Recipes

Milk Calendar's 40th Anniversary - Eggs Benedict With A Twist Recipe

in , , ,

Holy cow! I just had to do it.

Dairy Farmers of Canada's Milk Calendar which has been an integral part of many Canadian families from coast to coast is celebrating their 40-year milestone with their 2017 edition. Like many of us, every year we eagerly wait for the new Milk Calendar to hang up on our walls, providing us with easy, innovative, and delicious dairy related recipes for every meal and occasion.

The majority of Canadians do not consume the recommended servings of milk and dairy products, so the Milk Calendar was created 40 years ago to help Canadian families get their recommended daily servings using 100% Canadian milk in its recipes. This year of course is no exception and the 2017 edition reflects the milestone with a "How Far We've Come" theme that is also intended to honour Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017.

As soon as you turn to the first page of the 2017 Milk Calendar, you'll notice they've included some of their favourite recipes from their four decade old collection such as the Piquant Potato Salad from 1974, the Beef Ring with Seasonal Vegetables from 1981, and the Apple Berry Cobbler from 2000. All of these nostalgic recipes have been updated with flavours and ingredients using the current culinary tastes that anyone will come to love and enjoy in today's times.

Breakfast/brunch is absolutely my most favourite meal of the day so it is quite fitting that I will be sharing with you all the December 2017 Milk Calendar recipe, Eggs Benedict With A Twist. Fast forward a year from now, many Canadian families will be serving this up for the whole family to enjoy during the Holiday season. But for now you all get a sneak peak into this take on eggs benedict that includes the fresh and creamy taste of avocado.

Eggs Benedict With A Twist

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook: 3 Minutes
4 Servings

Ingredients

2 tsp (10 mL) butter
4 tsp (20mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250mL) milk
1/2 cup (125mL) finely grated Canadian Parmesan
1/2 tsp (2mL) mustard power
1/4 tsp (1mL) each, hot sauce and salt
4 small slices olive, cheese, or crusty Italian bread
4 eggs
4 thin slices Black Forest ham
4 slices tomato
1 avocado, peeled, and thinly sliced
Chives for garnish (optional)

Directions

1) Melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in milk. Stirring continuously, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently 1 min. Whisk in Parmesan, mustard powder, hot sauce, and salt. Remove from heat; sauce will thicken slightly while preparing remaining ingredients. 2) Toast bread. 3) Poach eggs in simmering water about 3 mins. Fold ham to fit on each slice of bread, followed by a slice of tomato, avocado slices then egg. Drizzle with sauce then sprinkle with chives if using.

Cooking Tip

Add about 1 tbsp (15mL) white vinegar to eggs' poaching water; this helps eggs to hold their shape. Gently pat eggs dry with paper towel after cooking to prevent bread from becoming soggy.

Variation

Try fried eggs instead of poached and prosciutto instead of ham. 

Per Serving

Energy: 344 Calories, Protein: 19 g, Carbohydrate: 21 g, Fat: 21 g, Fibre: 4.6 g, Sodium: 694 mg, Calcium: 267 mg

All Milk Calendar recipes since 1974 are also available online at MilkCalendar.ca. Visit MilkCalendar.ca to see how you can pick up your copy of the 2017 calendar!

POM Wonderful - Bountiful & Beneficial

in ,

The almighty pomegranate. If you are willing to put in the effort to tackle an often time messy endeavor, the end result will be a bounty full of delicious and nutritious red jewels that your body and taste buds will appreciate. We all can understand though that you do have a busy life, and there is sometimes not enough time to dig for those red seeded jewels yourself. As pomegranates are ripe and in season now, let POM Wonderful do the work for you as it is the perfect time to indulge in a cold, refreshing glass of pomegranate juice.

According to a recent Leger survey, 93% of Canadians want to live a healthier lifestyle, and part of that dedication to healthier living starts with changing beverage choices from sugar-filled carbonated drinks to more natural options. Pomegranate juice contains natural ingredients that are vital for our bodies. POM Wonderful (original) is made with 100% pomegranate juice and does not contain any added sugar, colourants, or cheap filler juices. It is also a great source of potassium.

Did you know that every 473ml bottle of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice has the juice of four whole pomegranates inside and nothing else? That means that 125mL is a serving of fruit towards the 7-10 servings a day recommended for adults by Canada's Food Guide.

