Everyone should have a "Gunner" Greg in their kitchen
Editors Note: Once I found out that Greg was not just another Kick-Butt Boot Camp Drill Sargeant, but an experienced CHEF with a passion for creating delicious and healthy meals, I was inspired! It wasn't long before we conspired to have him create his very own blog on this website, called Chef "Gunner" Greg's Blog. My direction to Greg was simple. Greg, AKA "Gunner", was to dish out his usual butt-kickin at his boot camp in Old St. Vital, and then dish out creative meal ideas, recipes, exercise and nutritional information through this blog. It is our hope to offer group cooking classes with Chef "Gunner" Greg, hosted by Sustainable Fitness in the near future, so please stay tuned. Until then, enjoy Gunner's blog and share it with your friends by directing them to the Sustainable Fitness website. If you have any questions for "Gunner" please click here and he will do his best to reply soon.
Let's Get Started with the BLOGGING (most recent entry on top)
Dec 16/11
Thanks to all of my clients for the X-mas gifts!! Last class of the year for both my morning and evening classes have gone by, and I've had an amazing year. Started today with a smoothie consisting of a banana, kiwi, greek honey yogurt, a splash of milk, and some protein powder. MMmmmm!! I was kicking myself for not having the camera close.
Dec 7/11
I love articles like these. Straight forward tips to get you motivated. Number 9 is on my list to try, and I think it's so funny that the writer got to "10" on the list and couldn't stop writing!
I felt like a fall/winter taster the other night after hitting up a hot yoga camp at Bikram. Cathy was kind enough to let me test out the waters there (and it felt like I was in a pool of water when I was though!). I felt great during, and after the fact - but that said I was moving pretty slow by the end of the yoga session... The heat and stretching does some wild things to your body, and mine was telling me not to move too quickly into the next pose!
I arrived home, and knew I had to act quickly to get my meal at an appropriate time. I turned on my oven, and started a rough chop of beets, butternut squash, red onion, carrots, and garlic. After tossing them in some salt, pepper, lemon thyme, and some light canola oil they went straight into my hot oven to roast.
Now I was ready for the flavoring of some ground venison. I finely chopped some white onion, garlic, and rosemary, and added eggs and a bit of flour to bind it all together. After making patties and searing them in a hot pan, I added the burgers into the oven to finish cooking. Chevre on top... and damn... it tasted as good as it looks!
Nov 22/11
After my morning camp the other day I stopped off at a Safeway to pick up some snacks for work. In the fruit section a employee stacking some banana's gave me the typical greet, and "if I can help you with anything..." line that grocery stores usually train their people with. I don't know what I answered, but the banana stacker suddenly jumped to life. He brought me over to the "Honeycrisp" apples, and gave a pretty cool story about him and his girlfriend snaking on little "chips" that he carved out of the apple for dipping with yogurt. "Vanilla yogurt", he said - "It's gotta be vanilla yogurt!". So, of course with the amount of passion coming from the clerk... I trotted off with a couple of honeycrisp apples and a container of my favorite greek vanilla yogurt. I already knew exactly the presentation that I could add some flare with! Include some craisin's, flax and pumpkin seed, and you're set for a Yogurt Parfait with Apple "Chips". Blamm-o! Perfect for exchanging a bowl of store bought chips as a snack to munch on while you curl up to a movie after a wicked workout.
I haven't posted a picture in a while... Here's a Wild Duck dish I had to do a tester of. After having the breasts in a brine for a few days I needed to have a taste to see how things were progressing!! Simply done with a duck jus, sauted spinach, and roast butternut squash.
Oct 11/11
Good lord! Ukrainians know how to put on a feast. I visited with a family this weekend, and they took me in with arms wide open... and sent me with a plate of left over's! Chicken meatballs, turkey, stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, and the list goes on (yes, perogies are on that list)!
Now... Where's this blog entry going? - The primary reason that we're all on this site is for fitness, and the name of the company is Sustainable. So how do we keep holidays like Thanksgiving off our "fell off the wagon THERE" list? Well, I'll start with compliments to the family I was with this holiday, because after we were finished our fabulous meals we turned on the "WII" system... and danced ("Just Dance" is the name of the game).
*To be clear - I am not good at the game "Just Dance" for the WII entertainment system.
- The point is that we got up and shook some booty to fight the urge to fall directly asleep after a big meal!! It's actually exactly what your body wants to digest that amount of food. Move around a bit after a holiday (be reasonable... don't go to Lynne Nelson looking for a workout, or you'll be "20" on her list of clients she's made re-visit their meals!). From the time I was a kid, my family would walk through a set of trails, go for a game of golf or go cross country skiing to settle our dinners. Anything to get some movement going.
Try it out, and let me know if you feel WAY better the next hour, sleep, or couple of days after a big family meal in comparison to falling into the "food coma" we've all experienced.
