Ever want to escape the weather?  Some choose to go to an all inclusive resort, other choose to have special weekend away in seclusion and than there is some that just pretend to relive the summer and make a kicked up barbeque chicken sauce in the middle of January.

I guess for this week I am the latter of the three described above.  For me, nothing beats the barbeque.  The thrill of the grill and the flavors make my mouth water, hairs stand up and belly growl.  For today, I thought I would share one of my favorite sauces to have on hand – homemade barbeque chicken sauce.  This BBQ sauce can we used on just about anything… from chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, rice, nachos, you name it.

I am pretty sure you could smear this BBQ sauce on your car bumper and love it.

Barbeque (BBQ) Chicken Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tsp. Dry Mustard
• 2 Tsp. Smoked paprika
• 1 Clove garlic ( crushed)
• 4 Tsp. Chili powder
• 1 Cup Ketchup
• 1 Cup cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Salt
• 1 Tbsp. Pepper

Method

1. Preheat large sauce pan over medium heat
2. Stir all dry ingredients together and than add remaining liquid.
3. Mix thoroughly and bring to a gentle boil ( stirring occasionally )
4. Reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  The longer you simmer this barbeque chicken sauce, the better it will be.  If you notice it getting to thick, just add a little water.  Package this in resealable jars and give it to your friends, they will be happy.

OK, so you have to try this sauce… not because I love barbeque but just for the shear excitement of your taste buds.  Let me know if you do give it a try and let me know your thoughts and alterations if you made any.  Have a super day and I will talk to you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

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Good morning everyone.  Have I got a fun dish for you to try today.  Simple, easy and very tasty.  I was extremely impressed with the roasted vegetables in this dish.  The broccoli flavored with the onions and carrots were nice and tender yet crispy.  The flavor on the salmon was very good.  I used a sun-dried tomato and oregano vinaigrette which added a nice contrasting flavor to the basil and paprika.

This literally took 5 minutes to prepare and about 45-50 to cook.  The addition of the bread crumbs and the parmesan cheese at the very end added a nice texture to the salmon.  The overall outcome makes me believe that fish fillets baked on a bed of vegetables, makes an easy and nutritious one dish dinner.

Ingredients

• 3-4 Salmon pieces
• 2 Tbsp. Fat free Vinaigrette
• 1 Tbsp. Fine dried bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. Finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 Tsp. Paprika
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Cup  Broccoli florets
• 1 Cup Carrot ( chopped )
• 1 Cup Frozen corn ( thawed )
• 1 Small onion ( chopped)
• 1 Tsp. Dried basil
• 1/4 Tsp. Black pepper

Method

1. Place fillets in a shallow dish and brush with the vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate.
2. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the paremesan cheese and paprika



3. Preheat oven to 425.  Brush a 13 * 9 oven proof dish with oil.



4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together broccoli, carrot, corn, onion, basil and black pepper.  Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender
5. Uncover the dish and top the vegetables with the salmon.  Cover again and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the fish is just cooked and still moist in the thickest part.
6. Uncover the dish and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture.  Bake, uncovered, for a further 2-3 minutes or until the topping is golden. ?
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When using dried herbs make sure they are fresh and do note that they should be added at the start of the cooking process as they take longer to add impact to the dish.  Fresh herbs can be added at the very end of the cooking process.  You can also re-hydrate the dried herbs by tossing them in a little olive oil.  I recommend keeping dried herbs no longer than 6 months.

Have a super Wednesday!  I am going to get caught up on some work now as I made the big mistake of taking yesterday off…… bad idea zesty.  Let’s get cracking and I will talk to you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Friday.  As promised, a fun little post today thanks to some free goodies that were sent to me from the fine folks at Swanson Health products.  Included in the package last week are Natural Organic Almonds ( YUM), Raw Organic Honey and some Eden Organic Kamut Pasta Vegetable Spirals.

I have never tries Kamut before so I was quite anxious to give it a whirl.  I will try anything once but I was a little unsure what to pair it with.  I decided to keep it an all “vegetarian” dish.  Anyone proud of me?  Really simple dish that was quite long lasting and filling.  The pasta had a great flavor and I will definitely eat it again.  Not sure I can buy it here so I will have to hit up Swanson or the Eden folks for some more.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Kamut Vegetable Spirals
• 1 Can 15 oz Black Beans ( drained and rinsed)
• 2 Cups baby spinach
• Handful of grape tomatoes
• 1 Tsp. Olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic ( chopped)
• Splash of lemon juice
• 1 Tsp. cumin
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Cook Kamut according to the directions.
2. In a separate sauce pan, heat over medium and add olive oil
3. Toss in black beans and tomatoes and begin to cook through
4. Add garlic, lemon juice and cumin and let cook for 3 minutes
5. Toss in spinach, salt and pepper.
6. Drain pasta and add in to bean mixture.  Mix well and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Be gentle on the black beans, you do not want to have them turn into mush so when you are stirring them be sure to stir underneath them and try not to break them down.

I love getting free stuff sent to the house.  I am just like a kid when that happens.  I get so excited and get the whole family involved.  If you are a blogger, what was the favorite package you ever received?

Have a super Friday and a fantastic weekend.  Mine is action packed and will fill you in on Monday.  Rumor on the street is that we may be going to the Stock car races.  Zesty Junior’s eyes lit up like glow plugs and cannot wait.

