Family Bites

A New Way to Cook Spaghetti Squash

I didn’t grow up eating squash, and I’m not sure I knew a lot of people who did. We certainly had turnip on the table for almost every holiday meal, but I can’t recall a single time someone cooked squash. Is that strange? Was it an 80s thing? A regional thing? A family thing?

Today, I cook far more squash than turnip simply because I’m convinced I don’t like it, but that’s probably because it wasn’t peppered with much flavour when we consumed it as kids (side note: if you have a great turnip recipe, can you send it to me?). Squash is a different story though, and in my home, I add it to frittatas and salads, serve it as soup, puree it into mac and cheese and even use it in quesadillas.

My go-to for years was butternut squash, but I started branching out and admit I’ve really grown to love spaghetti squash for its pasta-like consistency and versatility.

Do you know to how to cook spaghetti squash?

I totally thought I did, until I came across a new method that was completely game changing. I can’t remember where I first heard or read about it, but just to be clear, this mind-blowing method is not my own discovery but I’m very happy to tell you about it.

Traditionally, to cook spaghetti squash, halve the vegetable lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash halves cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast at 400°F for 45 to 50 minutes. You can still cook your squash this way, and it will turn out, but there really is a better way. Here’s how I currently cook my spaghetti squash:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Trim the ends from the squash and cut widthwise into 1-inch thick rings. Remove the seeds. 

3. Place the squash pieces on a cooling rack set over a rimmed sheet pan and sprinkle both sides generously with salt (don’t worry, it will be wiped off before cooking).

4. Let the squash sit for 15 minutes. Wipe off the salt and any water that has accumulated on the sheet pan. Return the squash pieces to the cooling rack and roast for 30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes.

5. Peel or cut the skin away, and use a fork to separate the strands into long “noodles.”

So, why the change in cooking method? Halving the squash lenthiwise yields short strands, but cutting it widthwise into rings creates spaghetti length strands instead. In addition, the salting draws out the moisture and leaves the squash crisp instead of mushy. I really dig it, and so do my teenagers. 

Here are a few more cooking tips:

• Spaghetti squash can be difficult to cut into. If you have a microwave, you can cook it for 2 minutes before slicing into it to make it easier to cut.

• Look for squash that’s short and plump instead of long and thin.

• The 30-minute cooking time is just a starting point, depending on the size of your squash. Feel free to add an extra 5 to 10 minutes, if you don’t think it’s cooked completely.

• To remove the seeds, run a sharp knife around them and they’ll just fall off.

Five-Ingredient Dinners

Last month I was tasked with putting together five-ingredient dinner recipes for SavvyMom. The planning and testing process offered up plenty of inspiration that I've been missing of late, and I love how each of the meals came together. My rule was that oils, salt and pepper, and seasonings from the spice rack weren't included in the list of five ingredients, but that everything else was to be considered. The result was four family-friendly meals we ate over course of the month, and based on the comments on my teaser pics on Instagram I can tell that there is as much outside interest in these quick-to-cook dinners as I have myself.

I can also happily report that Matthew ate each of these dinners with gusto, with the exception of the hoisin pork lettuce wraps. It's not surprising, of course, but when I swapped the lettuce wrap for some brown basmati rice and tossed it with the pork mixture, I landed on something he definitely approved of. 

Here's a look at the meals I put together:

Fried Halloumi and Fresh Peach Crostini

I haven’t cracked open my laptop in nearly a week, a record for me for sure. We’re away on our first official post-baby vacation and I’m one hundred percent committed to being focused on having fun with my family and relaxing, something that hasn’t happened much in the past 18 months.

We’ve been sleeping more than usual (I actually went to bed with Matthew at 7pm earlier this week, waking only long enough to scarf down a tiny bowl of pasta for dinner before drifting off to la-la-land again), eating our collective weight in local ice cream, and touring small, nearby towns in the afternoons before heading back to the cottage for happy hour snack time. It’s been simple living at it’s best, and we’re ready to head home and face the final few weeks of summer before school and a whole set of new routines begin (we’ll have two highschoolers in the house this year!).