-Greg
Oct 6/11
With Thanksgiving around the corner, I've got my baking on! I've never claimed to be a master patissier, but I do like being the taster - I think I've still got a little excitement in me while licking the spatula of the mixing bowl... Two interesting recipes I've tried in the last week have been a banana based breakfast bar with figs and pumkin seeds, and (last night) a butternut squash cake... The latter being my favorite of the two. Finding an uber "healthy" baking treat is finicky business - we all know what we like, but it usually contains mounds of nutrient lacking calories. Portion size is key - I love tasting food!! So I'll never deprive myself of having a taste, but knowing the amount that is appropriate is a big factor. Have a taste of your holiday dessert but don't make it another meal.
Oct 4/11
I'm crazy about fall. Growing up in the country had some major benefits to being a kid in the harvest season! My mother has a bright green thumb, and she would get my sister and I to help with some of the splendors that come with having a big garden... like pulling the pea plants out, feeding the chickens over grown zucchini, ROTOTILLING everything in sight - although the work was down and dirty, it was all worth those fresh peas, new potatoes, and the honey dill carrots she would serve. Plus my dad was a nut for finding the "best" variety of corn. I'm making myself salivate.
I live in the city now, but those old sights and smells are still ingrained in my head. Take a trip to the farmers markets, or that lonely stand beside the highway. Get some fresh Manitoba grown goodness!
Sept 13/11
The last month of my life my body has started to get picky on me, and I feel the need to accommodate. So when my guts screamed "Substance!!" and my taste buds mentioned "Fresh." I had to do some neuron juggling to find something appropriate... - which I met, with the Red Cabbage Salad and Broccoli Stems. Fresh, sweet, tangy, and with the crunch of cabbage that fills your belly leaving you satisfied. I had a friend over and served it with a marinated pork loin to quiet my carnivorous voices. Also a great way to utilize the long stems of some broccoli heads that most people throw away.
Red Cabbage, sliced thin 1/2 head
Broccoli Stems, julienne 5
Apple, julienne 1
Raisins 3/4 cup
Red Pepper, julienne 1
Green Onion, sliced thin 2
Pumpkin Seeds 1/2 cup
Dressing
Light tasting olive oil 1/4 cup
Lemon juice 3 Tbsp
Dijon Mustard 1 Tbsp
Raspberry vinegar 3 Tbsp
Egg 1
Salt + Pepper TT
Honey 3 Tbsp
Method
After cutting the vegetables into appropriate sizes, set aside and incorporate the dressing ingredients together - in a separate bowl adding the oil last, while whisking quickly to emulsify the vinaigrette. Toss the two together, and let the cabbage soak up some of the flavors for about half an hour before serving. Enjoy!
Sept 7/11
Great link. For all of you MSN addicts you may have seen this already, as it was front page when I logged on this morning. Take a read through it - my favorite is the sections below with little facts that inform!
Allan and I had a meeting over some of the website material at my house the other day. I had come back from some you tube viewing of Gordon Ramsay's Venison Chocolate sauce, and one of my fellow boot camper's love for chocolate made me want to try it out! ...Terry...
Although there's not a ton of chocolate in this recipe, the essence is what makes the dish. As well as a dash of raspberry vinegar and some good red wine.
Although very similar, I had no pancetta in my fridge, and I used rosemary (from my mom's garden) rather than thyme.
Shallots (diced) 4
garlic cloves (minced) 3
rosemary 1 sprig
bay leaf 1
red wine 250 mL
chicken stock 250 mL
dark chocolate (grated) 30 mL
raspberry vinegar 5 mL
I also didn't have any venison!! Chicken was an easy domestic option, and served it with rice and ribboned carrots. Quick, easy, and spiced up a healthy meal. Once you mention "chocolate", you'll have your guests (or spouse's) attention!
Aug 16/11
Cooking in the great outdoors? - The real great outdoors? Count me in. On the September long weekend I'll be guiding a canoe trip out in the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario and doing gourmet cooking out on the Canadian Shield!! I can't wait! Mixing fitness with nutritious fuel, and good company... Gunner's in his zone. Check out Northern Soul's webpage for MY tier of specialty trip.
Back at Lisa's a few days ago I was getting closer with the arrangement of her kitchen for round two of cooking from home - her home of course, and she invited over a few of her close friends to come and get their hands into it with me.
I didn't know what to expect from the party... sometime when you get yourself tangled up with a group of women it turns into a gossip fest. No offense ladies, - without a stopwatch that's just my experience! Luckily they had some funny stories to tell in their arsenal, and it didn't distract from the slicing, grilling, or stirring I delegated. The four of them were a really great team to have, and again I found myself cruising through a prepared cooking gig.
Not knowing how the pace would be set for our party, and having a gorgeous Manitoba summer day on our hands, bruchetta as the appetizer was a no-brainer. A cool mix of tomatoes and red onion with a tang of white balsamic vinegar and herbs on top of bbq grilled baguette's. Topped of with a light drizzle of balsamic reduction to give it the finishing touches of "wow" appeal. This super simple appetizer is fast, fresh, and you can be as relaxed or finesse as you desire over the presentation.
