| Bakersbeans (Wanda Baker) logo

canadian food blogger

Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad

· Leave a Comment

Using up leftover rotisserie chicken just got easier with this Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad.

 

There’s something to be said about roasting more than one chicken at a time or in our case buying two rotisserie chickens from the store when time is not on our side.

While the chicken’s are sometimes smaller, it is also cheaper for us to buy them pre-cooked.

One of my favourite things to do is cook once and eat twice using leftovers. Lots of great food can be made using leftover chicken like casseroles, soups, salads, quesadillas, tacos, taquitos, nachos, pot pies, pasta dishes, sandwiches, wraps and more. It’s a winning situation as long as you are prepared for meal 2 or 3.

 

Crunch Asian Chicken Salad
Crunch Asian Chicken Salad

 

This Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad is a family pleasing quick dinner that can be ready in under 30 minutes or less if you cook your chicken the night before. Or buy it like we often do.

Toss together all ingredients, add dressing and top the salad with crunchy itchiban noodles and toasted cashews just before serving.

What do you love making with leftover chicken or turkey (which can be subbed in for any dish that calls for chicken).

 

 

Classic Bits and Bites

· 6 Comments

Bits and Bites are one of those classic and tasty snacks many of us remember munching on as kids. My family did not make them when we were littles, however I do recall grabbing handfuls while visiting with friends all throughout my youth and thinking they were the best snacks ever!

In my twenties I bought the boxed bits and bites as I’ve never been much of a cereal eater and didn’t want boxes of extra cereal hanging around only to go stale. As a single twenty something things can go stale quite quickly I learned. The hard way.

Fast forward to adulting and kids, I started making my own bits and bites to cut back on the salt. And list of other ingredients I couldn’t pronounce. This classic bits and bites recipe is fairly simple however we have added fennel seeds into the mix as we love the taste of fennel seed and thought it would be a nice touch. Additionally there are no nuts in this recipe. Having nut free snacks allows us to send them in school lunches without worrying about kids who have nut allergies.

Our family likes bugles so I tossed some of those in and went with loopy pretzels vs straight ones. Seriously almost anything goes when you make bits and bites!

What’s your favourite piece to munch on in bits and bites?!

Classic Bits and Bites
Classic Bits and Bites

 

 

Classic Bits and Bites
Classic Bits and Bites

Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip

· Leave a Comment

An upgrade on a classic, this Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip is full of flavour and sure to please at your next potluck, event or even on Game Day.

Found in many homes during gatherings and events back in the day, the 7 Layer Dip is really a North Americanized version of Mexican food, a mash up of Tex Mex cuisine if you will. This dish became so popular when we were kids, you would find it at every gathering you attended whether it was a potluck, shower, office luncheon or holiday gathering. Then it seemed to disappear for awhile only popping up on a rare occasion. Since it was one of my favourite things to eat, I snagged the recipe from a friend and I typed it out. Oh yes I did. Typed it out and taped it to a recipe card. Because that was what you did back in the day before the Internet.

Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip
Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip

Recently we visited with family and enjoyed a table full of potluck items, goodies and a similar variation of the 7 layer dip. Only with 2 layers. Got me thinking about the 7 layer dip and that it was time to find this recipe I had typed out so many years ago and make it again. Only with a twist.

Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip
Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip

I’m not a fan of canned black olives so we always use sliced Kalamatas which my girl loves. Jalapenos can be fresh or pickled and if you do not like them, keep them off and replace with chopped up bell peppers instead.

We’ve upgraded the classic 7 Layer Dip with this simple Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip featuring Greek yogurt, to make us feel better about eating it.

Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip
Jalapeno Tex Mex Dip

 

White Chocolate Lavender Brownies

· 6 Comments

Every summer we visit Kelowna and the Okanagan Lavender & Herb Farm. We love to wander the gardens and stop in the cafe to enjoy a lavender infused treat before we leave. We also drop into the little store they have and I always pick up some cooking lavender (or food grade culinary lavender) to play with at home. This is how this recipe came to be. Rummaging through my baking box in the pantry for white chocolate, I discovered the lavender. Having never heard of lavender brownies before I thought dang this could be good. The flavour is very subtle, but 3 out of 4 of us can detect the lavender in the brownies however next time I might try adding a little more. If you can’t get your hands on lavender, just leave it out.

White Chocolate Lavender Brownies
White Chocolate Lavender Brownies

These brownies are simple to make and easy to eat.

 

White Chocolate Lavender Brownies
White Chocolate Lavender Brownies

Lentil, Cabbage & Sausage Soup

· 2 Comments

We recently had a couple of rainy, wet and grumpy kind of days in Calgary which is a good reason to have soup. More specifically Lentil & Sausage Soup. We don’t get these days very often in the Spring (seems more wind and hail the past couple of years) but when we do I’m mentally taken back to my Vancouver days where rainy, wet and grumpy days are the norm. When I lived in Vancouver I learned to live with the rain and secretly enjoy those days once in awhile. In fact Blue Rodeo’s “After The Rain’ was on my favourites play list for many years. Back in those Vancouver days.

