PaleOMG's Chicken Bacon Bowl

Original recipe here.

I made mine pretty well the same was as the original PaleOMG recipe, but I cut my bacon into pieces and cooked it with onions and mushrooms. For the assembly, I mashed the sweet potato slightly with a fork, placed it in a bowl with a handful of spinach, then topped it with the bacon & mushroom mixture and a chicken thigh. To finish it off, I added a bit of fresh cracked pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

The original recipe is scaled for one serving but I made mine for 4 servings using 4 chicken thighs, 1 large sweet potato cut into quarters and 4 slices of bacon. It worked out fabulous as left overs for lunch.

Banana Paleo "Pancakes" with Fruit Compote

This is a quick and easy breakfast, dessert or snack that tastes surprisingly good too! The basic recipe has been all over the internet (hello, Pinterest) but I tweaked it a bit.

Makes 4-5 pancakes

2 very ripe bananas, peeled
2 eggs
pinch of pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice or spice blend of your choice
pinch salt

1. Add banana to a bowl and mash until smooth. Add in eggs and spices. Whisk vigorously until well mixed. Mixture will be slightly runny - more like crepe batter than pancake batter.

2. Heat non stick pan over medium heat. Add a bit of coconut oil. OIL IS NECESSARY, even with non-stick pan.

3. Cook just like a pancake! Pour approximately 1/4 cup batter per portion into pan, cook until top starts to bubble, flip, cook another couple minutes. Voila!

Fruit Compote

1 cup fresh or frozen fruit mixture (should include either apples or strawberries). I used a frozen blend of strawberries, blueberries and peaches.
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon water

1. Add everything to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.

2. With the back of a spoon, mash the fruit to break it up. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until it starts to thicken. Leave to simmer while you cook your pancakes. Pour into a bowl and serve with pancakes!

Apples and strawberries have natural pectin which will cause the compote juices to thicken slightly.

Thai Chicken and Cashew Nuts

This is one of my ultimate favourite Thai dishes. The chicken recipe is adapted from Six Sister's Stuff. The chicken is cooked in a slow cooker but you could very easily adapt the recipe to be straight stir-fry. You can also omit the chicken to make a delicious Thai vegan stir fry.

Serves 2-4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce or Bragg's Aminos
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup
1 tablespoon sucanat
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Thai chili paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup whole cashews
2 green onions, chopped
handful of cilantro, rough chopped

1. Trim fat off chicken and place in slow cooker.

2. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, sucanat, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and water. Pour sauce over chicken.

3. Cook on low for 3 hours for breasts and 3 1/2 to 4 hours for thighs.

4. Once chicken is cooked, remove from slow cooker and set on a plate to cool slightly. Once cooled, roughly chop chicken into cubes. Reserve sauce.

5. In a walk over medium heart, stir-fry onions and peppers for 2-3 minutes. Pour in sauce from the slow cooker and bring to a boil to reduce slightly. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.

6. Add chicken and cashews to wok and mix together. Remove from heat and mix in green onion and cilantro. Serve immediately with rice or quinoa. If you aren't serving immediately, do not add the cilantro until just before serving.

If you plan to modify the recipe so it is not a slow cooker recipe, I would cut the chicken into small pieces and stir fry it in a small amount of sesame oil. Once chicken is browned, remove from wok and set aside, then begin with step five.

To make this recipe vegan, omit the chicken and use extra veggies or tofu in the stir fry (step five).

Green Smoothies

I was thinking of buying a juicer so I could drink my vegetables. I even had a juicer all picked out and ready to buy. Then I came across Tera Warner's Green Smoothie Challenge. Instead of juicing her veggies, Tera just blends them up into what she affectionately calls "lawn mower pulp". No expensive, messy juicer required. And by blending your veggies instead of juicing, you keep all that wonderful fiber!

For green smoothie newbies, Tara recommends the following green concoction:

Green Smoothie for Newbies

1 cup water
1 banana
1 handful spinach

Add water and banana to blender and blend until smooth. Add in spinach and blend together.