Bruchetta
Baguette 1
Roma tomatoes 4
Red onion 1/2
Red pepper 1
Garlic 2 cloves
Fresh basil chopped 1/4
White balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp
Mirin 3 Tbsp
lemon juice 1 Tbsp
Light tasting olive oil 2 Tbsp
S+P TT
Balsamic reduction
Balsamic vinegar 10 parts
Icing sugar 1 part
Method:
Make the reduction ahead of time so that it can cool and thicken. My suggestion is to make a larger batch, so that you can take what you need when you need it. Simply add the two ingredients together and reduce - I have seen reductions coming from only the vinegar, but like it with a touch of icing sugar. Nutritious? No. Tasty yes. Reduce by about 75% - the liquid will coat the back of a spoon, and roll slowly down an angled plate. The taste will be tangy and sweet, not bitter or sour.
Watch that you do not burn this item!!! Bring to a boil, and then crank the heat way DOWN to a light simmer... it will take a while, so again this may be something that you want to do a larger batch of and then store, leaving you to use it whenever you like. Balsamic reduction is a sweet tangy accompaniment to a variety of dishes (salads, protein, roast veggies the list goes on!) - widely used as a garnish, but with amazing flair to flavor.
Finely dice the tomatoes, onion, and red pepper. Mince the garlic, and combine into a bowl with the basil, vinegar, mirin, lemon juice, oil, and seasonings.
Let this mixture sit in the fridge while you flip on the bbq and cut the baguette to manageable (one or two) bite size slices.
Lay the bread out, and lightly oil one side with a brush or with some delicate pouring - I use a (bar) pour spout on my oil bottles so this becomes a lot less of a technical skill! Great for salad dressings as well. Season the bread with S+P.
Take the bread out to the bbq and grill on the oiled side. I usually will only do the one side to keep the opposite soft and a little chewy depending on the bread. Think mouth feel people!! Once you have a good amount of color on the baguette slices then take them off, and load the bruchetta mix on top.
Drizzle over the syrupy balsamic reduction and enjoy!
- Gunner
This one's a cheat blog entry, but I found myself looking longer at some of the "junk" mail in my in-box. Have a look - these are simple changes that you can make for something interesting in your diet. These little things add up!!
Some of the entries are a little weird for me (or not easy to find in the store!), but most of them I can source and I know that swiss chard and beets are two things that I can cook well and enjoy as a side. The pumkin seeds as the last entry is something I'll pick up today to try eating the entire seed. I thought that when I was a kid I was cheating by chewing the whole thing!!
Gunner.
Dinner with Lisa... one of my clients in our evening TRX class wanted to have me over and cook her, her husband Ryan, his sister Kim, and her husband Dave a meal. Out of four courses, this is the one picture we snapped - the conversation was that good... and the food was a nice complement to the wonderful company.
I can let the pic speak for itself here. Asian influence pan Fried Pickerel with Spinach and Marinated Portabello Mushrooms, Sweet Maple Soy Reduction, and Sesame Baby Potatoes. I've got to get more and more vague until I start getting more emails!
PRE and POST
If I had a nickel every time I've been asked about what to eat before and after exercise, I'd be a nickl-lionaire. Does the word I've just made up make sense? Yes. To me it does - and you also know where I'm going here. Point made. This blog entry is absolutely dedicated to Lauren Sellen, who asks smart questions in class when she's not daydreaming and staring into the fluorescents of the church...
What to eat and when!!
Before Exercise
MEALS - There's a buffer between eating a full meal, and being able to give your best. This will always be a problem for our morning crews, as my suggestion is to leave at least an hour and a half of time in between your consumption, and getting you heart rate into a "game time" pulse. Focusing on natural carbohydrates (rather than processed sugars) to fuel muscle reserves with available energy, and lean protein like chicken or salmon. Try and refrain from slow digesting fatty foods and foods with high levels of fiber before exercising.
SNACKS - within an hour you're pushing it, so have something simple and quick to digest. No one thinks of a garbage bin with a positive spin after a workout for those of us that have been there.
After Exercise
Tear into some carbs to restore muscle fuel reserves (glycogen in your muscles and glucose in your blood), and protein for the building blocks to repair and construct more muscle in your body. This is one of the things that in my mind, goes wrong with a large number of clients sweating it out - EAT WITHIN 30 MINUTES of finishing your work out. Sometimes I mess this one up myself, but pay attention to this fact, and watch the results unfold.
All day every day
Drink more water. Like right now, - and more in an hour. Keep going, and don't stop. Don't even question this - if you don't believe me, google it and our debate will be over. Period. My trick is to have a water bottle that I love... keep it by your side, on your desk at work, beside your bed, and close when I give a break in my classes for a quick sip. Try to make gradual installments rather than large doses of H2O.
Suggestions
These are some things that work for me... and I have a great deal of confidence they can work for you, but don't be afraid to make tweaks to make it individually targeted for your body.
Breakfast
Cereal - hot or cold. I love oatmeal!
