Cooking in Pajamas

Adapted from An Edible Mosaic . Roasted Vegetables Olive oil Salt & pepper Your favourite vegetables (this is what I used) 4 medium size onions, halved 1 large green pepper, quartered 2 tomatoes, halved 1/2 cucumber, quartered 10-12 white mushrooms Quinoa Mixture 1 c. Red quinoa 1-2 c. Water 1 clove Garlic, minced 1 can (680 mL) Thick tomato-based pasta sauce Sprinkle of oregano Sprinkle of allspice Cream Sauce 2 tbsp Butter 2 tbsp Flour 1.5 c. 1% or 2% Milk 2 Egg yolks, lightly beaten Pinch of nutmeg Salt & pepper 2-3 sprigs Fresh basil, chopped (optional) 1 pkg Shredded cheese (I used PC Tre Formaggi Shredded Italian Cheese ) Preheat broiler. Brush both sides of the vegetables with olive oil.  Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12- 15 min, flip the vegetables 1/2 way through. Note: You can also preheat the oven to 400°F and bake the vegetables for 40 min, flipping ...

3 Zucchini 2 tbsp Basil, fresh 2 c. Chicken (or vegetable) broth, low sodium 2-3 tsp Curry powder 1 tsp Hot chilli sauce 400 mL Coconut milk Wash and cube the zucchini. Place the zucchini in the blender or food processor, along with the basil and chicken broth. Puree until the zucchini are fine and creamy. Transfer the soup to a large pot. Add the curry powder and the hot chilli sauce. Bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup starts boiling, reduce heat and continue to simmer for anoterh 30 min. If the soup is too thick, you can add some water. When the zucchini is cooked, stir in the coconut milk and warm up the soup, but do not boil. Serve with 1/2 tsp hot chilli sauce for extra heat!! My comments: If you are looking for quick recipe to impress a friend on a spur of the moment, this soup is for you. Prep time is minimal and it's mostly hands-free cooking. The combination of curry and coconut is classic and super tastey.  Zucchinis are light tasting ve...

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) Butter, unsalted 2 Onions, chopped 2 Tbsp Fresh ginger, peeled and minced 1.5 tsp Garlic, minced 4 Carrots, peeled and chopped (about 4 cups) 2 Tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 1 1/3 cups) 1.5 tsp Lemon peel, grated 4 c. Chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium 2 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice Garnish: 4 Tbsp Sour cream, low fat (but I find the soup tasted better without it) 1 Carrot, peeled and grated Melt the butter in the soup pot and sauté the onions for about 4 min. Add the ginger and garlic, sauté for 2 min. Throw in the chopped carrots, tomato and lemon peel, sauté for 1 min. Add the chicken stock and bring to boil.  Then, reduced heat, partially cover and simmer for 20 min or until carrots are very tender.  Allow the soup to cool a bit. Purée the soup using a blender and return the soup to the pot.  Mix in the fresh squeezed lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  (Add more broth/water if the soup is too thick.) Bef...

3 bulbs Garlic 2-3 Tbsp Olive oil 1/2 c. Butter, salted 1 Tbsp Fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1/2 Tbsp Dried parsley flakes (optional) 2 Tbsp Frech Parmesan cheese, grated (optional) 1 French baguette (This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of garlic spread.) Preheat the oven to 350 ˚ F. Slice the tops off of the garlic bulbs to expose the tips of the cloves. Place the bulbs in an oven-safe container (or a baking sheet) and drizzle the top with olive oil. Bake for 35-40 min.  The garlic should be soft and slightly browned. When the garlic is cool enough to touch, squeeze the cloves from their skin into a small bowl.  Reserve the olive oil if you used a bowl for roasting. Mash the garlic with the olive oil.  Then mix in the butter, parsley and parmesan cheese. Cut the baguette diagonally into 1" slices.  Generously spread the garlic butter on one side. Toasting methods: Quick 'n Easy - Heat in the toaster oven for 5 min or until the ed...

2 c. Green lentils 1/2 c. Chickpeas, soaked overnight 1 large Onion, diced 6 pc. Chicken thighs 3 c. Chicken broth, low sodium 1 c. Water 1 tbsp Curry powder 1 tsp Ground tumeric 1 tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp Ground coriander 1 tbsp Chinese garlic chili sauce (or chilli pepper flakes) 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp White sugar 1 tbsp Ginger root, minced 4 cloves Garlic, minced 1 pkg Curry paste 1 can Diced tomatoes Plain yogurt (optional) [Vegetarian option: Omit the chicken thighs and substitute in a vegetable stock.] Put everything, except for the chicken, in the slowcooker.  Stir to mix. Place the chicken thighs on top and baste them with a little bit of liquid.  Add more water if necessary. Cook for 4-8 hours. When the curry is done, de-bone the chicken thighs and stir the meat back into the curry. Serve with basmati rice and a dollop of plain yogurt. My comments: I have always been hesitant in making curry from scratch for two simple reasons: 1. I was told ...

