Green Garlic

Recipe make-over

Here’s one of my family’s favourite recipes that is going to be ‘made-over’ by the Heart and Stroke Health Check Program in April. Check out their website: www.healthcheck.org

Here is my recipe – that really needs a low fat make-over! Cream, butter, pastry – oh my!

CHICKEN IN PHYLLO PASTRY

3 cups (750 ml) cooked, boneless chicken, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1/4 cup (60 ml) butter

1 onion, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) dried thyme

1/4 cup (60 ml) flour

2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock

1/2 cup (125 ml) 35% cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

12 – 16 sheets phyllo pastry

1/2 – 1 cup (250 ml) butter, melted

1. To make the chicken filling, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook for 5-10 minutes until translucent. Meanwhile, blanch the celery and carrot pieces in boiling water until just tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Stir the dried thyme into the onion and butter mixture, then stir in the flour and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, and let cook for about ten minutes, or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Finish by stirring in the cream, and letting it simmer for two or three minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked chicken, celery, and carrots. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside in refrigerator to cool.
3. To assemble the chicken in phyllo, you must first have a large, clear work surface. Have your melted butter and a pastry brush ready. Open the phyllo package and lay out the whole stack of phyllo sheets. Take one sheet off the top, and lay it on your work surface, with the short side closest to you. Cover the sheets that you are not using right now with a slightly damp tea towel. Brush melted butter over the entire surface of the one phyllo sheet. Then, lay another sheet of phyllo on top of the first. Once again, brush with butter. Repeat this two more times, to eventually have a stack of four sheets of phyllo. With a sharp knife, slice this stack of phyllo sheets down the middle, lengthwise. You now have two lengths of phyllo dough. Place a scoop of the cooled chicken filling on the bottom quarter of each length of dough. You are now going to fold this into a triangle shape. Take the bottom right hand corner of the dough and fold it over the chicken filling, to form a triangle. Then, fold from the bottom left corner, lifting the chicken filling along with this fold, and forming another triangle. Keep on folding until you have reached the top of the length of phyllo. It won’t be perfect (at least, mine wasn’t). Place the bundles on a baking sheet, preferably one that is lined with parchment. Brush the tops of each bundle with more melted butter. Set aside, and repeat this procedure until the entire chicken filling has been used.
4. Heat the oven to 375° F (190°C). Bake the chicken in phyllo for 20-25 minutes, until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is piping hot.
5. Makes six to eight phyllo bundles.

Quick Maple Syrup Raisin buns

Even though our own children are teenagers, I look forward to March Break. Years ago when they were very young, my husband bought some second-hand maple syrup buckets, lids and spiles from our local TSC store. He took the girls on a wintery walk into our bush and they tapped five trees. How fabulous it was to see the sap dripping for the first time. After a couple of days the buckets were full. We boiled it down on our woodstove for about twenty-four hours, and made our first home-made maple syrup. We’ve been doing it ever since and we get about six to eight liters each year, which is enough to last us through to the next maple syrup season. I love the process for making maple syrup, it’s so Canadian. I find that kids get the most engaged with their food when they have participated in the process, and maple syrup is a prime example.

Quick Maple Syrup Raisin Buns

Biscuit dough:
2 cup (500 mL) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (10 mL) salt
1 tablespoon (15 mL) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (10 mL) baking soda
2 tablespoon (30 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, cubed
1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk
1 egg

Filling:
2 tablespoon (30 mL) melted butter
1/4 cup (60 mL) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon (10 mL) cinnamon
1/2 cup (125 mL) raisins
1/2 cup (125 mL) maple syrup
1 tablespoon (15 mL) butter for pan

• Heat oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Butter an 8 inch square pan with one tablespoon of butter.
• Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and granulated sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add egg to buttermilk and beat with a fork. Add all at once to flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together and forms a moist dough. Sprinkle some flour on your counter, and dump out dough onto counter. Gently knead it 3-4 times. Sprinkle a little bit more flour on the counter if needed and on rolling pin, and roll out dough into a rectangle, about one centimeter thick.
• Brush dough with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Roll dough up into a log, and with a sharp knife, slice it into nine even circles. Pour maple syrup into prepared pan, tilting pan to spread out syrup evenly. Lay buns, cut side down, into pan. Place pan in hot oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Buns will be puffed and browned. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and invert pan onto a plate. Let pan sit upside down for a couple of minutes to catch any excess syrup. Remove pan and let buns cool for as long as you can stand it. Best eaten the same day.
• Makes nine buns. See how long they last.

