Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Farmer's Market Salad

It's almost summer and so brings one of my favorite times of the year culinarily; outdoor farmer's market time! I was off a bit early one Thursday and remembered that there is a farmer's market just near my apartment on Thursday evenings behind the North Toronto Community Centre. I grabbed my cloth bag and off I went. I ended up buying farm fresh spinach, assorted bell peppers, halloumi cheese (a feta-like cheese that crumbles) and some amazing olive-cilantro bread from the St. John bakery who had a stall there. When I got home, I knew just what to do with this bounty; it was salad time!

Michelle's Farmer's Market Salad

1 1/2 cup mixed greens (I used my fresh spinach and romaine)
1/2 bell pepper, in strips (I used yellow)
5 walnut halves, in pieces (1 tbsp of pieces)
1 tbsp crumbled halloumi cheese (you could use feta)
1 tbsp cranberries
1 tbsp Renee's Sundried Tomato and Black Olive dressing

Mix everything together and chow down! If you want to make this into a full meal, add some cut up chicken, sauteed tofu or tempeh.

Serves 1

Please excuse my picture, I only remembered to take the picture halfway through eating the salad! I've been eating this salad every few days for the last week and it's divine!

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Farmer's Market Salad

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Easy Salmon and Pea Pasta Shells

Hullo fellow foodies!

Ever have a work night when you need something quick and delicious but have nothing much in your pantry? I got home one night after a rough day at work craving a quick pasta dish but had forgotten to grocery shop on my way home. Staring into my cupboards and fridge, I came up with this quick and delicious dish!

Easy Salmon and Pea Pasta Shells

1 c dried mini pasta shells
1/2 cup canned peas, drained
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp chicken broth
1 tbsp light smoked salmon cream cheese
1 triangle Laughing Cow cheese light (you could use a tablespoon of regular cream cheese or sour cream)
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Cook the pasta according to the package instruction to al dente. Melt butter in a pan on medium heat. Put the cooked pasta in the pan with the peas. Add the broth, cheeses and garlic powder until the sauce melts but make sure the heat is not too high. You may not need any salt as the cheese may be enough. As an added treat, some grated romano or parmesan cheese might be nice on this to finish.

I love it when I find delicious recipes that help me clean my pantry as well!
Makes 2 servings as a main or 4 as a side

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Easy Salmon and Pea Pasta Shells

Sasha's Kitchen: Baked Ziti With Lamb Sausage (and Details on Tomorrow's Upcoming Giveaway)

Baked ziti is one of my favorite pasta dishes, so it is time to share this dish with my readers.  I actually prepared the baked ziti on Thursday evening, but I took a day off of writing on Friday.  This baked ziti has a twist in that I like to incorporate some kind of sausage.  I have prepared this dish with either lamb sausage  or chicken sausage.  Both are delicious combinations with the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, although this recipe was prepared exclusively with the lamb sausage.    In addition, I made my baked ziti with a homemade pasta sauce.  I discovered that taking photos of baked ziti is quite challenging because it is a very messy looking dish, inherently.  Thus, I attempted to "dress it up" for the picture with some artfully positioned basil leaves.  Finally, baked ziti is notoriously unhealthy, but I have attempted to reduce this by using skim milk ricotta cheese.  You could also use lowfat mozzarella, but this takes a bit of the pizazz and flavor out of the dish (and really, completely lowfat wouldn't be as much fun, right?)  This dish is a classic in my home - messy to prepare but not too difficult, and always satisfying.

Sasha's Baked Ziti With Lamb Sausage


1 box ziti noodles (1 lb)
1 lb fresh lamb sausage (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
 2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup red cooking wine
16 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced or torn into small pieces)
15 oz skim milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese.

Cook the pasta and set aside.  Saute the lamb sausages and set aside. In a pot, combine the tomatoes, seasonings, garlic and red wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer for about twenty minutes until the sauce comes to the proper consistency.  In a separate bowl, combine the mozzarella and ricotta cheeses.

Next, spoon about half a cup of sauce into your lasagna pan.  I have an Emile Henry blue lasagna dish that I absolutely love.   I must confess that I have a fascination, almost an obsession with pretty solid color cookware - both Le Creuset and Emile Henry.  Next, layer the pasta, then the cheese mixture, then the sausage, then repeat with another layer of sauce, pasta and cheese.  Top with some remaining sauce and sprinkle with the half cup of  parmesan cheese.  Bake covered with a piece of tin foil for thirty minutes at 350 F.  Then take off the tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

I have a giveaway that I am going to introduce tomorrow of some exciting cupcake necklaces.  The giveaway will be open to my followers on google blogger and to my facebook fans, so please sign up as a follower (check the sidebar) and a facebook fan (top of the sidebar) to win a lovely glass cupcake necklace from New York designer Moon & Star Designs.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's post for details on how to win!

