My favourite way to eat is small portions with a big variety. It’s why I enjoy tapas and dim sum so much. But making a number of little dishes can be a lot of work.

Recently my dear friend Donna retired and a few of her past work friends got together to celebrate with drinks and small bites. The hostesses of the night provided a charcuterie and I was asked to make a couple of Donna’s favourite appetizers. The easiest of which is my Korean pork in phyllo cups. They are ideal for a party where you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen.

The cups are made ahead of time and can even be frozen. The pork filling is cooked earlier in the day and then microwaved, mixed with a few pre-cut fresh ingredients and spooned into the cups to serve. They are delicious hot, but also nice at room temperature so can be left out for a while. Here’s my recipe. Hope you enjoy. 

Phyllo Cups

frozen phyllo pastry                avocado oil spray

Thaw phyllo dough according to package instructions.  Place a layer of phyllo on work surface, lightly spray with oil. Place second layer on top, lightly spray and top with final layer.  Keep remaining dough covered with a damp towel to prevent drying.  Cut phyllo into 3” x 3” squares. Spray cups of a mini muffin pan. Place a square phyllo into each cup.  

Bake in the center of a 400ºF oven for about 5 minutes or until golden. Let cool on a rack.  

Korean Pork

1 tsp oil                                   1 large clove garlic, diced

1/2 tsp grated ginger               1/2 lb lean ground pork

1/4 cup red pepper, diced       1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp hoi sin sauce                 1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 a carrot, shredded             1 green onion, finely sliced

6 leaves fresh mint, finely chopped

Heat oil over medium high heat. Sauté garlic, diced peppers, fresh ginger and ground pork, cook 8 – 10 minutes. Add soy sauce, hoi sin sauce and sesame oil. Take off heat and mix in shredded carrot, chopped green onion, and chopped mint. While mixture is hot, fill phyllo cups and serve.  Meat can be made ahead of time. The when ready to serve, heat in the microwave, stir in the fresh ingredients and fill cups.   

Kath’s quote: “My heart flutters with anticipation. If this was the appetizer, dinner might darn well kill me!”-Michelle A. Valentine

Love never fails.

People often ask me, “what’s your favourite cuisine” and I always respond “to cook, or to eat?”  When I went to Red River College I was trained in classic dishes, mostly French, some Italian and British, with a bit of German, as all my instructors were German. We never expanded into Asian food. It was the 80s and it just wasn’t part of the curriculum or culture. So I’m most comfortable cooking the food I was trained in, especially French food. But when I think about the food I love to eat, then my mind leaves Europe behind and heads strait to Asia.

Growing up, our family ate a lot Canadian Chinese food.  Sweet and sour shrimp, honey garlic chicken balls, fried rice and egg rolls. In fairness that was all that was available on the restaurant scene in my city at the time. But years on, as more restaurants opened, we began to expand our dining repertoire. My sisters and I enjoyed taking our Mom out to try new foods.

We all discovered a love for Vietnamese, Thai and dim sum. When we first took Mom to a sushi restaurant, thinking it was the first time she would have ever tried it, as sushi restaurants were new to our city at the time, I asked her what she thought of it. She responded “it was good, but not as good as what they used to serve Dad and me at the Japanese Consulate.” I had no idea that because my father had done some work for the Canadian government working in Japan, he was invited to a few receptions at the consulate located in Winnipeg.

During my career I was fortunate to work with people who introduced me to excellent Asian restaurants, tucked away in Chinatown and the core area. Double Greeting Noodle House, and the New Hong Kong Snack House became my go to lunch spots in the 90s and 2000s.

While working at CancerCare Manitoba I met my friend Liz who knew all the best restaurants and introduced me to a ton more. This weekend Liz and I tried a new restaurant just blocks away from my home, Hello Asian Fusion. Owned by three fellows from Hong Kong so I had high expectations. Liz had their Helloman seafood noodle soup and I had the wonton soup, but added beef satay.  We were not disappointed.

