Melt in your mouth Ribs

 

I’ve been living on my own for almost 9 years now and this week was the first time I attempted to make Ribs.  Not just any ribs… scrumptious, tender, fall-of-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth ribs.  How’s that for a vivid description.

I made this masterpiece using Moose Meat and the Slow cooker. 

Ingredients for the Sauce

• 2 cups organic ketchup
• 1 cup organic tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup organic sucanat (or brown sugar)
• 4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 fresh oregano leaves – finely chopped
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. chilli powder'
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Trim the meat on your ribs if necessary.  I had a lot of white thick fat on mine that I did not want ruining my meal and I had to remove, as well as the silver skin.
• Add a tsp. of Avocado Oil and heat a non-stick frying pan to high heat. 
• Sear the ribs on both sides until golden brown.  Then add to your slow cooker. 
• Add all ingredients for the sauce.
• Set slow cooker to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours or until meat is tender. 

The house will soon begin to smell of simmering rib goodness.  Allow your senses to become paralysed and prepare your taste buds for a extreme experience. 

BON APPETIT!

Some yummy eats

It seems like the month of May is just flying by.  And just under 6 weeks to go before the 2010-2011 school year comes to an end.  I’m looking forward to the summer…spending my days at the beach, biking, hiking, sleeping in, camping and of course lots of walks with the dog.  Until then though, it’s crunch time… track and field, field trips, report cards…ahh..it never ends. 

And what about those Canucks?  I can’t believe we are still in it.  If you haven’t been following the hockey playoffs, our team has made it to the Western Conference Finals.  It’s Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks… and we won game #1.  Only 3 more to go…   I predict Canucks to win this series in 6 games.  One can only hope, right?

On to food.  Not too much description, so I will just show the pictures.  I have been so so busy these days that sadly I did not have the time to be taking pictures during the cooking process.  Plus the camera is out of batteries, so I’ve been pulling out the blackberry to do the job. 

Hope everyone is having a great start to their spring.  Enjoy

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I have made this one before…my Cream of Parsnip Soup with a drizzle of White Truffle oil.  Not on picture is a couple of slices of Toasted Rosemary Baguette and some Earth Balance Butter.

Moose Burgers with brie cheese, truffle drizzled grilled asparagus and fire-roasted bell pepper.

Yummy Turkey Burgers with melted Brie Cheese, spinach, sautéed onions and mushrooms and apple…and of course tender grilled asparagus.

Made on the BBQ…. spinach, a couple slices of Hornby Island Red Pepper Vegetarian Paté, an egg and some brie cheese.  This paté stuff is awesome…it’s vegan, soy-free and dairy-free. 

My power went out the other night, so I made this meal entirely on my BBQ.  In the veggie mix are onions, garlic, orange pepper, red baby potatoes and brussel sprouts.  The salmon fillet was marinated with the West Coast Salmon Rub from the lady behind the Metropolitan Chef.  I highly recommend you pick up some of their rubs.. I've tried most and they are all amazing.

I BBQ some Pork Tenderloin and served it with leftover veggies from the Salmon meal. 

Hope you enjoyed the show…be back soon I hope

Love Bea

xoxo

Hey mom…look what I can do!

Wahoo..it’s hump day…which means one more day of work before Spring Break.  My district goes on break from March 18th to the 28th.  I’m looking forward to some time off.  My break will be spent with family and friends.  I’m also taking all but one of my recertification courses for lifeguarding while off.  My first course will be this Sunday – Standard First Aid and CPR-C.  This was the course I didn’t have the last time I tried to take my NLS recert back in February. 

Trevor also left for camp today   He’s going to be in camp until Sunday this week, which means I won’t get to see him before the end of the month as I will be out of town by the time he comes home.  I’m hoping he may be able to make it out of town for a bit as well, but chances are slim.  Oh well. 

As for food, here is what I’ve been up to……

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STUFFED PEPPERS

My mom used to make these when we were growing up and they have always been a favourite of mine, but for some reason I just don’t think to make them more often. And they are so easy to make…….

First brown some ground moose/beef/turkey/chicken/pork with 1 chopped onion, a couple of chopped garlic cloves and 1 cup of chopped mushrooms.  Then add one can of chopped tomatoes with the juice and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has dissipated. 

While the meat mixture is cooking, prepare the peppers for filling.  I cut mine in half and poured one can of spicy diced tomatoes into my large pot.  Then I placed the peppers in the pot.  I then filled the peppers with as much of the meat mixture that would fit into them.  Cover with lid and place on stove over medium heat. 

You want the tomatoes to simmer and will want to cook the peppers for about 30 minutes, or until they are tender when poked with a knife.  Just before serving, top with some grated cheese.  I used Dill Havarti.  We ate ours over a medley of rice.

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OMELETTES

I needed a quick meal since I got home really late tonight.  So I decided to use up the majority of my veggies in the fridge and created an omelette…something else I haven’t had in ages.

Along with 3 eggs and 1/4 cup milk, into my omelette went the following ingredients……

2 cloves of garlic, 1 orange pepper, 1/2 onion and 1 cup chopped spinach. 

Into my egg mixture went 3 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, some salt and pepper, as well as a dash of smoked paprika. 