Sasha's Kitchen: Baked Ziti With Lamb Sausage (and Details on Tomorrow's Upcoming Giveaway)

Sasha's Kitchen: Food & Wine Pairing of Cheese Fondue With Heron Hill Riesling

For last night's meal, my husband and I paired a wine that we had received from Heron Hill Winery to review with one of our favorite dishes, homemade cheese fondue.  This meal featured a wine & cheese fondue, various fruits, vegetables and bread for dipping, as well as the New Release of the 2007 Ingle Vineyard Riesling from Heron Hill Winery in the Finger Lakes Wine Region of New York State.  The combination was perfect, with the light fruit and citrus fragrance of the wine with is strong hints of lemon and melon character, alongside the gruyere and emmental hard swiss and/or french cheeses, as well as the accompanying fruits and vegetables, particularly the apples.

The flavors of the Riesling were pleasant and fruity, but also crisp with a taste of acidity and a mineral balance.  It was quite pleasing to the palette with the melted cheeses.   New York's Finger Lakes Region has become famous for its Rieslings, and this wine was a great example.  Heron Hill's Riesling was perfect with the balance of acidity and mineral characteristics.  I thought it combined nicely with the melted cheeses and vegetables.  I also loved how its citrus and melon undertones complemented the tartness of the green apple that we used for dipping in the fondue.

To prepare the accompanying fondue, here's what you will need:

Sasha's Cheese Fondue

8 oz gruyere cheese (grated)
8 oz emmental cheese (grated)
2 T cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 1/2 cup dry white cooking wine
1 T lemon juice
1 T brandy
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
pinch of pepper

For Dipping:
Broccoli
Strawberries
Green Apple
Carrots
French Bread

Follow the instructions for your electric fondue pot, which generally involves bringing all of the ingredients besides the cheese to a boil.  Boil for a minute, then reduce to a simmer and slowly add the grated cheese mixture.  The cheese in the fondue should never boil, so don't turn the electric pot temperature up too high.  Add the cheese until the fondue reaches the desired consistency.  For me, this required most of the cheese, with a little bit leftover.  Then, enjoy by dipping your favorite fruits, vegetable and breads into the fondue, along with a glass of wine.   We used strawberries, green apples, broccoli, french bread and carrots for dipping but you can substitute other fruits or vegetables.  My husband's favorite was the broccoli, while I really liked the combination of the strawberries and applies with both the fondue and the wine.

You should be sure to use Gruyere and Emmental cheeses for your fondue and not substitute.  I selected these cheeses because they are the traditional cheeses used in  Switzerland for making fondue.  Emmental is similar to swiss cheese, while Gruyere is hard yellow cheese made from cow's milk with a creamy and nutty flavor.  The fondue recipe worked very nicely, with flavors of wine, mustard and ancho chile to complement the traditional cheeses.  It pairs nicely with Heron Hill's new Riesling, and was quite an enjoyable and easy weekday meal.

Sasha's Kitchen: Food & Wine Pairing of Cheese Fondue With Heron Hill Riesling

Sasha's Kitchen: Date Spread With Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese

This recipe is a favorite spread or hors d'oeuvre in my house, even though it was never intended as such.  In fact, this started out as a Passover recipe for my Seder plate and evolved into something that I enjoy year-round.

I was raised in the Ashkanazi (of Eastern European descent) Jewish tradition, where Charoset, a traditional Passover food, is always made with apples, walnuts and wine.  I always enjoyed eating Charoset this way and never thought of making it any other way until I met my husband Brad, who has some Sephardic Jewish relatives on both sides of his family (Sephardic Jews include those from various Middle Eastern countries, as well as Greece, Spain and Morocco).  I learned that making Charoset with dates is actually a pretty common Sephardic tradition.

It happens to also be a delicious recipe.  After making it for my family this past spring when we hosted a Passover seder, I decided to make the recipe again (after Passover had ended) and served it on crackers with Humboldt Fog goat cheese, that we purchased at nearby Bierkraft.  This wound up being my husband's favorite snack!  The combination of the Humboldt Fog with the dates is a dynamic duo.  Another note here: if you like goat cheese, you must try Humboldt Fog - it is absolutely my favorite cheese, and is a thousand times better than any ordinary goat cheese. 

Here's the recipe for the spread, which is quite simple, thanks to my mother-in-law, Lynne.

1 lb pitted dates, chopped finely
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups warm water
6 to 8 T sweet wine (depending on how you like it, so make to taste)
1 tsp cinnamon

Soak the dates and raisins in the water for about half of an hour.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat in a saucepan.  Simmer for 30-60 minutes, stirring often.  Keep simmering until this gets to the consistency of a chutney.  When it is done, allow it to cool to room temperature.  Then add the wine and cinnamon and puree in a food processor.

Serve with Humboldt fog, on a water cracker.  The leftovers store well in tupperware.

Note:  All photos are my original photographs, except for the photo of the cheese from the public domain, available at http://www.pdphoto.org/.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the spread served with the cheese and crackers, but below is a photo of it on my Seder Plate.

Cheese

Sasha's Kitchen: Date Spread With Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese