Cooking in the Time of COVID-19

In COVID-19 times, being a “good cook” means using what you have, being adventurous and not expecting perfect. If you are too rigid with your recipes/meal plans, you might find you don’t have what you need after you go to the store/pickup supplies as what’s not available in any given area is changing pretty quickly right now.

I admit I’ve fallen off my usual foodie game and am relying on much simpler meals lately and cooking has become a bit of a chore.

If you are feeling the same, here are a few tips to help you rev out of that dinnertime rut and hopefully avoid “ingredient panic” when something sells out at your local market with no sign of restock. Remember like many difficult times in life this is a “transitional period” that can’t last forever. So keep calm everyone, and cook on!

Also if you have another cooking capable person in the house, now is a great time to increase their cooking capacity! My partner made this chili while I was working today with no Helprin

COVID-19 Friendly Recipes

Bread without yeast

Ice cream made with just bananas 

Cake without milk, eggs, or butter 

Mini cupcakes made without flour

Butter made from whipping cream

French toast/pancakes without bread or flour

 

COVID-19 Cooking Tips

Build up a “Pandemic Pantry” and freezer with immune healthy foods

Substituting lentils for ground beef

Substituting jack fruit for pork or chicken

Try a family or workplace “recipe challenge” to keep things fresh and stay connected

Avoid “Panic buying” and focus on/avoid certain items when shopping

Use the“My Fridge Food”or AllRecipes  ingredient search to figure out what you can make from what you already have- the results are almost always surprising!

Anti – Depression Chocolate Cake (aka out of everything cake)

Ok, so first off this name is a little tongue-in-cheek, as this cake has no actual mental health/medicinal/curative properties, but did come from a recipe for a cake written during the Depression. It is also sometimes called wacky or crazy cake.

I tried it during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when eggs, butter and icing sugar were not available in stores in my area.

For a cake with no eggs, butter or milk and an icing without icing sugar, it is pretty amazing! However to the base recipe I’ve added some flavourings that I think are needed to “spice things up” with such a frugal cake. The two choices I suggest are either *ancho chili powder (sometimes labelled as “Mexican chili/chilie powder” – do NOT use Chili powder which is a spice blend including garlic and cumin- the closest alternative would be cayenne pepper) or almond extract, in addition to the vanilla extract to add another layer of flavour complexity.  I also made an icing/ganache/glaze thing with chocolate chips and regular sugar that worked out quite well despite going against everything a professional chef would tell you to try.

 Pandemic Friendly Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of almond extract OR Ancho Chili powder *
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable/grape seed/ neutral oil
• 1 cup water

FROSTING

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla, vinegar, either the almond extract or chili powder, oil and water. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until no lumps remain.
3. Pour batter into a greased or parchment lined 8×8 square pan or round cake pan.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 
5. Let cake cool completely before frosting if you are using icing sugar and looking for a traditional type buttercream frosting, or do it warm for a glaze type frosting that drips off like in the photo. Or skip the icing.

ICING

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan (or in the microwave using a microwave safe dish). Stir in cocoa powder, mixture will form a thick paste. If using chocolate chips/pieces, melt for 15 second intervals until melted.
2. Stir in the sugar while warm until it is no longer grainy.
3. Pour over cake and resist eating it all to yourself !

Tomato Jam

Tomato jam will change your life.

Ok, this is a little dramatic, but for me every once in a while I begin to start ordering out, buying frozen foods and giving up a little in the kitchen. Even folks who love cooking get sick of having to make dinner every day and I start to call it in, literally. I am a person who craves change, moving forward, and learning new things, so to push myself out of these ruts it takes a new recipe that is exciting and makes me think “hmm, I never knew that existed!” when I taste or read about it for the first time. Tomato jam did just this and got me back in the kitchen and although I am not one to toot my own cooking horn I must say it is one of the tastiest things I have ever made.

