This recipe came about while on a camping trip to Canada’s East Coast including Newfoundland. The East Coast is known for its fresh local seafood and particularly chowder. It started off as a seafood only trip as we were sampling the best all over the Maritimes. Scallops & Clams in Digby, Lobster in P.E.I. & Nova Scotia and chowders everywhere.
I wanted to make a chowder with some nice fresh Cod we bought from a local fishing boat in Newfoundland but keep it simple and still have the consistency and flavor of a hearty meal. We camp in a Eurovan not a tent and have two stove top burners. You have to be somewhat creative. So while this is cheating with adding the can of prepared soup, don’t laugh because you’ll find it pretty close to an original without a whole lot of work. It only takes about 10 minutes. This serves two for a meal (along with fresh bread) or four as an appetizer. Looks like the real deal and tastes very close – well we thought so.
Instructions:
Put a 10 oz (284 ml) can of condensedcream of potato soup (I used Campbell’s) into a medium size pot. Heat gently.
Add ¾ cup (175 ml) of milk (whole or skim) & stir until smooth.
Add 1 chopped celery stalk
Two diced plum tomatoes
Pinches of Tarragon or Oregano (I used both)
*You can add 1 Tbsp. of butter and a little dry white wine (optional)
Simmer, covered for about 5 minutes or longer depending on how crisp you like the celery.
Then add 1 lb. (500g) fresh cod, halibut or any white fish fillets (or a combo of) that tend not to fall apart, cut into chunks. Cook until done – about 5 minutes uncovered. Garnish with Tarragon leaves. Season to taste. Hope you enjoy this condensed (pun intended) version of the real thing.
This is a *glamping tested recipe. When we do not stay in hotels with spas we *glamp on occasion which is campingwithflair.
Moroccan Chicken with olives & apricots over Cous Cous.
Chicken Tagine with Olives and Apricots.
I’ve had a few requests for this recipe: Don’t worry if you don’t have a tagine – you can use a large dutch oven instead. No dutch oven (see below) – no luck!
I’ve not yet been to Morocco but I love the taste of Moroccan chicken and cooking it in a tagine (cone shaped clay cooker which cooks whatever is placed inside it very evenly and helps retain juices).
This is an easier recipe in the sense that you don’t need a tagine or the usual preservedlemons (although they are the best) which is a signature of Moroccan cooking. Preparing preserved lemons is easy but you need to leave them sit for at least 3 weeks before using them in the recipe. They “cook” in a mixture of their own juice, coarse salt and boiling water and have a unique sour-salty flavour. But using preserved lemons means being able to eat the skin too. I’ll put the recipe in next Tuesday. If you like this recipe then you can try making the preserved lemons for use next time. This is a bit more work than my usual blog recipes but worth the extra trouble. It will taste exotic.
Ingredients:
6 chicken quarters, excess fat trimmed
Kosher salt
2 Lemons (preferably thin skinned and juicy)
¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. crushed saffron threads
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
½ finely chopped fresh parsley
¼ finely chopped fresh mint
½ cup driedapricots, sliced in half crosswise
1 Tbsp. honey
¼ cup blanched almonds
1 cup pitted Moroccan olives (small black olives that look prunelike). You can substitute with pitted small green Greek or Picholine olives if you prefer.
1) Sprinkle the chicken all over with 1 tsp. kosher salt. **If you’re able to buy a Moroccan spice mix use some of that as well. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2) Meanwhile,thinly slice 1 lemon; spread out the slices and sprinkle generously with kosher salt on both sides. Stack the slices on a plate and let stand at room temperature, at least 20 minutes and up to 3 hours.
3) Pat the chicken dry. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 3 Tbsp. of olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add half of the chicken, skin-side down; cover and cook until the skin is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Discard the excess oil.
4) Add the butter, onion, garlic, coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, saffron and ½ tsp. black pepper to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes; stir in the cilantro, parsley. Push the onion mixture to one side, then add the chicken to the pot, skin side-up. Spoon some of the onion mixture over the chicken and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, *cover and gently simmer for 30 minutes.
5) Meanwhile combine the apricots, 1 cup of water and the *honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook until the apricots are plump, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid is syrupy, about 15 more minutes, set aside. Cook the almonds in the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Set aside on paper towels.
6) Chop the salted lemons slices into small pieces; add to the pot with the chicken along with the olives and the juice of the remaining lemon. Cover and continue cooking until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes more. Arrange the chicken on a platter. Top with the olive sauce, apricot mixture and almonds. Sprinkle chopped mint over top. Serve with couscous.
This is a Dutch Oven
*If using a tagine you would simply add the couscous first and the juices from the chicken would automatically cook it.
For a colorful presentation, serve the salad in red cabbage leaves. Serves six.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, well trimmed. Grill chicken until done and shred (or cut up into bite size pieces if preferred). You can even use leftover roasted chicken.
