Slow Roasted Tomato Bacon Jam

With all of the filed ripened tomatoes around right now it is the perfect time for making sauces but I was thinking about something a little different, a tomato jam and with bacon day coming I was thinking that a tomato jam / bacon jam hybrid would be perfect! As nice as the field ripened tomatoes are they can be made even better by roasting them to caramelize them and bring out their flavour so I threw them into the oven and slow roasted them until they were starting to shrivel up and caramelize but still juicy on the inside. (Roasting the tomatoes also allows you to use those dull and drab winter hot house tomatoes to good effect!) Up next of course was the bacon followed by some of the usual jam suspects including brown sugar and maple syrup as sweeteners, a bit of vinegar for some tang and I threw in some chipotle chilies in adobo for a touch of heat. Once everything has simmered for a while on the stove all that is left is to puree to the jam desired consistency. Of course this slow roasted tomato bacon jam is absolutely fabulous on toast topped with a fried egg for breakfast and if you are looking for other ways to use it, take a look below the recipe for some more ideas.

Read the recipe »

Apple and Pomegranate Salsa

I always enjoy a nice fresh fruit salsa and in the winter you can't go wrong with a crispy apple one! Fresh fruit salsa's are super easy to make, you pretty much just need to dice the fruit along with some jalapeno and onion and hit it with some lime juice, cilantro and salt and you are good to go! At this time of year pomegranates are also available and they make an excellent addition to an apple salsa adding a nice burst of juicy sweetness along with their amazing colour.
Whether you are just snacking on this apple and pomegranate salsa or using it in something, it definitely adds a burst of brightness and freshness on a cold winter day!

Read the recipe »

Baba Ghanoush

A while ago I was on a hummus kick and it reminded me of another great dip that is very similar, baba ghanoush. Baba ghanoush is a levantine dish made with grilled eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt which are basically the same ingredients in hummus replacing the chickpeas with roasted eggplant and that makes it a great, lighter alternative to hummus. Another great thing about baba ghanoush is how easy it is to make, you simply need to roast the eggplant and then puree it with the remaining ingredients and you are ready to dig in with pitas or crackers, etc. Baba ghanoush is commonly garnished with olive oil, parsley or cilantro and optionally chili powder. In addition to making a great dip baba ghanoush also makes a nice side dish or even a light meal and I enjoy having it for breakfasts along with whole wheat pitas.

Read the recipe »

Hummus

With the arrival of the holidays I got distracted from sharing my adventures on the Taste of Israel tour (see part 1: Kanafeh/Künefe)! After an evening out on the town Tel Aviv there was an early morning tour of the old port in Yaffo, along with sampling some of Yaffo's tasty treats. One of the first things that we stopped for was hummus!

Now if you thought that hummus was just a dip that you bought at the grocery store or made at home with canned chickpeas every once in a while, it could not be further from the truth! In fact there is quite a large hummus 'culture' out there with secret recipes, shops dedicated to making hummus and only hummus, that have been been in business for generations, and even great debates on who makes the best hummus, over dinner, which is just hummus and pitas for dipping. Our first food stop was at Abu Hassan which is apparently one of the fore runners for making the best hummus in Israel. I have to admit that the hummus that I had at Abu Hassan's was the best hummus that I had ever had and that of course meant that I would have to work on my hummus recipe when I returned home!

Read the recipe »

Roasted Opal Apple BBQ Sauce and Grilled Apple BBQ Pork Tenderloin Medallions

A few months ago I had the opportunity to head out to Washington to visit the Broetje Ordchards and in particular to see their Opal Apple ordchards. Opal apples are a relativley new breed of apple that is a cross between the golden delicious and topaz, it is yellow, crispy and it has a sweet and tangy or tart flavour. Other than being super tasty one nice thing about the opal apple is that it doesn't brown after being sliced so it is great for packing for lunches pre-sliced.

