Beef Barley Soup

This is a quick and easy barley soup when you don’t happen to have a beef shank in your fridge or freezer.( who does??)

So creamy, luscious and satisfying. Vegan option is to replace the beef broth with vegetable or mushroom broth.

You will need:

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained

Half a medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

1 medium potato, cubed

1 box, 900 ml, of Campbell’s Beef Broth (reduced salt) + 2 extra cups of added water or broth.

Salt, pepper to taste

Optional: a handful of sliced or chopped mushrooms, 1 medium, chopped tomato

In a large pot, add 3 tbsps olive oil and fry your onions and garlic until translucent, a couple of minutes.

Add your carrots, celery, potatoes, and the rest of your optional items and stir until everything is warmed, a couple of minutes.

Add your beef broth plus one of the extra cups of broth. ( The saved cup of broth is for the end where you may or may not have to add extra liquid depending on how thick you like the soup.)

Bring all to a boil and lower heat to simmer.  Cover partially with a lid.

Simmer for around 40 to 45 minutes until barley and vegetables are cooked. Add your extra liquid if desired and check for salt.

Drizzle with good olive oil and enjoy!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

 

                                     

Carbonara…….so creamy, so yummy. This was definitely my go to dinner while in Italy! 

(This recipe definitely contains egg and Parmesan cheese which are the two main ingredients )

And really so simple to make. The only thing you need to worry about is curdling your eggs. But if you follow these procedures it will definitely be a success.

This recipe is for two people. 

I used spaghettini but you can certainly use spaghetti.

You will need:

Pot of boiling water- get it started early as this recipe is quick!

3 tbsps olive oil 

1 clove garlic, whole and smashed

120 - 140 grams cubed pancetta 

2 whole eggs

2 handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese

Spaghettini for 3. About a handful.

A cup full of pasta water. You probably won’t need it all but I’d rather have more than not enough.

Boil your water in a large pot. Lightly salt water.

In a small dish or bowl, mix the 2 eggs with Parmesan cheese. Stir together and set aside.

No salt needed! The Parmesan cheese and pancetta are salty enough.

Over medium heat, drizzle the olive oil into frying pan . Add your whole and smashed garlic clove and pancetta. Fry for about five minutes. The fat will begin to render and the garlic will begin to infuse its flavour into the fat. Do not overcook the pancetta. You still want it to be tender and not little dried up crunchy cubes. It’s ready when the fat has rendered but pancetta still chewy. At this point you can remove the garlic clove and discard ( or eat it!)

While the pancetta is cooking, add the pasta to the lightly salted water and cook until al dente. The spaghettini will continue to cook when you add the pasta water and egg/ cheese mixture.

If your pasta is not ready to add to your pancetta at this point, turn off heat and set aside. You will turn it back on once your pasta is cooked. I actually cook my pancetta ahead of time and set aside. It just makes things a little easier.

Once pasta is al dente, scoop out a cup of pasta pasta and set aside. Remove your spaghettini from pot with tongs (some pasta water will naturally go into…that’s good) and add to your pancetta, which is sitting on medium heat stove burner.

As you add your spaghettini with tongs to pancetta, some pasta water is also going in. Stir the pasta along with pancetta fat and pasta water.  The pasta water will thicken as it cooks on stovetop. This will only take a short time, less than a minute. If you need more pasta water, you can add it. If you feel you added too much water, it will evaporate while cooking longer.

Remove the frying pan from heat. This is the part where you need to be careful to not curdle your eggs!

Let pancetta pan sit off the burner for half a minute so it’s not still boiling when you add your eggs.

Gradually stir in your egg \ cheese mixture. Drizzle it in while continually stirring. Stir until you’ve mixed it well and the pasta is glossy.

Serve immediately as it dries up if it sits too long.

Easy, quick and delicious!!

Italian Lentil Soup

 Easy Italian Lentil Soup

Italian Lentil Soup, Vegan https://youtu.be/T7W-Udt4xCc

While thinking about planting my garden this spring, I thought I would empty out my freezer of some frozen garden vegetables that I still had in there. What better way to continue to eat your homegrown organic vegetables than to freeze them so you can use them all winter long.

In this case, I thought I would make a lentil soup which is so much like a minestrone. To my pot, I add whatever vegetables I have in my fridge and in this case, the freezer.

I pulled out my frozen garden celery, parsley, cicoria, cherry tomatoes and to it added potatoes, carrots and lentils. This is a one pot, very healthy and hearty soup! 