4 ounces snow peas
1 small package of coleslaw mix (if you don’t feel like shredding cabbage plus it usually comes with grated carrots which are always nice).
sliced mushrooms
1 bunch chopped green onions
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or less)
crispy chow mein style noodles
1/2 cup slivered almonds
toasted sesame seeds
Dressing:
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño chili (with seeds)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
1 tsp. dijon mustard
a little brown sugar
(if you want a creamy sauce you can use about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and less soy)
Preparation
Combine vinegar, cilantro, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chili, dijon, sesame oil and sugar in medium bowl and mix.
Place grilled (or cooked) chicken, coleslaw mix, snow peas, mushrooms, and green onions in large bowl. Pour dressing over and toss to combine.(Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
Just before serving toss in the sunflower seeds, slivered almonds and crispy noodles. Then sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over each plating. Enjoy.
Sunday for lunch I ordered a deliciously tasting salad from the *Taos Cantina in Sedona, AZ. Sedona has to be one of the most picturesque cities in the world.
Fiesta Salad
It’s a take on traditional taco salad but without the taco shell. It came with ranch/chipotle dressing on the side and sour cream. I would omit the sour cream (extra calories) and mix a litehouse ranch with chipotle (sparingly to taste) from the can.
What a pleasant presentation for guests especially in the summer. Underneath the surrounding mix of chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber, black beans, corn kernels, queso blanco (mild Mexican white cheese – but you can probably substitute with Mozarella) there was a nice array of organic spring mixed lettuces which you can’t see until you mix it all up. On top in the middle was some guacamole and a few tortillas. I would suggest chopped avocado and cilantro in place of the guacamole and lime slices on the side…and a Corona extra. I’m ready for another FIESTA!
*We sat outdoors surrounded by majestic red rock mountains (or monoliths) on all sides. Sedona is known as a spiritual place abundant in spas and retreats but it is also a tourist destination with many touristy shops. Great place to bike & hike.
Taos Cantina – in Sedona with a backdrop of spectacular scenery.
Basic Red Chile Sauce is one of the staple dishes of New Mexican Cuisine and can be used on lots of different dishes like enchiladas, burritos, tamales, etc. You can use it to season beef, chicken or fish for soft tacos or even in homemade chili.
This is from the Santa Fe School of Cooking.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
2-3 t minced garlic
2 T all purpose flour
1/2 cup pure ground New Mexican red chile powder
2 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
1 t Mexican oregano
1/2 t freshly ground cumin seed
salt to taste
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onion for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Stir in the flour, the chile and slowly add the water (chicken stock), whisking to break up any lumps in the chile. Add the oregano and the cumin, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened slightly. Season with salt to taste. Optional: freshly ground coriander seed. Makes about 3 cups
*you can find Mexican Oregano (a little different than regular) at your local specialty market like Granville Island, etc.
For the best authentic Mexican food – Guadalajara Grill (today for lunch):
I had the spicy grilled wild caught salmon with perfectly grilled veggies, rice + guacamole. Homemade soft corn tortillas on the side. Excellent.
Don ordered the grilled whole Tilapia. The best since having it in Africa. Skins for JiaJia.
Vadouvan is a French-Indian spice mix that gives this dish a sophisticated depth of flavour. I added scallops to the pot but if you don’t eat shell fish then you can use any firm white fish. It will taste equally as delicious. Makes 6 servings.
You can try this recipe once and then adjust spices to taste. I tend to add a bit more. It may seem like a lot of ingredients but you’ll need them because once you make this you’ll be making it again.
Recipe
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. ground mustard
1/3 tsp. tumeric
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp. ground fenugreek (optional)
1 ½ tsp. thinly sliced fresh curry leaves *(optional)
*(I substituted with a bit of madras curry powder)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 large shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise
6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced lengthwise
¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
24 large shrimp (about 1 ¼ lbs.) shelled and deveined.
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. yellow mustard seeds, toasted for garnish (optional)
lime wedges for serving.
In a small bowl, combine cumin, cardamom, ground mustard, tumeric, and red pepper flakes. Add curry leaves (or curry powder instead) and fenugreek, if using.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. water, cover, and reduce heat to low, stirring a few times, until golden brown and very soft, about 10 minutes more. Add ¼ tsp. salt and 1 tsp. spice mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Scrape mixture into a medium bowl. Return skillet to stove.
Add butter to skillet and cook over medium heat until starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add shrimp (or whatever white fish you’re using) in an even layer and season with ¼ tsp. salt. Cook over medium heat until shrimp start to curl, about 1 minute per side. Sprinkle with 2 tsp. spice mixture and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant and shrimp are almost cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Stir in shallot-garlic mixture and lime juice and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute more. Season with remaining ¼ tsp. salt.
Spoon shallot-garlic mixture onto 6 small plates. Add 4 shrimp to each plate and scatter on top scallions and toasted mustard seeds, if using. Serve with lime wedges.
