Food « A Lot About Nothing

Category: Food

Recipe: Fried Cabbage with Wieners

Dec

2011

Fried Cabbage with Wieners

Okay, okay… so the title of this recipe may not sound too appetizing, but I assure you that this is a quick, tasty and affordable meal. My mom used to cook this for my siblings and I every once in a while and I just loved how the simple flavours worked together and satisfied my appetite!

Ingredients:

1 small head of cabbage (shredded or thinly sliced)
1 red onion (thinly sliced)
4 beef/chicken/veggie weiners (sliced)
4 strips of bacon (sliced into small strips)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Directions:

Heat a wok or large frying pan on medium-low heat. Add sliced bacon and fry for 2 minutes until lightly browned.
Add onion and continue to cook until onions soften (about 4-5 minutes).
Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper and caraway seeds and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Add in cabbage and sliced wieners, then slowly pour in vegetable stock.
Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes (or until cabbage is wilted and no longer crunchy), stirring occasionally.
Serve cabbage with basmati rice.

Tags: cabbage, dinner, hot dogs, Recipe, wieners
Posted in Food, Recipes | 1 Comment »

An Anti-Valentine’s Day Dinner Party

Feb

2011

Like a lot of people out there (notably single) the over-commercialization of Valentine’s Day just grinds their gears. The over-priced heart-shaped chocolates, the fluffy teddy bears, the couples sitting down to a romantic meal in a restaurant, seeing your co-worker getting a ginormous bouquet delivered to her in the office by her significant other… you know the deal. Well this year I decided to have an Anti-Valentine’s Day Dinner to celebrate with all my single friends.

On the menu was:

Spring Salad

“Can’t Wait ‘Til” Spring Mix Salad and Avocado with a Creamy Vinaigrette

Making your own salad dressing is a big money-saver. For this one I used some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a dab of mayonnaise, some lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.

Shrimp Dumplings

“Stuff You” Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

I admit, this is from a store-bought package, but they tasted delicious!

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

“Spear My Heart” Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

So yummy. My first time trying anything wrapped in asparagus.

Jerk Chicken with Penne Pasta in a Cream Sauce

“He’s A Jerk” Chicken with Penne Pasta in a Cream Sauce

I marinated some chicken breasts overnight in a home-made jerk sauce (could’ve used more “jerk” though). Next time I’ll be sure to add some scotch bonnet peppers.

Chocolate Lava Cake with Ice Cream

“Dark Hearts” Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

I meant to make the cake (and even the Ice Cream) from scratch, but was running out of prep time (had to go salsa dancing later that night!). Not as “lava-ey” as I hoped (I think I left them in the oven too long), but still quite tasty.

Chocolate-Caramel Apples

And my girl Colleen brought some fan-freakin-tastic chocolate-caramel covered apples for post-dessert! Courtesy of The Real Canadian Superstore (who knew?).

Dinner went wonderfully, and my lovely friends definitely enjoyed all the food (thank you for coming!). Who knows? Maybe I’ll make this an annual thing… we’ll see what cupid has in store.

Tags: anti-valentine's day, cooking, dinner, Food
Posted in Food, Holidays | No Comments »

Recipe: Apple-Cheese Streusel Squares

Dec

2009

Apple-Cheese Streusel Squares

This is a recipe that I submitted to Pillsbury’s Baking Challenge. I heard about the contest one night, and realizing that I only had a couple of days to create a recipe, I found a tube of Pillsbury Crescents in my fridge and started brainstorming. Apple-Cheese Struesel Squares (or rectangles, depending on how you cut ‘em), is what came out of it all. After serving the delicious dessert to several friends of mine (and of course, trying it myself), I knew I had a winner in my books. Moist and flaky Pillsbury Crescent base for this quick and easy dessert, along with the blend of tender apples, cream cheese and streusel topping. If you enjoy the recipe, remember to head over to the Pillsbury Baking Challenge website and vote for my dessert (you can vote once a day)!

