Naan Bread Chicken Sandwhiches

These sammies were so yummy, easy to make and a pleasant change from your average chicken and mayo sandwiches. Enjoy.

1. Fry some chicken cutlets, seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot red pepper flakes.

2. Prep your dressing. In a small bowl, combine two dollops of sour cream with a minced clove of garlic, squirt of schriraca hot sauce and dijon, squeeze of lime, salt, pepper and a touch of fresh chopped cilantro.

3. Make your sammy! On a small garlic flavoured naan, spread some dressing, then your chicken, top with lettuce, tomato and a few more cilantro leaves. Fold and munch away!

Moolicious!

Mediterranean Chic Pea Salad

I think Mediterranean and I think, lemon, oregano, tomatoes and olive oil. Here is a no-fail chic pea salad that will make work lunches extra special. I didn't have feta but that would work well too!

In your bowl, prep your dressing:
Whisk together 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, zest, 1 1/2 tsps dried oregano, a sprinkle of red wine vinegar, one minced plump garlic clove, 2 chopped green onions, salt and pepper. Loosen it up with a splash of water if needed.

Then add one can rinsed corn kernels, one can rinsed chic peas, 1/2 cup cooked Israeli couscous, handful of diced yellow cherry tomatoes, one diced red pepper. Mix well and serve!


Moolicious!

BBQ Turned Pizza

We had a BBQ party yesterday to welcome Springtime. I don't always enjoy the same BBQ leftovers the next day, so I decided to turn them into a home made pizza. You can use your BBQ leftovers to create your own pizza! Enjoy.

For the dough:
Mix 1/2 cup warm water with 2 1/4 tsps active pizza yeast and 2 tbsps all purpose flour. Let sit for 5 minutes, then mix in 2 1/2 cups more flour and drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil. Bring together until a dough ball forms and place in an oiled bowl, covered with saran until it rises. Punch down and let rest for another hour until ready to use.
Roll out and set on a floured/cornealmealed tray.

For the toppings:
Sauce, about 1/2 cup strained tomatoes from the jar.
Bbq garlic shrimp, sliced in half.
Bbq zucchini, sliced.
Bbq marinated (red wine, garlic) flank steak, sliced.
Sliced mushrooms
Sliced onion
Minced garlic clove
Fresh Bocconcini cheese

Add all toppings except the cheese. Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes, then remove, add the cheese and bake for another 8 minutes until cheese bubbles. Sprinkle with chopped scallions.

A whole new meal with tons of flavour! Serve with a side salad and enjoy.


Moolicious!

Coco Banana Nut Bread

I was ready to make a simple nut fudge with coconut but didn't have any chocolate chips, nor did I feel like going out again...so, I improvised with what I had and turned this loaf into something special.

Dry- mix all of the following together.
1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, dash of cinnamon, 1/2 cup salted mixed nuts (i used cashew bits and peanut blend with a handful slivered almonds), 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut.

Wet- whisk 2 eggs until fluffy, add 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/2 tsp almond extract, and 1 large pureed banana. Mix well.

Add the dry to the wet and mix well, pour into a lightly greased loaf dish and bake at 350 for about an hour. Let cool about 10 minutes before removing from loaf dish.

Moolicious!

Tomatillo Chilli Verde

This is a slow-cooked chilli, or stew with a Mexican twist. I like stews but when the nicer weather is upon us, I need some sort of summer spin. Serve this with nachos and Corona, or a strawberry daquarie and you'll have what you're looking for. You will need a pot that can go in the oven.
So clean, chop and set aside what you can first because all you have to do when it's in the oven is sit back, smell and wait...a bonus is that you'll have lots of leftovers.

Dice one yellow onion and two colourful peppers like orange and yellow.
Mince 3-4 nice plump garlic cloves
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 porc tenderloins cut into bite sized pieces
Set aside a cup of tomatillo salsa verde, and 1-2'cups chicken broth
Set aside a can of strained black beans
Set aside a can of strained corn niblets
1/4 cup cornstarch for the thickening agent
Chop about 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
Chop 2 fresh green onions
Chop a handful of chopped green olives
2 limes

Then here's what you do:

First, get your chopped meat in a bowl with the following rub mix: a clove of minced garlic, 1 tsp each dry parsley, cumin, chilli powder, paprika, oregano, coriander, garlic powder, hot red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and only a dash of cinnamon. Zest in one lime. Pour a drizzle of olive oil, mix well and refrigerate for a couple hours until you're ready to get cooking.

Roughly an hour and a half before meal time, get a large pot heated on the stove with olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 325.

Sweat out onion and garlic for a few minutes, then add meat to brown, 5 more minutes. Add peppers, tomatoes and cornstarch. Let corn starch absorb and then add your salsa and broth and half of the fresh cilantro. You may want to add some water so all the meat is comfortably covered. Place in the oven and cook for about an hour. Remove and add the beans and corn and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove, and stir in chopped olives, remaining cilantro and green onions and squeeze in the juice of two limes.

Serve with sour cream, fresh limes, nachos, Corona, margueritas and dig in!

I served this over a bed of Israeli couscous, but plain rice would work just as well.


Moolicious!

Protein Chicken Salad

On game nights, I try to make my Moo something light yet energizing and protein packed. This salad fits the criteria...healthy as usual, but it still feels some how like it could be junk food. Enjoy.

You'll need a big giant salad bowl and as things are ready, you just chop and drop.

