Dry Rib Poutine

As of late, I've been trying to clean out the freezer, so supper usually consist of random items thrown together.  And these random items are mostly appetizer foods such as onion rings, sausage rolls, or baked brie. You know, the really healthy stuff.  As I was coming to the end of my freezer purging, I was getting really sick of random items and junk food in general and though maybe a smoothie would be a better route to take when I came across a bag of dry ribs.  Instantly, a craving for dry rib poutine came over me and I just could not get it out of my head.  So I decided one more night of bad eating won't kill me, and I'll get back on track tomorrow and maybe eat some veggies.

If your Canadian, you already know what poutine is.  If not, let me give you the breakdown of this uniquely Canadian dish.  It's nothing fancy really, just french fries, gravy and cheese curds.  It's delicious and it's popular.  In fact, my hometown has a restaurant completely devoted to poutine and they serve it about a million different ways.  But I'm pretty sure they don't serve it up MY way.

My way lacks fries and gravy, but it most certainly contains cheese.  So it's not technically a traditional poutine, but it's inspired by it.  I simply replace the fries with dry ribs and gravy with honey garlic sauce and top it all with cheese.  The first time I had this I was blown away.  We were having a potluck at work and someone ordered in pizza and dry rib poutine from a local pizza joint and I was hooked.  If memory serves me, I pretty much ignored the pizza and scarfed down as much dry rib poutine as I could.  Not only is it deliciously addicting, it's super easy to make.  You can use store bought sauce of your liking and away you go.  I promise you, this will be a hit with anyone who likes ribs, wings or poutine.

Dry Rib Poutine

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp white vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup water

1-2 tbsp cornstarch

700 g breaded boneless pork dry ribs

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and garlic. Bring to a boil.

Whisk cornstarch and water together until there are no lumps.  Add to saucepan and reduce heat.  Whisk until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat.

Place dry ribs in a single layer on baking sheet.  Place under the broiler until browned and slightly crispy.  Remove from oven and place ribs into a baking dish.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pour sauce over the ribs and stir until all ribs are well coated.  Top with cheese.

Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese has melted.  Place back under broiler to brown the cheese if you like.

Asian Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup

With the cooler weather, I've been on the look out for new soup ideas.  I was flipping through some of my cookbooks and came across this recipe. It's an Asian spin on the classic chicken noodle soup. The use of snow peas, mini corn, five-spice and ginger really kick this classic up to a whole new level.  This is a really quick dish, but it does involve some multitasking.  Read through the steps in advance so you know what your getting yourself into.  It's not complicated by any means but it certainly requires the ability to do two things at once.  As you read through this recipe, you will notice that it doesn't involve a lot of exact measurements.  You can free-style it, and add more of something you love. This recipe is more of a guideline and you can make it your own by substituting other ingredients.

What kind of other veggies do you think might go great in this soup?  Please comment and let me know!!  I'd love to switch things up next time.

Asian Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup

2 Servings

1 tbsp mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame, poppy, sunflower)  *I just used sunflower and sesame

A small handful of raw cashew nuts

1 quart chicken broth

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tsp five-spice powder

sea salt and pepper

olive oil

thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger root

1 clove garlic

1/2 fresh red or green chili, to your taste

2-4 ounces vermicelli  *I used 2 ounces (4 ounces was too much for me)

a handful of snow peas
1/2 can baby corn

10 spears of asparagus

2 tbsp soy sauce

a small handful of spinach leaves

green onions (just the greens) chopped

Directions

Put a medium frying pan over high heat and add the seeds and cashews while it's heating up.  Toss the seeds and nuts around until heated through nicely.  This may take a few minutes.  

Meanwhile; Put a large saucepan on high heat.  Fill the saucepan with chicken broth and heat until very hot and put a lid on it.

Slice the chicken into strips or cubes, whichever you prefer and put them into a bowl.  Sprinkle the chicken with five-spice, a good pinch of salt and pepper and mix until well coated.

Seeds should be heated by this point.  Transfer to a plate.  Put the empty pan back on the heat and add olive oil.  Place chicken in pan and cook until golden, tossing and turning occasionally.

While the chicken is cooking; grate the ginger root, finely chop the garlic and slice the chili.  

Take the lid off the saucepan with the broth and add the ginger, garlic, chili, snow peas, asparagus, corn, soy cause and vermicelli.  By the time the noodles are done, the chicken should be cooked.

To serve, divide spinach between your bowls and pour the broth, veggies and noodles into the bowl.  Divide the chicken pieces and place in the bowl.  Scatter with the toasted seeds, cashews and green onions.

Recipe adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

It's fall y'all!! 
Make sure you say that phrase in a southern accent like Paula Deen.  It just doesn't feel right unless you say it that way.  Go ahead and try it, I'll wait....
..................

See what I mean?

But seriously ya'll, it's fall.  There's no denying it now.  We've had snow already!!  Can you believe it?  It didn't last long, but still....it snowed.  And I had to bust out my winter Uggs and mittens.  No more flip flops for this girl.  So I suppose it's time to just suck it up and embrace the season.