I first tasted tomato jam at Scaddabush in Toronto, alongside mozzarella I filmed being made like a true tourist, sea salt, and focaccia crostini. It was surprisingly sweet yet tart with deep, caramelized flavours very different from even a slow long simmering of tomato sauce. Yesterday I made mozzarella for the first time (I didn’t even cheat and do it from fresh curds like those sneaky Scaddabushers) and it was good alone but lip smackingly tasty with this tomato jam. The jam actually took much longer to make than the cheese, but effort wise there is no comparison. Basically you just throw this in a pot, simmer it for at least an hour until it is a sticky beauteous concoction and try not to eat it all before you jar it up.

*If you look around at tomato jam recipes, there are many variations but none seem to note that the amount of sugar you use needs to vary based on the natural sweetness of your tomatoes. I bought the best tomatoes I have ever tasted this week at market, little golden heirloom cherry tomatoes which are amazingly sweet. They did not need much sugar, but almost any other variety would need a few teaspoons more.

This recipe makes 1 jar so I suggest you double it if you intend on sharing. However a little goes a lonnnng way. In addition to a Scaddabush copycat board that will save you $15 and impress the socks of guests. In addition to eating it by the spoonful, ideas for using up your jam include:

• on any kind of meat really (grilled chicken, pork chops)
• on hamburgers and hot dogs
• as a dipping sauce for grilled cheese or deep fried grilled cheese
• as a baste for a pork roast
• with grilled peaches on crustoni with some fresh ricotta or burrata
• on fresh bread with cream cheese
• atop baked brie with some nuts
• stirred into pasta with pesto or balsamic to give it a more savory note
• atop mac and cheese
• on an antipasto platter
• on eggs
• on anything you would put chili sauce on
• in a mini jam/honey jar with some fresh cheese and bread as a lovely gift

Tomato Jam

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, diced, or 4 medium tomatoes, quartered, or equivalent (try to find heirloom!)

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (you could also use white balsamic or white wine vinegar)

2 tablespoons of sugar (more if your tomatoes are not very sweet)

sprinkle of sea salt

pinch of chopped fresh rosemary

dash of allspice

dash of ground ginger

Add together in pot and simmer on low for 1-2 hours or until thick and jam-like. Taste and stir regularly to see if you need a little more sugar (or vinegar if you add to much sugar. It should be on the sweet side with a touch of tang.

 

 

 

 

Instant Pot Lazy Ribs Dinner

Well folks, it finally happened, I’m writing again! It has been a long road these past few years but I think I am finally finding balance in my life and can now do something with all these food photos on my phone.

Let’s talk about the Instant Pot. I bought mine a few years ago before this whole craze started, used it a few times and then threw it in the basement. It seemed fussy with all the specific instructions and buttons and I revered to my regular slow cooker, even though I bought the Instant Pot because I wanted something to sauté and then slow cook in the same machine. Then in the last 6 months as many folks around me started buying their own and going on about how much they love theirs I decided my rejection might have been premature; let’s give this baby another chance.

I’m so glad I did! It really is an amazing little machine, but much like a new phone you have to spend a few minutes learning about all it’s magic little tricks. If you, like me, hate reading manuals and are new to your insta-pot, here are a few quick tips:

1. COOK FREE- Don’t be tied to your manual or online recipes, just try things out! This isn’t like a traditional pressure cooker where if you screw up your face might get burned off, so have a little fun. Getting an idea of cooking times is nice, but then branch out and try different things.
2. PREHEAT- Everyone is amazed when you talk about hard boiling eggs in 3 or 4 minutes or cooking chicken breast from frozen 10. But these times don’t include the approximately 10 minutes it takes to heat up before the pressure cooking can begin. If you have any prep to do, turn on the “sauté” function while you do this and this will cut down on the preheat time.
3. SLOWCOOK DIFFERENTLY- This isn’t a slow cooker, and although it has a slow cook function it will not act the same as a traditional slow cooker. This is fine but take it into account when using it as a slow cooker. I find it does not cook as low and slow as a slow cooker, even on low, but is great if you use it like you would a regular slow cooker for 4 hour meals cooked on high.

