creamy broccoli & leek soup

I made this soup in May when it actually seemed like soup weather, however the weather had transformed into summer the very next day. Soup has pretty much been the very last thing on my mind. And the glorious sunny, hot weather that the Pacific Northwest has been having just seemed to go on and on. But then yesterday the rains came back and this morning I woke up to another grey day. I don't want to face a new weather trend here, but I'm posting this soup recipe because it just seems like the perfect thing to hit the spot. The window reflects October but the calendar says July. Oh well, I need this bowl of warm comfort like nobody's business right now. The sun should come out by the weekend and I can most certainly can turn some of the fabulous local broccoli and leeks and potatoes that I bought on the weekend into this bright green and oh so tasty soup.

creamy broccoli & leek soup
1 leek, sliced thinly (white & light green parts only)
1 large head of broccoli, roughly chopped
2 potatoes, diced
1 t olive oil
4 c vegetable stock
1/4 c whipping cream (or milk)
1/4 c grated old white cheddar
salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute the leeks until soft and fragrant. Add in broccoli and potatoes and stir fry it a bit. Add in enough vegetable stock so that the vegetables are just covered. Cover and simmer over med-low heat for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree with immersion blender and add in cream/milk and cheese. Taste and add salt & pepper, if needed.

baked mini corn dogs

Last night I posed a question to my husband: would he like a stir fry or corn dogs for dinner? Obviously not a very fair question. Sorry, stir fry, your time will come. After my husband closed his gaping maw, I got down to work. After a bit of Google-ing, I spotted this near-perfect recipe. I made it more perfect by adding in some chili-powder for flavour and a kick of spicy cayenne for bite. These would be a perfect addition to your Canada Day or July 4th holiday party.

The end result isn't the cylindrical n' greasy meat-pop of your carnival dreams, but it does satisfy any food-on-stick craving you might be hankering for. These corn dogs are flat at the bottom, but they are crispy and the flavour is just right. I wasn't sure about adding all that sugar, but it actually helped them taste more authentic. I liked the sweetness but feel free to cut it down or leave it out completely.

I had some lollypop sticks leftover from some fall-time caramel apple making and they worked perfectly for this meal. Please note that this recipe makes a lot of batter! So feel free to increase the hot dog amount to 8 if you are feeding a crowd or do like we did and use the batter the next morning to make a really great corn bread. Just fry up a small amount of bacon - or just heat up some vegetable oil or bacon grease in a cast iron pan. When hot, pour in the batter and place in a pre-heated 375F degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Slice into quarters and eat hot.

baked mini corn dogs
1 c cornmeal
1 c flour
2 T brown sugar
1 T chili powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 c milk (feel free to use almond/soy/rice milk)
1 egg
1 T canola oil
4-8 hot dogs, cut in half (use tofu or veggie dogs, if you like)
8-16 lollypop sticks

Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. In a smaller bowl, mix together the milk, egg and canola oil. Pour the wet into the dry and mix gently with a fork.

Cut your hot dogs in half (mini-dogs not skinny-dogs) and pierce each half with a stick. Dredge each half into the cornmeal batter and place onto a silpat-covered cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the batter becomes golden brown.

farm fresh dinner: new potatoes, braised greens and a beet salad

This weekend we got out into the country. On Saturday there was a hike to Lindeman Lake (don't listen to your guidebook, it's definitely not "easy") and afterward, there was time to check out a few local farm markets. I was hoping we could find a flat or two of local strawberries, but since we were nearing the end of the afternoon, everywhere seemed to be sold out. Our first stop was Wisbey Veggies in Chilliwack where I walked out with 2 very full bags full of local farm fresh produce for $20. Beets, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, snow peas, new potatoes, carrots, raspberries, zucchinis and mushrooms...all locally grown, all so delicious. A few minutes away, we discovered a goat cheese dairy selling all kinds of goat cheese products from ice cream to yogurt to gouda! I walked away with cheese curds (not goat) and some goat cheese feta. I was already imagining all the menu possiblities.

On Sunday, after a big breakfast and a little garage sale snooping, we decided to head out to visit our CSA farm in Langley for their open house weekend. It's a beautiful farm and we got a great tour from the very enthusiastic farmer, Stephen. We also got to pick out some seedlings to take home and harvest some of our own rhubarb and greens (kale, mustard, chard and arugula)! We even dug into the farm's cooler and into a tub containing mouldy leeks. Stripping off the gooey outter layers revealed a perfectly good leek, so we took a few of those home too. I think it's safe to say that when you harvest your own food, it tastes so much better and you get bragging rights which is always a good thing.

