Hoisin Sesame Chicken

Norene's Healthy Kitchen is not hot off the press but a new cookbook for me. Norene is not only a great cookbook author but also a very generous and fun lady. She always has the time to listen to and answer a question and freely shares tips and her thoughts about cooking. They say that if you find one or two recipes in a cookbook that you love you're doing well. This cookbook I can tell you is going to be one of those splattered and well used books packed with so many recipes that I absolutely "need" to try.

What's key in Norene's Healthy Kitchen is that the notes and tips are so important in living a healthy diet. Norene does such a good job of educating about nutritional labels, smart choices at the grocery store and how to know when it's "enough" to name just a few.

I generally don't find books without an abundance of pictures or tutorials really intriguing but this is one of those cookbooks that's not only packed with over 600 recipes, it's just a good read.

This is lucky recipe #1 - why? The publishers only allow for the printing of 3 recipes. You'll have to buy the book - no... seriously, you really have to buy the book - it's worth the investment.

4 boneless, skinless single chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. apricot preserves or orange marmalade (reduced-sugar or all fruit_
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp lemon or lime juice (preferably fresh)
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

1. Spray a foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Trim the excess fat. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, apricot preserves, garlic and juice; mix well. Brush the sauce evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and let marinate for 30 minutes or refrigerate, covered, for as long as 2 days.



3. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake, uncovered for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.




Easy and delicious recipe and ONLY 203 calories per serving.

Perogies - New and Improved

Three years ago I posted an old family recipe for perogies. If you missed it, you can see it HERE . The other day my mother informed me that my perogy dough was too tough. I've been making them the same way for years and this is the first time you've even mentioned that you thought the dough wasn't soft enough. Perogies are serious business; I mean you just don't make one or two. You haul out the flour, eggs, potatoes and block off the better part of a day and just get busy with it. It makes a mess but if you're already making a mess, make a whole lot of perogies so you only make the mess once in a while.

I needed to perfect the recipe so I started doing some research. What do other recipes have that mine doesn't and how does it actually impact the final product. Ukranian or Polish - is there really a difference in perogie making? I found out what makes the difference and tried a new dough recipe. The secret ingredients that make the dough softer are a combination of sour cream, melted butter and vegetable oil.

Dough

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups sour cream

I found this dough really easy to work with and indeed much softer than my previous recipe. I'll have to get the "mother seal of approval" on this one.

Filling

5-6 medium potatoes
1-2 cups shredded old cheddar

Mix dry ingredients together and make a well in the centre
In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and add to the centre of the well. From the outer edge to the centre, bring in the flour to combine with the wet ingredients until all the flour is incorporated. Knead into a ball for a few minutes, cover with kitchen wrap and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour before using.

Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness in 3 equal portions on a well floured board or counter top. Flour your rolling pin well. Don't roll the dough too thin or your perogies will tear more easily. Using a glass or a round cookie cutter, cut out the dough in circles. Fill each circle with a teaspoon of filling and pinch together forming a half moon.

These are the ingredients as I used them for this batch. I rolled out 5 dozen perogies on this recipe so if you're wanting to make alot multiply accordingly. Many people like to add fried onion to their filling - I specifically don't for Psychgrad's sake. Did I forget to mention that Psychgrad loves perogies and since I haven't seen her in a while, having perogies in the freezer could be a pretty decent enticement for a visit :).

Verdict: This will now be my new go to recipe. If only I could remember where I found it.

Eggplant and Bella Mushroom Pie

A few weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of meeting cookbook author Stacey Fokas. Her cookbook Freshalicious is a strong reinforcement of the eat fresh, eat local, eat healthy philosophy. I really can't go by an interesting looking cookbook without at the very least, picking it up and flipping through it. More often than not, I'll end up adding the cookbook to my over crowded collection.

Stacey's book is not only a tribute to Ontario's bounty but also a work of love while feeding her child with allergies. The book is entirely dairy free.

Sauce
6 large fresh tomatoes (chopped)
1 jar strained tomatoes (I used a 19 oz tomato sauce)
1-2 cups water
2 springs fresh oregano
2 chopped garlic cloves
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp garlic powder

Eggplant and Mushrooms
2 x 227 g baby portabella mushrooms
sunflower oil for frying
1-2 large purple eggplants
4-6 cups washed spinach for layering

Coating
1/2 cup flour
3-4 beaten eggs
2 bags whole wheat crackers (I used panko crumbs)
2 Tbsp chicken soup base
soup base, garlic powder, fresh oregano, fresh thyme, sea salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F

Mix all sauce ingredients together and simmer for 1/2 hour

Slice the mushrooms; fry in sunflower oil until they brown; set aside

Put the flour in one bowl. Prepare the egg wash in the second bowl and the crackers in the third bowl. Add seasonings to the coating.

Slice eggplants horizontally into 1/2 inch round discs. Coat one at a time in the flour, then the egg wash and then the cracker coating.
Fry the eggplant at medium to high until golden brown and crunchy. Set them on a drying rack until you're done. If your oil gets dirty or has brown bits floating in it, discard it, wipe the pan and replace with fresh oil.

Once you finish frying all the eggplant slices use the same pan to wilt down the spinach. Set aside for assembly.

Note: Save a good portion of the mushrooms to use for the top layer.

Beginning with sauce on the bottom, lay eggplant slices into the dish to create the first layer. Pour sauce over the eggplant, sprinkle with mushrooms and add a layer of spinach. Repeat layering until the tray is full. Add enough sauce in each layer to keep it from drying

Bake for 1 hour.



I baked mine at 350 F and found the temperature to be perfect. Don't overdo the sauce as it can overwhelm the flavour of the eggplant and mushrooms.
I found this to be a very tasty main dish that I would certainly make again and again without hesitation.
If you love mushrooms, it's really okay to load up this dish with them.