Now, for the first of many insta-pot recipes to come. This one is super easy, don’t laugh! It was so good though and the veggies were nicely seasoned- try it, you’ll be glad you did! You could jazz things up by replacing the water with broth or beer, or using your own bbq sauce (I usually make one of sautéed onions, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, and brown sugar). I cook with a lot of riblets as the 10lb boxes are often on 2 for 1 at the local butcher, but regular ribs would work (I would add 2 hours of cooking time).

 

EASY ONE POT RIB DINNER – Instant-Pot style

6-8 riblets

2 cups of bbq sauce (I used a bottle of Diana’s rib and chicken)

1 onion, sliced into rings

1.5 cups of water

4 carrots, peeled

4 potatoes, sliced in half (peeled/unpeeled fine)

salt and pepper to taste

 

Add the water to the insta pot

Salt and pepper the ribs and add them and cover with about 3/4 of the bbq sauce (1.5 cups)

Lay onions on top of ribs

Cook for 3 hours on the regular slow cook temperature. You could also try just pressure cooking them for 20 minutes if you are in a hurry!

Remove ribs and put on cookie sheet – brush with rest of sauce and cook at 450 for 10-15 minutes or until crispy while you cook the veggies.

Add veggies to the liquid left in pot – turn on pressure cook (manual) for 5 minutes.

 

 

The Quickest (and bestest) Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I don’t often make brussel sprouts as I am the only person in my house who cares for them. I bought some at market the other day with intentions of a home made kale, cabbage and brussel sprout salad but then yesterday started considering alternatives that aren’t smothered creamy poppy seed dressing. I landed on wanting to roast the lovely little things, but I also wanted to eat within 10 minutes so I adapted a quick roasting method from The Kitchn to make it even easier (and smoke free). 

The result was perfectly charred brussels within 10 minutes of turning on the oven. They are so much better than the kind that is roasted into submission for 30-45min (sometimes even an hour!) in most recipes. The result here is an inside that is tender but still has some substance, just like with roasted brussel sprouts that you usually get in a high end resturant.  

Quick Roasted Brussel Sprouts

 

in only 10 min!

 

Fresh brussel sprouts

Oil (I used 1tb of grapeseed and 1tb olive)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Turn on broil and place cookie sheet on middle rack.

Meanwhile wash then cut the ends of the sprouts off and let the first few outer layer leaves fall away.

Cut sprouts in half, giant ones can be quartered. 

Dump on cookie sheet and toss in oil and salt and pepper, then arrange them so they are cut side down.

Cook 5 minutes or until lightly charred. 

Take cookie sheet out – if bottoms of sprouts aren’t nicely caramalized just leave them on the cookie sheet a few minutes (still out of the oven) to cook the bottoms a little more.

Serve warm or with a drizzle of balsamic or balsamic reduction. 

Cheese Chips!!!

 

parmesan cheese chip

 
Heres the trouble folks; once you start making cheese chips you will never stop. Even with the best intentions, “I’ll just eat a few and save the rest to serve with dinner tomorrow” ultimately you will eat too many and spread the addiction to others. 

Usually, we see parmesan chips, which are delicious, mind you, but they aren’t the only cheese in the ballgame when it comes to crisp, light, flavourful homemade cheese crisps. Like usual I’ve done the experimenting for you and tried chips at different temperatures made of various cheeses including parmesan, extra old cheddar, medium cheddar, handeck, asiago, and a mix. 

  

extra old cheddar chips before baking

My favourite are the chips made from extra old cheddar (made by my local cheese shop Jenson’s and aged 2 years I believe. And don’t worry about it being orange- like most Canadian cheese makers, they use a vegetable based natural colouring). They are more crisp than asiago whichs tend to have the tiniest bit of chew and cheaper than parmesan chips, which I like almost as much. 

*Some recipes said to use a mix of finely grated cheese and coarse and after trying both I can tell you this is horseshit and it doesn’t matter. Grate it however you want!

the winner!

The recipe is so simple I’m not sure you can call it a recipe, but here it is! I recommend serving these (or at least planning to before you scarf them all down yourself) with Roasted Tomato Soup.

 

roasted tomato soup with the few cheese chips not eaten before dinner!

Cheese Chips

Grated  cheese of choice *
Preheat oven to 400f

Line baking sheet with parchment and use tablespoon to make cheese mounds. Bake for 4-6 minutes or until starting to bubble – stay close and don’t overcook!

