Tabouli

While I was having a coffee with my husband in Barnes and Noble I spotted a book called Skinny Bitch.  With a name like that how could I not investigate further?  It peaked my curiosity and after skimming through the book I knew it was a keeper.  Kim Barnouin speaks the way I do about a healthy lifestyle and is one of the reasons I purchased her book.  She talks about the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen...oh how I would enjoy chatting with her!  It's all about common sense, buying seasonally, reading labels, herbs and spices pairings, favorite cooking tools, pantry staples, food additives to avoid and the list goes on.  Follow her blog for more tips and recipes.

Tabouli, a Levantine Arab salad, typically has bulgar in it but I do like the idea of using couscous. It's perfect as picnic food, lunch or in a buffet and I am confident you will enjoy it.  This salad is overflowing with vitamins and minerals.

Serves 4
adapted from Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

300ml (1 1/4 cups) boiling hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
175g (1 cup) uncooked wholewheat couscous (I cheated and used regular couscous!)
1 (15 oz./430g) can white beans, drained and rinsed
50g (1/2 cup) shaved fennel (use a mandoline)
50g (1/2 cup) shaved radishes (use a mandoline)
1/2 cup chopped oven-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped basil
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (coriander)
1/4 cup shaved red cabbage
1/4 cup grated carrot
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon honey

Place couscous in a bowl and add hot water. Cover bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove cover and fluff with a fork. In a large bowl, add all ingredients except oil, lemon juice, zest, honey and cumin. Toss to combine. In a small bowl whisk together oil, lemon juice, zest, honey and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Add couscous to the veggies and toss. Pour in the olive oil mixture and stir. Serve this at room temperature or chilled.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Amazing textures and flavors all mingling happily in this dish. This salad rocks!  Enjoy.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Maple Cream Frosting

I have a confession to make...I am hooked on Pinterest!  When I first joined last year, I wasn't sure why and then my girlfriend Jenn told me to think of Pinterest as my virtual pinboard.  Ok, I still wasn't enamored with the idea until I used my DIY board to make a gift bag out of newsprint.  It was then the light bulb or the aha moment arrived.  I have a collection of recipes that were cut out from magazines and glued neatly into books.  The problem with this type of cataloging is that I have to remember which book has that recipe!  That was before Pinterest.  Now I have my own boards set up so I can easily access them - much like they way you would in a filing cabinet but much prettier with photos.  While I was browsing what others had pinned, I saw this carrot cupcake recipe and re-pinned it to my board last week and revisited the recipe yesterday.  Follow me by clicking the icon on the right-hand side of my site.  If you are new to Pinterest and want to join, send me an email as it's by invitation only.

Carrot cake origins are somewhat disputed but it is thought to have originated in Sweden and became popular in Britain during the Second World War due to rationing.  Restaurants and cafeterias in the United States introduced the carrot cake around the 1960's.

Makes 24 cupcakes (or two 9-inch-diameter cake pans)
adapted from RasaMalaysia

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup olive oil
1 8-ounce can pineapple slices
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups (650g) grated peeled carrots (about 5-6 large carrots)
2 inches fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (8 oz/226 gram) packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 stick/4 oz./113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (230g) confectioners (icing sugar), sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 180°c (350°f).  For cupcakes: line 24 cupcake molds (2 12-standard muffin tins) with liners, or butter and flour them. For layered cakes: butter two 9-inch-diameter or three 8-inch-diameter cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment, butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger in medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Place the pineapple slices in a blender and add some of the juices from the can. Discard excess liquid. Puree until smooth and set aside. In a separate large bowl, whisk sugars, pineapple puree and oil until well blended. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add in the flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in the vanilla, carrots and fresh ginger. Add in the walnuts and raisins, if using them.

For cupcakes: divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each. Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for about 5 minutes. Transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.

For layered cakes: divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, and bake the layers for about 30 minutes each for 8-inch cakes or about 40 minutes each for 9-inch cakes; or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto cooling racks. Peel off parchment; cool cakes completely before icing.

To make the frosting, beat all the ingredients on medium speed until fluffy. Chill the frosting for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it has set up enough to spread smoothly and hold its shape (this was a step I didn't need to do).

For layered cakes: To assemble a layered cake, with an offset spatula, frost the top of one cake and place the other cake on top. Repeat for a three-layered cake. Frost the sides and top with a thin layer of frosting, chill the cake for about 30-45 minutes. Frost the cake completely to cover and decorate with swirls on the top. Chill cake for at least 30 minutes or till frosting is set. Bring to room temperature before serving.

The Culinary Chase's Note:  This has to be the best, super moist,  carrot cake/muffin recipe I have ever tried!  I loved the spices and the extra bit of fresh ginger but the maple cream frosting was amazing!  Enjoy!