One thing I was not aware of about POM Wonderful was not only do they sell their pomegranate juices that we all know and love, they also sell POM Arils! If you have never heard of what an aril is, it is simply the seed pod inside a pomegranate. Translation? The pomegranate seeds have all been magically picked out for you to enjoy with no work or mess involved on your part! It is a wonderful, wonderful thing. You really won't be able to appreciate the hard work it is to pull those arils out unless you have actually cut the pomegranate fruit open and tried it for yourself. It's tough work! 

POM Wonderful being such a versatile drink also comes in three delicious flavours. Of course there is the original 100% pomegranate juice, but there is also POM Cherry and POM Blueberry! A small fruity twist to the already wonderful flavours and nutrition of pomegranate. If you are feeling even more adventurous and want to try something else besides drinking it on its own, with the Holiday season upon us it can also be transformed into the Winter Warmer Cocktail. This is a winning drink recipe created from Toronto bartender Meghan McIntosh, designed to taste festive as we head into this Holiday season. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1.5 oz Tromba Anejo
1 oz POM Wonderful
1.5 oz Apple cider
1 oz Cinnamon syrup
0.75 oz lemon juice  

Method

1) Shake
2) Served straight up or on the rocks with lemon wheel and pomegranate seeds as garnish

#LGChuckBites - Tomato Pie Recipe From Chuck Hughes & LG Appliance Showcase

in ,

Celebrity Chef Chuck Hughes was in the city last week showcasing some of the latest, most technologically advanced kitchen appliances LG has to offer. Utilizing the LG Stainless Slide in Range with ProBake Convection, Chuck Hughes demonstrated right in front of our eyes how easy it was to put together a delicious and savoury Tomato Pie that is perfect to share around the Christmas dinner table. Speaking of Christmas, the entire time spent watching Chuck work his magic in the kitchen, all I could think of was how I was going to lure my family and friends to get me one of these sleek LG kitchen appliances. I mean it would fit perfectly in my kitchen decor. Honest! 

LG has really stepped up its game recently by releasing their newest generation of kitchen appliances, notably the new LG Black Stainless Slide in Range with ProBake Convection (MSRP $2899.99). Inspired by pro-style ranges, it has a modern, luxurious look that is fingerprint resistant with a finish that easily wipes clean with just a smooth, dry cloth. Its heating element is moved from the bottom of the oven to the back wall for optimal heat distribution, and cleaning has never been easier using EasyClean for just ten minutes.

Watch Chuck Hughes create his Tomato Pie recipe using the LG Black Stainless Slide in Range with ProBake Convection below!

Need a place to store all your tomatoes? Look no further than the new LG Stainless Fridge (MSRP $4899.99). The coolest thing about this fridge has to be its InstaView Door-in-Door with ColdSave Panel built right into it. With just a double tap on the right side door, it instantly lights up allowing you to see what's inside without opening the fridge. Its Slim SpacePlus Ice System is also located on the door, so you end up with more storage space on the top shelf of the freezer.

Watch Chuck Hughes show us the features of the LG Stainless Fridge including the built-in InstaView Door-in-Door with ColdSave Panel below!

Now this Tomato Pie recipe from Chuck Hughes does not require you to have the above LG appliances (although it would be nice to have), so any oven and fridge will do. This savoury pie combines fresh tomatoes, basil, and sweet onions in a delicate phyllo crust with zesty Cheddar topping. It's extremely flavourful and presents very well, yet so easy to put together.

Ingredients

Crust

6 sheets of phyllo
1 cup cold butter, cut up, melted

Filling

6 large field tomatoes, divided
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) freshly shredded extra-sharp white Canadian Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
Basil leaves
1 tbsp instant tapioca

Directions

Crust

Melt the butter. Lat out 1 sheet of phyllo and brush with clarified butter. Lay another phyllo sheet on top and repeat until you have 6 layers of buttered phyllo sheets

Filling

Cut 4 of the 6 tomatoes into 1/4" thick slices and remove the seeds. Place tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Stir together Cheddar, Gruyere, mayonnaise, eggs, sugar, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl until combined.

Pat tomato slices dry with paper towel. Sprinkle tapioca over the bottom of the crust. Lightly spread 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture onto the crust. Layer with half of the tomato slices in slightly overlapping rows.

Spread paper-think red onions and basil leaves evenly. Then spread on another 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture.

Repeat layers, using the remaining tomato slices, red onions, basil leaves, and cheese mixture. Cut the remaining 2 tomatoes into 1/4" thick slices and arrange on top of the pie.

