Easy make granola bars

This is so easy!!!

Ingredients:

Dry
2 cups of rolled oats (if you are gluten free check the label!)
2  1/2cups of your favourite nuts, seeds etc. (this time I did equal parts of sunflower seeds, almond slivers, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, chopped pecans and dark chocolate chips)

Wet:
1 tbsp of grapeseed oil
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup almond butter
1tsp vanilla.

Tips:  use whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit that you like!
Healthy tip: you could use less peanut butter and use banana or apple sauce for the wet ingredients

Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. Preheat oven to 350.

2.  In a saucepan on medium heat add all of the wet ingredients and heat until well mixed.

3.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry mixture.  Use your hands!

4.  Put grapeseed oil in a 9 by 11 pan.  Firmly pack mixture into the pan.

5.  Bake for about 20 to 25 mins.  Let cool and cut into bars.

Black Bean Burger (no bun)

Making a great veggie burger is always a challenge.  I tries a chic pea purger and it was too mushy.  I thought I would try a go at a black bean burger.  I am on a cleanse (no diary, no bread, no alcohol, less meat, no sugar).  My boyfriend said I could cook this again next week, so it must be good.  (i did melt some cheese on his burger.)

without cheese

with cheese

Nutritional tip:  It is really hard to get potassium sometimes.  On the top 10 list per 100 grams are dried herbs, avocado, chilli powder, chocolate, dried apricots, nuts, seeds, fish, beans and dates.  In this recipe I tried to incorporate a few of the top ten.  Deficiency can cause fatigue, irritability and hypertension.

Here is my first attempt:

Ingredients:

2-4 TBSP Grape seed oil (to cook onions and to cook burgers)
1 onion (finely chopped)
3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 tomato (chopped)
1/2 shredded carrot
1 handful of cilantro (or parsley if you dislike cilantro)
1 cup quick oats
1 cup of quinoa flour (I put 1/2 in the mixture and 1/2 to form the patties)
3/4 cup of sunflower seeds (chopped)
2 eggs
2 TBSP chilli powder
1-3 tsps of cayenne (if you like spicy I would go for more)
salt and pepper

Top with avacado and tomato.

Yield: 6

Other add ons: I would add panko crumbs or bread crumbs if I was having bread.  Almonds would be tasty too!


1. Saute onion and garlic in a pan for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor. Do not over mix!  You want to be able to see the ingredients.  Instead of a food processor you could even hand mix it.
3. Make into patties and sprinkle with some flour.  Heat up a pan with grape seed oil at medium heat.  Cook for about 5 mins per side.

Pair with a nice Salad:
Shredded carrot, shredded beets, cucumber, tomato and mixed greens.
Dressing- basil, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper blended in a food processor.

Sneak Peak:Oliver, Osoyoos and Kelowna Fall 2012

Hello fellow wine lovers,

Here is a sneak peak of the wines we tasted!  More notes to follow after I do some re-tasting and remembering:)

My boyfriend and I did our semi-annual wine trip to BC's wine country.  For me wine is all about finding what YOU like. What tastes good to you may not be good to someone else.  I also believe that in any price range you can find a wine that works for any occasion. I tend to stick to wines in the $15-20 and for a treat $35. My taste buds prefer more dry whites (less sweet) and all kinds of red wines (pinot noir to a big bold foch).  I love blended wines as you will soon discover.

This blog will be a work in process as we did visit 21 vineyards and tasted over 100 wines.  We are wine athletes!  We ended up with 5 cases that we took home.  Every time I go I wish I took better notes, but it is hard when I am busy tasting!

Highlights and Most Memorable moments:

1. Rustico Farm and Cellars
Do not miss this vineyard.  The experience of tasting wine is only half of what this place has to offer. One of my favourite parts of this vineyard is Bruce.  True to his cowboy roots he is always in denim and a cowboy hat. He has the most charming smile and you wish you could just spend the day with his horses and 2 dogs.  He also has a full setup of for BYOP (Bring your own picnic).  He greets each guest like family and you can tell he truly cares about each bottle of wine from start to finish!

