Chicken Caesar Salad with a Twist

Now here’s the thing about classic dishes:  You crave the flavours of the dish but they can become boring after a while.  This was my problem with chicken Caesar salad:  Love the taste, tired of the same old salad.

Here’s my recipe for the Chicken Caesar Salad with a twist.  I’ve kept the same essential ingredients (Romaine lettuce, chicken, bacon, Caesar dressing, and croutons) but changed things up a bit.  Instead of the traditional croutons to top the salad, why not coat the chicken breast with breadcrumbs?  I’m not reinventing the wheel here, but this little substitution is a fun twit on the classic.

You can use regular breadcrumbs or mash up some croutons to coat the chicken.  Because I love to lower my carb intake when possible, I replaced the breadcrumbs with almond meal.  It was as delicious but with way less carbohydrate!  Yay!

For the chicken, you can buy already cut scaloppini but regular chicken breasts will work great too.  Simply cut the breasts in half lengthwise and pound the chicken to flattened.

Coffee Dry Rub Ribs

A new restaurant opened in my neighbourhood: AAA.  The menu includes pulled pork sandwiches, smoked brisket and these amazing smoked dry rub ribs served with Bourbon BBQ sauce.  Last time we visited this amazing establishment Mr.C and I ate 3 baskets (yes… 3 baskets - the owners gave us free shots to commemorate this moment of pure gluttony…).  Ever since that delicious dinner I’ve been obsessed with recreating these incredible ribs.

I posted this recipe for slow cooked BBQ ribs a few weeks ago.  They are delicious but I wanted to try a recipe for dry rubbed ribs with a side of BBQ sauce.  Since I don’t have a smoker or a BBQ, I needed an oven recipe. 

Like most of my recipes, you can prepare the ribs in advance.  Simply rub the ribs with the spice mix, warp them in aluminum foil and place them in a resealable freezer bag.  Thaw completely before cooking.

The original recipe slow cooked the ribs at 300°F for 3 hours.  Unfortunately my mind was elsewhere when I was preparing the ribs and set the oven at 400°F instead…  I noticed my mistake after an hour of cooking…  I took a quick reading with my meat thermometer and it showed that the meat was cooked to perfection.  I was afraid that the meat was going to be though and dry but instead it was moist and delicious!  So the choice is up to you; you can either cook the ribs at 300°F for 3 hours or for 1 hour at 400°F.  I’ve only prepared these ribs once but the result was a great success and I will definitely make them again! 

This spice mix recipe yields enough rub for 4 large racks of ribs.  Simply place the leftover rub in an airtight container for the next time you crave these delicious ribs!

For the BBQ Sauce, you can replace a few ingredients.  I like to use the molasses; it really adds richness to the sauce but you could substitute it for honey.  I like to serve the sauce on the side rather than smothering the ribs in it. 

Tomato & Ricotta Tart

This last weekend in Toronto was sunny, warm and you can almost believe that spring had finally arrived.  To celebrate the end of a long, cold and snowy winter, I wanted to prepare a dish for lunch that would be fresh, light and would taste like summer.  I found these beautiful cherry tomatoes at the market and knew that whatever I would prepare, the cherry tomatoes would play an important role.

I had found a great recipe for a quick leek and ricotta pie a few months back.  I tweaked the recipe and created a delicious tomato & ricotta tart!  Serve with a quick and simple salad, it was the perfect lunch for a perfect weekend!

You can prepare your own puff pastry but I use store bought;  it's already rolled out to the perfect size and frankly it probably tastes better than if I made it myself...

Two-Minute Microwave Brownie

Sometimes a girl just needs chocolate. 

A rarely crave something sweet but when it does happen, I need it NOW.  This recipe is the perfect fix when a craving hits me.  With only a few cooking tools and ingredients you will get one moist and chocolaty brownie under 2 minutes.

And because this recipes is only for one brownie, there is no chance you will end up eating an entire large batch…

Le Croque-Monsieur

It will not surprise you to know that some of the best meals I’ve ever had were in Paris.  What may surprise you is that one of the best croque-monsieur I’ve ever had was at the Charles de Gaulle airport! (Amazing food is truly everywhere in France…).  The crisp bread, warm and flavourful melted cheese, and the creamy béchamel sauce really makes this sandwich a masterpiece!

When I came back from Paris I couldn’t stop thinking of this amazing sandwich and tried to prepare some at home.  I was surprise how easy the béchamel was to prepare (my first attempt!) and the amazing taste the sauce brought to the sandwich.

A croque-monsieur can be transformed into a croque-madame by toping the sandwich with a panfried egg.

So go on - spoil yourself with a nice warm croque-monsieur!

How-to: Poach an Egg

For the longest time I was under the impression that poaching an egg was very difficult.  I read many articles and watched many tutorials on youtube on how to poach the perfect egg.  There are a lot of tips and different methods out there:  from creating a whirlpool in the boiling water, to the exact perfect temperature of the water and the freshness of the eggs… 

I have to admit, my first attempt to poaching eggs wasn’t a success…  After a few tries I finally found some easy tips that helped me poach eggs.

Blackened Cod with Mango Salad

I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and it wasn’t pretty…  My hair is dull, I have deep, dark circles under my eyes and my complexion is no longer fair;  it’s officially white with blue undertones.  I need a tan so bad – everybody looks better with a tan (Not to worry; I always wear sunscreen!)

So I’m still in “beach” mode and aside from craving sun, sand and Tequila, I also wanted a dish that would be both fresh and light. 

This blackened cod tastes like sunshine; that’s the best way I can describe it!