Fall

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

September 25, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

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I’ve been trying to cook less during the week. Life is just so busy and there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished. So I’ve been cooking big batches of food and reheating leftovers. Making up pans of lasagna and enchiladas to get us though busy weeknights. Of course another great time saver is the slow cooker. I will admit I don’t utilize mine as much as I should. I mostly use mine to batch cook soups, stews and sauces. It really is satisfying to come home from work and smell dinner cooking away.

One of my favourite recipes for the slow cooker is vegetarian chili. I love this recipe because it’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s flavourful. This recipe doesn’t require browning or sautéing. You can literally just dump everything in the slow cooker and let it do it’s thing.

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For this chili recipe all you have to do is chop your vegetables, blend one can of tomatoes and add everything to the slow cooker. It really is crazy how simple that is.

Once your chili is ready it’s time to add toppings! I like sour cream, cheddar cheese and green onion. Tortilla chips or Fritos (YUM!) are also great on top. I also like to serve my chili with a bun or some cornbread to round out the meal.

It’s seriously so delicious and couldn’t be easier! It also screams fall and football Sundays. I love throwing all the ingredients in the slow cooker running my Sunday errands, going on our weekly walk and coming home to a perfect Sunday dinner. A perfect Sunday dinner that makes enough leftovers for Monday and even more for your freezer! I mean isn’t that what we all need?

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 White Onion, diced
2 Carrots, diced
2 Stalks of Celery, diced
1 Red Pepper, chopped
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Chipotle in Adobo Sauce, chopped
2 Tsp Adobo Sauce
2 15 oz Cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 15 oz Can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 15 oz Can Black Beans, rinsed
1 15 oz Can Pinto Beans, rinsed
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop onion, carrots, celery, red pepper, garlic and chipotle pepper. Add to the slow cooker. Pulse one can of the tomatoes in a food processor or blender until tomatoes break down and the mixture is thick. Add the pulsed tomatoes and the can of un pulsed tomatoes to slow cooker. Drain and rinse kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans. Add beans and corn to the slow cooker. Add vegetable broth, adobe sauce, chili powder and cumin to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Before serving add salt and pepper if needed.

Hot Apple Cider

September 18, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Fall has a arrived early here on the coast of BC. Normally September is just as warm as August, and October is crisp with a few rainy days. The constant grey rain clouds don’t normally set in until November. So far September is full of rain and misty days, with a bit of sunshine in between. Normally I wouldn’t give into fall flavours quite this soon, but with this weather I just can’t get enough.

There’s just something about venturing out in the crisp fall air that brings me such joy. On Sunday’s rain or shine we go out for a long trail walk. When we get home we bundle up and make ourselves a hot drink to warm us up. Hot apple cider is my fall go to. I love it because it’s warm and spicy, but not too sweet. It really has all the flavours of fall in one glass (well except pumpkin).

I like to make apple cider on the stove, but if I was having a party I would make this recipe in a slow cooker. You will find both methods below. This recipe is made with unfiltered apple juice instead of actual apples. I just don’t feel that the extra work to make it from apples is really worth it. There are some great unfiltered apple juices on the market, so I’d rather save myself the trouble. You will notice that this recipe has brown sugar as an optional ingredient. Some people like a sweeter cider and some prefer a spicy cider. I don’t like sweet beverages, so I like to leave it out. My husband prefers it a little more sweet. It’s really up to you and your preferences.

This recipe is non-alcoholic, so if I’m serving this at a party I would create a spike-it-yourself station. The best alcohol for adding to cider is bourbon, brandy, or dark rum. This would be perfect for thanksgiving, or a halloween party.

Hot Apple Cider

Yields: 16 8oz servings

Ingredients:

4 Litres (gallon) Unfiltered Apple Juice (not apple cider)
1 Orange, sliced
1 Apple, quartered
5 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Whole Nutmeg
1 Tbsp Whole Cloves
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar (optional)

Stove Method:

Add all ingredients to a large pot over medium heat and bring liquid to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 20-30 minutes. Keep warm on the stove until ready to serve.

Slow Cooker Method:

Add all ingredients to your slow cooker. Heat on low for 4 hours. Place cider on the keep warm setting until ready to serve.

Apple Cheddar Pecan Salad

September 11, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I’m not a huge salad fan. I like restaurant salads, but homemade salads aren’t really my thing. They often taste too earthy and they never seem to have the correct amount of dressing. There are a few exceptions… anything with arugula, Kale Caesar Salad and this Apple Cheddar Pecan Salad. This salad is my go to for the fall, I love the refreshing fresh crunch the apples give. I’ve been making this salad for years and everyone who has tried it loves it.

The homemade dressing on this salad really ties together the salad and really boosts the fall flavour. It has apple cider and pure maple syrup as two of the ingredients. I love to blend my dressings up in my magic bullet to emulsify the olive oil, but you can of course just use a whisk.

