ORANGE,JICAMA, AVACADO SALAD

It's way too hot to cook these days.The temperatures are soaring and the air conditioner runs constantly. Even the thought of firing up the BBQ seems to take too much energy. To be truthful, people around here don't have much of an appetite but let's face it, you have got to eat., at least I do. So why not a salad as a main meal?
The original recipe is actually made with watercress, but as you can see I didn't have any, although I did make a special trip to the green grocer especially for it, as luck would have it , they were all out, not a bunch in the entire store, but the jicama was there, something that is usually much harder to obtain...go figure!
I will write the recipe below for the watercress salad, keeping in mind that you can make many substitutions. The salad was refreshing, healthy with a really great, clean tasting vinaigrette .

WATERCRESS SALAD WITH ORANGE,JICAMA,AND AVOCADO
the juice from  2 fresh lime
1 serano chili, thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 navel oranges,sliced, removing the pith and membrane
2 bunches watercress, large stems removed
1 small jicams peeled and finely julienned
1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, chile, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour in the oil in a thin steady stream while whisking constantly and thoroughly emulsified forming a vinaigrette. Set aside.
Prepare salad and orange slices,marinade jicama in extra lime or lemon juice.
Just before serving, drizzle the vinaigrette over the watercress mixture, carefully fold in the avocado slices, Taste and adjust the seasoning ,serve at once.

JICAMA
Is a member of the large legume family,the crunchy,ivory fleshed, brown- skinned jicama is a tuber used throughout Mexico. Its bland taste benefits from being marinated raw in lime juice or from being combined with fruits and vegetables.
Before using, peel away the skin and the fibrous layer beneath it with a sharp knife.(If jicama is hard to find you can substitute apples for it. In Ottawa, I found mine at the Asian store called T&T, Farm Boy carries it occasionally, ask for it.)

FISH TACOS

I was over at a friend's house the other day and while sitting having a cold drink I picked up a new cookbook from her coffee table . It was a Williams-Sonoma Mexican cookbook. We have all had our share of Mexican classics such as Guacamole, Tacos, Enchiladas, Burritos just to name a few, but when my eye caught the recipe for a fish tacos, I immediately new what I was going to make for supper that night.

To be truthful I was getting a little tired of BBQing, and with the weather so hot I didn't want to be by the stove either but believe me, this recipe was so good everybody was still raving about it a whole day later!Well worth the little effort it took to make.

DIRECTIONS

To make the batter, in a bowl, stir together the flour, garlic salt, and ground chile/or cayenne pepper.  Pour in the beer, whisking to make a smooth batter.  Cover and let stand for 1 hour.  Meanwhile, make the creamy salsa: in a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup and yogurt until blended.  Set aside.  I used red snapper and talapia fillets and cut the fish into strips each 3-5" long (10cm) and 3/4" wide (2cm) and place in a glass bowl.  Sprinkle with lime juice, garlic salt and ground chile and toss to mix.  Let marinade at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Pour the oil to a dept of 1" (2.5cm) into a deep frying pan and heat to 375F this may take up to 5 minutes.  Pat the fish strips dry with paper towels. One at a time, dip a strip into the batter allowing the excess to drip off and slip into the hot oil, do not allow the pieces to touch.  Fry until the strips are crisp and golden approximately 7 minutes.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.  When all are fried transfer to a warmed serving plate.  Put the salsa fresca, cabbage, and limes in separate small bowls and set on the table along with the fish, creamy salsa, tortillas, and hot pepper sauce.  Let the diners make their own tacos wrapping the fish in a tortilla and adding the other items.  If you prefer you can heat the tortillas  in a frying pan. 

SALSA FRESCA:

This chunky fresh salsa is the reigning condiments of Mexico.  It also goes by the name of pico de gallo in some regions.  In a Bowl toss together one pound of tomatoes cut into little pieces, a 1/4c finely chopped white onion, 1/4c loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro (or coriander), 3 serrano or jalapeno chiles seeded and finely chopped, 2T fresh lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and let stand for 10-15 minutes. 

For the Batter:

1c flour

1t garlic salt

1/2tsp cayenne pepper or arbol chile ground

1c beer preferably dark or milk at room temperature

Creamy Salsa:

1/3c mayonnaise

1/3c ketchup

1/3c plain yogurt

Other Ingredients:

1lb red snapper or sea bass fillet

1t fresh lime juice

1/2tsp. garlic salt

1/4tsp. ground arbol chile or cayenne pepper

Canola oil for deep frying.

8-10 corn tortillas

Finely shredded cabbage, and the salsa fresca

8 lime quarters and bottled hot pepper sauce for serving.

(makes 8-10 tacos or 5 servings)

CHILLED GASPACHO

Gazpacho soup today is basically known as a chilled tomato soup,but it is started out as traditional peasant soup from Portugal and Spain where it was a simple bread soup or stew, and back then it was all about the bread and not the tomatoes and peppers. Skipping the bread is actually not a bad thing if you are watching your weight,because the soup itself has tons of lovely vegetables it. So the choice is yours although I feel that the addition of the bread really makes the soup.