2-3 sprigs of fresh basil, leaves picked 4-5 halves of sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), drained 2 cloves of garlic Olive oil 1 c. Parmesan cheese Squeeze of fresh lemon juice Salt & Pepper Coarsely chop the basil leaves, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.  Pulse in a food processor until the ingredients are minced.  If the ingredients stick to the side of the food processor, add a little bit of olive oil, stir it up and pulse again. Turn the minced ingredients into a bowl.  Add half of the Parmesan cheese and stir. Add olive oil to bind the ingredients together.  The oil in your pesto should ooze a little bit. Do a taste test here.  Add more cheese and olive oil until you get the flavour right.  You can also add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice into the pesto and stir. My comments: Mmmmm...this was one delicious pesto!! Easy to make but with amazing result. The thing about this recipe is that...

6 Potatoes , medium size 4 Eggs 1/2 c. Red onions, chopped 1/2 c. Sweet pickle relish 2 cloves Garlic, minced 2 tsp Celery seeds 1 tbsp Prepared mustard 1/2 c. Light mayonnaise ( Hellmann's ) Ground black pepper and salt to taste In a large pot, boil the potatoes until tender but firm, approximately 15 min. Drain, cool and cut into cubes. (If you are using large potatoes, halve them before boiling them. Otherwise, it will not cook evenly and you will end up with half mushy and half raw crunchy potatoes.) To cook the eggs, place the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring water to a boil. Then reduce the heat and continue to cook the eggs for another 10-12 min, covered. When the eggs are done, cool the eggs in cold water and peel. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving. My comments: I must admit, I thought adding relish to the potato salad was a bit weird. But the original recipe had really good ratings and I wa...

Dressing 1/4 c. Olive oil 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegarette 1/2 tsp Thyme, dried 1/2 tsp Rosemary, dried 1 tsp Basil, dried 4-5 cloves Garlic, minced Salt & Pepper to taste Vegetables 4 Potatoes , cubed with skin on 1/2 Onion, sliced 2 Sweet bell peppers , cubed 1 Zucchini, cut into bite-size 8-10 White mushrooms Handful of snowpeas Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Combine the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix together the pepper, zucchini, mushrooms and snowpeas. Toss them in the dressing until coated. Transfer the vegetables to another bowl and set aside. Toss the potatoes an onions with the remaining dressing. Spray the bottle of a roasting pan with oil. Spread the potatoes and onions evenly on the roasting pan. Bake for 10 min and flip them potatoes. Add the rest of the vegetables. Toss to mix. Bake for 10 min and flip the veggies once. Bake again for another 10 min. My comment: Summer is a great time to include fresh vegetables to your diet. You can get delicious vege...

1 c. Israeli couscous 1 c. Chicken stock, low sodium 1 c. Water 4 c. Vegetables, chopped 1 clove Garlic, chopped 1 tsp Basil, dried 2 tbsp Olive oil Sesame oil Salt & Pepper to taste Rinse the couscous with water. Bring the chicken stock and water to a boil in a sauce pan. Stir in the couscous. Reduce to low heat and simmer for about 10 min, covered. When the couscous are soft, fluff with a fork. You may drain the excess liquid with a strainer. Prepare approximately 4 cups of vegetables, chopped the way you like. I used mushrooms, asparagus, green onion, white onion and sweet peppers. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add garlic and white onions and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the basil and the rest of the vegetables (except for the green onion) and cook until they begin to soften. (Cooking time depends on whether you like your veggies soft or crunchy.) If you are using green onion, add them to the rest of the vegetables and cook for a few more min...

1.5 c. Extra virgin olive oil 1/2 c. Wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp Sugar 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Ground pepper 2 tbsp Tomato paste 2 tbsp Chinese garlic chili sauce 1/2 c. Parmesan or Romano cheese 1/2 tsp Oregano, dried 1 Sweet pepper, sliced 1/2 Onion, medium size, sliced Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Puree to desired consistency. Salad dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month. Serve with your favourite salad. (This dressing has a thicker consistency when it's cold. If you want it to be more liquidy, warm the dressing up to room temperature before serving.) My comments: This is my favourite salad dressing. It's healthy because there are no preservative. It's tastey because it uses all fresh ingredients. You can adjust the amount of spices to your own taste and it keeps very well in the fridge. I shared this recipe with a few of my friends and they all love it. The original recipe on Epicurious called for ...

I usually like to post the recipe first and then make my comments. However, I got this squash soup recipe from Leslie on her food blog and the soup turned out so well every time that I wouldn't change a thing. I've made this squash soup several times and it turned out absolutely delicious every single time. All my guests loved the soup and this is definitely a keeper in my recipe book. For this reason, I want to keep a copy of the recipe on my own blog which I often refer to when I re-make these dishes. 6 lbs Buttercup squash 4 tbsp Olive oil 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) Butter, unsalted 2-3 Onions, chopped 2 Cinnamon sticks, broken in half 2 Bay leaves, broken in half 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper 1.2 L Chicken stock (or vegetable stock) 1/2 c. Brandy 1 can (375 mL) Evaporated milk, fat free Brown sugar (to taste) 1/4 c. Sour cream, fat free 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon Dash of Ground cumin Take 4 medium size butternut squashes , wash them and cut in half, lengthwise. Scoop o...