French toast or pancakes for the weekend (no one wants to deal with this at 5am)
Breakfast burrito with eggs, salsa, cheese, + green onions
Toast/bagel/English muffin with peanut butter and honey
Yogurt
Fruit with any of the above. My staples are banana's, strawberries, blueberries, and apples. Fast and easy.
Lunch or Dinner
Natural roast deli meats on whole grain breads with veggies - alfalfa sprouts! spinach! tomatoes! Avocado's! oh my! Dijon mustard can take away some dryness of the bread.
Black bean burritos - I'm going to have to add this as a blog entry. Too good to miss.
Pasta with a tomato based sauce, sauted zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and peppers topped with grilled chicken
Baked salmon with rice and steamed green beans
Snacks
Trail mix with dried fruit
Fresh fruit
Bagel with hummus
Wheat or rice crackers with a small amount of cheese
My fav - chocolate milk and a banana!! Gets me every time - and SO available you can pick it up even at 7 eleven.
Right after the workout - recovery
Peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich
Pretzels dipped in peanut butter
Fruit smoothie
cheese and crackers with beef jerky
Low-fat chocolate milk
Obviously I'm throwing ideas out there, and there are lots more to discover. What works for you? Do you think it could help out our followers? Let me know! I'm always looking to have a conversation (that sometimes draws out into massive deep issues) about the food we fuel ourselves with.
Sustainable Staff Party
How many times have I mentioned that it's better to cook as a crew? Before we took our week break from camps, the Sustainable Fitness staff had an afternoon of relaxing at Allan Zimmer's home. Allan, Kevin (Kym's husband), and I took the reins and coordinated a pumped up Bbq for the ranks.
Chicken Ballantine (as a request - you've seen this in the blog's before), marinated vegetable towers with chevre cheese, tangy chorizo and apples, sundried tomato horseradish duchess potatoes, and a cool cucumber dill salad with a mirin vinaigrette.
Let's focus on the Cucumber Salad for this blog - it's fantastic for hot weather like we're having now.
Cucumbers 4
White onion 1
White Balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup
Mirin 3/4 cup
Fresh Dill - chopped 1/4 cup (packed)
Lemon 1
White Pepper 1 tsp
Salt TT
Find a large bowl, and mix the mirin, vinegar, dill, salt, white pepper, and the juice of the lemon together.
Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise and take out the seeds with a spoon. Then, slice it into appropriate bite sized pieces and continue with slicing the onion thinly with the grain. Add these veggies to our dressing and chill for about an hour with plastic wrap pushed down inside the bowl (this helps keep the mix saturated with dressing). Have a taste, adjust seasoning and enjoy! How simple was that?
June 21/11
Marinated White Balsamic and Mirin Zuchini with Thyme
At InFerno's this was one of the secrets. The mixture of white balsamic vinegar and mirin (find this at asian markets) is a magic one. The balance is usually 1 to 1 volume wise, but I tend to go heavy on the mirin. Add a touch of seasoning and you've got a tangy marinade/dressing. In this case, I've chosen zuchini as the item to dress - incorporate with the thyme and let sit at room temp for about 15 mins before grilling on a HOT BBq. It won't take long, so this is one of the last things you want to do before ringing the dinner bells. These volumes will serve as a side for 2-3 people.
Zucchini 1 large
Mirin 1/4 cup
White balsamic 1/4 cup
Seasoning TT
Thyme 2 tbsp fresh chopped
Light tasting oil 2 tbsp
Bring those veggies into your life. Enjoy!
Gunner
June 20/11
Father’s Day BBq.
I have a feeling I’ll be writing about outdoor cooking for the next few months if the weather I’m getting keeps up. On top of which being in the country near Beausejour at my sister’s house held almost no mosquito’s, - almost. Dinner outside was amazing after a round of golf with my Dad. I was hungry, and had endured a bit of sun (that is way more obvious now that my hair is cut). Somehow when you’re in the fresh air and hungry, food tastes way better than it usually would.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Onion Gastrique (more to come off this dish)
The pork was my time saver here. – I “cheated” a bit, and bought maple sage pork tenderloin. Slicing it into mini steaks, it was ready to hit the grill in less than a minute of prep time. I used the moments I saved with making the gastrique. “What is a gastrique?” – A reduction of sugar and vinegar with slight caramelization. Simple, and it’s got a hot French name that perks the human ear. I include onion is this one to give some serious substance.
White onions, sliced thin 2
White balsamic vinegar ½ cup
Sugar ½ cup
Seasoning TT
Method:
Find yourself a thick bottomed pot (so the sugar doesn’t BURN) and add the sugar cold, then turn up the heat. Stir lightly as the sugar dissolves, and eventually starts to caramelize. Once you have a light brown going on, add your onions and stir. One the onions have softened a bit, add the vinegar and reduce until there’s really no more liquid moving around and almost sticky to stir. Have a taste – it should be sweet and tangy, maybe a little sour. Adjust with seasoning.