Ingredients:

1 can (235 g) Pillsbury* Crescent Rolls

For cream cheese filling:
1 – 250g package of cream cheese (room temp.)
3 tbsp granulated sugar (45 mL)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (2.5 mL)

For apple filling:
2 cooking apples, peeled and sliced (e.g. golden delicious)
3 tbsp unsalted butter (45 mL)
2 tbsp brown sugar (30 mL)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (5 mL)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (2.5 mL)

For Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup flour (75 mL)
1/4 cup brown sugar (50 mL)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (50 mL)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (5 mL)

Directions:

Grease an 8-inch casserole dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 3 tbsp of unsalted butter for the apple filling. Add in the 2 tbsp of brown sugar and cinnamon and stir until dissolved. Gradually add in the sliced apples and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, using a spatula mix together the ingredients for the cream cheese filling: cream cheese and granulated sugar until blended, then add in the egg and vanilla extract. Set aside.
For the streusel topping, mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in the butter and combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Open the can of Pillsbury* Crescent Rolls and arrange four sections in the bottom of the casserole dish to cover the bottom of it (use your fingers to stretch the dough slightly if necessary). Slowly pour the cream cheese mixture over the bottom layer of the Crescent dough. Top the cream cheese mixture evenly with the semi-cooked apple. Add the remaining four pieces of Crescent dough on top of the layers to seal.
Top the layers evenly with the streusel topping and bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Tips and suggestions: Top with chopped walnuts prior to cooking and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Tags: Apple, Cream Cheese, Dessert, Pillsbury, Recipe
Posted in Food, Recipes | No Comments »

Recipe: Potato Fish Cakes

Aug

2009

Potato Fish Cakes

This recipe makes a great appetizer, or all around savoury snack if you’re a fan of fish and potatoes. You can experiment with any type of fish you’d like (or even mix them like I did), but I think cod, salmon or sole work really well. A helpful hint: if you want to reduce the cooking time, cut your potatoes into chunks (instead of boiling them whole), so that they cook quicker.

Yield: 12-14 fish cakes

Ingredients:

4 small white potatoes or 2 large russett potatoes (cut into large chunks)
2 salmon, cod or sole fillets (about 250-300g total)
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tbsp milk
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh dill (chopped)
3 green onions (finely chopped)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt, or to taste
3 tbsp canola oil (for frying)

Directions:

Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes, or until tender.
While the potatoes are boiling, sear the fish fillets in a frying pan with a bit of oil for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. When they are almost fully cooked, remove from heat and flake into bits with a fork.
Drain potatoes and place into a large bowl. Quickly mash with a potato masher, adding milk and egg to themixture.

Mix the flaked fish into the mashed potatoes. Add in the breadcrumbs, green onions, dill, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well combined.
Using your hands, roll a portion of the mixture into a ball and form small patties (a little bigger than a squash ball, or larger if you like). Place fish cakes in a frying pan with oil over medium heat.
Fry each potato fish cake for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined tray or plate. Serve with your favourite seafood dipping sauce, ketchup or enjoy as is.

Tags: Cod, Fish, Potato, Potato Fish Cakes, Recipe, Salmon
Posted in Food, Recipes | 4 Comments »

Recipe: Mo’s Chicken Korma

Aug

2009

Mo's Chicken Korma

I’m a fan of South Asian cuisine. Whenever I visit an Indian restaurant I get so intrigued at the thought of what goes in to making the delicious food. Chicken Korma is something that I just had to try making on my own. Classically, korma is a term given to mild, creamy, curry dish where meat or vegetables are braised in yogurt or cream. To give this korma dish a South Indian flavour, coconut milk can be used, but you can substitute it for regular milk if you like. Another option is to stir in some ground almonds into the sauce just before serving.

Personally I prefer to marinate all the spices with the chicken (instead of adding them to the oil on the stove), and leaving the addition of the yogurt until later on in the cooking process (instead of traditionally using it as part of the marinade). I find this allows the flavours to better set with the chicken. I didn’t have any plain yogurt on hand the first time I made this recipe, so I substituted it with sour cream and it came out tasting just as delicious so I’ve stuck with it.

Yield: Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized cubes)
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger root (finely grated)
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp canola oil (for frying)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro/coriander leaves (chopped)

Marinade:
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp canola oil

Directions:

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl.
Sprinkle spices over the chicken pieces, mixing well with a spoon so that all pieces are coated evenly. Pour in the 1 tablepoon of oil and mix with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Fry the onion in a large skillet on medium heat, until it begins to soften and lightly caramelize (5-6 minutes).
Add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Stir-fry for an additional 1 minute.
Add the marinated chicken into the skillet, increasing the heat to medium-high, and sauté for about 4-5 minutes, until chicken is opaque.
Gradually add the sour cream and coconut milk to the skillet, making sure liquids are blended evenly.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked and sauce has thickened (add a bit of water if needed).
Remove the skillet from heat, and mix in the chopped cilantro, lemon juice and salt to the chicken korma, letting it sit for an additional 5 minutes so that all the flavours are able to intermingle.
Serve over basmati rice or with naan bread.