Moroccan Style Quinoa Salad

I am having a love affair with Quinoa lately. It is so simple and so tasty. I like that it can handle so many different kinds of flavours and textures. 

This is a Moroccan inspired dish, I like how it is spicy but sweet at the same time. This quick dish is delish! Make it for you lunch or for your dinner or for a snack really. Good stuff.

Here is what you need,

3 tbsp raisins

2 tbsp dried apricots, thinly sliced

1 cup quinoa

Kosher salt

1 large lemon

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp sweet paprika

2 medium firm – ripe avocados, pitted and cut into bite sized chunks

2 medium green onions, finely chopped

3 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted

Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl soak the raisins and sliced apricots in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Cook the quinoa according to directions on package. Fluff with a fork and put in a large bowl in the fridge to cool off to room temp.

In another small bowl combine the finely grated zest from the lemon and the juice. Whisk in the olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika and ¼ tsp salt.

Add the dried fruit, avocado, green onion and toasted almonds to the quinoa. Drizzle on the dressing and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper as needed. 

This salad made me very happy. It was best when you got a little of everything in one bite. Sweet, spicy, crunchy, tangy... Yum!

I hope you like it as much as I did.

Jen

Southern Skillet Corn

What is better than fresh corn on the cob? I just love it. I have never, until this recipe, cut fresh corn off the cob. I never felt that eating it any other way than right off the cob was necessary, but after having this I have changed my mind. It is creamy and rich, but the kernels stay a bit crunchy. It is so good, and not a drop of cream in it!

What you need, 

6 ears of corn 
3 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. sugar  
¼ tsp pepper 
1 tsp salt 
3/4 cup water 
3 tbsp butter  

Shuck corn and pull off silk. Rinse under cook running water. In a large bowl cut the corn from the cob with a sharp knife. 

Scrape up the cob with a spoon to get the milk out.  Combine flour, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the water and whisk to combine. Melt butter over a medium low heat in a large, heavy bottomed skillet. Add corn and flour mixture and cook over medium low heat for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

A super simple side dish. It would be great with just about any summer meal. I am defiantly making it again!

I kinda wish I had a big bowl of it to eat right now!

Jen

adapted from kevinandamanda.com
 

Best BBQ Chicken Sauce

Summer means BBQ, and that means BBQ sauce. Sure there are lots of good store bought ones but this homemade version is WAY better. It is great on Chicken but it would be awesome on Ribs or Pork Chops too.

It is quick and easy.  You can keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks so make a double batch! Once you taste this stuff you are going to want to put it on everything.

Here is what you need,

1 tsp of hot sauce, you can use more if you like more spice.

1/3 cup cider vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup molasses

3 tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup ketchup

Simmer all the ingredients for the sauce over medium heat until it is reduced to about 1 ¼ cup. It takes about 10 minutes.

To make the BBQ chicken, rub the pieces, I used boneless skinless breasts but you can use legs or thighs or whatever you like, with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put chicken on a pre-heated BBQ and cook until almost done, then baste with the sauce and keep turning until the sauce browns.

Serve with the extra sauce for dipping.

This sauce is so good! If you have never made your own BBQ sauce give this a try.

You will love it.

Oh and that corn, it is a new recipe I tried called Southern Skillet Corn. It was so amazing! I will share the recipe with you tomorrow. 

Jen 

adapted from Martha Stewart

Rhubarb Cake

I have had a few requests for rhubarb recipes. Since I love rhubarb I am more than happy to share a few.  I wish I could grow my own here, but I don’t think my landlord would appreciate me hauling in dirt to dump on my 15^th floor balcony to grow some.
 

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie. My mom used to make it a long time ago.

It is moist and a little tart with a nice sugary crunch on the top.

What you need

2 cups brown sugar

½ cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 cups dices rhubarb

For topping,

 ½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13 inch pan with non-stick spray.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs one at a time, mix until well blended.  Mix in the buttermilk. Stir in the flour, salt and baking soda.

Fold in the rhubarb.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth off the top.

Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

This cake is lovely on its own, but it is even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it!

Enjoy!

Jen

The Winner

First I want to thank everyone for all the great suggestions! WOW!
I already have some fabulous recipes in mind for rhubarb and summer cocktails. And I always have desserts on the brain!
I hope I can do a recipe for each of you!!

Time to announce the Winner of the Silpat mat and the yummy popcorn,

Kelsey said...

A super yummy summer cocktail!!!

Congratulations! Thank you so much for your support!
You can email me at jbclarke6@telus.net with your mailing address and I will get your goodies sent out asap! I will get working on that cocktail right away!

Thank you all again so much for taking time out of your busy lives to follow me here on My Tiny Oven. You all rock!

I am going to eat another one, or maybe 2 of these cupcakes in honour of all of you!

Thanks guys!
New recipe tomorrow!

Jen

Carrot Cake Cupcakes and a Giveaway for my 100th Post!!

