Friendly Food Snobs

beef kebobs and mint garlic yogurt sauce

beef kebobsbeef kebobs beef kebobsThese are the best beef kebobs for a winter supper. Middle eastern flavours served with rice and a yogurt sauce that tastes amazing and takes two minutes to assemble.

Warming, filling, and perfect for this polar freeze Toronto has experienced this winter. The recipe made enough for our family of three (and a pregnant me) to have for two dinners. So I would say serves 4-6 people.

Want to do a veg on the side? I like a simple green salad with cucumber and greens, or roasted cauliflower florets with olive oil, salt and pepper and lemon.

Ingredients for beef kebobs:
600 grams lean ground beef
1 egg
1 onion grated (or finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp yellow curry powder
fresh black pepper to taste (I like a lot)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak 8-10 wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients and using the back of a dinner fork blend and mash together. Let beef mixture rest five minutes.

Holding the skewer with your left hand on  the parchment lined pan, scoop some of the meat mixture with your right and form it along the skewer. I find it easiest to lay it on the lined pan and form the kebob along the skewer. Put only four or five skewers per pan at once. Bake for 17 minutes or until slightly browned. Then remove the cooked kebobs to a waiting plate and form the last batch. Makes 8-10 beef kebobs. I serve with basmati rice  and chopped flat leaf parsley. As well as the following super simple mint garlic yogurt sauce.

Ingredients for mint garlic yogurt sauce:
3/4 cup full fat plain Balkan yogurt
1 tsp dried mint
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine and store in fridge until ready to eat. Sauce keeps well in fridge for three days.

no sugar breakfast cookies

no sugar breakfast cookiesI have bought way too many muffins and cookies on our weekend adventures. I was inspired to make a refined sugar-free, yummy, healthy breakfast cookie. I’ve been making these easy breakfast cookies on repeat since nailing the recipe. They’re a great road trip snack or simple breakfast with a coffee when you need to get out the door. Packed with oatmeal, walnuts, coconut and bananas, pretty much all my favourite things and also pantry staples. Sweetened with only a drop of maple syrup and two bananas. Recipe makes 24 small cookies. I will often keep half the batch on the counter and the other dozen in the freezer in bags to grab and go. I often make these with dark chocolate chips + walnuts, or raisins + hemp hearts/chia seeds. I will use regular flour or gluten free (GF) all purpose flour depending on what I have on hand, both work. If you like these cookies you might also enjoy my no sugar banana muffins that follow the same style with no added sugar, but also taste delicious.

no sugar breakfast cookies

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas mashed (can be previously frozen)
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 egg
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup all purpose  flour (or all purpose GF flour)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (or raisins)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or hemp hearts or chia seeds or chopped pecans)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheer with parchment paper. Combine all wet ingredients in one bowl. Mix all dry ingredients in another bowl. Combine and stir until just mixed. Scoop teaspoon size balls onto a baking sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes until cookies set and bottoms are lightly brown. My oven takes exactly 13 minutes, and runs hot. Enjoy!

Where to eat in Prince Edward County

Parson's BrewingParson's BrewingSandbanksSandbanksPrince Edward County, that beautiful beach, plus the amazing food and breweries and wineries! It’s all foodie heaven. Last time I was there I wasn’t a mom and the vacation was about wine, the beach and relaxing. Fast forward five years, and a two year old and our week in Prince Edward County (PEC) is more about reconnecting as a family in that way you do when you’re away from it all on holiday, playing in the waves at Sandbanks and of course eating.

Here’s my short-list of the best spots we ate. All were super kid friendly. I picked late August as our week to go (warmer lake water) and rented a little two bedroom cottage in Picton on Airbnb (because two bedrooms is so key).

The Agrarian Market in Picton has a gorgeous old wrap around porch where we ate our breakfasts – coffee, a pastry, some cheeses and peaches. Their selection of cheese, meat, preserves, breads wowed me. Delicious coffee too. One could pack a killer picnic basket with just ten minutes in there!

Lunch at the Midtown Brewing Company in Wellington was one of those stumble upon gems. They brew their own beers and ciders which were lovely, but it was the food that blew me away. Fish croquettes for Oscar, Neil had a meatball sandwich topped with fior de latte and I devoured a wild greens salad and hogged the charcuterie board. Best part? The owners have kids and there was a beautiful thoughtful nook with shelves of toys, trucks and games. 

