You can barbecue pretty much anything

Posted by Love Love Food

May 22

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I love, love BBQ season. Grilling our meals is a favourite in our household. True that I could eat burgers every day, but there are many other foods you can grill; vegetables, pizza, and even bacon and eggs!

I love asparagus on the BBQ, all you need to do is toss the asparagus with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar & season with salt and pepper… and yes, it takes about 8 minutes to cook directly on the grill (move them around about half way in to the cooking process).

The key to a successful BBQ meal is the prep of the meat or vegetable you’re cooking. When it comes to meats you want to season well with; salt, pepper, herbs and/or rubs & olive oil). As for vegetables a little bit of olive oil (or duck fat) & some seasonings (like salt, pepper, fresh herbs) and you’re off to the races. A ziplock bag will become your new best friend; for the meat you want to put everything in the bag with your seasonings of choice and allow it to marinate for a few hours (taste best if done the day before). As for the vegetables you only want to use the bag to allow for an even covering of your vegetables. Cooking the vegetables works well in a cookie sheet or in a BBQ pan (the ones with holes at the bottom).

Here’s a simple BBQ sauce you can make to either marinate and/or cook your BBQ meats:

Tony’s super simple BBQ sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tbs. brown sugar (or maple sugar)
2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce or cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Zest of 1 orange (medium sized)

Simply mix all of the above ingredients together and let sit in the fridge for a few hours (this will allow the spices to merge with the liquids), this sauce will keep for about 4 days in the fridge (in a sealed container). Feel free to experiment with this recipe, use what you have on hand… cooking is all about trying new things.

Love & BBQ

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Lemon Curry Chicken

Posted by Love Love Food

Apr 16

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Here is the recipe from the Sunday food demo at the Spring Home and Leisure show.

You will need:

2 pounds of chicken (bones and skin removed)
1 cup of coconut milk
1 cup of mayonnaise
2 tbs. of curry (hot or mild, to your liking)
1 tbs. of paprika
2 tbs. of olive oil
2 tbs. of butter
2 tbs. of fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl combine the: coconut milk, mayonnaise, curry powder and paprika. Put aside.

Cook the chicken in a pan with the olive oil and butter. When the chicken is fully cooked, add the mayonnaise and coconut milk mixture. Allow to cook on medium heat till the sauce thickens a little. Add the lemon juice and remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

This dish is great served on rice or on a bed of cooked broccoli.

 

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Tony’s Curried Broccoli and Chicken Casserole

Posted by Love Love Food

Mar 5

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This is a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. You can have this ready to serve in less than 1 hour.

Tony’s Curried Broccoli and Chicken Casserole
Ingredients

4 tbs. of butter (plus 2 tbs. to coat the baking dish)
¼ cup of flour
4 cups of milk
¼ tsp. of nutmeg
2 bay leaves
2 tbs. of curry powder
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 lemon (juice only)
6 to 8 cups of broccoli
2 cups of shredded cooked chicken or turkey
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup of bread crumbs
Salt to taste

Put oven to 400 degrees.

Firstly, you will need to make one batch of béchamel sauce:

Bring milk, ground nutmeg, bay leaves and black pepper to a gentle boil, and then remove from heat. In a sauce pan melt 4 tbs. of butter, when melted add ¼ cup flour, continuously whisk for approximately 2 minutes. You don’t want the flour to burn, but allow it to cook. Pour the heated milk into the butter and flour mixture (through a mesh strainer). Continue whisking until the béchamel thickens. (about 3 to 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

To make it “curried”: add 2 tbs. of curry powder (you can use mild to hot curry powder). Whisk till the sauce takes the colour of the spices. Add 1 cup of mayonnaise, the lemon juice, then whisk till well combined. At this point you will want to salt to taste your sauce, then put sauce aside.

Using about 2 tbs. of butter, grease an oven proof dish (11” x 9” works well), cover the bottom of the dish with the broccoli, then spread evenly the shredded cooked chicken, pour the béchamel allowing it to cover all of the broccoli & chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar, then parmesan and finally the bread crumbs.

Cook covered with foil for approximately 30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes of cooking, remove the foil and place under the broiler for 1 minute or so (or until the top is browned a little). You will want to let this dish sit for about 5 minutes before you serve it.

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NEW! Organic Spices and Herbs

Posted by Love Love Food

Feb 27

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Introducing an exclusive line to Love Love Food: Organic Herbs and Spices.

Oragnic Spices from Love Love Food

These new products are all certified organic and are sold in glass jars. The first products in this line are:

Organic Cumin
Rich in aroma and flavour, cumin compliments a wide variety of savory foods arch as: cheese, vegetables, sausages and chili.

Organic Basil
Basil is a member of the mint family. Use in any Italian dish, especially combined with oregano, or to flavour meats, vegetables, fish or soups.

Organic Thyme
A delicious looking herb with a penetrating fragrance, thyme is a wonderful addition to beans, eggs and vegetable dishes.

Organic Saigon Cinnamon
A richer aroma and deeper flavour than standard cinnamon. An excellent choice for baking and special coffees.

Organic Rosemary
With a pine-like fragrance, a little bit of rosemary goes a long way to flavour chicken, lamb, pork, salmon and tuna dishes. Work well in many types of soups and sauces.

Organic Oregano
Oregano is delicious in sauces, salad-dressings
and in soup.

Organic Crushed Red Peppers
Crushed red peppers adds a hot and spicy taste that is wonderful accent to stir fry, pizza and pasta dishes.

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