Spinach Dip

This recipe is my latest feature for Hinton Voice and appeared in their December 6th, 2012 issue!  :)  

[With the holidays fast approaching, most of us are bound to attend a gathering or two.  Spinach dip is an appetizer that is usually a hit at any event, and it’s one of my personal favorites.  Luckily for me, someone usually brings this dip so I’m set.  Well this year, I vowed to be that someone.

There are SO many variations of this popular recipe, but I chose to use a simple version that focuses on bring out the flavors of the spinach, without overpowering it with too many other ingredients.  No matter the dish, I always like to sautéing the vegetables to help bring the flavors to life, and this recipe is no exception.

I also used my favorite go-to base for hot dips, which consists of cream cheese and mayonnaise.  As long as you have this part taken care of, the next ingredients you add are extremely flexible. For this step, it’s really important to use real mayonnaise and not Miracle Whip.  While the tang of Miracle Whip can be great as a stand-alone sauce, it can be quite overpowering when combined with other ingredients.

One of the best parts about spinach dip is that it tastes great both hot and cold.  For a cold dip hollow out an Italian round bread and use it as an edible bowl.  For a hot dip, spoon dip into your favorite oven proof dish and serve warm with tortilla chips or crusty bread.  Hot or cold, no matter the event, spinach dip is sure to be a star.]

Ingredients

- ½ tsp. olive oil

- ½ small onion, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1-10oz package fresh spinach

- 1-8 oz. package cream cheese

- ½ cup mayonnaise

- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

- 1 - 4 oz. can water chestnuts

- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Directions 

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large saucepan, set to medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are slightly translucent.  Coarsely chop spinach and add to saucepan in a couple of batches so not to overcrowd.  Stir often until spinach is completely wilted.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Strain as much liquid as possible from the spinach (there will be a lot!).

In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and Greek yogurt – whip with a fork or electric mixer until smooth. Add spinach mixture, grated mozzarella cheese and chopped water chestnuts – stirring until just combined.  Let dip rest in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld together.

Top with remaining mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese and bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until dip is hot and bubbling, and the Parmesan cheese has turned golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

- Nutritional Info (per 1/4 cup) -

Calories - 145   Fat - 12    Carbs – 4     Protein - 5   Fibre – 1

Macaroni & Cheese

This recipe appeared in the November 1st edition of The Hinton Voice. 

[One of the great things about Hinton is the ever-changing seasons.  Though the calendar still tells us it’s fall, the fresh blanket of snow that covered our town last week suggests otherwise.   Needless to say, the chill in the air has got me craving comfort foods – and nothing says comfort food better than a steaming, creamy bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese.  A classic favorite for kids and adults alike (does anyone know anybody who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese?) this simple dish is always a crowd pleaser.

The key is to start with a good old-fashioned cream sauce.  Butter is melted in a saucepan, and then flour is stirred into it to make a paste (which is called a roux).  After the flour has cooked a few minutes, milk is whisked in.  The starch from the cooked flour expands in the milk, creating a creamy, thick sauce.  The starch binds the sauce together, ensuring that when the cheese is stirred in, the sauce remains smooth rather than stringy.

Another important step is to add a nice sharp cheddar.  I find that aged white cheddar gives the smoothest, cheesiest sauce.  Past experiences have taught me that yellow or processed cheddars  (or an accidental splash of water into the sauce) can give the sauce a grainy texture.

If you’re craving something fancier than the basics, throw in your favorite vegetable (we like broccoli) or if you’re craving something extra decadent, crab or lobster makes a wonderful addition.

So there you have it - a great classic dish that can be casual or fancy. Besides, there’s nothing more comforting on a chilly day than a hearty helping of good old macaroni and cheese.]

Ingredients

-        ½ lb (8 oz) dry macaroni (or your favorite pasta)

-        3 tbsp butter

-        4 tbsp all-purpose flour

-        2 ½ cups milk

-        1/2 tsp salt

-        1/8 tsp nutmeg

-        1/8 tsp black pepper

-        dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

-        1.5 cups (6 oz) grated sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

-        ¾ cup (3 oz) grated gruyere or parmesan cheese

Topping:

-        ½ cup panko bread crumbs

-        1 ½ tbsp butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook pasta as per package directions for al dente (firm) pasta.  Strain and rinse pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process and to remove any extra starch. While extra starch might sound like a good idea to thicken the sauce, in this case it can change the texture of the sauce. Strain noodles well and place them in a casserole dish.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set to medium heat.  Add flour to form a roux and cook for about a minute or so.  Stir in spices. Whisk in milk and stir until well blended.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened.

