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Moroccan Spicy eggplant, tomato and garlic salad

Morocco is a cookery book written by Jeff Koehler. There are more than 70 Moroccan recipes and awesome pictures in the book. The rich colourful food pictures are presented beautifully. The author shares about the landscape, culinary history and ingredients in the beginning of the book. The content is separated into bread, savoury pastries, soups and legumes, street food, fresh and cooked salad, meats, eggs and poultry, fish and shellfish, couscous, sweets and desserts and drinks.

The book reflects North African cuisine that combines textures, bold flavours, sweet and savoury. I like how the author describes about buying the food from the souq or market and making, touching and feeling the food when we eat. The author points out that eating is not an individual experience it is about sharing, equality and sense of community.
Moroccan tables are round as opposed to square so guests can easily take the food and be accommodated. The food presentation is very important, even when preparing the simplest dish. I like how the author says "Ainek misanek," which means "your eyes will be your measure" so we have to use our finger and eyes as a guide to decide how long we have to cook, how and when to add the spice to our taste etc. This is very important when we cook as it makes all the difference.

Spicy eggplant, tomato and garlic salad from the book.
3 eggplants (about 2lbs)
6 garlic cloves unpeeled
1/2 cup olive oil (I reduced the amount of oil to 1/4 cup)
3 tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped, juices reserved
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Peel some of the eggplant skin and discard. Quarter the eggplant lengthwise then cut into 1" pieces.
Steam the eggplant and garlic in a double broiler by covering it snugly for about 25 minutes until the eggplant becomes soft. Remove the garlic and cool. Squeeze the garlic from the peels and discard the peels.
In a skillet or sauté pan heat oil, over medium heat and add tomatoes, garlic, paprika, cayenne or red chillie flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring until the tomatoes become red and pulpy for about 10 minutes. Stir in the eggplant and cook covered over medium heat, stirring and mashing the ingredients frequently for about 20 minutes.
Garnish with parsley and serve.

Multicultural food festival
Atrium, a one-stop-shopping and office complex located in downtown Toronto, will be hosting “A World of Flavour” multicultural food festival from October 1-5, 2012. Each day of the festival they will feature amazing deals, free food samples by local retailers and a grand prize draw for $1,000 in Atrium gift cards from the food retailers. On October 4^th, Celebrity Chef Rose Riseman will be at Atrium to conduct a two hour internationally inspired cooking demonstration and host a meet and greet after the show.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Cauliflower fritters

cauliflower cut into 1" flowerets

boiling water

1/4 tsp salt

Leave the cauliflower in salted boiling water for 5 minutes before putting in the batter and frying.

batter

1 cup chickpeas or began flour sifted

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper optional

Put the flour in a bowl and gradually mix the water until it becomes a thick batter that will coat the vegetables. It may not be necessary to add all the water. Add all the other ingredients to the batter and mix well.

oil to fry 1 to 2" high

Heat oil in a medium high heat. When the oil is hot dip the cauliflower in the batter and fry until the all sides are golden brown. When the cauliflower is dropped into the oil it should rise to the top and not stick to the bottom, put a few cauliflower flowerets at a time without crowding the pan. If the oil is too hot it will brown too fast, if this happens reduce the heat.

Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Serve the fritters hot on its own or with sauce.

I made this cauliflower fritters or pakora recipe by adapting the batter ingredients of the Vegetable pakoris from Madhur Jaffrey's 1st published book, An Invitation to Indian Cooking. This book was published in 1973. It has easy to make dishes and interesting stories about how the author first started to cook and share recipes that led her to write this book. The beginning of the book has samples menus and details about spices. Although, there are no pictures in the book it has lots of flavourful recipes. The author explains about the methods, spices and cooking procedures in detail as it is written for people who are not familiar with Indian cuisine.

Salmon burgers, TurboCharged and Julia Child book giveaways

Salmon burgers recipe from the book TurboCharged recipes.

2 salmon fillets skinned and chopped (1 1/2 lbs) I used 1 lb

2 tbsp chopped red onion

1 egg

2 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp pepper

I added 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped and 1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Combine everything except oil. The book suggests to form 4" patties, however I made 10 mini patties as I served it with small buns. Chill the formed patties for about 2 hours or more.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook patties until it is cooked through. The book suggests 3 minutes per side, however I cooked for a little bit more. Serve with buns with the topping you prefer.

This book TurboCharged recipes has lots of useful information and recipes. There aren't any pictures so it doesn't look attractive to open and start reading :)

Most recipes use only a few ingredients. All the recipes in the book are easy to follow and understand, as the instructions are simple. We have to figure out about certain methods and change the cooking time to our preference.

