Leftovers #60 ~ Chilli Poutine

Forlorn potatoes and yams, leftover chilli and shredded mozzarella cheese hanging about the kitchen, you can create a scrumptious meal such as this chilli poutine. It's a bit of a mix due to the fact that I used potatoes and yams, rather than strictly potatoes, which are used in classic poutine. The potatoes and yams were cut into chunky wedges, tossed in olive oil and mixed herbs and then oven roasted until golden brown. The leftover chili was warmed up and spooned over the heap of mixed roasted potato and yam wedges and topped with a hand full of mozzarella cheese. This may not replace traditional poutine however it created a scrumptious dinner... a culinary bliss of creating a wonderful meal from leftovers that otherwise might get overlooked. 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Chilli Con Carne

 

One pot dinners are upon us and nothing beats a bowl full of chilli. The spicy heat stewed with tomatoes, meat and beans is a dinner classic in high demand during the cooler months at our house. Making chilli also means leftovers and those leftovers become spooned over jacket potatoes, a platter of hearty nachos, ladled out over homemade chips for poutine, quick lunches, a scoopable snacking dip for tortilla chips and other dinners.   

Food Photo of the Day ~ Quinoa Vegetable Chilli

Chilli is a great substantial stand by. Add some cooked quinoa and you have one super dish full of protein and fibre.

Make whatever chilli recipe you wish, meat or meatless, your choice. Cook quinoa according to the package directions. Allow to cool slightly then add to the simmering chilli. Serve with arugula leaves, a dollop of sour cream and sliced green onions. 

Bright, sunny and warm here in E-town. Have a great weekend everyone! -JD 

The Sriracha Cookbook

A while ago Sriracha became the condiment of choice. Sriracha inspired items could be found everywhere. A pantry staple and on dinner and eatery tables across the country and around the globe, the anonymous red paste seems to have cooled, just a bit. It's flavour is distinct and mixes the four culinary elements... spicy, sweet, sour and salty. 

The most traditional way to enjoy Sriracha is to give a few squirts over a bowl of fried rice or ramen. This cookbook wants one to re-think Sriracha with recipes, regardless if they are classic or not, that will be infused with such flavour that it would be hard to imagine any recipe without. Typical recipes like, hot wings, mayo, burgers and ribs are offered however other recipes like, Sriracha Tzatziki, Sriracha Slaw (an Asian inspired coleslaw), Fire Roasted Corn Chowder, Miso Sriracha Glazed Salmon, Peach Sriracha Sorbet and Spiced Sriracha Truffles top my Sriracha recipe to do list. Although I am steering clear of the Sriracha and SPAM Fried Rice!  

Sriracha Slaw

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Makes 6 to 8 servings

Dressing:

1/3 cup chunky natural peanut butter

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice or freshly squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup Sriracha

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon ginger paste

2 tablespoons sugar

Slaw:

1 1/2 pounds napa cabbage, shredded

1/2 pound red cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, peeled and julienned

2 red bell peppers, seeded and julienned

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

6 green onions, white part only, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Salt and pepper

Coarsely chopped fresh Thai basil, for garnish

Lime slices, for garnish

To make the dressing, in a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, lime juice, pineapple juice, Sriracha, garlic, fish sauce, ginger paste, and sugar. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

To make the slaw, in a large bowl, mix together the napa and red cabbages, carrots, bell peppers, jalapeño, green onions, cilantro, and mint. Add the dressing and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the basil and lime slices. Serve immediately to retain crunch.

Variation: Mayonnaised - Based Coleslaw: For a more traditional picnic and barbeque coleslaw, make a dressing with 1/2 cup Sriracha Mayo (2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup Sriracha, and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste) 1/4 cup cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons sugar. Combine with the slaw ingredients, using 1/4 chopped flat-leaf parsley instead of cilantro and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

I also wanted to share this recipe from the book with you. Although is suggests to serve with steamed rice, I would serve this with the Sriracha Slaw, for a fresh summer meal.  

Miso - Sriracha Glazed Salmon

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Makes 6 servings

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup white miso paste

3 tablespoons Sriracha

1 clove garlic, minced

Non-stick cooking spray

6 (6 ounce) salmon fillets, about 1 inch thick

steamed rice, to serve

Sliced green onions, green part only, for garnish

Preheat the broiler.

