[Recipe] Easy Oven Doughnuts

Easy Oven Doughnuts

40 mins
Makes 12 large or 12 medium + 12 small doughnuts

You don't need to have mad skills with deep frying to enjoy these doughnuts. These are so easy to make, I whipped them up late one evening on a whim! If you have a muffin tin, an oven and some butter, you are all set to dig into these treats.

Ingredients:
  2 3/4 cups flour
  1/4 cup cornstarch,
  1 cup sugar,
  1 tbsp baking powder,
  1 tsp salt
  1/2 tsp nutmeg
  1 cup buttermilk
  8 tbsp melted butter
  2 eggs + 1 yolk
Cinnamon sugar topping:
  1 cup sugar
  2 tsp cinnamon
  4 tbsp butter

 Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400oF. 
2. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl then whisk together all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the dough starts to come together. 
4. Spray muffin tins with cooking oil. 
5. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full with batter. 
6. Cook for abut 20min. 
7. Melt remaining butter (4tbsp) in bowl. 
8. Mix together cinnamon and sugar. 
9. Once cooked and slightly cooled, brush the doughnuts with butter and coat with cinnamon sugar.

[Recipe] Arugula and Pine nut Pesto

Arugula Pine nut Pesto 

Do you hate when boxed lettuce, or more precisely- arugula goes bad sitting in the fridge? Me too! We love eating it but sometimes we can't get through the whole lot before it starts to spoil. That is how this recipe came to be- an attempt to save the delicious arugula in a versatile way. We loved using this pesto on pasta and our homemade pizzas. 
Serves 20

Ingredients:
4 cups arugula,
1/4 cup pine nuts,
1/2 cup olive oil,
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese,
2 cloves garlic,
juice of 1/2 a lemon,
1/4 tsp salt.

Instructions:
1.Whiz everything except the oil and cheese in a food processor until chopped. 
2. Add the olive oil and cheese and pulse a few more times to mix.

[Recipe] Cauliflower, Chickpea & Spinach Curry

Yum

Cauliflower, Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Whether you are trying to eat less meat, more fiber or in need of a quick and easy recipe, this dish won't disappoint. The rich flavors of the Garam Masala combined with the coconut make this dish exotic tasting and oh so comforting. I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of chickpeas, but this recipe is one that I can enjoy any day of the week. Pair it with some plain yogurt and aromatic rice (like basmati or Jasmine) to tone down the spiciness (our Garam masala was spicier than expected).
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 x 540ml can of Chickpeas, drained,
1 x 398ml can of coconut milk
300g frozen spinach, thawed
1 tbsp garam masala
1 med onion, finely chopped
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 tbsp canola oil
Salt to taste

Instructions
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium to high heat. 
Add the onions and cook until tender, about 5 min. 
Add the garam masala powder and heat for 1 min. 
Add the chickpeas, cauliflower, coconut milk and spinach. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 10min and add salt taste. 
Serve with fragrant rice and plain yogurt.

Here is a peek at the recipe without cauliflower:

[Recipe] Corn & Bacon Chowder

Yum

Although I love shopping at our local market, I don't always have the time. Stocking up on the basics at my local wholesale store can make home cooking a reality more often at my house. However, it is not always obvious about what to do with large quantities of pantry essentials- that is where Wholesale Wholesome comes in. The recipes developed under this title use easy to find foods at your local wholesale store that can be whipped up quickly and provide a nutritious meal for the whole family.




Corn & Bacon Chowder
Makes 6 large servings.

1/2 large or 1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 tbsp oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 cup white wine
3 cups kernel corn
3 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups 1% milk (or any % you prefer)
2 cubes of chicken (or your preferred flavor) stock, crumbled (or liquid stock)
3 strips of bacon, cooked

1. Heat the oil in a medium pan and add the onions, salt, pepper and fennel. Saute until opaque (about 7 minutes) or until brown if you have more time (about 15min).
2. Deglaze with white wine (that means adding the white wine to the hot pan and scraping the bottom of the pan to unstick all the yummy brown bits).
3. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture then add the corn, milk, stock and water.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 10 min. If you prefer a more smooth consistency, use a submersion blender to blend the larger bits. If you'd like a semi-smooth version, try blending only half the soup in a separate bowl then add the blended mixture back into the pot with the unblended half.
5. Chop the bacon into bits and sprinkle on top of each bowl before serving.

Larb- Thai chicken salad

Imagine the tang of lime and lemon lingering with fresh flavors of basil and coriander and the heat of ginger and garlic.
Is your mouth watering yet?

Although the name of this dish- larb- leaves much to be desired, it could not be more jammed packed with flavor.

Larb has roots in Thai cooking but is easy to reproduce in North America. It is quick to make and can be served at room temperature - perfect for summer!

Here is my version of chicken larb.

Chicken Larb
Makes 4 servings

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 small red onion, minced
2 green onions, sliced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced (or 1 tsp dry)
1 (4-inch) piece lemongrass, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 Thai chile or 1 serrano chile, stemmed and thinly sliced (optional)
~600g of ground chicken (or turkey, or pork, or tofu)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
3 tbsp fresh chives, minced
Dressing
1/4 cup lime juice
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp honey or sugar

2 cups sticky rice, prepared
20-30 leaves of lettuce like Boston or Romaine

-Heat the oil over medium heat and soften the onions, ginger, chile, lemongrass and garlic (about 5 min)

-Add the ground meat and cook until done. Season with salt and pepper. Take off the heat.

