Chipits ~ Kitchen - Tested Recipes

Probably everyone has heard of the Chipits brand. It's unmistakable silver and yellow chocolate chip package has grace many pantries, even mine. Not surprised they made a recipe book geared towards the products they offered at the time of print. This is the third printing and looks to be some time ago, as no date is indicated. Chocolate chip cookies are a classic and the recipe has become more recognizable thanks to the Chipits brand. It is known as that chocolate chip cookie in some baking circles.

Flipping through this wee pocket sized recipe book the standard recipes are shared, Magic Bars, Brownies, Fudge, Refrigerator Squares, and cake. There are a few variations worth trying. Oddly enough the recipe I want to share doesn't use their classic chocolate chips instead it uses ginger - True Root Ginger as stated by the VanKirk Chocolate Corporation. I am unsure what that is because I can not find any information on that product. I may assume it is like a form of candied ginger. 

Ginger - Coconut Tarts

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Pie paste (pastry) or 14 ready made tart shells 

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup lightly-packed brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 egg unbeaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons cut up VanKirk True Root Ginger*

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/3 cup cut-up shredded coconut

*Please note the recipe is as shown in the recipe book. I am assuming when it states True Root Ginger they could mean something like a candied ginger rather than fresh ginger root. As far as the cut-up shredded coconut, do not exactly know what they mean by that because shredded coconut comes in different shreds so no need to cut it up unless it is excessive long or thick. 

Line about 14 average - sized tart pans with rolled - out pie paste. (pie pastry) 

Cream the butter and blend in the brown sugar and corn syrup; add the unbeaten egg and beat throughly with mixing spoon. Stir in the salt, vanilla, ginger, nuts and coconut. 

Spoon filling into the raw tart shells. Bake in a hot oven, 450ºF, for 12 minutes; lower heat to moderately hot, 375º, and continue to bake until filling is golden - about 15 minutes longer. Yields - about 14 average - sized tarts. 

This is how wee this recipe book is. It can fit in the palm of my hand. I bought this second hand and inside was a handwritten recipe for brownies. Which is a wonderful bonus.

Hope everyone is having a good week. - JD 

Verveine

Verveine was a pleasant surprise given to me. I was not quite familiar with this vibrant bottle green liqueur. At first trying to find information or rather cocktail recipes in regards to it was a bit tedious. I searched through the 3 cocktail books I have with no luck.

So we decided to mix a bit with club soda as an aperitif before dinner one evening. The drink had a slight minty taste with a hint of lemon. Although it was refreshing, I thought there must be a Verveine cocktail out there. We turned to the internet and came across this page... Verveine.com  which if you can sift through the French it has some lovely cocktails like this one...

Royal Verbana

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5 cl of Verveine

5 cl white wine 

5 cl of soda ( or Champagne for a Royal Spritzer)

Fill the glass with ice cubes.

Stir with a spoon, add ice cubes and 2 slices of cucumber.

Type of glass: broad, round type pool. 

For more Verveine cocktails click *here* 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. - JD 

Broccoli Slaw

I made this as a side dish to go with the tofu wraps we were having for dinner however the broccoli slaw seemed to be placed more inside the wrap than outside. It was a great way to add more fibre and crunch and worked well with the marinated tofu and freshly cut veggies. With only a few ingredients; this broccoli slaw is quick to make and very simple. 

Broccoli Slaw
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1/2 cup low sodium light Mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 package (340g) of Broccoli Slaw


Empty the bag of broccoli slaw into a large bowl and set aside. 

In a medium sized bowl stir all the remaining ingredients together until well combine. 

Once the dressing is all mixed together pour over the broccoli slaw and gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Notes: You could add some crushed almonds, cranberries or flax seeds for added crunch and texture.    

Enjoy! - JD

Food Photo of the Day ~ Carrot Lentil Pasta Sauce

Steaming hot and delicious... herbed tomato sauce with grated carrots, and lentils. Adding  grated vegetables to a basic tomato sauce not only adds flavour but is a great way to add more vitamins and nutrients. My kids love grated carrot and zucchini. Adding lentils replaces minced/ground meat and gives it that bolognaise texture. Even meat eaters will welcome the change. Healthy, hearty and simple! 

Hope everyone had a good weekend, we sure did! - JD  

Cheddar - Sage Biscuits

I did make those biscuits from the, Muffin Tin Chef cookbook, I posted about the other day. They turned out great and they are made without eggs! The recipe is pretty simple and straight forward, with plenty of substitution options. 

Cheddar - Sage Biscuits

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Serves 5

Biscuits are best consumed within a day of baking, or you can freeze them in an airtight container for several weeks.  

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (preferably not pastry)

1 cup all - purpose flour or bread flour

1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar or other granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried sage

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. 

In a food processor, pulse together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or bread flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and garlic powder. Pulse in the butter until mixture looks like coarse meal and the butter is no larger than small pebbles. You can also do this in a bowl with a pastry cutter. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and fold in the cheddar cheese and sage. Add the buttermilk and combine gently until a dough forms.

Divide the mixture among 10 medium muffin cups and bake until golden on top, about 15 minutes. Let cool several minutes before unmoulding. Serve warm with honey or butter.