3 c. Cooked rice* 2-3 tbsp Vegetable oil 2 Stalks of green onions, chopped 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced 4 Eggs 1 c. Carrots, grated 2 c. Mushrooms, cut small 1 tbsp Sesame oil 2-3 tbsp Soya sauce 1.5 c. Chicken, cut into small cubes 1 tbsp Teriyaki marinate sauce (or Soya sauce) 1/2 tbsp Vegetable oil 1 tsp Sugar 1/2 tsp Salt Pepper 1 tsp Sesame oil (optional) * Freshly cooked rice has too much moisture and it is too soggy to fry; therefore, it is best to use leftover rice. If you don't have leftover rice, you can cool freshly cooked rice to room temperature and then place the rice in the refrigerator, uncovered, for a minimum of 1 hour to reduce the moisture. ** You can use any vegetables you like. Frozen vegetable mix works well if you want to save some time (use 1 - 1.5 cup for this recipe). Thaw the vegetables to room temperature before frying. Marinade the chicken with teriyaki sauce, oil, sugar, salt and a little bit of ground pepper. Leave the chicken, covered, in the fridg...

3 c. Cooked rice* 2-3 tbsp Vegetable oil 1 Green onions, chopped 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced 3 Eggs 1/2 Fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks 3/4 c. Vegetables** 1 tbsp Sesame oil 2 tbsp Soya sauce 2 tsp Curry powder 1-2 tsp Thai curry paste * Freshly cooked rice has too much moisture and it is too soggy to fry; therefore, it is best to use leftover rice. If you don't have leftover rice, you can cool freshly cooked rice to room temperature and then place the rice in the refrigerator, uncovered, for a minimum of 1 hour to reduce the moisture. ** You can use any vegetables you like. I used frozen vegetable mix because it was the easiest thing to do and I thaw the vegetables to room temperature. Alternatively, you can chop up fresh vegetables into small pieces (eg. carrots, mushrooms, peppers, etc.), pre-cook them on the frying pan and drain the excess liquid. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil to the rice and break up the rice into grains with a fork. Set aside. Stir together the soya sauce,...

4 c. Water 2 Vegetable bouillon cubes 1/2 tsp Saffron threads, crumbled 1 tbsp Butter 1 tbsp Olive oil 1 Vidalia onion, chopped small 1 Cauliflower, medium size 3/4 c. Light cream (5%) Boil the water and dissolve the vegetable bouillon cubes. Remove from heat and add the saffron threads. Cover and steep for 20 min. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion until very tender, about 10 minutes. Cut the cauliflower head into 1/2"-3/4" pieces. Add the cauliflower to the sautéd onion. Stir to coat. Add saffron broth to the cauliflower and onion mixture. Bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and continue to simmer until the cauliflower pieces are tender, about 20 minutes. Purée the soup using a blender or food processor. If you have neither or in my case too lazy to use a blender, use a potato masher to reduce the chunks. Stir in the light cream. My comments: This is another recipe I got from Leslie's food blog . He...

5 Sundried tomato 2 c. Green onion, chopped 1 tsp Garlic, minced 2 White mushrooms, chopped small 1 c. Asparagus, chopped to about 1" in length 2 c. Arborio rice 2 c. Water 4 c. Chicken or Vegetable broth 1/2 c. Dry white wine Olive oil Romano cheese, grated Combine the water and the chicken broth, bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and keep the broth at a low simmer. Chop the sundried tomatoes. Set aside. In a large saucepan, soften the green onion, mushrooms, asparagus and garlic in a little bit of olive oil. Add the rice, stirring until the rice is coated with oil, add more oil if necessary. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 1 min. Add the wine and stir until the wine evaporates. Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and cook the risotto over medium heat. Stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Continue to add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring constantly. Always allow the broth to be absorbed before adding more broth. It will take approximately 20-30 min to...

2 tbsp Olive oil 1 c. Orzo pasta 1 can Chicken broth (14.5 ounce) 1/2 c. Red onion, chopped 1/4 c. Fresh basil, chopped 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated Salt and pepper to taste Vegetarian option: substitute the chicken broth with a vegetable broth. Heat the olive oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned. Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes. While the orzo is cooking, chop up the fresh basil and set aside. Soften the red onion in a small frying pan using a little bit of olive oil. Set aside. When the orzo is cooked, stir in the red onion, fresh basil and the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. My comments: I made myself a little herb garden this summer and I was desparately looking for recipes to use my fresh herbs. I wanted to explore new recipes with herbs I'm growing and my hubby came across this easy pasta side dish usin...