I suppose one good thing about fall would be all the fabulous foods that are in season, particularly pumpkin.  Canadian Thanksgiving was just last weekend and we had our first pumpkin pie of the season.  I only had one small piece and it left me craving more.  I was craving pumpkin, but I knew I wanted something a little more "over-the-top" than just your run-of-the-mill pumpkin pie.  So I made pumpkin cheesecake bars.

Look Mom, no cracks!!

Decadent pumpkin cheesecake, nestled between a buttery ginger snap crust and a fluffy vanilla whipped cream topping.  You can sprinkle with nuts, or cinnamon, and serve this delight to all your family and friends. Or hide it in your fridge and keep it for yourself.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

2 cups finely ground ginger snap cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 pkgs (250 g each) cream cheese, softened  *I used Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

2 eggs

1 pkg (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup cold milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the ginger snap cookies into a fine crumb.  I used a food processor. I used almost a whole bag of Voortman ginger snap cookies to make 2 cups of crumbs.  Pour melted butter over crumbs and mix until all crumbs are coated.  Press onto the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended.  Add pumpkin and spices and mix until well combined. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low until just blended.

Pour over baked crust and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is almost set.  Cool for 1 hour.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat whipping cream until just starting to thicken.  Add pudding mix and milk.  The pudding will cause the cream to thicken quickly.  You can always add more milk if you find it to be too thick.  I continued to beat the mixture for about 2-3 minutes to reach my desired thickness.

Spread the whipped cream mixture over the cooled cheesecake.  Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm.  

Garnish with nuts, or sprinkle with cinnamon.

Recipe adapted from Kraft Canada

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Quick story about my zucchini plant this year:
I have never grown them before, so I limited myself to only 4 seeds and I was totally bummed out when only ONE sprouted.  Seriously guys, only one came up.  Little did I know how HUGE these things get, so after about a month, I was pretty happy only one came up, because there was no room for more than one plant. Anyways, the other night, I went to pull out the wilting plant, and as I was moving some of the leaves out of the way I found the biggest zucchini yet.  I don't even know how I missed it!  So now I had this huge zucchini that I needed to use up and I knew exactly what I was going to make!!

What else could I make other than  chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips baked inside and for an added bang of chocolate, why not just top it off with some chocolate ganache.  I didn't even have to think twice.  This was the perfect recipe to use up my last "surprise" zucchini of the year.  Just a side note about the ganache: the recipe included makes more than you will likely need to top the cake with.  Place the remaining ganache in the fridge, and once it's firm, you can make chocolate truffles!   

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini (leave the peel on)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ganache

1 cup heavy cream
9 oz dark chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces

Directions

For the Cake

Line 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs with sugar until light and fluffy; beat in oil and vanilla.

Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until moistened.  Stir in grated zucchini and chocolate chips.  Pour into prepared loaf pan. and smooth the top.

Bake for 350 degrees until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Transfer to rack and let cool.

*Make ahead:  Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or overwrap in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks. 

For the Ganache

Place chopped chocolate into heatproof bowl.  Set aside

Heat cream in saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and remove from the heat immediately.  Pour hot cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a minute or two to allow the chocolate to heat and melt.

Whisk the chocolate until smooth, and continue whisking until it becomes a thick.

Let cool slightly before pouring over the cake.

Recipe adapted from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

Tortellini Soup

 

 

You can't fight it.  Autumn is here.  I've been in denial for the last month but I just can't turn a blind eye anymore.  Maybe it's because the mornings are cold, or maybe it's because my backyard has two feet of crunchy leaves that need to be raked.  I'm thinking it's the latter.

 

 

Along with my denial that it's autumn, comes the refusal to make any warm, hearty, cold-day suppers.  But Sunday was cold and rainy, and I caved.  I made soup, and not the kind you get from a can (come on people, who do you think I am?).  I made homemade tortellini soup.  The great thing about this soup is that most items are staples in your pantry or fridge.  Keep in mind that soups are versatile, and you can add any additional ingredients, such as veggies and beans. The only odd-ball item is the rind of one wedge of parmesan.  The rind is the harder, darker yellow portion of the cheese that is remaining once all the good stuff is used up.   Some people might finely grate the remaining rind, but I prefer to hold onto them, and use them to add an additional flavour to soups.  Also, I only buy quality parmesan because the flavour cannot be beat.  It is totally worth the splurge.

 

 

Image Source   

 

Needless to say, this soup was a huge hit, and has become a staple for us during the colder months. 

 

 

 

Tortellini Soup

 

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Italian herb blend

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

9 oz tortellini, any variety, fresh or frozen (I used three cheese)

3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

Salt and pepper

Rind of one wedge of quality Parmesan (optional)

Grated Parmesan, for serving

 

Directions

 

In a large pot, or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute.

 

Mix in the diced tomatoes and Italian herbs.  Add the broth to the pot.  Place the parmesan rind into the pot.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Remove the rind, and add the carrots.  You can keep the rind in until the very end if you wish, it will just be harder to find it because it may melt down a bit.

 

Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions.  One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach.

 

Remove from heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with grated parmesan as desired.

*This soup keeps well for about two days.  The problem with soups with pasta, is that the pasta will absorb all the broth, and you may have to add some additional water, which can dilute the flavour. 

 

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats