Sunday, August 29, 2010

Weight Watchers Pad Thai


Using the old Weight Watchers points system this recipe has 5 points per serving. I haven't calculated the new Points Plus - but either way, this makes a light, healthy version of an old favourite.

I was originally put off by the ketchup in this recipe, if you read this and thought the same, don't be afraid to try it. It's a decent rendition and quick to come together!

Recipe originally found HERE.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Spaghetti with Lemon and Anchovy

Don't worry, this isn't fishy! The anchovy paste adds a salty richness to the pasta sauce. Anchovy paste is also a great addition to a basic fresh tomato sauce for the same reason.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Chicken Bacon Pizza

A different spin on pizza - quick and easy to make at home.  Start with fresh pizza dough, we buy ours pre-made locally, and a ball the size of a grapefruit covers a large cookie sheet.  heating your oven as high as it will go, in our case 500 degrees celsius, produces a crust with a crisp bottom and delicious chewy texture.  Chicken and basil are an interesting spin on a classic.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Shaun Cooks! Penne with Shrimp, Fresh Tomato and Chorizo

A new seller at the St. Norbert Farmers Market is making pasta this year and I found penne flavoured with keylime and chili.  I left it up to Shaun to create a sauce to marry with this unusually flavoured pasta!  He cooked fresh tomato, sweet white onion and chorizo down with a spash of white wine to create a base for shrimp.  The light sauce lets the subtly flavoured pasta shine through!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Slow Cooked Grilled Pork Tacos


It seems like were wrapping everything in tortillas lately, must be the summer weather!

We came across these pork side ribs at the store and could believe they were only a couple dollars a pack -- but I had idea what to do with them and a search of the internet was no help. I could see they were fattier than regular ribs but from what I could find on the internet said the meat was tender. I wanted to grill the ribs but knew the flair ups would be disastrous...what to do...what to do...

I decided to simmer the ribs, tenderizing the meat and rendering off some of the fat. I added some flavour to the water then when they were cooked tossed them in a simple sauce before lightly grilling the ribs to caramelize the sauce and add a smokey flavour to the meat. When they were off the grill I pulled the meat off the bone and wrapped it in soft home made flour tortillas!

As a bonus, I think the whole meal (not including pantry staples) cost about $3 per serving or less!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Catie's Citrus Chicken

 After much anticipation here it is. The recipe you've all been waiting for....CATIE'S Chicken! I'm calling this recipe Catie's Citrus Chicken because it can really adapt to whatever you have in your fridge. The original recipe calls for orange...and Catie used Mango Pineapple Veggie Juice and I used Mango Orange so feel free to experiment...any citrus based juice should work well.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Four Meat Pizza - Pizza for Men!!

Using the pre made fresh pizza dough from De Luca's makes making home made pizza a cinch.  Simply spread out your dough and layer on your toppings.  We found the cutest heart-shaped salami this week and knew just what to do with it.  Pizza!  

I find heating the oven as hot as it will go yields the best results - for me that's 500 degrees (though I have my suspicions it actually gets that hot).  The pizza cooks in about 15 minutes this way with a nice chewy crust, crisp on the bottom and soft and chewy in the middle and the cheese perfectly browned on the top - nothing better!