Snapshots of Spring and a Quinoa Salad

It's Spring. It's Friday. The sun is out. I couldn't be happier.

The last few weekends have been filled with brunching, shopping and lounging in the sunshine.

Plus some spring cleaning... but I won't share pictures of that. 

 

(Brunch at Cafe Medina in Vancouver)

(Waffle with white chocolate pistachio rosewater dipping sauce. Oh. Em. Gee. was this ever good)

This weekend to come should hold more of the same... plus a quick trip to the states AND our first BBQ Picnic of the season. Yay!

I hope I'm not boring you with the salads... I have been making a quinoa salad of some sort almost weekly this spring, and I am still loving them! Quinoa is just so good. and easy. and versatile. 

This one features in-season asparagus, the first of the plump, juicy grape tomatoes (they aren't quite there yet, but not long now!), and creamy dreamy goat cheese. Douse with balsamic vinaigrette and enjoy for lunches or as a side with grilled chicken or fish throughout the week.

Me? I can't wait to grab this salad and a bottle of chilled white wine and head to the park for the afternoon. 

Heaven.

 

Spring Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Chickpeas and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Salad

1 Cup Quinoa
1 Bunch Asparagus, blanched and cooled
1 Pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 Cup marinated artichoke hearts, coursely chopped
1 Can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 Bunch (3-4 stems) green onions, thinly sliced
6 Oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing

1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Garlic clove, crushed or minced
Pinch each salt & pepper
3/4 Cup olive oil


1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. I personally like to use just a little less water than directions usually say, it makes for a slightly drier end result. Once quiona is cooked (about 15 minutes), fluff with a fork and refrigerate to cool while you chop the vegetables and prepare the rest of the salad.

2. To make dressing, combine first 5 ingredients (excluding oil) and whisk together. Slowly add oil while whisking quickly, the dressing should thicken slightly.

3. Once quinoa is cooled, combine with the vegetables in a bowl, crumble in goat cheese, drizzle with dressing, and toss to combine.


Delicious served on a bed of baby arugula or spinach.

Pizza Night

I made pizza last week. I swear to you, as I am sitting here typing up this post I can actually SMELL pizza. It is possible my neighbors are having pizza, but it's more likely that I'm finally losing my mind. Either way, I really want pizza, like... NOW! 

This pizza crust is a great healthy alternative to regular wheat crust. Since its made without yeast, meaning it doesn't need time to rise, it's quick and easier to throw together too. I would normally never dream of making a from-scratch pizza crust on a weeknight after work, but I did that here and dinner was ready before I knew it. Give this a try if you're trying to cut back on white flour like me, or if you just enjoy the chewy wholesome bite of whole grains.

The pizza you see here is topped with a simple white sauce, plus loads of sautéed mushrooms and spinach. To be honest though, I think I missed the tomato sauce. I might have even enjoyed the boys version more (not photographed), which had tomato sauce, spicy capicolo, and roasted peppers. For next time I'm thinking spicy chicken sausage, fennel and olives... or maybe a seafood pizza, the options are endless.

I love pizza night. 

100% Spelt Pizza Crust

Another benefit of this recipe is that the absence of yeast makes a less elastic dough, which is VERY easy to roll out. No more tossing and tugging!

Makes 2 X 12 Inch Round Pizza Crusts

Ingredients

    2 Cups whole grain spelt flour, plus  more for kneading

    2 Teaspoons baking powder

    3/4 Teaspoon fine sea salt

    1/2 Teaspoon sugar

    1 Cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

    1/4 Cup whole milk

    2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

    1 Egg

 

1. Combine the spelt flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl - or the bowl of a stand mixture - and whisk until combined. Push the mixture up the sides of the bowl to make a well.  In a separate bowl, beat together the ricotta, milk, oil and the egg until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the centre of the well. Mix gently, gradually incorporating the flour into the wet ingredients, until a moist dough forms.

2. Fit your mixer with the dough hook attachment and set the bowl on the stand, kneading on medium for between 30 seconds to 1 minute, or just until the dough comes together in a smooth, but still tacky, ball. Alternately, lightly flour your hands and briefly knead the dough by hand for 7 to 10 turns, to get the same result.

Note: During this step I added 1-2 tablespoons additional flour to my dough, as I found it was too moist and was sticking to the sides of the bowl.

3. Cover your dough and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, this step is meant to let the bran in the whole spelt flour soften up. Meanwhile, you can prepare all of your other pizza ingredients and preheat the oven.

4. Unwrap the dough and divide into two parts. Begin to roll one half of the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper with a rolling pin. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin as you go, turning and rolling in each direction until the dough is a large uniform circle. Lift the parchment and use it to slide the pizza onto a pizza pan or peel, it should slide off easily. Repeat with second pizza crust.