I like to serve this salad on the side of marinated chicken, or add a grilled chicken breast on top and take it to work for lunch. If you give it a try it will soon become your favourite fall salad.

Cheddar Apple Pecan Salad

Yields: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

Salad:

8 Cups Baby Greens
1 Apple, thinly sliced
1/4 Cup of Pecans
1/4 Cup of Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Dressing:

1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tsp Pure Maple Syrup
Pinch of Salt & Pepper

Directions:

In a blender, or small dish add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Blend or whisk until the dressing comes together and emulsifies.

Add baby greens, apples, pecans and cheese to a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Dutch Apple Pie Bars with Salted Caramel

August 30, 2018 by Danielle 1 Comment

We all know I love pie, and dutch apple pie is one of my favourites. What makes apple pie different from dutch apple pie it that instead of a top crust their is a crumble topping. It’s the best of both worlds. Now these bars a essentially a portable dutch apple pie. They are also drizzled with salted caramel, so you know they are good.

These bars have four layers, shortbread crust, apple filling, crumble topping and caramel drizzle. I know that seems like a lot of work, but the ingredients and simple and so is the method. The tricky part is the caramel sauce. Now I like to make homemade salted caramel, it simple is the best. If you have the time please do yourself a favour and make the sauce from scratch. You wont be disappointed.

If you’re short on time, or just aren’t ready to try your hand at homemade caramel sauce you can use store bought. Buy the best quality caramel sauce you can find. Drizzle that on top of your bars and sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top. They will be almost as good.

These are perfect to serve at an end of summer barbecue or on a fall dessert buffet. These bars with a cup of tea after your thanksgiving dinner… with a side of pumpkin pie of course.

Yields: 9-16 Bars

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust:

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1/4 Cup White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup All Purpose Flour

Apple Filling:

2 Apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Streusel:

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/3 Cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.

Make the crust: In a small bowl stir together the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Make the apple filling:Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.

Make the streusel: Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Layer the apples on top of the warm crust. Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature. Lift the bars out of the pan using the tabs of the parchment. Cut the bars into your desired serving size. I normally cut them into 12 squares, but 9 or 16 will also work. Once cut, drizzle the bars with the salted caramel sauce. The bars can be served warm, room temperature or cold.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Kale Caesar Salad

August 28, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

We eat a lot of kale in my house. We sauté it, we put it in smoothies, and it into soups and casseroles. And of course we make salads out of it. When it comes to kale salads I am partial to a creamy dressing since kale can be such a tough green.

For a while I was buying a creamy parmesan dressing from the store for my kale salads. Making a creamy dressing at home seamed fussy and intimidating, but now that I’ve made this recipe I can’t go back to the bottled stuff again.

Now this salad is not a week night salad for me. I can handle making the dressing, but on a weeknight I skip the bacon and use store-bought croutons. It’s still delicious, but if you have the time to make your own it will be so much fresher and tastier!

I love to serve this salad in the summer with grilled chicken, steak, or my BBQ-less Barbecue Chicken. In the winter I love to serve this along side lasagna, spaghetti or any roasted meat.

I also love kale because it’s the only salad you can toss in advance. I like to wash and prep my kale, and then toss it in dressing a few hours before serving. Then just before serving I’ll toss in the croutons and bacon. This helps the kale soften and not be as tough.

In addition to dressing the salad in advance I like to massage my kale. I know it sounds funny, but it makes your kale more tender. Once you kale has been washed, dried and chopped. Massage the leaves with your hands until they become a bright green colour. Then coat the leaves with dressing, this will make your kale more tender.

Even if you are not a kale salad lover, you’re going to love this salad!

What’s your favourite salad?

Yields: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

1 Bunch Kale
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 Gloves of Garlic
1 Teaspoons Capers
4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
4 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
2 Lemons, juiced
Salt & pepper, to taste
4 Strips of Bacon
Optional: Additional parmesan cheese for topping

For the Croutons:

4 Slices of Seeded Multi Grain Bread
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

Method:

In a blender combine, olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, garlic, capers, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Wash, dry and chop the kale. Place in a large salad bowl. Massage the leaves until they are bright green. Toss the kale in the dressing and set aside. If prepping the salad in advance, cover the tossed salad with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.

Cook the bacon using your preferred method until crisp. Blot off excess grease and allow to cool completely. Once cool crumble the bacon, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, place the bread on a sheet tray. Drizzle olive oil over the bread and toss to coat. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper over bread and toss to coat evenly.

Bake the croutons for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Be careful to brown the croutons and not burn. Allow the croutons to cool fully as they will continue to harden and crisp as they cool.

When ready to serve, add bacon, croutons and parmesan cheese (if using) to the dressed kale. Toss the salad together. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Jillian Harris

Fall

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