Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in Peppers

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in Peppers

Yesterday morning, as I was browsing through Nigel Slaters book

 Tender, Volume 1, I found this yummy recipe that I based last nights dinner on. 

My sister and her husband were going to stop in for dinner, on their way home from a vacation. I needed something I could have ready for when they arrived, so they could eat and run..

Oh my, they tasted so delicious, it is my new favourite recipe, and very simple indeed! 

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in Peppers

serves 8

6 large sweet peppers

cherry or grape tomatoes, 2 containers, I used a mix of red and yellow

olive oil

basil leaves, 2 handfuls

Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C). Cut the washed peppers in half lengthwise, discarding the seeds and white core. Put the halved peppers cut side up in a roasting tin or baking dish. Cut the washed tomatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size. Divide the tomatoes between the peppers, and season with salt and black pepper. Pour a little olive oil into each pepper and bake until the tomatoes and peppers are lusciously soft, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Puree the basil leaves in 1/4 cup (70 ml) of olive oil. I used a food processor then sieved the mixture to have a smoother oil. Pour into the peppers, this basil dressing will mingle with the warm tomato juices.

Yum, enjoy!

In the future I might add a little minced garlic to each pepper half with the tomatoes before baking, mmm.

Wild Strawberries

 we went for a little walk this morning and much to our delight the wild strawberries are starting to ripen! yum!

delicious, such vibrant flavour!

pretty big, maybe all this rain is helping them plump up!

Morel Hunting

pussy willows pollinating

very pretty

jack pine

the elusive morel

very hard to see amongst the brown leaves

two!

you have to get your "morel eyes" on

we found enough to have a morel risotto

yum!

hopefully with the rain today we will find more tomorrow

Parsnip Chive Gnocchi

 I am taking part in a bi-weekly food challenge with a group of friends. I chose parsnips for this challenge.

I found this recipe online here: http://www.nooschi.com/2009/07/parsnip-and-chive-gnocchi.html

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly but added mushrooms to the garlic butter sauce.

Parsnip and Chive Gnocchi

 1 lb of parsnips
 1 1/2 cups of sifted flour
 1/4 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
 1 Tbsp chives, finely chopped (I used dehydrated chives)
 salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Peel the parsnips and cook in a large pot of boiling water until tender (approx 25-35 minutes). Drain and allow the parsnips to cool and dry.

2. In a large bowl, mash the parsnips. Slowly add in the flour and mix thoroughly. Add in the chives, Parmesan cheese, and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix well.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the gnocchi mixture into a thick snake-like shape (about 1 inch diameter). Cut the snake-like gnocchi mixture into small 3/4 inch pieces. Roll each small 3/4 inch piece into an oval shape. With your thumb, press the gnocchi, into the back of the tines of a fork, creating a ribbed imprint. 

4. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the gnocchi into the pot of boiling water. 

The gnocchi is ready when it floats to the surface. Drain and serve.

Because this gnocchi has such a nice flavour on its own, I served it with a simple garlic mushroom butter sauce. To garnish, I used freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Yum!! This recipe is a keeper, one that I will make again and again!

This recipe yields 4 servings.

 mashing the flour into the parsnips

 the dough is ready to work with

 rolling the gnocchi on the back of a fork

sliced mushrooms for the sauce

yum, ready to eat!

Veggie Burger Recipe

I have been cooking for a friend who is undergoing chemo treatments. She eats chicken and fish and all things veggie. I made these delicious veggies burgers for her yesterday, well we ate them too! This is the best recipe for veggie burgers, I have found so far, and it is from Whitewater Cooks. I guess I am obsessed with this cookbook since I got it for Christmas, but every recipe I have cooked from it, is fabulous! This book is definitely a run out and buy at once kind of cookbook!

Whitewater Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp. cumin

1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder

1-19 oz can black beans, rinsed, drained and roughly pureed

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 cup parsley, chopped (or cilantro... yuck)

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1/2 cup almonds, roasted and chopped

1 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and chopped

3 cups fine bread crumbs

1/2 cup soy sauce

5 eggs

2 cups carrots, grated

2 cups oats

flour for dredging

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method

In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in oil. Place in a large mixing bowl and let it cool a little. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and shape into patties. Dredge lightly in flour. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan to brown the burgers on both sides, you may need to do this in batches with more oil.

Serve on your favourite buns with your favourite toppings!

Makes 12 burgers.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Yummy!

Cookie recipe:

11.5 oz. dark chocolate chips, I used Whisper Chocolates brand

6 tbsp. butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

12 oz. dark chocolate chips, I used Whisper Chocolates brand

1 1/4 cup, chopped walnuts

Melt the 11.5 oz. chocolate chips and butter together in a small saucepan over very low heat, watch closely so it doesn't burn.

In a large bowl beat eggs and sugar together until very thick; stir in chocolate mixture. In a small bowl stir together the flour and the baking soda; stir into chocolate mixture. Gently mix in the remaining chocolate chips and the walnuts.

This will be a very soft dough. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Drop heaped teaspoons of dough, 2" apart, onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, turning the pan halfway through the baking time, until a shiny crust forms on top but the insides are still soft. 

Cool on baking sheet until the cookies are firm enough to move onto a cooling rack, enjoy!