Stir in cheese, and then pour cheese sauce over noodles.  Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top.

Cook in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and the breadcrumbs have lightly browned.

Recipes makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!

- Nutritional Info (1/6 recipe) -

Calories - 467   Fat - 20   Carbs – 41     Protein - 21   Fiber – 2

Sweet & Spicy Chicken

It's here!  The much anticipated recipe for "Sweet & Spicy Chicken".  I posted the above picture the same night that I first made the dish and many of you begged me to post the recipe as soon as I could... so here it is!  I also shared this recipe in  the September 6th edition of The Hinton Voice.

[Every time we go out for take-out, I find myself migrating towards the chicken dishes. Honey garlic chicken, sweet Thai chili, and sesame chicken are all re-occurring favorites.  Other than being delicious, they all have a common theme – crispy breading, and great sauce.   

For this recipe I started with a basic breading, which consists of flour and egg.  While this will get the job done, it can end up tasting pretty bland - even KFC’s chicken has 11 herbs and spices after all.  For this particular dish I chose spices that work well with the accompanying sauce, but feel free to experiment with your favorite combination of spices instead.  As long as you stick with the basic breading concept, you really can’t go wrong.

The same leniency applies to sauces as well. When I first set out to make this dish, I wasn’t sure where I would end up with the sauce… I had visions of honey garlic, sweet Thai chili, sesame, and even ginger sauces all dancing around in my head.  While each of them individually would go really well with this chicken, what ended up on our plates that night was a combination of all of the above.  This sauce has become a fast favorite in our house, creating a perfect marriage of both sweet and spicy.

Whichever spices and sauces you decide to make this recipe with is completely up to you.  All I know is, I may never need to buy take-out chicken again.]

Ingredients

- 2-3 medium chicken breasts

- 2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp ground pepper

- 1 tsp sea salt

- 2 tsp ground ginger

- 2 tsp onion powder

- 2 tsp garlic powder

- 2 eggs

- ¼ cup water

- olive oil (for frying)

- 2 tbsp sesame seeds

- 1 green onion

For sauce

- 2 tsp olive oil

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed (or minced)

- 1 ½ tsp ginger

- ½ tsp red chili pepper flakes

- 1 cup honey

- ¼ cup soya sauce

Directions

Combine flour and spices in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and water.   Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.  Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then into flour.  When all pieces are coated, dip them again into the egg mixture, and then into the flour.  This creates a nice thick crunchy crust on the chicken.

In a medium saucepan, heat approximately ½ inch olive oil over medium heat. Fry chicken in few batches, being careful not to overcrowd the chicken. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, until crust is nicely browned. 

For sauce

Combine the oils in a saucepan set to medium heat.  Once oil is heated, lightly sauté garlic, ginger and chili pepper flakes.  Add honey and soya sauce and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Cook sauce for additional 5-7 minutes until thickened.  Remove from heat and toss with chicken.  

Top with sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions.  Great served over a bed of steam fried noodles or rice.

- Nutritional Info (1/4 recipe) -

Calories - 520   Fat - 18    Carbs – 65     Protein - 15   Fibre – 2

Enjoy!

Bread Maker Buns

Here is the recipe that appeared in Thursday's edition of The Hinton Voice. 

[I have a secret to share with you all – I use a bread maker to make the dough for all of my bread baking needs.  The convenience of using a bread maker just can’t be beat.  All you have to do is throw all of the ingredients inside and walk away until the dough is ready – it doesn’t get much easier than that!   

 I’ve only ever used the bread maker for it’s full-intended purposes once, and the “bread” that resulted came out closely resembling a cinderblock.  Trying to carve the paddle attachment out of the bottom of the loaf without wrecking the loaf really is about as much fun as it sounds. From that loaf on, I decided to stick to using the dough setting only.  My Gramma makes her bread this way and her bread is by far the most delicious I have ever had (okay so I might be a little bias but it really is great stuff).

I use my Gramma’s recipe as a base for all of my breads, and this is my go-to recipe for all things bun related.  I’ve used this recipe as a base for hamburger buns, cheese buns, cinnamon buns, and dinner rolls – it hasn’t disappointed yet!

