Artichoke, Green Olive & Almond Dip

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small jar of marinated artichokes
• ⅔ cup pitted green olives, without pimento
• 15 to 20 blanched whole almonds
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 oz mild soft goat cheese
• ¼ tsp chili flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp bottled green peppercorns

METHOD

1. Put the artichokes, olives and almonds into a food processor with the olive oil. Process until almost smooth.
2. Add goat cheese, pulse until combined, then stir in the chili flakes and green peppercorns.
3. Place mixture in a serving bowl, drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve with bread and bread sticks or crackers

Black Bean Salsa

"Before including beans on our menus became "a thing" this book was already dog-eared and well-loved on my mother's kitchen book-shelf." - Marcia

From "Full of Beans" by Violet Curry and Kay Spicer

For a snappy low-calorie first course serve this fat-free concoction on lettuce-lined plates garnished with low-fat yogurt and a sprinkle of hard-cooked egg. For a buffet, place in bowl surrounded by rice crackers or corn chips with a spoon to lift salsa onto crackers.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 2 cups tomatoes, seeded, diced and drained
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro OR 2 Tbsp dried
• 2 Tbsp chopped red sweet pepper
• 2 Tbsp chopped green sweet pepper
• 1 Tbsp chopped pickled jalapeno pepper
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Pinch granulated sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

• In glass bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, cilantro, red, green and jalapeno peppers, vinegar and sugar; mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

• Let stand, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, before serving.

Edamame Hummus with Pita Chips

INGREDIENTS

• 6 pitas, split in half
• 1 1/2 cups edamame (green soybeans) frozen blanched shelled
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 3 Tbsp coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp water
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp paprika

METHOD

1. In oven preheated to 350º F, arrange pita halves on wire rack. Bake 15 minutes or until crisp.
2. Allow to cool completely on rack.
3. Break each pita half into 6 chips. Prepare edamame according to package directions, omitting salt.
4. Place 3 tsp oil, salt, cumin, coriander and garlic in food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times or until coarsely chopped. Add edamame, cilantro, coconut milk, water and juice; process for 1 minute or until smooth.
5. Spoon hummus into serving bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp oil and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with pita crisps.

Herb & Cheese Canapes

From Hot Off the Griddle #34, December 1994. 

Another time, another place...

Sift together:

• 1 cup sifted enriched all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• 1/8 tsp pepper

METHOD

1. Cream 1/2 cup butter in large bowl.
2. Blend in one 5 oz jar of cream cheese spread, one 5 oz. jar smoky cheese spread.
3. Cream thoroughly.
4. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Mix well.
5. Chill dough in refrigerator 1 hour.
6. Place on waxed paper and shape into a round roll 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in waxed paper.
7. Chill thoroughly in fridge at least 4 hours or overnight.
8. Cut into slices about 1/8 inch thick and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Bake in hot oven (450 deg.) 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Dough may be kept in refrigerator and baked as needed.

Hummus

Low-fat but still ridiculously delicious. We found it in the “Full of Beans Cookbook”.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or Romano, white kidney or Dutch brown beans)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 drops hot pepper sauce
• hot water
• chopped fresh chives or parsley

METHOD

1. Set aside about 7 whole chickpeas.
2. In food processor or blender, combine beans, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt and hot pepper sauce.
3. Process until pureed adding hot water to thin to consistency desired.
4. Garnish with chives and reserved beans.

Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

Toasted Walnut Pepper Spread

From Deborah Palmer of A Movable Feast

A gorgeous spread for Christmas … Beautiful colour. Wonderful flavour and healthy too!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 Tbsp water … add up to 1 Tbsp more if needed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil … add up to 1 Tbsp more to make the mixture more smooth, if desired
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 tsp pomegranate molasses or regular molasses
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 slice whole grain bread (walnut-raisin bread is ideal)
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted in dry pan

METHOD
Slice bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place slices, skin side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil until charred, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer peppers and all remaining ingredients except walnuts in a food processor; process until smooth. Add walnut; pulse 5 times or until nuts are coarsely chopped. Serve as a dip or puree with vegetables, bread or pita.

Cheese Straws

From “Ogilvie’s Book for a Cook”, published 1905.

"The original is still on our kitchen book-shelf at home having passed from hand to hand and home to home through several generations. It was a rite of passage into young Canadian womanhood to receive an Ogilvie's or Five Roses cookbook.

The rolling-out instructions here are delightfully archaic - referring to pastry as a paste was usage of the time - but even more, I love the careful precision of the measurements for the cutting of the straws." - Marcia

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp butter
• pinch cayenne pepper

METHOD

1. Mix thoroughly the cheese, flour, salt, pepper and butter.
2. Add enough cold water so that the paste can be rolled out thin.
3. Cut in strips seven inches long and half an inch wide.
4. Put on sheets and bake in a quick oven (about 400F) for ten minutes.

Retro Baked Cheese Fondue

From Hot Off the Griddle #38, April 1995.

