Spring Allergies

There are a lot of supposed allergy cures/relievers out there. I have tried many (though not all) of them, and this year I may have found one that works. I can't say for sure yet because we're not deep enough into allergy season, but I'm just saying - usually I am among the first to start sneezing and trying to scratch my eyes out... but this time there are many people ahead of me in that line. For now, I chalk that up to

Nettle Tea with Local Honey

I have tried to research this (not very hard, I'll admit) and no one seems to really have any 'scientific' answers about why this should work, but many people have confirmed that it does wonders! The claim is not that it will make your allergies go away, but that if you drink at least one cup of long-steeped nettle tea a day, starting a month or two before you expect your allergies to arrive, it will dramatically lessen your symptoms. I think for people with severe allergies 3 cups a day is recommended, but I just can't drink that much tea. You can also drink it while you're having an allergy attack and it should calm it down in 20-30 minutes.

Local Honey is also supposed to help because the bees are making honey out of the pollen that you may or may not be allergic to - exposing your body to the suspects in a different way is supposed to build up your immunity to it, or something like that. Again, haven't found much in the way of science to back that up.

The point is, I have been drinking nettle tea with a generous dollop of local honey (you really should have the honey - the tea is kind of unpleasant without it) since February, and so far the worst I've had is a couple sneezes a day and a very mildly irritated nose now and then. And I've been doing a lot of work outside pulling weeds!

Give it a try - it's certainly easier than getting allergy shots!

Nettle Tea can be found at most Health Food stores, and most towns have their own Honey centre.

Red Salad

Slowly but surely, I'm building up a repertoire of salads that I actually enjoy (Shocking - I know!). Near the top of the list is this one that I call the Red Salad. Don't let that put you off, they're all good things! Super simple, I won't list quantities because it's totally up to you.

Red Leaf Lettuce
Red Grapes, cut in half if large
Red Onion (thinly sliced and soaked in cold water to wash away a bit of it's pungency)
Balsamic Dressing
Toasted Walnuts or Pecans, optional
Crumbled Blue Cheese or Goat Cheese, optional but you should really do it, it's what makes the salad! ("but it's weeeiirddd it's bluuueeeee" oh stop being such a wimp. It's just cheese, it's not like it's monkey brains!)


Toss and enjoy with a glass of wine for a light dinner, or with some chicken and potatoes as part of a fantastic feast!

Heehee - these looked like an octopus

LOBSTER + BRIE GRILLED CHEESE

This is Dave convincing you that you will love it. Also it was a very hot day... ergo no shirt.

I know, I know - what's with the all caps on the title there? I don't normally do that, but this grilled cheese sandwich is so blow-your-mind, can't-believe-it's-so-good, where-have-you-been-all-my-life FANTASTIC that it was worth it. Originally I tried this sandwich at Moxies on Dave's birthday. He ordered it, and I had pasta - that was probably the first time I was ever dissatisfied with pasta. Because his grilled cheese sandwich was TOO GOOD. Of course we had to recreate it as soon as possible, SO, here is our rendition. You will love it. The end.

LOBSTER + BRIE GRILLED CHEESE
serves 2


1 Lobster, cooked, meat carefully pulled out (no shell shrapnel, please!) and chopped. Fine, chunky - it's your call
1 Tbsp. Mayo
1/2 cup grated Cheddar
Brie - brie is sold in so many different sizes, I can't tell you how much you need. But more is best.
Sourdough Bread, 4 relatively thin slices.

1. Mix the lobster, the mayo, and the cheddar together in a bowl.

2. Cut slices of the brie and lay them out on 2 slices of bread. For the sake of your future happiness, don't leave too many gaps!


3. Spread the lobster mixture on the other 2 slices of bread. Put the sandwiches together.

4. Heat some butter and a wee bit of olive oil in your best, biggest skillet. Right before the butter turns brown, set your sandwiches in. At this point I like to spread a bit of butter on the top, so I'm not relying solely on pan-butter when I flip these bad boys. Also, if you have something heavy nearby to weigh these babies down with, do it. I like to heat up another frying pan, and (using oven mitts) sit it on top and push it down for a few seconds.

5. When both sides are golden, remove to a cutting board and cut in half so you can
see all that marvelous gooey-ness being all.... gooey.

Butter on one side

*tip: in the Restaurant, when asked "salad or fries?" Dave automatically said fries, as is correct. However, it was, just this once, possibly a mistake. This sandwich is insanely rich and creamy - a small side salad is definitely a good idea!*

Eggs in a Kale nest

I'll admit - this recipe was pretty much stolen from my Martha Stewart magazine, but I did make some changes so I don't feel too guilty posting this - and you certainly won't have to feel guilty eating it, because it is some of the most delicious health food you'll ever have! I may be exaggerating, depending how you feel about soft-boiled eggs. I hear not everyone is a fan... hmm... ANYWAY, so the story goes:

4 soft-boiled eggs (how to)
1 large bunch of Kale
1/2 onion (shallot, red, white, yellow, blue... blue???), chopped
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 lemon, zested
olive oil
s+p

1) If you're thinking far enough in advance, cook the eggs about 30 minutes ahead. They will be MUCH easier to peel.
Preheat oven to 400

2) Cook the brown rice - 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice (this is almost ALWAYS the ratio, also with white rice - memorize it!). Bring to a boil, then simmer and cover until all the water is absorbed.

