Sweet Potato Poutine

Poutine and Diets dont usually go together... but leave it up to a french canadian to figure out how to make it work :)

1 large sweet potato
1/4 cup shredded light mozerella cheese
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups beef stock
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 425F
Slice sweet potato into 1/4in thick french fry like slices
Toss with canola oil, salt and pepper
Arrange in single layer on cookie sheet, bake 20-25 minutes
Meanwhile, heat butter and flour over medium heat in a small saucepan, whisking often
Add beef stock, stir well, lower heat and cook until thickened, 10-15 minutes

Arrange sweet potatoes, cheese and top with gravy, serve and enjoy :)

Spinach and Watermelon Salad

Trying something new...

2 cups baby spinach
1 cup watermelon balls
1/4 cup crumbled light feta cheese

Dressing:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dried terragon

Whisk dressing ingredients together, pour over first three ingredients
Serve Immediatly

Cilantro Lime Corn on the Cob on the Barbecue

Ingredients

2 corn on the cobs
2 tbsp butter softened
Zest and juice from one lime
2 tsp cilantro
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a bowl, mix together butter, lime juice and zest, cilantro, chilli powder, salt and pepper

Remove husk from corn, slather on butter mixture, wrap each corn in tin foil
Pre-heat barbecue to medium heat
Cook corn on barbecue, turning often for 25-30 minutes
Enjoy

House Dressing with a Zing...

Tried to re-create a house dip that we ate in Montreal last weekend at the Cage Au Sport, and this is what I came up with... not even close, but still amazing.

Ingredients
1/3 cup oil (vegetable or extra virgin)
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 tsp each of paprika, chilli powder, basil, salt, pepper
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1tbsp mayo

In a blender, mix together oil, garlic, paprika, chilli powder, basil, salt and pepper
In a bowl, whisk together sour cream and mayo, slowly add in mixture from blender, whisk and enjoy.

I served this today with mexican sweet potatoe fries

Spicy Peanut Stir Fry Sauce

You can add or remove red pepper flakes to change the heat to suit your tastes... either way this is a GREAT stir fry sauce.

Ingredients
3Tbsp Peanut Butter
4Tbsp Soy Sauce (low sodium)
1 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar (or 1Tbsp splenda brown sugar)
2 Tsp Garlic Plus Seasoning (Clubhouse seasoning)
1 Tsp Ginger Powder
2 Tbsp Water

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for 1-2 minutes
Pour into stir fry 1 minute before serving, mixing well

I use this stir fry sauce when I make a chicken stir fry with rice noodles :)

mmm

Chicken with Balsamic Brown Sugar Reduction

Sorry I havent posted in a long time... I've actually been working, so I haven't had time to cook, but I'm back, and I cant believe how much I've missed my kitchen.
Here's a really easy, three step recipe, that tastes like it should be in a 4 star restaurant. Don't let the balsamic vinegar scare you, my better half isn't a fan of balsamic vinegar, and he loved it. After boiling it for so long, it really turns sweet.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar substitute (splenda brown sugar) or 2 Tbsp brown sugar

Pre-heat oven to 400
Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes
Meanwhile, over medium heat, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, whisking often
Add brown sugar, continue to whisk until sauce thickens
Use a spoon to scoop up and pour out sauce, to see how thick it is, it should stick to spoon
Once sauce is ready, remove chicken from oven, pour sauce over top and serve :)

Enjoy

Roasted Veggie and Bacon Pasta

Came home from camp today, to an empty fridge, and since it was Easter Sunday, everything was closed, so I had to make due. This tasted great :)

3 cups whole wheat pasta
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
8 strips of bacon
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp basil
2 small tomatoes, chopped
12 asparagus tips
1/3 cup chopped cabbage
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/3 cup cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
In a small oven safe dish, mix 1 clove minced garlic, tomatoes, asparagus, artichoke hearts and cabbage
Coat with 1 tbsp olive oil
Bake for 15-20 minutes
Meanwhile, heat a large deep pan over medium heat
Fry bacon until almost done
Remove bacon and reserve 2 Tbsp bacon fat
Bring a large sauce pan with salted water to a boil, and cook pasta 10-12 minutes
Heat remaining olive oil in frying pan
Saute remaining garlic until just browned, add roasted vegetables, bacon and pasta
Add left over bacon fat
Stir in cheese, heat until just melted
Salt and Pepper to taste

We served this with garlic bread and it made a great, fast meal