In a small nonreactive mixing bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, miso paste, Sriracha, and garlic.

Spritz the broiling pan with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the salmon on a pan and broil 6 inches from the flame, basting the fish twice. Broil until the fish flakes easily at the centre of the fillet, 9 to 10 minutes.

Serve atop steamed rice. Garnish with green onions. 

Sriracha Facts:

Sriracha is named after the coastal city of Sri Racha in the Chonburi province in Eastern Thailand.

Sri Racha has a population of about 141,000 which is deeply rooted in the Old Siam culture. 

It is believed that the sauce was first created by a woman, a housewife, named Thanom Chakkapak. 

In Thailand the sauce is called sot Sriracha and sometimes nam phrik Sriracha.

Traditional Thai sauce is more tangier in taste and runnier in texture.  

Hope everyone is having a good week. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Chili

Not surprised when temperatures drop, chili is the required meal at our house. I enjoy making this tasty effortless one pot dish. Loaded with black, kidney and edamame beans, corn, red and green peppers, carrots, onions and ground meat, this is pure comfort food pleasure in a bowl. Just enough spice to give it some heat which was topped with sour cream and grated cheese and a side of homemade corn bread. Sure glad there are leftovers tonights dinner. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Jacket Sweet Potato with Chilli

When we have leftover chilli having a jacket potato with chilli is always a dinner option however this time I wanted to do something different so I opted for sweet potatoes instead. This is a tasty way to add more nutrients to the dinner plate. Find "potato sized" sweet potatoes; prepare and bake them how you normally would do potatoes for jacket/baked potatoes; slice lengthwise; top with chilli and cheese. Serve with a super green side salad. Simple, easy and delicious! 

Hope everyone had a lovely Halloween and weekend. The kidlets had lots of fun off doing their own thing. - JD 

Leftovers #16 ~ Crusty Chili Con Carne

A good hearty Chili is great on it's own or with a slice of cornbread however when there is leftover Chili one does try to add something a bit different. This crusty chili con carne is a fantastic way to use up leftovers. A nice added twist to a comfort food favourite.

First, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Then place the leftover chili in an oven-proof baking dish. Once the oven is ready place chili in the oven and bake for a few minutes just to take the chill off and heat through. When nicely heated remove from oven. 

Take one package of ready made puff pastry dough. You may make your own or use ready made like I did to save time. Roll out the dough, as directed on the package and place over the top of the chili. If the puff pastry comes in 2 squares you may have to use both. This will depend on the size of the baking dish. When you have rolled out all the puff pastry and placed it over top of the chili, making sure to seal in the chili underneath, then cut short slits in the top with a sharp knife. Brush the top with an egg wash and bake according to the puff pastry directions. (The directions on the box I bought said to bake in a pre-heated 400ºF oven for about 15 minutes or until pastry has puffed up and is golden brown.) Once puffed up and browned remove from oven. Let stand a few minutes and serve. 

  

Hope everyone is having a good week. I have been extremely busy this week.  - JD 

My Week in Food

As you know I made cornbread yesterday. I used a different recipe this time and it turned out fine. I replaced the flour with cornflour and still used the amount of cornmeal the recipe asked for. The texture was soft and smooth which in turn made it crumbly... too crumbly. Since the recipe called for a 1/2 cup sugar the cornbread was a bit on the sweet side. I like a bit of sweetness however not major sweetness when it comes to cornbread. 

This chili had a nice level of spiciness which gave an even heat. Which in turn helped my cold a bit. There are leftovers and as this chili ages... or sits it will get more spicier. I am planning on doing Chili Dogs for dinner on Friday with the leftovers. Hopefully by that time this cold will be gone and I will be able to enjoy the spiciness for pure spiciness sake!

When one has an overabundance of apples then an apple pie is definitely going in the oven. Making it in a flan pan completely turned this classic dessert into more of a substantial deep dish apple pie.  

This morning I made a simple spaghetti meat sauce and if any leftovers are to be had, it will be going on the pizza's I am making for dinner on Saturday night. 