The beginning of the book talks about healthy eating, answers a lot of questions we all have i.e. should we go organic, getting kids to east healthy etc... The book goes into brief detail about benefits of different vegetable, herbs and spices.

I liked suggestions on how to use a variety of herbs, which is good if we are looking to add new flavour into our daily food i.e. quick fried single sage leaves adds a delicious flavour to cheese.

The book is separated into sections such as i.e. beverages, dips and dressings, appetizers, soups stews salads, vegetarian, eggs, fish, meats, pulpy and desserts. This makes it is easy for us to find something we want to make quickly.

Some tips from the book...

If the eggs aren't organic we should skip them. Organic eggs have 1:1 ratio of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Commercial eggs have 19 times more omega 6 than omega 3, which is unhealthy.
The book gives a list of produce that we don't have to worry if it is organic or not.
It is important for us to read food labels. Did you know if the ingredients are listed as one of the first ingredients then that is the main one?
The book has a list of other names that sugar is presented on labels that we maybe unaware of i.e. agave, brown rice syrup, cane syrup, cornstarch, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, lactose, sorghum, rock sugar, pulled sugar, treacle etc.
The book lists the terms in the ingredient list that signals the presence of MSG under names such as autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, gelatine, glumate, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed corn gluten, mono potassium glumate, sodium caseinate, textured protein, hydrolyzed protein (wheat/soy/vegetable protein)
Store bought dressings have lots of additives.
It is better to keep separate cutting boards. We can keep our cutting boards sanitized by washing with 1 tsp chlorine bleach mixed with 1 quart of water. Dip and dry.
To quickly bake potatoes boil first for about 10 to 15 minutes then bake or grill.
Steam cook with minimal oil and water.

Check out more about health on their site. This book is available online and amazon.

Giveaway: If you would like to win this book please leave a comment on this post. The giveaway ends on August 25th open to people in Canada and US.
Update: The winner is Sanoli

Many of you may know about the JC100 event that started in May where bloggers participated by making specially chosen recipes from Julia Child. I participated in the 2nd week of the event by making chocolate mousse.

Giveaway: To celebrate the 100th birthday of Julia Child on August 15, 2012 I am hosting a giveaway for someone in Toronto (due to postage) to win a copy of this Dearie: The remarkable life of Julia Child a biography by Bob Spitz. Please leave a comment on this post or email me before August 25th if you would like to win this book.
Update: The winners are Asiya and Cheryl

Kellogg's Krave cereal, granola and crisps

I tested the products below from Kellogg's Canada. Chocolate lovers will enjoy the Kellogg's Krave, which is made with 8 whole grains and source of fibre. Krave is available in chocolate and double chocolate flavours. It makes a delicious breakfast or snack that children will easily like. It tastes better with milk. I like to mix it with some cornflakes :) as I am not a big fan of a chocolate breakfast.

Special K low fat granola cereal is made with crunchy whole grain oats and a touch of honey. The box states that the cereal has 50% less fat. It is made with high source of fibre and protein. It tastes better when we add yogurt and fruit or have it with milk. I would prefer to mix it with other cereal or fruit/nuts instead of having it on its own. It would be better if the cereal only has honey as a sweetener instead of including other sweeteners such as cane juice, molasses, sugar and corn syrup.
This cereal kit is cool and useful to have breakfast on the go. It keeps the milk cold and cereal fresh. The milk cup has a non-toxic freezer gel so freeze it before pouring the milk. Hand wash the container and don't put it in the microwave.

Our sweet cravings can be indulged with the Special K Crisps anytime of the day. The crisps are available in chocolate and cinnamon brown sugar flavours. Each pack has 2 crisps, perfect for a snack on the go or to enjoy anytime. It is crispy on the outside and has a filling on the inside. The crisps have a chocolate or vanilla drizzle on top.

Fun facts about Kellogg's
W.K. Kellogg found the company in 1906 as the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. His signature has always been the brand logo.
Tony the Tiger was introduced in 1951.
Eggo waffles (part of Kellogg's brands) celebrated their 75th birthday.
Kellogg's products are manufactured in 18 countries and sold in more than 180 countries.

Middle Eastern cuisine and Share Your Simple Contest

Using the pre made sauce from Saha helps us make delicious tasting Middle Eastern dishes. I used the Saha middle eastern marinate and sauce to enjoy a variety of meals. I marinated this beef using the Saha shawarma marinate and baked it following the instruction on the bottle. We enjoyed it in wraps.

