Zesty & Spicy

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Chicken thighs with zucchini & delicata squash chutney

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This is a recipe that was featured on Twitch and you can rewatch the episode in replay if you missed it.

If you’re searching for a quick and easy dish that will for sure please most palates, this is it.  Not only that it’s close to impossible to miss the cooking on chicken thighs, your don’t even need to peel the skin of the squash which will save you loads of time.  Delicata squashes are part of the summer squashes family, pretty much like zucchinis, and they are often available at the grocery all year long depending on where you live.

You will find a great balance between the spices on the chicken and the sweetness of the chutney.  The lemon zest and the fresh mint leaves playing the role of adding extra layers of flavours to bring everything together.  It truly is an amazing dish and I sincerely hope you get to try this recipe.

Cant find a delicata squash at the grocery?  No problem.

Fresh cubes of butternut or acorn squash will be perfect as a replacement.  Just don’t forget to remove the skin and use about a quarter of the squash (because delicata are much smaller in size), prior to grill them.

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Korean chicken salad

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Full disclaimer: I havent made the Korean fried chicken in this recipe.  I’ve also use pre-made Japanese Wafu dressing which is decently easy to make but the goal of this meal was that it had to be done quick.  Both of these recipes will be done at a later time when I have cracked the code for the perfect fried Korean chicken and  the famous sesame dressing.

So, as mentioned above, it was a leftovers from a takeout of one of my favorite Korean place because sometimes, we have to jazz up the leftovers in our fridge.

At this point, to even call it a recipe is a little far fetch in my book but eh, since the Instagram post got a decent amount of attention, it must be worth posting here as well.  Hope you enjoy this entry and you get inspired to make your own colourful salad.

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Bee pollen cupcakes with jam.

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The jam part of this recipe is quite simple.  I had mulberries in my freezer that I mixed with cane sugar and brought the mixture to a boil.  After a few minutes, the berries starts to fall apart and the jam appears.  Since they have a LOT of annoying little seeds, after blending the mixture even more (I used the trust worthy hand blender for that) I’ve strained it to remove them.  What’s left is more like a coulis than an actual jam but it doesn’t matter because it’s delicious.

You may use any other types of berries or fruits as long as they have a little tartness to them.  That little tartness will be balancing the sugar of the bee pollen which is the star of today’s recipe.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than ever before, I’m mostly buying local produces or at least as much as possible.  Intermiel was the first local company I happily gave my support to as they were so generous with me in the past and still always repost my instagram stories.  Beside being total sweethearts, I like knowing my money goes to passionate people which is exactly how this apiculture company started.

Today’s bee pollen cupcakes were my way to celebrate receiving my second online order from them and the recipe was created from another recipe for vanilla cupcakes made for a friend a few weeks ago.  If you remove the bee pollen of this recipe, they stand great on their own as well without being too sweet.  The original recipe was topped with diplomat cream which you can image is sweet enough.

On this have a wonderful day and hope you enjoy this recipe.

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Fresh cheese

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Cant find cream cheese or simply fresh cheese at the grocery?

No problem!  You’ll just make your own and feel how rewarding it feels to create from scratch such humble product.  Personally, cheese making has always been something that excited me but I sadly havent dabbled in the process that much.  This simple fresh, spreadable cheese is my second attempt at the process after making Lebneh which is also something you will want to try.  Hope you enjoy this.

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Sweet potato & red lentil soup

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Instant pots are awesome.  I havent been talking a lot about them just yet but let’s say that mine is being use quite often and helps me eat food that would only be possible with many hours of prep and cooking.  In about one hour, instead of six, I get a perfect meal.  This soup is like the soup you’ll throw in at the last minute but will make you look like you’ve actually done something amazing.

To add the swag to your simple soup, it’s all about the toppings.  I kept it simple, for this one, and topped the soup with the thinly sliced dried peppers that you often find on a juicy bowl of ramens and a few drops of sesame oil and sea salt flakes (Maldon) – to add a fun twist.

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Turkey stuffed cabbage leaves

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Definitely in my top ten comfort food of all time.  My grand mother makes some incredible stuffed cabbage leaves but this isn’t her recipe.  This is the feel good recipe I made a few weeks ago when turkey is what was left at the grocery.  What started as fun experiment turned out to be amazing and I ate these bad boys in three days!

My initial goal was to freeze some but they didn’t make it to the freezer.  Looks like I’ll be making a new batch very soon.

I hope you get to try and like this recipe <3

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Chicken macedoine in the Instant pot

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Hard to beat this dish in term of comfort food and so quick and easy when you’re using an Instant Pot.

This recipe could be easily converted in a stove top version if you don’t have an Instant Pot, it will only takes a little longer.

I own the 7in1 duo mini Instant pot and it’s what I used for this recipe.

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Hot Chocolate mix, gluten free brownies

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The end texture of the mixed almond flour and chickpea flour is INCREDIBLE.

Soft, almost melt in your mouth but still a bit chewy and cakey at the same time.  The idea was to make a worthy chocolate afternoon binge while using a minimum amount of ressources as we all know what’s happening in the world today.  Since this new reality, my cooking has switched a bit and is focussing even more on managing waste and using limited produce to create delicious meals and snacks.  Follow me on Instagram, if you’re not already, to see what I come out with almost every day.

When coming up with this recipe, I remember looking at the thin choice of chocolate snacks in the pantry.  Truth to be told, I try not to have chocolate in the house because I’m too immature for that and ALWAYS end up eating almost all in one sitting.  People that are close to be know that I still prefer a fruit tart over a chocolate cake but it’s hard to say no when it comes to brownies.

Also because eating too much high in gluten ingredients hurt my stomach a little, it’s been fun to experiment with gluten free baking.  This recipe is a great success, hope you get to try it.

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