You don’t need a vegetable garden to make this soup. Use whatever you have in your fridge.

You will need:

Half a medium onion, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes - chopped (you can also use half a cup of canned tomatoes (diced or whole, or Passata)

3 tbsps of olive oil to fry onion and tomatoes - more to drizzle on top

A handful of chopped parsley

One large carrot - chopped or sliced to bite size pieces

One large celery - cubed

One large potato - cubed

A handful of pre-cooked cicoria, spinach, Swiss chard - any green you like

1 bay leaf

1 vegetable bouillon (you can use chicken if you like- you can also use store bought or homemade broth)

1 can lentils - 19 oz. drained (You can also cook your own lentils from dried, if you like)

1.5 litres of water or 6 cups - (or more).You can make this pot of soup as large as you like. You will need to adjust the salt and bouillon content

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In a large pot, begin by frying the onion in the 3 tbsps of olive oil and add the fresh tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes have broken down. You can also use half a cup of canned tomatoes or Passata.

To it add your carrots, celery, parsley and let fry a few minutes.

Add your water, potatoes,  cooked cicoria and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and add bouillon cube.

Drizzle top with about 1 -2 tbsps of olive oil

Let simmer until the carrots and potatoes are cooked (20 minutes)

Add your can of cooked lentils and stir.

You can serve as is or top Parmesan cheese or vegan Romano cheese!

Calamari - Dairy And Egg Free

The secret to cooking calamari so that it’s not chewy is to cook it fast and in hot oil! 

I bought a medium sized, cleaned squid tube with tentacles. This is enough for an appetizer for two people.

-1 cleaned squid tube with tentacles, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

-3/4 cup unflavoured almond milk with 3/4 tsp white vinegar - this makes a buttermilk type of mixture to marinate in

1/2 cup of flour

2 tsps cornstarch

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 tsp paprika

Frying oil 

Soak your sliced calamari in the almond milk mixture one hour before frying. Keep refrigerated until ready to fry.

Mix your dry ingredients together and dredge your calamari in it.

Heat your oil. Test it prior to putting your calamari into it. 

Needs to sizzle!! Calamari needs to cook in very hot oil.

Fry a few at a time to prevent the oil temperature from cooling down.

Fry for less than a minute. You’ll know they’re cooked when they change colour from a bluish hue to an opaque white hue.

Experiment by frying one to test the oil temperature and how long it takes to turn opaque. It goes very fast!!

The dipping sauce I use is very simple. I mix seafood sauce with eggless mayonnaise.

Crunchy and delicious!

Chocolate Biscotti with Orange Liqueur

Chocolate Biscotti with Orange Liqueur -( Dairy Free, Egg Free, liqueur free options)

Chocolate Biscotti with Orange Liqueur
https://youtu.be/iexJ2yHeCGI

Sometimes we bake for the grownups and when chocolate comes together with orange……it’s a wonderful thing!

Indulge in these chocolate biscotti loaded with almonds and flavoured with orange liqueur.

Learn how to make your own biscotti where people will think you bought them from a bakery shop. Dairy free, egg free and liqueur free options are available.

Makes 12 to 15 Biscotti

Preheat oven to 350 F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

You will need:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup cold butter cut into cubes (or a quarter cup vegan butter)

1 large egg (or two tablespoons of vegan liquid egg)

2 tbsps of orange liqueur (ie: Grand Marnier or Triple Sec) 

(For liqueur free, replace liqueur with same amount of milk or water

1 tbsp milk or milk alternative or water

1 tsp almond extract

Zest of one orange

1/4 cup slivered or chopped roasted almonds

In a food processor, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the cold butter and pulse until you get a coarse mixture. If you don’t have a food processor, use a pastry cutter/blender to cut the butter into the flour.

Add the egg, orange liqueur, milk and almond extract. Pulse until combined.

Put dough into a bowl and mix in the almonds and orange zest. Best here if you use your hands.

Place your dough onto line tray and shape into a rectangle- approximately 12 X 4 inches.

Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to cool a little. 

Using a serrated knife, cut diagonally into half inch slices. 

Place flat side down onto baking tray and bake again for 25 minutes. Flip biscotti over half way through the baking.

Cool on rack.

Optional: chocolate drizzle or dip!

2 cups of melting chocolate chips (white or dark) or 10 pieces of Baker’s Dark Chocolate

The darker the chocolate - usually 70% or higher - is usually dairy free

Over a double boiler, melt your chocolate. Using a fork, dip it into the melted chocolate and drizzle over completely cooled biscotti.

You can also dip the ends of the biscotti to completely coat the ends.

It’s all good!!

Pumpkin Spiced Loaf - Vegan

 Pumpkin Spiced Loaf - with dates. Vegan

This definitely is a family favourite! I added half a cup of chopped dates to this, but you can leave it out, if you like.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups of unbleached flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 a cup of chopped dates (You can use raisins or any other dried fruit- or leave it out altogether.

(Place the above ingredients in a large bowl.)

In another bowl - add the following ingredient:

1 cup canned pumpkin purée 

1/2 cup vegetable oil ( I used a canola/olive oil blend)

1 cup brown sugar - gently packed

4 tbsps liquid vegan egg  (or two tsps of powder egg replacer plus 4 tbsps of water. If you don’t have egg allergies, you can use two large eggs. You can also use apple sauce…about 4 tbsps.

In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together until well blended.

In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, vegan egg and vegetable oil.

Add the liquid to the dry and mix well.

Pour into a loaf pan ( mine is 8 x 4 and 3 inches deep) that has been lined with parchment paper and is draped over the long sides. Oil the short sides.

Bake in a 350 F oven for an hour. Insert a wooden skewer to see that it comes out clean.

Let cool in pan on a cooling rack.

You can garnish the top of the loaf with toasted and salted pumpkin seeds if you like.

Osso Buco - Dairy and Egg Free

 Osso Buco - Dairy and Egg Free

Osso Buco translates to “bone with a hole” and let me tell you that the marrow that you find in the hole is absolutely delicious not to mention the “fall off the bone”meat that surrounds it. This meal is not complicated to make and will take a couple of hours of simmering on your stove or in your oven. I make it on my stovetop and pair it with creamy, dairy free, polenta. Check out the link for polenta recipe. (You can skip the tomato sauce because this Osso Buco recipe makes its own delicious sauce).

Quick Polenta with Tomato Sauce
https://youtu.be/o9Ph6rzgpBw

For the Osso Buco you will need:

- 4 veal shanks - you can ask your butcher to cut them or you can find them already cut and packaged in your grocery store. The packaged ones are usually 1 to 2 inches thick. I used 4 packaged ones from my grocery store.

- Half a cup of flour for dredging the veal shanks ( salt and pepper to taste)

- 4 tbsps of vegetable oil to sear the meat in

- 1 large carrot - diced

- 1 large celery stick- diced

- 1 small onion - diced

- 2 garlic cloves - minced

- 2 dried bay leaves - whole

- 3 tbsps of fresh chopped parsley ( and extra parsley for the garnish)

- 1 cup of dry wine - any colour - I used Rose

- Half a cup of Passata (crushed tomatoes in a jar)

- 2 cups of chicken stock (You can make your own if you like - check out my link - or you can use canned or 1 bouillon cube for two cups of water

- salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Chicken Bone Broth - Brodo Di Nonna

https://youtu.be/agH3VD-XLQI

Begin by dredging your veal shanks in flour seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large frying pan drizzled with vegetable oil,  on high heat, sear the veal shanks. Once browned on both sides remove them from pan and set aside.

Using the same frying pan, lower the heat to medium and add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often until everything begins to soften. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the excess flour into the pan and stir.

Add the cup of wine and stir. Then add the broth and Passata and stir everything until combined.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Be careful with the salt as store bought broth and bouillon is already salted.

Put a lid on the pan and let simmer on low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours. Cooking time will depend upon the thickness of the meat. 

The liquid will be begin to evaporate and the sauce will thicken when its done. After cooking for 1.5 hours check the meat. It will fall off the bone when done. Continue cooking until meat is tender.

The best part of Osso Buco is the bone marrow. “DON’T LET IT GO TO WASTE”! I save it for last and savour every little bit of it. You can slather it on a piece of fresh Italian bread or you can eat it straight out of the bone. It can easily be scooped out with a bread knife.

Option : garnish with “Gremolata”. Chop some parsley, lemon and orange rind and sprinkle on top when plating. 

I love Osso Buco on creamy polenta. The sauce that the comes with the Osso Buco is so delicious on top of it. However, if polenta is not your first choice of accompaniment, you can make rice, risotto or pasta. See risotto link below. You can leave out the asparagus.

