Ice Storm Chicken

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Anyone who lives in Montreal has heard of the ice storm of ‘98. The city was out of commission for 2 weeks – schools were closed, businesses were closed too and many many people lost power. 
The day before the Ice Storm, my mom bought tons of chicken breasts because it was on sale. When we lost power, she put the chicken in our neighbor’s freezer, and over the week, it traveled to my grandparents’ house and then my aunt and uncle’s cold storage room and finally our friends who invited us to stay with them. At this point, my mother had to cook the chicken. She used this recipe (which comes from her friend Barbara with of few of my own adaptations) and it has since been dubbed “Ice Storm Chicken”.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into eighths 
1/4 cup oil olive
1/4 cup soy sauce or GF tamari
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 Jalapeño pepper, sliced and seeds removed 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp fresh mint, divided 
Sesame seeds for garnish .

Directions:
Spread chicken evenly in baking pan. 
Mix together oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, jalapeño, garlic, ginger and 1 tbsp mint. 
Pour marinade over chicken and let sit for about 1 hour (turning halfway through if you remember). Preheat oven to 375°F convection or 400°F. 
Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes, until juices run clear. Make sure to check dark and white meat – every oven is different and cooking time could vary. 
Garnish with remaining meat and sesame seeds.

Phyllo Meat Triangles

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Ingredients:
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 leek or 1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
~1.5 lbs minced meat
2 tbsp shawarma seasoning
2 tbsp tomato paste (I use @tuscaninifoods because it comes in a tube!) 18 phyllo sheets
1/2 cup margarine (melted) plus additional olive oil .

Directions:
In a large pan, sauté leek over medium heat. Once softening, add garlic and continue to sauté for a few more minutes. Add meat, breaking up chunks. Cook until starting to brown. Add shawarma seasoning and tomato paste. Cook until meat is cooked through.
This meat mixture can be used for a “humus basar” (Aka humus topped with meat) or stuffed in eggplant or just eaten as is because it’s delicious. .
If you’re making with phyllo, preheat oven to 375°F.
Keep phyllo that you aren’t using covered. I purchase fresh phyllo dough, which is much easier to work with.
Mix melted margarine with some olive oil to make it easier to spread.
Lay out 1 phyllo sheet, brush with margarine. Place another sheet on top, add more margarine. Finally place a 3rd sheet.
Cut phyllo rectangle into 4 strips (rectangle should be oriented horizontally so you end up with 4 shorter and wider strips). Place about 2 tbsp of meat mixture towards the corner of each strip and fold over to fold a triangle and keep folding over.
Repeat with remaining phyllo. You can freeze them at this point.
Place flat on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with margarine/oil mixture.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until nicely browned. ** if phyllo steps are unclear, see highlight**
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Tahini dipping sauce – this wasn’t necessary but I mixed together 2 tbsp tahini, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tbsp zaatar and water to thin .

5 ingredient Smoked Salmon & Runny Egg Cheesy “Latkes”

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Ingredients:
1 bag tater tots 
Sliced cheese 
Eggs 
Smoked salmon 
Everything but the bagel seasoning .

Directions:
Remove tater tots from freezer and allow to thaw (it doesn’t have to be completely). Spray waffle maker or sandwich press with non stick cooking spray. Place 3-4 tater tots, partially overlapping on waffle maker. Top with 1 slice of cheese and another 3-4 tater tots. Repeat on remaining surfaces of waffle maker. Close and grill until nicely browned. 
In the meantime, heat frying pan over medium-high heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Once heated, pour cracked egg onto pan and cook until white is set. 
Top cheesy tater tot with runny egg, 1 slice of lox and everything but the bagel seasoning.

Barbecue Rosemary Arayes

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Ingredients:
Pita (I used 6 medium and 20 mini ones)
2.5 kg minced meat and minced chicken, preferably not lean (I did half and half)
4 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press
1/4 c barbecue sauce
1 tbsp Montreal steak spice
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary .

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F
Mix together all ingredients, except pita. 
Slice pita partially open and stuff each pita with meat mixture and flatten to ensure even cooking. 
Spray baking sheet liberally with non stick cooking spray and place stuffed pitas on pan. Spray again with non stick cooking spray. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes (small for 20, large for 25)

Skillet Sweet & Savoury Squash

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Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (seeds removed)
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 leek, sliced 
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)
2 medjool dates 
1/4 cup craisins 
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
1 tbsp silan (date syrup, alternatively use maple syrup or honey)
Salt and pepper to taste .

Directions:
In a medium pot, boil squash until soft enough to be pierced with a fork. Do not overcook!
In the meantime, heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add leeks and sauté until softening. Add apple and cinnamon and sauté until squash is cooked. Add squash to the mixture and gently mix. 
Add dates, craisins and rosemary to the bowl and continue to cook for another few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle silan on top. 
This can be served as is or over rice or over quinoa (which is a protein for a more complete meal). 

“Krembo” Bites (4 ingredient, no-bake dessert)

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Ingredients:
1.5-2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup cookie butter (I use @lotusbiscoff )
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup broken up lotus cookies or graham crackers .

Directions:
In a double boiler, melt chocolate. Once melted, mix in cookie butter until incorporated and remove from heat.
Allow to cool slightly (so marshmallows don’t melt) and mix in marshmallows and cookies.
Spoon into parchment lined mini muffin tin (or scoop little clusters onto parchment lined baking sheet). Refrigerate until set.
Yields about 20

Fake Bacon Eggplant

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1/2 large or 1 small eggplant
1 tbsp smoky paprika
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 package @jacksgourmet fake bacon .
Slice eggplant and salt (I skipped this step but I think it would be even better like this). Let sit for 10 minutes and wipe down eggplant. Cube eggplant into small pieces. .
Mix together smoky paprika, oil, garlic and maple syrup. Coat eggplant.
Sauté eggplant and fake bacon together on medium/high heat until eggplant is nicely browned on all sides. .
Serve as is or with humus or over salad with dressing below. .
Dressing
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp Dijon
Salt and pepper

Pull Apart Banana-Almond butter French Toast

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Ingredients:
1 banana
2 tbsp almond butter 
1 tsp vanilla 
1/4 cup milk 
2 eggs 
1 tsp cinnamon
5-6 cup cubed challah
Butter for frying

Directions:
Mash banana and mix well with almond butter. Add vanilla, milk, eggs and cinnamon to mixture. 
Place cubed challah in a large bowl and pour banana mixture over challah. Toss well to combine. 
Heat butter over medium-high heat. 
Place challah mixture in clusters in pan. Allow French toast to fully cook on 1 side prior to flipping to be sure that the clusters don’t fall apart. Cook until nicely browned on both sides. 
Enjoy with maple syrup!

Fried Cauliflower Rice with Salami

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Ingredients:
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 shallot, peeled and chopped 
1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed through garlic press
1 cup chopped carrots (1/4 inch big)
3 cups riced cauliflower 
1 cup cooked rice (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas 
2-3 tbsp soy sauce or GF tamari
2.5-3 oz thinly sliced gourmet salami
2 eggs, lightly beaten .

Directions:
Sauté shallot, garlic and carrots in oil for about 2-3 minutes. Add 3 cups cauliflower rice, soy sauce, peas and salami. Cook for an additional 2 minutes before mixing in the rice. Mix to combine everything. Push rice mixture to one side of the pan, raise temperature and add eggs to empty side. Mix them so they break into little pieces while frying. Once egg is cooked, mix everything together and enjoy! . 
You can also broccoli, tofu, chicken, peppers, sausages etc. 

Asian Chicken Meatballs

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Ingredients:
1-1/4 lbs ground chicken 
3/4 cup grated zucchini, liquid squeezed out
2 tbsp soy sauce 
2 tsp freshly grated ginger (adjust according to preference)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup oats (can use GF variety)
1 egg 
1-2 tbsp avocado oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Mix together all ingredients, except oil, and form into meatball shapes. 
Heat oil in oven safe pan on high heat. Sear meatballs on all sides until nicely browned. Bake in oven for 10 minutes (check for doneness).