jamie oliver's chickpea & leek soup

I spent part of my day in Detroit doing a walk-through of the GM stand at the North American International Auto Show. Tomorrow is the first of two media days and I'm helping out with some of the broadcast interviews. Let me tell you, it was very chilly in the convention center today. Very chilly. All of the big doors were open so cars and trucks could be loaded onto the show floor. Seriously, I couldn't warm up so I decided to make a pot of my favourite soup for dinner -- chickpea and leek.

Tip: You can quickly make this soup on a weeknight if you change the first step. Rather than soaking the chickpeas and boiling the potato, use canned chickpeas and microwave the potato until soft.

gnocchi gone wild, making it for my first time

Picture this: I'm flipping through Cook With Jamie, trying to find the perfect meal to impress our friends George & Kara. They were driving in from Toronto so I wanted to make something special. I noticed a recipe for Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms & Sage. Yum, right? Best of all, it appeared I could make the gnocchi a day ahead and then cook them for a fabulous Saturday night dinner.

The first step in the process was finding a potato ricer. That only took three stores...I should have hit Little Italy first! Next, I baked the potatoes...easy peasy.

Once I turned the potatoes into dough, I placed the gnocchi on a semolina flour lined cookie sheet and left them in the fridge overnight. Pretty.

The following day, I made crispy sage and sauteed wild mushrooms for the sauce.

When the sauce was almost ready, I placed the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water. And, here is our "gnocchi" with wild mushrooms and sage.

Wondering what happened to my beautiful homemade (filled with love) gnocchi? Well, something went terribly wrong and I had a total gnocchi fail -- they disintegrated. My hard work disintegrated in front of my very eyes...and my guests' eyes. So I did what any good hostess would do, I pretended that I wasn't absolutely heartbroken and I threw a bag of brown rice pasta in another pot of boiling water. And, then proceeded to talk about how F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S brown rice pasta is for your health...it's lot easier to digest and much better for you than regular pasta or gnocchi, ya know!

cauliflower, broccoli, and chedder cheese soup

Cauliflower, broccoli and cheddar cheese soup

Between the flu pandemic and colder weather, we're craving warm bowls of goodness. Recently, I modified Jamie Oliver's Cauliflower and Cheese Soup to use a relatively old broccoli in my veggie drawer. Plus, I decided to increase the soup's fiber and protein by adding chickpeas, which help to thicken it (full disclosure: got the bean idea from my friend Maria at Fresh Eats who included beans her mushroom soup).

Ingredients:

2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 onions, chopped
Head of broccoli, chopped (discard stem)
Head of cauliflower, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 litres of low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
28 oz can of organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups of old white cheddar, grated
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs dried thyme
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Cook all of the chopped veggies and garlic in a large pot over medium heat until soft (about 10 minutes). Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the chickpeas. Turn down the heat and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Then, cool for a few minutes.

Add the grated cheese, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Return to the stove to simmer until warm.

Serve with fresh Russian rye bread (recommended by my mother!) for a warm lunch.

pizza party menu

Gudrin's smoked salmon, roasted red pepper, roasted artichoke & goat's cheese pizza

One night this week, Erin and Gudrin came over for a pizza party. What was on our menu? Take a wild guess! Pizza and wine. That's it. BTW, kudos to Erin for making the pizza dough between clients. :)

Erin's pizza: Extra virgin olive oil with a hint of garlic salt, sliced Bosc pear, crumbled blue cheese, a smattering of mozzarella and Parmesan

Gudrin's pizza: Smoked salmon, roasted red peppers, roasted artichokes, Mrs. Porter's homemade roasted tomato sauce, mozzarella, and goat's cheese

Jordana's pizza (which got stuck to the pan...so we couldn't really eat it): Sliced tomato, ricotta and Mrs. Porter's homemade roasted tomato sauce with a touch of pesto

I think we'll have another pizza party. My plan is to recreate my favourite pizza from Terra Cotta in Windsor. I like olive tapenade, spinach, eggplant, roasted red peppers, feta cheese and rosemary. Girls, will you come over again soon?

P.S. Lulu B Pinot Noir was also on the menu. It's a perfect pizza wine. Thanks to Gudrin for bring it along!

yellow vegetables

When was the last time you went to the tomato capital of the world?

We were there for a wedding last Saturday. With two hours to kill between the ceremony and the reception, we took advantage of the opportunity to stop at a few farm stands. We bought some lovely yellow and orange tomatoes (likely the very last of the season), butternut squash, sugar pumpkins, and red peppers.

Two ideas for yellow-ish vegetables:

Yellow tomato bruschetta

Sweet potato fries

I was planning to make a carrot salad tonight but got distracted. Instead, I added some yellow tomatoes to our rockin' Indian open-faced sandwich. I was feeling a bit lazy, what can I say?

Send your ideas my way...I still need to use up the peppers and the sugar pumpkins.

roasted cauliflower soup

Love this roasted cauliflower soup because it's simple, healthy and reliable. The recipe is really from Bonnie Stern but I modify slightly.

Yellow cauliflower is fun.

My mother-in-law gave me this little green bag (of thyme!)

Prepare the cauliflower by putting chunks on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and drizzling with extra virgin olive oil, some thyme, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper.

Roast cauliflower for 30-40 minutes. Then add to 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Puree and reheat if necessary. Serve topped with sliced green onion.

Bonnie recommends serving with some crumbled Gorgonzola and chopped walnuts. Sounds good to me!

marinated roasted red pepper recipe

Every Sunday I design a weekly menu. This way, I can hit the grocery store once and cook several meals throughout the week. Like usual, things don't always go as planned so I'm often left with unused vegetables. I still haven't found a good use for wilted lettuce but old red peppers can easily be transformed into marinated roasted red peppers.

Ingredients:

• 2 red peppers
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil, splash
• Balsamic vinegar, splash
• Fresh herb of your choice: basil, rosemary, thyme etc.

Char peppers on the barbecue. When they are black on all sides, place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. After 20 minutes, peel the skin off the peppers and thickly slice. Next saute the roasted red peppers on low-medium heat with the remaining ingredients. Enjoy as an appetizer with baguette and buffala mozzarella or serve as a garnish on grilled steak and potatoes. Or just eat.

P.S. Wondering what's on the dinner menu this week? We've got:

• Monday - Panko-crusted turkey scallopini with tomato sauce on brown rice pasta
• Tuesday - Greek salad with grilled chicken breasts
• Wednesday - Soy Vay marinated top sirloin, roasted cauliflower and tossed green salad
• Thursday - dinner out
• Friday & Saturday - Rosh Hashanah with our families

Wish me luck! I hope to stay on schedule!

how to make baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant dip)

It's eggplant season and I love it! One of my favourite treats is baba ghanoush which can easily be made at home and enjoyed with pita chips.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-large eggplant
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of tahini
• Juice of half a lemon
• Smoked paprika (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and ground pepper
• Chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)

Slice eggplant lengthwise into quarters.

Cook skin side down on a hot barbecue until soft. I like to put a piece of aluminum foil underneath.

Cool the eggplant, then scoop out the insides into your food processor. Add the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse. Slowly add some olive oil and pulse. You'll want to add just enough olive oil to achieve a relatively smooth consistency but don't let it get soupy! Top with chopped parsley.

Time to eat eggplant dip!

vegetarian sandwich recipe

When in need of a seriously fast, reasonably healthy meal I think...grilled vegetable sandwich.

Ingredients

• 2 zucchinis
• 1 small eggplant
• 1/4 cup of pesto
• 8 pieces of torn buffala mozzarella
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 small focaccia buns
• extra virgin olive oil

Slice the veggies and brush with olive oil. Grill. Take grilled vegetables off the heat and quickly grill the buns. Rub half a clove on garlic on the toasted bun. Top with grilled vegetables, pesto, a few pieces of cheese. Drizzle with olive oil. Eat. Serves 2.

Guest blog by Lauren: Long Weekend Vegetarian Feast

We had such beautiful weather today, my husband and I decided to make a late lunch/early dinner and eat outside on the patio. Since I'm a vegetarian and my husband isn't, it can often be difficult to make meals that appeal to both of us. All of the dishes we made today are tried and true vegetarian recipes that we both love. They're all great recipes for a meat-free Monday meal! The Best Caesar Salad Recipe
This recipe is from one of our favourite restaurants - Daiquiri Dick's in Puerto Vallarta. It's an eggless recipe (actually dairy-free if you omit the parmesan cheese) and is absolutely amazing! It's not truly vegetarian because of the anchovy fillets but you can remove them if you don't eat seafood.
1 3/4 oz Onion (roasted or caramelized)
1 clove Garlic
5 Anchovy Fillets
1/4 tsp Ground dry mustard
1/4 tsp Sugar
1 TB Worcheshire sauce
1 TB Soy Sauce (yes, soy sauce)
1 TB Lemon juice
2 oz Apple cider vinager
1 drop Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup Canola oil

In a blender combine all of the ingredients except the oil and Parmesan cheese. Allow it to spin away, adding the oil in a thin stream. Once all the oil has been assimilated, taste and if necessary, adjust seasoning. Use the nicest, crispest Romaine leaves in with the dressing and before serving, dust with Parmesan cheese, fresh ground black pepper. I also add croutons and a handful of sliced up cherry tomatoes. We typically put in about 1/2 the amount of oil but you'll need to adjust based on your preference.
Bruschetta on ACE Rosemary Focaccia Bread
4 large ripe tomatoes
Fresh basil (handful)
Olive Oil
Balsamic drizzle
Salt & Pepper to taste
Garlic (1 clove)

Slice and chop the tomatoes after removing the core. Loosely chop a handful of fresh basil and squeeze in the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil (roughly about 2 TB - enough to lightly coat the tomatoes) and season with salt and pepper. Last but not least, we've found an amazing balsamic drizzle that we use when we make bruschetta. We add a touch in the bruschetta and then top our bread with some as well. This is optional but well worth it if you're able to include it. Before serving the Focaccia we lightly grilled the bread on the BBQ. Simple pasta with cherry tomatoes

This started out as a simple pasta recipe from one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. I've experimented with it over the years and made some changes based on what I like best. I believe the original recipe had cherry tomatoes, arugula and squashed olives.
3-4 containers of cherry tomatoes
Fresh basil (handful)
Olive oil
Chili flakes
Garlic (2-3 cloves)
Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional: I kept it simple today but you can easily add a few additional ingredients to give this pasta a bit of a twist. Arugula is great in this pasta (include at the end) or you could add in some shrimp/scallops to make it a seafood pasta - we cook them in a separate pan in butter, garlic and white wine and then add them to the pasta when it's all done. This is a great vegetarian pasta but it's yummy to add in some seafood as well.

Loosely chop up the tomatoes. In a pan on high heat, drizzle some olive oil and add in garlic, a sprinkling of chili flakes and the basil. Once it starts to sizzle add in the tomatoes and turn the heat down to medium. Stir the sauce occasionally. You can start boiling the water for the pasta at the same time that you start the sauce. We like it with linguini but you can use any pasta. By the time the pasta is ready your sauce should be done. Top the pasta with some fresh Parmesan cheese and you're ready to go.

*To read Lauren's fashion blog visit http://ladauphinestyle.blogspot.com/

garlic, chili & parsley pasta

One of hubby's clients gave him garden fresh garlic...thank you!

Fireman Terry, my cooking mentor, suggested that I buy Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers' River Cafe Cookbook Easy. Why? Because you can easily make good things to eat. Rose and Ruth own the River Cafe, which apparently is a lovely Italian restaurant in London. I really, really, really want go there. Initially I heard about the ladies through the Jamie Oliver cookbooks; he worked with them in the early days. Needless to say, I'm excited to get started on the recipes.

Tonight's menu:

Spaghetti with Garlic, Chili and Parsley

~Took 15 minutes total to make and was a household hit~

~I use brown rice pasta because it's easier on our digestive systems~

Green salad with cannelini beans and heirloom tomatoes

~Not from the River Cafe Cookbook but cannelini beans are Tuscan so it works~

Have you been to the River Cafe? Do you know someone who's eaten there? Fill me in. If you'd like to try some River Cafe recipes courtesy of The Guardian click here.

P.S. Garden fresh garlic is outstanding. It's easier to take the skin off, it's not quite as pungent and the taste is not lingering in my mouth. Must plant next year.