Breakfast and Dinner perfection

It felt so nice to sleep in this morning and to wake up to the sun shining and the snow all melted away.  Trevor is away this week, on a work trip and also visiting family out East, so I have the weekend to myself.  And since I finished up my report cards last night, I planned on having a fairly mellow weekend, especially after a crazy busy week. 

When I woke up this morning, I decided to try my hand at making the popular Breakfast Pizzert I keep hearing and reading about in the blogosphere.  Christin over at Purple Bird Blog made one a while back that looked really tempting.  SoI thought I’d try one out myself this morning..with no kids around and no commitments, let the cooking experiment begin

TADAHHH …….

Looks like one ginormous cookie or pancake….and it tasted oh so good. I ate it around 10:30am and my stomach didn’t even make a peep until about 4pm.  Definitely very filling.

GF Apple Pumpkin Breakfast Pizzert

Mix together all of the following ingredients

• 1/2 cup  Gluten-Free flour mix
• 1 tsp  Aluminum free Baking powder
• 2 tsp  agave syrup
• 2 Tbsp  100% pure pumpkin pure
• 1/2 grated apple
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 Tbsp  Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp  Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp  Vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup  Chocolate Chips

Spray a glass pie dish and pour mixture into the prepared dish.  Stick in a 420F oven that was NOT preheated for about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pie dish for a few minutes before trying to remove it. 

I found mine was a little tough to get out in one piece without breaking it, so if you eat it right out of the dish, why not?  I also drizzled mine with some maple syrup, but you can top yours with whatever your little heart desires. 

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I’m sure glad I managed to get my pizzert out of the oven in time this morning.  About 10 minutes after sitting down for breakfast, the power went out.  I had already noticed when I got up that all of the clocks were flashing, so this was obviously not the first time the power went out today.  But with the power out, it was perfect timing to get out of the house and run a bunch of errands.

I planned out my meals for the next few days, made myself a grocery list and headed over to Trevor’s house to take care of something for him.  I also made my way to the school to print off my report cards, prepare some stuff for Monday and work a bit on my class banner (pictures to come soon… you will NOT want to miss those). 

Now on to tonight’s meal… it’s DA BOMB……..

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Roasted Leg of Lamb with Smashed Potatoes and Squash

It didn’t take long at all to make the Lamb and the flavour was unbelievable….juicy, tender and very very tasty. 

Here’s what I did…….

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

• 1 Kg  Butterflied Boneless Leg of Lamb
• 3 Tbsp  Pesto
• 2 Tbsp  Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 tsp  olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the marinade, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside while you prepare the lamb.

Trim any excess fat off of the lamb, including that large gland that is often found on a leg of lamb.  (not every piece has one, but most do… it kind of looks like a really big chunk of fat, but it’s more round and bubbly). 

Place the lamb in a dish and pour the marinade over the lamb.  Cover and place in refrigerator for a couple of hours. 

Preheat your oven to 450F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and go get your meat thermometer.  Find the thickest part of your meat and insert thermometer.  Place the meat on the cookie sheet and into your oven.  Mine took about 20 minutes or so, but you want an internal temperature of 145F for Medium Rare. 

After you take it out of the oven, tent it with aluminum foil and let rest for about 10 minutes.  By doing so, the juices in the leg of lamb will have a chance to settle.  Then place on a cutting board and cut with the grain into desired thickness. 

Serve lamb with potatoes and vegetables and all of the good juices that came from the lamb. 

Smashed Potatoes and Squash

I used 3 medium red potatoes and a medium sized butternut squash.  Place the potatoes into a large pot.  Peel and slice your squash into large pieces and place into pot with the potatoes.  Add enough cold water to cover your vegetables.  Then boil until tender…about 25 to 30 minutes.

Drain the water and then peel the potatoes.  Add some fresh grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, 2 Tbsp of Earth Balance Butter and about 1/2 cup of milk.  Smash everything together until you get the consistency for mashed potatoes.  I also added about 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

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For dessert I had a bowl of fresh fruit and some non-fat vanilla yogurt. 

So the night comes to an end with an anticipated good game of hockey.  We play tonight at 10:45pm (gross times, but it’s for the love of the game…).  I’m going to try my dandiest to not fall asleep on the couch before I have to leave..only about 1.5 hours to go.  But then again, I do get to sleep in tomorrow morning.  There will be no school visits on my agenda either.. simply a day to relax, play with the dog, enjoy some fresh air and do a little bit of cooking.  Oh…and plan out a few lessons on nutrition for my class. 

What are your plans for Sunday?  What do you do when you have a day to relax?

Hope you’re all having a great weekend.

Bea

xoxo

Never a dull moment

Hope everyone had a good weekend.  Mine was eventful, but not necessarily in the way one would wish for.

Friday night was pretty relaxed.  I was still feeling under the weather, just not much energy, so we spent the evening at home watching movies with the kids. 

Saturday morning started with the usual…mid morning skating lessons for the 2 kids and a relaxed afternoon at home.  As I mentioned in my Friday post, we were invited to our friend’s for their Annual Christmas Tree burn.  So in the afternoon I prepared some Spinach Dip in a bread bowl to take with as an appetizer.  I would have made the dip from scratch, but decided to buy it this time as I was still not feeling so swell. 