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Aioli

When dinnertime rolls around I am usually thinking about the timing of it as I need to stop what I am doing and pick up my husband from the train station.  It's not far to the station...only 7 or so minutes but I don't like to leave the stove on whilst I am away.  John is usually hungry when he gets off the train and I like to have something ready for him to nibble on while dinner is being prepped.  This recipe got me thinking that it would be a perfect starter instead of serving it with dinner.  The sprouts came out of the oven a few minutes before I had to leave and I placed them on a platter and covered the dish with clingfilm.  When we got home, the snack was ready for consumption!  Roasting these miniature cabbages brings out the brussels sprouts true taste - mild in flavor, dense in texture and delicious!.

Fresh brussels sprouts should be displayed chilled and if they are kept at room temperature, their leaves will turn yellow quickly. Yellow or wilted leaves are signs of age or mishandling. Old sprouts also have a strong, cabbage-like odor.  Choose sprouts individually from bulk displays rather than packaged containers and pick small, firm, compact sprouts with unblemished leaves. Select ones that are similar in size as this will allow for even cooking and avoid sprouts that are puffy or soft. For a list of health benefits associated with brussels sprouts, click here.

Serves 4 (as a side)
adapted from Anna Costa

20 brussels sprouts, cut into wedges
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Aioli:
2 medium, very fresh garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

To make the aioli, fill a mortar with boiling water. After 1 minute, remove the water and dry the mortar. Add the garlic cloves and the salt. Start pounding them with the pestle. When a smooth paste is achieved, add the egg yolk. Moving the pestle rapidly against the walls of the mortar, blend the yolk together with the garlic. When blended, begin adding the olive oil in a thin stream, still moving the pestle rapidly against the walls of the mortar. Continue until all the olive oil is added and a thick mayonnaise is achieved. Add water if necessary, if you like it thinner. Taste for seasoning. Refrigerate up to 5 days.

Preheat oven to 200c (400f). Place brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with sea salt & pepper to taste. Move the brussels sprouts around to ensure they all get nicely coated in the oil. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on at least one side.

 

The Culinary Chase's Note: If you are running short on time (like I was), a quick way to make aioli is to mix some mayonnaise with minced garlic and a bit of lemon juice to thin out the mayo.  Top with finely grated lemon zest. Eat these wedges warm or room temperature. YUM!

Wonton Soup

Chinese food is so diverse and no wonder it's one of my favorite world cuisines!  What I enjoy most, and I think is quite unique and not so prevalent in Western cuisines, is that Chinese food is prepared in bite-size pieces making it easy to consume.  There are eight regional cuisines in China. All are distinctive from one another and are influenced by what's available locally, the history of said province, and cooking techniques adapted in each region.  Wonton is a Cantonese name and the recipes vary from each province in China.  Wonton means irregular shaped pasta but a more poetic description would be - swallowing clouds - because the wrappers resemble clouds floating when they are cooked and served in soups.

Serves 4 to 6
adapted from Nasoya

1 package wonton wrappers
bunch green onions
1 lb. lean ground pork
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg
8 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
16 shrimp (raw), peeled and deveined
1 medium head bok choy, cut into 2-inch pieces

Chop the green onions and set aside. Use one tablespoon of the chopped green onions and place in a bowl with the pork, sesame oil, soy sauce, egg, salt and pepper. Mix the filling well. Spoon one tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrap. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrap with water using a pastry brush. Bring corners together and press with your fingers to seal edges.

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large pot over medium heat. Drop wontons into the stock and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until they float to the surface. Reduce heat to simmer and stir in shrimp and bok choy. Simmer 2 minutes until the shrimp turns pink. Garnish with green onions, a dash of soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. Serve hot.

The Culinary Chase's Note: This soup was so delicious and a big thanks to my daughter for taking the photos while I prepared this for her last supper in New York before heading back to uni! Create an assembly line of wrappers and you'll have these little bundles ready to pop into the stock in no time.  This isn't a difficult recipe and hopefully the photos will give you inspiration to make this gorgeous soup.  Slurp, slurp! 

Cheddar Cheese Horseradish Dip

Since moving to New York, I now have four places I like to food shop: Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, DeCicco's and Fairway Marketplace.  These shops (with the exception of Whole Foods) are all within 5 minutes of where we live.  All offer their own unique brands and style of food shopping.  Whole Foods (12 minutes away) are always offering samples of the food they carry in different cooking stations.  A couple of months ago I was looking for cheese and spotted Whole Foods in-house dips.  There was an assortment of dips near the cheese counter and I'm usually not one to sample but the titles caught my eye and one of them was cheddar cheese horseradish dip.  I was a bit hesitant and my concerns of whether I would like it faded away once in my mouth.  I really enjoyed it and picked up a container.  The only other food store I would do this is back home where the local grocer, Pete's Frootique also makes his in-house dips...and they are delicious with no artificial ingredients.  That's key for me.  I can't stand all the artificial garbage that's injected into food.  If the first item isn't what the package says it is then I don't buy it - plain and simple!  I've educated my kids to always read the labels and the first ingredient is key.  All the gorgeous packaging in the world won't lure me to buy if the ingredients do not make sense.  Take for example juice...if the first ingredient is water, then you know most of the contents is going to be water with a bit of real juice added.