The shish taouk sauce from Saha is made with a combination of onion, tomatoes, aromatic spices originated from Turkey and Lebanon. This tangy sauce combined with yogurt is used to marinate and grill chicken on skewers. I marinated chicken and mushrooms with this sauce and grilled in the bbq. The unused sauce stays well in the fridge so we don't have to use it in right away. If you would like to try the sauces/marinates it is available at these retailers and online, which is shipped within Canada and US.

Share Your Simple tips at R.W. Knudsen Family® contest to win one of three $4500 grand prizes or be one of the 14 bi-weekly winners for sharing their tips to make life more simple. The bi-weekly themes are based on topics like "In the Garden," "Back to school," etc.

The R.W. Knudsen Family philosophy is simple; to make great tasting, all-natural organic beverages without compromising standards. The products don't have added sugar, artificial ingredients or preservatives. They will celebrate this contest in three phases featuring one of the brand's signature products and randomly selecting a winner for one of the grand prizes.

The phases are as stated below:

Simple Summer Season: June 5 – July 30 recognizing the simple joys of summer time with R.W. Knudsen Family Spritzer beverages.

Simple Harvest Season: July 31 – October 8 acknowledging the abundant fall harvest and cooking simply with fruit and R.W. Knudsen Family Just Juice® Juices.

Simple Holiday Season: October 9 – December 17 honoring the importance of simplifying the holidays in order to focus on family and friends and enjoying simple treats like R.W. Knudsen Family sparkling beverages.

This contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 18 years and older. Promotion subject to complete Official Rules available at www.facebook.com/rwknudsen. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary.

Udi's gluten free food

I had the opportunity to try Udi's gluten free products. It didn't feel any different from the food with gluten that we usually have. My family (including children) enjoyed all the treats and buns without any complaints.

Pear jam, home preserving and Global food security

This is the time of the year when we all get excited about thinking of ideas to preserve the summer vegetables and fruits. The Complete book of home preserving has lots of ideas that will come handy. There are about 400 recipes and 48 colour photographs in the book.

The detailed instruction on the book is easy to understand and follow, which beginners will appreciate. It also answers questions the experienced canners may have. There is a produce guide and a glossary that explains everything we need to know from ingredients to canning equipment. The book is separated to seven chapters: getting started, soft spread, fabulous fruits, salsa relish chutney, condiments, perfect pickles, tomato and pressure canning.

When we preserve at home it is free from chemical additives and preservatives. This book gives directions on safe canning and preserving methods.

I think preserving food to have during off-season is lots of fun, which becomes useful when it isn't in season. I usually make jam with berries, chutney with tomato and pickle vegetables. These homemade goods make delicious gifts that family and friends appreciate.

I made about a cup of pear jam to have with puri.

2 ripe pears

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 star anise

Combine the peeled chopped pear with the sugar and lemon juice. Let it cook in low heat, you can cover the pan lightly so it will cook in its own liquid. Add the star anise towards the end when the pear get soft and has a jam consistency or it will have an overpowering taste.

I served the jam with puri. We finished the jam in a couple of days, so I am not sure how it will taste if it is kept for a long period of time in the fridge.

Prevent cross-contamination when preparing food

It is very easy to spread bacteria around the kitchen, which can contaminate our hands, cloths and cutting boards. The finding from 2012 Lysol Cross-contamination study done by Global hygiene Council indicates our lack of awareness about food hygiene. I wanted to share their research to raise awareness about the level of cross-contamination that happens because of raw food so we can prevent it.

Preparation of one simple meal can contaminate up to 90% of the kitchen surfaces touched, which creates food borne illness.

There are about 11 million cases of food borne illness in Canada; most people recover, some end up with serious health complications and some cases result in death if the person has a weak immune system.

Hands: spread germs. Although, we know this we most times don't take precautions by washing our hands often enough to prevent bacteria. Our faucet becomes contaminated without us even knowing that we touched it.
Raw vegetables are a threat that goes unnoticed. E.coli outbreak that happened in Europe last summer was the result of unwashed vegetables. The study states it is better for us to wash even the pre washed salad items.
The chopping boards and knives are usually found to be contaminated because we use the same utensils for everything we cut.
The kitchen sponge, kitchen towels and cloths used to wipe our hands and surfaces are full of danger.

Here are tips from the Hygiene council so we can protect against harmful bacteria and cross contamination.