Read the recipe »

Pesto Guacamole

When I came across the idea of a pesto guacamole on two peas & their pod last week I knew that I would have to make it and make it soon! You really cannot go wrong combining two already amazing things like pesto and avocados and with all of the fresh basil around now it was the perfect time to make it! This guacamole could not be easier to make, you simply mash the avocado and mix in your basil pesto along with some lemon juice to brighten things up and to help prevent the avocado from browning. Of course I went with my own homemade basil pesto which is also super easy to make and inside of 10 minutes I was enjoying some super tasty pesto guacamole! I polished the first batch of pesto guacamole off in a few minutes just snacking on it with tortilla chips but I already have several ideas about what I could use it in!

Read the recipe »

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

I have been into the cilantro lime combination for a long time now and I use it in many different things from marinades to sauces to soups, etc. and I also use it as a garnish on things like rice bowls, tacos, tostadas, fish, sandwiches, etc. The other day I had a thought: Wouldn't it be great if I could bottle the amazing cilantro and lime flavours so that I could pour them all over everything? With that idea this vibrant, light, bright and super tasty cilantro lime vinaigrette was born! I kept the vinaigrette nice and simple using plenty of fresh cilantro along with the lime juice, some oil, garlic and some jalapeno for a touch of heat. I don't know if you can bottle magic but you can certainly bottle the magical combination of cilantro and lime!

Read the recipe »

Green Olive and Preserved Lemon Tapenade

A couple of weeks ago I made a fresh batch of preserved lemons and now that they were ready it was time to enjoy them! I knew exactly what I would be using the first of them in, a green olive tapenade, where they would add an amazing lemony freshness! Other than the preserved lemons this tapenade is pretty much a basic tapenade and it goes great as an appetizer with crusty bread or crostini or as a condiment in other things like sandwiches! I had the first of the preserved lemon green olive tapenade as a snack with some crusty bread and you will have to check back tomorrow to see what I used the rest of the batch for!

Read the recipe »

Harissa

Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili sauce/paste that is gaining popularity in other countries and cuisines including Moroccan cuisine. It is typically made from piri piri chili peppers, garlic, coriander, caraway and oil and it is actually pretty easy to make at home. Although piri piri peppers are more traditional you can use pretty much any dried red chili peppers like cayenne, chilies de arbol, chipotle, guajillo so you can make harissa with whatever chili peppers that you have available. When I was first looking for harissa I could not find it so I decided to try making my own and I have been making it at home ever since! Once you have the base form of harissa down you can play around with if by changing up the peppers for different levels of heat and flavours in addition to adding other ingredients like tomatoes or roasted red peppers. I always enjoy experimenting with harissa and pretty much every batch that I make is different! I have included the recipes for a few of my favourites below including a traditional harissa, a harissa made with fresh red chili peppers along with roasted red peppers for some sweetness to balance the fiery heat and a Mexican style salsa roja take on harissa.

I use harissa in a number of my Moroccan recipes! Check out below for a list!

Read the recipe »

Jalapeno Popper Dressing

As many of you know I am completely obsessed with jalapeno poppers and I enjoy experimenting using their flavours in others dishes. With summer here I have been thinking about salads a lot and the other day I had a crazy idea, how about a jalapeno popper salad dressing? The thought of a dressing that can give any salad all of the flavours of jalapeno poppers was so wonderfully amazing that I just had to make it! Jalapeno poppers are made by stuffing jalapeno peppers with cheese, commonly cream cheese, and then either breading them and frying until crispy or wrapping them in bacon and grilling them. With these flavours in mind I started the dressing out with a base of creamy and tangy cream cheese along with plenty of jalapeno peppers. Too make the dressing pour-able I added Greek yogurt and butter milk and I seasoned it with garlic, green onions and cilantro. I couldn't give the dressing a crispy coating so I opted for the bacon; I mean you can never go wrong with adding bacon! The resulting jalapeno dressing is super smooth and creamy with just the right amount of heat and all of the flavor of jalapeno poppers! Using a low fat cream cheese works perfectly well in this dressing meaning that it is also pretty light! Salads better beware this summer as this jalapeno popper dressing is coming!