I'll be the first to admit that I would never have purchased fresh horseradish had it not been for the dip I sampled at Whole Foods.  My experience with horseradish is that it gets right up my nose!  I love Japanese food but not the wasabi paste.  The green stuff they put on a plate is made with horseradish because the wasabi root is difficult to cultivate which makes it also very expensive ($70 - $100 per pound). Artificial wasabi is a combination of grated horseradish, mustard and green food coloring.  That said, fresh horseradish used this way in a dip is a different kettle of fish.  I am hooked!  I also have Rick (master cheese maker) from Whole Foods Yonkers to thank, too.  He wouldn't divulge his recipe but he did say to use lemon juice.  So, here's my version.

Makes 3 cups

1 cup natural sour cream
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 teaspoons fresh horseradish, finely grated (use a microplane)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
juice of half a lemon
sea salt (to taste)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until it reaches a smooth consistency.  At this point, taste and season according to your liking.  I added more juice, horseradish and cheddar.

The Culinary Chase's Note:  I was very pleased with the results and the subtle flavors of the horseradish had just enough bite without stealing the show from the dairy contents of this dip.  Feel free to experiment with the proportions and fine tune to your palate.   Enjoy!

Winter Caesar Salad

What happens when potato salad meets Caesar salad?  Answer: a delight to the senses!  This is one of those recipes where the sauce is the crowing glory of the salad.  It brings all the ingredients together and makes a statement - hey look at us! Making your own dressing is so easy there's no reason in the world to buy bottled ones.  I haven't purchased the bottled kind in years!  The easiest of all dressings is olive oil and balsamic vinegar (a simple vinaigrette) and I'm sure most of you have these two items in your pantry.  According to Charmian of Christie's Corner, homemade dressings all have these elements: oil, acid (red and white wine vinegar, lemon or lime juice), sweet (sugar, honey, jam, orange juice, apple juice), salt, aromatics (fresh herbs, garlic, ground pepper).  Mustard, when added to oil and vinegar emulsifies the dressing and it is from here you can experiment with different sweeteners and aromatics.  Visit All Recipes to view vinaigrette and creamy salad dressings and have fun concocting your own versions!

Serves 4
adapted from Fabulous Food magazine

340g potatoes (small potatoes or fingerling potatoes work well)
200g bacon lardons
2 small heads of Belgium endive
2 small heads of radicchio
1 bunch of watercress
1 avocado, sliced
80 - 100g Parmesan cheese, shaved using a potato peeler
a small bunch of chives, finely chopped (optional)

Dressing:
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, crushed
6 anchovy fillets, chopped
juice of half a lemon
200ml olive oil
Parmesan or Gran Padano, grated
dash of Worcestershire sauce

To make the dressing, place egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, anchovies and garlic into a food processor. With the motor running, gradually add the olive oil in a very slow stream. Blend to the consistency of double cream, then add Parmesan cheese and Worcestershire sauce (you may need to add a splash of water if it gets too thick). Taste and season with salt and pepper, don't be afraid to add lemon juice if needed.

Simmer the potatoes in salted, boiling water until tender when pierced with a sharp knife (about 15 minutes). Drain and toss in a few tablespoons of the dressing whilst still warm. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on medium heat, add one tablespoon olive oil, when hot add the bacon and fry until golden. remove from heat and drain on kitchen paper. Discard any bruised outer leaves from the endive and radicchio. Remove each leaf and place into a large bowl. Add watercress, season with a little salt and pepper and add a few tablespoons of the dressing and toss gently with your hands.

Arrange the leaves on a platter or on individual plates and top with the potatoes and bacon. Finally add slices of the avocado and Parmesan shavings. Drizzle over more of the dressing and sprinkle with the chives.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Delicious, hearty flavors from this dish! If you don't have a food processor don't fret, you can easily make the dressing using a whisk. Make sure the garlic is chopped fine (made into a paste if you like) and the same goes for the anchovies (unless of course you like chunky bits of anchovies in your salad). Whisk the 5 dressing ingredients together and then slowly drizzle the olive oil while whisking. You'll see the oil start to emulsify. If it gets too thick, add a bit of water to thin it out.  Don't worry if you can't find watercress...that's what happened to me as Whole Foods didn't have it.  It makes for a nice bit of bite to the salad but it won't be the end of the world if you can't find it. If you are not a fan of endive or radicchio, you can also use romaine lettuce.  Enjoy!