Let cool on the cookie sheet a few minutes- they will crisp up when cool. 

Store leftovers (ha!) in a glass jar with a paper towel in the fridge for up to a week. 

 

 

Eggies in a Basket – the perfect Valentines Day Breaky

Full disclosure- Violet wasn’t even here during the making of this dish as Grandmas are freakin’ wonderful and she had a V day sleepover. She did arrive home during the “enjoy” step however and snag some bacon (for what I am told is her FOURTH breakfast haha – she just might be a hobbit.)

I, like everyone else on the internet apparently, first wanted to make this dish after seeing it prepared on V for Vendetta, a great film.

V makes eggies

The marvel of V being able to make the eggies is that he was able to score real butter during a time of strict rations. I’ve seen a few very,very wrong recipes for this dish out there, but even the most misguided seems to grasp the base principal; this dish is all about the butter. 

There are only three things you need (in addition to a pan and spatula, come now don’t be so literal), good bread, good eggs and, of course, butter!

 

Our Valentines Day Breakfast

Eggies in a Basket 

Turn frying pan to medium and melt 1 tablespoon of butter per piece of bread.

Tear a hole in centre of each slice.

Once butter is melted, place bread in pan for a few seconds then flip, ensuring both sides have sucked up some buttery goodness.

Crack an egg into a wee bowl and carefully pour into centre of each slice (or crack directly in bread hole if you are a pro).

Once the whites have started to firm up a little and turn white (this only takes a minute or two), get a spatula out but before you flip, get another tablespoon of butter ready and throw it in and melt a bit beside the bread, then flip bread and let it soak up all that melted butter.

Many recipes say to wait a few minutes at this point but that will result in over cooked eggs. If you want some runny yoke, remove from the pan as soon as both sides of bread are nicely browned and crisp. 

Serve immediately, with a mimosa because they are awesome.

Flourless Banana Chocolate Mini Muffins

 

mini muffin or two bite brownie ? You decide!

 
Just to be clear, I love flour. All forms of gluten really, but flour based things in particular. But when my daughter was born (nearly 2 years ago now I can’t believe it!) I had an “aha” moment where I realized I was entirely responsible for everything that went inside this tiny person’s body and my choices would inform her relationship with food for the rest of her life. 

Woah- that’s a lot of pressure! I started to learn more about food and consider my nutritional choices more carefully. Two years later I am sixty pounds lighter than before pregnancy and am still learning so much about food and how it works in our bodies. Although my little one is no stranger to Tim Bits and sometimes eats things with “Mc” in front of them, she also loves kale chips, spinach smoothies and as of last night, these tasty, fudgy little two bite brownie type mini muffins. 

Thanks to Emma over at Better with Cake for the original recipe which I made a few changes to. They were soooo good and everyone at work shouted “send me the recipe!” in between mouthfuls. They satisfied my craving for something fudgy last night and were even better the next day when my little one was looking for a treat. The best thing is – not one dirty bowl! They are made in the blender and come together before the oven preheats 🙂

Flourless Banana Chocolate Mini Muffins 

Makes approx 36 mini muffins (can also halve recipe) 

2 eggs

1/2 cup maple syrup

4 teaspoons of vanilla or scrapings of one vanilla bean 

2 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled sightly

2 overripe bananas

4 tablespoons cocoa power 

4 tablespoons of unsweetened nut butter (I used sunflower but peanut, almond, cashew or similar would be fine- if you are using regular sweetened peanut butter reduce the maple syrup)

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoons of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (I used epicure pumpkin pie spice)

1 teaspoon of sea salt 

4 tablespoons of mini semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

2 tablespoons of semi sweet mini chocolate chips 

—–

– Preheat oven to 350 f and line a mini muffin tray with papers or grease.

– Place all ingredients except choc chips into your food processor or blender and process/blend until well combined. FYI – the batter will be very, very runny. Don’t worry! 

-Add your 4 tablespoons of chocolate chips and stir to combine.

