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Thanks to you I have re-vamped my blog and moved it to www.suburbansinglemom.ca

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I will try my best to post daily my favorite recipes and other exciting stuff!

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Chicken Bean Burritos

A great hearty lunch or for the dinner on the go. As moms (or dads) we are always on an itinerary with our children. Dance classes, soccer, hockey games. Make this ahead and freeze it. Defrost in the morning so it's ready for dinner. When you get home, place it in the oven to heat through or microwave; and away you go!



Chicken Bean Burrito

Chicken Bean Burrito

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown rice

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion chopped

1/2 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp. tomato paste

1 can 19 fl. oz. (540 ml) black beans

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 burrito-size whole wheat tortillas, 10 inches each

Salsa and sour cream (optional)


Cook rice your brown rice and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium and add the onions, garlic, pepper, cumin, salt and pepper. Sautee until translucent, add the meat and continue to cook until the meat has browned.

Add the tomato paste and cook, for 1 minute. Make sure you're stirring while this is cooking.

Add the tomato paste cook for about 1 minute

Add the beans, and 1 cup of water; bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer, stirring until thickened (approx. 15 min.)

Add the beans and water and simmer until thickened

Add the corn and cook to heat through for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add corn and heat through. Remove from heat.

Heat the tortillas according to the package. Then fill with the rice, and bean mixture. Add the cheese. The filling must be placed on one side of the tortilla. Fold sides, and hold the sides together and roll tightly into a bundle.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

If you are freezing the burritos, wrap the burrito individually and place in the freezer.

Ricotta For Breakfast

Steel cut oats, greek yogurt parfaits are the latest craze for healthy breakfasts these days. Which is great. But sometimes we need change. Changing it up a bit to make our mornings a little more interesting is needed sometimes.

I've featured my cottage cheese parfaits which are truly delicious.

Ricotta to me is such a delicious cheese. Light, creamy and a nice sweet taste. I usually like buying fresh ricotta from the local farm, or I sometimes make my own at home. Get some ricotta and try this recipe for breakfast.

Ricotta Parfait

Take a mason jar. Add fresh ricotta at the bottom. Layer with fruit of your choice. You can add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, walnuts; the combinations are endless. Keep layering until you reach the top. I like eating the ricotta without it being sweetened. You can add cinnamon, honey or maple syrup to naturally sweeten your parfait.

Close the lid and away you go!

Creamy Oh So Delicious Pasta Salad

I've officially started the barbeque season this weekend. We celebrated my daughter's sweet 16 birthday by hosting a barbeque. A request that she made was for me to make my pasta salad. So I did. I love this recipe because I prepared it the night before so the flavors can blend and make the salad even tastier. And to allow me more time to focus on other last minute dishes.

I used Renee's half the fat greek salad dressing which is so creamy, flavorful and delicious.


Creamy Pasta Salad

1 pkg.             bowtie pasta, cooked and cooled down

1                     green pepper, chopped into 1/2" pieces

1 1/2 cups      shredded carrots

1 can             sliced black olives

3                   green onions chopped, stems removed

2 stalks         celery finely chopped

1 jar              Renee's Half the Fat Creamy Greek Dressing

salt and pepper to taste



This dressing gives the pasta salad a creamy texture

 Add all ingredients into the bowl and mix in the dressing. Refrigerate over night to let the flavors incorporate.



Make this the night before to allow the flavors to infuse.

Granola Bites

A quick and easy recipe for snacks. You never know what packaged granola at the store is made of. I like to make my own so I know what we are eating. The crisp rice cereal adds a nice crunchy texture.

Another recipe hit in my house. And no baking required.

Granola Bites

Granola Bites

1 cup              mixed dried fruit (raisins, abricots, cherries, chopped dates)
1/2 cup           raw sunflower seeds, shelled
1/2 cup           raw pumpkin seeds
7 cups            crisp rice-cereal
1 cup             quick oats
1 1/2 cups     chunky peanut butter   
1 cup             light corn syrup
1/2 cup          brown sugar
1 cup             dry instant nonfat dry milk
1 tsp              vanilla extract

Grease 15x10 inch pan

Combine dried fruit and seeds in food processor, cover. Pulse to chop into small pieces. Transfer to large bowl. Add rice cereal and oats, mix well.

