January 23, 2012

Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins

By DarrenSavery
Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins
In a medium bowl, combine:
4 mashed Bananas
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of splenda
1/2 cup of melted butter
In a large bowl stir together:
1.5 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
***1/2 cup of milled ground flax seeds***
***1/2 cup of chocolate chips***
Mix wet ingredients into dry stirring just until mixture is moist, about ten times.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, in paper lined muffin tins.
Makes 12 regular sized muffins.
*** Optional Ingredients, you can add chopped nuts if you want

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October 1, 2011

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Chicken Burgers

By DarrenSavery

These burgers are a great change from the standard beef burger. Feel free to switch up the ingredients to suit your taste, you can even try using this recipe to make chicken meatballs! Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Chicken Burgers

  • 1 roasted red pepper, seeded and peeled, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of crumbled feta
  • 1 lb extra lean ground chicken
  • 1/2 cup of fine bread crumbs
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp onion soup mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp ground black chia seeds

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and form into 4-6 patties (I use a patty maker to get perfectly shaped burgers). Bake on a foil lined baking sheet, lightly oiled or spritzed with nonstick spray, at 425 for 8 minutes per side, or until browned on both sided and fully cooked. Serve on buns with spinach, fresh basil, and roasted garlic mayonnaise.

 

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September 11, 2011

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip

By DarrenSavery
  • 2 roasted red peppers, skins and seeds removed
  • 1 cup of crumbled feta
  • 1 cup of Greek yogurt
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Roast the red peppers over an open flame, on the BBQ or under the broiler, until the skins are blistered and blackened. If you wish you can purchase roasted red peppers from the grocery store, however doing it yourself makes for a superior final product. Place the peppers in a paper bag with the top closed for ten minutes while the peppers cool. This will help loosen the charred skins, allowing for easier removal.  After the skins are removed, core the peppers removing the seeds, and place the peppers into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic, feta, yogurt and cayenne pepper then puree for ten seconds. Scrape the sides of the food processor down with a spatula and turn the processor on and slowly drizzle the olive oil in to incorporate into the dip. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving. Serve with toasted baguette slices or pita chips. This dip also works great as a spread on sandwiches! Enjoy!

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August 27, 2011

Beer Marinades

By DarrenSavery

Here is a triple hit of some of my recent adventures marinading meat while back on Vancouver Island. By marinading meat for several hours before grilling you get to infuse it with delicious flavour without much work at all, just whip up the marinade in a large zip top freezer bag, toss your meat into it and throw it in the refrigerator. Make sure to drain and discard all the marinade before bbqing and preheat the grill on high heat for at least 15 minutes to make sure you get a nice seer on your meat.   Another tip for perfect BBQ is giving your meat five minutes to rest after cooking, put your grilled meat on a plate and cover in a double layer of aluminum foil so the juices can calm down and redistribute throughout the meat. Enjoy the last days of summer with these BBQ marinades! Let me know what you think of them by commenting on this post!

Spicy Sesame Maple Marinade

  • 1/2 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of maple syrup
  • 1 bottle of beer, Domestic Lager
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp pure toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp sambal oelek
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • Optional: 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish.

Mix all ingredients in a large zip top bag. Add your meat and marinade 8 hours or overnight. Discard the marinade, grill your meat and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Honey Tequila Jalapeno Lime Marinade 

  • 1 shot of tequila, stay away from the blanco use the aged stuff for more flavour.
  • 1 bottle of beer, use a Mexican lager
  • juice and zest of one lime
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 jalapeno pepper sliced thinly
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Course ground black pepper

This one is a favourite of mine for grilled chicken. Mix the marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Add chicken and let marinade 4-6 hours.  Discard the marinade and grill the chicken. I like to leave some of the jalapeno on the surface of the chicken to char up on the grill.

Habanero Molasses Marinade

  • 2 thinly sliced Habanero peppers
  • 1 bottle of beer, domestic lager
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 tbsp molasses
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • Course ground black pepper
  • Optional: Freshly chopped ginger root

Mix ingredients together and marinade meat for 8 hours. Discard marinade and cook meat as desired on the BBQ.

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August 23, 2011

Greek Yogurt Tzatziki

By DarrenSavery

Tzatziki is one of those zippy, rich, creamy dips that can make or break a Mediterranean spread.  This recipe is extra special because Greek yogurt has been recently coveted as a trendy “super-food” because of its relatively high protein to fat ratio. Additionally it packs  a heavy hit of calcium. When you consider that this dip is more delicious than your average super market crudites pairing, you’ll fall in love with this Tzatziki and will have no reason to try another super market dip.

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod - Tzatziki Sauce

  • 2 cups of plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 large, long English cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated and strained
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • the zest of a lemon
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped dill (or 1 tbsp of dried dill)
  • 4 cloves of minced garlic (roughly 2 tsp)
  • Salt, Pepper

1. In a colander lined with cheese cloth, add the yogurt. Suspend the cheese cloth, above the sink or a bowl, I tied it to the faucet above the sink, and allow the yogurt to release its excess moisture for about an hour. This step is the most important to create a thick and luscious dip, instead of a watery sauce.

2. Prepare the cucumber and squeeze it to release it excess moisture. Add the remaining ingredients and let sit until yogurt is ready.

3. Drain the excess moisture from the cucumber mixture and stir in thickened yogurt. Taste the tzatziki and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt, pepper or lemon juice if necessary.

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August 23, 2011

Roasted Tomato Bruscetta

By DarrenSavery

My favourite food on the face of the planet is the holy tomato. In the heat of the summer, the smell of tomatoes growing on the vine is intoxicating to me, the fragrance can take me back to my childhood, spending time with my Nana in her garden. This recipe is perfect for the end of the summer when you’ve plowed through the bounty of fresh tomatoes and you don’t think you can eat another. Roasting the tomatoes slowly brings out their sweetness and is a great alternative to the standard bruscetta. Roasting tomatoes is also a great way to use up tomatoes that are past their prime. You can even roast a large batch, which I highly recommend doing, and store them in the freezer to add to pasta sauces, soups or other dishes.  Use the bruscetta as a topping on burgers, instead of ketchup, or on a pizza instead of sauce. You will love it.

  • 1 pint of grape tomatoes – or several pints, just sayin’ you’ll be making more tomorrow :D
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt, pepper
  • 12 Basil leaves, sliced in thin strips
  • 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Additions: Diced red chilies, toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, chopped kalamata olives

Heat the oven to 250 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the tomatoes in half and combine them with the garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread them evenly on the baking sheet and roast slowly for 1.5 – 2 hours, or until they have lost most of their moisture. Once roasted, let the tomatoes cool thoroughly before combining with basil and Parmesan cheese. You can leave this recipe as is, or you can change it to better suit your taste. The real star of the recipe is the slow roasted tomato, get roasting.

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