Instead of water, I had some Green Goodness juicer from Bolthouse Farms. It added a bit of extra sweetness and made the spinach much more palatable.

My next green smoothie experiment included even more greens:

Orange, Red and Green All Over

1/2 cup carrot juice (or carrot/fruit blend)
1/2 cup water
2-3 strawberries
1 handful spinach leaves
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 handful fresh parsley leaves

Add liquid and strawberries to blender and mix well. Add in spinach, parsley and celery and blend on high until everything is pulverized and juicy green!

Next up I'm going to try kale. I'm not sure how that one will go but I'm willing to try it out!

Guest Post - Very Peach Cobbler

My cousin Tobe put together a great summer peach cobbler that is low in added sugar and gluten free. She was so thrilled with the results she wanted to share with my readers (if there are any of you left out there!). She even included step by step photos. Here is Tobe's post:

I found some great Organic peaches at Costco and decided to make a cobbler. I have trying to cut down on my sugar and carb intake, so I surfed the web trying to find recipes that had limited sugar and no flour. I couldn't find a single recipe that used exactly what I wanted, so I decided to make my own recipe. Its pretty forgiving so you can change things up to suit your own tastes. If you don't have Stevia, you can use agave syrup or honey. If you don't have coconut oil, you could use butter or Earth's Balance.

Ingredients:

Fruit:
6 cups chopped, fresh organic peaches
10 packets of Stevia
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp good Bourbon such as Makers Mark (optional)
Taste your fruit and determine its sweetness. Stevia is 30 times sweeter than sugar. You could use up to 20 packages in this recipe.

Topping:
4 eggs or equal amount Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/4 cup of melted Coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup of shredded coconut or nuts of your choice
2 Tbsp of Earth's Balance

Directions:

Peel the skins off your peaches. Cut up into bite size pieces.

Add Bourbon to the chopped peaches.

Sprinkle fruit with Stevia and cornstarch. Gently fold together until Stevia and cornstarch have dissolved.

Pour your fruit into a 13 x 9 baking dish and set aside.

Mix melted coconut oil and eggs together.

Pour in coconut flour and add coconut milk. Mix until you have a batter like consistency.

Top the fruit with batter. If you find you don't have enough batter to cover the fruit, make a second batch of the topping. Dot the top of the batter with Earth's Best/Earth Balance.

Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Serve with your ice cream, frozen yogurt or coconut milk ice cream.

Baked Egg Muffins

In my ongoing quest to be more prepared and have meals made ahead, I spent this morning in the kitchen. Along with making a batch of Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Muffins, I also made egg muffins... and not the McDonald"s variety. These "muffins" are actually just eggs and chopped veggies, mixed together, then baked in muffin tins. The resulting egg muffins are great for "grab & go" breakfasts and even better for make-ahead brunches.

Baked Egg Muffins - Makes 12

- 8 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk (any type - I used almond)
- 1/2 red pepper, minced
- 1/4 red onion, minced
- 1/2 tomato, diced
- handful of fresh parsley, chopped (yield's about 2-3 tbsp)
- salt & pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk.

3. Stir in veggies, parsley, salt & pepper and mix well.

4. Spoon mixture into muffin tins (approximately 2 oz liquid per cup).

5. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15-20 mins until eggs are set.

Can be served immediately, left to cool, or refrigerated for later use.

Experiment with other mix-in's. Mushrooms, crumbled bacon or sausage, feta or cheddar cheese... the possibilities really are endless.

Smoothie of the Day - Carrot Banana Blueberry

Part of my regular routine when I'm working is a morning smoothie. Everyday I mix up something different based on what I have on hand. This is what I came up with today:

Carrot Banana Blueberry Smoothie:

- 1/4 cup carrot juice
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 whole banana, broken into pieces
- 2 tbsp plain cultured coconut (a.k.a. coconut yogurt)
- 1 tsp fiber supplement

Toss everything in a blender and blend until smooth! The orange from the carrot juice mixed with the blueberries makes a strange dark purplish-brown colour. It doesn't look too appetizing but it tastes just fine.

