I love salsa, and that’s really all Pico de Gallo is. It hails from Mexico and so naturally it goes really well with tacos, guacamole, tortillas, and really any time you pull out some chips. It’s super easy to make too and, while I like things spicy and leave the entire jalapeno in there (seeds, ribs and all) you can leave these out, or leave out the entire pepper if you just want a taste of fresh without the spice. I’ve also seen others take out the seeds and pulp of the tomato, but I like my salsa to have a lot of liquid to it and so, I leave them in. That one too, is also entirely your call.
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped Juice of 2 limes Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) Place everything into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste, and adjust seasonings. I find that leaving it in the fridge for an hour or so allows all the flavours to come together (and the salt releases some of the juice from all the veg) but it can also be used right away. Pico de Gallo can be stored in the fridge, covered, for several days, or used right away.
Here’s another great reason to go to the Farmer’s Market this summer – you’ll get to keep parts of the vegetables that typically get tossed by the grocery store. And why do grocery stores throw out these delectable bites, instead of letting you take them home and add them to your plate? I’m calling a conspiracy, although no one can be quite sure.
Of these “trashed” items you’ll find at the market but not the store are radish greens. Yes, you can eat radish greens! Just like any other leafy bitter greens such as spinach, Swiss chard or kale, all you have to do is braise them a little bit and you’ll soon be happily munching on radish tops – and they’re tasty too!
The most irritating part of cooking radish greens is cleaning them. They can get awfully soiled, so make sure you soak them in a sink full of cold water for a good 20 minutes to loosen up some of that dirt. As you take them out, give them another quick rinse under cold, running water to make sure that no dirt got stuck to the leaves. Then just blot dry on a paper towel, and your radish greens are ready to cook!
Ingredients:
1 head of radish greens, rinsed and dried 1/2 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, diced Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 cup white wine 1 cup chicken stock 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) Place oil and butter in a pan set over medium heat. When melted, add onion and garlic and cook until onion just becomes soft, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2.) Add radish greens, season with salt and pepper, and toss in the fat. Cook just until they begin to wilt, about a minute or so.
3.) Add lemon juice, chicken stock and white wine to the pan and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Partially cover the pan and allow to simmer for 25 – 30 minutes until the greens are tender.
Sometimes you just want to try a dish that comes from somewhere else in the world, even if you don’t know exactly what that dish is. One night, as I was staring at a full roaster chicken, I decided I wanted to go Spanish with it. The only problem? Other than tomatoes, I didn’t really know what flavours were heavily used in Spain (although I’ve heard they use a lot of the same ingredients as Italians, just in different ways.) After a quick Google search, I found some of the main ingredients used in Spanish cooking – tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, rosemary, peppers, parsley, olives, paprika, wine, and onions – and that I had on hand. When I put them all together the end result was something much like Spanish rice with a whole ton of vegetables, and beautiful pieces of chicken sitting on top.
Ingredients:
1 roaster chicken, cut into 8 pieces 1 green pepper, diced 1/4 cup green olives, sliced 2 tablespoons capers 1 cup asparagus, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup white wine 1/2 cup chicken stock 1 can crushed tomatoes 2 green onions, chopped 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped 1 tablespoon paprika 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 cups long grain rice 3 red chili peppers, dried (or 1 tablespoon red chili pepper flakes) Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.) Season the pieces of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and when hot, add all pieces of chicken, skin side down. Cook for about 5 – 7 minutes, until chicken begins to turn golden brown and then flip and cook other side for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan, place on a plate, and set aside.
3.) Turn the heat down to medium and add to the skillet: green pepper, olives, capers, asparagus, garlic, green onions, parsley, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook for just about 3 minutes, until all vegetables start to soften.
4.) Add rice to the pan, stir to ensure rice has been evenly coated in fat, and then cook for 1 minute.
5.) Add white wine to the pan, stir, and scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Add the paprika, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, parsley, rosemary, and dried peppers (or dried chili flakes.) Stir well to ensure that everything is fully combined, and then place chicken pieces back right on top (try not to submerge them or cover the skin with any liquid, as that will result in soggy, rubbery skin.)
6.) Place the entire skillet in the oven and allow to bake for 30 – 40 minutes, until the rice is cooked and chicken is fully cooked through (juices should run clear when pierced with a knife.)
I truly feel super bad for anyone that can’t eat eggs. I really do think they’re the perfect food, and it’s gotten to the point where my husband even teases me because of my love for them. So when I hear of someone who can’t eat them, my heart goes out to them and I like to find ways to recreate the foods that eggs help make so yummy. Recently, I was asked by a couple of people about eggless mayo, and it seemed to be a challenge I was up for. I’ve made aioli before, so how much different could it be? I substituted the egg for soy milk (as many people who can’t eat eggs also can’t eat dairy) and then just kept the oil and the lemon juice and ditched the garlic. What I got was an eggless mayo that is so light! In fact, if you’re looking to cut down on your cholesterol, this would be perfect in salad dressing, dip, coleslaw, and anything else you would typically put mayonnaise in.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup soy milk Juice of one lemon (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (you can also use ground mustard seeds) 3/4 cup olive oil (vegetable, canola, and safflower oil will also work) Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) Place soy milk, lemon juice, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth.
2.) With the blender still running, slowly stream in the oil until the mixture becomes thick. Season, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
If you’ve already tried the egg rolls, ginger beef, or chow mein recipes up on the site (or have just seen me post them,) you know I love Chinese food. And even more, I love not paying the big bucks to get it delivered to my home. So when I figured out that I could also have those Chinese vegetables that are swimming in sauce and ever-so-crisp at my table, I was one very happy girl. Maybe a little too happy. My husband said I was glowing as I cooked them.
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons ginger, grated or minced 1 tablespoon red chili flakes 1 head of broccoli, florets removed 1 green pepper, cut into a large dice 1 large carrot, thinly sliced 1 cup snap peas 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons sesame oil 2/3 cup vegetable broth, plus 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon cornstarch Salt 1 or 2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
Directions:
1.) Combine vegetable oil and peanut oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add in garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes; stir, and cook for about 30 seconds.
2.) Add the broccoli florets, green pepper, carrot, snap peas, onion and soy sauce. Stir fry for about 2 minutes, just until the broccoli is bright green and the entire mixture is fragrant.
3.) Add the vegetable stock, cover, and allow the vegetables to steam for another 2 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the 2 tablespoons of remaining broth and the cornstarch, combining thoroughly.
4.) Add broth/cornstarch mixture to the vegetables, leave uncovered, and allow to cook until the mixture has thickened, about 1 minute. Stir to coat vegetables in the sauce. Season with salt, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Move vegetables to a platter and garnish with green onions.
There are lots of ways to cook asparagus, but of all of them, simple roasted asparagus is probably my favourite. And in the summertime, taking them outside and throwing them on the grill is my most favourite of all. But if you’ve ever tried to do it, you’ve probably noticed the same thing I did. That those grill slots are the perfect size for asparagus spears to fall down and get incinerated by the flames. So, how do you get smoky roasted asparagus that has only been kissed by flames, and not eaten up by them? For this my friend, skewers are your answer.
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the grill Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least half an hour before placing them on the grill. I find that the exposed ends will still get burned up even with a soaking, so I like to fold aluminium foil around the ends of mine.
2.) Heat an outdoor grill to medium heat on both sides and brush the grill with oil so the asparagus doesn’t stick. Close the lid and allow it to come up to temperature. Meanwhile, skewer the asparagus onto each of the skewers. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3.) Place the skewered asparagus onto the grill and cook for a couple of minutes. Flip, and cook other side for another few minutes, until asparagus has some char marks on it and has begun to soften.
4.) Remove asparagus from heat and turn grill off. Asparagus can be left on the skewers, or removed to a platter.