Bake at 425F (220C) for 30 - 35 minutes, shielding the edges with foil during the last 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 1-2 hours before serving.

Recipe - Chocolate & Hazelnut Popsicles

in

One of my favourite recipes I've come across this year is delicious, fun to make, and probably one of the easiest things I've learned to do all summer! At the focal point of this recipe are organic ingredients supplied by PRANA who promote wholesome living through good nourishment. All of PRANA products are certified organic, kosher, vegan, gluten-free, gmo-free, preservative-free, sulfite-free and, above all, free of compromise.

This recipe is perfect for the entire family and very kid friendly, so feel free to have the young ones help out in the kitchen on this one. You even get to make your own almond milk at home!

Check out this unique recipe made by Marie-Josée Richer, co-founder of PRANA below!

Ingredients:

2 cups homemade almond milk
2 tablespoons of hazelnut butter
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla pod
1/8 cup guar gum (optional)

Directions:

How to make homemade almond milk:

  1. Soak almonds for at least 12 hours in pure water with ½ tsp sea salt.

  2. Rinse almonds well.

  3. Blend several minutes until smooth and creamy.

  4. Strain mixture into a large bowl through a sprout bag, cheese cloth or kitchen towel.

Place all the ingredients in a blender.
Mix at maximum power until blended.
Pour into moulds and let set at least 4 hours in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Drake One Fifty Caesars

in ,

We have three exclusive Caesar recipes for all our readers today from one of the hottest restaurants in Toronto right now, Drake One Fifty, the Drake Hotel's chic stand-alone destination restaurant in the heart of the Financial District. These three cocktail recipes is directly from the head bartender himself Gord Hannah who has already mastered the art of cocktail making, and has graciously shared three of his favourite Caesar recipes with us including their Classic Drake Caesar. These cocktails will surely impress your guests the next time you are hosting your very own cocktail party, and the great part to this is that they are super easy to make thanks to the clear and concise directions from Gord below.

Check out the three Drake One Fifty Caesar recipes below!

Classic Drake Caesar

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. Vodka

  • 1 oz. Carol + Co. Bloody Mix

  • Lemon Wedge

  • Olives

  • Pinch of...

    • Horseradish

    • Clamato Juice

    • Cracked Pepper

    • Celery Salt

Directions: To craft your perfect Canadian Caesar, begin by moistening the rim of your glass with a lemon wedge and then coat with celery salt. Fill your glass half-way with ice and then you’re ready to pour! First, add the vodka followed by the Carol + Co. Bloody Mix and a pinch of horseradish. Top your glass off with Clamato juice and then let the garnishing begin. Trim your Caesar with olives and add crushed pepper to taste. After that, it’s all yours to drink!

Cucumber Gin Caesar

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. Gin

  • 1 oz. Carol + Co. Bloody Mix

  • Lemon Wedge

  • Sliced Cucumber

  • Cucumber Ribbon

  • Pinch of...

    • Clamato Juice

    • Cracked Pepper

    • Celery Salt

Directions:  A new twist on an old classic, the Cucumber Gin Caesar is the perfect drink for summer! Begin by moistening the rim of your glass with a lemon wedge and then coat with celery salt. Ice your glass half-way and add in a couple of cucumber slices. Follow this by pouring in the gin and the Carol + Co. Bloody Mix. Top off your drink with Clamato juice and garnish with crushed pepper and a cucumber ribbon. The cucumber ribbon is a pretty touch that will be sure to wow! To make: peel a thin slice of cucumber and weave through a tooth-pick in an ‘S’ formation.

Cilantro Tequila Caesar 

Ingredients

  • 2 oz. Tequila

  • 1 oz. Carol + Co. Bloody Mix

  • Lemon Wedge

  • Olives

  • Pinch of...

    • Horseradish

    • Clamato Juice

    • Cracked Pepper

    • Celery Salt

    • Cilantro

Directions: For a drink that truly packs a punch, look no further than the Cilantro Tequila Caesar! Begin by moistening the rim of your glass with a lemon wedge, coat with celery salt and ice. Next, bruise your cilantro by putting it in the palm of your hand and slapping it with the other. This will really bring out the flavour! Add the cilantro into the glass and pour in the tequila, Carol + Co. Bloody Mix, and horseradish. Top off your glass with Clamato juice and garnish with olives and cracked pepper to taste!

Photos taken by Brian Lai.

Photos taken by Brian Lai.