Now, slice your tenderloin into appropriate sizes and make sure there's a light coat of oil on them for the grill. Give them a few good marks (not fully cooked) and let the meat rest for a minute. Top with the gastrique, and finish in the oven. Blam-o, juicy pork steaks with a tangy onion mix dripping goodness all over. Do not overcook!
Let me draw this blog out a bit... real life calls. Back soon - Gunner
...and remember take small bites, or you look goofy for the camera.
May 17/11
Mother’s are awesome. The other day mine told me how good/young I looked, and didn’t realize I had shaved off my beard since we had last seen each other. Obviously she doesn’t like the way I look with facial hair. It’s tips like that, that can only be straight from the heart and come with hard honesty that we can appreciate. While we were together, Mom also sent me a pile of recipes for healthy snack bars, because she knows I’m on the run most of the time, and of course – that I do this blog. They look great quite honestly, and I’m looking to set up a date to make a few of the different batches. So grab a “sous chef” (kids and spouses work great) to mix or measure, and let me pass the “motherly love” on to you.
Sweet and Savory Puffed Brown Rice Energy Bars
1 tsp Sesame oil
4 cups puffed brown rice
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
½ cup toasted sesame seeds
½ cup toasted sunflower seeds
4 sheets roasted Nori (throw them in the oven at 350 F for 3 miniutes, then crumble)
1 cup liquid or creamed honey
¾ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1. With the oil, grease a large mixing bowl and a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Add puffed rice, peanuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and nori. Mix well.
2. In large saucepan boil honey, salt, and cayenne over medium high heat until reduced to ¾ cup (about 5 minutes). Stir honey mix into puffed rice mixture and immediately scrape into prepared baking dish. Press down and smooth the top. Let cool completely
3. With oiled knife, cut into smaller bars.
Per bar:
170 cal, 4g protein, 9g total fat (1g sat.), 22g carbs, 2g fibre, mg cholesterol, 158 mg sodium, 121 mg potassium. % RDI: 2% calcium, 6% iron, 2% vitamin A, 1% vitamin C, 7% folate.
I’m looking forward to this one, as it’s off the beaten path for me. Does it wet your appetite? Ask me about the other bars:
· Pear and Hazelnut (with an option for chocolate)
· Fruit and pistachio
· Date and Walnut
The article that she sent also had some popcorn variations that interest me for those relaxing nights on the couch with a movie, all with health in mind. Another blog I suppose…
Gunner
Shitake Leek stuffed Pork Tenderloin with twice baked sweet potatoes and roasted cauliflower.
I had to create my version of the cauliflower I was harping about in the last blog! Love that stuff - paired it with some super nutritious sweet potatoes (google health benefits for sweet potatoes now, and you’ll see why you should be including them on your table too), and a pork tenderloin stuffed with sauted leeks and shitake mushrooms folded into cream cheese.
First step is to get the sweet potatoes in the oven. Cover them with a small amount of oil, salt, and pepper, and let them roast at 350F until you can slide a fork into the centre smoothly. Cut in half length wise and scoop out some of the middle with a spoon, leaving a small amount to hold the shape of the skin. Mash the scooped out portion, then mix in brown sugar, oil, and S+P. Then either spoon or pipe the mixture back into the skin and top with almond chunks. Set aside.
The roasted cauliflower are crazy easy. Break apart florets into bite sized pieces, then toss in minced garlic, capers, oil and S+P. Pop ‘em in the oven at 350F and they should be nice and tender when you bring them out.
The pork is the tricky part in this one. You may get a tad messy – but some of us like that actually.
Get a hot pan ready on the stovetop and add your leeks and shitake mushrooms. Keep them lively so that they don’t burn, and once you see some browning in the leeks, take them off the heat and add the cream cheese. Give the combination a good mix and you’re ready to stuff. – A good piping bag comes in very handy in this situation. With no piping bag, and possibly you coming to this point and not realizing it would be great having one… a "glad" bag will do. Cut one of the bottom corners out, add your cream cheese mix and now you have a single use, make shift piping bag.
Now that you have the stuffing mix ready to go, make a slit lengthwise inside the pork tenderloin (try not to cut out the sides – a long thin SHARP knife works the best). Then wrap the end of the tenderloin around your piping bag, and squeeze the mix inside the pork. You’ll see a bulge in the tenderloin if you’re doing it well… and a cream cheese explosion if you’re not doing so well. Once the tenderloin is stuffed, season it and sear the outside. After that’s complete, finish it in the oven. - Now would be a good time to get those sweet potatoes back in the heat. Once the pork is just showing a touch of pink it’s time to eat.
Gunner
April 19/11
In the last couple weeks the big boss from Sustainable, - Allan Zimmer (who you may know…) had me over for a dinner at his home.
