Hey guys, woweeee it’s officially 2015, happy new year to you all and I hope it’s the best yet! I’ve seen a lot of talk around of people starting their cleanses and whole 30 resets come January so I thought I would start the year off with a delicious salad recipe suitable for any of your new years challenges. I myself really need to give my adrenals a break and stop drinking so much coffee. Aside from that, I’ve really questioned my belief in setting new years resolutions this year. Every day is an opportunity to set goals and make changes. Every moment a chance to change and improve.
It’s been awhile since I made a real shin diggery of a new years affair. Last night was no different, though we did have a little dance party with classic hits on much more retro, kool and the gang anyone? When we got close to midnight my dad tried to turn on Dicks countdown but instead got stuck on some interactive channel where you find santa, the credits were already playing by the time we got to the right channel. Kisses and hugs and a tired baby wondering why everyones clobbering him ensued. We’ve been having such a wonderful visit with the family, I came here prepared to be productive but it’s all fallen to the wayside. Food photography on location isn’t our strong suit but hey, it’s a learning curve. We have been eating some amazing food, including a brined turkey, which I wanted to post on but it got gobbled up too fast to take any photos. I will recreate it to share, promise, it was just too good not to.
This salad is super simple and it has all those lovely pad thai flavours. Normally when I make this dressing I add all sorts of thai flare like lemongrass and fish sauce but here at my parents those ingredients weren’t so handy, so I simplified it and it’s still delicious. There’s a huge snow storm today so our trip home has been postponed until further notice. In the meantime I’ll just imagine i’m perusing the amazing food markets of Thailand.
This tender tomato beef stew is spiked with sweet dried apricots and delicate creamy squash. We love it as an alternative to the old classic beef stew. I’m not sure how traditional this stew is, I know that in Argentina they usually add a healthy glug of wine, and a sweet pumpkin, I would love to travel there one day and learn how to make it all proper. Until then, this is my rendition, and I tell you it is pretty damn fine. With a nice glass of red this is a meal to warm your heart on a cold day.
We’ve finally arrived at my parents place for the holidays, it’s been a 2 day adventure to get here and I am so happy to get to spend time with my lovely, crazy family. There has already been a riot of inappropriate jokes and puns, and the fun has just begun. Bring on the good times, amazing food, heartfelt laughter and connection, I love love love it.
We all know those people who are “meat and potatoes” kinda folks, my pops is one, so is my sister. These little bites are their kinda food, so if your throwing or attending holiday parties and you need to please everyone, these are your ticket to the hearts of meat and potatoes people everywhere. I seem to morph into a meat and potatoes kinda gal when winter hits, the comfort and nourishment inherent in a beef stew that’s been simmering all day long, or crispy roasted potatoes with roast chicken or eggs for breakfast. Necessary additions for bone chilling Canadian winters. But then spring arrives, and summer and again I morph into a near vegan, fresh raw salads and berries in abundance, oh the days of yore.
So this is my first ever entry into a contest (omg) hosted by the little potato company, who lovingly hooked me and a bunch of other Canadian food bloggers with a few bags of their fabulous little potatoes. It’s no secret that I have a penchant for all things dubbed “little” or “baby”, they are just so much better than their large counterparts. These potatoes are no exception, especially the blue ones, I adore blue potatoes and all blue foods for that matter. It wasn’t easy choosing what to do for my entry, there are endless potato ideas afloat in my head. I thought given the holiday season that it would be nice to make some food on a stick, because a. everything tastes better when its on a stick and b. its the season of potlucks and holiday parties where typical hors doevres lack the robust filling qualities which these balsamic rosemary glazed meatballs and roasted garlic potato bites provide.
I hope to throw some more delicious holiday appetizer recipes at you before the new year, soon we’ll be embarking across the province to visit my parents. I’ll be pumping out loads of healthy treats and holiday favourites so stay tuned and sign up for my newsletter to not miss a post.