The recipe is basic and very easy to make and another lovely addition to any summer meal or BBQ. It needs to be chilled and I like to chill the plates also, but another thing this recipe has going for it , besides the flavour, is that you can make it a day ahead which all helps in marinating all the flavours together.

INGREDIENTS

1. 
   
   8 medium ripe Roma tomatoes
2. 
   
   1 green bell pepper seeded
3. 
   
   1 red bell pepper seeded
4. 
   
   1 slice of day old bread
5. 
   
   1 cucumber
6. 
   
   1 med. onion
7. 
   
   2 cloves garlic 
8. 
   
   1/4 cup olive oil
9. 
   
   2 T. red wine vinegar
10. 
    
    1/2 tsp. dill weed
11. 
    
    1/2 tsp.celery salt
12. 
    
    salt/pepper
13. 
    
    Dash of Worcestershire sauce
14. 
    
    dash of tobacco sauce(optional)

(If soup is too thick for your taste you can add some tomato or vegetable juice or a vegetable broth to make it a consistency that you prefer, should it be too liquidy you can add more bread or some tomato paste to thicken it.)

PREP

1.Roughly chop all vegetables

2.mince garlic

3.Tear bread into chunks

4.Add every ingredient to food processor and puree.

5.Do not over process , you may want to do this in batches.

6.Fresh herbs such as Parsley and cilantro make a nice addition.

7.Can be garnished with avocado slices or a large shrimp.

Chill and serve ( makes 8 generous servings)

APRICOT & ALMOND UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Apricots were in abundance at our local grocery store and to be quite honest it is the only stone fruit that we rarely eat. I couldn't really tell you why, probably because I find then too sweet and prefer to wait for the local peaches and nectarines to come in season. However, when I saw these delectable little jewels I couldn't resist picking some up and trying the recipe that was featured in our LCBO magazine.

The apricots were tart and very fragrant and are truly lovely combined with an almond based cake,making a perfect ending to an early summer meal.

1. 
   
   175 ml unsalted butter, divided
2. 
   
   125ml light brown sugar
3. 
   
   500g apricots, quartered
4. 
   
   200g almond paste
5. 
   
   125ml sugar
6. 
   
   4 lg eggs
7. 
   
   2ml grated lemon rind
8. 
   
   125ml flour
9. 
   
   2 ml baking powder
10. 
    
    1ml salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9" cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

Place 50ml butter in a small pot over medium low heat.  Add brown sugar and stir until sugar is melted.  Spread sugar mixture in a thin layer on the bottom of cake pan.  

Lay apricot in a decorative pattern over top of mixture.

Combine almond paste and remaining 125ml of butter in a bowl and beat until mixture is completely smooth.

Add sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.  

Add eggs 1 at a time. 

Add lemon rind and stir to combine.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, stir with a fork to combine. 

 Add flour mixture to almond mixture and beat just until flour is absorbed.  Scrape batter over apricot, use spatula to smooth top.  

Bake for 1 hour or until top is deeply browned and caramel is bubbling up around sides of the pan.

Allow to cool for 10 mins. 

 Run the edge of a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen cake then invert onto a rack to cool or onto a serving plate if serving warm.

Serves 8. 

Father's Day Sour Cream Pancake Breakfast

Yes, the "Man", always deserves a great breakfast, so how to make this one a little special was the question of the day. I am always on the lookout for a good pancake recipe but alas, Father's Day crept up on me this year and I didn't have time to peruse my endless growing library of cookbooks.
Maybe a nice buttermilk pancake?? but nope I didn't have any buttermilk
in the fridge, then I remembered an Ina Garten Sour Cream Pancake recipe, but much to my horror, I didn't even have sour cream in the fridge.Which is usually a staple in my house, but earlier this week a trip to the market had me buying the new first crop of delicious beets in a myriad of colors. So after making a pot of Borscht with the red ones, i saw that the kids depleted the sour cream as they used it in the soup every time they heated up a bowl, no problem because....
The good news was that I has some plain organic yogurt so I substituted that for the sour cream.


The "Man", is not a big fruit eater, an occasional orange, nectarine or banana if I really make a fuss. He will eat blueberries , so in went the blueberries in his pancakes.

The other men in this house like their pancakes plain. But this recipe easily lends itself to adding some diced or mashed bananas to the batter
a very yummy addition to any pancake batter. The recipe is your standard pancake batter so I'll just include the ingredients and for go the directions as everybody knows to just incorporate the wet with the dry and then prepare in your griddle or pan following the manufactures direction.

Along with the breakfast, the "Man" is being treated to a game of golf with his brother-in-law as the sons unfortunately had to work today, but we'll all get together for a big family supper this evening, which my sister is preparing and hosting... BONUS!!

To all the Dads out there have a great day ~ Relax and Enjoy!