The party was good.  Lots of yummy food, but it was a chilly one.  The fire pit was roaring and fun was had by all.  Unfortunately, we had to leave the party early and missed the tree burning competition.  Caelin (4 yr old) had a run-in with a rock and lost the battle.  We had to take him to the ER to get his forehead glued back together.  He’s got a nice 1 inch gash above his right eyebrow, nevertheless, he is still running around and is a happy little camper and an awesome little patient.  Thanks to my friends though, we still got some good pictures.

Tree #1

Tree #2

Tree #3 (Charlie Brown Xmas Tree)

Say Hello to our Tree (Thanks Ashlee for being our representative )

Burn Baby Burn….

Our tree made the best sounds…but did we win?  You be the judge of that….

On to eats… and it’s a good one tonight

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Lamb Kibbeh (meatballs) Stuffed with Pistachios and Goat Cheese

For the Lamb

• 1 cup fine bulgur (cooked) (1/2 cup uncooked)
• 5 oz  lean ground lamb
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp  bouillon
• 1 tsp  cumin
• 1 tsp  chilli flakes
• 2 Tbsp Gluten-free flour mix
• salt and pepper to taste

For the filling

• 2.5 oz soft goat cheese
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp toasted pistachios, chopped
• pinch chopped cilantro
• pinch chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

If you’ve never cooked with bulgur before (or what my boyfriend calls “Burglar” - hehe), here is your chance.  Here is some information from Sunnylandmills.org: 

Bulgur is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that has been cleaned, parboiled, dried, ground into particles and sifted into distinct sizes. Sunnyland Mills' four distinct grind sizes as well as whole kernel provide different textures and cooking properties for a variety of food applications. The result is a nutritious, versatile wheat product with a pleasant, nut-like flavor and an extended shelf-life that allows it to be stored for long periods.

Often confused with cracked wheat, bulgur differs in that it has been pre-cooked. For a humorous cartoon description of the steps involved in making bulgur wheat, click here. In contrast to cracked wheat, bulgur is ready to eat with minimal cooking or, after soaking in water or broth, can be mixed with other ingredients without further cooking. Bulgur can be used in recipes calling for converted rice (and it's more nutritious than rice).

Cover the bulgur with boiling water for 5 minutes.  Bulgur is cooked much in the same way as Couscous.  It’s a 2 to 1 water to bulgur ratio, therefore, to yield 1 cup cooked, you will need 1/2 cup uncooked and cover with boiling water for about 5 minutes.  Drain in fine colander.  Spread on paper towels to absorb any moisture (there is alot). 

Process lamb, bulgur, onion, spices, and flour in food processor until it forms a paste.  Season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

For filling, whip goat cheese with lemon juice.  Transfer to bowl and mix in herbs and pistachios.  Season with salt and pepper.

Put cheese mixture in plastic piping bag.  I used a ziplock bag because I don’t own any piping bags, it works just as well for this recipe. 

Form lamb mixture into medium to large sized meatballs.  Using a wet index finger, make a hole through the center of each meatball and gently work your finger to create a cavity for filling. 

Place goat cheese filling into each meatball until about 1/3 full and seal.  Smooth over any cracks with fingers.  Place on foil tray and refrigerate uncovered for about 1 hour.  By doing this, they will firm up slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Place meatballs on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until cooked.  Serve with rice and a dollop of garlic yogurt dipping sauce (non-fat yogurt, 2 gloves garlic, 1 tsp Herbamare vegetable salt, fresh shopped chives).

While I was preparing dinner, I came across this cute sighting I just had to share.  Meet Misty and my man:

Ready for some dessert?  We were…

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MINI LAVA CAKES

Use dark chocolate that has been processed correctly for the best flavanol hit. 

• 1/4 cup  10 % cream
• 6 oz  dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance Butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Sucanat Sugar
• 1/2 tsp  pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup  GF Flour Blend

Pour cream into small saucepan.  Add 2 oz chocolate.  Heat on low; slowly melt chocolate, stirring occasionally.  When chocolate is almost melted, remove from heat and stir till melted.  Pour into glass measuring cup and place in fridge.

Place 4 oz chocolate in clean, small saucepan.  Add butter; heat on low.  Melt slowly, stirring occasionally.  When chocolate is almost melted, remove from heat, and stir till melted.  Set aside.

In medium bowl, beat eggs with sugar for 5 minutes or until mixture is very thick.  Beat in vanilla.  Fold in melted chocolate.  Sift flour over the batter and fold in till well incorporated.

Grease 6 – 4oz ramekins with Pam spray.  Scoop chocolate batter into ramekins till half full. 

Drop in 1 heaping tsp of the cooled chocolate mixture.  Scoop remaining chocolate batter into ramekins.  Store in fridge for 2 hours or up to 1 day. 

To serve, preheat oven to 400F.  Remove ramekins from fridge.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.  Run knife along edges and flip onto plate.  Serve with berries.  Serves 6.

Hope you enjoyed tonight’s blog post.  Got some great recipes to share this week, including dairy and gluten-free dinners. Keep checking back…I will not disappoint. 

And keep your comments coming.  I enjoy reading each and every one of them.   

Have a great Monday everyone. 

Bea

xoxo