Tag: holiday meal

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.

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.

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). 

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).

Pesto stuffed chicken with artichokes and sundried tomatoes

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Ingredients:
6 pargiot (boneless chicken thighs)
3 sundried tomatoes (packed in oil)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled 
2 tbsp fresh basil
1/4 cup pesto sauce (I used store bought)
1/4 cup marinated artichokes 
1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions:
In a food processor, pulse tomatoes, garlic, basil, pesto and artichokes. Mixture should have some small chunks remaining. Place about 1.5 tbsp of mixture into each piece of chicken, fold over and secure when toothpick. Spread remaining mixture over chicken. Place in Pyrex baking dish. Pour wine at the bottom of the pan. 
Allow to marinate for about 1 hour. 
Bake (uncovered) at 350° for 45 minutes, basting halfway through. 
Remove toothpicks prior to serving.

Chocolate Halva Baklava

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Ingredients:
3/4 cup mixed pecans, almonds and pistachios, chopped into small pieces 
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp honey, divided 
1/2 cup chocolate chips 
1/2 cup Halva 
12 sheets phyllo dough 
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. 
In a bowl, mix together nuts, brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey, chocolate chips and halva.
Cut your phyllo sheets to the size of your pan. I used a 9“ round pie pan. Keep phyllo covered with damp towel when not in use. .
Brush the bottom of the pan with coconut oil. Layer 1 sheet of phyllo and brush with coconut oil. Layer 3 more sheets of phyllo, brushing with oil after each one. 
Spread 1/2 of nut mixture onto phyllo. 
Layer 4 more sheets of phyllo and brush coconut oil after each layer. 
Spread remaining nut mixture onto phyllo. 
Top with 4 phyllo sheets, with brushed coconut oil after each layer. 
Cut lines with a sharp knife all the way through the baklava to form the shape you’d like for your baklava. 
Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is nice and golden. 
Immediately, drizzle remaining honey over the baklava. 
Typically baklava is best cool, but this one is yummy when warm (not too hot) as well.

Stuffed Chicken Marbella

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8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
1 cup prunes, chopped 
8 cloves garlic, minced 
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
1/4 cup green olives, chopped 
1/4 cup capers 
2 tbsp oregano 
Freshly ground pepper 
1 cup dry white wine 
2 bay leaves 
4 tbsp silan (date syrup)
.
Mix together prunes, garlic, vinegar, oil, olives, capers, oregano and pepper. Place about 1 tbsp of mixture into each live of chicken, fold over and secure when toothpick. Place in Pyrex baking pan. 
Allow to marinate for a few hours. .
Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Drizzle silan over chicken. Pour wine around chicken and tuck 2 bay leaves into pan. 
Bake for about 35 minutes. 

Smoky Maple Sweet potato pie

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My good friend Sara sent me a delicious sweet potato pie recipe years ago and this recipe is inspired from there. .
Ingredients:
3 cups sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup coconut cream or soy milk
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper 
1 tbsp avocado oil
1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 oz gourmet salami, chopped into small pieces – I used @amsellemgourmet_butcher chorizo 
2 medjool dates, pitted and cut into small pieces 
1/3 cup chopped pecans 
3 tbsp maple syrup, divided 
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped .
Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Boil sweet potato in water until a fork goes through easily. Drain, transfer to a bowl and mash. 
Mix in coconut cream, egg, salt and pepper to sweet potato. Transfer to a pie dish to bake. 
While sweet potato is cooking, start sautéing onion in oil at medium heat – onions should slowly turn translucent and then start caramelizing. Once golden brown, add in cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add in salami, dates, pecans, 2 tbsp maple syrup and rosemary. Cook for another minute, until well incorporated. 
Spread pecan salami mixture over sweet potato and drizzle on remaining maple syrup. 
Bake for about 25-30 minutes (checking to make sure it doesn’t burn).

Coffee Rosemary Rack of Beef Short Ribs

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3 kg rack of beef short ribs 
1/3 cup Trader Joe’s coffee rub (for a copycat coffee rub, check out this recipe from Cooking with Tantrums https://cookingwithtantrums.com/2016/07/coffee-garlic-rub/ )
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp dry mustard (omit for passover)
Handful chopped fresh rosemary 
Fresh ground pepper . 
Mix together all ingredients except meat to form a rub and spread over beef. 
Bake uncovered at 375°F convection for 30 minutes 
Then 250°F non convection covered for 2 hours 
Serve topped with sauce from pan.

Rosemary Roast Chicken

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This chicken is simple and delicious! Hope you try it and enjoy it! .
2 whole chickens, cut into eighths 
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
2 tbsp smoked paprika 
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped 
1/2 tbsp Trader Joe’s lemon pepper 
2 tbsp silan .
Mix all marinade ingredients together except silan. Spread over chicken (underneath skin) and allow to marinate for about 1 hour. .
Bake at 400°F convection for about 60 minutes, basting every 15 minutes or so. In the last 10 minutes, drizzle on silan. Check for doneness with meat thermometer.