Cheese, Bacon & Herb Frittata

The other day, one of my co-works made a Frittata for a potluck breakfast. Another co-worker is currently on a "carb free" diet, to get in ship shape for her upcoming wedding so the Frittata was made special for her. A Frittata is like a quiche, except Frittata is crust free; Just eggs and whatever goodies you'd like to add in for flavour. It's incredibly versatile and easy! It can be made in advance and re-heated or eat it cold. Frittata is the perfect for potluck, picnic, breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack!

For the herb addition to my Frittata I used a couple great freeze dried seasoning blends from Epicure Selections. Their Cheese, Chive & Bacon Dip Mix and Three Onion Dip Mix are perfect additions to eggs, potatoes, soups and of course, dips. I absolutely love their products and have one of just about everything in the catalogue. If you don't have Epicure products to use in your Frittata, just use whatever herbs or seasonings you'd like.

Ingredients:

8 whole eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon dried herb blend of your choice (I used 1/2 tbsp Epicure Cheese, Chive & Bacon Mix and 1/2 tbsp Epicure 3 Onion Mix.)
Pinch each of Salt & Pepper
4 slices of crisp cooked bacon, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 green onion sprigs, sliced thin

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie plate and set aside.

2. Add eggs and milk to a bowl and beat together. Stir in herbs, salt and pepper.

3. Pour egg mixture into prepared pie plate. Sprinkle over half the cheese and drop bacon pieces evenly around the dish. Cover with remaining cheese.

4. Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese has melted and the eggs are puffed up and the edges starting to brown.

5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sliced green onion. Let cool slightly then slice and serve.

Variations: Substitute ham or sausage for bacon, or omit meat for a vegetarian option. Use fresh herbs instead of dried. Add fresh, diced veggies. Anything goes!



This post is part of Twister Tuesday @ GNOWFGLINS.

Sweet Potato, Leek & Ham Soup

This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light's "Fresh Food Fast" cookbook. It's incredibly quick to make and is a great use of left over holiday ham.

1 cup diced, cooked ham
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups sliced leek (2 large)
3 cups peeled & diced sweet potato (2-3 large)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup 2% milk
salt & pepper to taste
thin sliced green onion for garnish

1. Heat a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add ham and cook 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Remove ham from pan and set aside.

2. Melt butter in the same pot. Add leek and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add sweet potato, chicken broth and water. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 30 minutes until sweet potato is fork tender.

4. Remove pot from heat and pour in milk. Using an immersion blender, puree soup to desired consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Stir in 3/4 cup of the diced ham. Return pot to low heat and let simmer for 5 minutes, just to heat through.

5. Spoon into bowls and garnish with remaining diced ham and sliced green onion.

Sausage, Apple & Sage Stuffed Mushrooms

My cousin's baby turned 1 year old last week! She hosted a family birthday celebration over the weekend, the day before (Canadian) Thanksgiving. In honour of the holiday, my cousin wanted to do a fall/Thanksgiving theme cocktail menu. I offered to help out by making a few dishes.

Unfortunately, no pictures yet. The appies were gobbled up before I could snap a photo!

First up - Mushrooms stuffed with... STUFFING! I've always believed that stuffing is the best part of the holidays; or at least the best part of the holiday dinner. Last year I posted my mom's recipe for Moist Bread Sausage Apple Stuffing. It's THE best stuffing EVER and that is no exaggeration. I re-worked the recipe to make it suitable to stuff into large white mushrooms. Topped with a bit of grated Parmesan (because every stuffed mushroom recipe should be topped with cheese), these mushrooms are to die for!

If you want, you could make this into an entrée by using large portabella mushrooms. To get the celery and onion to a fine, minced consistency, I chopped them into smaller pieces, then put them into a food processor.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup minced celery (about 3 stalks)
1 cup minced onion (about 1 large onion)
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped fine
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 lb (4 oz, 250g) ground pork sausage (NOT Italian sausage)
2 apples, peeled, cored and minced
1/4 cup apple juice or cider
1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan, plus
36 large white button mushrooms, washed and de-stemmed

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange mushrooms, tops face up, in a single layer. Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes, while you prepare the stuffing. Remove from oven to cool. Replace parchment with a fresh sheet and arrange mushroom tops down, in a single layer.

2. Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Add onions and celery and cook until onions are translucent and celery tender. Add seasonings and mix well. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bow.

3. In the same sauté pan, cook sausage and apple with apple juice until sausage cooked through and apples are soft. Add mixture to the bowl of onion and celery.

4. Once vegetable mixture has cooled slightly, add bread crumbs and Parmesan to the bowl. Toss everything to mix well.

5. Scoop mixture into each mushroom cap. Sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan cheese. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes until tops are browned. Serve immediately.

Baked Mac & Cheese with Caramelized Onion, Bacon and Smoked Cheddar

I was craving carbs last night so I "whipped up" a really quick and simple homemade mac and cheese. It's really not as difficult or scary as it seems. You could make it even more quick and simple by leaving out the onions and bacon, but I suggest you leave them in!

Ingredients:

6 cups whole wheat pasta noodles
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
4 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsp flour
1 bay leaf
1 cup milk
salt & pepper
1/2 cup smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
5 sliced bacon, diced and cooked until crisp
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until cooked al dente (should still be slightly firm to the bite). Drain and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Toss well to coat noodles in oil so they will not stick together. Set aside.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook down until reduced and browned, about 15 minutes. Remove onions from skillet and set aside.

3. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add flour and whisk continually until a paste is formed (this is called a roux). Add milk and bay leaf and continue stirring until sauce thickens slightly (this is a basic French Béchamel sauce). Add shredded cheese a bit at a time and continue to stir until cheese has melted. Add caramelized onion and diced bacon and stir together.

4. Add cooked noodles to cheese sauce mixture and stir together to coat. Pour into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan over top and then top with breadcrumbs. Cut 1 tablespoon of butter into 4 small chunks and drop onto top of breadcrumbs in a few places.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown and crispy.

This post is linked to Twister Tuesday at GNOWFGLINS.

Butternut Squash Apple Bacon Soup

The perfect soup for a chilly fall day!

1 1/2 lb butternut squash, halved and seeded
2 onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic
2 medium apples, quartered
4 tsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp honey
4 sliced bacon, diced
salt and pepper

1. Peel and cut squash into large,1 1/2 inch cubes. Place cubes into a roasting pan. Add onion, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat. Roast for 425 degrees for 30 minutes until squash is tender. Half way through roasting, add apples to pan, toss everything together and place back in the oven to finish roasting.

2. Peel roasted apples (skins should slip off easily). Add apple, squash, onion and garlic to a food processor.

3. Heat roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup vegetable broth, and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from the roasted vegetables. Add broth to food processor with the vegetables. Blend everything together until smooth. Add honey and sage and pulse to blend together.

4. Cook bacon in a dutch oven or heavy saucepan, over medium-high heat until crisp. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from dutch oven. Add vegetable puree, the rest of the vegetable broth, 1 cup water, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to boil then simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Serve sprinkled with crisp cooked bacon and a dollop of sour cream.

This post is part of Twister Tuesday at GNOWFLINS and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly The Kitchen Kop.


This post was featured on the front page of Tasty Kitchen on October 6, 2010.

Pork Tenderloin Souvlaki

It's Greek night!

Greek Seasoning:

1 1/2 tbps dried oregano
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dehydrated minced onion
1 tsp freeze dried minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Mix everything together in an air tight container. (Mason jars work great for this!)

Pork Tenderloin Souvlaki:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Greek seasoning (as above)
1 lb pork tenderloin

1. Prepare your tenderloin by trimming off the excess fat and silver skin from the underside.

2. Mix all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into a resealable plastic Ziplock bag. Add tenderloin to the bag and seal. Massage marinade into the pork. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. When pork is done marinating, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Place pork in a large, pre-heated skillet and quickly sear on all sides so the pork is lightly browned.

5. If your skillet is oven-safe, place directly into pre-heated oven, uncovered. If not, move tenderloin to a baking sheet or baking pan and place in oven.

6. Cook uncovered for 10-14 minutes (10 mins for medium, 14 mins for medium well).

7. Remove from oven and tent baking pan with foil. Let tenderloin rest for 10 minutes before cutting.



I paired my dinner with roasted potatoes & Greek salad and a side of 10 Cent's Tzatziki Sauce. Super yum dinner!