Take care

zesty

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It’s Friday!!  Last night I was trying to think of what to make for supper and I remember picking up some green beans and I thought it would be a great side dish to go with some baked haddock.  It was so nice to have just a simple dinner after a long day.  I was really impressed with the flavor combination on the beans.  Balsamic vinegar is a great addition to any quick vegetable saute.

To finish off the beans, I topped them with Parmesan cheese and sliced almonds.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of Green Beans
• 1 Tbsp. Water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Basil Paste
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Sliced almonds
• Parmesan Cheese

Method

1. Preheat saute pan on high and add the water and beans.







Kitty on the counter making sure everything is going according to plan.

2. Cook beans until the water dissolves about 3 minutes and then add balsamic vinegar, garlic and basil paste



3. Stir fry for another minute and add the pepper.
4. Top off with sliced almonds and Parmesan cheese
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To make a garlic paste, slice the garlic finely and add a little bit of salt on the board and rub the garlic back and forth over it on the board.  The salt will break down the garlic and make a great paste for the beans.

So there you have it!  A quick and simple bean dish for absolutely everyone.  Try it and let me know what you think.  As I was eating it last night I thought that a nice addition would be a splash of some red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce to really quick it up.  Nonetheless I enjoyed it!

I hope you have an awesome Friday and a great Valentine’s day!  We have a busy weekend lined up with the Olympics, Jack Frost Winter Festival, and some music lessons.  Enjoy your weekend and we shall talk on Monday.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Wednesday!  Phew… what a day!  We will get on that in a minute.  I have been working on house decisions what feels like all day yesterday as the builders had made some great progress and had lots of questions as the floor system got underway today.  House Update Below!!!!

On to the carrots!  These babies were amazing.  As part of the huge barbecue feast from yesterday we had some fresh garden carrots that were just aching to be kicked up with some Canadian Maple Syrup.  Now not that this carrot recipe is low in fat… but I really enjoyed them.

Here are the simple step by step instructions on how to spin these carrots for your next dinner.

Ingredients

• Carrots
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Wash carrots and cut ends off.



2. Cut into pieces and place in pot and cover with water.
3. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.
4. Drain water, turn off heat and place pot back on the burner.



5. Season immediately while hot, add butter, thyme and maple syrup.





6. Stir and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I like to slightly under cook vegetables as I find they taste better than when they are mushy.  So I like to keep a close eye and try to cut them similar in size so they cook evenly.

House Update

So there you have it! Some kicked up carrots and a zesty house update. Have yourself a great Wednesday and I will see you all tomorrow for a very “Beantown” menu choice.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Wednesday!  How about taking boring root vegetables and cooking them slightly different?  Well you guessed it…. I did just that!  I was contemplating what to make for dinner all day and I ended up coming up with this quick and easy hearty dish. I started with some turnip, carrot, parsnip and brussels sprouts then added some flavors to match.

The flavors I chose included honey, thyme and apple juice.  The sweetness of the honey, earthiness of the thyme, and the acid form the apple juice was a great balance.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Turnip
• 1 Large Carrot
• 1 Large Parsnip
• 6 Brussels Sprouts
• 2 Tbsp. Honey
• 1/4 Cup Apple Juice
• 3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Prepare Vegetables



2. Preheat large saucepan oh high heat



3. Add olive oil to pan
4. Add Garlic



5. Add all other root vegetables except Brussels sprouts



6. Cook on high heat stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes to caramelize the vegetables



7. Add Brussels Sprouts and Thyme
8. Cook for 3 minutes
9. Add honey, and apple juice and bring to a boil



10. Simmer with lid for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender



11. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Instead of apple juice for this recipe, try your favorite wine (red or white) to give it a richer flavor. If you choose wine make sure to let the alcohol burn off before putting the lid on to finish the cooking process.

Let me know what you think of this flavor combination.  I was really impressed with the balance.  This is definitely a quick and simple way to kick up the boring vegetables (as I call them).

Hope you have a great Wednesday!

Take care

zesty

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This week is another healthy addition in the grocery item of the week excitement. We have been buying these bags of goodness for a while now and I must say they actually taste good and are simple to prepare. Great for a quick vegetable as a side dish or adding into a casserole at the last minute.

Health-Check program. Omstead Steam Ease™ products are the first frozen steamed vegetables in Canada to participate in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health Check program.
After a little more research with Omstead, it looks like this product may only be available in Canada. I am assuming that it may soon be in the US or maybe it is already. If not – I can only assume there are similar products like this…

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How to Shock Vegetables

Shocking, or refreshing, refers to the technique of plunging just blanched vegetables into ice water to halt the cooking. (They’ll keep cooking if you simply take them off the heat.) It locks in flavor, texture, and color, and you don’t have to worry about undercooking or overcooking. It’s especially helpful when you’re entertaining — you can do the work hours in advance and reheat just before serving.

Step 1: Prepare an ice bath. Fill a mixing bowl halfway with ice and enough water to cover it. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water (so you won’t wash away the salt absorbed during blanching).

Step 2: Blanch. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your vegetables to the desired tenderness.

Step 3: Shock. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables from the pot to the ice bath. Remove when they’re cold, in about 1 minute.

This is a very simple technique that will allow your vegetables to be much crisper and flavorful not too mention not lose as many nutrients. Next time your cooking vegetables try this method either in advance if your short on time or preparing a large meal for a group.

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