History note:Rustico Farm & Cellars’ heritage log home, originally a late 1800’s bunkhouse for 19 miners at the  Sally Silver Mine some  two and one-half hours away was carefully dismantled and moved a couple of logs at a time to its present hillside site. It was then painstakingly rebuilt and topped with a unique sod roof, cut from the neighboring mountainside. 

RED= my favourites!!

Our purchases:
Farmers Daughter (Gewürztraminer) 17.95: It does have quite a nose to it.  This wine is  geared for those who like wine on the sweeter side.  It would pair well with a nice roast chicken or on the patio on a summer day.  We also enjoyed it with pancakes and bacon.

Last Chance (Zinfandel, Merlot, Chancellor) 19.95: This one is my personal favourites! Great price point for a bold red.

Mother Lode (Merlot) 24.95:  This one is a bit smokey and would go nicely with lamb.

2. Road 13
Honest John's red and white: These are both great wines for entertaining or if you need wine on a tuesday!

3.Casini
Maximus (cabernet sauvginon, merlot, cab franc, malbec) 34.00:  I won't spend much over $30 for many wines but this one is worth the big bucks! With a blend like this I do not think I need too much of an explanation.  This one is for those who like game meat!  There are notes of black current, black pepper, strawberry jam, vanilla, cocoa and tobacco.  The tannins are soft with a nice balance.

My other favourite is their Red Carpet Pinot Noir, but it was unavailable to taste.  If you see it I suggest you drink it.

4. Hester Creek
Merlot: Plum, cherry, chocolate, black peper and sage.  Are you seeing a pattern?  I like wines with chocolate and black pepper.

5. Inniskillin
Pinot Noir
2009 Dark Horse Meritage (Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc): I would definitely buy this one again!  Great Meritage. It has a smooth finish.

6. Quinta Ferreira (DO NOT MISS THIS VINEYARD).  So many amazing wines here.  Likely one of my favourites. 
Normally I always pick up their unoaked and oaked chardonnay, but the oaked chardonnay was note available.  I would suggest buying both to try! Do not be afraid of the chardonnay.  The ones in BC are mostly done with french oak which are less potent then our southern neighbours American oak.
Sauvignon Blanc: Very nice and would stand up well to Kim Crawford. 
Cabernet Sauvignon: Yummy.  This grape is my go to for reds!
Obra Prima: Leave this wine in your mouth for 10 seconds and it will taste like a coating of chocolate.  So yummy.  This is one to saviour. 
Porta D'ouro: Lovely port!  We bought 2 bottles!

7. Oliver twist:
Viognier
Pinto Gris
Chardonnay

8. Church and state:
Merlot
Viognier
Meritage:

9. Platinum Bench
Gamay Noir: Some gamay's can be light, but this stood up well to my taste buds. We bought 2 of these.

10. Le Vieux Pin (Most wines here are over $35.  Worth the taste, but it does come with a price tag)
Sauvignon Blanc:
Syrah:

11.Dessert Hills:
Gamay:
Mirage:
Gewurtraminer:
unoaked Chardonay

12. Stone Boat
Pinotage: This is normally a South African grape.  It is a grape that is bred from Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. I find it has more flavour than a Pinot Noir.
Pinto Noir:
Duet
chorus:

13. Tinhorn Creek
Merlot

14. Castor de Oro
Pinot Noir
Heartbreaker
Merlot

15. Gehringer brothers
Pinot Noir

16. Jackson Triggs ( for the price these are must buys)
2010 White Meritage: My favourite white by far at JT.  
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon:

Okanagan Falls:
1. Wild goose
Merlot
Black Brant

2. Blue Mountain
2011 Gamay Noir

3. Stag's Hallow
2009 The Heritage Block

Kelowna:
1. Quails Gate
2010 Chardonay
2010 Merlot
2010 Old Vines Foch

2. Mt. Boucherie:
2006 Melange Noir

Cauliflower pizza crust with yam and pesto

This is a great pizza option for those who love thin crust pizza and less pizza dough!