originally posted (by Christine) on EcoLiving London blog – check it out at: 

http://www.ecolivinglondon.org/

Cooking with Tea

A couple of Saturdays ago I had the pleasure of teaching a cooking class at the Covent Garden Market, hosted by The Tea Haus. We had a delicious time!  Here are the recipes I did, and a few photos. You should really come along next time!

Local Corn and Pepper Soup with Green Tea

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 red or orange pepper, diced

2 cups green tea, steeped for about 3 minutes.

3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)

1/2 cup fresh edamame (green soybeans)

1 Tablespoon tamari soy sauce

2 Tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (sometimes I add a dash of cayenne pepper as well)

Sourcream for garnish

Halved cherry tomatoes for garnish

Method:

• Heat oil in a good size saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, cook for 3 minutes, then add the garlic, jalapeno, red pepper. Cook and stir another 2-3 minutes.
• Add the tea to the pot, bring to the boil, then add the corn and edamame. Lower heat and let soup simmer for another 3 minutes or so.
• Stir in tamari, parsley, cilantro, season to taste with salt and pepper (and cayenne if more heat is desired). If soup seems too thick, add a bit of water.
• Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream and half a cherry tomato.
• Serves four-six.

Kukicha Tea Crust Pizza with Pesto

Ingredients for crust:

1 cup brewed kukicha tea, warm

1 teaspoon traditional yeast

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup all purpose flour

Method:

• In a table top mixer, combine the warm tea with the yeast, sugar, olive oil, salt and 1 ½ cups flour. Mic with the dough hook for a few minutes. When it is well blended, add in the remaining 1 cup flour, and beat with the dough hook for another 2-3 minutes, until it comes away from the edges of the bowl.
• Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 1 hour.

Basil Pesto

4 cups (1 l) packed basil leaves

6 cloves garlic

1 1/2 cup (375 ml) olive oil

1 teaspoon (5 ml) sea salt (optional)

1-2 cup (500 ml) Parmesan cheese

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil leaves with the garlic and process until smooth. Add the salt and continue to process. With the motor running, pour in the olive oil, and the finally add the cheese. Scoop into clean jars. Refrigerate up to two weeks, or freeze.

Seasonal Pizza Toppings

Caramelized onions

Roasted garlic

Roasted peppers

Grilled eggplant and zucchini

Tomatoes

Herbs

Arugula

Local mozzarella cheese, shredded

Local goat cheese

And whatever your imagination will allow…!

To assemble and cook pizza:

1. Heat oven to 400 ° F. Oil a pizza pan.
2. Flop pizza dough out of bowl onto pizza pan. With your hands squish pizza dough to sides of pan. This dough is very soft and workable, it does not need to be kneaded, and will only fight back if over-worked.
3. Spread crust with pesto (you will have left-over pesto)
4. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then other toppings of choice.
5. Place in hot oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.
6. Makes one big pizza.

Local Apples Baked in Kenya Tea Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Kenya black tea leaves brewed in 1 cup boiling water for 1 minute.

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

8 local apples, peeled, cored, quartered

1 package (200 grams) Skor toffee bits (a heaping cup)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

6 Tablespoons flour

1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes

Ice cream or whipped cream or plain yogourt for serving (optional)

Method:

• Heat oven to 375 ° F.
• Strain tea. Discard tea leaves. Stir maple syrup into the tea, set aside.
• Layer apples in pan, pour tea and maple syrup mixture over all. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, combine the Skor bits with the pecans and flour. Work in the butter with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of apples. Place pan in oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and hot.
• Remove from oven. Let sit for several minutes before serving. Really delicious served with London Ice Cream’s Acadian Vanilla ice cream.
• Serves eight.

What’s for dinner?

