Corn & Black Bean Chili with Cornbread

I thought it was supposed to be Spring?  The snow just keeps coming here in cold Ontario and I am so over it - dreaming of days relaxing on the patio sipping a cold bevvie.  Instead of making yet another soup for dinner (to stay warm) I decided to go with a corn and black bean chili. It is so easy to make and takes very little energy to whip this up after a day at work.  The cornbread is super easy to and takes only 20 minutes in the oven.

Ingredients & Preparation: Serves 6

• 1 large can of black beans, rinsed
• 1 large can of whole tomatoes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 10-12 large white mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• Old cheddar cheese for garnish, shredded
• Cilantro for garnish, chopped
• 4-5 tbsp of chili powder or to taste
• 1 cup of tomato juice

In a large pot, add olive oil and onion. Cook until translucent and then add the mushrooms. Cook another 5 minutes and add the corn.  Cook for about 7 minutes and then add in the black beans, tomatoes, chili powder and tomato juice.  Cook on medium low heat for about 15 minutes until all the flavours are incorporated. While the chili is simmering, preheat the oven to 400F for the cornbread.

Cornbread Ingredients & Preparation: Serves 6

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup whole milk 
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 400F.  Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Then combine the remaining ingredients in another bowl. Grease a 9"x9" baking dish (I prefer glass). Mix ingredients from both bowls together for about 15 seconds until dry ingredients are moistened but don't over mix.  Pour batter into the pan and bake immediately.  Should take about 20-22 minutes in the oven until the top is golden brown. Insert a toothpick in the centre to make sure it is done (if it is, the toothpick will come out clean). Serve with the chili, cheddar cheese and cilantro.

Weekly Meal Planning

What will you be eating this week? I'd love to get some new ideas and inspiration...

Here is what we are eating this week (or close to it):

Monday -  Corn & Black Bean Chili with Cornbread

Tuesday - Pea & Mint Soup with Lemon Cream and Gouda & Prosciutto Paninis

Wednesday - Shrimp, Olive & Artichoke Salad with Chickpeas

Thursday - Toad in the Hole 

Friday - Grilled Calamari (Greek Style) with Vegetable Kebabs

Saturday -Out for dinner

Sunday - Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni

Homemade Maple Baked Beans

As the daughter of British parents I have had my share of beans on toast.  I do love a can of Heinz Vegetarian Beans in Tomato Sauce but I thought I would give my own a try.  I used a recipe from Michael Smith's The Best of Chef at Home and adapted it slightly.

The beans were very good, the texture just right and the taste not too sweet.  Definitely more of a Quebec-style baked bean (Feves au Lard) with the maple syrup giving a nice sweetness to them vs the more common Boston-style baked beans made with molasses and brown sugar. Great for any meal - dinner, breakfast or brunch!


Ingredients & Preparation: Serves 4-6

• 2 cups of dried white or navy beans, soaked in cold water overnight
• 1.5 cups of water
• 1 cup of real maple syrup
• 6 slices of thick cut fried bacon, diced, fat reserved (can omit if vegetarian)
• 1 or 2 large onions, diced
• 1 tbsp powdered ginger
• 2 tbsp of any mustard (I used Dijon)
• a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• sea salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp of any vinegar just before serving

Preheat your oven to 325F.  Strain the beans from their soaking water and rinse well.  Put the beans in a sauce pan and cover with cold water. bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until beans are tender - about 45 minutes to an hour. Cook the bacon and set aside.

Drain the beans and put them in a 4 litre oven proof baking dish with a tight fitting lid.  Add the maple syrup, bacon, onions, ginger, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper. Add as much or little of the reserved bacon fat as you care to. Stir well.

Cover and place in the oven and bake until the beans have absorbed most of the liquid and are tender.  My beans took about 3.5 hours.  You can cook them longer but I would turn the heat down to 300F. Stir in the vinegar just before serving.

Chocolate-Dipped Fruit

This is a great idea if you are looking for a small treat to take to someone as a hostess gift. Just package with some parchment in a nice box with a pretty bow and you are set.  It's also a nice way to treat yourself!  Super easy to do and doesn't take much time at all.  These would also be nice on each table setting for Easter brunch or a birthday party.

Recipe adapted from the Food & Drink magazine Spring 2011.

Buy the best Belgian or Swiss chocolate you can and choose dried fruit that is soft and pliable. Don't use chocolate chips as they will not harden when cooled. Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper.  You will need about 8 oz of chocolate.  Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water (about 1-2" of water will do) stirring until smooth.


Once your chocolate is melted keep it in the glass bowl over the sauce pan to keep it from getting too gummy or hardening while you are working with it. Work fast and dip your fruit by using a toothpick in each piece. Let the excess drip off and then place on the parchment to cool. Continue until all your fruit are dipped. Cool about 2 hours or so. Remove toothpicks.  You can keep them out at room temp but i prefer to keep them in the fridge.