Read the recipe »

Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Grilling season is quickly approaching and I am getting ready by making some homemade BBQ sauces starting with this seasonal strawberry BBQ sauce. This strawberry BBQ sauce was inspired by the flavours in my strawberry and balsamic grilled chicken salad and my balsamic strawberry and chicken pizza with sweet onions and smoked bacon which predominantly feature the strawberry and balsamic vinegar flavours along with some Asian influences. I really wanted to be able to taste the strawberries in this BBQ sauce so that meant starting with a lot of strawberries and roasting them to concentrate their flavour. I like a BBQ sauce with a nice sweet side so for the sweetener I went with a combo of maple syrup and some homemade strawberry jam to add even more strawberry flavour. Up next was the balsamic vinegar for some tartness, soy sauce for the saltiness and a smoky and spicy chipotle chili in adobo. Continuing with the Asian influence I added plenty of garlic and ginger along with some BBQ sauce staples with a fresh cilantro finish. I have to say that this roasted strawberry BBQ sauce is addictively good! The strawberry flavours shine through and it has a really nice balance of sweet, spicy, tart and salty and lets not forget those sultry smoky undertones.

For my next batch I plan on adding bacon since both the salad and the pizza that inspired this dressing include bacon!

Read the recipe »

Guinness Chocolate Syrup

For those of you that have tried my Guinness chocolate cheesecake, and if you haven’t you seriously need to, you will know that Guinness brings out chocolates natural flavour, enhancing it, making it even better. For my next St Patrick's Day dish I needed a chocolate syrup and in my mind a Guinness chocolate syrup was the only way to go! A simple syrup, just like its name implies, is really simple requiring just water and sugar to be combined and simmered to melt the sugar and thicken the syrup a bit. A chocolate syrup is made by adding cocoa powder to the mix and a Guinness chocolate syrup is of course made by simply replacing the water with Guinness. As easy as this Guinness chocolate syrup it is also amazingly good and I cannot wait to start using it!

Read the recipe »

Vanilla Bourbon Caramel Sauce

I almost forgot to share the vanilla bourbon caramel sauce recipe that I mentioned in the pumpkin Greek yogurt banana bread the other day! This vanilla bourbon caramel sauce is a pretty standard caramel sauce with the seeds from a vanilla bean and a splash of bourbon added to add a depth of flavour and to give it an even more amazing aroma. Caramel sauce can be a bit tricky to make at first but once you get the hang of it, it is really easy! In fact the hardest thing about it is that it requires you to watch it the whole time because if you take yours eyes of of it for a few seconds it can burn really quickly. So other than having to dedicate 20-30 minutes of time to making it, it as simple as melting some sugar, bringing it to a boil and cooking it until it turns a nice amber colour. All that remains is to carefully add the cream followed by the butter and any flavourings that you want, in this case the vanilla and the bourbon.

Read the recipe »

Tequila and Lime Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce

No holiday turkey dinner is complete without some homemade cranberry sauce and since it is so easy to make at home you really have no excuse not to! Although a basic cranberry sauce is amazing all by itself, you can change things up every once in a while by adding various flavoura and this time I went with a Mexican inspired flavour theme with spicy jalapeno peppers, lime and a hit of tequila. The heat provided by the jalapeno peppers goes well in the sweet and tart cranberry sauce making it little like a salsa and the lime juice really brightens it up!

Read the recipe »

Roast Zucchini Salsa

Not too long ago a made an absolutely fabulous swiss chard pesto that was really more of a combination of a pesto and a salsa, and I have been fascinated by the idea ever since. With all of the zucchini around these days I was thinking that a zucchini salsa/pesto would be a great way to enjoy some! At its base this zucchini salsa looks like a basic pesto with the basil being replaced by zucchini, the pine nuts replaced with pepitas and the lemon juice replaced with lime juice. From there some more salsa like ingredients are added including some spicy jalapeno peppers and fresh cilantro. Of course I decided to roast the zucchini first to tenderize it and bring out more of its flavour! Because of the roasting, this salsa takes a bit of time to make but well worth it! The roasted zucchini goes amazingly well with all of the flavours in this salsa and the creaminess of the pureed pepitas adds a whole new dimension of texture.

Read the recipe »

Roasted Poblano Crema

Sour cream, Mexican crema or if you are looking for a healthier alternative, Greek yogurt, are great condiments that can be used in all types of Mexican style dishes from tacos to burritos and beyond. Although it is super easy to just grab a spoonful of sour cream right from the container, why not take the opportunity to add more flavour to the dish by making a flavoured sour cream? With this in mind I decided to make this roasted poblano crema to go on the tacos that I was making. Poblano peppers have a mild heat that makes them perfect for something like this and roasting them mellows them out an bit and adds a nice smokiness to them. In addition to the roasted poblano peppers I added some garlic and green onion to the crema for even more flavour and some cilantro and lime juice for a bit of brightness.

Read the recipe »

Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

I do not know how I could have possibly missed the whole bacon jam band wagon when it came around a while ago but I recently discovered it and jumped right on board! I mean, how could you possibly go wrong making a jam where the primary ingredient is bacon? I was completely smitten with the idea and had to make a batch right away!

Read the recipe »

Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing is one of the most popular dressings around and I had been thinking about making a spicy jalapeno ranch dressing for a while. Your basic ranch dressing is made with buttermilk and mayonnaise and it is seasoned with spices such as salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard along with plenty of herbs including parsley, chives and dill. All of this makes for a cool and creamy dressing but this time I was thinking more along the lines of a Texmex style ranch dressing with some heat from jalapeno peppers in addition to some fresh cilantro and a burst of lime juice. Making a ranch dressing could not be easier, you simply have to puree everything in a food processor or blender and it is ready to go. When it is this easy to make your own amazingly tasty dressings at home, why wouldn't you!

Read the recipe »

Creamy Avocado Dressing (aka Guacamole Buttermilk Dressing)

For a new salad that I have been thinking about I wanted a nice and cool and creamy dressing and I was thinking about trying something a little bit different, an avocado dressing. I am so totally addicted to avocados and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy them! I was originally planning on including diced avocado in the salad but I liked the idea of a creamy avocado dressing even more. For the avocado dressing I was thinking about starting it off a lot like a guacamole with plenty of fresh ingredients like cilantro, lime juice and even some jalapeno peppers to add a touch of heat. A quick search of the internet for these ingredients turned up a recipe for an avocado dressing pretty much just like the one that I was thinking about on Skinny Taste. I did make one quick change to the recipe by including some mayonnaise which goes fabulously well with avocados. I have to say that this avocado dressing is amazingly good; nice and creamy so so fresh and vibrant! Now I just need to resist eating it all by the spoonful so that it can make it into the salad!

Read the recipe »

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

With spring here it seems almost inevitable that I dust off my trusty old hollandaise sauce recipe because it goes so well with all of the abundant asparagus that is available right now. A Hollandaise sauce is a French sauce that is an emulsion of egg yolks and butter and it is commonly seasoned with lemon juice, salt, and a touch of cayenne pepper. Given that a Hollandaise sauce is pretty much just and emulsion of butter it is decadently creamy and hint of lemon really takes it over the edge. The one problem with a Hollandaise sauce is that it can be a bit tricky to make by the traditional method over a double boiler and that can intimidate some and keep them from making it. I recently came across the idea of making a Hollandaise sauce in a blender and it is literally as easy and blending the egg yolks and lemon juice and then slowly streaming in the hot melted butter and it emulsifies almost immediately! After coming across the idea I just had to try it and it worked perfectly! Now my only concern is that since it is so easy to make, I will be having this decadent treat far too often.

Read the recipe »