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Sometimes I feel pretty lazy. On top of running around with my own toddler, I also watch another little girl three days a week. On top of those two crazy tornadoes, there’s also laundry, endless dishes, cleaning, writing, photographing and too much useless internet surfing to mention. There’s also the newly arrived protruding belly getting in my way every which way I turn, bumping into everything as I waddle by. Waddling already. For shame. Could it be all the cookies, pies, cakes and sweets I’ve been piling into my bottomless pit of a stomach over the past few months? I respectfully decline to answer.
Instead I will expertly avert your attention to the following recipe. A dinner that will satisfy, yet will only take you 20 minutes to throw together. Full of gourmet flavours, satisfying umami, sweet crunchy vegetables and piles of one of the best meats on the planet (one that may or may not be on the banned list of foods during pregnancy). One cannot go wrong serving this to anyone that ambles into your home unannounced, or even a quick meal any time of year.
Today is also the Superbowl. Hooray, rah rah rah. You thought I forgot didn’t you? I never watch the Superbowl though, if I do it’s only for the commercials. Why? 1) Because I’m Canadian and It’s not really that big of a deal here and 2) We have our own Superbowl for our CFL, the Grey Cup which happens in November.
When we watch the Grey Cup, we always make lots of finger foods or homemade pizza though, as it’s fun to have people over to watch the “Big Game”. I’d say, in this household, there’s a lot more hockey watching than football, but we are in Canada after all!
As an easy dinner for any of these nights, a big, filling, meaty sandwich will not only fill the void, but will satisfy even the pickiest of sport watchers. I like to pile it high with meat and cheese, balancing everything else on top of that. Fell free to switch any of the ingredients for something you prefer. It’s more of an idea, than a recipe anyway.
Prosciutto Sandwiches
2 Portugese style buns
Real mayonnaise
Grey Poupon or Dijon mustard
slices of roasted garlic Havarti cheese
150g prosciutto, thinly shaved
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1/2 an avocado, sliced
torn pieces of romaine lettuce
small handful of spinach leaves
1. Assemble your manly sandwich: Slather some condiments onto your buns (mayo and mustard), layer on the meat, cheese, tomatoes (salt & pepper) avocado and greens
2. Finish with top of bun. Serve with fresh coleslaw on the side.
And just for fun, go Colts!
I’m gettin’ fancy pants today here in the Guiltiest Kitchen around. BUT, I am attempting to reduce the guilt, as usual.
Sometimes, Mr. Guilty will be strolling through the meat department and out of the corner of his eye, he will catch a glimpse of something that must be had. Sometimes it is giant pork butt roasts so big they take up a whole grocery bag, other times they are large hermetically sealed packages of corned beef, and just sometimes, they are divine, plump little duck legs. Most of the time, I give him a quirky smile and tell him that it’s not on the menu, therefore not in the budget and we can’t buy it. Well, lately, hormones have been taking over. If he shows me something I know is bad, bad, bad food (Cheese Pleasers anyone?), I just can’t help myself. “Throw it in the cart!” I’ll mumble whilst racking my brain for appropriate recipes.
That is how we come to this recipe. Duck is a relatively inexpensive buy at our local grocer, but after considering the amount of fat that will cook off of it, one duck will feed the two of us. I always save the fat to cook with later, but we’ll talk about those adventures another time.
Duck legs can be bought individually and are a great addition to the family rotation. More flavourful than chicken, and almost entirely made up of dark meat, it is a favourite in this family. They do take a bit longer to cook, mind you, but it is well worth the effort.
Finding an appropriate side dish is sometimes a struggle for me, as I am always concentrating on the main dish. I have seen many recipes for mashed cauliflower or faux mashed potatoes, and almost all of them simply replace potatoes with cauliflower. They still use all the butter, cheese and cream in the world to make it taste more closely to the familiar mashed potato. I suspect though, that most people who are making mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes are trying to find healthier alternatives to the usually calorie and fat laden side dish. Which is why I finally tried making it again. I had made it once before using butter and a potato masher. What I came out with was soggy, smallish chunks of cauliflower bathed in butter. Delicious, but not at all similar to mashed potatoes in taste or texture.
This will now be my new healthier potato alternative for future meals needing starchy compatriots. It was amazingly easy and delicious without all the extra fat!
