Lemon Squares

Lemon Squares...soooooo good....

I had the pleasure of hosting friends for lunch today and served these delicious squares.  I wasn't sure what to make for dessert, which followed my Rutabaga Soup, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Frittata and Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes (recipes coming soon!).  I thought dessert should be something light, fresh and easy so headed to my library for inspiration. 

The first book I pulled out was one given to me by Mom, entitled, The Canadian Living Christmas Book.  I've been making recipes from that book for ages and find them to be easy, reliable and delicious.  One of my favourites is for Citrus Squares, which I like to make with lemon though they're also lovely with orange or lime.  The base is a soft shortbread and the top gets slightly crunchy from the sugar caramelizing in the oven.  The centre is soft and oozy sweet lemon...so good.

One of my friends brought a box of beautiful Greek sweets to share, so I served them along with the Lemon Squares on Mom's china dessert plates with tea in tea cups and saucers passed down from my grandmothers.  My friends seemed to enjoy it, and I particular loved the warm and loving energy of friends - and ancestors - sharing a meal together.

Lemon Squares

Base:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Topping:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp grated lemon rind
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Garnish:
Confectioners sugar

In food processor or in bowl and using pastry blender, blend flour, butter and brown sugar until crumbly.  Press into ungreased 9" square cake pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping.  Stir together sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice, flour, baking powder and eggs.  When base is cooked, pour topping over base.  Return to oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch (note: oven temperatures vary so watch closely so they don't burn).

(Recipe can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months; thaw completely).

Just before serving, cut into squares.  Dust with icing sugar.

Makes 36 small squares or 18 larger ones.

African Peanut Soup - again!

Seems everyone I meet lately is asking for this recipe, so I figured it would be easier to simply re-post it.  Best. Soup. Ever.  I've continued to refine it (now I add even more red lentils and a bit less broth) since I first posted this recipe in 2009.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my loved ones do!

Photo courtesy of The Reluctant Gourmet

Tomato soup has always been comfort food to me. When I was little, Mom used to make me tomato soup when I came home from school for lunch. She'd also give me a few crackers to crumble into the soup, and I can still feel the crunch of them as my fingers mushed them into my palms, their dusty bits adding a salty crunch to every mouthful of the tangy, sweet liquid. The very thought of it takes me right back to loving, happy memories of sitting with Mom on our couch, my feet dangling off the edge, eating from a TV tray and watching The Flintstones.

I was inspired to learn how to make this soup after ordering Moroccan Tomato soup a number of times at a local lunch spot. Their version was quite rich, so I looked at a variety of recipes and, after making some adaptations, I came up with a version that is healthy and hearty. You can add chunks of chicken breast to this soup, but be sure to remove them before pureeing. For vegetarians, the lentils and peanut butter provide good sources of protein.

This recipe is truly an homage to childhood lunch times with Mom. Imagine tomato soup and peanut butter all in the same mouthful...what better tribute to childhood could one ask for?

African Peanut Soup

2 medium onions, chopped
2 large red peppers, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, mashed
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
5-6 c. vegetable broth (or a mixture of vegetable and chicken broths)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot)
1/2 c. uncooked basmati rice, washed
1 c. red split lentils, washed
2/3 c. crunchy peanut butter
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

In a large soup pot, saute onions, peppers and garlic in oil. Add salt & pepper and cook until onions become translucent, stirring frequently.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, 4 cups of broth, peppers and red pepper flakes, and rice. Simmer, partially covered, over low heat for 30 minutes. Add more broth during the cooking process if soup is getting too thick. After 30 minutes, add half the peanut butter, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.

Puree half the soup in a blender or food processor. Add the pureed mixture to the rest of the soup and mix well. Add more broth, depending how thick you like it. Reheat soup and add remainder of peanut butter, whisking until smooth. Adjust flavour with salt and pepper, if necessary.

To Serve:

Ladle soup into bowls and top with chopped cilantro.