I can’t believe this is my 100^th post! Time sure flies. I am having such a great time doing all this baking and cooking and I am so thankful to all of you who take the time to read my posts!

If cream cheese icing shipped better I would send each and every one of you one of these delicious cupcakes. But since they would end up a pile of mush by the time they got to you I am going to give you something else…

A chance to win one of my favourite baking tools.

This awesome Silpat mat! Oh and this jar of my favourite popcorn!

You will be baking up a storm and eating popcorn for dinner in no time.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me "what kind of recipe you would like to see on My Tiny Oven".

That is it! Easy!

I will draw at random 1 winner, on Friday. Comments will be closed at 12:00midnight Thursday.

I will post the winners comment and you can contact me via email with your shipping info and I will send out your stuff!

Here is the recipe for these insanely good carrot cake cupcakes, just in case you want to make a batch for yourself.

What you need,

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup jarred baby food carrot puree (this is the secret ingredient!)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. all spice
3 cups lightly packed grated raw carrots
½ cup raisins (optional)
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
I like mine without the raisins and nuts but you go for it if wanna!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper cups (I got 20 cupcakes)

In a large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat eggs until frothy. Add in white and brown sugars gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in oil and carrot puree. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice. Slowly add flour mixture into wet beat until just mixed.

Stir in the carrots. Add in the raisins/nuts if you are using.

Scoop batter by the large ice cream scoopful into prepared muffin cups, about ¾ ways full. Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

Once the cupcakes are completely cool you can slather them in cream cheese icing! These are the best carrot cupcakes ever! So super moist and flavourful!

Cream Cheese Icing,

1- 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups icing sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until smooth.

I just wanted to say thank you all again so much for taking the time to read my crazy little blog! I love feed back so feel free to leave a comment anytime, but especially on this post!!

Good luck!

Love all you guys!

Jen

PS.The Silpat people have no idea who I am, I just love the product and thought you might too. Same with the fancy popcorn people! This giveaway is fully sponsored by little old me!

Sliders

I love a good Barbecued burger. The new trendy thing seems to be the slider, little mini hamburgers. I bought this handy slider making tool.

Of course you could easily form them by hand but seriously how fun is this thing. It also came with a little cutter, to cut full sized buns into smaller ones, but sliders are so popular now that you can find special slider buns right in the grocery store.

What you need,

1 lb. ground beef

1 egg

¼ cup bread crumbs

½ tsp season salt

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dry mustard

1 tsp Montreal steak spice

Gently mix all the ingredients until just combined. Don't over mix!! This makes tough burgers.
Put a little ball of the mixture in the slider press to form the burgers.

So cute...

These would be so great for a party! But beware it is easy to eat 3 or 4 of these little puppies!
Happy Grilling!

Jen

Fresh Lemonade

What do you do when life gives you a great big bowl of lemons?

Make fresh lemonade, of course!
Making your own is just so much better than that frozen stuff. Plus it is so easy.

What you will need,
1 cup of water
1 cup of white sugar
2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (10-12 lemons)
6 cups of water
sliced lemons for garnish

First put 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely and it just starts to bubble. Remove from the heat, bring to room temperature then stash in the fridge to cool off.
Meanwhile you can start squeezing your lemons. I used a hand squeezer but if you are a lucky duck and have an electric good for you!

In a large pitcher add 6 cups of water, the 2 cups of lemon juice and the simple syrup.
Stir and then chill completely.

It is so fresh and tart, just a little sweet! Yum!
The perfect drink on a hot summer day.
A little vodka in there certainly wouldn't hurt!

Jen

A Perfect Weekend Breakfast

There is nothing better than getting up late on a weekend and making a big breakfast.
Eggs, bacon, toast, hashbrowns, fruit....

I wish it was the weekend everyday. Breakfast makes me happy!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Jen

Greek Pita Tostadas

I love Greek food as I am sure you all noticed.  I have previously posted Chicken Kebabs, Tzatziki and Hummus.

This is a different spin on a Greek supper. It was really easy and super tasty.

Here is what you need,

1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey would work fine too.

1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp oregano leaves, dried
4 flat Greek pitas
4 cups of lettuce, chopped
1 cup English cucumber, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 green onions, chopped
½ cup feta cheese crumbled
¼ cup kalamata or black olives, optional
¼ cup Greek salad dressing, you could make your own but I used the Kraft Greek with feta stuff it was tasty.
Tzatziki sauce or Hummus, optional

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cook the ground chicken in a non-stick skillet over medium heat for 12-15 minutes until completely cooked through, stirring frequently. Add in the garlic and oregano for the last 10 minutes. Once it is done keep warm.

Place the lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, green onion, feta cheese and olives in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing right before serving.

Toast the pitas in the oven for about 2 minutes per side until just browned and warmed through.

Put a pita on your plate.

Spread on some tzatzki or hummus if you like. I bought the tzatzki this time it was a weeknight so I didn’t have time to make my own. Hummus would also be super tasty.