How To Make Asparagus Risotto with Saffron
https://youtu.be/qO0bgpa2OC0

This meal will definitely impress!!

Concord Grape Jam- No pectin added

 Concord Grape Jam

Love my organic grape vine. It not only provides privacy to my small urban backyard but it also provides me with tons of grapes which I, unfortunately, have to share with the raccoons and birds.

I was able to pick about 2 lbs of grapes so far and decided to make grape jam. No pectin added! 

You will need: ( for 3 filled jam jars)

2 lbs of grapes, weighed with stems on.

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

Pull the grapes off the stems then squeeze the skins off.

Save the skins. They’re what gives the jam its beautiful colour.

In a pot, boil the pulp, or the inside of the grape, with 3/4 cup of water for about 5 minutes. This will soften up the grapes so you can remove the seeds easily. 

Drain the water and place grape pulp into a sieve. (You can also use a cheesecloth and squeeze all the juice out). Place sieve over a pot and press out the pulp. You can use the back of a wooden spoon to do this. Discard seeds.

Finely chop the grape skins and add to the pot with the grape juice.

Bring to a boil and add 2 cups sugar. Stir.

Simmer for about an hour. The liquid will evaporate and the juice will slightly thicken and reduce.

You can test to see if your jam is ready and will solidify once cooled. This is done by placing a small amount of your boiling jam into a small dish and refrigerate. If it thickens when cooked, then it’s ready!

Now at this point you have two choices. You can either sterilize jars and place the boiled jam into jars to store for the winter.

I chose to simply pour jam into clean jars and refrigerate. I didn’t have enough grapes to make more than 3 jars so we will go through it quickly.

So good!

Hot Pickled Peppers

Hot Pickled Peppers

My garden produced a lot of peppers this year. I planted hot chili peppers, hot Portugal peppers and sweet banana peppers.

In an attempt to preserve them so I can enjoy them all year long, I thought I would try to pickle them. Soooo worth the effort.

The challenging part was to cut them and remove the seeds without burning my throat, eyes and fingers. I wore a mask, glasses and gloves. I stood over my stove using a cutting board as my work surface and with the exhaust fan on “high”. I later removed the glasses as they kept fogging up! But the mask and the exhaust fan worked fine.

For this recipe you will need:

220 grams of peppers - I used 6 hot Portugal peppers and 4 sweet banana peppers…..sliced and seeds removed

Place peppers in a large, glass canning jar with a wide mouth

In a pot I combined:

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

2 tbsps sugar

1 large garlic clove, peeled and flattened 

1 tsp salt

Stir and bring to a boil. Pour the boiled liquid into the jar with the peppers. Stir and let fully cool on counter. 

Once cooled, refrigerate. They will last a few weeks in the refrigerator.

Crunchy and deliciously hot!

Tomato and Basil Pasta - Dairy and Egg Free

 

Tomato and Basil Pasta - Dairy and Egg Free ( recipe for 2-3 people)

My vegetable garden is overflowing with Roma and Cherry tomatoes and this quick and easy recipe allows me to enjoy the fresh garden flavours.

Begin by boiling a pot of water for your pasta. I used about 200 grams of Bucatini pasta…about a handful. This should feed 3 people.

You will need:

200-250 grams of Bucatini or any type of pasta

3 cups of cherry tomatoes - I used small Roma tomatoes, chopped in half

2-3 tbsps EVOO

1-2 minced garlic cloves

1 tbsp minced onion

Fresh Basil - I used about 3 tbsps of small leaf Basil. If you have larger leaf basil, chop them.

Fresh Oregano - 3 tbsps - whole leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil water, salt ( about 3/4 tsp salt) then add pasta. 

In a large frying pan, heat up olive oil over medium heat. Add your garlic and onions. Stir for a few minutes and take care not to burn your garlic.

Add your fresh tomatoes. Cook over medium heat stirring. Salt and pepper to taste.

Stir and cook until tomatoes soften and begin to break down.

Stir in your basil and oregano.

At this point, your pasta should be cooked al dente.

Drop your pasta along with some pasta water into frying pan and stir.

I used about half a cup to 3/4 of a cup of pasta water. Continue to stir until water and tomato juices thicken.

Done!!

Serve topped with fresh basil and Romano or Parm cheese - or vegan cheese.

This is absolutely delicious!

Vegan Oatmeal Carrot Muffins

 Vegan Oatmeal Carrot Muffins

Healthy and Delicious! Makes 12 muffins. 

