Urbnspice Series

All-Canadian Poutine with a Blenditarian Twist

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Prelude: Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into creative and fun dishes. To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.” This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the month of July is all about incorporating “The Blend”(mushrooms + meat) into a “Fiesta” dish. A fiesta is defined as a festival, a carnival, or an excuse for a big party or gathering. When I think of a Canadian festival, poutine is always on the list of menu items. For this reason, I am sharing a recipe for All-Canadian Poutine with a Blenditarian Twist.

Skip to Poutine Recipe

Skip to Poutine Gravy

All-Canadian Poutine with a Blenditarian Twist | urbnspice.com

All-Canadian Poutine with a Blenditarian Twist: Caramelized Pork, Mushroom and Maple Topping and All-Canadian Poutine Gravy

The Caramelized Pork, Mushroom and Maple Topping for the poutine incorporates the ‘blend’ in an All-Canadian way. It includes crispy bacon lardons and maple syrup that is used to deglaze the pan. Of course, the gravy that tops the plate is an important component of this dish, and you will find that recipe below, as well. Poutine gravy has a unique colour that is made from a combination of beef broth and chicken broth. This creates the iconic golden brown colour of poutine gravy.…

Homemade Grape Tomato Ketchup

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

One of my most vivid childhood food memories is the aroma in my house when my Mom made ketchup from the bumper crop of tomatoes we always grew in our large backyard garden. The indescribable scent both piquant and zesty wafted throughout the house drawing everyone into the kitchen to peek into the bubbling pot. While I no longer have the large garden of my childhood, I am lucky enough to live in a wonderful part of Canada where fresh produce is easily accessible. The recipe I have provided below for Homemade Grape Tomato Ketchup is easy to make and a great project for you to try when tomatoes are plentiful. Once you have tasted your own homemade ketchup, you may never go back to store-bought again. I have used grape tomatoes in this recipe – their sweetness and flavour lend themselves well to making this popular condiment. Any tomato variety can be used for this recipe (see the proportions below), and even a mixture of fresh and canned tomatoes work well. Give it a try! It is well worth the effort. Skip to Recipe

Homemade Grape Tomato Ketchup

…

Savoury Blenditarian Brunch Pork with Vegetables & Fine Herbs

By Denise Pare-Watson

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Prelude: Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun dishes. To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.” This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the month of June is all about incorporating“The Blend”(mushrooms + meat) into brunch dishes. For this reason, I have developed a recipe for Savoury Blenditarian Brunch Pork (or Turkey) with Vegetables & Fine Herbs.

A Thai dish called ‘larb’, which is one of the most popular street foods in Thailand, has inspired this Savoury Brunch Blenditarian Pork (or Turkey) with Vegetables & Fine Herbs dish. The addition of many types of vegetables just adds to the appeal. I enjoy having vegetables cooked in creative ways to produce different textures. I also like the idea that the dish can be served warm, cold or at room temperature.

Skip to Recipe

…

The Ultimate Blended Burger – A Blenditarian Recipe

By Denise Pare-Watson

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Prelude: Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun dishes. To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.” This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the May is “National Burger Month” Blenditarian Challenge.” The challenge is to create a blended burger by incorporating The Blend (mushrooms + ground meat).” For this reason, I have developed a recipe called The Ultimate Blended Burger.

This burger is unique in that it not only incorporates minced mushrooms into a beef/pork mixture; it also contains rehydrated dried vegetable flakes, contributing even more flavour to the burger. Barbeque season is just around the corner – give these burgers a try. They are delicious!

…

How to Make the Ultimate Classic Coleslaw

By Denise Pare-Watson

Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipe Series

Skip to Recipe

I have such fond memories of this particular salad from my days as a chef trainee at a prestigious country club. My first months of employment began in Garde Manger – in the cold foods area of a busy kitchen where sandwiches, salads, fruit trays, salad dressing, desserts and so much more was prepared. Everything was made fresh from scratch on a daily basis. One of my jobs was making coleslaw (hand-cut) for lunch service as well as ensuring a fresh batch was made for the evening service. With any training came the mentorship of the Garde Manger supervisor whose job it was to acknowledge a job well done as well as critiquing work that needed refinement or improvement. It had been a particularly gruelling week, and when I came in the next day, I was met with a sombre greeting from my supervisor. He told me that there was a problem with my coleslaw. I was prepared for the worst and at the same time, devastated that I might not have met expectations in an environment that required precision. He just broke into a smile, “It was too good! We had to make more in the middle of service!” Since that day, I have described this salad as “The Ultimate Classic Coleslaw.”

…

Turkey, Mushroom and Power Greens Pasta

By Denise Pare-Watson

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun dishes. To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.” This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the April Blenditarian Challenge is “Go Green for Earth Month.” The challenge is to create an earth-‘friendlier’ dish by incorporating The Blend (mushrooms + ground meat) into “power greens.” For this reason, I have developed a recipe called Turkey, Mushroom and Power Greens Pasta. It is a recipe that can be adapted for many dietary needs, such as dairy-free, gluten-free, heart-healthy, and is also Weight Watchers friendly.