These buns are so easy to make and turn out perfect every time.  So go ahead newbie bakers  - impress all of your friends and bring homemade buns to the next BBQ.   How much time you spent making them will be our little secret.]

Ingredients

For bread maker:

-        1 egg

-        1 cup lukewarm water

-        2 tbsp butter

-        3 ¼ cup flour*

-        4 tbsp sugar

-        3 tsp bread maker (or quick rise) yeast

-        ¼ tsp salt

*I’ve experimented with all sorts of flours and any flour will do – you get the lightest, fluffiest buns with bread flour, but all-purpose is a close second.

Additional ingredients:

-        2 tbsp butter

-        2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

  

Directions

Place ingredients in your bread maker in the order they appear.  Set your bread maker to the “dough only” setting.

Once dough is ready, punch it down lightly to remove the access air.   Split dough into a dozen balls placing them seam side down on a well-greased baking sheet.  Melt 1 tbsp butter and brush it onto each piece of dough.  Lightly drape dough with a clean dishtowel and place in a warm spot until buns have doubled in size (about 40 minutes).  I like to use the proof feature on my oven for this step.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until buns are golden brown. Melt remaining tbsp of butter and brush the tops of the buns to soften.  If using sesame seeds, sprinkle them on as you butter each bun to ensure the sesame seeds stick. 

- Nutritional Info (1/12 recipe) -

Calories - 146   Fat - 3    Carbs – 27     Protein - 5   Fibre – 1

Enjoy!

Peach Lemonade

Ah, it's officially summer!  Summer is a more important time than ever to ensure you stay well hydrated and lemonade is such a classic summertime beverage.  I love this method of making lemonade, and I'm excited to be sharing it in this week's edition of The Hinton Voice as well!  The Voice just went digital which is great news for those of you who are out of town and would like to subscribe.  Be sure to head on over to their website for all the details! 

[Peaches and lemonade – two of my summertime favorites.  Both make a common appearance in my fridge this time of year, so it was only natural that I would eventually try and combine the two.  I have to say, I was pretty pleased with the results.  You could mix equal parts with club soda or ginger ale for punch, or even add a splash or two of vodka or rum for a more adult beverage.  This peach lemonade would be great at the beach, on a picnic, or even out camping.

There is nothing better on a hot summer’s day than a nice tall refreshing glass of ice-cold lemonade.   I’m not talking about the powdered kinds that try and pass themselves off as something that actually contains real fruit.  I’m talking the freshly squeezed, kind your Grandmother would have made right before heading out to the porch swing type of lemonade… this lemonade is exactly that.  

Making homemade lemonade is a lot less complicated than it sounds - I remember after the first time I made lemonade, I wondered why I didn’t try making it sooner.  It’s one of those great, no-fail types of recipes that’s great for beginners.  If it’s not sweet enough for you, simply add more sugar.  If it’s too sweet, another lemon should do the trick.  In less than 10 minutes from start to finish, I had an empty mason jar in my hand staring back at me, urging me to pour a second glass.]  

Ingredients

-        4-6 lemons (you’ll need 1 cup of lemon juice)

-        zest from 1 lemon

-        2 ripe peaches

-        1 cup sugar

-        5 cups filtered water

Directions

Zest your lemon peel, being careful not to zest any of the bitter white pith beneath the rind.

Combine sugar, 1-cup water, and lemon zest and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring frequently.  Once mixture reaches a boil, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.   Remove from heat.

Roll lemons on your counter with the palm of your hand to loosen the flesh.   Hint: Lemon’s juice better when they are at room temperature, so if you store your lemons in a cool place pop them into the microwave for a couple of seconds before you start. 

Slice lemons in half and squeeze as much juice from each lemon as you can until you have a cup of juice.  I have a hand held wooden citrus juicer that works great for this step.

Remove the pits from your peaches and place them in a blender along with the lemon juice and blend well.  Strain pulp and place juice in a large pitcher along with the lemon syrup.   Add remaining 4 cups of water and stir well to combine all ingredients.

Serve over ice with a piece of lemon or mint for garnish. 

Enjoy!

- Nutritional Info (1 cup) -

Calories - 95   Fat - 0    Carbs – 26     Protein - 0   Fibre – 0