Notes: I do not have a food processor so I did everything by hand. I mixed all the dry ingredients together, including the sage, then added the butter and used a pastry cutter. I then folded in the shredded cheese, once combine then added the milk. I used 2% milk. I baked for the full 15 minutes and they were perfect. I got 12  Oh, I did add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed to the dry ingredients.

*This recipe could be made vegan by using soy milk, vegan butter, and vegan cheese. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Muffin Tin Chef

This cookbook was given to me by a lovely lady; who knew I would appreciate what this cookbook has to offer. Some cookbooks are based around a theme, an ingredient or time. This cookbook is based around  a bakeware item... the muffin tin. 

Everyone has a muffin tin and how often do we use it. The other day we received the Lakeland catalogue and there are plenty of tin moulds to fill any creative kitchen. All the recipes revolve around the usage of the common muffin tin regardless if it's, silicone, metal, stoneware, or cast-iron. If you have a basic muffin tin than cooking and re-creating these recipes would be quite simple. You will view classic meal time options like... meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, falafels, burgers, and desserts differently. 

I have booked marked plenty of recipes to try. My husband had a bit of a laugh as I placed a yellow sticky note to the majority of the pages. I guess it would seem a bit funny to bookmark so many pages... so many recipes so; however it will take the flipping through the pages trying to find a recipe guess work out of it for me later. I want to make the Cheesy Sage Biscuits for Thursday nights dinner.

Even though I have made muffins, yorkshire puds, and eggs in the muffin tin I have. I was quite taken with the Fruity Energy Bites. Dried fruit and seeds to give you a boost and also they require no oven just the freezer to set. Which is a blessing in this sweltering heatwave. Whether you are running off to work, school or in a need of a healthy snack these bites are perfect for a quick energy boost.

Fruity Energy Bites

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Serves 12

1 1/2 cups pitted dried dates, chopped

1 cup dried Mission figs, chopped

1 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios

1/3 cup hemp seeds

1/4 brown rice syrup

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or coffee extract

In a food processor, process the dates, figs, apricots, pistachios, and hemp seeds until finely chopped. Add the brown rice syrup, cocoa, salt, orange zest, and vanilla or coffee extract, and process until the mixture clumps together. Pack the mixture into 24 mini muffin cups and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Unmould and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. 

... And here is my moment of kitchen zen.  

Hope everyone had a good weekend. - JD 

The Soy Gourmet

The other day I posted about our vegan/vegetarian dinner we had. The main was marinated tofu burgers and the recipe was from this cookbook, The Soy Gourmet. The author, a chef, wanted to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Cutting down on the high fat, high cholesterol foods when working in a professional kitchen. She became a vegetarian and eliminated meat and diary products. She wanted to recreate those skilled dishes and not give up on taste, flavour, and texture. Developing cooking techniques and menu ideas with that in mind while using natural meatless and dairy free ingredients. Hence the cookbook. 

Not all of us are trained chefs. Most of our skills we learn from family, friends, and trial  and error. Regardless what your kitchen know how level is or you are wanting to lead a healthier lifestyle this cookbook offers delicious recipes that are worth a try and that many may master. The baked marinated tofu was easy and very delicious and became the base for the tofu burgers.

Baked Marinated Tofu
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1/3 cup safflower oil
1/3 cup toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium tamari 
2 teaspoons sugar (or natural sweetener)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound firm tofu, cut into 1/2 -inch-thick slices

Combine all the ingredients, except the tofu, in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Place the tofu in a shallow baking dish. Pour the marinade over the top. Allow the tofu to marinate 30 minutes or more, turning once.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF degrees. Bake the tofu in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the slices over and bake 10 minutes longer. Remove the tofu from the marinade with a slotted spatula to serve. 

Serves 4.

Notes: I used vegetable oil instead of the safflower oil. I crushed the garlic and added a bit more then stated. I decided to use 2 packages of extra firm tofu instead. The tofu was sliced in half and then those halves slices again to make 2 square blocks. Even though the recipes states it serves 4; I was able to marinate 8 square pieces of tofu, as you can see from the above photo. 

The end result. Delicious and very much enjoyed by everyone!  

Enjoy!  - JD 

Our Vegan / Vegetarian Dinner Party

The other night we had a dinner party with friends and the dinner menu was mostly vegan and or vegetarian. We started off the night with homemade hummus and crackers. The herbed sesame crackers were made by my daughter and myself.   

My son was in charge of drinks. He decided to create a lovely summery fruit punch which consisted of raspberry juice and tonic water with slices of oranges. It was a delicate flavour with a bit of zing.   

The main was marinated tofu burgers with vegan buns. Flavourful and very, very tasty. I will post the recipe tomorrow. They were dressed with red onion, tomatoes, pickles, and...

pineapple relish. Last week I posted about the cookbook, Haute Dog and shared a recipe from the book which was the pineapple relish. I decided that the relish would be perfect with the tofu burgers. It complimented everything nicely and was a big hit. 

The side was a salad. It is hard to believe that underneath all those veggies there were tender greens and spinach. A homemade mustard vinaigrette was the accompanying   salad dressing.   

Dessert was a light fruit salad. Fresh juicy berries and tart plums lightly tossed in coconut sugar. Something  to refresh the palate.

Hope everyone had a good long weekend. It is Wednesday, the middle of the week, and the to do list keeps growing. - JD