Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter (30 ml)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 leek, white part only, washed and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1 1/2 pound ham hock (preferably smoked) (681 g)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Pinch dried chile flakes (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups green split peas (375 ml)
• 10 cups chicken stock (2.5 litres)
• Small handful fresh coriander, chopped
• Small handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Additional stock or water, if needed to thin the soup

Directions

1. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, leek, and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the ham hock, bay leaves, thyme, chile flakes and split peas and cook 2 minutes longer. Increase heat to high. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer soup for 2 hours or until split peas are soft, partially covered, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the ham hock and take meat off bone and reserve. Serve with the soup or in the soup whichever you prefer. Discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
3. With a hand held blender smooth purée some of the soup. If the soup is too thick add some more water or stock to loosen. Bring back to a boil and add the chopped coriander and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Fruit Salad

Elijah's Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• Bundle of grapes
• 1 banana
• 5-10 strawberries
• 5-10 blueberries
• 1/4 of a pineapple
• 4 kiwis

Directions:

Cut up apple, banana, kiwis, strawberries and pineapple. Put in bowl and mix with grapes, and blueberries.

Tada!!!

Avocado, Tomato & Feta Salad

(serves 4)

Ingredients: 

-2 ripe tomatoes, sliced

-1 large ripe (slightly soft) avocado

-1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

-1 clove of garlic, minced

-2 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar or lemon juice

-4-5 Tbsp. Greek extra-virgin olive oil

-fine sea salt & fresh ground pepper

-chopped fresh oregano leaves

-crumbled or cubed Feta cheese

-washed Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

1. Slice your tomatoes, onions, minced garlic and add to a bowl along with the vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Allow the flavours to marry for about 15 minutes.
2. When you’re ready to serve your salad, Cut your avocado in half, remove and discard the pit and cut into slices (or chunks). Squeeze some lemon juice on them (to prevent browning) and arrange your salad in a platter with the romaine lettuce on the bottom then arrange your tomato and avocado slices and top with the sliced onions.
3. Pour the dressing in the bowl on top of your salad, top with sea salt, crumbled Feta, fresh ground pepper and fresh oregano and drizzle with some more extra-virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice.

Rice Salad

I was looking through the 'Our Favourite Recipes Cookbook" cookbook, and I could only find one salad that looked acceptable, so I decided to try it even though it was a rice salad. I would like to thank Linda Mallette for dreaming it up, because I have liked it enough to make it again.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups rice
1 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 or 2 cans shrimp (optional)
1 cup peas
Sauce:
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp soya sauce
1/2 Crisco oil
1 tsp Accent
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook the rice and cool. Add celery, onion, shrimp and peas. Sauce: Mix ingredients; stir into rice mixture. Stir everything well before serving, as sauce settles to the bottom.

Changes: For this lovely salad, I did not have enough rice. I used 1/3 cup of rice, and then cooked and added 1 cup of noodles. I foregoed the onion, shrimp and peas, and instead settled for 1 cup of corn. For the sauce I didn't use Accent because it simply did not seem appetizing  and I doubled the curry amount because it gave a nicer aroma. To top it off, I improvised because I had no celery salt, so I added 1 tsp of salt and one teaspoon of celery seed.

Cooking Class

Broccoli Cheese Quiche

This is not a true quiche recipe as it is not made in a pie shell, but it is a very tasty one.

  

Ingredients:

300 g frozen broccoli

3 cups cheddar, grated and divided

1 ½ cups cooked chicken

2/3 cups chopped green onion

1 1/3 cups milk

3 eggs, beaten

¼ cup Bisquick mix

¾ tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°

Mix first four (4) ingredients (only using 2 cups of the cheddar) into the 8” square glass pan.

Mix next five ingredients.  Pour over broccoli, etc.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife, inserted, comes out clean.    I have found it may take a bit longer (depending on your oven). 

Sprinkle with remaining cheese and broil until brown and bubbly.

Serves 4-6 people.

Enjoy!

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup

I found the recipie here

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups wide egg noodles
4 cups water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
12 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, diced
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
4 cups diced cooked chicken
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:

Directions

1
In a medium saucepan, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Add noodles and oil and boil 8 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cool running water. Drain again.
2
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring broth, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to a boil. Stir in vegetables. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
3
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Gradually add to soup, stirring constantly. Add noodles and chicken. Heat through and serve.

Sunday Soup

We make this soup from scratch almost every Sunday, which is where the name "Sunday Soup" comes from...


Ingredients:

• 3 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 peeled and sliced large carrots
• 4 green onions, chopped thin
• 5 celery arms, sliced
• 3, 900 mL boxes of chicken broth
• vermicelli noodles (as much as wanted)

* you may want more/less of the vegetables, or even a different kind; you can add whatever you would like really...

Instructions:
1. Turn on the stove and boil water, once water is boiled, add the chicken and let cook for 45-50 minutes on medium-high heat.
2. In the mean time, put the chicken broth and vegetables in a pot and let cook on medium heat so the vegetables can soften and flavours can blend.
3. Once the meat is done, cut into bite-size pieces and add to the soup...
4. Add the noodles, cook 15-20 minutes until softened.
5. Make sure to stir every once and a while.

Makes around 3/4 of a pot full of soup.