Ok, as promised, I have posted our secret family recipe for ragout de pattes! Ragout is the French name for stew. This is a meatball stew with a rich base made with pork hocks. This is a yummy, and hearty dish, perfect for cold winter nights, especially after an afternoon spent shovelling snow, or a day on the slopes. This is one of those rare times when I allow myself to eat potatoes… Click here for the complete recipe.
While looking for a recipe for our Family dinner, German theme, I came across this really cool recipe: Beer Soup. No kidding! It was really good, everyone loved it, and it is soooooo easy to make! You must give it a try. I made it with a strong ale, but next time, will try a regular ale. The strong ale was a bit too bitter for my liking. Check out the recipe on our website.
This recipe is for Lisa. As you know, my kitchen is my lab, a place where I enjoy experimenting. This recipe was modified from the Quaker Oats Wholegrain Cookbook, a tiny booklet I picked up many years ago that is now very worn out, marked up and food stained.
Note that as usual, I cut down the sugar considerably. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups brown sugar! Way too sweet! Also, I use organic whole grains, much more flavourful.
3/4 cup butter
1/3 cup fructose or cane sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour (I use whole spelt, or a combination of spelt and wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups uncooked whole oats (works well with a combination of spelt, rye, rice, barley or other whole grain flakes. Note that some of these flakes, such as rice flakes, will add extra crunch.)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Beat together butter and fructose until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Mix in combined flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350, 15-20 minutes, depending on size.
Better pic to come with next batch!
I tend to be hypoglycemic, so I need protein and slow burning carbs 3 times a day, especially at breakfast. I don’t know how people make it on a bagel and coffee for breakfast; in my book, that’s a recipe for a migraine!
Since I do my fair share of networking breakfast meetings, I get my eggs and … shall I admit it? Ok… saussages. Occasionally I will have a strip of bacon. So at home, I like to balance things out with a healthy breakfast choice, home made whole grain muffins, scrambled tofu (yes, tofu for breakfast! I will post my recipe soon.) or shakes.
Shakes are among my top choices not only because they are so quick and easy to make, but also because varieties of flavours are limited only by my early morning imagination!
I start with an unsweetened soya milk base, fortified with iron and a couple of vitamins, such as A and D. This varies between brands. Then I will add either frozen or fresh fruit and a scoop of sugar free, vanilla flavoured protein/or meal replacement powder. (Isagenix has a very complete shake, also very delicious: click here for info.)
My favourite blend though, is very simple: soya milk, coconut milk, a scoop of protein powder and a teaspoon of green tea powder. The delicate flavour of green tea powder is refreshing, never overpowering and I can’t seem to get enough of it. I wonder if I will turn green?
Tip: In order to have a cool drink, (blending tends to warm things up a bit!) I usually keep a mixture of soya milk and coconut milk in ice cube trays in the freezer. I pop a couple in with the other ingredients, and voila, instant chill!
I must be avoiding work, because I’ve been cooking up a storm this week!
Whole Atlantic salmon was on special last week, so I couldn’t resist making a poached salmon with dill, with a side of golden oats medley. You have to try this!
Then we had a meeting tonight, so I felt compelled to make a dessert. I chose a light green tea cake, which everyone enjoyed, of course, who wouldn’t! Check out the recipes for these gems on the website: Recipes
My last experience eating escargots dates back to one of my favorite restaurants in Cannes, France called Chez Astoux.
Usually I would eat my favorite Moules provençales but on occasion I would have their superb escargots. What I love about these appetizers is dipping pieces of crusty french bread into that garlicky, cheesy butter sauce.
Just reading the ingredients for this recipe makes my mouth water. This is also a very inexpensive, impressive and surprisingly easy appetizer to make that will knock the socks off your next Family Friends and Food dinner.
Click here for recipe.
It’s berry season! I have made this recipe with a combination of fresh raspberries from my garden and frozen
blueberries, which I always have in my freezer! I usually make my pie crusts with whole grain organic spelt flour. It has much more flavour than regular white flour and has the added benefit of lots of fibre. I also substitute the sugar with fructose. You can use Splenda if you like, but I don’t like its aftertaste. Give it a try… it is heavenly! Click link for recipe.
I’ve posted my parsnip and apple soup on the Family Friends and Food website!
This is a great for fall, but it has such a unique flavour that I want to sneak it into my menus year round! I discovered it while researching recipes for our Nova Scotia dinner. Note that the original recipe called for light cream, but I substitute it just as successfully with soya milk. Other subsitutes for the cream include almond milk and other milks made from various blends of nuts and seeds. Just make sure they do not include any sugar! The parsnip and apple in this recipe are already sweet enough. For the broth, I always have containers of turkey broth in the freezer. I find turkey to be a healthy and lean source of protein, economical and very versatile. You get a lot of meals and lots of soups from the big bird!
After making this recipe, I realized that I had cooked a non-dessert dish that did not have either garlic or onion! I was flabergasted. I never would have considered a savoury dish without those two key ingredients!
Click here for the recipe.