We’re big on bacon and eggs around here. When my husband was growing up it was tradition in their household to enjoy a big breakfast every Sunday morning. Everyone filled up, and everyone got their eggs to order. I’ve carried on with that tradition now that we have our own two little ones to feed. Sometimes that hot breakfast makes its way past Sunday morning and like many, we’ll often have breakfast for dinner during the week as well. But the last time I thought about doing it, I put my own little twist on it. What if you were to pile all those fantastic items into a salad?
Well, I did. Poached eggs were placed on top of greens, English muffins were turned into toast/croutons, bacon bits were everywhere, and much of it was covered in the same dressing I used for my Cobb salad. The beauty of this salad is that the yolk from the egg runs into the salad and the dressing, creating something truly dynamite that can be eaten for lunch, dinner, or breakfast!
Ingredients:
For the eggs:
8 eggs 1 tablespoon vinegar Salt Pepper
For the vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon sugar 1 green onion, roughly chopped 1 clove garlic, smashed 1/3 cup olive oil Salt Pepper
For the salad:
2 cups arugula 8 strips bacon, chopped 3 English muffins or 3 slices of sourdough bread, diced 2 green onions, sliced 1 tomato, diced 3 tablespoons butter Salt
Directions:
1.) Start by making the salad dressing. Place red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, one green onion, garlic clove, salt, and pepper in a blend. Puree until smooth and then slowly stream in as much olive oil as you need until it thickens slightly. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, and set aside.
2.) Assemble the salad ingredients. Place bacon pieces in a skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are brown and crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel.
3.) Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. When melted and foam has started to subside, add English muffin pieces and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 5 – 10 minutes, turning the bread a few times, until it becomes toasted and golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
4.) Place arugula, tomatoes, and green onions in a bowl and dress lightly with salad dressing. Serve remaining salad dressing separately on the table.
5.) Prepare the poached eggs. Bring a medium-sized pot to a simmer. Add one tablespoon of vinegar and stir. One by one, gently add eggs and allow them to cook until the whites have fully set around the yolk, about 7 minutes. Remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
6.) Bring all the salad ingredients together. Divide arugula mixture onto four different plates. Top with croutons and bacon bits, and finish by laying two poached eggs gently on top of each plate.
Herbs are one of my favourite ingredients in the kitchen, especially this time of year when gardens and kitchens seem to be overflowing with them. But they’re good for more than just sprinkling into a dish here or using as a garnish there. You can use them as a main part of your recipe, or as a recipe all on their own. Pulse them in a food processor with garlic and some hot pepper of any variety and you get a chimichurri sauce. Or blend them with nuts, garlic and lemon juice and you’ll have a beautiful pesto.
Or you can do this. Leave out the nuts, use zest instead of juice, and keep the garlic and herbs, and you’ll have an Italian gremolata – one of those fancy cooking terms you may have heard on Hell’s Kitchen or MasterChef, but maybe never really knew what it was. If you want to keep it really authentic, the herb to be used is parsley and the zest, lemon. But seeing as how when I made gremolata all I had were limes and cilantro in my kitchen, those were the two that I used, and that’s how my gremolata got a new twist on its name.
Ingredients:
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped Zest of 1 lime 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) Place the cilantro and garlic into a food processor and pulse until the entire mixture is a fine dice. Add the zest of the lime, a pinch of salt and pepper, and as much olive oil as you’d like (it can help tone down the taste of raw garlic.) Mix thoroughly.
2.) Serve on fish, chicken, grilled meats, or use as a condiment, and enjoy!
Tzatziki is so good, and if you’re one of the ones still trying to figure out how to pronounce it, it’s za-DZEE-kee. It’s hard to imagine that this delicious Greek dip/condiment is made up mostly of cucumbers and yogurt, but that really is all it takes. Well, and maybe a little lemon juice and garlic. If you’re not a big fan of salting veggies and letting the water drain out of them, you can also grate the cukes, wrap them tightly in paper towel and squeeze really hard (like you do when making potato pancakes – and in fact, this dip would taste fantastic on those!)