Layer on the cooked chicken.

 Then top with the salad.

SO SO good!
It is just a nice change. I can't wait to make this again with a batch of my own hummus.

Jen

An Exotic Treat

Hey Everybody!
I have a very cool little treat to share with you today. My best friend Brenda was just on holiday in Istanbul, Turkey. Her photo's are amazing, it is quite the place.
She brought me this box of Turkish Delight.

This is defiantly not the chewy, jelly like stuff I normally think of.  This is just a little sweet with a tonne of toasted pistachio nuts in it. It is a jelly like state but not super gooey. It is amazing!

Little sugar covered bites of heaven!

Look at all the pistachios! oh man...

I don't know what I am going to do when this box is empty...How long is a flight to Turkey??

Jen

Roasted Asparagus Pasta

There is so much lovely asparagus in the grocery store right now.  I just love it, so green and crisp. There are so many good things to do with asparagus. This recipe uses roasted asparagus. It is a tasty spring dish that is simple to make. Even my in house taste tester liked it.

What you need,

2 cups farfalle pasta (or any short pasta you like)
½ cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lemon, juiced
¼ pine nuts, toasted
1 lb asparagus
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste

First heat your oven to 350 degrees. Trim the ends off your asparagus. Lay them out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown and tender. Flip over mid way through cooking time. Remove from oven and cut into bite sized pieces, set aside.

Next toast your pine nuts. In a small non stick skillet, over medium heat, cook until nicely browned on all sides. Be careful they will burn fast. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Cook the pasta according to directions on package. When you drain the pasta, save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

To the hot pasta stir in the ricotta cheese, add a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce. I probably used 1/4 a cup. Add in the pine nuts, asparagus and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with grated Parmesan.

This dish is a little creamy, it has a nice crunch from the pine nuts and a freshness from the lemon and asparagus topped with the nuttiness of the the parm! YUM! It is fresh and springy, a perfect weeknight meal.

Give it a try!

Jen

Chicken Vesuvio

I have a small obsession with food magazines…it is kinda bad. I can’t help it, I love looking at the food and finding new dishes to try.

I found this one in a Cook’s Country magazine. Don't let the fancy name scare you it is just another perfect week night meal. One pan, simple ingredients, GREAT taste!

What you will need,

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt/pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ pounds of baby red potatoes, washed and cut in half
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
½ tsp dried oregano
½ cup white wine
1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp lemon juice

First pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, keep warm.

Add remaining oil to pan and heat until shimmering. Cook potatoes cut side down until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, rosemary, oregano and ½ tsp salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and broth and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to the skillet on top of the potatoes and reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon transfer the chicken and potatoes to a platter and tent with foil.

Increase the heat to medium high and cook uncovered, until sauce is reduces to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook until heated through about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in butter and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes.

Serve.

This is lovely! Nice flavour and just different.
Give it a try the next time you don’t know what to do with that chicken you have in the fridge.

Jen

Fish Tacos

I am new to the Fish Taco band wagon. I had heard about how amazing they were for a long time before I got brave enough to try them. I am so very glad I did. They are AWESOME! I am kind of addicted to them now.
There are a million versions but this one makes me the happiest so far.
A spicy white sauce, crispy flaky fish, a simple slaw.... oh man!

The sauce is a crucial element. My in house taste tester eats it on everything, pizza, chips, veggies I am sure he would drink it with a straw if he could.
Here is what you need,

1/2 cup plain Greek style yogurt
1/2 cup mayo
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced finely
1 tsp capers, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt/pepper to taste

To make the sauce stir all the ingredients together in a bowl. I like to make mine earlier in the day or the day before, this allows the flavors to really combine.

You will also need,

2-3 fillets of any firm white fish, I used tilapia this time, I have used mahi mahi and walleye.
2 tbsp. flour
salt/pepper

1/2 head purple cabbage, shredded
1 1/2 tbsp. cider vinegar
salt/pepper to taste
This is for the slaw. Shred the cabbage on a box grater and toss with the cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Stash in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

1 package of small corn tortillas
salsa if desired for topping

I pan fry the fish. Just heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Dry the fish fillets with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Dredge lightly in the flour, tap off any excess. Place the fish in the hot pan and cook a few minutes per side until browned and cooked through.

While the fish is cooking warm the corn tortillas in a 325 degree oven. Wrap a stack of tortillas in some foil and toss in the oven for 5 minutes, then flip the whole pack over for 5 more minutes.

OK now everything is ready,
Put a warm tortilla on your plate,

Add a healthy amount of the sauce, I love it, so I add lots!

Top with a some of the flaked fish fillets,

Add the cabbage slaw, and if you wanted salsa. I usually do add the salsa I just didn't have any this day! oops!

Wrap up and stuff in your mouth.

After about 3 your plate will look like this,

Your taste buds and your tummy with be very happy!
You will be making these once a week! Like I do!
YUM!

Jen