Potato Cheddar Soup with Fresh Dill

POTATO CHEDDAR SOUP WITH FRESH DILL

Low-Fat Zucchini, Banana & Flax Muffins (Wheat Free Option)

(Adapted from Everyday Food, September 2011 - Double Batch Pictured Above)

I discovered this recipe last fall, at the perfect time for zucchini recipes.  I was also trying to adapt most of my wheat flour recipes to spelt flour at the time, and found it worked well with this recipe by adding a little extra spelt.  I reduced the fat, which was already minimal, and also added wheat germ which seems to give the muffins a slightly crunchy crust.  

This one has become a favourite in our home.  These muffins freeze well in an airtight container for a month.

Low-Fat Zucchini, Banana & Flax Muffins

Nonstick cooking spray

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour (or 2 c. spelt flour)
1/2 c. ground flax seed
1/4 c. wheat germ
1 c. lightly packed golden brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c. grated zucchini (from 1 large zucchini)
1/3 c. mashed ripe banana (from 1 large banana)
3/4 c. milk (any kind)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.  In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, vanilla, then add zucchini and banana.  Add milk mixture to dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined (do not overmix or muffins will be tough).

Using a medium ice cream scoop, divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Let muffins cool about 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack, then remove from pan and allow them to continue cooling on rack.  Serve warm or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes 12 yummy muffins.  Enjoy!

Spelt Pizza

Pizza is a Friday kinda food.  Eating pizza was a really big deal when I was a kid.  It wasn't like it is now, where you can get a slice on any corner and families haul big boxes full of it home for dinner on a regular basis.  Not when I was a kid, at least not in my family.  Maybe it wasn't such an easy thing to get back then, and probably it was more expensive than my parents could afford.  But I remember, when we did have it, it was a special treat.  Sometimes we would have it on a Friday night and were allowed to eat in front of the TV on folding "TV tables" (ours were plastic and I think they were decorated with a western theme, oddly).  I seem to recall a background of episodes of the Brady Bunch, Donny & Marie and Love Boat...a lifetime ago.  

On the rare occasion that we had pizza, it was often homemade and Mom and I would make the dough from scratch.  Something about the smell of the yeast and the softness of freshly risen dough brings back such comforting memories, like Mom excitedly pointing at the bowl and telling me to watch the yeast "come to life" as it began to bubble and froth, feeding on bits of sugar in its warm bath, and her encouraging me to"punch" the risen dough back down, my hand sinking into the soft, warm ball.  In the midst of a lot of upheaval in my life lately, making homemade pizza for my husband seemed like the perfect way to feed my hungry soul. 

I love to modernize old family recipes and, after having delicious spelt flour pizza at a restaurant a few months ago, I decided to try an updated version of an old favourite.  I found a promising looking recipe on Quantum Vegan for Spelt Pizza Crust, and it turned out beautifully (thank you, Quantum Vegan!).  Link to the recipe here or you can follow along below. http://quantumvegan.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/recipe-spelt-pizza-crust-vegan/ I doubled the recipe, which worked perfectly and gave us tons of leftovers for lunches during the week. 

Oh, and why spelt? Because it's much higher in protein and more easily digestible than regular wheat flour.  So it's pizza that's good for you!

A double recipe of Spelt Pizza

(Toppings: pepperoni, pineapple, red onion and mozzarella on the left; sundried tomato, zucchini, red pepper, red onion and goat cheese on the right)

Spelt Pizza

2 1/4 c spelt flour

3/4 c + 2 tsp warm water

1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast

pinch sugar or 1/2 tsp honey

pinch kosher salt

olive oil (for greasing the bowl)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together yeast and warm water until yeast is dissolved.  Set aside.

Add the sugar, salt, then stir in the flour to form a dough.  Add more water if too dry and more flour if too sticky (I had to add more water).  It should be slightly tacky without sticking to your fingers.