Quick Dinner - Vegan Burger

When I'm on the go and don't have time to cook, or when it's too hot outside to even consider turning on the stove, I throw together a burger. It's so quick and easy to make, I quite literally, throw it all together and eat in about 5 minutes.

Take two patties of your favourite veggie burger. You could also use meat patties if you wish. Heat patties as per package directions. Top one patty with whatever condiments suit your fancy. I used ketchup, mustard, red onion, tomato, spinach and spicy dill pickles. Top it off with the other patty.

There you have it. An easy, quick and tasty meal. Amy's Gluten Free Sonoma Veggie Burger's are gluten, soy and dairy free and work great for this. If you are okay with eating soy and gluten you can also try Yves Veggie Burgers. They are good also.

The only complaint about this concoction is the mess! This one requires a knife and fork. :)

Tropical BBQ Chicken & Mango Salsa

Excuse the crappy cell phone picture.

Trying to eat more protein and veggies can be very boring, especially when one is too busy to get creative and there isn't much time to prepare a meal. This recipe is a modified version of the "Caribbean Chicken" recipe from The Eat Clean Diet: Recharged. It's very tasty, easy to make and can be served in many ways. I cook a few chicken breasts at a time and save them for lunches and even snacks throughout the week.

Ingredients:

- 1 orange

- 1 lime

- 1 tbsp agave nectar

- 1 tbsp sucanat

- 1 tbsp minced ginger

- 4 gloves garlic, minced

- pinch ground cinnamon

- pinch ground nutmeg

- 1 tsp hot sauce of your choice

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 tbsp ketchup

Directions:

1. Remove the zest from the lime and orange, setting aside for later use, then juice each fruit.

2. Add juice, agave, sucanat, ginger, garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg to a jar and shake well.

3. Place chicken in a shallow dish. Pour marinade over top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4. When ready to cook, remove from marinade and place chicken in grill pan or over BBQ until cooked through.

5. While chicken is cooking, pour marinade into a small sauce pan with citrus zest and heat over medium-high heat. Boil until sauce has reduced slightly. Lower heat and add ketchup. Bring to a boil again and boil for 5 minutes.

6. Pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer, using the back of a spatula to squeeze out the liquid. Discard the solids.

7. Once chicken is cooked, remove from grill and baste with the strained sauce.

Eat hot off the grill topped with mango salsa and grilled veggies, or slice and serve warm or cold over spinach salad. Top your salad with the left over Tropical BBQ sauce.

For an easy Mango Salsa, chop 1 fresh mango, 1/2 a small red onion and 1 handful of fresh cilantro. Toss together in a bowl with lime juice, salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes or hot sauce.

Butternut Squash Apple Sage Soup

This is almost identical to my Butternut Squash Apple Bacon Soup but instead of bacon, I added fresh sage. The sage made it a completely different soup - but still mega delicious. I served the soup in verrine glasses as a Thanksgiving appetizer. My Grandmother was quite impressed!

1 1/2 lb butternut squash, halved and seeded
2 onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic
2 medium baking apples, quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
4 tsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper
4-5 fresh sage leaves

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, garlic and sage to a food processor.

3. Heat the 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 pulse to blend together.

4. Add vegetable puree, the rest of the vegetable broth, 1 cup water, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a large pot. Add whole fresh sage leaves. Bring to boil then simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove whole sage leaves before serving. Garnish with sour cream and fresh sage leaves.

Leftover Turkey Rice Soup

Wondering what to do with your left over turkey? The easiest thing to do is make soup! Remember back in October when we brined and roasted a chicken then made stock with the carcass? No? Well, go here and refresh your memory. If you're not up to making your own stock but still want to make soup, stay here and let's continue.