-Mix together the ingredients for the dressing. Pour over the meat. Add in all the herbs and toss to mix.
-serve with sticky rice and lettuce cups. You can use Boston lettuce, romaine or even iceburg. Use the lettuce as a vehicle for rice and chicken.

Note: to be honest, I don't love spicy food, so I leave out the chile. Also, I rarely have lemongrass in the house so I substitute for lemon thyme, lemon zest or sometimes nothing at all. Lastly, I use what herbs I have on hand- so sometimes I have them all and other times I have only a few mentioned.

P.S. Don't be scared of fish sauce! It is super cheap to buy and adds a ton of flavor that is not too fishy.

No fry, easy, crispy chicken recipe

It is rare that I post recipes as blogs but when I find a tasty, quick & easy recipe, sometimes you just have to share it!
We have been cooking a lot more chicken in our house lately and although BBQ chicken is delicious, it is nice to expand our horizons once in awhile. We were in the mood for a baked version of fried chicken. Here is a quick recipe (it took a total of 35 minutes to make but only 10 minutes of prep with 25min of cooking) that contains ingredients we already had in our pantry!

1 tbsp grainy mustard
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 eggs
1 tsp salt

2 cups panko
1/2 tsp curry powder

10 small chicken thighs, boneless

1. Preheat the oven to 400oF.
2. Put a rack on a baking sheet and spray with cooking oil spray.
3. Mix together the first 5 ingredients in a shallow bowl.
4. In another shallow bowl, mix the panko and 1/2 tsp curry powder.
5. Dredge the chicken through the wet mix then coat in panko mixture.
6. Place the coated chicken onto the sprayed rack. Spray with cooking spray.
7. Place in oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken reaches 77oC or 170oF.
8. Serve with a ketchup curry dip: mix 3/4 cup ketchup with the juice of 1 lime and 1/2 tsp of curry powder.

The curry flavor was not overwhelming and the chicken thighs were juicy and tender. The panko stuck well to the chicken and the poultry did not even need to be cut since the thighs were already in small pieces.

Bon appetit!

Quick and easy breakfast ideas for fall

For many people, fall signifies getting back into a routine and  there is nothing like breakfast to help you get the day (and season) started on the right foot. Many of my clients feel that eating breakfast helps to motivation them to continue to make healthy choices throughout the rest of the day. Two ways to make sure breakfast happens is to pick foods that you actually like and to choose quick and easy solutions.

To speed up the process as well as make it effortless in the morning, preparing a few items the night before or keeping key ingredients on hand and throwing them together and eating them at the office are practical ideas. Below are some super quick and easy recipes that can be made ahead of time.

Keep a few prepared ingredients to have on hand for those extra busy mornings. I suggest individual containers of yogurt or cottage cheese, prepared fruit slices (many companies have improved the way fruit is packed and the flavor is much improved!), oatmeal packets, real fruit juice box, healthy granola bars, a small box of raisins or an individually wrapped cheese. Of course, you could prepackage your own foods into baggies or containers over the weekend to have on hand all week. Cereal, grapes, trail mix and orange sections work great for this!

Many of these recipes use similar ingredients so stocking up to make them is a breeze.

Also, most of these ingredients are staples you likely already have in your pantry and have a long shelf life. This grocery list contains all the major ingredients you will need!

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I have!

Breakfast Burrito

1 or 2 eggs

1-2 tbsp salsa

2 tbsp minced, mixed veggies (onion, pepper, broccoli, mushrooms)

1 tortilla 6”

2 tbsp cottage cheese or 1 slice of cheese

Instructions:

1. Beat eggs with salsa and vegetables.

2. Cook the eggs in the microwave using a microwaveable bowl, on high for 1.5min.

3. Place cheese and eggs in tortilla.

4. Wrap up and enjoy.

Egg N’Muffin

1 egg

1 English muffin

1 slice of cheese

Sliced tomato

Instructions:

1. Toast the English muffin.

2. While toasting, place the egg in a microwavable cup and pierce the yolk.

3. Cook in microwave for 1½ min on high.

4. Place egg, cheese and tomato slices in the English muffin.

Breakfast Smoothie

½ to 1 cup of milk

1 tbsp honey (optional)

½ cup of cottage cheese OR 1-2 tbsp natural peanut butter

1/3 cup of dry, rolled oats

½ cup frozen berries

½ banana

Instructions:

Place all ingredients, in order, into a blender. Blend on high until smooth,

Anything BUT Ordinary Oatmeal

  ½ banana

1/3 cup dry rolled oats

1-2 tbsp natural peanut butter

1 tbsp raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp honey (optional)

½-1 cup of milk

Instructions:

1. Mash banana in microwavable bowl.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir.

3. Microwave on high for 1.5min.

Yogurt Parfait

 ½ cup yogurt

½ cup cottage cheese

1 tbsp ground flax seed

½ cup berries or other fruit

1/3 cup dry, rolled oats

2 walnuts, cracked (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix the yogurt, flax and cottage cheese together in a bowl.

2. Throw the rest of the ingredients on top and enjoy!

 Apple Crisp

 ½ - 1 whole apple, sliced

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp raisins

½ cup cottage cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp sliced almonds

1/3 cup dry, rolled oats

Instructions:

1. Mix together the apples, cinnamon, honey and raisins. Microwave on high for 1 min.

2. Meanwhile, mix together the cheese and vanilla in a serving bowl.

3. Sprinkle half the oats onto the cheese mixture then layer the apple mixture on top.

4. Sprinkle the remaining oats on top along with the almonds.