Hand hygiene: Rinsing the hands is not effective. Wash hands thoroughly using soap, hot water, clean towels after each stage of food preparation and before eating.

Automatic soap and liquid cleaner dispensers reduce the spread of contamination.

Surface hygiene: Clean and disinfect food preparation areas before there is any contact with food. Also clean hand-contact areas such as faucet handles, condiment jars and garbage can lids. Use antibacterial wipes or sanitizer with paper towels for cleaning high-risk surfaces.

Any kitchen towels, cleaning cloth and sponges used for cleaning should be disinfected and washed in hot water or disposed after use.

Refrigerators and sinks should be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

Food preparation: Cut meat and vegetables with separate knives and cutting boards. Soak, scrape, brush, scald and wash all fruit, salad and vegetables before using. Do not wash raw meat in the sink before cooking as it spread germs. Proper cooking of the meat will destroy harmful bacteria.

Cooking: Always cook poultry and meat above 75 degrees Celsius. Don't leave uncooked food at room temperature for longer than two hours. Reheat and re-serve leftovers only once.

Hope this lengthy :) information will be useful to all of you.

I tested the new stainless look no touch hand soap system from Lysol that dispenses the right amount of soap by sensing our hands underneath the nozzle.

The slightly perfumed healthy touch hand soap refill is enriched with skin moisturizing ingredients such as Aloe Vera and vitamin E to remove harmful bacteria and germs.

When active the sensor makes a sound, which motivates children to wash their hands often. The convenient on/off switch in the back of the container is useful in a home with little ones so we can control their use. It is also very useful and handy to have in the kitchen and washrooms.

Whenever using paper towels and toilet paper use eco-friendly products that have the EnviroCare label. These products are made with 100% recycled paper, which is safe for our sewer system. The premium quality products have a luxurious softness.

Amaretti cookies

Grace's sweet life is a book full of delicious homemade Italian dessert recipes written by Canadian blogger Grace Massa Langlois. Grace has an Italian background and has learned her cooking knowledge from her mom. With her children's support, she started sharing her love for food with the world.

All the basics are in the beginning of the book with tips and explanations. Grace has put in different types of variations that exist on the recipes. Some of the basics are pastry cream, chantilly cream, sweetened whipped cream, ricotta cream, Italian meringue, egg foam base for semifreddo and mousse, sweet pastry doughty, pie dough, croissants, hazelnut praline, puff pastry and choux pastry.

The pies and tart recipes in the book are presented beautifully. The pastries and fried desserts such as Sicilian cannoli, honey balls, profiteroles and many more are in a different section. The creams, custards, mousses and soufflés section is full of colourful desserts. Some desserts require gelatine. The recipes in the frozen and fruit desserts section will be enjoyed during this heat.

The book has delicious Italian cake and cheesecake recipes. Some cakes require the yeast for cake with vanilla (Lievito Vaniglinato) and liquor, so I couldn't try most of the cakes. I will be looking for the yeast soon :) I would have liked if there were suggestions of what ingredients we can be substitute to replace the liquor, as I don't use it.

The cute mini dessert section has six fabulous looking detailed recipes. I tried the soft amaretti cookies from the cookies and confections section. The recipe in the book makes six dozen cookies so I reduced the ingredients to make one third of the recipe.

Here is the original recipe from the book

3 eggs

1 1/3 cup superfine sugar (I pulsed granulated sugar)

4 1/2 cups less 1/2 tbsp almond meal (blanched almonds dried then finely ground)

confectioners sugar for rolling (I didn't do this part)

silver dragées for decorating (I didn't use this)

Separate the eggs in to two bowls. Let the egg yolk and egg white come to room temperature, leave it covered with plastic wrap for 1/2 hour before whisking.

With a whisk beat egg yolks then add the sugar and whisk until the sugar is combined. Add the ground almond meal and whisk till combined, don't over mix.

With a clean whisk beat the egg whites to barely a soft peak, this is very important don't overbeat.

Fold one third of the egg whites into the almond mixture then fold the rest and combine don't over mix.

Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for about 1 hour or overnight.

Bake in a preheated 325F oven on a baking mat. Roll the cookie dough into 1 tbsp balls. Roll the balls in icing sugar and place a sliver dragée if using in the center. Don't flatten the cookies. Bake 20 cookies per sheet for 25 to 30 minutes rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Place the baking mat on a wire rack and allow the cookies to cool for two minutes. Using a spatula transfer the cookies on to the wire rack to let it cool completely.