Knead the dough in the bowl until it's smooth and springs back slightly when you press a finger in it.  Form the dough into a ball and remove from bowl.  Lightly grease inside of bowl with olive oil and then roll the ball in the oiled bowl to coat all sides.  Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place (like a sunny window) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Gently punch down the dough and proceed with pizza making.  I lightly oiled a baking sheet and spread the dough out using my hands, ensuring it was quite thin and as even as possible.  Add whatever toppings you like and bake at 400 degrees in the centre of oven for about 15-20 minutes (oven temperatures vary so keep an eye on it and check underneath the pizza to make sure it doesn't burn).  Let pizza rest for 5 minutes or so before cutting.

Short & Sweet Oat Cakes

It's been a long hiatus from blogging...too long.  My desire to write and share recipes and food memories has only grown as I've taken this time to reflect and refocus.  No matter what else draws my curiosity, food and the warm memories it elicits keeps calling to me to write, share recipes, develop new ones and to nourish a community of food lovers. 

I'm in the process of redesigning my blog to have the "look & feel" that reflects my vision and invites others in.  Stay tuned and do share your ideas too!

In the meantime, here's what I've been cooking and thinking about on this warm Sunday afternoon...

Short & Sweet Oat Cakes

Have you noticed how people light up and sort of soften when they talk about their favourite food memories?  I feel the same way, and today was thinking about my Aunt Clara and Uncle George while making these Short & Sweet Oat Cakes.  Aunt Clara tells me they were Uncle George's favourite.

Aunt Clara's kitchen is one of the warmest, soul-loving places on the face of the earth.  Gathering around her table has always been love to me, shared through stories, advice, poems, prayers and food to fuel her loved ones. 

She always served tea with dessert after her hearty lunches, often an assortment of sweets presented on one of her prized Petit Point china plates.  On a recent visit to Montreal, she treated us once again to tea and sweets, and told stories about the past, including how she loved visiting Uncle George's mother - many years ago - who would serve these oat cakes.  She said the smell of butter, brown sugar and oats when she walked through the door was unlike anything else, and it always made her hungry and happy to be there (I shall have to remember that when my son brings his girlfriend home).  

A few days after our visit, the recipe arrived tucked inside a letter from Aunt Clara, printed in her impeccable penmanship.  I have a number of her handwritten recipes, and I love them.  I love looking at her writing as I measure and stir, imagining her sitting down at that kitchen table I love so much to share her secrets with me.  I love the little scratches she made with her pen when she wrote "tsp" but really meant to write "tbsp".  I love her tips and tricks, written in parentheses, passing along lessons from generations before me. 

I love to imagine Aunt Clara baking these oat cakes for Uncle George, and him enjoying one with a cup of strong tea.  He was full of beans (or malarkey, as Mom always said). He loved to hide, then jump out and scare the living daylights out of us.  He loved to make crazy faces and talk in funny voices, just to make us laugh.  It made him happy to see us laugh.  He ate neapolitan ice cream.  He drove his car like a mad man.  He cursed with a French accent.  He had 17 locks on every door.  He gave huge hugs for a small man, and you knew he loved you. 

He's gone now and Aunt Clara is on her own.  She misses him and we talk about him when I call.  When I called her last Sunday, she asked me to hold on a sec so she could take her cookies out of the oven.  She was making Uncle George's favourite oat cakes. 

Short & Sweet Oat Cakes

2 cups flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter + 2 tbsp Crisco
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and Crisco with brown sugar till smooth.  Add almond extract.  Add flour, oats and salt, mixing well until a dough forms.

Sprinkle flour on a board and shape the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2" thick, and cut into fingers 1/2" x 2 1/2".  Prick with fork.

Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.  Allow to cook 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. 

These cookies will store well in a container, and can be frozen for up to 1 month in a freezer bag.

Soul Food: Slow Cooker Chicken Stew & Mom's Tea Biscuits

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew with Biscuits

(Photo courtesy of Real Simple Magazine)

While running to catch the subway on Friday, I suddenly realized that I had left my Metro Pass at home. Despite frantically scraping every inch of my purse and even turning it upside down in search of coins, I was still short of the $3 I needed to board the train.  So, I figured, this can only be a message from the Universe telling me to ditch my budget and buy a fabulous new magazine, so that I could turn that last $10 bill in my wallet into desperately needed change.  I mean, it would have been wrong to do otherwise, right?

