Indian dahl & saag stew with leftover shredded turkey

  

This past weekend was American Thanksgiving and since we just love turkey & gravy and stuff my cousins and I decided it would be the perfect time to indulge in another family Thanksgiving celebration. We had a delicious time filling our faces with buttermilk mashed potatoes, crispy brussel sprouts, moist turkey and enough chocolate bourbon pecan pie to send anyone into a full blown food coma. Sunday we were all left with the age old problem (not a problem at all in my house) of what to do with all the left over turkey. This delicious recipe really transforms the turkey into a super satisfying Indian inspired stew. You can also use leftover shredded chicken or dare I say pork. I've adapted this recipe from my moms version of a Bonnie Stern red lentil stew recipe. Enjoy!

Summer Fresh dips & spreads

The people from Summer Fresh were nice enough to send me a freeze packed case filled with a bunch of their delicious dips and spreads. Unfortunately the original pictures were on my old black berry and were all lost when my phone decided to take a deep dive into the toilet, I've since switched to iphone. Any ways the point of today's post is that these Summer Fresh dips are pretty awesome and aren't just good with some pita bread or tortilla chips. I really like to use a few spoonfuls instead of salad dressing or adding them to a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of lemon or vinegar. The Jalapeno was excellent over a red cabbage and carrot slaw, and the cucumber and feta worked like a delicious charm on my favorite kale salad with avocado and cherry tomatoes. One of their most famous dips - the artichoke and asiago I simply spread over a sliced baguette and toasted it so the the spread just melted into the bread. This was just heavenly and would be great served along side a creamy tomato soup. I really liked all of the dips except for the sesame topped one and that's just because I'm allergic to sesame so I couldn't eat it. You guys know I'm not a huge fan of pre packaged products but these Summer fresh dips are gluten and lactose free and are made with simple high quality ingredients. They taste great and are an easy add on to sandwiches and salads for extra flavor. Try them out and let me know what you think.

 

Simple roasted cauliflower & sweet potato soup

Happy Friday all. Here's a fast and delicious soup that will warm your belly during these cold months ahead. Peel and chop two sweet potatoes. Pull 1 head of cauliflower apart. Season both with olive oil salt and pepper and scatter on two baking sheets. Roast at 350 until soft and or golden (about 20 mins for the cauliflower and 35 for the sweet potato). In the meantime sauté a cooking onion and a few garlic cloves then add in the roasted veg. If you any thyme dry or fresh you can add it in. Cook for a few mins before adding a quart of water or stock then purée. Add in more stock or water depending on how thick you like your soup. Taste for seasoning and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt. #yum
Have a delicious weekend y'all xo

Pesto fusilli - how to keep your pesto vibrant green

Oh hello snobs and snobettes. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying all of falls beautiful offerings. Since it was 17º here in Toronto yesterday it really got me thinking about summer and one of my favorite homemade condiments... pesto. This versatile sauce originated from Genoa (Italiay) and is made traditionally from fresh basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and pine nuts. When I make it I leave out the pine nuts which can cut back on some calories and $$$ but certainly doesn't cut back on any flavor. You can also substitute the pine nuts for walnuts or hazelnuts for a modern twist. One thing about pesto that drives me completely crazy is when the herbs oxidize and you end up with a murky dark coloured pesto. If you follow my simple steps you'll end up with vibrant gorgeous green every time. 

PREP: For the pesto combine a bunch fresh basil (discard stems), 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 lemon juiced, about a half a cup of grated parmesan, a pinch of salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Blend everything up using a hand blender (or standing blender). If mixture is too thick continue to drizzle more olive oil as you blend. Taste and season with more lemon or cheese to your liking. For the vegetables slice the zucchini and eggplant about 1/2 inch length wise. Brush with olive oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper. One of my tips would be to buy pre roasted peppers from the antipasto bar at your grocery store or the jarred variety which can be a much needed time saver for busy home cooks.

COOK: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Strain pasta and toss in a small amount of olive oil before spreading it out on a large baking sheet or pan to cool. The olive oil will prevent the pasta from sticking and clumping up into a solid mass. Using a cast iron grill pan (or bbq) grill up the zucchini and eggplant for a few mins on each side (the eggplant will take slightly longer). Let everything cool then cut into strips.

TIPS: Make sure the pasta and the veg are all cooled before combining everything with the pesto - this is they key to keeping your pesto pasta looking good.  If you follow that rule you will never have dirty brown looking sauce again. 

- Chow for now