After looking through my haul on Sunday evening, I got to work. First I tackled the beets. I knew I wanted a beet and arugula salad topped with feta. Recalling a similar salad I made last summer, I decided to stick with a good thing but still make a few tweeks here and there. The beets were incredibly sweet and worked so well with the feta and the tangy dressing. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. For the new potatoes, I took the simple road. Boiled, buttered and sprinkled with fresh herbs from my garden. The mint made this dish and made the potatoes sing. I couldn't leave well enough alone, and as i gathered the beet greens, I decided to make use of the kale and chard as well, braising them simply with the leeks and a lemon. It was a farm fresh dinner from start to finish.

buttered new potatoes with mint & parsley
8 new potatoes
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 T unsalted butter
kosher salt & black pepper

Boil potatoes in water until tender. Drain. Coat with butter, fresh herbs and salt & pepper. Serve.

beet & arugula salad with goat cheese & pecans
8 baby beets, quartered or cut in half
arugula, torn
1/4 c goat cheese feta
2 T pecans, chopped
1 T sour cherry jam
1/4 c olive oil
1 t dijon mustard
2 T cider vinegar
salt & pepper

Boil the beets until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly so that removing the skin from the beets isn't too painful. Further chop the larger pieces of beets, if necessary. Set aside. Mix the dressing by combining the jam, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper until thick. Adjust seasonings to taste. Scatter arugula on plate, then the beets, feta and pecans. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

braised greens with leeks & lemon
2 lbs of assorted greens (chard, kale, beet greens is what I used)
1 T olive oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
3 leeks, sliced thinly
zest & juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

Rinse the greens very well to get rid of any dirt hidden within the leaves. Remove the tough ribs from the kale and discard. Chop the greens and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute the leeks and red chilies until fragrant. Add in the toughest leaves first (kale) and then the chard and then the beet greens. Reduce heat. What looks like a massive amount of greens will soon wilt into a very manageable amount. Add in the lemon juice and zest and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and stir about until all the leaves become wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Serve.

the best strawberry rhubarb crumble ever

This is the best strawberry rhubarb crumble ever, no foolin'. Sure I can be a bit generous in my praise at times, but trust me on this one. Go make this dessert now. Skip ahead to the recipe. I'll wait.

I made this dessert a while ago and I can't believe that I haven't posted it until now. Not only is it the very best crumble that I have ever made, but it's so perfect for this time of year when local rhubarb and strawberries have started to appear at farmer's markets around town. Throw a scoop of ice cream on top and hot-diggity-dog! Or spoon some into a bowl of hot Scottish oats the next morning and make your breakfast cry out for more.

I adapted the recipe from Smitten Kitchen and it will definitely turn into a staple for all kinds of fruit come summer and fall. I can imagine some pretty amazing magic with nectarines, raspberries and blueberries in July. But for now, I'll just have to look fondly at these photos and drool slightly over my keyboard.

strawberry rhubarb crumble
4 stalks rhubarb, diced
3 c strawberries, quartered
juice of one small lemon
1/4 c sugar (I used fruit sugar)
3 T cornstarch
pinch nutmeg

topping
1 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 T brown sugar
3 T raw sugar
zest of one lemon
1/4 c melted butter + 1 T olive oil
1/4 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375F. Add the rhubarb and strawberries to a casserole pan, tossing with the sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg. Squeeze in lemon juice and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine all the topping ingredients, except walnuts. Using a wooden spoon, stir everything until clumps form. Use your hands to scatter the topping evenly over the fruit. Sprinkle top with walnuts. Bake for 45 minutes until the topping is golden and the fruit have created a bubbly sauce. Cool slightly and serve with ice cream.

hello summer & other seasonal ramblings (+ a recipe)

The weather in Vancouver has been nothing but spectacular with it's blue skies and sunshine. I want to say that this summer is actually pretty rad, but as a seasoned West Coaster I have to amend that to, "this summer is pretty rad....so far". We're jaded when it comes to the weather and it seems we are always looking for the grey clouds in the silver lining. But I'm excited because summer is here and it is awesome. Really.

Now here's a grey cloud – I told you, I'm a Vancouverite. I know, I know, these pancakes look amazing. I tried to create a delicious coconut and lime pancake, but instead these were tough and biscuit-like. Not the yieldingly soft and fluffy pancake of my dreams. The flavour was pretty on par, but the texture needed work. Next time, I think I'll just modify these truly sublime coconut yogurt pancakes (made with my favorite yogurt) with some lime zest and juice and call it a success. But hey, throw on some fresh organic raspberries and I can forgive pretty much anything.

The next kink in my week was cold-brewed coffee. It seemed like a great idea, but I was let down. It was a bit too weak for my liking and it was just too much waiting around. I'll try it again to be sure, adding less water to the final "coffee concentrate", so I'm not going to knock it down to the ground. Yet. However, saving already brewed left-over coffee in the fridge is my kind of easy and it makes a good cuppa iced joe.