OK, basically this never ending humidity has drained me of any desire to cook, but then, at our Saturday market there were a few items that I just had to pick up, and I will cook them up for dinner tonight. The first item that I decided on was a luscious rib-eye ELK steak. This will be the first time I cook elk, but because it is so lean I’ll have to be careful not to over-cook it. I’m going to make an easy marinade for it (soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sriracha chili sauce, and a small amount of oil). I am going to grill it and serve it with some maitaki mushrooms that I purchased form Soiled Reputation. I’ll saute them with a bit of butter and fresh juicy garlic from our garden. I’ll serve all this with some of our gorgeous organic potatoes (blue, yellow & red) and green beans, also in season now. All pretty simple, but I just know that those flavours will sing!

Here it is – all layed out on a platter. It tasted as good as it looks! Of course I didn’t tell anybody they were eating elk until all the lip smacking was done.

For dessert I made a blueberry and nectarine ‘buckle’ on the BBQ, served it with vanilla ice cream. mmm. Who needs to go out for dinner?

Chickens and Tomatoes

Here’s a little story. As you may know, our farm is pretty big, so instead of walking 10 acres to get an herb or a tomato for dinner, I have a very small garden beside my kitchen, which has tarragon, mint, basil, lemon verbena, sage, parsley, more mint, even more mint (I think it is taking over) and some savoury in it. Oh yes, it has quite a few weeds as well. Anyway,  this year I planted 3 heritage tomato plants as well, that I bought from City Farm at our Covent Garden Farmers’ Market. The plants have been quite spectacular, big strong, vibrant plants. I think it is because I gave them a good dose of organic composted fertilizer that I bought from Annelid Cycle, who also was at our market this spring. As you can imagine, I have been waiting quite impatiently for those tomatoes to ripen, and then the other day – lo and behold I saw some red peaking through the dense green foliage. I dashed over to check on my precious tomatoes – planning a ‘celebration of the tomato dinner’ in my mind – the chickens came dashing our from under the plants (they love cooling off in the shade of the plants), and I saw that all that remained of the tomatoes was the stem end that was still connected to the plant – the remainder had been pecked away for somebody’s afternoon snack.

Perhaps you are wondering why we didn’t have barbecued chicken for supper that night? Ahh, the eggs make all these little ’situations’  worth it. I’ll just have to walk a bit further for my tomatoes (again) this summer.

Here’s a yummy way to use some of your own heritage tomatoes. Grilled chicken strips would be a nice addition! (sshhh, don’t tell the chickens I said that!)

Grilled Bruschetta

1 baguette, sliced

1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil

2 cloves garlic, halved

2 large vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch fresh basil leaves sliced into thin strips

Pinch sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional garnish)

• Heat the barbecue to medium.
• Combine the diced tomatoes with the 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil, basil, and salt. Set aside.
• Brush the slices of baguette on each side with the 1/2 cup (125 ml) of olive oil. Grill them on each side, turning down the heat if necessary. When the bread is grilled, rub each slice with the cut garlic, and then top with the tomatoes mixture while bread is still warm. Grind some pepper over top, and Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Avalanche

Oh yes, it’s that time of year – we have green zucchini, yellow zucchini, and paddy pans coming out our ying yang. What to do with all of these delicious summer squash…

Here are a few ideas: Make a cake, loaf or muffins – see recipes below!

Teresa (who I work with at the market) makes grilled zucchini pizzas – she grills sliced zucchini or paddy pans that have been brushed with olive oil for the base of the ‘pizza’, and then puts on the pizza toppings – anything you like pepperoni, cheese, pizza sauce. I love feta, tomatoes and basil- but why not make up your own combination?

I also love the simple grilled flavour of zucchini with lots of garlic and onions. mmm.

Some folks at the market have told me they have even put grated zucchini into brownies to make them extra moist. I think it is worth a try!