Slow Baked Duck Legs
2 Whole duck legs, bone in, skin on (thigh and drumstick)
1 tsp each dried oregano, marjoram, basil, rosemary and paprika
3/4 tsp each garlic powder and seasoning salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients (except duck legs) to form a spice rub.
2. Line a baking tray or roasting pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with baking spray or rub with oil or butter. You could do this without aluminum foil, but I guarantee you will regret it come dish washing time.
3. Rub each leg with spice rub, making sure you get it in every nook and cranny.
4. Place on baking tray and cover lightly in another layer of aluminum foil, slightly tented or the lid of your roasting pan.
5. Bake covered for 45 minutes.
6. Turn oven down to 350°F, uncover the duck legs and return to oven for another 50-60 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
8. Serve on a bed of mashed cauliflower (recipe follows).
Mashed Cauliflower (or Faux Mashed Potatoes)
1 medium to large sized head of cauliflower
1/3 cup light sour cream (or full fat)
2 cloves of roasted garlic (if you are making this with the duck, just throw it onto the baking tray for 15-20 minutes)
chicken stock
salt & pepper
1. Cut cauliflower into small florets and pack into steam tray over a pot of boiling water. Drain very well when done.
2. Steam for about 8 minutes to make it tender enough to mash.
3. In order to achieve a potato-like consistency, you will need to use a food processor for this next step, a potato masher just will not do!
4. In bowl of food processor, add cauliflower, sour cream and roasted garlic cloves.
5. Whirl until everything is annihilated, fully and completely, lumps are extremely undesirable in this dish…
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and enough chicken stock to make it the consistency you are used to.
7. At this point, if you don’t care about the health values of swapping potatoes for cauliflower, go ahead and drown it in butter, Parmesan and cream. Yum!
Welcome to a new and improved, more stream lined version of Guilty Kitchen. I’ve taken away some of the clutter on the sidebars and added a navigation bar at the top of the page to make finding everything you need just a little bit easier.
If you are one of the many people who use the print function that used to be (annoyingly) at the top of every page, you can now find it at the bottom of each post, located in the gray bar with the comments and date/time. I really hope you like it, because it took me a whole day of blood, sweat and tears. But mostly just tears. Let’s just say I’m not a technical wizard, I usually leave that up to the Mr.
On a completely different note, you might have noticed a sweet little icon up there in the top left column, “Simple Bites Contributor”. Well, the cat’s out of the bag, let’s say. I, along with six other amazing talents, are about to embark on a whole new adventure together. I will be regularly writing a column for Simple Bites and contributing as much to the conversation as I can. My posts on Guilty Kitchen will not be affected at all, so not to worry my faithful readers! You can’t get rid of me that easily.
Watch for our launch on February 8th, and for my first contribution on February 11th. I’m very excited and I hope you are too!
This recipe today is a fabulous vegetarian and gluten free meal. If you are unfamiliar with quinoa, you should get yourself out to your local health food or grocery store as soon as humanly possible. Quinoa is a very ancient grain, having originated in South America some 6000 years ago. It has a balanced set of essential amino acids making it a great complete protein source (unlike other grains), so it is an ideal choice for vegetarians and vegans.
I find the taste is nutty and complex, with a texture similar to rice, but smaller. It is quite easy to cook and does not require anything special to make it delicious. Just remember to rinse before cooking, as quinoa is covered in what is known as saponin, which can make it taste soapy or bitter. An hour long soak or a few rinses will take care of it though.
If you haven’t tried quinoa yet, I challenge you to try replacing your next rice meal with quinoa, I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised by how tasty it is.
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
2 large portobello mushrooms
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
2 crimini mushrooms, diced
8 oz baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped or torn
75g goat feta
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1. Sauté 1 Tbsp of butter with onion and garlic in sauté pan on medium heat until onions begin to turn translucent.
2. Remove stems from portobellos and chop. Add tomatoes and diced mushrooms (including stems) to onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add second Tbsp of butter to pan and add in spinach leaves. Sauté until completely cooked, remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
4. Place portobello caps on baking tray and pile spinach mix into them equally. Top with crumbled goat feta and bake in a 375°F oven for 20-25 minutes.
