Thai Sloppy Joes

So this dinner pretty much put two of my favourite things together. 1) lentil sloppy joes - I've already written about those here, and 2) thai flavours. I took the recipe from the LCBO Food and Drink magazine, substituting the beef with lentils. Note on the link: I couldn't direct link to the recipe, so you'll have to look up the Summer 2012 issue and scroll through. Don't ask me why.

For the lentils, I boiled 1.5 cups in 4 cups of water for about 20 min. Then in a large pan, I got started on the sauce. I threw in one chopped onion, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 jalapeno, and 1-2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste and let them cook for a few minutes. Then I added in a can of diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup cilantro, and cooked about 5 more minutes. Time to add 1 Tbsp lime juice to finish it up.

I was a bit worried because it wasn't very saucy - I used green lentils so it didn't really have the same mushy consistency as when I use red lentils. It also wasn't very spicy, so I added in red pepper flakes and grated in lots of ginger for more flavour. I was also looking forward to making an Asian slaw to put on top, unlike my other sloppy joes. The dressing consisted of 3 Tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp lime zest, 1 Tbsp each lime juice and sesame oil, 1/2 tsp each soy sauce and sugar, 3 sliced green onions and some cilantro, mixed with coleslaw mix from a bag - normally I avoid these bagged salads but the coleslaw one is cheap and with a tangy Asian-inspired dressing like this one, I went through the bag in a few days.

Finish by putting big spoonfuls of delicious, thai-flavoured lentil mixture onto toasted buns and top with the zippy Asian slaw. I didn't even attempt to eat this as an actual sandwich. It was really tasty but I wanted even more flavour from the lentil mix - more spiciness, more ginger or thai paste. I'll double everything next time and see where that takes me. If anything it's a good way to get lentils and cabbage in your diet!

Salmon Cakes

I admit, I forgot where I got this recipe. I'm pretty sure it was from Food Network magazine, but their website has 20 different recipes! These ones are pretty basic so they're good to try if you're new, like me, to salmon cakes and canned salmon. I wanted to try something new, with my new Old Bay seasoning, and I also wanted an excuse to eat tartar sauce.

First up - canned salmon is gross. Silly me, I thought it would be like tuna. Instead, it's a big hunk of salmon, complete with fatty skin and bone! No wonder it's not more popular. So it takes a minute to get the good meat out into the mixing bowl. Then I mixed in 1 cup corn, 1 egg, 3 Tbsp panko bread crumbs, 3 Tbsp tartar sauce, 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning, and 1 tsp lemon zest. I also had dill - no-brainer, I added that in too.

The recipe called for forming the mix into 8 patties, 3/4" thick - I'm a bad judge of things like that, but it definitely made more than eight patties and they were a little thicker. There was a good tip: put them on a pan in the freezer for 5 minutes before frying to keep them from falling apart. Spoiler - they still sorta fell apart. I coated them with more panko and pan-fried them for 3-4 minutes/side.

Luckily I was only making them for myself so I didn't really mind if they fell apart - they tasted damn good. I may put less corn in next time - I think it would help keep them together. But let's not kid ourselves, they were just an excuse to eat tartar sauce! I made my own with: 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 Tbsp chopped pickles, 1 tsp green onions, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp capers and 1/2 tsp sriracha. Chopped up pickles make everything better - and it's almost potato salad season!

Welsh Rarebit Mac'n'Cheese

Oh, what's occurrin'? Don't ask me what Welsh rarebit is. This recipe from Alton Brown tell me it's a flavourful cheese sauce made with yummy ingredients like Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and beer, which is then poured over toast. Hot damn that sounds good! All I know is I saw Rachael Ray make this Rarebit-style Mac'n'Cheese on TV once and it looked damn good. So here's my version. It's not a pantry meal - I don't usually have the ingredients lying around - so I do have to plan ahead but it's worth it.