Beef Satay Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

2 litres chicken broth
1 ¼ cup Hoisin sauce
½ cup Korean Barbeque Sauce
¼ cup Satay Peanut Sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 teaspoon chili oil
Sriracha hot chili sauce (optional)
2 pounds thinly sliced beef tenderloin

16 oz package rice stick noodles

Toppings: Use as few or as many as you wish

Bean sprouts

Shredded carrot

Finely diced peppers
Chopped green onions
Chopped peanuts

Fresh cilantro

Directions:
I slice the beef when it is partially frozen to ensure I get nice thin pieces. In a large soup pot add chicken broth, Hoisin sauce, Korean BBQ sauce, Satay sauce, tomato paste, peanuts, chili oil, hot sauce and beef. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and the soup is nice and hot.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn off element and add rice noodles. Stir and cover with lid.  Stir a few more times returning the lid each time.  Noodles should be done 6-8 minutes or until tender but slightly firm and chewy.

To serve: In a large soup bowl place desired amount of noodles. Add soup. Eat as is or top with your choice of bean sprouts, shredded carrot, finely diced peppers, chopped green onions, chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro.

Kath’s quote: “I just love Chinese food. My favourite dish is number 27.” ~ Clement Attlee

Love never fails.

In less than three weeks I will be heading south to the warmth of my home-away-from-home, Isla Mujeres Mexico.

I am so blessed that I get to spend a good portion of the winter in my happy place. You see, I HATE WINTER!  And unfortunately I was born in a place aptly nicknamed WINTERPEG. We have been very fortunate to have had a very mild winter so far, but the cold is now upon us. With the wind it’s -35 this morning. So today I’ll share the recipe for the most soul warming dish I know, chili. Funny name for a cozy dish.

The other night I was with my niece, and her two adorable children (my honorary grand babies) and she had made a crockpot of chili con carne. It was so delicious. The warm spices and the melting cheddar cheese on top. It reminded me that I should likely make a pot of my chili before I head off to Mexico. My house sitter is vegetarian and my favourite chili recipe happens to be vegan.

This dish was first made for me by my sweet friend Betty on a midwinter trip to the cabin. This dish has it all, it’s economical, nutritious, easy to make. And most importantly, it’s delicious. Stay warm and enjoy!

Out-of-this-world Vegan Chili

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil                    1 onion

1 carrot                                1 red pepper

3 cloves of garlic                 1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans                            1 can plum tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste                         1/4 cup salsa

2 tbsp chili powder                            1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano                      1 tsp basil

12 oz package Yves Veggie Ground Round (optional)

Method

Clean and dice onion, carrot, pepper and press garlic. Heat oil in a soup pot.  Add onion and cook till translucent, about 3 minutes. Add carrot, red pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, salsa and spices. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium.  Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.  Crumble and add the package of veggie ground round and heat through. I make mine without the meat substitute.  

Kath’s quote: “Tension translates to your guests. They’ll have a much better time having chili and baked potatoes than they would if you did roast duck with a wild cherry sauce and then had to lie down and cry for a while.”-Nigella Lawson

Love never fails.

My parents were raised in the midst of the depression. As a result, we kids were taught to never waste food.  While the results of finishing everything on my plate likely accounts for my tendency to be overweight, there were some good things that came as a result of this theology.  This week’s blog include some of my favourite ways to upcycle items that may otherwise go in the garbage, or sometimes, into already full tummies.

Freezer Fried Rice
I learned this one from my sister Kath.  At the end of a meal when there is a bit of leftover meat or vegetables, wrap them up and put them in the freezer. I have a special bin for these bits and pieces.  I also freeze the plain white rice that comes with a Chinese food delivery, as my favourite restaurant includes chicken fried rice with a large enough order.  Then when I have a craving for good fried rice, I pull out my rice, meat, veggies, add soya sauce and an egg and voila! A yummy dinner.

Refrigerator Soup
My father was the master of refrigerator soup. It’s a great way to use up what you’ve got on hand.  And I use this method all the time.  The only problem is, if you create a delicious meal, it’s not always possible to “re”create it. Sometimes I make a vegetable soup while cleaning out the crisper. Other times it’s the freezer and those frozen veggies get cooked up in a broth with onions and garlic, then put through the blender.  

Another favourite is taking some of the bits of meat with left over veggies from the fried rice bin, adding a can of tomatoes and frozen pasta.  A new creation every time, and pretty much free food.        

