slow cooker chili

 it was a rainy labour day...
there is something about a rainy day in september that had me itching to use the crockpot
so i prepped many of the meals for the week
and gathered the ingredients for my simple, bub and hub tested, crockpot chili

this is good for at least 10 adult servings and 4 cups worth blended down so both boys will eat it.

ingredients
1lb ground beef - lean or ground chicken (i brown this in the slow cooker on high for 45min before adding the rest of the ingredients

then add...

1c chicken broth or water
2 chopped onions - medium
2c corn - frozen or can (if can drain and rinse well
1 can diced or crushed tomatoes with juice in
3cans of beans drained and rinsed well (i used 2 can white 1 can red kidney beans
2/3 jar of pasta sauce (my cheater secret ingredient - i used catelli garden select harvest mushroom but usually use classico or pc
2tbsp cumin
2tbsp minced garlic
4 tbsp chopped cilantro toward the end (optional - if you don't like, it doesn't need it

1/2c chopped jalapeno (optional - i didn't add as the bubs were both eating it to so added heat after
3hrs on high
serve over rice

...and i blended a few cups worth for the boys and served over rice for them too

easy!

bbq and asian week - meal planning

inspiration this week is in a few parts.
it was incredibly hot, and there was not going to be a lot of oven use. bbq was a natural choice, and asian came out of necessity. i actually think i got a bit of heat exhaustion after i did nearly 4.5hrs of walking while wearing the bub and acting as tour guide to a dear cousin on a quick visit from ireland.

bbq - my fondest memories of food on the bbq isn't from home, but rather my childhood best friend's home. her dad could seemingly do anything on the bbq and it tasted great.
that smoky corn on the cob, the perfect steak, even pork chops on the bbq (and i am not a huge fan of pork so this is an accomplishment ;)
her dad had a talent with the bbq that in my childhood mind is unrivaled in any of my adult experiences in terms of home cooking.

my list of dishes with recipes and pics in the links...

breakfast
omelette with cheese, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes
fried eggs with leftover potatoes
yoghurt and fruit
fruit salad
rotate

snacks/lunch
a lot of cantaloupe and watermelon
blue, seedless grapes
coconut rice crackers
rice crackers and hummus
veggies and dip
leftovers
salads
sorbet

suppers

• takeout vietnamese for 2 suppers (when i wasn't feeling so great it was all about soup) so i had pho, and both the 3yr old and the bub enjoy pho and vermicelli. i did post my simple recipe for strawberry sinh to and avocado sinh to - sinh to being that fancy, vietnamese version of a shake...yum
• steak and potatoes - we did steak and potatoes twice. once with top sirloin, white potatoes and salad, the other time with t-bone, white and sweet potatoes, corn and salad.
• indian night - this was a last minute inspiration/addition - brown rice with tomato dal, tofu curry, and a refreshing drink...mango lassi.
• freezer meal night was tostada lasagna, and veggie burgers
• hot steak salad

i share my meal plans at orgjunkie.com

hot steak salad

great way to use up leftover steak, and since we ate it twice in one week (yikes, we don't usually eat red meat more than once every 10 days to 2 wks)

in any case - easy steak salad

sliced, leftover steak
the dressing is to taste so what i put in the skillet
balsamic vinegar and a bit of water in the skillet first
then add the steak

and add
a bit of sweet onion salad dressing
minced garlic to taste
honey dijon mustard to taste
add more water as needed to have desired thickness for the dressing
about 5min total
put in a salad with your favourite ingredients

vietnamese nights - and sinh to (vietnamese shake) recipes

as i mentioned in a previous blog post
was feeling unwell for 2 days so i didn't do a whole lot of cooking
there were meals in the freezer
and then there was
pho bo ga king which is about 12 houses down from where we live (the convenience of downtown living is especially great when the formidable tummy bug makes an appearance!)

so i had two doses of pho this week
two sinh to drinks
and the boy and the bub shared a vermicelli plate
nothing made

but in the past i've made my share of pho, of vietnamese style noodles, of sinh to

so sinh to (vietnamese shake)
sinh to avocado
1 avocado
1 c water
1/2c coconut milk (optional) or soy milk
1/3c sweetened condensed milk
all in a blender
chill in the freezer for a few minutes

sinh to strawberry
1c strawberries (i usually use frozen)
1c water
1/2c coconut milk or soy milk
1/3c sweetened condensed milk
all in a blender

if i don't have sweetened condensed milk handy i up the coconut milk and add a tbsp of a natural sugar like agave nectar. mmmmm the best shakes ever - you can use almost any fruit imaginable. when we do take out we often do coconut as well

indian on an impulse

i have been a bit under the weather with a stomach bug for a few days (maybe from the heat, not sure)
in any case, meal planning was not as cohesive...more on the fly.
other than doing bbq, or something in the crockpot, or a salad
for a lot of flavour and quick preparation, i often throw together indian inspired dishes.

at a favourite sri lankan restaurant i love having a mango lassi on a hot day. i didn't have the exact ingredients, but i made do.

1/4c mango chunks
1c vanilla yoghurt
1c water
1 tbsp agave nectar
all in the blender and...

turned out really quite well.

also did a simple brown rice with turmeric, garlic and cumin

and because i had cherry tomatoes i had bought at the local farmers market that needed to be used

blended in a bowl here...
i decided to make a simple tomato dal and an easy tofu curry

tofu curry
1 c of cubed tofu
1/2c coconut milk
1/2c water
1tbsp curry powder
dash of turmeric and cumin
-- in the wok for a few minutes to blend and for the tofu to absorb the flavour
simple, full flavours

tomato dal
(this was thrown together so not real official dal - but close enough
1/2c lentils
1c pureed cherry tomatoes
turmeric, cumin, black pepper and mustard spice to taste
dash of ginger
1tbsp lemon juice
---all in the saucepan
tasty and easy even with missing a lot of the ingredients of a real dal

experiencing death for the first time

the title is a bit morbid
but it's been on my mind this week
the first time i remember experiencing the death of a family member
i know that 2 of my grandparents died before i was 3
but the first one i remember
that i really felt
was my first cousin brian
i think it was present in my thoughts this week because his surviving brother
desmond
visited us for the first time
i've been to ireland and back
at least a dozen times
we lived there for years when i was little
mother homesick
father midlife crisis
me - no choice in the matter
and brian was one of the cousins closest in age to me
less than a 2yr gap
considering my youngest 1st cousin is about 20yrs younger than me
an age gap in months is nearly nothing
so
we had just moved back to canada
and i remember
it was a sunny
mid spring day
full of promise
and my mom was on the phone
oh no
oh noooooooooooooooo
no no no no no no no
brian was a sweet and gentle boy
i remember the last time i saw him
the country house
his excitement in showing me the kittens that had just been born to the family cat
the ears still stuck to their heads
gentle and sweet
cupping the little fur balls in his soft hands
no
he had drowned
he was 7 years old
there had been heavy rains
a slurry pit...maybe 6ft deep
he had fallen in
his father found him and had to pull his lifeless body out
my mom heaved and shook and wept
and when she told me
i shook too
everything in me shook
all the ideas of life and existence shook
permanency shook
what was right and wrong shook
i cried an infinite amount of tears for all that loss
and it's nearly 30yrs and i can still feel the tears well up from a deep place
even though it was so wonderful to see desmond
i couldn't shake those little pieces of brian
that occupy my memory
that occupy my sense of place in the world
and i still miss him.