This isn't a thick, creamy cheese sauce. It's quite thin, so it's more of a cheesy soupy sauce. But it does start with butter - 1/4 cup, with 3 garlic cloves cooking in it for 2-3 minutes. Then comes some hot sauce (I use just under 1 Tbsp sriracha) and 2 Tbsp Dijon (she calls for dry mustard, but I don't have any). Sprinkle in 3 Tbsp flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 1 cup porter beer - I used Mill St Cobblestone stout last time.

Then add 1 cup beef stock (she calls for chicken or beef, but I've always used beef for more flavour), let boil for a minute, and stir in old cheddar cheese - she calls for 2 cups, but I doubt I add that much in... maybe that's why it's such a thin sauce? All I know is that by this time, the sauce has a lovely kick to it. Then I mix with whole wheat macaroni.

It does end up a little different than the original recipe, because Rachael Ray, being Rachael Ray, wants you to cover it with breadcrumbs, butter and more cheese and bake it to make a crust. I skip all that - I'm much too lazy. I just pour it into a big bowl with the macaroni. I also like to throw in a token vegetable, like carrots, so I don't feel too guilty. The sauce is a delicious soupy mix of bold flavours and is quite addictive. It's the only recipe I use beef stock in, and Worcestershire sauce for that matter... I think the Welsh are onto something.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Another week, another batch of muffins. The amount of banana muffins we eat is surely indicative of the fact that we never finish our bananas before they go brown - but we don't waste them, since our freezer is always bursting with bananas just waiting to be baked. But I felt a craving for chocolate too this time - and thanks to Nigella's simple Chocolate Banana Muffins, my dream became a delicious reality.

Nigella called these muffins "darkly elegant" - thanks to the 3 Tbsp cocoa added into the dry ingredients. The rest is pretty basic - 1 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda. Only Nigella Lawson could make a simple muffin recipe seem so sexy.






Mash three bananas in a large bowl, and mix in 1/3 cup oil, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup brown sugar. And that's it - Nigella doesn't mess around with other spices, or even vanilla. But she very handily points out that there is no need to use fancy cafe muffin papers, those "tulip-skirted party frocks" - plain papers will work just fine.

Well, she was right on two counts. 1) These muffins are crazy moist - I left one out for days and it was still moist when I finally ate it and 2) these things would be damn good served after dinner with coffee! Now they are a bit plain, not too sweet and not too chocolatey - you could add more sugar, or some mini chocolate chips to spice them up. But for a simple, not-too-heavy snack, they are delish.

Lime Coconut Squares

Spring is in the air and that means cravings for lighter, fruitier fare - no more heavy winter meals. I made these bars for Easter dessert and they were fabulous - sweet and tart at the same time. The recipe comes from Canadian Living - what a good find.

To make the crust, you need graham cracker crumbs, coconut (which can be toasted ahead for more flavour, though I didn't do it this time), sugar and melted butter. Press into pan, cook for 10 minutes to brown @350. I should mention now that I've made this recipe in a 8x8" pan (like the recipe says) and a 9x13" pan (by accident) and it turned out fine both times, so either one will do. I just got graham cracker crumbs at the store - feel free to smash your own if you're so inclined.

The lime curd on top is really zippy, due to the large amount of lime zest and juice. If you love lemon or lime desserts, these are for you. Apart from zesting and juicing a good 5 limes, the curd is really easy - it's only made with 4 egg yolks (save and freeze the whites in a ziploc bag - use for macaroons!), one can of sweetened condensed milk (the magic ingredient in my Breakfast Bars) and lime juice and zest. Cook about 15 minutes, then stick them in the fridge overnight to firm up.

Mmmm do I ever love lemon and lime desserts! It's April, the sun is shining, my kitchen table is covered in Easter chocolates - the perfect time for something different. And because bars travel so well, they're perfect to bring to your next food-based celebratory get-together. If you want them as thick as the picture, use the 8x8" pan - the 9x13" made them thinner but just as delicious.