– Spoon/pour batter into your prepared muffin tray (I use approx 2 teaspoons per mini muffin).

– Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on tops. 

– Bake for 10-12 mins until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick has just a few crumbs attached when inserted into the centre.

– Allow to cool in the muffin tray slightly before transferring directly into your mouth to a wire rack to cool completely.

These are better (and less banan-y) the next day but are also good warm! 

Overnight French Toast Casserole

I’m not sure how it took me this long to discover the following recipe, but it is deliciously magical in ease of preparation and a must try for a brunch or breakfast-themed weeknight dinner.

Whenever I entertain, I seem to follow a strict pattern of attempting to cook too many complicated, different brand new dishes all at once. Ultimately I am left scrambling in the kitchen and can’t enjoy the company of my guests. A few weeks ago I broke this habit by making at least 3/4 of my Pumpkinfest Brunch menu make ahead dishes that took little or no prep the day of.

 

i was able to make the pumpkin tarts, hasbrown casserole, quiche, cheeseplate, and the french toast bake the day before

This was by far the easiest and most popular dish at the party and certainly fed a large crew! I even made a half sized version last night for dinner and served with fresh fruit and peppered bacon.

My adaptations to the original recipe from Food.com are the additions of vanilla, nutmeg, allspice, salt and maple syrup.

The first time I made this I had leftover pumpkin pie filling and stirred 1/3 cup in the egg and it was very tasty and subtle.

Some pecans on top would also be lovely!

 

full sized version

SERVINGS 9-12 

1⁄2 cup butter 

12 slices white bread (I use brioche, raisin bread, or a freshly sliced italian or french loaf)

1 cup brown sugar (*You may wish to reduce the amount of sugar used to 2/3 cup.)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice or ground cloves

Dash of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 eggs

1 1⁄2 cups milk

1 tablespoon maple syrup 

Powdered sugar and maple syrup (for serving)

—

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. 

Put 6 slices of bread in bottom of dish.

In a bowl mix 1 cup brown sugar with spices and salt. 

Sprinkle 1/2 of this sugar mixture over bread.

Add another layer of 6 slices of bread.

In a bowl, whisk eggs with milk, maple syrup and vanilla until well blended.

Pour over bread layers.

Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.* 

Bake covered at 350F 30 minutes.

Uncover and continue baking 15 minutes or until set and browned.

Top with powdered sugar and drizzle with maple syrup before serving. Raspberries and whipped cream served on the side make it very decadent! 

Leftovers reheat very well. 

 

make it in 10 minutes one night or morning and enjoy later!

*It really only needs to sit for 10 minutes before it is ready to bake- so don’t worry if you are hungry NOWish lol!

The best squash in the world!

Happy Thanksgiving y’all. Today I’d like to share something I’m thankful for, which is the discovery of the BEST kind of squash. I had never heard of or seen this type of squash until it showed up in my farm share last year, and the first time I tasted it I knew I was in love. The prep is SO quick as the skin is edible (and tasty!) and it cooks in about 20-25 minutes. It is so sweet you don’t even need brown sugar! 

What is this magical, earth shattering, life changing squash you ask ? Where can you find squash that is ready to go in the oven before it is done preheating and so tasty everyone will fight for the leftovers? 

One word folks: Delicata.

 

named for it’s delicate (edible) skin

 
Once I learned of their exsistance I began to notice them more and more at roadside stands and farmers markets. I buy 4 or 5 at a time as they are such a great addition to any dinner and cook in the same amount of time as many meats. 

So get your hands on some delicata today and let me know what you think! This isn’t so much of a recipe as a recommendation to try this delictable winter squash (pun intended) and then tell me how it changed your life.

 

a healthy alternative to onion rings!

 
Roasted Delicata Squash Rings

Use 1/2 delicata squash per person.

Preheat oven to 425f.

Line cookie sheet with parchment.

Scrub squash and cut in approximately 1/2″ rings.

Scoop or cut out seeds.

Toss in enough melted butter to coat and salt and pepper (nutmeg is nice too- not to much). You can do this in a bowl or on a cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes and then flip and cook for another 10 minutes or until nicely browned. 

Enjoy!