Ingredients:
1 English cucumber, seeded and diced 1/2 onion, diced 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups Greek yogurt Juice and zest of 1 lemon 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped 3 tablespoons fresh chives or green onions, chopped
Directions:
1.) Place cucumbers and onions in a colander in a clean sink and sprinkle salt over top. Toss to coat and then let sit for 30 – 60 minutes to drain.
2.) Meanwhile, combine yogurt, lemon zest and juice, garlic cloves, dill, and chives or green onions in a bowl. When cucumbers and onions are ready, add them to the yogurt mixture and place in the fridge for at least half an hour to allow the flavours to marry.
3.) Serve, on kabobs, grilled meats, or burgers, and enjoy!
The other day I talked about how I was craving Spanish food one night and so I went online in search of the best Spanish ingredients and created something from them. Last night, I was craving Greek food and so I did the same thing. Hooked up with my BFF Google, asked him what some of the most common Greek ingredients are, and then used those to create a burger. The results? Let’s just say that I plan to revisit Greece very, very soon.
Ingredients:
1 pound medium ground beef 1 pound ground pork 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon paprika 1 head of garlic, plus 3 cloves 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, grated 1 onion, sliced into thick rings (do no separate the rings) 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped, plus 1/2 cup whole oregano leaves 1 tomato, sliced 10 – 12 leaves of leaf lettuce 1 cup fresh mint leaves, whole 1 lemon, cut in half 1 cup tzatziki 8 hamburger buns 4 tablespoons mayonnaise (approximately) Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the entire head of garlic in aluminium foil. Drizzle on some olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 45 – 60 minutes, until the entire head has softened and turned golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, and then squeeze out the soft cloves of garlic into a bowl. Set aside.
2.) Next, prepare your burger patties. To a large bowl add ground beef, ground pork, Worcestershire sauce, egg, paprika, 3 cloves of garlic, grated onion, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, salt, and pepper. Combine until all ingredients are evenly incorporated, but do not over-mix. Divide patties into 8 even portions (do this using your hands and pressing lines into the meat in the same pattern as if you were cutting a pie.) Then, taking one portion at a time, shape them into patties and make a little well in the centre with your thumb. Be sure to make an indentation, but not to go all the way through the burger. This will allow for expansion when the patty is cooked. Set aside on a plate.
3.) Turn an indoor or outdoor grill to medium heat and oil the grates well and brush the fruit side of the lemon halves, as well as the onion rings, entirely with olive oil. When the grill is hot, place them directly onto the grill, and cook for about one minute. After that time you can remove the lemon halves, but flip the onion rings and cook for another minute to allow them to be cooked through thoroughly. Move to a plate, tent with foil to keep warm, and set aside.
4.) Place the burger patties directly onto the grill and cook, without moving or touching them, for about 5 minutes. Flip, cook for another five minutes and then feel for doneness. When patties are cooked to your liking, set them aside on a plate.
5.) Brush each side of every hamburger bun with mayonnaise (this is a little trick to keep them super moist and delectable, but you can use butter or skip this step entirely.) Place face-down on the grill, and press them down slightly so that they get as much heat as possible. I actually like to take another empty skillet and place it on top of the buns, but this does make them really flat. If you don’t like them that way, you can also skip this step and just leave them alone on the grill. Grill the buns for about 2 minutes before removing them and placing them on a plate.
6.) At this point I like to just place the patties, toppings, and buns all separately on the table and let people build their own. If you want to assemble them for everyone though, or just want to make your own Big Fat Greek Burger, assemble like so: Place open bun on a plate. Onto the bottom portion spread some of the roasted garlic. Onto the top half place a couple of lettuce leaves, some fresh oregano, some fresh mint, a grilled onion ring or two, and a slice of tomato. Place patty on top of roasted garlic and squeeze some of the grilled lemon directly onto it. Top with tzatziki, close burger up together, and place two toothpicks into each half before slicing the entire burger in half (unless you can pick it up and eat it whole in which case, I applaud you.)