Sides: serve with basmati rice and a green veggie like French cut string beans or asparagus.
A delicious and healthy salad with kale & romaine lettuce mixed with currants, cashews and grilled salmon. Dressing can be pretty much anything you like but a honey mustard or a simple vinaigrette would be best.
In any case I plan to eat more and more of these types of salads.
As soon as I saw this recipe on a food blog I knew that it would turn out wonderful. Especially since I had orange flavored cranberries at home. I didn’t have brandy but substituted with over proof rum. Okay, so it was a little bit stronger but nonetheless tasted excellent.
Ingredients:
1 cup of dried cranberries
½ cup of brandy (I used overproof Rum)
½ cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup of sugar
zest of 1 orange
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup of milk, room temperature
juice of 1 orange (mine rendered 1/3 cup)
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. salt
turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-ince square baking pan.
In a small sauce pan add cranberries and brandy (or rum). Warm through over medium heat, about 5 minutes. The brandy should evaporate. Turn off heat and set it aside to cool.
Using a standing mixer, cream butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Then add in milk and orange juice and continue mixing until combined.
In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Slowly add in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. The batter will be thick. Fold in ¾ of the boozy cranberries into the batter and spread it evenly into the greased pan. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ of the cranberries on top. Then sprinkle some turbinado sugar evenly on top of everything else (batter and cranberries).
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick/tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the breakfast cake cool in the pan on the cooling rack.
Adapted from “For the Love of Cooking” by unihomemaker.com and then by intrigueimports.com
Caesar salad has always been one of my all time favoritesalads but I could never get the dressing quite right…..until I ordered it once in an Italian restaurant in Niagara Falls of all places. The waiter came to our table with this wooden stand and placed a huge wooden bowl on top and then started mixing from scratch right in front of us. He looked so professional doing so that I tried to memorize his every ingredient with the correct proportions. I don’t believe anything is left out, in fact I added another two ingredients.
Wood bowl from Durban, S.A.
Start with fresh ground pepper right in the bowl (preferably wooden) that you’ll be serving from.
Purists will tell you that Caesar Salad has to be made with fresh anchovies but I admit to using about 1 inch of Anchovy paste instead. A good quality one works as a nice replacement.
Crushed or finely chopped garlic (a couple cloves…or more)
About 1 tsp. of dried mustard like Keen’s
1 egg yolk
a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and Red Wine Vinegar.
Mix well.
Then:
Whisk in the juice of ½ fresh lemon. Add anywhere from ¼ to ½ cup of olive oil bit by bit – whisking slowly in with the rest. It depends on how thick you like the dressing. More often than not I end up using about 1/3 of a cup. Finally mix in ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Toss in enough romaine lettuce for the dressing, tearing it with your hands. Add more parmesan & pepper if you like once plated. Also bacon bits and croutons if desired.
NOTE: Since then I was at another restaurant where the waiter added some capers and a splash of Tabasco. You can add that before the lemon if you want – it’s a great addition.
For tasty croutons just cut up some bread into little squares and add it to a hot skillet with a bit of olive oil and Italian spices until they start to get crispy. You can also freeze them for later use.
**p.s. I thought yesterday was Wednesday so I posted something on design. Normally I post a recipe on Tuesday. Might have suffered a bit of heat stroke in Palm Springs. Does anyone really care? Do you bloggers follow some kind of format or just post haphazardly?
Why not try making this dish for a special Valentines day dinner?
This recipe was originally inspired by “pescado con coco” – fish with tomato, garlic and coconut from the Dominican Republic.
I’ve made this on several occasions and if you love Black Cod otherwise known as Sablefish (one of my favorites) and the best replacement for Chilean Sea Bass which has been endangered for some time now, then this recipe is sure to be a hit.
Recipe:
1 ¼ pound skinless black cod fillet
4 tsp. fresh lime juice, divided
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped leek (white and pale green parts only; about 1 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp. (packed) grated limepeel
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (and a sprig or two for garnish)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper, place in 11x7x2 inch glass baking dish. Drizzle with 1 ½ teaspoons of lime juice. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; sauté 7 minutes. Add coconut milk and remaining lime juice; boil until thick, about 4 minutes. Stir in lime peel.
Spoon sauce over fish. Bake until fish is just opaque in center, about 20 minutes or until there is no resistance when pierced with a fork. Transfer to platter. Whisk juices in baking dish. Spoon around fish; top with cilantro. Makes 4 servings.
ENJOY with jasmine rice and a green veggie like string beans or asparagus.
This recipe came about while on a camping trip to Canada’s East Coast including Newfoundland. The East Coast is known for its fresh local seafood and particularly chowder. It started off as a seafood only trip as we were sampling the best all over the Maritimes. Scallops & Clams in Digby, Lobster in P.E.I. & Nova Scotia and chowders everywhere.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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