2 cups egg noodles, cooked and cooled.
1 chopped Roma tomato
A handful of olives and pepperoncini peppers
2 poached chicken breasts (I over-poach mine maybe 18 minutes total in simmering water), cooled and sliced.
A handful of arugula, mixed greens, and baked kale pieces (wash, oil, salt, 350 oven for about 10 minutes).

The dressing: 1 minced garlic clove, zest and juice from one lemon, olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar, a tsp oregano, salt and pepper....Drizzle over salad ingredients, mix well and dig in!

Asian Chicken Noodle

I made this Monday soup for lunch leftovers in the week. It's basically a chicken noodle soup with an Asian twist. Cut your veggies, like celery and carrots on an angle, use soy sauce and ginger in your broth and I used a fresh fettuccine but you can use Soba or chow mein noodles instead. Be sure to chop and prep your veggies first...then be sure not to over cook them because you want your veg a little more crunchy for this one! Enjoy.

Here's what I did.
- Poach a bone in, skin on double chicken breast in 3 cups of water, salt, pepper, a chunk of ginger, 4 crushed whole garlic cloves and a few dashes of soy sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the breast is cooked through. Remove chicken and allow to cool before shredding.

- In another soup pot, heat up a tsp of sesame oil, and fry the white parts of 2 green onions until soft. Then strain your broth into this pot. Here, you can add a 2-3 more cups of chicken stock, either store bought or home made. Bring to a simmer.

- Now, add all at once, thinly sliced carrot, 2 celery stalks, handful of snow peas, package of bean sprouts, green onions, fresh dill the chicken and some thinly sliced fennel. Add fresh pasta and simmer for five minutes.

- Serve with more soy sauce, hot sauce, spring rolls...and voila!

Moolicious!

Moo's Baked Cod With Polenta

This was so amazing and easy. I love dishes that have full flavour, are healthy and take no time to make. I also enjoy things from the oven because once you put it in, you can do other chores while it bakes. Follow these steps and you will not be disappointed. Also, don't worry too much about how much of any ingredient you use. You really can't mess this up!

Preheat oven to 375

In your medium sized casserole dish (not as big as a lasagna dish):

Drizzle some olive oil and strained tomatoes to layer the bottom, then sprinkle some fresh minced garlic, salt and pepper.
Layer 1/2 inch thick slices of polenta in the sauce, drizzle more tomatoes, oil, garlic and salt and pepper.
Place your pieces of cod over the top. Season with salt and pepper, lemon zest, more garlic, olive oil and then sprinkle some panko bread crumbs over top. Cover with foil, and bake for 50 minutes, then remove foil for the last 10 minutes.

Remove and sprinkle a generous handful of fresh parsley and lemon juice over top!

Moolicious.

Chicken Meatloaf with Green Beans and Hash

This week's yummy Sunday supper. I served it with green beans but feel free to use any green veggie you'd like.

Prepare the ground chicken the same way you would for a beef meatloaf.

In a bowl, mix together: a package of ground chicken, a beaten egg, 2 chopped scallions, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, minced garlic and about half a cup of panko bread crumbs. Mix together well and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350, form your meat into a loaf and bake for an hour to an hour and ten minutes.

Now, for the hash:
Heat up olive oil in a frying pan, sauté an onion, some diced pieces of prosciutto, and two cloves of minced garlic until softened.
Add about 3 cups of thawed potato hash browns (I used unseasoned McCain's) and keep mixing. Add any flavour blend of herbs and spices you like. I used, a hint of rosemary, cayenne, paprika, mustard powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Sauté until potatoes brown, add fresh parsley and serve with your loaf.


Mooliciousness to boot.

2013 Superbowl Nachos

We wanted a classic nacho feel with a healthy spin. So, here's what happened. Happy Superbowl.

On a pizza tray, set a piece of parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375.
Lay out a few handfuls of plain nacho Tostitos Rounds, sprinkle some sharp Cheddar cheese over top, zest of one lime, a diced Italian tomato, a generous handful of green onions and a sprinkle of hot red pepper flakes. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove and spritz half a lime over top. Serve with low fat sour cream.


Moolicious!

Strawberry Breakfast Smoothie

The combinations are limitless. Once you have the fresh fruit, some plain Greek yogurt and juice, smoothies are so easy to make.
In your blending machine, add 5 fat strawberries, a handful of blueberries, a pear, some orange juice (maybe half cup) and a couple dollops of plain yogurt. Blend until smooth and drink up.


Moolicious!

Cha-Cha's Noodles and Cottage Cheese

This is a tribute to my Gwendle. My mom and Cha-Cha used to make this for us when we were kids...and every so often, I will get a craving like I did yesterday. It is so simple, yet so yummy and every time I eat it I am left feeling nostalgic. It is a great side dish to any meaty meal, but they used to make a meal of it all on its' own. I used bowties because they are fun and work well, but you can use any type of small shaped pasta. This will always be a family recipe.

1. Boil a large pot of salted water for the pasta. I used a whole box of bow ties. Cook until al dente. Strain.

2. Fry one medium sized diced onion in canola oil and a tbsp of butter until nicely softened.

3. Add some pasta water to the onions for an extra sauce-like feel.

4. In your pasta pot, mix together cooked pasta, one large container of cottage cheese and onions. Season with salt and pepper and add more oil if needed. Done!


Moolicious.