5. Serve on a bed of Quinoa and tomato sauce (recipe follows).
Quinoa
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups stock or water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil, oregano and black pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1. Rinse quinoa three times with plain water, draining as much as possible.
2. In medium saucepan mix quinoa, stock, salt, herbs and butter.
3. Bring to boil, cover and lower to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and allow to rest 5 minutes, fluff with fork before serving.
Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 213 ml can of tomato sauce
1 tsp each of oregano, basil and marjoram
1. Heat oil in small saucepan, add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
2. Add tomato sauce and herbs.
3. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.
4. Serve with portobellos.
I would also just like to dedicate this meal to my favourite aunt Barbara, who passed away in May of 2005. She was a great influence on my life and will always be remembered for her great love of food, drink, family, friends and great times. February 2nd would have been her 60th birthday and I just know it would have been a ruckus good time. I wish I could have made something a little more fantastic, but I know she appreciated even the littlest things, and every year I just like to make mention of her so that none of us ever forget. Here’s to you Barbara, cheers! We all miss you very much!
Mexican food? On Guilty Kitchen? No way!
I know what you’re thinking. “Seriously, this woman has a problem, an obsession that needs to be dealt with immediately!”
Well, calm down, will ya? I am not the only one in this house who loves a good Mexican feast! In fact, this wasn’t my idea at all, it was Mr. Guilty’s. He swore he would make me dinner, and that he would make enchiladas. After all the ingredients were bought, however, it came to light that Mr. Guilty didn’t really know what an enchilada was. He did however have a very strong opinion about keeping the ends of the tortillas open, of all the things to have a strong opinion about!
Well, I will keep my night off from cooking tucked away for another evening. Mr. Guilty does make a mean beef stroganoff, so I’ll be calling on him soon for a nice piece of comfort food when the weather turns sour once more. Though, I doubt it will here. Living on the Southern part of Vancouver Island is a bit of a hidden paradise in Canada. While the rest of the country hunkers down for a few more months of hardcore winter, the cherry blossom buds and crocuses have already started here. In fact, my allergies (to alder and birch pollen) have already begun to rear their ugly head. Much earlier than I’ve ever experienced, but welcome none the less!
So, if you live in a part of the world where there is snow squalls (what IS that?), ice storms or other severe winter weather, I beg you to make this dish. It will warm you from the inside out, and maybe even keep you warm the whole night though…hee hee.
Bon Appetit!
Turkey Enchiladas
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, diced
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 14oz can cherry tomatoes in skin (or diced tomatoes, even better would be fire roasted)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 lb. ground turkey
1 19oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
4 large whole wheat flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese, grated (however much you want!)
Salsa, sour cream and guacamole (as condiments at the table, click the links for recipes)
1. Heat oil in sauté pan. Sauté onion and garlic on medium heat until they begin to turn translucent.
2. Add turkey, brown for a few minutes and add seasonings, continue to cook until completely cooked through.
3. Add tomatoes (crushing as you go if you used whole cherry tomatoes), let sauce simmer and reduce until barely any liquid remains. Should be the consistency of a good chili. Set aside.
4. Mash black beans in a large bowl, add cumin and salt & pepper.
5. Heat in large sauté pan for 5 minutes or so, adding 1/2 a cup of water as you cook. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, make the enchilada sauce.
Enchilada Sauce
1 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 small chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper
1 213 ml can tomato sauce
1. Heat oil in small sauce pan on medium heat, add onion and garlic. Stir until onions are translucent.
2. Add in chipotle chile and other seasonings, stir to combine.
3. Add in tomato sauce, stir and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
4. Serve over enchiladas.
To assemble your enchiladas:
1. Lay a large tortilla on a flat surface, spoon a large spoonful of the black bean mixture onto the tortilla.
2. flatten and spread the black bean mixture in the middle of the tortilla.
3. Cover in the meat sauce. Remember you will need to be able to roll these up!
4. Roll one side towards the other and place into a glass baking dish. Continue to do this for the next enchiladas, until you fill up the baking dish.
5. Pour enchilada sauce over your enchiladas, top with a liberal sprinkling of cheese and pop into a 375°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese just starts to bubble.
6. Remove and serve with your choice of condiments.
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