Here are the recipes as promised!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 1/2 cup (500 ml) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (125 ml) cocoa powder

2 1/2 tsp (12.5 ml) baking powder

1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon

1 1/2 cup (375 ml) milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup (125 ml) buttermilk

2 cup (500 ml) granulated sugar

3 eggs

2 cup (500 ml) zucchini, grated

2 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp (45 ml) orange zest, minced

Glaze:

1 1/2 cup (500 ml) icing sugar

3-4 Tbsp (45-60 ml) orange juice

• Heat oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.
• In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
• In another bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, and sugar with the eggs. Stir in the zucchini, vanilla, and orange zest. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir just to combine. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan, and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a rack.
• Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar and orange juice for the glaze, and when the cake is cool, pour over top.
• Makes one bundt cake.

Nutty Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup (375 ml) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil

1/2 cup (125 ml) plain yogourt

2 cups (500 ml) zucchini, grated

1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla

1 Tbsp (15 ml) orange zest, minced

3 cups (750 ml) all purpose flour

1 tsp (5 ml) salt

1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder

1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

1 cup (250 ml) pecans, chopped

Glaze:

1 cup (250 ml) icing sugar, sifted

3 Tbsp (45 ml) orange juice

• Heat oven to 350° F (180° C). Spray two loaf pans with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, whisk together the eggs with the sugar, oil, yogourt, zucchini, vanilla, and orange zest. In another larger bowl, sift the flour together with the salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the pecans. Make a well in the centre, and stir in the egg/ sugar mixture. Stir just until everything is combined. Divide the batter equally between the two loaf pans, smooth out the top of the batter, and place loaf pans in oven.  Bake for 50 minutes to one hour. Check to make sure the loaf is cooked by sticking a toothpick in the centre, and checking to see that no wet batter sticks to it. When cooked, let cool in pans set on racks for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool thoroughly.
• Make glaze by stirring the icing sugar together with the orange juice until smooth. Spread on top of loaves, letting it drip down the sides.
• Makes two loaves.

Summery Recipes

I put these favourite recipes together for a summer taping for Roger’s TV.  So delicious!

To make it a full meal, I also grilled a bison burger, spread it with roasted garlic and local goat cheese. I topped it all with arugula from our farm, and a couple of slices of hothouse tomatoes from the St. Thomas area! Dig in!

Warm Potato Salad with Tarragon Dressing

          This recipe is a ‘keeper’ for barbecue season. It can be served with the potatoes hot right off the barbecue, or it can sit for a while and be served at room temperature. Either way, the tarragon gives the dish a fullness of flavour that is rich and satisfying.

24 small new white potatoes

1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) Salt

1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) freshly ground pepper

DRESSING:

1 Tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh tarragon

1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp (15 ml) Balsamic vinegar

1 tsp (5 ml) Liquid honey

1 shallot, minced

1 small clove garlic, minced

Pinch salt and pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

• Wash potatoes, cut in half, and mix together with the vegetable oil, garlic, jalapeno peppers, salt and pepper, wrap in foil and place over medium heat on barbecue for approximately 45 minutes, or roast in a 375 degree F (180 degree C) oven for 1/2 hour – 45 minutes (or until tender).
• In large bowl, assemble dressing ingredients.   When potatoes are cooked, add to dressing, stir gently to coat, season to taste, and serve warm or at room temperature.

RHUBARB LEMONADE

8 cups chopped rhubarb

3 cups (750 ml) granulated sugar

3 tbsp (45 ml) grated lemon rind

1 1/2 cup (375 ml) fresh lemon juice

• In large saucepan, stir together 3 cups (750 ml) water, rhubarb, sugar, and lemon rind; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and rhubarb breaks up, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Strain through fine sieve, pressing out liquid. Let cool. To serve, add 3 part water to one part syrup; serve over ice. Makes about 20 servings.

Crepes with Summer Berries

1 cup (250 mL) flour

1 Tablespoon (15 mL) granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 3/4 (330 mL) milk

1 Tablespoon (15 mL) melted butter

Filling:

3 cup (750 mL) mixed summer berries, washed

2 cup (500 mL) whipped 35% cream, sweetened with about 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or to taste)

• Measure flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and melted butter into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to another container, cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours before using.
• To make crepes, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Brush lightly with vegetable oil. Pour about ¼ cup (60 ml) batter into the pan, and swirl the pan around so the batter evenly coats the bottom. Cook until the edges look brown. Flip the crepe, and cook for another few seconds, to quickly finish the cooking. Transfer to a plate while you make the remaining crepes.
• Makes about 12 crepes. Any extras can be wrapped well and frozen.