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken, turkey or vegetable stock.
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 tbsp parsley flakes (and any additional seasonings you like)
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup rice, cooked (any variety)
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped (great way to use up all that dark meat no one eats!)

1. Add stock to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add carrot, celery, chickpeas, tomato, parsley and salt & pepper. Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes.

2. Add rice and turkey. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

Peach Kombucha Smoothie

Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that is thought to have similar health benefits as Kefir and other cultured foods. It has been served for centuries in Europe and Asia, where it is considered a health tonic. Read more about Kombucha here.

I have read much about this supposed wonder drink but I had yet to try it myself. I bought two bottles ($3.49 each!) and set about taste testing.

Kombucha is, in a word, bad. It smells like vinegar and tastes about the same. But that didn't deter me. Instead of drinking it straight up, I did what I do with Kefir and poured it into a blender to make a smoothie. The results were pretty darn tasty. This particular smoothie is vegan but you could add a bit of greek yogourt if you wanted. I added a bit of flax seed meal to boost the fibre.

Peach Kombucha Smoothie

Serves 2

- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup Kombucha (plain or peach flavour)
- 2 whole fresh peaches, skin on, sliced or 2 cups frozen peach segments or combination of fresh & frozen peaches to equal 2 cups
- add ins of your choice, about 2 teaspoons (flax meal, chia, protein powder, wheat germ etc)
- 1 cup ice

1. Add the first 4 ingredients to a blender and blend well.

2. Add ice and blend again to crush. Pour into two tall glasses.

Carrot Apple Fennel Slaw

I have some left over cabbage from last week's Braised Red Cabbage dish so the easiest way to use it up is in a slaw. You can make it even easier buy buying a bag of pre-cut coleslaw, broccoli slaw or carrot slaw mix and add in the fennel and apple. The dressing is a vinaigrette, but if you like it creamier, add more mayonnaise.

Adapted from Evil Shenanigans.

1/4 red cabbage, shredded or sliced fine
1/4 green cabbage, shredded or sliced fine
3 carrots, peeled and shredded or cut into matchsticks
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 apple (any variety), cored and cut into matchsticks (Peel is okay!)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
pinch sea salt
pinch pepper
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. Add all vegetables to a large serving bowl and toss well.

2. In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk together until well blended and smooth.

3. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to evenly coat. Top with sunflower seeds.

*For a meal-size salad, top your slaw with some roasted chicken breast.

Clean Out The Fridge Vegetable Soup

I'm terrible when it comes to eating my vegetables. I throw out so much produce, it's ridiculous. Last week I had some limp celery, wilting carrots, a wrinkled zucchini and a soft bell pepper. Not wanting to put them to waste (yet again) I decided to chop everything up and throw it in a pot. The resulting soup was easy and fast to make and quite tasty. The below recipe is what I put into my soup, but you can add anything you have on hand.

1 zucchini, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock (or any stock)
2 cups water
salt & pepper
dried herbs of your choice (parsley, basil, celery seed etc.)

1. Add everything to a stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

2. Remove pot from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture until desired consistency reached. Serve immediately. Freezes well too!

*You don't have to puree your soup, I just prefer puree over chunky.

Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe was forwarded to me by my cousin, Tobe. I re-worked the ingredients to eliminate refined vegetable oil, white sugar and all-purpose flour and reduced the amount of oil and sweetener. The end result is quite good. The spices and pumpkin really stand out. A warm pumpkin muffin with a pat of butter is lovely with tea on a rainy fall afternoon! You could also make pumpkin loaves, if you prefer.

1 400ml (14oz) can 100% pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
2/3 cup water
1 cup unrefined golden cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (see below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 12-cup muffin tins.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, coconut oil, water, cane sugar and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, apple pie spice and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffins/loafs comes out clean.

4. Let cool slightly in pan, then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix:

(4:1 ratio of cinnamon to other spices. Adjust volume accordingly.)

1/4 cup ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cloves

1. Add everything to a small glass jar and seal with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to mix. Store for up to 6 months.