Smoothie Bin

I am awful at estimating how much fruit I need.  If I want a variety, I end up with too much, because it takes one person a long time to eat a whole melon and I refuse to pay more for store cut fruit.  Living alone and buying a pineapple often means I’m tired of it half way through, or worse, I cut it all up and forget it in the back of the fridge.  So before the berries get mushy or the peaches get grainy, I flash freeze them and put them in baggies in my smoothie bin.  This way I have plenty of frozen fruit and just need to add juice and yogurt, or some almond milk to the blender and I have a yummy way to start the day.

I often make my smoothie on the thicker side and turn into a bowl.  I top with nuts and seeds, some nut butter and fresh fruit and it’s very satisfying.

I think that one leftover food we can all relate to is bananas.  Why can I never buy the right amount of bananas?  I’m always peeling and freezing bananas. Thankfully I like them in my smoothies, but sometimes I can’t keep up and end up making muffins, or my very favourite banana bread recipe-most certainly more of a dessert than a breakfast item.  I got this recipe years ago from my friend Sabina. Hope you enjoy it.  

Banana Nut Chip Loaf

Ingredients

3 large ripe bananas, mashed 1 cup white sugar

2 medium eggs                       1/2 cup oil

1 1/4 cup flour                        1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips          1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pinch of salt

Method

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Mix all ingredients together and pour into a buttered loaf pan. Cook for 1 hour or until loaf comes away from the pan and a wooden toothpick come out clean, keeping in mind the chocolate will be melted and stick to the toothpick.  

Kath’s quote: “Give me liberty or – just some leftovers will also do”. Author unknown

Love never fails

I have always expressed love through the sharing of food. And Christmas is a time where this takes on a special significance. Every year I am blessed to coordinate a turkey dinner with all the fixings for the folks at Harvest Manitoba. I started in 1994 and this was my final year. While it’s exhausting, I’ll miss it.

This year I also got to pack hampers at the Christmas Cheer Board-a wonderful way to bless people during the holidays. 

The older my friends and I get, the less we need gifts for Christmas. Most of us are blessed to have everything we need and are focused on downsizing, not accumulating more.  So, many of us have started buying each other consumables; nice lotions, bath products, candles and the like. My favourite consumable gifts have always been food related.

For many years I organized a cooking exchange where about 8 of us would get together and bring seven dozen cookies to swap with each other. It really cut down on the work of Christmas baking because you only had to make lots of one thing but would go home at the end of the evening with a wide variety of baking. Then I would pull together plates of cookies for work colleagues, my hair salon, vets office, etc.

I no longer do the cookie exchange because for the past number of years a dear friend of mine has gifted me with a basket full of Christmas treats, to augment my baking, that I can share with my family. She also includes her homemade granola, salsa, cranberry sauce, mango jalapeño jelly and turmeric pickle. All yummy concoctions. 

I used to make this particular friend a Bûche de Noël for her to serve for Christmas dessert, but recently I’ve switched to a more practical gift of casseroles to be delivered to her family a couple times in January. This year is turkey tetrazzini and lasagna roll ups. 

I’m trying to make life more simple, so for the past few years, I have been gifting boxes of homemade nuts and bolts. Here’s the base recipe I use, but I change it up every year as it’s not always easy to find this variety of Chex cereal. I’ll substitute with bugles or cheese bits. 

“ONCE UPON A CHEF” HOMEMADE CHEX MIX

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SNACK MIX

4 cups Corn Chex

4 cups Wheat Chex

3 cups Rice Chex

2 cups Cheerios

3 cups skinny bite-sized pretzels

1½ cups salted nuts

FOR THE BUTTER SEASONING

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 heaping teaspoons seasoned salt

1¼ teaspoons garlic powder

¾ teaspoon onion powder

¾ teaspoon dried thyme

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 250°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.

Combine the Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, Rice Chex, Cheerios, pretzels, and nuts in a large disposable aluminum pan or roasting pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme. Pour slowly over the snack mix, stirring as you go, to coat evenly. Continue stirring until snack mix is well coated with the seasoning. Bake for 1½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Let cool, then serve or store in an airtight container.

Note: You can omit any of the snack mix ingredients as long as you substitute something else. The idea is to keep the ratio of snack mix to butter seasoning the same. Also, be sure your oven is fully preheated before you put the snack mix in. The initial surge of heat to preheat the oven will burn the snack mix in a heartbeat.

Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The snack mix can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Cool completely before freezing.

Kath;s quote: ‘Food is symbolic of love, when words are inadequate“. -Allan Woodfelt

Love never fails.