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Sausage & onion Hash topped with a poached egg.

No recipe.

Diced onion, breakfast sausage cut into pieces, par-boiled baby new potatoes cut in half. Just toss everything in a pan and cook till browned and the potatoes are slightly crisp. Top with shredded cheese and a poached egg. Garnish with sliced green onion and fresh cracked pepper.



Yum!

Faux-Fried Wontons

Please excuse the repeat photo. I cheated. :)

Yesterday I taught you how to make wontons and today I'm going to give you an idea of what to do once you've made them.

If you recall, I once had a soft spot for deep fried wontons. These days I'm trying to avoid deep fried products so I tried baking my wontons to see what would happen. The little bundles of goodness turned out surprisingly well. The skins bake to a crunchy texture and the insides stay moist and tender.

You'll need as many Pork and Shrimp Wontons as you'd like to consume (or serve to guests, if you must).

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3. Arrange wontons in a single layer, spaced evenly apart, on the parchment.

4. Lightly spray with cooking spray.

5. Bake in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes or until the skins start to turn golden brown.

6. Serve with sweet chili sauce, sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce for dipping!

How To Make Wontons

I grew up eating Chinese food once or twice a week because my dad, who is an excellent cook, took Chinese cooking classes. Stir fries and sates were his specialty. Wontons have always been my favourite Chinese staple, especially deep fried. I remember as a teenager, sitting at the kitchen table for hours, folding wontons so my dad could make soup. He would always make a small batch of deep fried ones just for me. Drizzled in sweet and sour sauce, deep fried wontons, at one time, were my ultimate guilty pleasure. Nowadays I like to fit in my pants so I don't indulge in wontons quite as often as before. When I do find the desire and time to make a batch, I often make extra to freeze. Straight from the freezer, wontons can be dropped into boiling broth for a quick and delicious lunch of wonton soup.

Makes about 5 dozen

Ingredients:

1lb ground pork
1/2lb (225 grams) baby shrimp, chopped into smaller pieces
2 green onions, sliced thin
1 inch piece of ginger root, chopped fine
1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped
2 tsp sucanat
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 pkg wonton wrappers
small dish of water

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients, except wonton wrappers, to a large bowl. Using your hands, mix together well so everything is incorporated.



2. Using your finger, lightly wet the top and bottom edges of a wonton wrapper.



3. Scoop a small amount of meat mixture onto the middle of the wonton wrapper. The scoop should be just under one teaspoon full. Anymore and the wonton won't seal properly.



4. Fold the wrapper in half, on a diagonal, to form a triangle. Press down the edges to form a tight seal.



5. Dab a bit of water in the bottom centre of the triangle. Gently pull the right point of the triangle over to the centre and press to seal it to the centre.



6. Do the same with the left point.



7. Arrange completed wontons on a parchment lined baking sheet until ready to use.



Coming soon... Faux-Fried Pork & Shrimp Wontons and Wonton Soup!

Potato Nachos

Alternate title: Mexican Poutine

This is not health food. Or even healthy food. But it makes me happy and right now I could use some happy. It's also quick, easy and everyone loves it. Plus there was a woman's Olympic semi-final hockey game on TV. Canada vs. Finland. Winner goes for GOLD on Thursday. Did I mention I will be at that game on Thursday? Anyway, every hockey game viewing needs some nachos. Did I also mention I ate the entire plate of potato nachos myself? It was one of those days.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 bag frozen french fries (get ones with skin if you can and wedges work even better!) Or make your own fries. That would be even better!
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar and mozza cheese (more as needed)
- 1/4 cup bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (about 4-5 slices) - or be cool like me and use prosciutto, because that's all I had available.
- 1/2 small onion, diced small
- 1 green chili, minced
- 2 green onions, sliced thin
- 1/2 tomato, diced small (Mine doesn't have tomato! ARG!)
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- sour cream and salsa for dipping

1. Bake fries according to package directions. You want them nice and crisp. Half way through baking, lightly sprinkle taco seasoning evenly over fries.

2. While fries are baking, cook bacon till crisp. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain some fat. If there is excess bacon grease in the pan, drain it off, then add onions and cook just until translucent.

