Wednesday 26 February 2014

Sweet Potato, Carrot and Coriander Soup

These cold winter days give you plenty of time indoors to stay warm and no better way to keep warm then a warm winters soup. Soup and winter seem to go together like bacon and eggs or cheese and crackers. I really enjoy experimenting in the winter to find a soup blend that tastes delicious and I feel that this is one my mom would be proud of. This soup is tasty, warm and most important has you wanting more, the soup is also all vegetables aside from the chicken broth that is used.

The one thing about mixing and matching vegetables is finding ones that work well together, you will only know if this is the case when the soup is done and you have a mouthful of it but I have found that onions and carrots always go well together, sweet potatoes was something I though I would try adding to these two along with fresh coriander. Go for a low sodium chicken broth and make sure that you have a hand held blender that can puree the soup at the end and make sure to use a large pot.

Inspired by Once Upon a Chef

MORE SOUP RECIPES
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EUROPEAN EGG DROP SOUP
MACARONI VEGETABLE SOUP
PORTUGUESE CALDO VERDE SOUP
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Sweet Potato, Carrot and Coriander Soup Recipe
Servings: 8  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 30 minutes

Soup Recipes

Ingredients

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Oven Baked Seasoned Chicken Wings

Chicken Wings, one of many peoples favourite fast foods, you can cover them in sauce, have them plain or season them with spices that your palate loves to taste. Chicken wings are easy to make and can be a part of any event that you may be having. One of my favourite things about chicken wings are that the are so versatile, you can make them any way you like from deep frying to broiling to baking and depending how you choose to season it, it will have a different taste every time.

I try to avoid deep frying anything that I eat, so being able to bake my wings at home is the decision that I always make. I choose to use wings that are split and have their tips removed. I also tend to go with average sized wings as they always seem to taste a lot better then the jumbo size. Its best to cook the wings on a baking sheet that is covered in parchment paper if you have a wire cage even better and you can replace any spices you may not like with some of your favourites and don't forget to have a sauce dip, it can be BBQ sauce, hot sauce or your choice. Turn wings over with about 5 minutes left for a bit more of a crunch.

Inspired by Family

MORE CHICKEN RECIPES
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PARMESAN CHICKEN BITES
SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN THIGHS
SPICY BREADED GARLIC CHICKEN
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Oven Baked Seasoned Chicken Wings Recipes
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 40 minutes

Baked Chicken Wings Recipe

Ingredients

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Anything home made is always one of the more delicious and healthier ways to go when you are eating, the main reason of course is that we know everything that we are putting into our own food. I am a big fan of homemade sides, not only are they easy to make but they go so well with your main entree. I always grew up with a few options on my plate when it was time to sit down for a meal and a good side with the entree is something that hits the spot.

Homemade mash potatoes always beat the box kind, they are so easy to make and for those of you worried about time, give your head a shake will you. My potatoes of choice when making mash potatoes are Russet, they are higher in starch and lower in moisture and the result when boiled and mashed is a smoother texture. Milk gives a bit more of a creamy texture and butter brings out that the great taste that your buds will enjoy with the remaining ingredients, use a potato masher to get a mixture of creamy and chunky potatoes.

Inspired by Simply Recipes

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SPICY HOMEMADE FRIES
MUSHROOMS SAUTEED WITH GARLIC
STEAM TO SKILLET VEGETABLES
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Homemade Mashed Potato Recipe
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 25 minutes

Mashed Potato Recipe

Ingredients

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Easy Steak Sandwich

We all have some tough work days and we get home and can't be bothered to spend an extensive amount of time cooking, we want something quick, tasty and in our stomachs. I have always enjoyed a good steak sandwich made to perfection that every bite taken has the meat just tear off without any struggle and it is not only easy to make but quick and painless, my family always made sure that even on those tough days we had something good to eat on the table, even at the time we had no clue how quickly it was made.

One of the least expensive types of meat is inside round steak, if it's certified Angus then even better. This cut of beef is not only cheap but easy to handle, season the steaks with your favourite spices, pick yourself up a couple of kaiser buns and make sure you have some cheese on hand, shredded would be best. You can add anything into the bun to go along as this becomes your sandwich. Lettuce, onions, hot peppers, mustard, it all goes based on your taste buds. I like to keep mine fairly simple as you will see below.

Inspired by Family

MORE SANDWICH RECIPES
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CLASSIC BACON AND EGG SANDWICH
SLOPPY BACHELOR BURGER
TRIPLE CHEESE HAMBURGER
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Easy Steak Sandwich Recipe
Servings: 2  Prep Time: 2 minutes  Cook Time: 6 minutes

Steak Sandwich

Ingredients

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Penne with Smoked Sausage

Smoked sausage was always a great fall tradition in my family, I recall a tonne of pork meat at home being run through a mincer and coming out of a sausage funnel into a lamb intestine. Then my grandma would prick the sausage and take it out into the backyard and smoke them for hours in the backyard chimney for what felt like days. Smoked sausage is a memory I always cherish as it brought the family together and boy was it yummy when it was done.

