Category Archives: Recipes

Apple Cheddar Crepes and Cabin Fever

I know it’s almost the end of January but the weather outside has been getting to me lately. We get a teaser of a day where the temperature climbs, snow melts, then it quickly sinks way, way below freezing and walking outside becomes an exercise in balance along the slippery, ice-coated sidewalks.

I adore working at home, but the last couple of weeks cabin fever has started to set in for me a bit. It’s partly being down to 1 car and having to really plan when I can get out, instead of just popping out whenever I feel like it, and partly the weather making me not even want to go outside at lunch even for a minute. My walk yesterday had both Herman and I squinting into the blowing, blizzardy snow, wind whipping colour into my cheeks, and I cut it way short.

I did manage to get out both days to meet up with some friends, brunch on Saturday and then coffee on Sunday, and it made me really happy to get out with some of my favourite people to socialize and catch up on the workings of the world. I almost felt like I couldn’t stop talking. It was great.

When I got home on Sunday, I had the house to myself and decided to make this awesome little crepe. I wasn’t planning to write about it, but it was way too good not to share. I felt like something warm and didn’t have a lot of food beyond staples in the house – so borrowing some ideas from this recipe from the LCBO (used the filling and yogurt ideas) and a basic crepe was perfect – and kind of fun to make as well!

Apple cheese crepe

The Filling:
1.5 T butter
2 apples
pinch of ginger
1/8 t cinnamon
1/4 t cornstarch
1.5 T water
1 T brown sugar

Cheddar cheese, grated or sliced

The Crepe:
1/4 cup flour (I used half all-purpose, half whole wheat)
1 egg, beaten
2T milk
2T water
1/8 t salt
1.5t butter, melted

The Yogurt:
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1.5 T maple syrup

Apple cheese crepe

To make:
Peel and cut up apples, then mix with ginger and cinnamon. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add apples, stirring often until soft, 8-10 minutes. Mix corn starch and water in a glass, then pour over apples and add brown sugar. Stir and let it cook for 1 more minute; it should gets syrupy-looking. Turn off heat and set aside.

Mix your crepe batter: flour, egg, milk, water, melted butter and whisk to combine, until smooth. Heat an 8 inch non-stick frying pan over medium heat and when ready, pour in about 1/4 cup of the batter (I had a bit too much batter for just one crepe) and swirl it around the bottom of the pan. Make sure to oil your pan if it isn’t non-stick. The batter should be a thin, smooth layer. After it cooks for about 2 minutes, loosen the edges with a spatula and flip over. Place cheese slices in the middle of the crepe, and let them melt, about 3 minutes.

Apple Cheddar crepe

Remove crepe from heat to a plate and put the apple filling in the middle. Then close it up, and add yogurt on the side. I also tossed some pecans overtop cause I’m fancy like that (and didn’t think to add them to the apple filling).

It ended up being so, so good – crunchy pecans, tart, melty cheese and sweet apples. A bit of work, but worth it: probably the best lunch I have had in ages.

Apple cheddar crepe

Um…is that cheese you’re eating?

dog wants my cheese

A few of my favourite food things

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One thing I love about food is the endless options that we seem to have presented to us all the time. Variations, organic alternatives, gluten-free, more healthy options. These foods are ones that I never dreamed of eating growing up, have discovered within the last year or so, and couldn’t live without now!

Greek yogurt
I went over to my mom’s house one day last year and she made me eat a little dish of Greek yogurt drizzled with honey, telling me how much I’d love it. She’s right! The texture is smooth, and the flavour is tangy, plus is so good for you. Recently, I’ve been buying it and eating it with maple syrup and sliced almonds for a little morning snack. You can also sub it in for sour cream to make some great, tangy dips.

Greek yogurt maple syrup

Quinoa
I adore Quinoa and have liked every recipe I’ve tried with it. I’ve never been a huge rice eater, so I’m happy to use quinoa in it’s place when I make a stirfry. It has a bit of a nutty taste, but pretty much absorbs the flavour of whatever you’re making. It goes well as a cold salad, or a warm casserole. I eat it at least twice a week now and I love mixing in veggies and adding this PC Szechwan Sauce. So, so good and great leftovers.

Quinoa stirfry

Edamame
Some friends ordered this when we were out for sushi about a year ago, and I wasn’t sure what it was! It looks like peas in a pod, and you can nip then right out of the shells with your teeth. I kept ordering them when I got sushi from then on, and recently I’ve been picking them up by the bagful from the grocery store. I like to steam them and then melt a bit of butter over top for a snack or snacky part of lunch. They also taste great tossed into stir-frys.

Edamame

Any new or interesting foods you’re loving and cooking with a lot lately? I’m always happy to find healthy food options that I like enough to eat everyday so feel free to share!

Baked Honey Mustard Salmon. Mmmm.

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We’ve been eating out a lot lately, but I bought this gigantic, pearly pink hunk of salmon that was eyeing my from the fridge, tempting me, telling me “I’m healthy! I’m good for you! Bake me!” So I had to – dousing it with this honey mustard mixture, and topping with crunch crumbs. This is pretty much my go-to salmon recipe: it’s a cinch to prepare, bake and eat, with minimal clean up needed afterwards, and has lots of flavour if you aren’t so crazy about fishiness. It also reheats pretty well.

Honey Mustard Baked Salmon (for 2)

3T butter, softened
1.5 T dijon mustard
3t honey
2T breadcrumbs
2T chopped pecans
2t parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Mix butter, mustard and honey in one bowl
- Mix crumbs, pecans, parsley, salt and pepper in another
- Line a baking sheet with foil, and sit your hunk of salmon (a boneless, skinless fillet). Pour and cover with honey-mustard mix, then sprinkle crumb mixture overtop
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until fish flakes with a fork.

Note: I never have breadcrumbs in the house. I usually crush up some crackers or croutons instead of bread crumbs. If I use melba rounds, or something plain, I’ll add a pinch of other spices like garlic powder, italian seasoning, etc. But plain crumbs taste fine and add some crunch just great too.

homey mustard baked salmon

I don’t normally make dessert too, but I haven’t lost my sweet craving and I’m out of screme eggs (so sad). I also had such a honking huge piece of salmon that I baked it for almost 20 minutes, leaving me time to mix together this chocolate chip blondie recipe and let it bake while we munched on our salmon and salad. My square baking pan is floating around at someone else’s house right now, so the end result was weirdly shaped but pretty decent, chocolate-y bars. Kind of like larger, denser cookies.

blondies