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.

Beet Hummus - Guest Post from Marianne

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post by Marianne, of From French Fries to Flax Seeds. Marianne went to high school with me eons ago and last year, we reconnected over Facebook. Turns out she likes food as much as I do so we became Farmer's Market buddies! Marianne is training to be a registered dietitian, so along with having great recipes, she is also extremely knowledgeable about dietary health and nutrition. This may just be the longest post I have ever posted and include the most pictures, but is also one of the best! I cannot wait to make my own batch of beet hummus!

Beet It!
by Marianne of From French Fries to Flax Seeds

There are plenty of foods I may declare that I don’t like, but it’s not always true. It’s just easier to say “I don’t like (blank)” than to try and explain the situations in which I enjoy said food. Take tomatoes, for example. I often say I don’t like them, but I do eat them in things like salsa, ketchup, soups, stews, and of course Caesars ;) But tomatoes in salads or sandwiches, or in a pasta sauce? No thanks. I’ll pass. Because “I don’t like tomatoes”.

But this post isn’t about tomatoes. It’s about beets.

Check out the rest of Marianne's awesome post, mouth watering photos and great recipe for Beet Hummus after the jump.

Pea Shoot, Tomato and Egg Salad

This is one of my favourites from The 10 Cent Diet. It's so fresh and simple. I eat it as a snack or as a salad with lunch. If you boil a few eggs in advance and keep them in your fridge, you can put this delicious salad together in a couple minutes.

Pea shoots, like all sprouts, are incredibly nutritious. They are super concentrated with nutrients - including seven times more vitamin C than blueberries, eight times more folic acid than bean sprouts and four times more vitamin A than tomatoes. (Source). Add a sliced garden fresh tomato and a perfectly hard boiled, free-range egg and you have a complete snack.

Serves 1

1 handful fresh pea shoots, cut in half
1 tomato, halved and sliced
1 (or 2) hard boiled egg(s), sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt (I use Fleur de Sel) and fresh cracked pepper

1. Layer pea shoots, tomato and egg in a bowl.

2. Top with a drizzle of balsamic and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

If you're feeling extra fancy, used reduced balsamic vinegar. It's extra delicious that way. (Put 1 cup balsamic in a saucepan and simmer on low until volume reduced by half and balsamic is syrupy).

Oysters on the Half Shell with Pickled Shallot Vinegar

It's week four of my online cooking class, Surf & Turf at Cheeseslave. This week, Ann Marie taught us how to pick fresh seafood and we learned several recipes for uncooked seafood dishes, like ceviche and sashimi. She also showed us a great way to shuck raw oysters.


Oysters are extremely good for our health and are listed in The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. According to author Johnny Bowden, a 1 cup serving of oysters supplies more than 100 percent of the recommended daily value of Zinc. Zinc is important to healthy immune function and fertility, among other things. Oysters are also a mood elevator as they are rich in the amino acid tyrosine, which the brain converts to dopamine. Before dealing with raw oysters at home, make sure you read up about how to buy and store fresh shellfish. Raw oysters are safe to eat, if handled properly.


A few weeks ago, I ordered an oyster knife online from Golda's Kitchen, in anticipation of this lesson. Yesterday I picked up 8 small fresh oysters from the market and today I got down to business! I was pretty apprehensive about the process. Not sure if any of you have seen Bob Blumer's Glutton For Punishment? He participated in an "Oyster Shuck Off" in one episode. Let's just say there was a lot of blood. As it turns out, oyster shucking is not that hard, or that dangerous! Actually, it's incredibly easy. I made it through my eight in under 10 minutes, and had only minor difficulties with two of them. But... this post isn't about how to shuck oysters. I am certainly no expert. There are loads of videos on YouTube that can help you out. All I can tell you is to make sure you have a proper oyster knife, a sturdy wooden cutting board, a clean dish towel and a steady hand! And DON'T STRESS! And if someone tells you a butter knife will work just fine to shuck an oyster, DO NOT BELIEVE IT. You need an oyster knife. You can pick one up at most any kitchen supply or speciality shop for about $10.