I’m not here to talk your ear off about our holiday, though. I really just wanted to let you know about one of those snacks I mentioned above. The fried halloumi and fresh peach crostini, specifically, because I’m thinking you might have access to some local peaches this weekend and this is just the thing to make with them for a weekend of fresh, seasonal feasting.

To make this nibble, start with some olive oil-brushed baguette slices that are baked until golden and crisp. Top with slices of fried halloumi, a sturdy, brined cheese that holds its shape when heated, fresh local peach slices, torn basil, and black pepper. That’s all you need to make a late-summer bite worth sharing.

If I was home I may have embellished these a little with a bit of balsamic drizzle, but seeing as I don’t have access to a well-stocked pantry, I was stuck with what I had on hand in cottage country, and truth be told they were perfect as it. As you can see, even the littlest one in our crew decided he was a fan of what I put on the plate, officially earning the title of happy hour snacks thief.

P.S. I picked up my halloumi at a Mediterranean grocery store, but it's readily available in most major supermarkets these days.

 

Fried Halloumi and Fresh Peach Crostini

Serves 2-4

• ¼ baguette, sliced ¼-inch thick pieces (approx. 16 pieces)
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 oz. halloumi
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 medium peaches, pitted and sliced ¼-inch thick
• 4-6 basil leaves, torn
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the crostini, preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange baguette slices on a large rimmed baking sheet; brush both sides with oil. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through (if undersides are not browning, turn crostini over once during baking). Let cool on baking sheets.

2. To make the fried halloumi, drain the cheese and cut it into slices; cut the slab in half horizontally, then slice the cheese into batons. Pat very dry with paper towels. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the slices of halloumi and cook for a few minutes without stirring, until the bottoms are well-browned. Flip the halloumi with a spatula, and brown them on the other sides. You’re looking for a nice golden brown colour for best flavour.

3. Transfer crostini to a plate and top each slice with a piece of the fried halloumi. Cover with peach pieces and scatter with torn basil. Season lightly with freshly ground pepper and serve.

21 Questions for Allison Day (Whole Bowls Review)

I’ve long said that one of the very best things to come from food blogging are the friendships that have been formed along the way, and today’s post is an excellent example of that fellowship in full effect.

My friend Allison Day – Canadian food blogger extraordinaire – recently released her first cookbook, Whole Bowls. I haven’t actually met Allison in person, only briefly spotting her across the room at last September’s Taste Canada food writing awards, where we were both nominees (she won, I didn’t). However, thanks to the positive powers of social media we became quite friendly in the months that followed, and in January discovered we share a literary agent. Since then we’ve exchanged numerous emails, most of which are just me gushing over the beauty of a book she’s been working on, and I was only too thrilled to organize a blog hop with some of our fellow food writer friends in an effort to spread the word about her crave-worthy creation.

Whole Bowls is a collection of more than fifty gluten-free and vegetarian meals to power your day. Organized by breakfast, salad, entrée, and dessert bowls, there are also dozens of mini recipes-within-recipes, plus the homemade extras and basics found at the back of the book. The idea is that you’ll use these ideas and components – plus her brilliant “Whole Bowls Formula” - to build your own quick meals throughout the week. I’m especially fond of the vegetarian pantry guide, a useful resource for anyone interested in constructing more dishes with less meat.

21 Questions for Mairlyn Smith

If you live anywhere near Toronto, or Vancouver, or Calgary, or anywhere else in Canada for that matter, you’re probably familiar with Mairlyn Smith. She is a Second City alumni, professional home economist, TV personality, and cookbook author, not to mention mom, wife, and friend to many. She’s funny, that’s a given, but she’s also kind and warmhearted, with a passion for wholesome and healthy eating. The self-proclaimed “queen of fibre” recently released her latest book, one that’s destined to become a classic in many Canadian kitchens, I’m sure.

Homegrown, an all-Canadian ingredient book with 160 recipes from coast to coast, is not just a recipe collection. Including a wealth of nutritional information and a carb counter with every recipe, Mairlyn has set out to prove that eating an all-Canadian diet isn’t just delicious, but healthy, as well.

I’ve been lucky enough to test drive several of the recipes in the book, and I agree - they’re worth knowing about. I had dinner at Mairlyn’s house last fall and was served a four-course spread of a few of her favourite recipes from the book, and then Homegrown was also the featured book at our cookbook book club last month. I’ve made the red lentil waffles for Matthew, and one of the soups for my weekday lunches. The back cover of my copy is creased with wear, and many of the pages are already marked with splatters. This is a cookbook I've been using.

My favourite recipe of all the ones I’ve tried is the Apple Maple Cheese Spread. It’s the perfect bridge between those heavier dips we usually consume in the winter, and the lighter ones that belong on a spring crudité plate. The addition of maple doesn’t hurt, either. It adds a seasonal taste, but also a touch of unexpected sweetness, too. I served the dip with celery sticks and crackers, as per the recipe instructions, and while I initially thought the call for celery (and not a variety of veggies) was a little odd, in the end it made perfect sense. Celery sticks stuffed with cream cheese is a popular snack and this dip is really just a variation of that. To celebrate this publication, I've joined a few of my food blogging friends in a blog hop (see below for links to the recipes they've made), and Mairlyn was nice enough to participate in my new “21 questions” feature.

 

Harvest Kale Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Every once in a while I make a meal specifically with myself in mind. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a hard thing to do, because when you love to feed others you tend to put their likes, wants, and needs ahead of your own. When those other people also happen to be your children, well, you really have no hope of choosing meals catered just to you because you’re likely too worried about their nutritional needs, picky palates, or desire for nothing but meat all the time (oh sorry, is that just my kids?).

This harvest kale salad definitely wasn’t made with my boys in mind, although they did eat a bit of it, mostly because I suggested it would be a good idea for them to do so. No, this salad was made because it happened to be what I was craving one sunny Sunday not too long ago, when apples were newly available at the market, a few fresh squash were crowding my countertops, and the oversized bunch of kale I enthusiastically purchased the day before was smothering the other contents of fridge. I hauled everything over to my workspace, and applied a few of my favourite salad-prepping principals to the dish:

• Combine both cooked (squash) and fresh (apples) produce.
• Add something crunchy (the pepitas).
• Add something cheesy (goat or feta).

The result just joyously shouted, “fall!” from the dinner table, and while Rob and I tucked into the dish, the boys were more enthralled with the roasted garlic sweet potato mash and green beans with pesto, not to mention the fake fried chicken, which I obviously made specifically for them. 

Harvest Kale Salad

Serves 4-6

If kale isn't your thing, this salad also works well with baby spinach. Just skip the bit about massaging the dressing into the greens and serve it on the side of the salad.

• Olive oil
• 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
• 4 medium shallots, quartered
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 bunch of kale, rinsed and dried, ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. maple syrup
• 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• ½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the squash and the shallots in a medium bowl and toss to combine.

2. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then spread the squash and shallots on a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally, until the squash and shallots are tender and lightly golden, about 30 minutes.

3. Place the kale in a large salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon, vinegar, maple syrup and ½ cup of olive oil for the dressing; season with salt and pepper.

4. Drizzle some of the dressing over the kale. Using your fingers, ‘massage’ the vinaigrette into the kale leaves, evenly coating them. Let rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.

5. Add the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl and top with the roasted squash and shallots. Toss and drizzle with more dressing, if desired, before serving.

Mexican Grilled Corn on the Cob

Grilled corn smeared with a thin layer of zesty mayonnaise and topped with crumbled feta and chopped cilantro; this is a definitely a recipe that’s too good not to share.

Local corn on the cob should be readily available in the coming weeks, and in anticipation I’ve been testing a few new recipes for our family to try. The favourite to date was easily this Mexican-inspired side dish, and I’ve been smitten with it ever since I shared it with the readers over at SavvyMom last month.

While I wouldn’t hesitate to make this for a casual weeknight dinner, I definitely think it screams, “easy entertaining,” as well. Plunk a large platter of cobs down in the middle of your outdoor dining table, and pass around wooden skewers or corn holders to make for easy eating. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 

Head on over to SavvyMom for this seasonal favourite recipe.

Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Dukkah & Spicy Aioli

Now that rainbow-coloured carrots are readily available at most of my favourite grocery stores, I'm adding them to our dinner plates regularly in hopes of convincing my boys that roasted carrots are a thing to love. My theory is that adding a burst of bright colour to the dinner plate makes the meal more fun, and therefore more interesting to eat. Sadly, they don't see things quite the same way, and are firm in their position as cooked carrot haters.

However, the adults in the house love them, and this season we've been enjoying them bathed in a bit of olive oil and honey before they hit the oven. Once baked until golden brown and tender, they're hit with a small dose of dukkah (an Egyptian spice blend) and served with a side of spicy aioli.

The idea for this recipe came from Tara O'Brady's brilliant new book Seven Spoons (you can read a brief review here). I didn't change much about her recipe because it's pretty perfect as is; there's both colour and crunch, and a touch of sweet paired with a generous dose of heat. The kids may not be crazy about it, but we are, and if you're looking for something simple yet sophisticated to serve at a dinner party this season, this dish has you covered.

I happen to have a copy of Seven Spoons available for giveaway thanks to Penguin Random House. To enter, just leave a comment telling me what you're cooking this week. It's that simple, just like these roasted rainbow carrots. Winner will be selected at random on Sunday May 11th. Good luck!

Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Dukkah and Spicy Aioli

Serves 4

For the dukkah:

• 3 tablespoons hazelnuts, skins on
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Kosher salt

For the carrots:

• 12 thin rainbow carrots, end trimmed and scrubbed clean
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. liquid honey
• Kosher salt and pepper

For the spicy aioli:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 -2 tablespoons Sriracha
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Make the dukkah by toasting the nuts, seeds, and spices in a small skillet set over medium heat. Toast each ingredient separately for 1-2 minutes, or until lightly golden and aromatic. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor or a mortar and pestle, cool completely, then process into an unevenly textured mix. Season well with salt and set aside. 

2. On a sheet pan, toss the thin carrots with the olive oil and honey, then season with salt and pepper. If the carrots lean towards the thicker side, slice them in half lengthwise, like I did in the photo above. Roast the carrots, turning once, until browned and tender, 15-20 minutes.

3. While the carrots are roasting make the aioli by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring well to mix.

4. Arrange the roasted carrots on a serving platter and sprinkle with as much Dukkah as you'd like. Serve with a side of spicy aioli.

Adapted from Seven Spoons by Tara O'Brady

Spring Salad

I made this spring salad for SavvyMom last year when we created a series of "green" recipes in honour of Earth Day. After months of feeling apathetic towards any type of greens, a sad side effect of pregnancy, I'm happy to be enjoying them again, and it’s this seasonal dish that’s been seducing me back to regular salad consumption.

Instead of tossing chunks of avocado – one of my favourite salad ingredients - into the bowl with the other veg, here it’s blitzed into the dressing with a creamy buttermilk base, one of my favourite flavours to pair with spring produce. Radishes, cucumber, zucchini, and Boston lettuce round out the remainder of the ingredients, and the entire bowl is garnished with crumbled feta cheese and crunchy sunflower seeds.

While I enjoy eating this for a quick and easy weekday lunch, it also makes a show-stopping side dish for any spring dinner party. Instead of plating individual bowls, fill a large one with the ingredients and plop it in the centre of the table so your friends can help themselves. Just be sure to serve the dressing on the side, as it’s thick and rich, and a dollop or three is all you need to brighten up the salad.

Boston Lettuce Salad with Avocado Green Goddess Dressing

For the dressing:

• ½ ripe avocado peeled
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup packed parsley leaves
• ¼ cup packed basil leaves
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

For the salad:

• 1 head Boston lettuce
• 4 Persian or mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 4-6 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 small green zucchinis, ends trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. To make the salad dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.

2. To assemble the salad, fill a large bowl with torn lettuce leaves and top with sliced cucumber and radish. Roll the pieces of zucchini and tuck them in and around the lettuce leaves, then scatter the crumbled feta over top of the dish. Garnish with sunflower seeds and serve with dollops of the dressing.