3) Remove the large ribs from each Kale stem, and chop VERY roughly. Kale shrinks almost as much as spinach so keep the leaves fairly large. Toss with the onion, a healthy drizzle of olive oil, lemon zest, and the salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet and slide into the top third of the oven.

4) I'm rarely precise when I cook, so I don't know how long it took - set your timer at 3 minutes intervals - when the kale is crispy and a little brown, it's done. Stop when you smell burning!!

5) Serve the kale on the rice and the eggs on the kale!

*tip: if you're peeling your eggs and they seem too soft for your liking (like as if not all of the white is cooked) it won't hurt them to lower them back into simmering water for another 5 minutes or so. I can't STAND uncooked egg white... ick!*

Introducing, Madeleine

I have been wanting a Madeleine pan forEVER. I'll admit - ever since watching that Friends episode where Ross and Rachel hire a male nanny and he makes Madeleines. Ross makes fun of him for this but when Monica asks him how they were, he says "Lighter than air," and closes his eyes in that funny Ross-like way before declaring "That's not the point!" I finally decided there was no reason I needed to end yet another year without having made these beautiful little tea cakes, so I marched out and bought me a good-for-only-one-thing pan!
Yay Madeleines!

Aren't they cute? They're so buttery and spongey - it's a good thing they're small!
I used this Martha Stewart recipe and added lemon zest to the batter. They can be very easily adapted so don't be afraid to add other flavours to them! Just make sure you're patient and use decent technique when you're folding the batter - this is important!

Indian Feast!

I had my brother, sister, and one of their friends over for dinner the other night, and made it Indian Themed. We had so much fun, and realized how fascinating Indian food could be! 

The menu:

Samosas

Vegetable Korma

White and Brown Rice

Naan Bread

Sweet Rice Cake

Masala Chai

Vegetable Korma is one of my favorite curries so far (curry is very accommodating to the Daniel Fast)… it is so creamy and flavorful, you’d swear it was unhealthy! If I can’t have Butter Chicken, this may be the next best thing. Heck, I may even make it when I’m NOT fasting!

I substituted Coconut Milk (NOT low-fat) for the cream, and I think the recipe was all the better for it!

The Chai and the Sweet Rice Cake are from the cook book “Simply Indian” by Tahera Rawji.

The Sweet Rice Cake was baffling. The entire time I was preparing it I was convinced it wouldn't work out. I had never seen anything cooked in this way before! Of course I needn’t have worried - it turned out fine. But if you ever want to try something new as far as cooking techniques go, try this rice cake!

I still don't know how this made a cake. No eggs, no flour... yet it baked!

1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice (washed and soaked overnight, or 5-6 hours)

1 1/4 cups coconut milk (NOT low-fat)

1/2 cup milk

1 cup warm water

1 tsp. instant yeast

1/2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds (crushed)

1 Tbsp. ghee or butter

1) Drain and rinse the rice and blend in a blender with the coconut milk, milk, water, yeast, and butter until it's smooth (this could take awhile!). Preheat the oven broiler.

2) Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Gently stir in the sugar and cardamom. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise ("bubble" is more like it) for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

3) Put the butter or ghee in a frying pan on high heat. When it is hot, lower the heat to medium and pour in the mixture. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes until it is set and the sides are golden.

4) Place the frying pan under the broiler for a few minutes until the top becomes golden/reddish brown.

6) Cool and cut.

Makes 8 generous portions

Vegetable Confit with Accordion Potatoes

I love slow cooked vegetables. I came across a recipe for a Vegetable Tian in Laura Calder’s “French Taste” cookbook. What caught my attention was how she described it as a Vegetable Confit. For those who don’t know, a Confit is usually referring to duck legs that are submerged in duck fat, and slowly cooked in the oven. Can you say heavenly? I can! Here, it refers to all these vegetables cooking away in their own juices and olive oil until they just slump into each other and kind of become one mass. There are very few other flavoring agents in this recipe besides the vegetables themselves. I adapted this recipe a little and made it in the crockpot, to ensure a high level of confit-ness! There are no real measurements here, but it’s good to start with one of each of these vegetables:

Onion
Zucchini
Eggplant
Orange Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Tomato
1) Slice all vegetables to relatively the same thickness.

2) Sautee the onions briefly until they get soft.

3) Putting the onions in first, layer everything in the crockpot however you like. One vegetable per layer, alternating colors – whatever! You’re the artist. Save the tomatoes for the very top, though. Salt and pepper every few layers, and at the end generously drizzle olive oil over everything.

4) Crockpot on low, for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. If you want to do this in the oven, it’s 450 for about an hour.

Now of course a good accompaniment to ANY dish that is lacking in fill-you-up power is the wonderful potato. These accordian potatoes are also super easy and they just look so fancy.
1) Cut your potatoes width-ways, slicing every centimetre or so, not quite cutting through the bottom.
2) Shove herbs in a few of the crevices - thyme, parsley, bay leaves - drizzle generously with olive oil, and salt and pepper.
3) Roast for about 45 minutes at 375.