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Sweet Red Chili Glazed Chicken with Salad

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Summer days can be hot, and there is honestly no desire in this house to cook a big meal. Instead we love real simple meals. Like grilling up some meat and having a nice flavourful salad with it.

This meal was inspired by expiring sweet red chili sauce in our fridge (ha ha!) and the fact we love grilled corn and asparagus. The Cilantro dressing is the perfect dressing for this meal and one I could literally drink up or put on everything. I will make it again and again.

This meal may seem labour intensive but it’s really not. First thing get your lettuce cleaned and corn/asparagus ready for the grill and BBQ them. Grill chicken next. While it’s cooling a bit get your dressing ready. Finally finish off the chicken and assemble. The first time I made this dish I admittedly kept two of the chicken thighs out of the glaze as I thought the kids would like it. Boy was I wrong. They devoured all the glazed chicken and LOVED it!

Sweet-Chili-Chicken-v2

Here’s how we did it.

 

Beef & Mushroom Spring Rolls

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One of my favourite things to eat (of many) is well spring rolls. The kids and I enjoy making the fresh salad type rolls but my secret love is for fried spring rolls. Sometimes I visit a local Vietnamese restaurant during lunch and pick up an order of spring rolls all to myself. And eat them in the truck lol. It’s that mom time alone where I don’t have to share with anyone. Even in the truck. I’ll take it.

I’ve made them before, but it’s been awhile. My son has recently started liking them as much as I do, so when we order Vietnamese food we end up fighting over the spring rolls. Note above alone time.

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With a blend and extend challenge upon us thanks to Mushrooms Canada, I’ve been trying to think outside of the box to create a blended appetizer. Spring Rolls came to mind and the flavourings I use in the Thai Salad with Jalapeno & Mint I make. I took inspiration from this recipe and went for it. My son loved them so much he must have eaten four within minutes.

Beef, Mushrooms & Veggies ready for rolling
Beef, Mushrooms & Veggies ready for rolling

Made from ground beef and minced mushrooms, plus a few veggies for good measure, these spring rolls contain minced mushrooms and ground beef. This is how you add another serving of vegetables to the plate.

Here’s the method.

Mushroom-Beef-rolling
2 tablespoons of filling on the wrapper

 

Mushroom-Beef-blend
Little envelope ready for some egg wash

 

 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

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With so many variations of Spinach Artichoke Dip out there, how do you find just one to love?!

This recipe was inspired by Liz of OMA’s Gourmet Garlic. We started bantering back and forth on this thing called twitter, maybe you’ve heard of it, and I learned she sells garlic grown in her garden in Aldersyde, Alberta.

Growing garlic runs in the family Liz explains, her dad received some garlic from a Russian friend in the mid ’80’s and grew it for years in his backyard garden. Her mom carried on with the growing of the garlic after her father passed away. In 2003 Liz received some garlic from her mom and decided to plant some of the cloves in her own garden. They started to sprout and 9 cloves produced 9 bulbs of garlic. This is where Liz’s story begins.

 

OMA's Gourmet Garlic
OMA’s Gourmet Garlic

 

Garlic is planted in the Spring over 6-8 weeks as this offers the best harvest, Liz says. The garlic cures for four – six weeks before selling the fresh begins in October and November.

Today this naturally grown garlic is sold to several local Chefs, restaurants and stores in fresh or dehydrated forms. And if she’s not busy enough tending her garden and weeds, Liz writes a column affectionately called the ‘Tales of the Stinking Rose, in the Wild Rose Country’ in ‘The Garlic News’, a quarterly Canadian publication.

I recently met Liz for the first time when I picked up some garlic granules and dehydrated garlic. She had me taste just 1 or 2 itty bitty specks of the granules before I left. That’s all you need Liz said and by golly she was right. I was my own sweet stinking rose for the rest of the day from those two little itty bittys samples.

OMA’s Gourmet Garlic is available fresh and dehydrated (powder, granules or spice mill grade). You can find her on Facebook: OMA’s Gourmet Garlic.

I used a light sprinkling of the garlic granules in this Spinach Artichoke Dip. This is a small recipes and serves two nicely. Or one who doesn’t want to share.

 

 

Grilled Garlic Chicken

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Since about mid January we’ve had mild weather here in Calgary. It’s very unusual for this time of the year as we typically have tons of snow on the ground. I kid you not. In my world we would have 2-3 months of cold winter and snow with the rest of the year sunny and green.

With warm weather comes serious spring fever. Last weekend we did yard work and cleaned up the yard in preparation for planting and Spring. My rhubarb is popping up and I’m ready to start seeding the lawn and eager to start planting. The kids have already advised they will each be having their own pepper and tomatoe(s) plants again this year. Sun and warmth feels so good. With this warmer weather we find we want to grill all the time. Fish and soy sauce are always on hand here and since we are die hard grillers (we will grill in any weather unless it hits -20), it’s not the first time we fired up the BBQ this year. We served up this chicken with our Green Rice.