Skip To Recipe

Turkey, Mushroom and Power Greens Pasta

When you use chicken or turkey in a ‘Blend’, it is called a ‘blond blend’. Lean ground turkey is an excellent choice, not only because it is a low-fat protein option, but also because it readily assimilates the flavours of the ingredients. In this recipe, spices such as cumin and chilli powder lend a subtle earthy spiciness, and using paprika helps to create an appealing golden colour to the meat mixture. The use of fresh herbs (parsley and basil) adds brightness to the dish.

Let’s talk about power greens. Power greens can be described as a nutrient-dense superfood of leafy greens contributing an energy boost with high amounts of Vitamins A and C, iron and calcium, dietary fibre and potassium. The greens can be used individually or can be found in a mix often comprised of baby spinach, Swiss chard (both red and green), and kale. For this recipe, I utilized Dinosaur Kale (also known as Tuscan kale, or black kale). I love the look of the curled dark glossy leaves. It is a sturdy green with a tough stalk. I removed the stalk by slicing along each side. Once all of the stalks have been removed, I gathered the leafy ‘strips’ and sliced them thinly (a chiffonade cut). I added the prepared kale to the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking.

…

Blenditarian Hamburger Soup

By Denise Pare-Watson

Blenditarian Challenge Series

Everyone has their own favourite soup recipe, whether brothy or thick and chunky. My favourite at this time of year is the thick, wholesome variety. This Blenditarian Hamburger Soup is all of that and more. My version is chock-a-block full of mushrooms, aromatic vegetables and also includes lentils and barley for a hearty bowlful of comfort food – a complete meal in a bowl.

To backtrack a bit: Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge for anyone to incorporate their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun themed dishes. Just to clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.” This approach stretches ground meat with finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the March Blenditarian Challenge is to cook up a “family favourite” dish and include ‘The Blend’. For this reason, I am sharing my recipe for Blenditarian Hamburger Soup, which is our family favourite.

Skip to Soup Recipe

Skip to Print Recipe

Skip to Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend

…

Duck Fat Potatoes with Smoked Sea Salt

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

If you want to make something truly delicious to serve as a small plate offering or on a casual family platter, try these Duck Fat Potatoes with Smoked Sea Salt. It is one of those foods that you will say, ‘this is the best thing that I ever had!’ Easy to make, easier to eat! Make more than you think you might need – they will be gone in a flash!

Skip to my Recipe

Skip to Print Recipe

…

Pan Roasted Duck Breasts with Orange Vanilla Glaze

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

The concept for this recipe originated from a preserve that I have been making for many years. Orange Vanilla Bean Confiture (a cross between a jam and marmalade) was developed at my work because we needed garnishes for a new menu item. The confiture was to accompany a caramelized rice crispy garnish, which was a topping on a classic baked rice pudding. The dessert was very delicious and extremely popular. The confiture became a favourite amongst the other chefs in the kitchen and made its way into a number of other dishes. One of my favourite ways that they used my preserve was on a glazed Duck Breast. The duck breast was served beautifully displayed with seasonal vegetables and puree of celeriac or other similar items. My approach for this Pan Roasted Duck Breasts with Orange Vanilla Glaze is more casual and the dish is served family style on a board or large platter. It is an easy-to-make dish that can be prepared in just a few minutes. In this post, you will learn how to cook a duck breast to perfection, and additionally, I will guide you through how to make the Orange Vanilla Glaze.

Skip to my Recipe

“To begin cooking duck at one in the morning
is one of the finest acts of madness that can be undertaken by a human being who is not mad.”

― Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, La Soledad Del Manager

…

Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Blenditarian Challenge Series

I have taken the Blenditarian pledge and for some time now have been experimenting in the Urb’n’Spice kitchen on how to develop a money-saving recipe that incorporates a Blenditarian approach to everyday cooking. As a bonus, the blended base that I have developed is gluten free, preservative free, and dairy free. Just to clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.” This approach stretches ground meat with finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. I have taken this meat blend process one step further by adding aromatic vegetables to the mushrooms and ground meat to create a nutrient dense Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend.

This blend (or base) can be used in a number of different recipes. In this post, you will learn how to prepare this base and how to utilize it. This Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable base can be used to make dishes such as: Spaghetti Sauce; Sloppy Joes; Chili; Taco Salad; Hamburger Soup; Beef, Cheese and Macaroni Casserole; or Australian Meat Pies, and much more. (Refer to “What Can I Do With This Recipe?” section below to learn more). I will be constantly adding to this Blenditarian Challenge Series. Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge for anyone to incorporate their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun themed dishes. The theme in January was “Healthy Classics”. This month’s Blenditarian Challenge is “Date Night Done Right!” For this post, I have chosen to make a Date Night Spaghetti Sauce using Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend. Look for more Urb’n’Spice recipes in this Blenditarian Challenge Series.

Skip to Savoury Meat, Mushroom and Vegetable Blend

Skip to Date Night Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Date Night Spaghetti Sauce | urbnspice.com

Date Night Spaghetti Sauce ready to enjoy with a salad and a glass of red wine

…

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Original content here is published under these license terms:		X

License Type:	Commercial

License Abstract:	You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.