Canada Day in Ottawa

Isn't Giz subtle? Next thing you know, she'll be putting out an "all point bulletin" (or whatever the Canadian equivalent would be). The truth is that Giz was doing such a good job of blogging, I didn't want to interfere. :)

First - let me say a belated Happy Canada Day and (an on time) Happy 4th of July to our neighbours to the south.


We spent most of Canada Day downtown, watching some of the traditional festivities:


Kudos to the NCC (National Capital Commission) for trying to make Canada Day more eco-friendly. This year we avoided using a lot of water bottles. Hopefully in future years, we'll all bring our own reuseable bottles and there will be even less waste.


One of my main goals for the day was to see the Queen. Like many (but not all) Canadians, I'm fairly indifferent to the Monarchy. But, seeing the Queen is a bit of a bucket list item. Now I can cross that one off:


Here's a quick video of some of our Canada Day activities.

Moroccan Kefta

Kefta is ground beef or lamb, typically mixed with cumin, paprika, minced onion, coriander and parsley. Cinnamon, hot ground pepper, and mint leaves are optional. The recipe below shows traditional quantities of these spices and herbs.
Kefta makes a superb kebab (brochette), and it's also the foundation of a number of other Moroccan dishes. You can use lean ground meat, but the traditional recipe calls for a higher fat content. The meat, fat, spices and herbs would all be passed through a meat grinder together.

Many of the recipes I looked at had the same or similar ingredients and I really wish I could remember where I found this one.

Serves 4.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

• 1 lb. (about 1/2 kg) ground beef or lamb (or a combination of the two)
• 3 ounces (about 100 g) beef or lamb fat (optional)
• 1 medium onion, chopped very fine
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon hot ground pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, and leave for an hour or longer to allow the flavors to blend.(I left mine overnight) The kefta is then ready to shape and cook.
To make kebabs, take small amounts of kefta and shape them into cylinder or sausage shapes. Skewer the meat, squeezing it to mold it the skewer.(or not if you don't want to make them into kebabs)


Cook over hot coals, approximately five minutes each side. (It may take less or more time, depending on how hot the coals are, and how thick you shaped the kefta.)

Watch the kebabs carefully, so you don't dry out the kefta.
Serve immediately, or wrap in aluminum foil to keep hot while you cook additional kebabs.

The flavour is wonderful and extremely aromatic. They do have a bit of a kick to them but not too much. They're great served with tzadziki; I used Greek Yogurt and loved the combination. Add a hearty salad and life is good!

My learning: I couldn't fathom using a fuller fat ground meat - I probably should have since I did find them a little on the dry side.

Left in the fridge after cooking enhances the flavour. The second day they were tastier than after they were just grilled.

.....psssst... has anyone seen Psychgrad lately????

Layered Tortilla, Chickpea, Tomato and Cheese Lasagna

It's Tuesday again and here's another Two for Tuesday's real food recipe. Want to know what Two for Tuesday's is? Click on over to any one of the 4 sponsoring blogs - you can see them all HERE where you'll also find all the details about how to play and how this really cool idea of blog hopping gives you 4X the exposure.



I also seem to be having this love affair with Rose Reisman's cookbook that you've likely seen me post about in the past few posts. This one is intriguing because the calorie count is a fraction of regular lasagna, it's vegetarian, it's beautiful and the best is that it's delicious.




1 cup canned corn, drained
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Filling
1 cup light ricotta (5%)
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded light cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp low-fat milk
pinch of salt and pepper
2 Tsp grated Paremsan cheese

5 large flour tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
2. Lightly coat a nonstick saucepan with vegetable oil and set over medium heat. dd the corn and saute, stirring often, for about 8 minutes or until slightly charred. Set aside.
3. Add 2 tsp oil to the saucepan and keep over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the red and green peppers. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato sauce, charred corn, basil, chili powder and cumin. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
4. Place the chickpeas in a bowl and mash them roughly with a fork. Add to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine.
5 In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses (but reserve 1/4 cup of the cheddar for garnish). Add the milk, salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
6. Place a flour tortilla in the prepared springform pan. Spread with one-quarter of the vegetable-chickpea mixture. Sprinkle with one-quarter of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers 3 times. Top with the final tortilla and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Cover the pan tightly with foil.
7. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until it is completely heated through and the cheese has melted. Cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife.

Calories per serving: 280 (hard to believe isn't it)

Note: The next time I make this and I'm sure it'll be soon, I'll cut the tortillas to exactly fit the springform. It just looks alot neater and makes a wonderful main that, served with a salad is a totally satisfying meal and you don't even miss the calories.