With the cooler, damp weather comes the desire for warm comforting foods. Like soup. The typical rummaging through the refrigerator begins the search for soup ingredients. I knew I wanted either lentils or barley in the soup. So I found some green lentils and cooked the lentils in advance. I found some smoked sausage dying a slow death, so it to was in. And I always seem to have your basic vegetables on hand. I went on to pull out some cabbage for good measure. My soup was about to become a reality. My mom used to make a cabbage soup, the variations are endless.

Soup du Jour is this tasty Lentil & Sausage Soup with Cabbage. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

 

 

Avocado Green Smoothie

· Leave a Comment

Some days we sleep in or at times oversleep ending up frazzled and rushed to get out the door. Can anyone relate? But having a time-crunched morning doesn’t mean you should skimp out on breakfast. Breakfast fuels our body and that’s where creating a quick, simple avocado green smoothie can help you start your day with energy.

Several years ago I tried out the Body For Life fitness program. Breakfasts were easy and consisted of smoothies or shakes with the addition of protein. Throughout the years smoothies have stayed with me as a quick alternative to breakfast, lunch or even a snack. And when I am in workout mode, I am always adding protein powder to my smoothies when I can find one I like.

When I had my babies, smoothies were part of the rotation and they quickly got addicted to them. I would add a little water, fruit juice or coconut milk. I always use any kind of frozen fruit—whether it be berries, mangoes, or pineapples, add cinnamon, spinach and whatever else I could find like a fresh banana. As they have gotten older I do not use fruit juice any more but rather cold green tea, water or coconut milk to decrease any added sugars. Always using frozen fruit ensures a thick smoothie.

This smoothie was a combination of all things green I could find in my fridge or counter top. And since I had an abundance of lemons and limes to use, I added some lime juice to finish it off. If you ever find your smoothies to thick add in a little water to thin it out.

When we make smoothies we use either our blender or immersion blender. If you wanted to make this one for the kids, you might want to add in a little maple syrup for sweetness but its not necessary. Mine have never had added sweeteners so they do not miss it. If you really love green smoothies, check out our Mango Ginger Smoothie, a delicious bright drink with a ginger kick!

What’s your favourite smoothie combination?! Please tell us in the comments below!

 

Raspberry Creme Brulee

· 10 Comments

Raspberry Creme Brulee is a rich and creamy, easy to make anytime treat. While it may sound like a fancy dessert you only have when you eat out, we are here to show you this dessert can be made at home without too much fuss to the delight of your friends and family.

Raspberry Creme Brulee
Raspberry Creme Brulee

A creme brulee is a combination of whipping cream and egg yolks. It’s a versatile dessert in that you can change it up to suit the seasons, a special holiday or even a celebration. Chocolate can be added, liqueur, even fresh fruit.

Raspberry Creme Brulee before bruleeing
Raspberry Creme Brulee before bruleeing

We’ve added fresh raspberries to our velvety, rich custard infusing it with fresh picked raspberries for a light and delicious Spring or Summer dessert. Make the custard the day before you plan to serve it and store keep it in the fridge until ready to brulee and serve.

Raspberry Creme Brulee
Raspberry Creme Brulee

There are two ways to brulee the top. Invest in a creme brulee torch or bake in the oven as per instructions. We’ve found the torch the better option of the two giving the top the crunchy, delicious topping everyone associates with creme brulee.

Pro Tips:

  • Whipping cream can boil over so watch it carefully
  • Strain your custard before pouring into your ramekins
  • Once in ramekins remove the bubbles from the surface otherwise your sugar will not brulee properly
  • Use paper towel to remove bubbles on custard
  • You can make and chill the custard in the ramekins a day ahead

If you are looking to try some different creme brulee recipes, check these out:

  1. Blueberry Lavender Creme Brulee
  2. Pumpkin Creme Brulee
  3. Chocolate Rum Creme Brulee

Irish Soda Bread

· Leave a Comment

Irish Soda Bread is a delicious bread made with baking soda instead of traditional yeast and is the perfect accompaniment to a hearty stew.

Irish Soda Bread
Irish Soda Bread

This Irish Soda Bread has become a tradition in our family for St. Patrick’s Day regardless of what we are eating that day! We’ve added cranberries for a different spin and they add an extra hint of tart and sweet to an already tasty bread.

Irish Soda Bread
Irish Soda Bread

We try to have some form of Irish food on St. Patrick’s Day, to teach the kids about different cultures and cuisines. It doesn’t always work and may sometimes end up with oreos dipped in green chocolate or green beer, but we try nonetheless!

This bread is delicious paired with our Dublin Coddle, an Irish Stew from Dublin typically made using pork. Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?!