Michele (Allan’s wife), Allan, and I had the urge for some pickerel so I devised a “roulade” of pickerel, with the centre of the roll being a shrimp mousse flavored with tarragon, lemon, and capers. The sides were prosciutto wrapped asparagus, and a lentil barley recipe that came out of a Pulse Canada flyer that I had been thinking of trying for a while – no better time than the present…
Allan and Michele were amazing sous chef’s, and honestly for the most part I just delegated my way through most of the work! Although I adorned their red apron in their kitchen, they really did all the grunt work - which I enjoyed to the max, sipping wine and “overseeing” the construction of a healthy meal, once in a while shaking a pan of barley to make myself look helpful. Having a tight team in the kitchen is a beautiful thing to watch - Allan stripping the shrimp of their shells while Michelle folded the delicate prosciutto over groups of asparagus, conversation ranging from the height of the Red, to the fitness industry, to the intricacies of different ovens and beyond.
A seafood mousse roulade is actually pretty simple. A food processor is pretty key in doing this well, or it turns into what my culinary bud’s call “rustic”. Which isn’t a bad thing, but for this one, I wanted it refined. For the mousse, buy some fresh or frozen shrimp and/or scallops. Make sure they are cleaned (no shells, intestinal tracts or other undesirable extras) and put them into the blender with the lemon, capers, and tarragon. Give the mix a good buzz, and once it’s smooth add your cream slowly while blending – it should look like a thick smoothie when you’re finished, - don’t add to much, or you’ll have a puddle of seafood… which will be gross and won’t work for this dish… except maybe for your cat. Add small amounts of s+p and buzz to incorporate. Have a taste to make sure that you’ve got a balanced seasoning going on in your mix (no the raw seafood won’t kill you). Then, take your deboned pickerel filets, season lightly and dab a small amount of mousse on the skin side, then roll. Place these roulades onto a greased baking dish and bake.
The asparagus is even easier, with the only hitch being that I like to cook it in two stages. First, boiling it just a touch (it should be undercooked when finished in the water), and then baking groups of three stalks wrapped in a thin layer of prosciutto and a drizzle of a light tasting oil. Again, keep the greens al dente (do you remember what that means? – you need to read my blog more…) and bake in the oven just enough to heat the prosciutto, to get some of the flavors transferred over to the asparagus.
The barley “salad” was fun for a first try. It tasted great, and I’ve tried it since with some of my own tweaks. Although the flyer I acquired it from had the serving size at 30(!?) we brought it down to 3 – so please be mindful of my measurements, I’ve been known to shoot from the hip. Any time you plan to change a recipe to that degree, get ready to play with it a bit and use your judgment for amounts. My best tip is to taste often, and if you run into a situation of a dry wet ratio (like the barley soaking up the veg stock) realize that - just like salt - liquid is easy to add, but a pain to remove or bablance out after adding.
Over high heat, sauté onion and garlic in oil in a pan for about a minute or until it starts becoming translucent. Add barley and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Then, feel like a culinary artist as you add the vegetable broth (listen for the hiss - you'll feel it) and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat so it can simmer gently for about 15 minutes or so. This should let the barley soak up most of the liquid. Then add some color with your zucchini, tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, and season. Let this mix cook for about 3 mins and then stir in your dill. One of the suggestions from Pulse Canada was to serve with a garnish of crumbled feta cheese… which I think would be a great idea, although we didn’t do that at our dinner. This can be served hot right after cooking, or cold - which makes it great for a Sunday dinner that carries over for lunches or snacks into your work week.
Seafood Roulade
Pickerel 3-6 depending on size
Shrimp or scallops ½ cup (thawed before processor) per roulade
Tarragon (chopped) tbsp per roulade
Capers tbsp per roulade
Lemon juice tsp per roulade
Cream ¼ cup per roulade (use your judgment – not too much!!)
Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus
Asparagus 3 per serving
Prosciutto 1 thin slice serving
Oil as needed
Pulse and Barley Salad Onion (small dice) ½ cup
Garlic clove 1
Pearl barley 1/3 cup
Vegetable broth ¾ cup
Zucchini (diced) ½ cup
Cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup
Chickpeas ½ cup
Lentils ½ cup
Dill (chopped) ¼ cup
Gunner
April 18/11 - Easter
Over the Easter weekend I had a visit with Mom and Dad out at their property near Beausejour. We had planned a very relaxed day together, which I can always count on my parents for. A round of golf with Dad (almost beat him… - both of us need to work on our putting), a stroll in the sprouting garden with Mom, and an impromptu meal by me. My mother had said she was going to bring out a chicken, and curved balled me with a pork tenderloin when I arrived. No matter, with what she had at hand I devised a stuffing that would have worked for both.
I did a Cranberry Almond stuffing served beneath the meat, and I paired that with my grandmother’s cranberry jelly (served cold) on top to give it an extra element of what my bud Clint from Segovia calls “mouth feel”. You have the savory component of the textured bread in the stuffing, melding with chunks of sweet dried cranberries, a silky smooth tart cranberry jelly, and of course the salty pork seared and roasted, rested, then finished when just a touch of pink hue still shows. Nice and tender - do not over cook!! I have friends that have said that they didn't like pork until they had it cooked the right way. Trichonosis, I've been told is a thing of the past with regulated pork - although I personally wouldn't eat it rare. That, for whatever reason, still gives me the heeby-jeebs.
