Category Archives: Dinner

Yuca Fries- If bread and potatoes had babies, it would be yuca.

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Genesis gets excited once in awhile about food from his country, El Salvador. One of these things is yuca. We don’t have it often, but it is always a treat when we do. The texture of yuca is fluffy, and dense. It is like a super rich potato crossed with fluffy bread. You’re confused, I understand, just trust me. Oh, and yuca looks like a waxy log, and when you peel it it smells like lavender… so there’s that too. But, once you’ve peeled it, cut out any brown spots, boiled it briefly, and baked it, you have awesome fries. Give it a shot! Hell, I might even try mashing them, I’ve heard good things!

Waxy logs, see, I told you! Scroll down for the interior-deliciousness.

Yuca Fries

Ingredients

  • Two yuca roots (see above)
  • your favourite oil
  • salt

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  2. Peel your yuca well. It is easy to do, that skin is not as thick as it looks and feels.
  3. Cut the yuca into three even chunks, cut those chunks into fry-sized wedges.
  4. Fill a large pot with water and some salt, bring to a boil. Add yuca. Boil your yuca for 8 minutes, this will help the baking.
  5. Drain the yuca and pat dry. Some of the yuca might seem a little gummy, this will sort itself out during baking.
  6. Lay the yuca on a parchment-covered cookie sheet and drizzle well with oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt (and spices of your choosing).
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once, until crisp and browned on the outside, creamy on the inside.
  8. Dip into Basil Aiolior even Walnut & Feta Dip!

Tasty (half batch) yuca fries with Walnut Feta Dip.

Kale and Feta Braid with pine nuts and caramelized red onion

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As evidenced by my kale chips of yesterday, I bought a ton of kale that I needed to use up, and I wanted to try something new. My mom makes this killer chicken and broccoli braid, which I will make one day, and I thinking of that tasty loaf, I decided to use up my extra kale, some of the BUCKET of feta that Gen brought home from Costco, the red onions I have on hand, and those pantry favourites, pine nuts. This was easy, delicious, and perfect as a meal. I also finally made my challah bread perfectly, so HUZZAH!

Kale & Feta Bread

Time: 1 hour of rest for the challah + 15 minutes prep of braid ingredients + 30 minutes rest of braid + 30 minutes baking= 2hrs 15 mins to deliciousness (totally worth it)

Ingredients

  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 bunch of kale
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1 1/2 cup feta
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

Directions

  1. Make your challah dough! It has to rest for 1 hr, so prepare for this.
  2. After the challah has rested for about 45 minutes, start the rest of the braid, saves you time!
  3. Wash kale, cut out the spine, and sauté with a drizzle of oil in a pan over high heat for 5-8 minutes, until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside on paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
  4. Sauté onions with another drizzle of olive oil over high heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes until translucent and beginning to brown.  Set aside.
  5. Roll out 2/3 of the Challah dough (reserve the rest for some sugary rolls) into a rectangle, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
  6. Crumble the feta in a row down the centre of the dough. Layer the kale evenly on top of the feta, followed by the onions and pine nuts.
  7. Using a pizza cutter, cut 1 inch strips along the side of the dough. Twist the strips and pull across the filling, alternating sides. Fold the ends in and pinch to seal. Move the braid onto a parchmented cookie sheet. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
  8. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  9. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and brush onto the braid. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
  10. Bake the braid for 20-25 minutes.

Step-by-step!

  1. Make your challah dough! It has to rest for 1 hr, so prepare for this.

    Dough ready to roll.

  2. After the challah has rested for about 45 minutes, start the rest of the braid, saves you time!
  3. Wash kale, cut out the spine, and sauté with a drizzle of oil in a pan over high heat for 5-8 minutes, until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside on paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
  4. Sauté onions with another drizzle of olive oil over high heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes until translucent and beginning to brown.  Set aside.

    Onions and kale, cooking down.

  5. Roll out 2/3 of the Challah dough (reserve the rest for some sugary rolls) into a rectangle, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
  6. Crumble the feta in a row down the centre of the dough. Layer the kale evenly on top of the feta, followed by the onions and pine nuts.

    Layered and ready for ‘braiding’

  7. Using a pizza cutter, cut 1 inch strips along the side of the dough. Twist the strips and pull across the filling, alternating sides. Fold the ends in and pinch to seal. Move the braid onto a parchmented cookie sheet. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

    Resting away.

  8. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  9. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and brush onto the braid. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.

    Egg-washed and poppy-seeded, ready for the oven!

  10. Bake the braid for 20-25 minutes.

So flipping tasty!

Tequila Lime Chicken (or shrimp) with Fennel and Fresh Salsa Quinoa Salad

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This is a recipe I came up with a couple years ago when I wanted to do something awesome with shrimp. I also wanted to try fennel because it scares me. Well this is a fresh recipe that is easy to jazz up with your favourite raw salad veggies. It was great with shrimp two years ago and was pretty great with chicken as well. Tequila is the great flavour booster, without overwhelming the freshness.