An occasional special splurge for me is a brand new copy of Real Simple magazine, which beautifully depicts inspiring ideas for your home and which, this month, includes slow cooker recipes that I just had to try out http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/index.html.  I love using my slow cooker during the winter months, when soups and stews can slowly bubble away while we are at work or play, greeting us with great aromas and flavours as we come in out of the cold after a long day.

I started by playing with a fairly traditional chicken stew recipe, to which I made a few adjustments, and whipped up a batch of my Mom's incredible Tea Biscuits that fully doubled in height to become light, flaky and delicious morsels of happy memories.  The stew filled the house with the most comforting, Sunday afternoon kind of aroma, and its long cooking time gave me time for a long walk in the ravine with my husband and a few hours of solitude in my art studio creating these fun Valentine's Day cards for my husband and son (I'll post how-to information soon):

While the Stew Cooked...A Soul-Soothing Afternoon in the Art Studio

Now back to the recipes...

Mom used to make Tea Biscuits quite often for my Dad, who loved to smother them with butter and molasses.  I always found that odd, though now it makes me feel warm inside to remember the way he'd gently rub the back of his molasses-coated spoon against the fresh biscuit that he held so tenderly with the tips of his fingers.  At that time in my life, I was pretty sure that molasses was gross unless it was baked inside a ginger snap, so I preferred to eat mine with Mom's homemade strawberry jam. 

Sometimes, when I was having a particularly rough day (or, now that I think of it, maybe it was she who was having a bad day), Mom would pull together a batch of this dough and form it into a rectangle, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar, then roll it into a log and slice it up into little cinnamon rolls which she'd bake on a cookie sheet.  Now THAT was an incredible treat!  Tonight though, I kept the recipe plain and simple to compliment our savoury dinner.  It was a huge hit. 

What's even better?  There's enough for our dinner tomorrow night, when it will no doubt taste even better after 24 hours of those soul-soothing flavours hanging out together.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
(adapted from Real Simple magazine, March 2011)

3/4 lb. carrots (about 4), cut into 1-inch lengths
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed
1 tsp. Italian seasoning*
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 c. low-sodium or salt-free chicken broth
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. frozen corn kernels
1/2 c. half-and-half cream (optional)

In a 4-6 quart flow cooker, toss together the carrots, celery, onion, sweet potato and flour.  Place the chicken on top and season with the Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Add the broth (you can substitute half the broth with white wine, if you prefer).

Cover and cook until the chicken and vegetables are tender, about 5 or 6 hours on low or 2.5 to 3 hours on high.  Twenty minutes before serving, add the peas, corn and cream (if using) and stir.  Replace the lid and cook 20 minutes or until peas and corn are just tender. 


*A note on Italian seasoning: Be sure to read the label on the package before purchasing.  I picked up one that had salt listed as the first ingredient, and included yeast, cornstarch, dehydrated vegetables and other processed fillers.  Look around for a blend of herbs without any salt or additives.  The one I found is a lovely mixture of Italian herbs, like oregano, basil, rosemary and thyme.


While the peas and corn heat up, you'll have just enough time to make these delicious biscuits!

Mom's Tea Biscuits

2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
2/3 c. cold butter (or shortening, or half of each)
2/3 c. milk (or a little more, if necessary)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.  Add butter and, using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of tiny peas.  Add milk and use a fork to mix very gently (do not overmix or the gluten will start to develop and the biscuits will be tough).

Once the dough comes together, lightly flour a board and pat or roll the dough into a rectangle.  Keep the dough fairly thick, about 1" or so.  Use a cookie cutter, the top of a glass, or a knife to cut out biscuits, then place on an ungreased, lined cookie sheet.  I use a Silpat http://silpat.com/ (which make fantastic gifts for the foodie in your life).

Brush milk on top of each biscuit, and to make them extra sweet and special, dust them with a little white sugar.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about a dozen yummy, amazingly tall and flaky biscuits.