The vegetable was a roasted cauliflower and broccoli mix that I tossed with garlic and bacon… but quite honestly I wish that I would have brought my jar of capers from home. Cauliflower + garlic + capers + roasting = “Damn that’s good”. One of my fav’s, and it really doesn’t take any prep time at all. Just a little time in the oven – plus I don’t mind the veggies cold after the fact, so I can make a larger batch for my work week to reheat or snack on through the day.
Finally, the potatoes were sculpted into croquettes, with the crusty shelled potatoes flavored with a dill havarti on the inside that Mom grabbed out of the fridge. Possibly not on the heart and stoke recipe list, but this was not your average day meal either. My Pop's comment was "I'd like to have potatoes like that every time." Which is a big compliment coming from him. If I came up with a potatoe pancake that was perfect... he might let me beat him in golf one of these summers.
You want to know how to create some of these items, - I know you do. Click on the link and ask to get the recipe.
Gunner
April 7/11
The other night I had a very nice dinner with a friend of mine, she’s tall, blonde, attractive, and active... but not the most diverse cook I’ve come across.
Perfect. (cue Gunner's entrance stage left) She poured the Gewürztraminer… and was my “sous chef” so to speak for the night. Grabbing pots, bowls, knives, for me with one hand and her glass of wine in the other, we made a simple two course meal. I love cooking with friends... In this case – friend. These recipes serve two.
First up, I had planned for a caprese salad. Some of you have probably made this in the past, and already know it’s amazing in a pinch for time. I knew I was going to arrive at my friend’s house later in the evening, so setting up the slow cooker was not going to go over well. A caprese salad is a simple salad or side served cold that brings out the classic tomato/basil flavor combo, pairing it with a hearty texture of bocconcini and zingy balsamic vinaigrette. I add avocado… because I can, rounding the dish out – fresh, hearty, and smooth all at once. The second taster I had planned for was another quick one made for impressing on the run. A prosciutto fennel cream sauce was to poach the shrimp I had brought. What is that…?…A hint of gewürztraminer in the sauce? It wasn’t all meant for the chef…
Caprese Salad
Roma or cherry tomatoes enough to fill 3/4 cup when chopped
Bocconcini cheese 3/4 cup chopped
Avocado 1
Fresh basil leaves ¼ cup chopped (save a few for garnish)
Olive oil (light tasting) ¼ cup
Balsamic vinegar 3 tbsp
Dijon mustard (I like grainy the best) 1 tsp
Honey 2 tsp
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Let’s make the dressing first, as we want the fresh basil to come out in our vinaigrette. Out of the leaves that you have, take the smaller ones out and chop finely for the dressing. Set the larger leaves aside. Mix together the honey, balsamic, lemon juice, and Dijon with the basil – then slowly pour the oil into the mix while whisking. Season to taste.
Cut the tomatoes, avocado, and bocconcini into either bite sized chunks or slices (depending on your artistic eye) and add to the bowl with the balsamic mix.
POW. Ready to eat if you’d like, or if others items are being made, this dish can essentially be marinated in the dressing. Watch that you don’t leave it too long, or it can look a little un-attractive. We want to keep this as a fresh dish, not soggy.
Garnish with the large leaves of basil left over, then finish with a sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper.
On to the second dish…
Shrimp with a Prosciutto Fennel Cream Sauce.
Shrimp – (these were frozen, tail on) 14 (7 each)
Cream ½ cup
Fennel 1 small bulb
Garlic 3 cloves
White wine 1/3 cup
Prosciutto ½ cup chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
First make sure the shrimp have been thawed. My technique is to put them into a bowl, and run a small amount of cold water over them to keep the thawing process even.
Once you’ve got that set up, you can concentrate on some knife skills. Mince the garlic, and make a fine dice out of the fennel. Get a hot pan ready, and with a small amount of oil sauté the two lightly on a medium heat. While those are turning transparent, chop the prosciutto in a small dice as well and add to the pan. Give the mix a shot of wine… and take a minute to breathe that in. Oh my goodness, that’s niiiiiiiice.
Back to reality, - add in the cream and once the mix is up to a light boil add your de-thawed shrimp. DO NOT OVER COOK THE SHRIMP!!! Wait until the transparency is gone from the raw shrimp, season to taste, and take off the heat. The residual heat will finish them off the rest of the way. Serve hot in a bowl, and with some nice bread to soak up some of the sauce.
Mmmmm,
Gunner
March 30/11
Healthy families eat together
Even roommates, friends, or co-workers fall into this category if everyone’s on the same page. Be the one in your posse to organize a gathering if you’re not in a family setting. Make it healthy, and make it fun. Help with the dishes when it’s all done.
Eating together has many benefits, especially for children and adolescents, as it can help set the stage for a lifetime of healthy eating. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba claims that kids who eat with their families are more likely to:
• Eat more fruits and veggies
• Eat less saturated and trans fats
• Get more nutrients such as calcium and fibre
• Accept new foods more readily
Why wouldn’t they? They’re watching their parents do it. This is how the world works in their eyes.