"This is a bit passé but so easy and delicious - if you can have the ingredients, or are clever with substitutions - that it is the ultimate lazy-day comfort food. Serve it with a healthy salad to take a bit of the edge off your food-guilt." - Marcia

INGREDIENTS

• 4 white bread slices
• butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup shredded or slivered cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard

METHOD

1. Spread bread lightly with butter or margarine; cut into 1 inch squares; top with half of cheese; repeat.
2. In greased 1 1/2 quart casserole, arrange half of squares; top with half of cheese; repeat.
3. In medium bowl with wire whisk or hand beater, beat eggs with rest of ingredients; pour over cheese.
4. Set casserole in shallow baking pan on oven rack; fill pan with enough hot water to come halfway up side of casserole.
5. Bake in 350 deg. oven 1 hour and 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Serve at once to 4 hungry people.

Retro Cheese Sandwich Filling

From a 1924 cookbook called “The Gold Medal Sandwich Book”. Printed in Hot Off the Griddle #50, April 1996.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 pound cheese
• 2 sweet pickles
• 1 pimiento
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 dozen olives

METHOD

1. Rub cheese through a grinder, or put through a ricer or grater.
2. Chop the pickles, pimiento, nuts and olives very fine and add to the cheese.
3. Mix well.

Vegan Cashew "Cheese"

Has to be tried to be believed. How about trying it on pizza?

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch/tapioca/arrowroot
• 2 cups water
• garlic powder to taste (say ½ to 1 tsp)
• onion powder to taste (say ½ to 1 tsp)
• Salt, optional

METHOD

1. In a good blender add dry ingredients first, then add wet ingredients.
2. Mix well, until it looks smooth (1-2 minutes). It will thicken as you blend.
3. Pour contents into a saucepan on medium heat. Stir constantly until it thickens.

Keeps for a few weeks in the fridge.

Calabacitas con Queso

From “Company’s Coming: Dinners of the World”. Originally featured in Foodstuffs Hot Off the Griddle, August 1994.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, crushed and minced
• 4 or 5 zucchini (~6”) unpeeled and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups kernel corn
• 7 1/2 oz tomato sauce
• 4 oz canned chopped green chillies
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

METHOD

1. Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan.
2. Add onion and garlic.
3. Saute for about 3 minutes.
4. Add zucchini and corn, stirring and cooking until tender (3 or 4 minutes).
5. Add next five ingredients, heat until bubbling and turn out into a serving bowl.
6. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Serves approx. 8

Cinnamon Spice Nut Mix

Borrowed directly from the pages of the magnificent cookbook “Nuts: Sweet and Savory Recipes… from Diamond of California”

Make a batch of these easy candied nuts, and you’ll find all kinds of ways to serve them. You can set them out by the bowlful at a party, use them to top a salad containing apples and goat cheese, or sprinkle them over ice cream. And what could be sweeter as a home-made hostess gift?

• 4 c assorted whole nuts (such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, and macadamias)
• 2 egg whites
• 1 c sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

(You can omit this step if not using hazelnuts: If using hazelnuts, preheat oven to 350F. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet or pan. Bake, shaking the pan once or twice, until nuts are lightly browned and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Wrap warm hazelnuts in a clean dish towel and let cool 10 minutes. With the towel, rub off as much of the papery skins as possible. Add to bowl with other assorted nuts.)

Reduce oven temperature ot 225F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, coat with vegetable oil spray.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add nuts, tossing to coat well.

In another large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Blend well. Add nuts, tossing until evenly coated with sugar mixture.

Spread nuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, separating with a fork. Bake until coating is dry and crunchy, about 2 hours. Let cool.

Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week.

Yields 4 cups.

Deborah Palmer of A Movable Feast tested this recipe and suggests an alternative, quicker cooking method: Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes, stirring often. She also prepared the recipe with walnuts only – to rave reviews…

Teryaki Walnuts

Borrowed directly from the pages of the magnificent cookbook “Nuts: Sweet and Savory Recipes… from Diamond of California”

Food scientists tell us that the reason we love teriyaki flavor is that it’s a perfect balance of the four basic tastes: sweet, salty, bitter and sour. We discovered that adding a fifth – the toasted, buttery flavor of walnuts – makes teriyaki even more irresistable. Let the teri-snacking begin.

• 4 c walnut halves
• 3 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1/4c soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp Asian sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed dried red chiles

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper; spread walnuts in an even layer. Bake, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside baking sheet for later; reduce oven temperature to 300F.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, toast sesame seeds until pale golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape sesame seeds onto a plate and set aside. In the same pan, combine the orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chiles. Bring to a boil. Add walnuts and cook, stirring, until liquid has evaporated. Add sesame seeds, stirring to coat evenly.

On the baking sheet, spread walnut mixture in a single layer. Bake until nuts are glazed and dry, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week.

Yields 4 cups.

Deborah Palmer of A Movable Feast tested this recipe with deluxe mixed nuts – delicious!