Tequila Lime Marinaded Chicken or Shrimp

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp gold tequila
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 large chicken breasts (or try it with 1 pound large peeled shrimp)

Directions

  1. Whisk together all ingredients and pour into a large ziplock.
  2. Score the chicken breasts and drop into the marinade, smoosh around to properly coat. Place the ziplock in a bowl. Refrigerate 1 to 4 hours before grilling and try to re-smoosh halfway through the marinating time.
  3. Heat grill (I used my George Foreman). Drain and discard marinade from the chicken.
  4. Cook, over medium-high heat until done. Depending on your grill, it will take from 8-15 minutes. Cook until the juices run clear, or until the meat is white throughout, turning once. For shrimp, turn once and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until pink.
  5. Serve over Fennel and Fresh Salsa Quinoa Salad with a squeeze of lime.

Marinade prep

Fennel and Fresh Salsa Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 lime
  • a large bunch of cilantro
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • pinch of cumin
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups water

Directions

  1. Cook quinoa with water according to directions on package. Let it cool after fluffing.
  2. Chop onion and place in a bowl with some ice water and lime to mellow the bite.
  3. Slice fennel, chop tomatoes, rinse black beans, and chop cilantro. Combine all the ingredients for the salad and taste, adjust spices as needed.
  4. Serve as side or as an awesome combo for the main.

So fresh and tasty. I definitely forgot to add the black beans to the salad, but we added them after the picture. Definitely use them, so good!

Peanut Satay Dragon Bowl

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The Coup (hmm, how do YOU pronounce it? I always say it like “coo”, drawing on my french, but others say it like a chicken coop). Anyway! The Coup in Calgary is one of my favourite restaurants and it just so happens to be vegetarian and vegan, and delicious. I almost always get the same dish when I go there, I am one of those people, and when I moved to Vancouver I missed that dish very much! The other day I was wandering the internet for recipes to try and came across this funky blog, that happily had posted The Coup’s Peanut Satay Dragon Bowl recipe, right from their cookbook which I have to get my hands on when I get back to Calgary. Well first, I told her how thrilled I was to find this recipe, and second, I made it! And it was GREAT, just like the restaurant. Genesis’ quote, “This meal was f’ing amazing, you should sell the sauce!” (and Gen is not the sweary type) He also wants it known that the pictures I took do not do the deliciousness justice (sigh, my picture taking is still not the best). Anyway, stop reading, start making!

Peanut Satay Dragon Bowl

Recipe adapted with my notes, happily found here, from Meet The Coup Cooks.

We used light peanut butter, reduced sodium soy sauce, and light coconut milk with no issues except I did have to add a dash of salt to the sauce to make up for the reduce sodium soy… a stupid trade off, it was just what we had on hand. I might also add fresh ginger to the sauce next time. I will report back!

Ingredients

Sauce of the heavens (this makes a ton, feel free to halve, or save it for future meals)

  • 2 cups crunchy peanut butter (or smooth with 1/2 cup chopped raw peanuts)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • the juice of 1 lime
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 3-6 tbsp of sriracha (or your preferred chilli sauce. The recipe called for 2 tbsps, we added 6, and could’ve gone with more, taste as you go)


Stir-fry

  • 1 package of extra firm tofu (would also be great with cubed chicken, beef, shrimp, etc.)
  • 4 cups of seasonal veggies of your choice (I used zucchini, red peppers, and broccoli)
  • 1/2 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped peanuts

Directions

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, mix the peanut butter and water together.
  2. Continue to stir until you reach a smooth consistency, watching that you do not burn the peanut butter.
  3. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and continue to cook at a low heat, stirring often for about 20 minutes.
  4. In the meantime, in a large pan, sauté the tofu until the edges are crispy and lightly browned.  Add the chopped veggies and a splash of water to just cover the bottom of the pan. Sauté until tender-crisp.
  5. Pour the peanut satay sauce over the tofu and veggie mixture and heat until it bubbles.
  6. Serve over your favourite grains or noodles.
  7. Garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Getting ready for saucing.

Black Bean and Salsa Chicken on rice

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This is another recipe from my mom. It’s easy and tasty and can be spiced up or down, which is great for the wary. Top it with some plain yogurt and you are good to go.

 

Black Bean and Salsa Chicken

Ingredients

  • 2-3 chicken breasts, cubed
  • olive oil
  • 1 large jar of salsa, your choice of spice level
  • 1 large can of black beans (or cook up a cup of dried beans)
  • 2-3 jalapeños
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • plain greek yogurt or sour cream for topping

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, over medium-high, cook up the chicken with a drizzle of olive oil. When the chicken is browned and cooked through, remove from pan and set aside.
  2. Back in the pan mix up the salsa, drained black beans, and the diced jalapeños. Stir in the chicken and let it all cook down for 15 minutes over medium heat. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  3. Stir in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Serve over rice, top with a sprinkle of cheese and a dollop of yogurt.