A Peek in My Cart – December 21 – 27

It’s Christmas which involves a road trip to Calgary to spend time with the fam.

Monday – Chili, chickpea stew and brown rice

We leave for Calgary tomorrow so the cupboards are bare. I made some brown rice and matched it with defrosted leftovers – a little chili and chickpea stew.

Tuesday – House-made charcuterie and pizza

On the way to Calgary we stop overnight in Banff. We had a beautiful, late meal in the lounge of The Bison. They make their own charcuterie in-house. we shared the Duck, Duck, Boar followed by the spiced venison sausage pizza. Cured duck and boar with duck livep pate was very nice. The pizza had great elements but the presentation could have been better – the toppings were so coarsely chopped that you couldn’t enjoy each of the elements in a bite. It was one bite of overwhelmingly olive, followed by a bite of overwhelmingly sausage, and so on. Wine selection was fantastic. In fact, I chose a glass of ice wine instead of dessert.

Wednesday – Pizza

The extra cold weather in Banff got us into the car early and we showed up in Calgary ahead of schedule. That meant that we were arriving unexpectedly in time for dinner. Rude form. Oh well. Take-out pizza did the trick to feed us all.

Thurdsay – Appies

Instead of dinner, our hosts planned a huge spread of appies for Christmas Eve. I gravitated towards the stinky and runny cheese – determining which was the best pairing with the wine that I drank.

Friday – Turkey dinner with all the trimmings

Yes, it was traditional complete with cranberry sauce and Brussels sprouts.

Saturday – Spinach and fennel soup, salmon, and christmas log 

We stopped in Sun Peaks on the drive back from Calgary. We had a beautiful 3 course meal at Servus. The spinach and fennel soup starter was amazing! both the salmon and pork tenderloin were very nice. And, I enjoyed my single-serving Christmas log – light and airy.       

Sunday – Honolulu skillet beans, brown rice, squash

After all the rich food this week both W and I are craving simple food. Beans, brown rice and veggies hit the spot. I defrosted squash that I had roasted earlier this fall. And, these beans are super-easy!

Honolulu Skillet Beans

Adapted from: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

The toughest thing about this recipe is believing that this combination of ingredients will actually taste good. But trust me – it does!

The secret to the recipe is cooking the onions very slowly over low-medium heat. Don’t rush them. To make the recipe faster, get the onions chopped and cooking first. Then use the onion cooking time to gather and prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Serves: 2 (with leftovers) – 4

½ large onion, finely chopped

1.5 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 cups (one can) small firm beans, such as Romano beans

1 large bunch of leafy greens – e.g. Swiss chard, spinach, collards.

1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce*

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard (i.e. the French’s mustard that you put on hotdogs)

1 tablespoon ketchup

½ tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Grated peel of ½ orange (optional)

¼ cup fresh or canned crushed or cubed pineapple

* Hoisin sauces are available at Asian markets or in the Asian section of most grocery stores. If you don’t have Hoisin sauce, you can substitute ½ tablespoon molasses or brown sugar, ½ tablespoon white vinegar, and ½ teaspoon chilli oil or hot sauce (e.g. Tabasco).

1. In a frypan, slowly over low-medium heat, sauté the onions in the vegetable oil until soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

1. While the onions cook, drain the beans into a colander and rinse under running water.

1. In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, sesame oil, cumin, orange peel, and pineapple.

When the onions are soft, add the beans, greens, and sauce. You may need to add the greens in batches, adding more as they wilt and create more room. Stir gently to distribute the sauce. Bring to a boil. Serve immediately. 

Honolulu Skillet Beans

Adapted from: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

The toughest thing about this recipe is believing that this combination of ingredients will actually taste good. But trust me – it does!

The secret to the recipe is cooking the onions very slowly over low-medium heat. Don’t rush them. To make the recipe faster, get the onions chopped and cooking first. Then use the onion cooking time to gather and prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Serves: 2 (with leftovers) – 4

½ large onion, finely chopped

1.5 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 cups (one can) small firm beans, such as Romano beans

1 large bunch of leafy greens – e.g. Swiss chard, spinach, collards.

1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce*

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard (i.e. the French’s mustard that you put on hotdogs)

1 tablespoon ketchup

½ tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Grated peel of ½ orange (optional)

¼ cup fresh or canned crushed or cubed pineapple

* Hoisin sauces are available at Asian markets or in the Asian section of most grocery stores. If you don’t have Hoisin sauce, you can substitute ½ tablespoon molasses or brown sugar, ½ tablespoon white vinegar, and ½ teaspoon chilli oil or hot sauce (e.g. Tabasco).

1. In a large frypan, slowly over low-medium heat, sauté the onions in the vegetable oil until soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
2.  While the onions cook, drain the beans into a colander and rinse under running water. 
3. In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, sesame oil, cumin, orange peel, and pineapple. 
4. When the onions are soft, add the beans, greens, and sauce. You may need to add the greens in batches, adding more as they wilt and create more room. Stir gently to distribute the sauce. Bring to a boil. Serve immediately.