OXO Good Grips Oyster Knife
I love topping my raw oysters with a squeeze of fresh lemon, a dash of Tabasco, a little bit of grated fresh horseradish or pickled shallot vinegar - but not all together! I made the Pickled Shallots during week three of the Preserve the Bounty Challenge. French Food at Home does a pickled shallot on fresh oysters. My favourite seafood restaurant, Rodney's Oyster House also serves their fresh oysters on the half shell with a pickled shallot vinegar. It's delicious! Pickled shallots are also a great condiment for many other things, like salads, sandwiches, antipasti platters, meat and poultry!



Pickled Shallot Vinegar

2 large shallots
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 sprig fresh thyme

1. Peel shallots and slice thinly.

2. In a medium saucepan, mix together vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve sugar. Add shallots and stir.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook for one minute. Add thyme sprig. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature.

4. Transfer mixture to a glass canning jar. Cover and refrigerate for at least one week before using. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Alternatively - if you want to heat process your canned shallots for shelf stable storage, complete the directions up to step 3, but do not let the mixture cool. Pack shallots into cleaned and sanitized jars with a small sprig of thyme. Fill with hot vinegar mixture to 1/2 inch below the rim. Cap your jars and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Bison Bean Burritos with Homemade Refried Beans & Guacamole

I'm going away for a few days so my fridge is a little bare. This is where creativity comes into play so I can get a wholesome dinner, made with real food, on the table. I pulled some bison ground out of the freezer, found a can of Eden Organics pinto beans in the cupboard, bought a couple avocados at the market yesterday and plucked three ripe tomatoes from my tomato plant. A mish mash Mexican meal is in the works. Bison and bean burritos, with fresh Pico de Gallo and Guacamole.

Step 1: Dice up some Pico

Make your Pico de Gallo using this recipe. Improvise for ingredients you don't have. As long as you have tomatoes, you can whip up a simple Pico.

Step 2: Make the beans

Homemade Refried Beans

-1 can organic black or pinto beans, drained (but not rinsed)
-1/4 cup fresh Pico de Gallo or other fresh salsa
-1 tbsp pickled jalapeño or banana peppers (optional)
-1 tbsp bacon fat (optional - but adds great flavour!)

1. Add the first three ingredients to a bowl and mix together. Using an immersion blender, quickly blend together the beans and salsa, leaving a chunky texture.

2. Add bacon fat to a heated cast iron frying pan, then pour in beans. Cook on medium-low, stirring occasionally, while you prepare other dishes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, before serving.

Step 3: Prepare the Guac

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1/4 cup Pico de Gallo
salt & pepper to taste

1. Cut avocados in half and scoop flesh into a bowl. Add Pico de Gallo and mash together using a fork or small masher. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you have a fresh lemon or lime you may want to add a splash of juice as well.

Step 4: Cook the meat

Bison Burrito Meat

1 lb ground bison meat
2 tbsp Jill's Mexican Seasoning or other homemade Mexican or taco seasoning blend.

1. Add a bit of olive oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium-high. Add bison and cook until starting to brown. Break apart larger pieces with spatula.

2. Add Mexican seasoning and a couple tablespoons of warm water. Stir together. Reduce heat slightly and simmer until meat is cooked through.

Step 5: Assemble



Whole Wheat Tortilla Shells
Prepared ground bison
Prepared refried beans
Prepared guacamole
Prepared Pico de Gallo
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)

1. Lay a tortilla shell on a plate and layer fillings of your choice down the centre of the tortilla. Fold tortilla into a burrito and serve with more sour cream, guacamole and Pico de Gallo on the side. Alternatively, if you don't want to use tortillas or don't have them on hand, layer your ingredients in a bowl for a Mexican Fiesta Bowl. Also very delicious!