Combine peanut butter, corn syrup and sugar in small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH until bubbly about 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir in dry milk and vanilla extract. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture. Stir well to coat. Let cool completely before shaping into balls. Store in air tight container.

Pasta Al Forno

This recipe is one of my family's favorite dishes. Easy to make and a true Italian comfort food. I love making this dish when hosting a dinner party. I make it ahead of time and when I am almost ready to serve, I pop this baby in for about 45 minutes before serving time. Serve this with a side of salad and your dinner will be complete!

I used a rigatoni pasta with this dish. Penne would be a good substitute.

Pasta al forno translated in English means pasta in the oven. It's a classis dish using a meat sauce with your pasta and baking it the oven. I usually dedicate one day on the weekend to cook for the week since my week nights are so hectic. Make this ahead of time and freeze. Pop it out of the freeze the day of and bake when ready.

Pasta Al Forno

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Meat Sauce

1             garlic clove, minced

1/2         small onion or 1/4 large onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp.    olive oil

1 lb         extra lean ground beef or veal

1 can       pureed tomato

1 tbsp.     chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp        dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 pkg      rigatoni or penne pasta

1/4 cup   grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup   shredded mozzarella cheese

Sautee the garlic and onion with the olive oil

Add the ground meat and continue to cook until browned

Add your pureed tomato, parsley, basil, salt and pepper continue to cook for about 20 minutes

While your sauce is cooking, cook your pasta according to package directions. The pasta I used was rigatoni

Spoon a layer of the sauce in your baking dish, then top with the cooked pasta. Layer the cooked pasta, adding more sauce and mix until the pasta is well coated. If you have leftover sauce, place in a container and freeze for future dishes.

First add the parmesan and mix. Top with mozzarella cheese, cover with foil and bake in a 350 degrees F oven. for 45 minutes. Half way through the baking process, remove the foil and continue baking.

Buon Apetito!

Carrot Muffins

When my children were small, oddly enough they loved vegetables. But as they got older, green food became "not cool". They started not to eat fruits and vegetables like they used to. So, to improvise, I would sneak it in their food. I would puree the vegetables in soup so they would not see the chunks or would make healthy snack items. One of the items I usually make are these carrot muffins. Moist and so tasteful, it has become a hit here in our household. I use whole wheat flour for extra fibre. If you do not like the taste of whole wheat, all purpose flour can be used.

Carrot Muffins



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

one or two 12-cup muffin pans, greased or lined with paper liners

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

3/4 cups raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots

3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine the flour, sugar, raisins, walnuts, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt in a large bowl. Stir well.

Beat carrots, eggs and oil. Add to dry ingredients all at once, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans, filling three quarters full for regular-size or full for large-size muffins.

Bake for 20 minutes for regular muffins or 27 minutes for large muffins or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

Variations:
Omit nuts if desired. My kids hate nuts so I make carrot muffins without the nuts.

Switch the carrots with shredded zucchini.

A healthy breakfast alternative. My son

Cheese Biscuits

I love cheese and especially in biscuits! Serve with tea, some grapes or a nice glass of wine. I cannot stop at one! Make little bite size sandwiches with these cheese morsels. I know when I bake a batch, the biscuits disappear quickly. I love to serve these as a finger food if I'm hosting an event.

Cheese Biscuits

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten (to brush the tops)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using pastry blender (or two dinner knives), cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs.

Stir in cheese. Pour milk over top and stir with fork to make soft, slightly sticky ragged dough.

With floured hands, form into a large ball. Turn dough onto floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead gently 10 times.



Form dough and knead gently 10 times

Gently pat into 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick round. Using a 2 inch (5 cm) floured cutter, cut into rounds.

cut into 2 inch round (1/2" thick)

Place on ungreased baking sheet. Gather up scraps and repeat dough; cut more rounds, pressing remaining scraps into final biscuit.

Place on ungreased baking sheet

Brush tops of biscuits with egg. Bake in centre of 425 degrees F oven (220 degrees C) until golden, about 15 minutes.

Brush top with egg wash

Let cool on rack.

Enjoy!

Rice Ring With Meat Sauce Stuffing

This is a true crowd pleaser if serving at a party or a dinner. It's literally dinner in a pan. Serve with an arugula salad and dinner is done!

Rice Ring Stuffed With Meat Sauce

Meat Sauce


1 bottle or can of tomato puree
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp. olive oil
450 gr (1 lb) ground beef
1 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

Meat Sauce

Sautee the onion, garlic until translucent. Add ground beef and sautee until fully cooked. Add the tomato sauce, parsley and let simmer on med/low heat for about 40 minutes stirring the sauce often. Add peas  and let cook. Set aside.


For the rice ring you will need to boil 6 cups of water with salt and 3 cups of Arborio rice.

In the meantime prepare your bundt pan.

Butter your bundt pan and coat with bread crumbs, I used the Italian seasoning bread crumbs

Once your Arborio rice has cooked and cooled down, add 1 cup of parmesan cheese and two eggs to your rice. Blend thoroughly.

Wet Hands and Form Rice in Pan

Fill With Meat Sauce and add chunks of mozzarella (about half a ball)

Cover with remaining rice. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes

Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with remaining sauce.

Penne With Peas and Mushrooms

This dish is easy and quick to make. If you're a soccer mom, this would be a great pre-game meal that is quick and easy to make.  If you like spicy, add a bit of hot pepper flakes. Also nice with rice or gluten free pasta.

Penne with Peas and Mushrooms

Penne With Peas and Mushrooms

1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg, cooked penne
4 tbsp. olive oil
hot pepper flakes, optional

Once the pasta has cooked, reserve 1 ladle of the pasta water for later.

Sautee the onion and garlic with the olive oil until golden. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for about 8 minutes.

Sautee the mushrooms until cooked



Add the frozen peas to the mushrooms and continue cooking

Add the cooked pasta and the reserved water and continue cooking for another 5 minutes

Serve With Parmesan Cheese 

Decadent Ice Cream Pie

If you're intimidated with baking, why not try this recipe out. A delicious ice cream pie that is easy to make and great to make ahead for your dinner or event. Or just make this and savor for a cheat night!

Why not serve this at your next barbeque?

Vanilla Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream Pie

Crust:

1 1/4 cup Oreo Cookie Crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

Press on bottom of 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Pie Filling:

1 cup (6 oz) semi sweet chocolate squares, chopped

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy (double cream)

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

1 cup confectioners (icing) sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup Skor bits

1L tub of premium vanilla ice cream

Melt the chocolate, butter. cream and corn syrup on top of a double broiler. Set over but barely touching the simmering water. Stir constantly until chocolate has melted.

Add the sugar and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Reserve 1/2 cup of the chocolate for the pie topping. Spread the remaining on the cookie crust. Sprinkle with half of the Skor bits. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a large bowl, using a paddle attachment, beat the ice cream with an electric mixer until spreadable but not runny. Pour immediately into the prepared pie plate and freeze until firm (about 2 hours).

Microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals until spreadable. Remove, stirring quickly and spread onto the pie. Sprinkle with the remaining Skor bits and freeze until completely firm before serving. If you are making this ahead, remove from freezer about 10 minutes before serving to make cutting easier.

* If you do not like toffee bits, substitute for chopped, roasted almonds.

Old Fashioned Pound Cake

A friend of mine shared her family's pound cake recipe with me which I love to make. She brings this cake in to work to share with us and on special occasions. This is where simple just tastes so good. Only a few ingredients and you have such a moist, buttery cake. She uses almond extract which gives a nice almond taste. If that's not your thing, you can use a lemon extract to substitute. That's why I love baking. I always like to tweak recipes to how I like it.

Old Fashioned Pound Cake

Old Fashioned Pound Cake

1/2 lb butter (at room temperature)
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp almond extract or you can use vanilla or lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease an 8 inch tube cake pan

Cream butter well. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, mixing well. Then add eggs, one at a time. Then add flour, a couple of tablespoons at a time. Almond flavoring comes last.

Pour into your prepared cake pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa has been my go to grain. I make it for breakfast, and now I have created a salad recipe which is absolutely delicious. Great served as a side dish with fish or meat.







Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
1 small cucumber, chopped
2 chopped green onions
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup feta cheese


Dressing

juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. greek oregano or regular oregano


In a small bowl whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper and set aside

In a larger bowl combine all the ingredients and stir in the dressing. Refrigerate before serving.

I would make this salad ahead of dinner or your event. The flavors will blend while refrigerated preferably overnight.

Homemade Ricotta

When my mother was growing up, she lived in a very small Italian village called Roccamontepiano. It was a small village located at the tip of the Gran Sasso Mountains near the City of Chieti. The current population is about 1800 people. When she grew up, they lived off the land. They did not have the convenience of hopping into the car and go to the grocery store. They had their own chickens, sheep and cultivated their own vegetables. Water was fetched every day from the well. The day was spent either in the fields, tending the animals, cooking or making household items (including their own fabric).

I am going to share with you today a recipe on how to make homemade ricotta. Nothing beats homemade ricotta!

Ingredients

2L (8 cups) whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
juice of one lemon

large sieve and cheesecloth

Line a large sieve with the cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl.

Bring the milk, cream and salt to a rolling boil in a heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low and stir constantly. You are going to start seeing the milk to curdle. Stir for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let drain for about an hour.

Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain for about an hour

Discard the liquid, cover the ricotta and refrigerate.

 

 

Ricotta can be eaten on its own, or as a delicious breakfast. Sweeten with some honey, blueberries, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and cinnamon.

Serve this as a snack or breakfast

Roasting Peppers 101

In my family we try our hardest to keep the Italian tradition. My mom has continued to teach me cooking traditions that were taught to her when she was growing up. In the Fall, we usually buy a bushel of peppers at the local farm and  dedicate a day to roast our peppers outside on the barbeque. We have an assembly line to clean, season and preserve the peppers. We also cut up raw peppers, bag and freeze so we have peppers readily available and at a fraction of the cost.

Another family event that we do to keep our traditions and family ties strong.

It is now spring and have run out! I haven't had a chance to take out my barbeque so I've decided to roast my peppers which is just as yummy. Great as a side dish, or a topping in a sandwich. Veal on a bun perhaps?




Roast your pepper until well cooked

Split, remove seeds and peel. Be careful, it's hot!


 

Slice peppers and wash (to remove remnant seeds)

Season with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Feeling Peachy

Breakfast to me is my favorite meal of the day. I like to wake up and start my day with something tasty, healthy and delicious. And, most importantly filling. I need substance to carry me through my busy morning. When my healthy eating started, I have to admit, I found a lot of the recipes to be truly gross. I know, I know, it's suppose to be good for you. But if I have to plug my nose and gag to eat it. Forget it! So, steel cuts oats they say is really good for you. It lowers your cholesterol, it's filling, but...it's tasteless. That gets my wheels turning on how I can make this healthy grain tasty. I love peaches but unfortunately, it is not in season. I created this recipe and used frozen peaches. When in season, use fresh. I added a citrus twist to naturally flavor the oats.

Steel Cut Oats With Peaches

Steel Cut Oats With Peaches

2 1/2 cups                    water
1 cup                            steel cut oats   
1/2 tsp.                         salt
1 cup                            sliced peaches fresh or frozen
1                                   zest of one orange
1                                   juice of one orange
2 tbsp.                          maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup                        vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp                         cinnamon
a pinch                         nutmeg

Add the steel cut oats, zest and peaches to the boiling water. Add the salt and let boil until cooked (about 20 min). When the oats are almost cooked, add the almond milk. Remove from heat and add the orange juice and stir. If you feel the oats are not sweet enough, add more maple syrup to suit your taste.

You can also add pumpkin seeds, nuts or chia seeds.

Make this ahead of time so you have it ready for breakfast for the week.