Gochujang Cauliflower Bites

I stumbled upon this recipe and oddly enough I had most of the ingredients so I thought it would be worth a try. A different way to enjoy cauliflower with a bit of spice.  

Gochujang Cauliflower Bites

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1 cup (250ml) all-purpose flour

1 cup (250ml) water

1/3 cup (75ml) Hellmann's® Spicy Gochujang Dipping Sauce 

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets, about 8 cups

Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC) 

Whisk flour, water, Hellmann's® Spicy Gochujang Dipping Sauce and salt in a large bowl until blended.

Arrange in single layer on parchment paper lined baking sheets(s). Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Serve, if desired, with blue cheese dressing or additional dipping sauce. 

To find this recipe and other recipes using Hellmann's® click *here*

Hope the week is going well... warmer weather in the forecast today. Bring on the sunshine if only for a day or two. - JD 

Oven Baked Tortellini

Still riding on the baked pasta theme I thought I would try baked tortellini. I opted for a less creamy sauce by not adding any type of cheese to it therefore making a more tangy tomato sauce. Another tasty meal in minutes!    

Oven Baked Tortellini

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2x 350g packages cheese tortellini

3 cups tomato sauce, homemade or from a jar

1 tablespoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

frozen spinach, defrosted and any excess liquid squeezed out

parmesan cheese

mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.

Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain well.

In a large bowl stir to combine the tomato sauce, herbs and spinach.  Add the drained cooked tortellini to the sauce mix and gently stir. Add the now sauced tortellini into the prepared baking dish. Top with shredded parmesan cheese then some shredded mozzarella cheese. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and bubbly. Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.   

Hope everyone had a good weekend! It's back to school so I am expecting a bit of a flurry over the next couple of weeks. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Oven Baked Potato Skins

What to do with potato skin peels when making mashed potatoes? Bake them! 

All the potato skins were placed in a large bowl of cold water to soak. They were drained and spun dry; I have a lettuce/vegetable spinner, which makes this possible. Then the skins were placed in another large bowl, drizzled with some olive oil over top, a bit of seasoning salt and pepper. Toss to coat place them on a baking tray and cook in a 425ºF oven until crispy and brown. Dip or dunk them or use them as a toping these taste better than french fries. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, we sure did! Temperatures have plummeted... -26 with windchill! I foresee getting a fair amount of baking done this week. Stay warm and cozy. - JD  

Spicy Oven Baked Mumbai Curry

When I make curry for dinner, I usually cook it stove top however after making it this way I can not figure out why I haven't done this sooner. Placing a dish inside the oven and walking away from the kitchen became more tastier and easier with recipe.  

Spicy Oven Baked Mumbai Curry

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2 teaspoons coconut oil or 2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 kg (approximately 6 pieces) of skinless boneless chicken breast, cut in half

2 tablespoons Mumbai Seasoning Mix

1 large can of diced tomatoes (approximately 796ml)

Pre heat oven to 350ºF. 

In A large skillet sauté the onion, carrots, garlic in the coconut oil for a few minutes, until slightly soft.

Add the pieces of chicken and begin to sear on all sides. Sprinkle the Mumbai seasoning mix over the chicken and vegetables and sauté for a bit longer. Add the diced tomatoes and stir. Transfer the chicken curry mixture to a large casserole baking dish, add salt and pepper to taste, bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Serve with brown rice and chutney.

Notes: Try this recipe using chicken thighs. Make this dish vegetarian. Add more Mumbai seasoning for a truly hot curry! Try a different curry spice mix or create your own. Also curry paste may work too, although I have never tried it.

* Mumbai Seasoning Mix may consist of the following: Coriander, Cayenne, Ginger, Tumeric, Pepper and Spices. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Leftovers #18 ~ Bean Dip

What to do with leftover black beans in the refrigerator... make bean dip. It is rare that I have leftover beans because they are usually used in salads, stir-fry and most casseroles.  

To make this easy bean dip you will need just a few ingredients and a blender. 

Place what ever leftover beans you have in a blender. Then add a little bit of low sodium  vegetable or chicken stock, just enough to moisten, about 2 tablespoons, adjust accordingly to the amount of beans. Add a favourite seasoning, like Cajun or Roasted Red Pepper. Blend everything until smooth. If need be you may have to add a bit more chicken stock. You want the bean mixture to be firm and smooth with a bit of fluidity but not watery.

Once smooth... pour it into an oven proof baking dish and bake in a pre-heated 350ºF oven until hot and bubbly, roughly 20 to 30 minutes. A good indicator that the dip is done is when the top has lost it's gloss and is matte and starts to pull away from the sides. Chances are the dip is ready and hot! I like to dress it up a bit. I add grated cheese on top and pop it back into the oven until the cheese melts. I carefully remove it from the oven adding sliced green onions. Olives and fresh chopped tomatoes are great to!     

You don't have to wait until you have leftover beans to make this dip. It can be made at any time with most canned beans.    

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes were a dish that my mum made very often and quite possibly because it was one of her favourite dishes. I believe her recipe was a simple no fuss one. A layer of thinly sliced potatoes, then a sprinkle of diced onion, add some milk, sprinkle a bit of flour, dot with butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Repeat until all the potatoes and onion were used up. Bake in the oven until tender. Plain jane and simple. Which is the jest... or gist of the recipe, depends on how you look at it. 

The scalloped potatoes I make do have a bit more going for them. Which is fine because quite honestly one does feel the need to conjure up something once in awhile. This recipe is still easy. Just a bit of slicing and dicing which is always therapeutic. Having a food processor makes this even more easy and then you can just watch it all unfold before your eyes. Which can be therapeutic as well.  

Scalloped Potatoes

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1 small onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of fresh chives

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper

2 1/2 cups milk

6 - 11 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (approx 6 cups)

some butter for dabbing

Heat oven to 350ºF. Then grease the bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole baking dish. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine the flour, paprika, chives, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium large saucepan over medium heat. once melted add the onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Stirring occasionally, until tender.

Stir in the flour mixture (flour, paprika, chives, salt and pepper) Cook stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly, remove from heat.

Stir in the milk. Place the saucepan back on the heat and heat until boiling, again stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. 

Spread the potatoes into the prepared casserole dish. Pour sauce over the potatoes. Cut a few small pieces of butter to sprinkle over the potatoes. Shake a bit more paprika, if you like,  over the top. 

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for about an hour or until potatoes are tender. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving as to allow the sauce to thicken.

In total I baked the potatoes for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

*Notes: You may add whatever seasonings you would like. Try adding curry powder to the flour mixture for something completely different. Fresh garlic and cheese. Add ham or bacon. 

Very tender melt in your mouth savoury side dish that is a perfect however if served with a salad could easily pass as the main.  

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We did! - JD 

Oven Baked Sausages

I always cooked sausages by the traditional method, frying, however one night I decided to bake them in the oven. It is a bit more healthier than frying and pretty simple. All you have to do is... Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Toss the sausages lightly in a bit of oil... olive oil is good however I used Camelina oil. Place the sausages on the prepared baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Turning only once to brown evenly. The sausages should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees with no pink showing. 

Definitely a more easier and simpler way to cook sausages. - JD