SOUR CREAM PANCAKES

1-1/2 c flour

3 Tablespoon sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c sour cream (i used yogurt)

3/4 c milk

2 large eggs

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla

Makes a good 10-12 medium sized extra high and fluffy pancakes.

LEMON WAFFLES AND BLUEBERRY,BASIL SAUCE

At our house, waffles are definitely a week-end treat, which in a way is too bad, because they really are not hard to make or very time consuming and if I say so myself ,they are very light and fluffy due to the whipped egg whites.
Lemon and blueberry are a great flavour pairing, although, I must say that I also enjoy a blueberry, orange pairing , either or would work lovely here, so use whatever you have on hand. Try adding some basil to the blueberry sauce for some extra KICK!

WAFFLE BATTER

1. 1 3/4 cup sifted all purpose flour
2. 2 t. baking powder
3. 1/2 t. baking soda
4. 1/4 t. salt
5. grated zest of 1 lemon
6. 1 3/4 2% milk (room temp)
7. 1/4 cup melted butter
8. 3 eggs seperated (at room temp)
9. 2 t. icing sugar

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

1. 2 cups wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2. 1/3 cup maple syrup
3. 1 T. lemon juice
4. 1 T. chopped basil (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift together first 4 ingredients and then stir in the lemon zest. In a smaller bowl whisk together milk, egg yolks and butter until smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and gradually stir in wet until just combined. DO NOT to stir. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat waffle iron.
3. In a dry bowl whisk egg whites until fluffy. Gradually add icing sugar while beating until soft peaks form. Fold gently into waffle batter.
4. Ladle batter into waffle iron and cook as per machines instructions.

SAUCE

1. Combine blueberries, maple syrup and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, mashing blueberries slightly, until reduced and slightly thickened about 5 mins. Remove and cool stir in basil and serve over waffles. (makes 6 servings)

BBQ Season is here!

Thanks to Blogger Aid-Changing the FACE of Famine's project View & Review, I was selected to sample and write a review on new products from Loblaw's Presidents Choice Biggest BBQ Event and Tour. For more information on their Great BBQ Event go their website and check their schedule to see when they will be touring your area and don't forget to enter the contest. But back to the surprise box that arrived last week.

How great it was to open the box and pull out this beautiful Presidents Choice cooler containing all new must try Presidents Choice BBQ products, and...

this luscious red apron!!

Here are a few of the items that were inside the cooler to help me get ready for BBQ season. PC Slider Thin Mini Burger Buns, PC New World EVOO, PC 100% Sparkling Fruit Juice, New PC Glaze With Balsamic Vinegar Of Modena, PC Maple Bacon Marinade, PC Grilling & Roasting Seasoning Grinder, PC Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies, andtheir new must try PC Thick Cut Ballpark Hot Dog Rippled Potato Chips. Attached to the package of buns was a $10 PC Gift Card to try the new PC Angus Sliders and a tub of the new PC Ice Cream Shop Flavours Ice Cream.

Supper that evening was a no brainer as I knew that I would be drizzling those new PC Slider Thin Mini Burger Buns with the new PC New World EVOO from Chile. In 2006 Chile beat Italy for the prestigious Sol D'Oro Prize for the World's Best Olive Oil. This EVOO originates from the same award-winning region, where olive groves have been cultivated for more than 400 years. The slider buns split apart easily and heated up nicely on the grill and were the perfect size for the Angus meat patty.

The new Grilling & Roasting Seasoning grinder with Sea Salt had the right amount of punch needed to spice up the burgers. It was a great addition to the BBQ cooler from Loblaw's.

Would you believe a chip that tastes like a hot dog? Well, believe it! The new must try PC bag of Thick Cut Ballpark Hot Dog Rippled Potato Chips tasted exactly like a hot dog from the stadium and was a great addition to the slider meal.

The cooler bag also contained various glazes and marinades. The Balsamic Vinegar Glaze conveniently comes in an upside down bottle and its thick glaze is great over grilled vegetables.

The next morning I decided to use the Maple Bacon Marinade for our pork chop dinner. The lovely flavors of the Maple Bacon Marinade would also be an excellent marinade for chicken.

By evening time the heavens opened and the rain came down but that didn't deter us from BBQing our delicious pork chops with the Maple Bacon Marinade.

A lovely addition to the meal was the 100% Sparkling Orange and Tangerine Fruit Juice over a glass filled with ice which was both refreshing and very tasty.

Last but not least, the cooler bag had a $10 PC Gift Card with which to purchase the Angus Sliders and thenew PC Ice Cream Shop Flavor Ice Cream that would go great between the yummy PC Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies. Wouldn't the ice cream and cookies make for a great ending to a great BBQ meal?

One of the great things about Presidents Choice is that along with their new great food products, as a company they are also involved in many charities in particular the Breakfast For Learning which provides nutrition programs to children of all ages across the country. Once again a huge thank you to Loblaw's Presidents Choice and their partners, and also to Blogger Aid-Changing the Face of Famine.Do take a minute to check out the wonderful food bloggers from around the world at the Blogger Aid link.