Food Fun

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 12 Comments

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

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Silky Strawberry Balsamic Soup with Yogurt Drizzle

By Denise Pare-Watson 10 Comments

One of my most popular culinary teaching classes has consistently been my “Soups, Simplified” course. The students always indicated in their feedback that they were blown away by how much they learned in this class. As well, they pledged that they would never, ever dispose of vegetable scraps or peelings again after completing the course. The class always included several treats for the students. For example, this Silky Strawberry Balsamic Soup with Yogurt Drizzle was a hit! It was served at the beginning of the program as an amuse-bouche prior to starting the class discussion. I thought I would share it this easy-to-make recipe with my readers since it is also very popular for Valentine’s Day, as well as luncheons or bridal and baby showers. This elegant gluten-free soup is served chilled and can be made in minutes with fresh or frozen strawberries.

Skip to My Recipe

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How to Make Homemade Maple Molasses Caramel Popcorn

By Denise Pare-Watson 20 Comments

CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CANADA 150 FOOD BLOG CHALLENGE SERIES

Prelude: I am a proud Canadian. When the Culinary Historians of Canada (CHC) invited food bloggers to participate in the “CHC Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge”, I knew that I wanted in! What a great way to celebrate and honour Canada’s 150th birthday by featuring a different Canadian dish or discussing a topic which reflects on what it means to be Canadian. For October, the Culinary Historians invited bloggers to post about all things autumnal, including the special foods we associate with Thanksgiving, Hallowe’en and other festivals. The first thing that came to my mind was the treats that my Mom would prepare for the trick or treaters at Hallowe’en. The neighbourhood children knew that my Mom would be giving away some type of special homemade treat like colourful popcorn balls, candy apples, fudge and the ever-popular bags of Maple Molasses Caramel Popcorn, commonly known as Cracker Jacks.

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Maple Molasses Caramel Popcorn

When I was a child, homemade Hallowe’en treats were the norm. We lived in a small village in the country where children worked very hard to earn their Hallowe’en treats as most of the houses were spaced quite far apart. I loved helping with the preparations for Hallowe’en. My father grew some of the biggest and best pumpkins in the area in his large vegetable garden. We set aside a day to carve pumpkins, which became a neighbourhood event with the local kids. Our large front porch was decorated festively with corn stalks and all our jack-o-lanterns. The best part for me was helping to make all the Hallowe’en treats!…

32 Classic Homemade Candy Recipes by Food Bloggers of Canada

By Denise Pare-Watson Leave a Comment

RECIPE ROUNDUPS

Time to play in the kitchen with 32 Candy Recipes from Food Bloggers of Canada, including a recipe from UrbnSpice, called Dark Chocolate Truffles. Have fun!

Here is the link to making your own candy today!

32 Classic Homemade Candy Recipes by Food Bloggers of Canada

If you would like to try your hand at making some of my easy Dark Chocolate Truffles, here is your link:

Dark Chocolate Truffles by UrbnSpice

Holiday Cookie Roundup by Food Bloggers of Canada

By Denise Pare-Watson Leave a Comment

RECIPE ROUNDUPS

Recently, the Food Bloggers of Canada had a call-out for Holiday Cookies. You are going to have fun with this recipe roundup of 40 cookies. I am thrilled to say that one of my cookie recipes was chosen as part of this Holiday Cookie Roundup. I had a bit of food fun in the kitchen with a very young child and he was thrilled to help out the colourful Vanilla Bean Poppers – Holiday Food Fun Variation. I hope you will enjoy browsing through this roundup of amazing cookies from Food Bloggers of Canada and have some fun baking this holiday season. Please visit the bloggers and tell them how much you enjoyed their recipes.

You want cookies? We've got cookies! 40 different kinds in our FBC Holiday Cookie Guide – 40 recipes from classic…

Posted by Food Bloggers of Canada on Saturday, December 10, 2016

Here is a photo of the Vanilla Bean Poppers – Holiday Food Fun Variation. Bake with a young helper – believe me, you will have just as much fun as the little one. I give you step by step details in the recipe.

Vanilla Bean Poppers - Christmas version | urbnspice.com

Lay the cut Vanilla Bean Poppers on their side on a parchment lined tray and bake according to the directions given in the recipe below

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Fun with Pomegranates

By Denise Pare-Watson Leave a Comment

The Confident Kitchen Series

What is the best way to eat and/or use pomegranates? I have heard many versions and most people talk about struggling to get to the juicy gems (called arils) that are well hidden inside the dry pithy fruit. I thought it might be a great idea to tell you about one of the easiest (and neater) ways of tackling this unusual fruit.

: A beautiful pomegranate

Did you know that Pomegranates are considered a Super Food? They have sources of Vitamins A, D and B-12, and Calcium, Protein, Potassium and fibre, as well as it is a powerful antioxidant. And, they are delicious!

CHEF TALK: The two common methods of extracting the arils from the pomegranate is to score the outside of the pomegranate as shown in the first photo. Pry the fruit in half. Using a medium to Large size bowl, hold the pomegranate half (or pieces) over the bowl and use the back of a wooden spoon to tap firmly against the fruit and the arils will fall into the bowl.

The second method, which is a technique that I prefer, is as follows. If you try this technique, you will have a minimum of pink speckles all over your kitchen (and little faces if your children or grandchildren are helping you).