Wood fired oven pizza is my weakness. No surprise I loved the pizza at Norman Hardie Winery. We arrived starving after spending the morning at the beach, right at the time when Oscar takes his midday 90 minute nap. A 45 minute wait for a table – yikes. What’s a foodie mama to do but order two pizzas to go, eat them sitting on the grass among the grapes and then pile back into the car so her boy can nap? True story and the staff were lovely and accommodating.  

Best for last. Had my favourite meal at Parsons Brewing Company. The tacos and burgers were delicious. Perfect summer fare.  They have a huge play structure for adults and kids. We played teetherball, horseshoes, Frisbee and climbed the giant wooden playground while we waited for our food. 

I hear great things about PEC in October, when they harvest the grapes. Whenever you go, hope you love the laid back vibe and food as much as we did. Tell me in the comments if you’ve been and any places you love. I think our family will probably go back every summer.

grilled halloumi caprese salad

grilled halloumi caprese saladRipe tomato slices play so well with grilled salty halloumi! A rethink of the traditional tomato and mozzarella caprese, and maybe even better.

It was a super busy weekend at our house Oscar turned two and we hosted a family BBQ and Sunday was Father’s Day. My quick-to-make-but-still-yummy Father’s Day dinner for Neil was BBQ flank steak and this salad.

I first tried halloumi about 15 years ago backpacking in Cyprus and we’d have it wrapped with grilled meats in a pita. This meal reminds me of all those flavours.

Quality ingredients are key here. I let my tomatoes ripen on the window sill for a few days, and just bought the halloumi from my local grocery store. You can get cow or sheep and both are great. The basil came from my garden, the olive oil from my mother-in-law’s recent trip to Italy and the balsamic reduction is store-bought. You can find balsamic reduction at any major grocer now. It’s reduced balsamic vinegar (make sure you read the ingredients) and so handy to drizzle over anything. I use it for salad dressing instead of honey often too.  

My boys gobbled this salad up and used fresh bread for the leftover olive oil on the plate.

So if you occasionally eat carbs like we do, serve up a little good bread for this recipe – worth the calories to sop up that good olive oil! Makes four side portions.

grilled halloumi caprese salad

Ingredients:

  • 250 gram package halloumi cheese
  • 2 large or 3 small ripe tomatoes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 10 whole basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic reduction

Cut the halloumi cheese into 1/4 inch pieces. I usually get 10-12 slices per package. Pat dry with paper towel. Heat a non stick pan or case iron skillet to medium heat. Grill cheese for 2 mins a side until golden brown. Use a rubber spatula to check it every minute or so. I do it in two batches to not crowd the pan.

Slice tomatoes in 1/4 inch slices and layer on serving platter. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Layer grilled halloumi on top of tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and toss basil leaves over top. Eat right away or can sit on the counter for 30 minutes or so until serving.  Recipe can easily be doubled. Enjoy and happy summer eating!

toasted quinoa granola

quinoa granola Quinoa granola is quickly becoming my favourite breakfast lately. Packed with oats, crispy toasted quinoa, cinnamon, coconut oil and maple syrup it makes me excited to hear that weekday alarm. No joke. The nutty and crispy quinoa is the best! Served over yogurt with a little drizzle of honey? Yum. It’s totally vegan, gluten free and packed with protein and good fats to keep you feeling full. Seriously it is so easy, once you start making your own granola it’s hard to go back to store bought. Feel free to swap in pepita seeds or sliced almonds if you have them on hand too instead of the hemp hearts. I just measure out all the ingredients and pour them directly into my glass baking dish, using it as my mixing bowl and minimizing clean up. Makes 6-8 servings.

toasted quinoa granola

Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups old fashioned large oats
1/2 cup uncooked dry quinoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweeteneed flaked coconut
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup melted coconut oil

Combine all ingredients. Bake at 300 degrees for 35-40 minutes in a glass or ceramic baking dish, stirring once halfway. Once done cooking give the granola a good stir all the way to the bottom (sometimes the quinoa can stick a little) and let cool completely before storing. Keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge or on the counter top for two weeks or in the freezer for longer. Hope you enjoy!

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