Balsamic Rosemary Glazed Bison Meatballs and Roasted Garlic Potato Bites
Author: Chantelle
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 20
Ingredients
Meatballs- 1 lb. ground bison (you could also use beef)
¼ C white onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
1 egg
Potatoes- 1 lb. little potatoes, I mixed blue and yellow potatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs fat of choice, I used bacon fat
1 sprig fresh rosemary, removed from stalk
Glaze- 1 C balsamic vinegar
1 tsp raw cane sugar (optional- speeds up the process)
1 sprig fresh rosemary, left intact
20-25 little skewers or toothpicks
Instructions
Heat oven to 400F
Pre-boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes. Drain well and add to a baking dish or cast iron skillet with your fat, garlic, rosemary and salt. Roast for 40 minutes turning halfway for evenly golden potatoes.
For the meatballs combine ground meat with onion, garlic, salt, pepper,rosemary and egg. Form into little 1½ inch balls about 1 Tbs worth of mixture and place on a lined baking sheet with a metal rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
For the glaze add balsamic vinegar, sugar and rosemary and let it reduce until it reaches a syrup like consistency, about 20 minutes. Pour the glaze over top of the meatballs.
Skewer a roasted potato and a meatball and serve with extra balsamic.
These little chorizo spinach and sweet pepper egg muffins are for all those breakfast avoiders in your life. They’re easy to pack away for a few hours after wake up when hunger strikes. J is taking an early morning course this week so these were the perfect fuel for ripping chainsaws.
Winter has brought a layer of sparkly fairy dust, the sun is shining brightly and little ice diamonds are draped upon every surface. All I want to do is curl up in a ball by the fire and sleep for days. Even though the beauty of the snow capped mountains is stunning I still feel like ducking out and jumping on a plane to Costa Rica. I suppose the true beauty in life is found with acceptance of where you are. The grass is always greener but there certainly are upsides to winter in Canada. A quiet chance to read, go within, read some more, write, make snow angels… ah who am I kidding, I want to be in a hammock on a beach right now. That is all.
Let me just start by saying, I never knew making gravlax or lox as some call it, to be so astoundingly easy. If you’re unfamiliar gravlax is cured salmon, just as flavourful as smoked salmon without all the work. Seriously guys this is easier than cooking a salmon in the oven, it took me all of 5 minutes and 2 days in the fridge and the result is stunning! The colour from the beetroot is just unbelievable, wild salmon is beautiful to begin with but infuse it with beetroot and the monochromatic natural fuchsia hue is almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
Winter is officially here, it’s bloody hard to take a good photograph with the sun hidden behind the mountains all day. Now is the essential time to ensure we’re getting enough omega-3 and vitamin D. What’s more enjoyable way than salmon? Those who know me, know that I adore Jamie Oliver. His show Jamie Does, shows him gallivanting on foodie adventures all over the world. This recipe is from the Stockholm edition, I didn’t follow the recipe to the T but it worked out great anyways.
There you have it, I’m going to post my version of the recipe as well. This homemade beetroot gravlax is so beautiful just by itself but I have been enjoying it with fresh simple salads, poached eggs and with india curries.
This isn’t just your typical diner style spanish omelette. It’s loaded with caramelized onions, smoky chorizo sausage, sautéed kale and garlic, sprinkle a little feta cheese if you’re into that, regardless this omelette is fantastic and will get any day off to a great start. I’m not a morning person, but I have a little person that pulls my hair until I finally roll out of bed at 7am. Seriously I’m trying to be better, this new season of motherhood and early mornings isn’t going to change anytime soon. Every morning I try and think of what I’m grateful for while I’m still laying in bed, this simple practice sets such a positive tone for the day. Hearty breakfasts like this one make mornings all the better, I let the onions caramelize for an hour while I sip my coffee and the house fills with inviting smells. I will become a morning person, yes, I will.
Heat a medium sized frying pan or skillet and add oil or fat (I used bacon fat)
Add onions and turn heat to medium, let the onions gain some colour before turning the heat down and covering for up to an hour (you can skip this step if you don't want caramelized onions.)
Add chorizo and garlic, turn the heat up and sautee for a few minutes before adding kale, cook kale until it just begins to wilt. Remove from pan and set aside.
For the omelette, whip 3 eggs together, add a touch of oil or fat to your hot pan, pour the eggs in a steady stream and turn down the heat. Use a spatula to pull the egg from the edges to the middle allowing uncooked egg to fill in the gap. Cover for 1 minute.
Add half the chorizo mixture along the middle of the omelette and feta if you like. Cover for another minute and plate. Repeat for however many omelettes you want to make. Adorn with green onions and a squeeze of lemon.
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