Sometimes busy lifestyles can make it difficult to sit down as a family and eat together, but this is an important portion of balanced living. The key is to make it happen, and schedule in a time where food and socialization is the emphasis. There are a few different things you can try to make family mealtime more of a reality:
• Give everyone a job, such as setting the table, assembling the salad or mixing sauces. If you’ve got an enthusiastic gang, what might work is leaving a meal plan on the fridge so the first one home can get the ball rolling.
• Prepare ahead whenever possible. For example, cut up veggies on the weekend for a mid week stir-fry.
• Find a meal time that works. If dinner time is too busy, try breakfast. Sundays your only option? – It’s better than never. In front of the tube with some pizza pops… uh, I think you’ve missed my intentions here. Perfect segway to the next point;
• Turn the TV and computer off (…video games), remove clutter from the table, and return phone calls later. Let the age old art of conversation be the centre stage. Create dishes, set yourself up for a comfortable atmosphere to consume, and enjoy together.
How do you get the troops motivated? What 's your secret to getting a new flavour accepted or tasted for the first time? What's the incentive for helping with the dishes after a mini food coma sets in? Ask yourself these questions, and come up with something that will bring your gang back to the kitchen - maybe with their own ideas. Let it snowball from there.
Gunner
March 23/11
I'm no photo genius, but here's a look at the Maple Soy Salmon I whipped up on a whim yesterday.
Ingredients
Wild Salmon 1 fillet
Yukon baby potatoes 7
Spinach 1 cup
Sesame oil 4 tbsp
Sesame seeds sprinkle
Maple Syrup ¼ cup
Soy Sauce 3 tbsp
Lime Juice 1 tbsp
Chili Flakes pinch
Lemongrass 2 shoots
Garlic 2 cloves
Salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F
This is a fast one to prepare, as long as you jump on the potatoes. It requires juggling items, but once the spuds are done they can be left draining, and will retain their heat relatively well.
Start with salted cold water, add potatoes, two whole garlic cloves, and a stalk of lemongrass – give the grass shoot a beating (back of a knife, wooden spoon, hammer, fists…) before you throw it in, as this helps release the flavor once it’s broken up a bit. Bring that water to a boil and keep it simmering until a fork pierces smoothly and the potato is done. Drain and add a small amount of oil and seasoning to coat.
Jump on the sauce when you have the potatoes rolling. You won’t need heaps of it, as it’s a powerful one. This led me to UNDER season the rest of the dish, so we don’t have a sodium overload. Add maple syrup, soy sauce, lime, chili, and the other lemon grass shoot into a pan and slightly reduce (once it’s boiling, turn down the heat to low for about 1 minute for this amount… more sauce = longer reduction time). Take out the lemon grass shoot when finished.
While the potatoes are still cooking, we can sear the salmon after a light seasoning and 2 tbsp of sesame oil. Use relatively high heat (no fires allowed) just until there’s a tinge of caramel color on both sides. Let the salmon rest for about a minute, coat it with some of the sauce, and toss it in the oven to finish. Have you cooked the salmon leaving a little darker tinge of pink in the centre, but not raw? You’ve just finished it perfectly.
I hate overcooked spinach. So don’t let that happen. Take the greens off the heat just before they lose all of their structure. They will cook the rest of the way with the heat retained. Use the remaining sesame oil in a frying pan, and quickly sauté the spinach (with the help of tongs to keep everything moving and evenly heated), adding a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a small amount of salt and pepper.
Construction time – see attached photo… I added my red gym sweater to prove these aren’t random photos off the internet! Make a bed of potatoes, layer in spinach, top with maple soy coated salmon and a small amount of sauce. Excess sauce is spooned around the tower we’ve just created. Feel like impressing? The garnish is made using a technique called a “chiffonade” – essentially rolling a leaf (for this one I used some raw spinach) into a cigar and slicing on an angle to make thin strips. Coat in a dressing (I used my pomegranate salad dressing from yesterday) and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. POW! Photo worthy.
Gunner
March 22, 2011
“P.S. I Love You Salad”
I didn’t come up with the name, but here’s one on my list of this week’s menu items. I had an overnight in Brandon this past weekend, and some of my friends and I shared a room. It was not immaculately planned, so there were full beds, cots, and even one on the floor. Ahhhh Manitoba socials. You've got to love them. I didn’t pay a cent for the room, and my pal’s wouldn’t take any payment – so a meal will be my thanks for a fun Saturday night. The appetizer follows;
Makes approx. 8 servings
Ingredients
1 bag of mixed greens
1 orange, peeled and cut into segments
1 pink grapefruit peeled and cut into segments
125mL strawberry slices
125mL raspberries + blackberries
125mL blueberries
50mL coarsely chopped walnuts
125mL dark chocolate shavings (you can do this with a peeler, or carefully with a knife)
125mL pomegranate juice
25mL canola oil
1 tsp honey