To assemble the crepes:

Lay out the crepes on your work surface. Divide the fresh fruit between the crepes, roll them up. Serve with a generous scoop of whipped cream on the side. Garnish with a sprig of lemon verbena or mint.

Earth Day Recipes

I made these on Rogers Daytime with host Darrin. Tons of fun! Amazing what can be done in 13 minutes!

Earth Day Fresh Rolls

1 package rice paper wraps

1 cup (250 mL)  cucumber, seeded,cut into thin sticks

1/4 cup (60 mL)  shredded carrots

2 cup (500 mL) thin rice noodles, cooked according to package directions

1/4 cup (60 mL)  fresh mixed herbs, finely sliced (cilantro, basil, mint are all good choices)

2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh lime juice

2 tablespoon (30 mL) soy sauce

1 teaspoon (5 mL) fresh ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 green onions, finely sliced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1. Combine noodles with herbs, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, green onions, and jalapeno.
2. Dip one sheet of rice paper into warm water, lay out on work surface, and place some shredded carrot, cucumber sticks, and some fresh herb leaves in center of wrap. Top with noodles. Fold in edge, then roll up into a cyclinder. These can be made in advance, but must be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out. Cut in half before serving.
3. Serve with dipping sauce
4. TIP: spray the platter with cooking spray so the rolls do not stick!

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup (125 mL)  smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon (15 mL)  rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried chili flakes

1 tablespoon (15 mL) soy sauce

Hot water

Combine all ingredients. If it seems too thick, add a little hot water. Serve with wraps.

Love The Planet Brownies

1/4 cup (60 mL) Ontario maple syrup

1/2 cup (125 mL) organic raisins

3/4 cup (185 mL) organic butter

6 oz (160 g) fair trade or organic chocolate (70-80% cocoa solids)

3/4 cup (185 mL) organic all purpose flour

1 teaspoon (5 mL) baking powder

2 organic eggs

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×8 inch metal or Pyrex baking pan with cooking spray or butter and flour it.
2. Warm up the maple syrup, either in the microwave or in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir in raisins and let sit to plump while you are preparing the remaining ingredients.
3. In the top of a double boiler, melt the butter with the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool somewhat.
4. Sift together the flour with the baking powder. Set aside.
5. Beat the eggs with the sugar. Stir in the melted chocolate and butter. Stir in the flour and baking powder. Stir in the raisins and maple syrup. Scoop batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake brownies for 50-60 minutes, until edges are raised a bit, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of moist batter attached. These are a dense moist brownie, so you don’t want to over-cook them.
7. Cool completely before cutting.
8. Cut into 16 brownies.

Recipes from a few Rogers TV shows that I did this Winter

The past few months I had the opportunity to be on Rogers Daytime show with hosts Darrin and Stephanie. What a ton of fun! The very first show was just before superbowl, so I had to come up with recipes that were good for entertaining a superbowl crowd, but healthy at the same time. Here’s what I came up with:

You can eat locally, even in winter, and you can eat healthy, even when entertaining for an event such as superbowl Sunday.

Define local: my definition of local changes throughout the year.

Why would you choose to eat local? The first reason for me is that it’s  FUN to eat locally, it gives you a reason to slow down and really think about what you are putting on your plate, you are supporting the local economy, you are supporting small farms, it’s healthier (you know what’s in your food), it creates conversation (both at the store/market and around the table), it gets you in touch with the seasons.

How do you do this? The easiest way is to shop at farmers markets or directly from farms during the growing season. You can preserve/freeze/ can food at its peak of freshness, and then you can enjoy local produce year round.

Choosing to make all your own food and shop locally is naturally healthier, as you are simply more inclined to include more fruit and vegetables in your diet.

Entertaining can be a dieters conundrum, can low fat healthy food taste delicious enough for that ‘wow’ factor we look for when entertaining? Of course the answer is yes. I have never been a big fan of deep- fried greasy food, anyway.