But back to the good things because if you know me, I actually like to look on the bright side. Yesterday there was the new Wednesday farmer's market near the Main Street skytrain station where I picked up some very lovely peonies along with garlic scapes and some lettuce. There's also summer bike rides in skirts and cold lemony Hefeweizen with friends. And take note, this coming Sunday, I'll be taking part in the Got Craft? Bite Sized fair happening on Main Street (luckily coinciding with the car-free festival!) So please stop by, say hello & check out my wares why don't you?

If you've stuck through this post long enough, here's a quick little recipe for lemon marinated olives. I was served these recently at a party and loved them so much that I had to make my own. This recipe includes caper berries which I found in a glass jar near the capers in my local Chinatown market. If you don't have the caper berries, you can skip them, but do try to find them. They are delicious and even non-olive lovers will love them. Trust me. These go nicely on a hot day with some of my most favorite lemony-garlic green beans that I've been making for almost 20 years now. Crack open a cold beer, invite a few friends over for some patio hanging and you've got yourself a nice little party. Open your arms and give a lemony, salty hello to summer.

lemon-marinated olives & caper berries
1 c your favorite green brined olives
1 c your favorite kalmata or other black olives
1/2 c caper berries
4 large lemons, juiced and zest peeled off with a vegetable peeler*
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
2 dried chilis (or 1 t of red chili flakes)
olive oil

Drain off any brine from the olives and caper berries and place them in a sealable jar. Stuff the jar with peel from 1 or 2 lemons, the rosemary sprig, and the chili. Pour in lemon juice so that it fills the jar. Top with olive oil if you like. Close jar and let sit in the fridge over night or for two weeks. The longer it sits, the more intensely lemony the olives are. This is a good thing. Spoon out the solids and serve.

* careful, you want a good vegetable peeler or a knife, so you don't get any of the bitter underside pith. Just peel enough from 1 or 2 lemons.

toasted oats with berries & yogurt

I know, I know, it's hot outside and all I want to do is drink slushies. Now that it's the weekend, maybe I should slug back a couple with a jigger of rum or two. But sometimes breakfast comes first. And an easy breakfast without a whole lot of fuss would be best.

This morning I was seriously craving some granola. The unfortunate thing was that my granola jar was empty and I only had one cup of old fashioned oats on-hand. So I tried my hand at the next best thing, toasted oats. I toast steel cut oats before I boil 'em so why can't I toast regular old oats and just eat 'em as is? No reason at all! So that's what I did...but I added a bit of this and a bit of that to, you know, jazz things up. The result? It was so good that I declared myself a genius on the spot!

The oven was barely on, so it didn't heat up the house which is always a nice bonus for summer. We ate this topped with vanilla yogurt and fresh raspberries and it really hit the spot. The oats aren't as crunchy as granola and because everything is slightly toasted, it has more flavour than muesli. I'm heading to the store shortly to stock up on oats, as I can see this getting regular play in my kitchen.

toasted oats with berries & yogurt
1 c old fashioned oats
1 T brown sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
2 T shredded coconut
1 T walnuts, chopped
2 c yogurt
1/2 - 3/4 c raspberries (or any fresh berry you have on hand)

Turn on your oven's broiler. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon and brown sugar, then spread it evenly over the baking sheet. Bake for 2 minutes on the top rack, checking frequently so that nothing burns. Remove from oven and sprinkle with coconut and walnuts and bake again for another minute or so...again checking frequently. You want golden, not burnt. Remove from oven. Add yogurt to 2 bowls, divide oat mixture evenly between the two and top with raspberries.

strawberry lemonade slushie

On a hot summer day, when I was a kid, I'd line up at the local variety store with throngs of others and wait for a Slush Puppy. The counter person would turn back the handle and out would pour a sticky, icy, day-glo concoction. It was happiness in a cup and I'd always get blue (what flavour was blue??) and it would stain my tongue and give me a brain freeze. It was perfect.

Summer has come to Vancouver with a vengance and all I've been wanting is a bit of cooling off. A slushie would hit the spot, so I looked into my freezer to see what kind of makings I had. A can of frozen lemonade leftover from a party? Check? Frozen strawberries? Ice? Check and check. The result? Holy brain freeze territory! It was sweet, it was icy and it was the easiest and tastiest way to beat the heat of summer. Want a more grown-up drink? Add in 6 oz of white rum and you've got yourself a pretty simple & tasty daqueri.

strawberry lemonade slushie
1/2 a container of frozen lemonade concentrate
juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 1/2 c frozen strawberries
ice water
ice cubes

Spoon out half the lemonade into a tall pitcher. Add in the strawberries and lemon juice. Top with water. Use an immersion blender to blend it all into slush, adding more water if necessary. Add in a few ice cubes and crush those up too (and rum, if that's the way you roll). Pour into 4 glasses. Let the brain freeze begin!