I prep the food, my husband tends the grill. We make a good team. The longer this chicken can marinate, the more flavour you get.

The flavours in this chicken shine when allowed to marinate up to four hours or overnight. If you do not have the time, give the chicken at least 30 minutes to get cozy with the marinade.

 

Grilled Garlic Chicken
Grilled Garlic Chicken

Butternut Squash Soup with Tamarind

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It was clean out my pantry day and I have had a butternut squash rolling around on the floor for about 2 months. My mom used to roast butternut squash and serve it simple with shaved parmesan, salt & cracked pepper. Oh and a maybe just a lil butter drizzle on top.

While roasting this bad boy, I started sorting through two shelves of canned items. Way at the back of one shelf I found a jar of Tamarind Chutney. I love tamarind and practically inhale it whenever we go for Indian food. Only thing is this jar had well expired. You know what, this did not deter me. I opened the jar and sampled. About three tablespoons of samples later I decided it was safe to eat. And a little spicy however on the taste buds.

To make this soup is easy. Rough chop your onion, carrots and garlic as it’s all going to get pureed anyways. Toss them in with some olive oil and cook until just lightly softened. You could add chopped uncooked squash in with the onions and carrots if you don’t feel like roasting your squash first. The roasting however did impart a great flavour.

Important to note while the tamarind chutney is spicy, well when you eat it right out of the jar, it is not overpowering in the soup but yet adds a subtle hint of heat and incredible depth of flavour. We have a 16 yr old German Student living with us right now who does not like spicy food. She gave me two thumbs up on and loved the soup indicating it was not very spicy at all. We added in some more tamarind chutney right into our soup bowls. Seriously could inhale that stuff and it’s my new favourite condiment. Watch for it in everything (ha ha just kidding).

A simple soup for busy nights or cold days.

How often do you clean out your pantry?

 

 

BBQ Shrimp from the Creole Cajun Chef

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I’ve been following the Creole Cajun Chef Tommy for quite some time on social media. His photos and recipes caught my eye immediately and kept it intrigued. My husband and I went to New Orleans for our honeymoon pre Katrina and had the time of our life. New Orleans and the people will always hold a soft spot in our hearts. The food, well, it speaks for itself.

I’m sure you can’t hear me drooling while I write this post. I love shrimp. I was raised near the coast of Northern British Columbia (NBC) and we regularly went crabbing off the docks near Prince Rupert and enjoyed many a freshly caught prawns, meal. Head on, tails on, All in.

I was very honoured when Chef Tommy agreed to do a Guest Post on my blog. I love how easy his recipe for BBQ shrimp is, yet sounds like it packs an incredible amount of flavour! Pleased to welcome, Chef Tommy!

Tommy Centola, the Creole Cajun Chef, is a New Orleans native who has been cooking since he was eight. Having learned the basics from his mentor, his mom, Tommy is a self taught chef, cooking New Orleans multicultural cuisine. He has worked in numerous restaurants, developing dishes and menus with his unique vision. His Crabcake recipe has been featured in the Thomas Kinkade cookbook and Louisiana Cookin’ magazine. His cookbook, You Can’t Keep New Orleans Out Of The Cook, has been enshrined in the Culinary Hall of Fame. With over 300 recipes, Tommy’s blog, www.creolecajunchef.com, is continually growing with two new recipes added each week. He and his wife Peggy currently live in Searcy, Arkansas. He works for Sysco foods, helping his customers have successful businesses.

From Tommy: This is one of my wife’s favorite dishes. Every time we come back from New Orleans, we always have three pounds of large heads-on shrimp to cook for dinner the night we get home. BBQ Shrimp is not shrimp that are cooked on a pit and covered with sauce. They are cooked in a highly seasoned, not spicy, combination of olive oil and butter. Make sure you have plenty of French bread to dip into the sauce. You can use headless shrimp, but you will not get the flavors that are released from the head.

 

Honey Ginger Chicken

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Chicken recipes are always enjoyed in our house. The kids loved this honey ginger chicken I made the other night, enhanced with garlic, oyster sauce and fish sauce. A sweet and savory combination that required no marinating. Brushing the sauce on during cooking did the trick. And since we busy parents don’t always have time to marinate meat before we cook it, it’s the perfect quick meal to make after a busy day.

 

 

 

Roasted Garlic & Sausage Casserole

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This year I was asked to be part of The Great Cream Challenge 2014. This cross Canada recipe challenge pairs 3 Canadian Food Bloggers against each other in a special monthly cooking challenge. At the beginning of the year you pick three challenges (one per month) to participate in using real cream, and then let the recipe testing madness begin.

My first challenge was in January and called The Slow Cooker Challenge. I made a Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding and came in 2nd out of 3 bloggers. It was a ton of fun.