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Vanilla Bean Poppers

By Denise Pare-Watson 4 Comments

The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

This is a recipe that I had so much fun creating. My challenge was first, to come up with a cookie using cream cheese, and second, a cookie that could also be made gluten-free, if necessary, without any difference in appearance or quality. Cream cheese makes any baked item very tender and rich tasting, so I knew that this was going to be a good cookie. I also liked the idea of making cookies so tiny that they could be mistaken for candy drops. Eureka! Success! Everything I wanted to achieve in my little cookie challenge became a reality – my little cookies became so popular that I was confident entering my recipe into a competition for edible gifts. I call the cookies Vanilla Bean Poppers because they are delightful delicate little cookies that are so irresistible you will keep popping them in your mouth – literally!

These cookies are lots of fun to make with children. Even very young children will love helping you roll the dough into long rope-like snakes before you cut them into small pillows or balls. The little ones will love giving these cookies to their teachers. I also make tons of these teeny, tiny cookies during the holiday season and put them in pretty jars or beribboned cellophane bags to give away as hostess gifts. And, for further food fun, I made variations of the same cookies: Urb’n’Spice Rainbow Poppers and Vanilla Bean Poppers – Holiday Food Fun Version.

Urbnspice Vanilla Bean Poppers

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A Humorous Hummus experience

By Denise Pare-Watson Leave a Comment

I am calling this post Humorous Hummus for a reason. “Kid of a Chef” always cracks me up. She sent me a text this morning as she was making a mega batch of hummus. Too funny. Enjoy. I have also included our family recipe for hummus with lots and lots of variations and garnish options. Double check the cans before you open them – just saying….

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“I always open three cans of chickpeas to make hummus.

I was preoccupied with the chocolate in my pantry and didn’t notice that I had two cans of chickpeas and 1 can of black beans in my hand.

I opened the can of black beans and thought for a second.

“When did they start making purple chickpeas?”

Duh! So, I put them into my hummus anyway!

It kind of looks like my hummus is on the brink of death because it is so grey, but DANG, does it ever taste good!”

from: “Kid of a Chef”

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Humorous Hummus:

CHEF TALK: Here it is: our family recipe. Humorous or not – this stuff is delicious and healthy. Whether or not you choose to use black beans is entirely up to you.

YIELD: Approximately 500 ml hummus

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of chickpeas (19 oz), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup tahini or smooth peanut butter, or even sunflower butter
Juice of 1 lemon (about 4 Tablespoons or 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced (see note below for variation)
2 – 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil plus more for drizzling on top of finished hummus
Salt and pepper to taste
Zest of one lemon, optional

METHOD:

In a food processor with a steel blade, place the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and garlic. Whizz for several minutes until the chickpeas are pureed.
Slowly add the olive oil and continue processing until the mixture is very smooth.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If the mixture is too thick, add a little warm water and continue to process until the desired consistency is reached.
Serve with pita bread or pita crisps or a vegetable crudité platter.

Hummus with sun-dried tomato garnish | urbnspice.com

Humorous Hummus Options:

Optional Seasonings and Flavouring Variations:

CHEF TALK: We tend to change up our family hummus recipe, depending on what we are serving it with. My favourite is the sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic and lemon zest addition variation – in that version, I omit the tahini or peanut butter – I just like the lighter, brighter taste of the Mediterranean flavours. I was also making sunflower butter the day I made this batch of hummus so I used that instead of the peanut butter or tahini option. Very good! Experiment with flavour variations – you might come up with your own family version of hummus.

Substitute Roasted Garlic (1 Tablespoon) for the fresh garlic clove
Sun-Dried Tomato (2 Tablespoons), chopped
Ground Cumin (1/2 teaspoon)
Chili Powder (1/2 teaspoon)
Zest of one lemon

Optional Hummus Garnish:

Olive Oil drizzled on top
Pine Nuts, toasted, sprinkled on top
Paprika or Smoked Paprika
Red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice and cooked in a frying pan for a few minutes until soft, seasoned with salt and pepper and sprinkled on top.
Caramelized Onion

Hummus with fire roasted red pepper garnish | urbnspice.com

STORAGE:

REFRIGERATE: The hummus will keep in a sealed container for a week.
FREEZE: I like to make a mega batch of hummus (like Kid of a Chef) or several variations and freeze them in 1/2 cup amounts in the freezer.
CHEF TIP: I have silicone muffin trays that work very well for this purpose. The silicone muffin trays are also very handy for applesauce, pumpkin puree, etc.

Hummus with toasted pine nut garnish | urbnspice.com

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Perseverance
Tweaking
__________

You Might Also Enjoy:

Parmesan Pita Crisps

Bacon Cheese Potato Cups

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

Patio Delights – Summer Time Appetizers

If you give my favourite family recipe for Humorous Hummus a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

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Easter Play

By Denise Pare-Watson Leave a Comment

It is nearly Easter and I have had one of those weeks where I could not motivate myself to work on any type of demanding project despite my best intentions. An unexpected trip across Canada; a rainy day beckoning me to pull out the soup pot; a sunny afternoon inviting me to enjoy my coffee on the front deck all proved to be excellent distractions. Before I knew it, a new project landed in my lap! An urgent request for Easter cookies! Just the thing I needed to reenergize my creative spirit. Easter Play!

Easter Cookie Fun with Colourful Egg-Shaped Meringues and Italian Almond Macaroons

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Food Fun

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CANADA 150 FOOD BLOG CHALLENGE SERIES

RECIPE ROUNDUPS

RECIPE ROUNDUPS

The Confident Kitchen Series

The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

Humorous Hummus:

Humorous Hummus Options: