Chicken Sausage Gumbo with Cornbread

Found this post in my draft box... from I don't know when.... Don't know why I didn't post it. it's ready to go!

This gumbo is very "healthy" tasting...don't get the wrong idea, it's not "dieter's rabbit food" as some may think when the word "healthy" is mentioned. I adapted the recipe from Canadian Living. It calls for a slowcooker, but I did it with a "vacuum pot". I read the recipe and it didn't seem to hold up to 4+ hours of cooking, especially because the meats are cooked prior to being "slow cooked".

So I followed the recipe except for these few modifications:

1. Added 1/2 C of fresh corn kernels with the okra at the end. I browned the corn slightly to seal in the liquid.
2. I cooked the mixture in the vacuum pot, bringing the sausage/chicken/veg mixture to a boil and then put it in the pot for 2 hours. Then I took it out, put it on the stove, and added the corn and okra, brought it to a medium boil, put it in the vacuum for another 15 minutes.
3. Added about 1 tsp of chili flakes.
4. Served it with cornbread. Added 1/2 C of corn to the recipe and cooked it in muffin tins. I think 25 minutes in the oven would have sufficed.

Pulled Pork Success!

What better time to make 3.5 lbs of meat then when my husband has a Boy's Games Day (while I'm at the spa!) 

The only way to do this well is to make this amazing this no-fail Pulled Pork Recipe from Canadian Living using a slow-cooker.

I have to admit, I cheated a bit and used commercial tomato sauce.. :) (my fav primo original).  No harm in that. It tastes great! And with any luck you'll have enough leftover sauce for a meatball sub or spaghetti the next night.

What a success. We served it on toasted and buttered/margarined kaisers and a side mixed green salad.  I prepped it in the am, spent the day at the spa with my girlfriend, and came home to shredded pork (which my husband did while entertaining his friends and taking care of our 1 year old) -- it's THAT EASY!

Enjoy!

Lemon and dill risotto

I always find risotto too sticky and rich. So, the one thing I thought to do was to cut the heaviness with a bit of citrus and dill. The results are PREFECTION! This recipe also freezes well.

Ingredients:

1 cup aborio rice
chicken stock (or stock of desired flavour. I like chicken stock flavoured with seafood)
1 bunch of dill chopped
rind of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 stalks of celery
1/2 onion diced
1 -2 tbsp butter
splash of white wine/brandy

Directions:

1. Wash and soak rice for 20 minutes. Drain.
2. Brown diced celery and onion in butter and splash of oil. Add dill and lemon juice. When the mixture is "al dente/ browned", add splash of brandy/wine.
3. Add rice to mixture, ensuring that rice is coated in the mixture.
4. Add stock and stir the rice mixture until liquid is absorbed. Repeat this step until rice is at desired texture. Make sure to keep stirring so that rice doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Voila! This risotto is tart and great with poached salmon, shrimp/scallop, mushrooms.

Freezing/Reheat instructions: Put risotto in a glass air tight container. Thaw in room temperature and reheat in the pan with a little stock. Add shaved parmesan and stir if increased thickness is desired.

Celery Parsnip Soup

I adapted this recipe from the one from Epicurious. As you can see, it was so good, there was hardly any left when i took this picture!

I was making beef stew which called for parsnips and had a few leftover. Ditto celery...so I decided to make a good soup. Curiously enough, I've never made western soup from scratch before, so it was a shot in the dark -- and a successful one too.

I also used a "Chinese Vacuum Pot" to cook this soup instead of over the stove. Totally saved stove space and I didn't have to watch it.

Ingredients:

4 ribs celery, chopped
5 small/med parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks (doesn't matter for soup b/c you're gonna blend it anyway)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp butter
oil for saute
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup water
splash of sherry brandy
3/4 tsp rice vinegar
1 cup of milk (skim)
pinch of black pepper

Directions:

1. Saute onions with celery in butter until softened. Approx 4 - 5 minutes. Add parsnip chunks and pepper stir for another two minutes. Deglaze with sherry and stir until liquid is absorbed.
2. Combine broth, water, rice vinegar and pour over the mixture.
3. Bring to boil then put it in the vacuum pot. Leave it overnight (or if you are in a rush, 30 minutes will do)
4. Use a hand-blender to emulsify the ingredients. Heat the mixture and stir in milk to serve.


This soup lasted 4 - 5 days in the fridge and was good till the last drop! Enjoy!