Cover pizzas with sauce, cheese, and your favourite toppings. Bake at 500 F. until toppings are cooked and the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 15 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

 

Easy Little Dark Chocolate Mousse Cups

Some days call for indulgence. Maybe you’ve stuck to your diet for a whole entire month and deserve a treat. Perhaps you passed economics with flying colours, went through with a tough-to-make-decision, or have a special anniversary to celebrate. Or maybe its just a rainy Thursday.  

Whatever your reason, these light, creamy little cups of heaven will fit the bill. They are simple enough to make, but to me, feel oh so special.

My mom used to make chocolate mousse from time to time when I was growing up. Most likely it was the Jell-O brand kind from a box, but I don’t remember having any problem with that.  What I do remember is creeping to the fridge and taking a big chocolatey spoonful before it was “ready”, and praying I wouldn’t get caught.

As an adult – if that’s what I’m calling myself these days – Chocolate mousse holds a certain nostalgia, while still feeling like a very elegant  and grown up dessert.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

8 Ounces best-quality dark chocolate, chopped

¼ Cup unsalted butter

3 Eggs, seperated

1 ½ Cups Heavy cream (I used 33%)

3 Tablespoons icing sugar

1. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Combine chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl and set on top of the pot to form a double boiler. Stir often, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside.  

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs yolks, cream, and sugar. Slowly add the egg-cream mixture to the melted chocolate, stirring constantly.

3. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until they hold very stiff peaks. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

4. Pour into individual serving bowls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Top with whipped cream and berries for serving.

Recipe adapted from Chocolate.

I'm Back!

Hello there! How are you? I missed you! I had to take an unplanned vacation from my beloved little bloggy world for a while, but life has re-arranged itself quite nicely and I'm confident I will be seeing you all much more from now on  :)  Now that things have settled down and I'm back in full cooking-baking action, I'd like to share my latest foodie adventures with you.

Although they are really not that adventuresome. Maybe adventures is too strong a word. Let's call them... goings on.

Moving on.... I went to San Francisco. And it was GORGEOUS! The sun came out to say hello. It was a glorious little break from Vancouver rain. 

We dined on many a patio. I wore tank tops. And sunglasses. It was lovely.

Brunch at MarketBar at the Ferry Building. I think this was a glorious shrimp and avocado omelette. And pancakes and bacon for the boy as per usual.

The Entertainment.

The Ferry Building.

Me looking like a kid in a candy store at Miette.

Caffeinated at Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Loved the New Orleans style iced coffee!

Back off Mr. Seagull. Get your own cake.

Touristy stuff at The Pier.

Of course, it fogged over right when we reached the viewpoint for Alcatraz and the bridge, so these are the best photos we've got. Bummer.

I was shocked by the line-ups for the Street Car. I think we waited over an hour. Pure insanity. Also, no one told me it doesn't rain here. It mists. I was damp all over but never felt a single rain drop fall. Totally bizarre.

We had a wonderfully romantic little dinner a Cafe Zuni: Oysters on the half shell. A mountain of crispy little fries. A lovely bottle of wine. The most scrumptious, flavorful, amazing chicken you will ever taste. And a tart little lemon meringue dessert to end it all perfectly. 

The infamous Café Zuni chicken was no doubt the culinary highpoint of this trip. It took some sweet talking to swing this reservation, but boy am I glad I did. The chicken takes an hour from when you order it, as they make each one to order. And then you are served this mountain of the most flavourful, tender chicken and crispiest skin, on a bed of bread salad with sweet little currents and tender greens. We were seriously moaning with each bite. Boy, our neighboring tables must have felt awkward.

You can find a copy cat recipe for this chicken Here or Here. I am SO going to have to give this a shot at home.

Here it is in all its glory:

And here we are. Sorry for the fuzzy photo, it was taken by our very kind waiter.

Afterwards, we saw some cool local artist perform at some cool local venue. I felt cool.

I'm really not.

Brunch at Bar Tartine was a must. Behold: Henry's french toast with caramelized apples and whipped mascarpone-something-or-other, and my less photogenic eggs Benedict. Absolutely loved the caraway hollandaise, lighter than normal, and the sprouted bread it was served on. Yum!

We hit up the bakery aswell, but it was too packed for photos. Either that or I was too distracted by pastries. So instead I'll show you a picture of my blood orange mimosa... boy do I love my bubbly!

Bi-Rite Ice Cream!

A delectable Trio: Salted Caramel, Vanilla with Peanut Brittle and Fudge Swirl, Brown Sugar with Caramel Ginger Swirl.  I could do with more of this right about now.

Oh, and I met Joy the Baker! I ventured accross the city on my own one night to make it to her book signing. I was a huge dork, but she is an absolute sweetheart!

 Union Square Sunshine...

It was such a fun trip, now I'm itching to get out of town again!

I'll see you all very soon. Until then I've got one word for you: Chocolate.

XO,

M