I hope to one day carry on the family tradition but for now, the local butchers have all the smoked sausage you need in a variety of flavours from mild to spicy hot. I am not much of a pasta eater but when I do go with pasta its usually penne but you can use just about any type of pasta with this dish, so throw in your favourite.
A wok or large deep skillet is the choice of pan I would go with but you can also use a large pot to cook and mix the sausage with other ingredients.

Inspired by Family

MORE PORK RECIPES
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SPICY KIDNEY BEAN STEW WITH SAUSAGE
PORTUGUESE CALDO VERDE SOUP WITH SAUSAGE
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Penne with Smoked Sausage Recipe
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes


Ingredients 

Sunday 12 January 2014

Savoury Shrimp Fried Rice

For as long as I can remember I have always been a big fan of shrimp fried rice, whenever I am out with friends for a late night meal at a Chinese restaurant nothing beats getting a shrimp fried rice to accompany any other dish you may chose to order. Adding the proper hot sauce on top is the perfect final touch to a savoury meal. I am a seafood lover and the quickness of this dish has my mouth watering the whole time.

There are a lot of different things you can add to the shrimp fried rice dish when it comes to vegetables, there are plenty to choose from, green beans, celery, snap peas, sweet peppers and mushrooms work well besides the ingredients that I went with, pick them according to your taste. It is best to use a large wok when preparing the dish go with the healthy choice of brown rice and don't forget to top your dish off with a tasty hot sauce.  

Inspired by EatingWell

MORE FISH RECIPES
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SEASONED SEA SCALLOPS
WHOLESOME SPANISH RICE WITH CLAMS
BAKED TILAPIA WITH GARLIC BUTTER MIX
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Savoury Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe 
Servings: 4  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 20 minutes

Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Portuguese Caldo Verde Soup

The cold weather just brings out the soup in me, this is one of my all time favourite soups and growing up a bowl before any meal was just what the doctor ordered. The family household was always a buzz awaiting the final moments of this fine soup. This soup was always made for any special occasion or holidays and you could be sure that a many western european wedding would kick off all that wonderful soup with the Portuguese Caldo Verde or Collard / Kale soup as it goes by in English.

You can make this soup with either collard or kale, I prefer collard for the soup but which ever you can find at your local grocery store is fine. The smoked sausage that you can pick up at your local butcher adds just the right taste to the soup depending on your palette you can choose the spicy or mild version to add. You will need an immersion blender to puree the soup at one point in the cooking, make sure you have a hand held one it makes it that much more easier.

Inspired by Family

MORE SOUP RECIPES
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MACARONI VEGETABLE SOUP
PORTUGUESE CALDO VERDE SOUP
EUROPEAN EGG DROP SOUP
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Portuguese Caldo Verde Soup Recipe
Servings: 8  Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 40 minutes

Caldo Verde Soup

Ingredients

Sunday 5 January 2014

Delicious Beef Stew

As the cold continues to increase this winter, nothing hits the spot better then something warm and rich like a stew. I remember growing up and getting home from school on a cold winter day and was always excited when my family had a stew cooking on the stove top. The wonderful smell had my mouth watering waiting for it to be complete and in my stomach. A good beef stew is not only filling but rich in vegetables and sauce that you need to make sure to have some bread to dip into it, don't let any of it go to waste.

Stewing beef is required for this type of stew and it is relatively inexpensive compared to other cuts of meat, you can choose to use any vegetables you like, add the ones that you enjoy to the beef stew and take out the ones that you don't like. A beef stew seasoning mix will cut some work out and speed up the meal somewhat from its long cooking time. Make sure you are using a large pot, a 5qt pot works best to make the stew as their are quite a bit of servings and the great part is that the stew tastes better and better as you reheat and eat.

Inspired by Clubhouse

MORE BEEF RECIPES
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EASY STEAK SANDWICH
SLOPPY BACHELOR BURGER
YUMMY HOMEMADE MEATBALLS
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Delicious Beef Stew Recipe
Servings: 8  Prep Time: 15 minutes  Cook Time: 120 minutes

Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Classic Bacon and Egg Sandwich

Waking up has its perks even though some of us would like to stay in bed, but the smell of a good breakfast always seems to perk me up in the morning. We always seem to not have the time to make ourselves a tasty breakfast but this quick classic sandwich, not only has your taste buds watering but it hits the spot and gets your day off to a great start. Growing up I always enjoyed my bacon and eggs when I wasn't woofing down a peanut butter sandwich on the run and why not combine the two of them together in a sandwich.

The cool part about this recipe is that you can use any type of bacon that you may like and make the eggs any way you like. I've chosen to go with scrambled eggs but sunny side up, over easy and even poached works well here. I have used natural select bacon because I like to know what the ingredients are in my bacon. What I would recommend is that you choose a kaiser bun over any other choice of bread, its bigger and will fit all these delicious ingredients, make it whole grain if you can and the cheese should be provolone, havarti or swiss.

Inspired by Eggs.ca

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MINI BLUEBERRY AND GRAPE PANCAKES
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Classic Bacon and Egg Sandwich Recipe
Servings: 1  Prep Time 5 minutes  Cook Time: 10 minutes

Bacon and Egg Sandwich

Ingredients