As more comfort... food is being dished out from the kitchen I am feeling a bit better today although this cold is lingering. Hope your week has been good so far! - JW    

Leftovers #9 - Chili Con Carne Pizza

Things have definitely warmed up in the half cut cook's kitchen. Last night I made chili and there were leftovers. Considering that I was making pizza for tonight's dinner I decided to make it a chili con carne one. Green peppers, mushrooms, cheddar cheese and freshly dried parsley were added on top of the homemade chili and homemade pizza dough. There was enough spice to give this pizza warmth and a festive kick however I did add a dash or two of hot sauce on my slice. - JW   

My Week In Food

Spaghetti Bolognese is quick and simple. Even better when spices inspire you all thanks to the Incredible Spice Men Cookbook. Cumin and other different spices added depth to the minced chicken. Reintroducing flavour that was welcoming change. 

Being at the Farmer's Market in the French Quarter was a nice way to spend the afternoon. Picking up some fresh local veggies and cheese is the absolute best day to me. Also indulging in a chocolate croissant and a latté from Café Bicyclette was the ultimate that rounded this weekend outing perfectly.   

New Baby Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans and Chicken Drumsticks in a homemade Barbeque Sauce became the dinner of choice. Pretty standard weekend dinner feast. My barbeque sauce had all the right elements, sweet, smoky and tangy.  

This was how I plated it. A pat of butter over the potatoes and then I grated lemon over the potatoes and the green beans. Freshness with a zing! 

You can tell the colder weather is coming because everyone felt the need for some Chili Con Carne. Again I played around with the spices. Adding lots of cumin with the chili powder. Not too hot (spicy) that filled the void. Fall is on it's way. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone! -JW 

The other night I made chili. Turkey chili and served it over a bed of saffron rice. I had to ask myself why haven't I done this sooner. Very tasty and I highly recommend serving chili this way. - JW 

Chicken Chili Con Carne

Like a good stew, chili is another hearty meal that doesn't get overlooked. I felt like Chili Con Carne over the weekend and within no time whipped this up to satisfy my insides. I will share my recipe with you. Keep in mind I have no recipe written down. And those are the best recipes. I have made this quite often. Chili is one of the easiest recipes to play around with.

First, in a stock pot brown 1 package of ground chicken and one chopped onion together in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. Stir occasionally so everything doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. I then add two crushed and chopped cloves of garlic. Stir to combined. While the chicken, onions and garlic come together chop whatever veggies you have chosen. I chopped two medium carrots, half a green pepper and half of a yellow pepper.

When chicken is browned, making sure all the meat has been cooked through, and onions are tender and slightly transparent but not over cooked, add the raw veggies. Stir together and cook for a few minutes. Just until the raw veggies have soften. I do like my veggies to still have some crunch. You may also want to put a lid on your pot to enhance the cooking time of the veggies. At this time I add some paprika, about a tablespoonful or two. When things start smelling great and veggies are to your liking...

It is time to add the beans. I chose one tin of pinto beans, drained, one tin of black beans, drained and one tin of baked beans in tomato sauce. Add whatever beans you would like. Kidney beans work well too. When choosing tins of beans I look for the lowest in sodium and use those. You may also used dried beans. Even though I am attracted to the idea of dried beans my experience has left me fussing over them too much. Stir in the beans to combined and simmer a few minutes more.

Now it is time to add the tomatoes. I used two 796ml tins of low salt diced tomatoes. That's 28 fluid ounces. Purely for convenience sake. There is nothing wrong with using tin tomatoes. You could use half tin tomatoes and half fresh tomatoes or all fresh tomatoes. Stir until tomatoes are combined. Now it is time to add the chili powder and don't be shy here. It may seem like you are adding a lot but you need to season this dish well! I added... oh about 5-6 tablespoonfuls. I wasn't measuring I just added the chili powder until I felt it tasted and looked right.

After everything has been added to the pot. Let it simmer anywhere from a half hour to an hour. Letting the spices steep into the chicken, veggies and beans. Sometimes during this stage I add a few squares of 80% dark chocolate. It adds a bit of richness and works well with the spiciness of the chili. Your place should smell fantastic by this point. Your pot brimming with hearty goodness.

I serve my chili best with a piece of rustic cornbread. You may also add a dollop of sour cream and a tablespoon of grated cheddar cheese on top. - jw