canadian Living

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, coarsely grated
1 cup mixed greens
1/3 cup green onions
3 tbsp fresh mint
3 tbsp fresh basil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Dressing:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

Peel, pit and thinly slice mangos lengthwise. Seed, core and thinly slice red pepper and set aside. Coarsely grate carrots and set aside.
Chop green onions, basil and mint and set aside.
Whisk oil, lime zest, lime juice, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, salt and paper.
Add mangoes, red pepper, carrots, green onion, mint, basil and mixed greens. Toss to coat
Serve with sprinkled peanuts
Serve and enjoy!

Alas, since winter IS coming, you should get your flu shot! It’s flu shot season!

- Jennie

Comments 84 Comments
Categories Recipes, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Author Jennie

Honey poppy seed dressing

18 Nov

Today was incredibly unfortunate – it was the final day of my first medical elective. After spending three months in and out of the operating room and 5 am wake ups, it was a pleasure working 8am-5pm these past few weeks. Having time to go to the dentist was even exciting! (Hell, it’s always exciting since I get a prize every time I go – that’s right, I still go to my kiddie dentist. Got a problem? I get balloons and silly bands!) I learned a great skill without the stress of exams or late hours … medical school heaven. Since I had some free time, I often gave more thought to what I was eating. Eventually, I became bored with some of my routine meals.

Sometimes when I’m in the mood for a light salad I cringe at the thought of another balsamic dressing. While it is nice to have a go to dressing when you’re in a rush, I do enjoy variety. Enter Honey Poppy Seed Vinagrette – so good it deserves capital letters. I was in the mood for something fresh tasting and made the perfect dressing.

I LOVE lemons and honey – If I was Oprah, I would give out millions of lemons and crates of honey.While I use both those ingredients in my balmsamic dressing, they tend to get overpowered by the vinegar. This recipe is incredibly easy to make for yourself as a quick lunch or side salad or when entertaining guests. Just throw together a nice light lettuce and some colorful vegetables and this salad will be a hit.

Adapted from Rose Reisman, Light Cooking

Ingredients:

Makes 1/3 cup

2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
3/4 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:

In a small bowl or jar, add all ingredients and mix well until well combined.
Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy this light and fresh dressing! See you sunday!

-Jennie

Comments 152 Comments
Categories Recipes, Side Dish
Author Jennie

Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries

8 Nov

I am a big fan of spicy food – no matter what type of food I eat (Thai, Indian etc), I like it hot. You may even find me with a mini bottle of Franks Red Hot in my purse in case of emergencies. I know not everyone enjoys mouth-on-fire intensity that I love to experience, but it’s nice to have a hint of heat in food. Enter chipotle sweet potato fries. Sweet potato’s have a nice warm sweet taste that pairs well with some added spice that isn’t overpowering.

Ah…Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce. Seeing as I’m not a wordsmith, I can barely describe how incredible the smokey heat these peppers and sauce pack. It is just filled with flavor that you can use in tons of recipes. (ex: chipotle mayo, chipotle grilled chicken, quesadillas etc). You can find these gems in the grocery store in the “mexican” section – next to the Old el Paso taco kits (how gourmet).

The recipe is fairly easy and doesn’t take long to prepare. The result is a tasty addition to any meal or enjoyed on its own.

PS- These are baked and not fried…!!

Yah, I eat mayo with my fries…it’s something new I’m trying on. I like how it fits.

Chipotle Sweet Potatoe Fries – serves 2

Ingredients:

1 Large sweet potato
1 tbsp of oil +1/2 tsp for brushing on baking sheet
1 Tsp of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (just the sauce)
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon chile powder
Dash of cinammon
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush it with olive oil
Peel potato and cut into good size pieces (how accurate)
Mix together adobe sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, oil, cinammon and salt
Mix potato with seasonings
Place on oiled baking sheet and ensure that potato pieces are not touching each other.
Bake for 10-14 minutes until they begin to turn a golden brown. Flip each piece over and continue baking for another 10 minutes. (if the sheet is no longer oiled try brushing some oil under the fries as you flip)
Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt, dip in mayo (hehe) and enjoy!

See you Thursday!!

-Jennie