Preheat oven to 375F

You will need:

1 1/3 cups unbleached flour

1 cup quick oats

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Mix these dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add 3/4 cup shredded carrots ( 1 large carrot)

1/2 cup dried currents ( soak them in warm water for about 20 minutes to plump them up a little) - you can also use raisins, dates, prunes, figs etc)

Stir the carrots and currents into the flour mixture.

In a small bowl combine:

1/2 cup almond milk - or soy, oat, cashew milk …….

1 egg replacer (1 tsp egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsps water)

1/3 cup melted vegan margarine

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together all the liquids and stir into the dry ingredients, gently, until well mixed.

Fill 12 muffins cups 3/4 of the way. I used paper liners for the muffins tin. You can butter or oil the tins, then sprinkle with flour.

Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let tray cool on cooling rack. Remove muffins from tins after 10 to 15 minutes and continue cooling on rack.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Puff Pastries

Strawberry and Rhubarb Puff Pastries- Dairy and Egg Free, Vegan

Strawberry and Rhubarb Puff Pastries
https://youtu.be/UJ1gxVy27qM

Nothing better than this strawberry rhubarb combination. However, I’ve also combined rhubarb with blueberries and it’s very good as well!

The first thing we want to do is make a compote for the filling and make sure your puff pastry is thawing out in the fridge. It needs a couple of hours to thaw. Follow the instructions on the package.

For the compote you will need:

1 cup chopped strawberries, washed and hulled

1 cup rhubarb, chopped into approximately 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch pieces 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1 square of puff pastry, thawed and rolled out to 12x12 inch square

Fresh strawberries for garnish

Coconut whipping cream for filling

Place the strawberries and rhubarb into a pot along with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice and cook down, while stirring often, for about 10 to 15 minutes until thickened.  Set aside and cool. It will continue to thicken a little more as it thickens.

Roll out your puff pastry dough to 12 x 12 inches. You can find puff pastry dough in the freezer section and they usually come in a package of two. I am using one. I let it thaw for a couple of hours in the fridge. This puff pastry is totally dairy and egg free, and vegan.

Next cut the rolled out dough into even sized rectangles......or whatever shape you like. You can even simply cut it in half and make a large rectangle shaped pastry. The rectangles are 2 x 4 inches. I was able to get 8 rectangles.

Bake them in a preheated 400 F oven for about 15 minutes until slightly golden.

Once everything is cooled you can assemble.

Slit your pastries in half, horizontally. Place your whipping cream, I used a coconut based cream, on the bottom half. Top with 2 to 3 Tbsps of the strawberry and rhubarb mixture and cover with the other half of the puff pastry. Place a bit more cream on top and garnish with fresh strawberries! 

Best when served immediately. Does not keep well overnight in fridge.

Looks and tastes delicious!!

Fish Tacos

 Fish Tacos- Dairy and Egg Free with Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Crispy fish filets topped with a delicious salsa. So easy to make and sooooooooo tasty. You could bake the fish filets, if you prefer.

You will need: ( for 2 people - 2 tacos each)

One large basa filet, thawed and patted dry with paper towels- you can use any other white, mild tasting fish

1/2 cup flour, lightly salted

1/2 cup water

1 cup bread crumbs - I use a mixture of Italian bread crumbs, pinko crumbs and corn meal

1 tbsp of taco seasoning mix, spicy or hot - mix it into your breadcrumbs 

4 tortillas- I used corn tortillas 

Begin by cutting your fish filets into strips so you have 8 pieces. Dredge filets in the flour, then dip into water, and finally coat with the breadcrumbs

Heat up your frying pan to medium high and add a couple of tbsps of a light vegetable oil

Fry your filets until cooked, a few minutes on each side. If breadcrumb mixture begins to burn, lower heat.

In a separate frying pan, lightly coated with a vegetable oil, heat your tortillas until lightly golden. Don’t over do it or they will become too hard. You can also warm them up in the microwave for 15 seconds on high heat. They can also go into a hot oven for a few minutes.

Place two pieces of cooked fish onto one tortilla and top with salsa.

So good😋😋

Salsa recipe: enough for 4 tacos - can easily be doubled for more tacos

Half a tomato, diced

Half an avocado, diced

Half a green onion, thinly sliced

4 slices of pickled jalapeños, diced

Juice of half a lime

1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley 

Sprinkle of salt

Mix altogether. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.