My second challenge quickly followed and this Roasted Garlic & Sausage Casserole, was my recipe submission for April’s The Family Brunch Challenge. A little more labour intensive with a few extra steps, but it is well worth it and perfect for a special Mother’s Day or Father’s Day Brunch at home. This time I placed…..2nd out of 3 bloggers! Foiled again ha ha but at least I lost to another Alberta Food Blogger. My 3rd and final challenge is coming up in June, so who knows, maybe third times a charm? I’ve had a great time either way and loved the friendly competition with my fellow food bloggers.

To save time you can cook up your sausage, potatoes, roast your garlic, and toast your bread cubes the night before. Assemble all the next morning and Bob’s Your Uncle. Or Fred.

Either way family breakfast casseroles started with my mom and this family breakfast casserole is a fun tradition I have continued with my own children. This version has some roasted garlic, fresh tomatillos, and is topped it with cooked bacon and fresh eggs.

It’s definitely luxurious, but then everything in moderation, right?

 

Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Stew

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One thing we love to do as a family is fondue. Husband used to fondue as a kid, I was introduced to fondue in the 90’s, and currently own at least 4 or 5 fondue pots. A fondue variety is so much fun, especially when it includes broth, cheese and chocolate all in one night. When we beef broth fondue we add flavour enhancers like ginger and garlic to the broth plus we’ve usually marinated the beef and add those marinating juices as well. As the broth cooks down it intensifies the flavour.

Beef Stew is a comfort food we can’t get enough of. If you do not have leftover fondue broth, beef broth is just as delicious, and you can easily toss some additional garlic, and ginger into the pot as it cooks away.

 

Slow Cooker Beef Chili

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I make a couple different versions of chili. When I was single my favourites were Veggie Chili, and a Four Bean Chili. Enter the meat eater I married, and this is now one of our family favourites since it is slow cooked all day in the crockpot allowing the flavours to marry creating the most delicious tasting beef chili. We also make a mean chicken chili.

In this recipe I only add 2 tbsp of chili powder..any more makes it quite spicy, and I want the kids to eat it! Hubs likes to add more chili powder to his bowl after the fact to give it more heat. While I don’t quite understand this method since the spice would be a little raw for my liking, I don’t question bizarre behavior ha ha!

There are many ways we like to enjoy eating our chili keeping it fun for the kids: in a bread bowl, on nachos with melted cheese, in scoops (taco chips), chili dogs, chili on mac & cheese, chili on a pizza (yes it’s good), chili fries, like a sloppy joe on a bun, with corn muffins or better yet Chili Cheese Corn Muffins, in lasagna, and even on perogies. Don’t be afraid to experiment since a little chili goes a long way!

 

Hoisin Ginger Pork Tenderloin

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Pork Tenderloin is a delicious & lean cut of meat you can cook and prepare several ways. Try grilling it with this sticky honey hoisin sauce and end up with a moist, flavourful dinner. We double the recipe making extra for leftovers the next day. Use it in a Vietnamese style sub adding in fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, cucumber, carrots and the leftover sauce, slice it thin and add it last minute to hot broth, or warm it in some leftover BBQ sauce.

Serve with a simple salad, roasted potatoes or fresh veggies.

hoisin-ginger-pork-v3

 

Simple Chicken Fajitas

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Mexican style food is something our family adores. I’ve tried many different versions of chicken fajita’s and always found the flavours are rather bland. So after playing with some spices most of us would have in our pantry, I was able to get the flavour I was hoping for. Plus the family enjoyed the meal so much my daughter asked for it for lunch the next day at school (now that is unusual).

Fajita’s for our family are a quick & easy supper on an activity night. These are truly yummy.

If you are making these for the Wild Rose D-Tox you will have to eat them without the tortillas, sour cream, cheese and any pickled peppers.

Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

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There’s nothing more annoying and satisfying at the same time as walking outside of your house and immediately being hit with the aroma of a neighbour’s BBQ grilling up something fabulous. Makes you want to run back in, find some meat and slap it on the BBQ. These marinated grilled pork chops with pineapple salsa are quick, easy, and pair deliciously with a fresh, tasty salsa.

Salsa come in all flavours, shapes and variations. We tend to eat more fresh salsas over the summer months with the endless bounty of fresh fruit available. My kids adore this pineapple salsa made with fresh pineapple so much so they ask me to send it with them to school for lunch.

I like to make extra pork chops so I have leftovers the next day. And a delicious way to use them up is to cut leftover pork chops into thin slices and put them into a wrap. You could add a little BBQ sauce, and some leftover pineapple salsa for a delicious lunch.

Serve this dish over rice, steamed chinese noodles or even cooked, seasoned barley/lentils.

 

 

Oven-Roasted Vegetables

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It seems like I make a variation of these oven roasted vegetables every Thanksgiving, Easter or Christmas. It’s easy and delicious. We like our vegetables to have a little bite to them, and you can add or remove any you want in this dish.

I also add brussels sprouts to the mix (cut in half), but since they tend to cook faster, I add them for the last 30 minutes of cooking to ensure they are not overcooked.

Stir occasionally as the veggies roast and if you need to add a little more olive oil or salt do so. Season as you go! I sprinkled the vegetables with fresh chopped parsley before serving.