I placed the veggies into a hot frying pan with a dash of EVOO and once they were tender, I added the egg.  I let it cook over medium-low heat until the egg was set and then tried to fold my omelette in half, but it kind of fell apart.  Oh well..not the end of the world.. it didn’t make a difference to the taste.  I also added about a 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese.  It was very filling

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CHOCOLATE CHIP AND DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP RAW COOKIE BALLS

Probably one of my favourite things about baking when I was little (and still today) is liking the spoon and bowl.  ESPECIALLY when it comes to cookie dough.  And as we all know, if your dough contains raw eggs, it’s a big NO-NO due to the risk of salmonella and other bacteria.  Well I have a solution for you……. eat as many of these as you want… and they are healthy and taste awesome.

Here is what you do….

Take your food processor and process 2/3 cup unroasted hazelnuts and 1/3 cup rolled oats.  Process until you get a flour-like consistency.

Next, add about 2 Tbsp Agave syrup, 1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup and 1 tsp vanilla extract.  Continue to process until your mixture comes together into a ball.  If your mixture is a little dry, add a tiny amount of maple syrup and process until it comes together. 

Now comes the fun part…..take a small amount at a time and add about 4 or 5 chocolate chips and form a small ball.  When done, put your balls in a container and store in fridge. 

To make the double chocolate chip cookie dough balls

I followed the same process, but added 2 Tbsp of raw cocoa powder.  You may need to add a little bit more maple syrup as your adding more dry ingredients. 

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So guys… this will probably be my last post before the weekend.  I’m planning on eating my leftovers tomorrow to try and clean out my fridge before my vacation.  Tomorrow night will be spent doing laundry, packing and taking care of last minute details before travel day. 

I also have to fast Thursday night as I’m scheduled for a fasting blood test Friday morning to check my Iron and Cholesterol levels. 

And don’t forget…tomorrow is St. Patty’s Day… I’ll be wearing something green and going to work with wacky hair for Wacky Hair Day.  I’m also going to be making Green Monster’s for my class tomorrow… we’re studying nutrition and I’m hoping they will be open to trying something new… most said they will   Wish me luck.

Have a great rest of the week everyone and will check back in with everyone this weekend.  Can’t wait to cuddle the puppy too.

With love,

Bea

xoxo

Lasagne

Who is not in love with everyone’s favourite cat?  I love Garfield..I always get a chuckle reading the comic strip.  You know there is something we have in common though…our love for pasta..more specifically Lasagne.  And aren’t you guys lucky today…I’m sharing with you my world famous recipe for traditional Italian lasagne.  It’s made with egg noodles, Ragu and Béchamel Sauce.  Enjoy

Ragu Sauce

• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped bacon, maple flavoured
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 600g ground moose meat or extra lean beef
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp  Sorghum Flour GF
• 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chicken or beef stalk
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 tsp oregano
• some freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

1.  Chop up the bacon, onion and celery. 

Heat the oil and butter in a pan over medium heat.  Add the onions, celery, bacon and fry for 5 minutes, stirring.

2.  Stir in the garlic and ground meat, stirring until the meat has lost it’s redness.  Lower the heat and cook for another 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

3.  Increase the heat to medium, stir in the tomato paste and the flour and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. 

Stir in the tomatoes, stock and wine and bring to a boil, stirring.  Season and stir in the oregano and nutmeg, salt and pepper. 

Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring.  You want most of your liquid to be cooked off and the sauce nice and thick.  Your sauce is now ready to be used. 

Bechamel Sauce

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves
• 1 onion
• 4 Tbsp Earth Balance butter, plus a little extra for greasing
• 6 Tbsp Sorghum flour GF
• 1 1/4 cup light cream (10% or 1/2 and 1/2)
• large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

1.  Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the bay leaves.  Press the cloves into the onion, add to the pan, and bring to a boil.  Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

2.  Strain the milk into a jug and rinse the pan.  Melt the butter in pan and stir in flour.  Stir for 1 minute, then gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly so that the mixture does not stick to bottom of pan. 

3. Cook the sauce for 3 minutes, then pour in the cream and bring it to a boil.  Remove from heat and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Lasagne Noodles

• 2 cups Semolina Flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

This is really easy to make.  In a bowl add the flour, then 2 eggs and oil. 

Mix together and dump onto counter.  Bring mixture together and make a well in center of mound. 

Kneed dough until you have a smooth ball.  Wrap in saran wrap until ready to be used.

Now it’s time to make the lasagne sheets.  

Using a serrated knife, slice 1 inch slices and roll through the pasta roller.  Then boil in hot water for a couple of minutes, pat dry and set aside until ready to assemble lasagne. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To assemble the Lasagne

Assemble in this order. 

• pasta
• ragu sauce
• pasta
• béchamel sauce
• cheese
• pasta
• ragu
• pasta
• béchamel sauce
• top with cheese

 

 

 

 

 

BAKE IN A 375F OVEN FOR 40 MINUTES, COVERED WITH FOIL, THEN REMOVE FOIL AND CONTINUE TO BAKE UNTIL CHEESE GOLDEN AND BUBBLY.