Monday, February 24, 2014

Pre-made vs. Homemade - Caesar Salad

Nowadays you can buy all types of frozen or pre-made dinners. What some people don't seem to realize is how easy and rewarding it is to make these meals for themselves. You can get almost anything you want frozen, canned or pre-made. For example you can get bottled dressings, frozen dinners, pre-made salads, frozen appetizers and much much more. This week I am going to give you five different frozen foods - one for each workday - and show how to make it yourself. Monday's dish is Caesar Salad:

Day 1 - Caesar Salad




Now normally restaurants and bottled dressings usually use a creamy Caesar however this recipe is more of a Caesar vinaigrette, making the salad less rich and a bit healthier. I think the reason this dressing is not as common is because it has a raw egg yolk which is more finicky in that it can spoil easily. However this recipe is really lovely and worth the small amount of effort.

Dressing:
salt and pepper
1-2 Cloves of garlic
1/2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
splash of balsamic vinegar

Salad:
1 head or 2-3 hearts of romaine lettuce
a big handful of spinach (optional)
2 strips bacon
small handful grated parmesean cheese
PC lightly buttered croutons


To start slice the bacon into small strips and throw them into a pan to make bacon bits. Then wash the lettuce and set it to dry. Now for the salad dressing, make it in the bottom of the bowl, so to start throw in some salt and pepper, next peel and crush the garlic into the bowl - if you're a huge garlic person like me then use two cloves but if you don't like a strong garlic flavour just crush one clove into the bowl. Next add the dijon mustard, egg yolk, lemon juice, oil and vinegar.


Now mix the dressing together and give it a taste, if it needs something feel free to add it and if not then tear up your romaine lettuce and throw it in the bowl. Add your croutons, parmesean cheese and bacon bits on top. If you really want to take it to the next level garnish your salad with some bright colourful lemon zest and serve.


Enjoy this delicious fresh salad!




Sunday, February 16, 2014

Butternut Squash - Winter Side Dish

Butter-nut squash is an under-rated gourd that is ideal for these cold winter months. It's not only low in fat but also provides a good amount of dietary fibre making it a heart-friendly choice. It also contains significant amounts of potassium and vitamin B6 which, in the winter months, is good because it is essential to keep your immune system functioning properly. Butter-nut squash is delicious and full of flavour and nutrients, but it also has a beautiful vibrant colour which can easily brighten up a dull plate. The easiest way to eat butter-nut squash is to thinly slice it into discs, toss it in some flour and then throw it in the frying pan but my favourite way is in a mash, this recipe is delicious and hearty and great on a cold night, plus there will be plenty of leftovers to last the week!

Butter-nut Squash, Apple and Cinnamon Mash

1 butter-nut squash
1 apple (my favourite is McIntosh)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter

Preheat your oven to about 350F. Then cut the squash in half and take all the seeds and filling out, now all you are left with is the bright orange flesh. Put your squash in a baking pan and add some water - the water is important to keep the squash from burning to the bottom so be generous with the water, but do not completely submerge the squash. Next dice some apples and use them to fill the holes in the squash - I prefer McIntosh because they bake nicely and get good and mushy. Now throw about 1 tbsp of butter on each half of the squash and sprinkle your cinnamon on top.

Throw your squash in the oven and let it bake for about an hour or until the flesh is soft and mash-able.





Take the apples out of the squash and throw them in a bowl, then scoop the flesh out of the squash with a spoon and toss it in the same bowl. Add a little more butter and some salt and pepper to taste and then mash everything together.






Serve with your favourite main dish and enjoy the warm comfortable feeling on a cold winter night!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Nick and Nats Uptown 21, Review

This weekend, I decided to indulge a little bit and took a trip to Nick and Nats Uptown 21 with a friend. As we arrived the hostess took our coats and lead us to our table. Very soon after we were seated, our server came to welcome us, she filled our water and offered us a drink. I took a sip of my water and was pleasantly surprised by the crisp clear taste that does not normally accompany Waterloo city water. We then took a look at the menu and lo and behold they offered an a la carte menu as well as a choice to have a 3 or 4 course meal with a set price. I, of course, chose to get the 4 course meal. Each course had two options. For my first course I chose a whitefish ceviche. It was very fresh, light and the beet chips added a nice crisp texture. Overall it was a lovely dish to start with, however it was slightly too bitter. My next course was mussels in a tomato kalamata broth. The mussels were cooked perfectly, many restaurants overcook the mussels and they end up dense and chewy however these mussels were light and tasty. The broth used canned tomatoes which normally I would be opposed to but it gave a heavier more winter-ish composition. The mussels were also served with fries as opposed to garlic bread which was a nice change. Once again, it was heavier but still delicious.

 My main course was a boar chop with a Mediterranean couscous.

 The couscous had a deliciously strong full flavour, however the boar chop was too salty. I definitely preferred the boar to pork because it was beefier, and not quite as lean, however the seasoning seemed to be overdone, particularly salt. There was too much salt and unfortunately it took away from the entire plate.







 Lastly was the dessert, I chose the Mexican spice pudding and was pleasantly surprised. It was not too sweet compared to most desserts I have had in the past. It was bold, creamy and rich. I would absolutely order it again but after three courses it was a little large.












Overall Nick and Nat's had some very powerful flavours, most of which were great, however in some cases they used too much salt bringing the overall dish down.



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