Patatas Bravas

I’ve been wanting to write this update for over a week now, but every time I crack open my laptop the baby decides he needs my attention, or better yet, my eyes slowly start to shut the moment I begin typing, prompting me to put away the computer in favour of nap, which will hopefully keep me from falling asleep facedown in my dinner later in the day.

Life with our three-week-old is pretty perfect these days, but the sleep deprivation I feel is seriously no joke. It’s not that he’s up all night – because he really isn’t – it’s just that at 39 years old I don’t function on short 2-3 hour bursts of sleep quite like I did when I was 24 and getting up in the night with my first baby. It’s okay, though; my blue-eyed boy and I are getting used to hanging out together at 3am, and I kind of cherish the quiet time together in the middle of the night.

The rest of the family has adjusted quite well to Matthew’s arrival. His Dad is pretty fond of him, and they hang out together early in the morning when I sneak back to bed for a quick nap before the big boys get up for school, and last week, as I was quizzing Ben on literary terms with his stack of handmade flash cards, he looked at me and said that life hadn’t changed much since the baby was born, but he was really glad that Matthew was here. I took that as a compliment because all Rob and I wanted was for this change in our family to be a smooth transition for the older kids, and if they feel that life is trekking on like normal – something severely important to teenagers – I have to assume that we’re succeeding in our goal. 

Speaking of making smooth transitions, I haven’t done a very good job of transferring that to the kitchen. We’ve hosted one family supper Sunday since Matthew joined us (and are attempting the second one this week), and I’ve done some baking while the older boys are at school, but dinners have been anything but delicious. Somewhere between the delivery room and coming home again I lost my meal-making mojo. There have been a few decent pots of soup, and a successful homemade pizza, but other than that things have turned out overcooked, undercooked, or not cooked at all, in which case Rob brings home something and we eat casually as I walk around the house with an infant strapped to my chest. I keep telling Rob that things will return to normal soon – more of a reassurance for myself than anything – but who am I kidding? There is no normal anymore because we’re still trying to figure out what that looks like for us, these days. 

Today I decided to put a plan in place for myself, which included getting dinner sorted out by the time breakfast was served to the kids. It worked and somehow in the process I even managed to make a meal worthy of sharing with all of you. The sausages are dead simple, of course, as are the salad and the peas, but it’s the potatoes that you really want to know about. Patatas bravas is a Spanish bar snack that’s spicy and carby and perfect for late-night snacking alongside a few cold beverages. It also happens to be an ideal dish for serving to a crowd, or even your family on a regular Thursday night. Traditionally made quite spicy, this milder version is a little more kid-friendly, but could easily be kicked up a bit with the addition of some sriracha or chiles.

I like to serve mine with a small bowl of mayonnaise for dipping, but if I were plating this for a party, I’d likely drizzle it over the top of the potatoes and set it out with a bunch of forks for people to help themselves to. One-handed eating seems pretty appealing to me right now, and even if you aren’t wearing a three-week old all night long, you’re sure to appreciate the free hand which will guarantee you can also hold a cold beverage, something I crave almost as much as the sleep I’m missing these days.

P.S. While the potatoes are completely crave-worthy, I think we can all agree that the most delicious thing in this post is the baby, don't you agree? Truth be told, he is ridiculously sweet, and if you follow me on Instagram then you already know that I spend a good part of my day snapping pics of him because I just can't get over how cute he is. 

Patatas Bravas

The smoky tomato sauce can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the fridge until needed.

Serves 4-6

For the tomato sauce:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 500 mL crushed, chopped or diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• juice of 1/2 lemon (1-2 tablespoons)
• Kosher salt

For the potatoes:

• 2 lbs. baby potatoes, halved
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

For serving:

• fresh chopped parsley
• Mayonnaise

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, smoked paprika, sugar, chili powder, hot sauce, and lemon juice and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Using an immersion or standard blender, puree until smooth. Season with salt and set aside or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the potatoes and oil in an ovenproof skillet or baking pan and toss to combine. Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until the potatoes are crispy and golden brown.

Tip the baked potatoes into a serving dish and spoon the sauce over the top. Stir to combine. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with a bowl of mayonnaise for dipping.