3. When fries are done, remove from oven. Leave oven on. Place fries into a shallow baking dish. Top evenly with cheese, onions, bacon and green chili.

4. Place baking dish in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and just starting to bubble.

6. Sprinkle green onion, tomato and cilantro on top. Serve with sour cream and salsa for dipping or spoon them on top of the fries and eat with a fork. :)

Prosciutto Wapped Roast Pork Tenderloin & Red Wine Gravy

I'm between night shifts tonight so I am in need of something quick. Believe it or not, roast pork tenderloin is almost as fast as boiling pasta. Almost. Contrary to some recipe instructions, a 1 pound piece of tenderloin does not need to cook for 45 minutes. It doesn't even need to cook for 30 minutes. After searing, this little gem only takes 10 minutes in a high oven for medium and 14 minutes for medium-well. Also contrary to what you may have been taught, pork can be a little pink. It's actually better when a little pink. Serve with some simple red wine gravy and you're good to go! If you want it to be even quicker and easier, leave out the prosciutto and just let the pork & simple seasonings shine!

Serves 2

1 lb pork tenderloin
3-4 pieces prosciutto
tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper (omit salt if using prosciutto)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp vegetable seasoning blend

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Mix seasonings together in a small bowl and rub onto tenderloin.

3. Wrap tenderloin in prosciutto (if using).

4. Place in a large, pre-heated skillet and quickly sear all sides (medium-high heat) so that prosciutto is browned and semi-crisp.

5. If your skillet is oven-safe, place directly into pre-heated oven, uncovered. If not, move tenderloin to a baking sheet or baking pan and place in oven.

6. Cook uncovered for 10-14 minutes (10 mins for medium, 14 mins for medium well).

7. Remove from oven and tent baking pan with foil. Let tenderloin rest for 10 minutes before cutting.



Simple & Quick Red Wine Gravy:

1/2 cup red wine
1 cup water or beef broth
1 package dry brown gravy mix or au jus mix
1 tsp corn starch mixed in 1/3 cup water (if using au jus mix)

1. Add everything to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

2. Stir continuously until thickened.

Notes:

I served my pork with Red Wine Sauteed Spinach & Mushrooms, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Asparagus and Broccoli and Red Roasted Potatoes. To drink? Whatever wine was used for cooking, or Pinot Noir pairs nicely with pork. A huge, delicious, satisfying meal.

Pasta e Patate

Another day, another pasta dish. You can't beat the ease of preparation when it comes to Italian cooking (usually). Tonight's recipe comes from David Rocco's Dolce Vita on Food Network Canada.

"Pasta e Patate" is a traditional recipe from Naples. It's a very rustic dish that can be served as a soup or pasta dish (by simmering and reducing the broth). It's a very interesting dish. Pasta and potatoes? How odd. But the starch from the pasta and the starch from the potatoes come together to make such a rich, creamy sauce... it's almost like a risotto of the pasta world. It would probably be delicious with some chorizo and diced plum tomatoes. A sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley wouldn't hurt either. You could skip the prosciutto for a vegetarian dish but... I wouldn't. :)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4-5 slices prosciutto or pancetta, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 fresh chili pepper, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups small pasta or broken spaghetti
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, chopped fine
1/2 cup parmigiano cheese, freshly grated

1. Heat EVOO in a large sauce pan. Add proscitto and cook until crisp.

2. Add onion, celery, carrot, chili pepper, salt and pepper. Saute until onions are soft.

3. Add potatoes. Let saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often to prevent the potatoes from sticking.

4. Add water, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Stir then add pasta. Mix together well. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add a little more water, 1/2 cup at a time, as the pasta and potatoes absorb the liquids.

5. Add pecorino cheese. Cook for a few more minutes until cheese has softened and sauce is thickened and creamy. If you would prefer a soup, add more water.

6. Spoon into serving bowls. Drizzle with good quality olive oil and sprinkle with fresh grated parmigiano cheese. Let cool before serving. (David Rocco says it is best at room temperature. I find it too good to let it sit long enough to find out if he's right!)

I served this with a side salad, fresh garlic rubbed toast and a glass of milk, although a dry red would be nice too.