Green Dolphin review and giveaway

Green Dolphin products are eco safe solutions for our home. I tested three of their products; green bin deodorizer, calcium lime rust buster and stainless steel cleaner and polish. The details of each product is on this post.

I like the feeling of using eco-friendly products that doesn't have abrasives, solvents and VOCs. All the products are made in Canada and can be bought online.

Giveaway
Use the code CREATE to get 20% off

Green Dolphin would like to offer a Canadian reader of Createwithmom and Torviewtoronto a chance to win a package of Eco Auto Dishwash detergent and a bottle of coffee pot and kettle cleaner.

To enter the giveaway please leave a comment on this post or on Createwithmom before July 15th.

Please follow me on twitter and Facebook so I can let you know the winner.

Follow Green Dolphin on twitter to know about their new products and other information.

Refreshing Lipton ice tea

It is the perfect time to enjoy ice tea and cool off during summer heat. Lipton has lots of delicious flavours of ice tea varieties for us to choose from. We tried the Lemon, Green tea citrus and pomegranate raspberry ice tea that were already prepared in bottles. Lipton also has boxes with 10 sachets of flavoured ice tea that we can mix and drink.

The ice tea is made with fresh brewed tea and all natural ingredients without any preservatives, sugar or artificial flavour. The lemon flavoured ice tea is an energy booster that has a slightly sweet tart taste.
The rejuvenating green tea citrus flavour is made with green tea leaves and a combination of orange and lime flavours.

Lipton has lots of ice tea flavours that we can enjoy on its own or combined with other ingredients to make delicious entertaining drinks. Check out the Lipton ice tea Facebook page for cocktail and mocktail recipes.

Here is a summer entertaining White Citrus Sangria recipe from their Facebook

1 bottle 100% Natural Lipton green tea with citrus

1 3/4 cups white grape juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1 orange sliced

1 lemon sliced

1 lime sliced

Combine everything in a pitcher and chill for 2 hours before serving in ice filled glasses.

Almond cardamom whoopie pies

Almond cardamom whoopies

This Whoopie pie book is cute and written in a friendly manner. I like that the authors have placed the page numbers beside the recipes, which make it easy to access the recipes. The first whoopie pie I made are pumpkin whoopie pies, which is one of my favourite; I mostly make it during fall.
The introduction in this book is a must read as it will be useful to make whoopies.

Whoopies are soft, round shape cake/cookies that have a creamy filling. It is not quite a cake or a sandwich cookie. For me, it has a childhood taste of something that tastes similar to these yummy whoopies without the cream; I actually prefer without the cream :)
The book makes us go down our own childhood memory lane. It is definite that once you make or taste a whoopie pie it is very likely that you will enjoy it.

The cake or soft cookie part of the whoopie can be made a head of time and it can be frozen up to a month. Defrost 2 hours at room temperature before filling.
Most fillings such as buttercream stay in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature about an hour before filling. The marshmallow or whipped cream filling doesn't store well so use these right away. Assembled pies store in airtight container for up to 3 days. It can be individually wrapped and frozen up to one month.

There are lots of combinations that have been suggested and experimented in the book for us to try and get started. The book also has places where we can find hard to find ingredients, sources, places in USA where whoopies are sold and about the annual whoopie festival that is held in Pennsylvania.
This book is available online, amazon and at bookstores i.e. Chapters.

First, I tried the Classic chocolate whoopie recipe from the book, however I didn't like the strong baking soda taste in it. I am not sure if there is an error in the amount of baking soda. Although it looks good I prefer not to share the recipe as it wasn't tasty.

Then, I tried this pistachio cardamom whoopies by replacing the pistachio with almonds and it tasted fabulous. I didn't put any filling because we enjoyed the cake like cookies on its own. It had a beautiful aroma.

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla (I replaced with rose water)
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup ground pistachio (or almonds, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts)

*can be replaced with a favourite spice i.e. cinnamon, ginger, ground spices
Sift flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt and leave it a side. Beat butter with the sugars until it is fluffy and smooth. Add the egg and beat well. Add vanilla or rose water and beat.
Add half of the flour mixture then buttermilk beat till incorporated. Add the rest of the flour and buttermilk beat till combined. Add the ground nuts and mix till combined.
Using an ice cream scoop (2 tbsp) drop the batter onto the baking sheet or wax paper 2" apart. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F until it is brown, I inserted a skewer to check. Leave the whoopies in the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring on to a rack to cool completely.

Giveaway on Createwithmom
The Smart Mother's guide to a better pregnancy book giveaway worldwide ends July 15th, please leave a comment on the post to enter.

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