Ingredients for Crust:
1 large head of Cauliflower
2 eggs
3/4 cup mozzarella  (I think 1/2 cup would be fine as well)
fresh herbs (I used sage and rosemary)
salt and pepper to your taste

Ingredients for toppings:
-Pesto (I made my own- basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic salt and pepper)
-yams (thinly sliced and baked for 10 minutes @ 450)
-mozzarella cheese

Optional toppings
fresh spinach
walnuts

Other topping I made: Pesto, tomatoes and feta cheese.

1. Use a food processor or grater to finely break up the cauliflower.  It should be smaller than the size of rice.
2. Pre Heat oven to 450.
3. Microwave cauliflower for 8 minutes in microwave.
4.. Organize and make your toppings (see above).
5.  Mix all the ingredients for the crust and mix well.  Spray non stick tin foil with olive oil.  Spread the mixture thinly to make a pizza crust.  Place in oven for 15-20 minutes.  Then broil for 3-4 minutes to make the crust crispy.
6. Take the crust out and put the toppings on the pizza (pesto, yams then cheese). Bake for 5- 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
7. Optional top the pizza with spinach and walnuts.

Anyone else have creative pizza crust ideas?

Basil Salad Dressing

I got a bag of basil from the farmers market so I have to make a lot of recipes with basil.  Adding basil to an ordinary salad dressing can make it really delicious. You can add basil to any simple vinaigrette.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
6 Table spoons of lemon juice
1- 2 tablespoons of mayo (or try yogurt or even an bit of sour cream
a handful of basil
salt and pepper


Directions
1. Mix all ingredients in a food processor and you are ready to go!
2. For this salad i used tomatoes, carrot, cucumber and left over salmon.

See...salads can be a meal!

Risotto avec Asparagus, Mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, Lemon and Basil

Fear the Risotto no more!  Many people are scared to tackle this dish.  I will guide you easily through this step by step. This is a fancy dish that anyone can make. If you are looking for a little romance or to make something for that someone special this is the dish for you!  I even made this on a Tuesday, so you can easily make this!  

My inspiration was Jamie Oliver's asparagus risotto and I fused it with his Mushroom Risotto.  I hope you, too, can take my recipe to a new level and add a variation of your own.

Ingredients

*This will make enough for 4-6 people (with the likelihood of leftovers)

8 cups of chicken stock ( I use low sodium) 

2 onions

2-4 garlic cloves

3 Tablespoons of Olive oil or Grape seed oil

2 cups of Arborio rice

2 cups of White wine ( 1 is for you to drink)

a bunch of asparagus 

about 1-2 cups of mixed mushrooms (do not use button mushrooms for this )

a large bunch of basil chopped

1 cup of grated parmesan cheese

2 lemons (plus zest from one lemon) 

Optional - 2 tablespoons of butter

Directions

1. Heat Chicken stock in a s saucepan. (it should be just below boiling temp)

2.  In another saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic over med high heat for about 10 minutes.  You want the onions to be

3. Add rice and stir until the rice is coated in the oil and onions

4. Add 1 cup of wine and stir slowly until it is absorbed

5. Add the heated stock, 1 cup at a time.  Let each cup absorb into the rice before adding more.

6. You may not need to add all of the stock.  After about 6 cups start tasting the rice.  If it is still hard add more water.  The risotto should become creamy but not mushy

7. Once you have put 7 cups of stock in add cut of asparagus and mushrooms.

8.  Once the risotto is nearly done add parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, basil and butter. I like mine really lemony, but you may only want one lemon. Stir well.

9. Taste...add salt and pepper as needed.

10. Mission complete. Well done.

I made mine with some steak but this dish stands up for itself!

Panko crusted tofu

I decided to quickly whip up some tofu Japanese style.  I was already deep frying wontons for a dinner event tomorrow, so why not deep fry tofu for the first time!  Everyone knows how I like small bites, so here is another small bite recipe for you!

So here is what you do..

1. In one bowl put some flour.
2. In another bowl beat an egg.
3. in another bowl put some panko crumbs
4. In a large pot put about 3/4 inch of vegetable oil.
5. Dip extra firm tofu in flour, then egg and then panko.
6.  Place in hot oil.  about 20 seconds per side.
7.  serve with soy sauce, ponzu or whatever you like!

Too easy!