Let’s think about today’s menu, we need it to fulfill certain criteria: local, healthy, delicious, crowd pleasing, not fussy to make, and everything needs to be made in advance so we can all enjoy the party.

No sweat. I’ve chosen a couple of casual entertaining /potluck ‘musts’ and run with them. Pizza and chili.

Our pizza has a home-made whole multi-grain crust, then I topped it with roasted local mushrooms and peppers, caramelized local onions, some Ontario mozzarella cheese and Ontario goat cheese finish it off. You can make this in advance and freeze it unbaked, which makes it really easy to deal with the day of your party.

Our chili is made with low fat turkey, which is pretty much one of the leanest sources of protein you can get. I’ve added some nutrient rich Ontario sweet potatoes to the mix, and we are going to top it all with low fat sour cream and low fat grated cheese. You can make this the day before, and then just reheat it in the crock pot the day of the superbowl.

Here are the Recipes as promised:

Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Shallots and Leeks

Dough:

2 cups (500 mL) warm water

2 teaspoon (10 mL) yeast

2 teaspoon (10 mL) granulated sugar

2/3 cup (150 mL) olive oil

2 teaspoon (10 mL) salt

3 cups (750 mL) all purpose flour

2 cups (500 mL) whole wheat flour

1. Combine warm water, yeast, sugar, olive oil, salt, and all purpose flour in bowl of table top mixer. Beat with a dough hook for a few minutes, until you have smooth dough, and then add the whole wheat flour.
2. Beat with dough hook until it comes away from the edges of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
3. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk. Makes enough for 2 large pizzas.

Caramelized Onion Topping:

1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil

3 large onions, sliced

2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced

4 large shallots, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup  (125 mL) balsamic vinegar (choose a less expensive one)

1/4 cup (60 mL) maple syrup

1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt

2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh rosemary, minced

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. To caramelize onions, place a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Pour oil into pan, and stir in onions, leeks and shallots. Pour in balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir so everything is coated. Sprinkle salt on top of mixture, stir, and let cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat so mixture does not burn. The onions should be a deep, rich colour and very soft.
2. Remove pan from the heat.  Stir in rosemary and freshly ground pepper, add more salt if necessary. Let mixture cool.

Other toppings:

1 of each, red, orange, yellow peppers, thinly sliced and roasted

3 cups (750 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup (250 mL) crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese

1/4 cup (60 mL) chives or green onions, finely chopped for garnish

1. While onions are caramelizing, roast peppers. To roast pepper, heat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss sliced pepper in a bowl with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray, and spread peppers out on sheet. Place in oven for 30 minutes, or until peppers are softened and a deep brown at the edges. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Keep oven at 425 degrees F.
3. To assemble pizza, divide dough in half, and press out onto two pizza  or cookie sheets that have been prepared by spraying with vegetable oil. Press out as flat as you can, without over-working the dough.
4. Spread the caramelized onion mixture over all of the dough. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, scatter roasted peppers over mozzarella, and sprinkle with blue cheese.
5. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. The edges should be a deep golden brown, and the cheese should be melted.
6. Let sit for a couple of minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with chives.
7. Makes two large round pizzas, which could serve four people each, or one very large rectangular pizza, which you can cut into about 12-16 pieces.

Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili

1 Tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil

1 lb (500 g) ground turkey meat

1 cup (250 mL) chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 Tbsp (30 mL) chili powder

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin

1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano

1 cup (250 mL) chicken or vegetable broth

1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite size pieces

2 cans beans (540 mL each) – your choice, I used black beans and white beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cayenne (or to taste)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped fresh cilantro

Shredded cheese, optional

Sour cream, optional

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium high heat. Add the turkey meat, cook, stirring to break up the chunks, until turkey is no longer pink, and adjusting heat as necessary. Add the onion to the pan, cook and stir for 5 minutes, add the garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, ground cumin, and oregano. Cook and stir for another couple of minutes. Add the broth, the canned tomatoes, and the sweet potatoes. Cover the pan and let simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add  the beans and let simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Season to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper. Stir in cilantro. Serve immediately topped with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
• Serves six to eight.