I used crystallized ginger and dried papaya.

Fruit ideas:

• dried cherries
• dried cranberries
• dried blueberries or raisins
• dried figs
• dried apricots
• chunks of dried pineapple
• dried papaya
• crystallized ginger

Meatloaf with Oregano & Basil

Until last year, I had never made a meatloaf and as far as I can remember never saw my Mum make one either.  It was not a staple in our family growing up but has definitely become one in the past few months.  My husband and I didn't eat meat for a few years at all and then when we started to incorporate it back into our diet I started buying grass-fed organic beef from a small local farmer. I bought a couple of pounds of the ground beef and asked around on a cooking message board for a good meatloaf recipe.  The following is a compilation of the replies I got as well as a few tweaks here and there of my own. I really prefer the taste of grass fed / organic beef and highly recommend you use it as well. I find it more moist and much more flavourful. 

Ingredients & Preparation: Yields one 9"x5" loaf

• 2 lbs grass fed / organic ground beef
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 3 slices brown or white bread made into crumbs (use a food processor)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1-2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1-2 tbsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup of ketchup
• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1-2 tbsp brown sugar, if desired

Pre-heat your oven to 375F.  Put the ground beef in a large bowl. Add in milk, eggs, bread crumbs, mustard, and spices. Use your hands to blend it all together and make sure everything is incorporated evenly.  Add the ketchup and barbecue sauce to the bottom of a loaf pan (9"x5") - sprinkle the brown sugar in if using.  Next, make your ground beef mixture into a loaf shape and put into the pan.   Bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked. Beef should have a minimum internal temperature of 140F for rare and 170F for well done.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas for a real comfort food meal.

Mashed Potatoes with Leeks & Greek Yogurt

I like to add leeks and plain Greek yogurt to my mashed taters.  It makes then slightly tangy and very flavourful.  Peel and boil your potatoes (4-6 depending on size) as you normally would, then in another pan saute about 4 leeks (only the white & light green part) in some butter until they are translucent. Add a little salt & peppeer plus 1/2 cup of stock (chicken or vegetable). Cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Once your potatoes are done, mash up with some butter, milk, Greek yogurt (about 3/4 cup) and add the leek mixture. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients. Delicious!

Banana Bread with Wheatgerm & Walnuts

Do not be scared off by the wheatgerm...it does not contain actual germs! The wheat germ is just the tiny part of the wheat kernel that contains an amazing about of nutrients & vitamins plus loads of potassium and iron.

This is a fantastic banana bread recipe from the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook - a great source for vegetarians or anyone who is into healthy food with a twist.


Ingredients and Preparation from Rebar Modern Food Cookbook: Yields 1 9"x5" Loaf

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup wheatgerm, toasted
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1/4 sour cream(or plain Greek yogurt)
• 3/4 cup walnuts, roasted and chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan. Comine the flour, wheatgerm, baking powder, soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. blend in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Mash together the bananas and sour cream. Add one third of the flour mix into the creamed butter/sugar mix. Next, stir in the banana mash and mix thoroughly.  Add the remainder of the flour and mix on low until well combined, taking care not to overmix. Gently fold in the walnuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top and bake for one hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife along the edges and turn the loaf gently out. Cool on a wire rack.

Pizza Roll Ups

Can you spot the busy fingers?

Weren't pizza roll ups a big thing in the 80's?  I can't remember back that far any more!  I decided to scrap the Big Barn Bowtie Pasta and make these instead.  While our daughter's absolute fave food is pasta, pizza comes a close second so she was happy about the switch.  I wanted to use up some dough I had bought earlier in the week so this is what I came up with.


It's very easy to make these and fun for kids to help if they are old enough not to make a disaster (what age is that exactly?) or to not eat all the ingredients before they are cooked. The hardest part of preparing this meal was keeping busy hands out of it!


Preparation and Method - Serves 4 adults

• 1 ball of pizza dough at room temp (store bought or make your own)
• 1 cup of mozzarella, shredded (I used sliced this time b/c it was in the fridge)
• 8-10 slices of salami (or leave out if doing a veggie roll up)
• 1 cup of mushrooms
• 2 cups of spinach, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 small tin of pizza sauce (you won't need it all)
• olive oil or oil spray

Roll up like a jelly roll

Ready to go in the oven

Preheat oven to 400°F.  I like to pre-cook my spinach and mushrooms and get all the water out so do this first so your rolls aren't soggy.  Then fry up the onion with a little olive oil in a separate pan. Set onion, spinach and mushrooms aside.  On a floured surface, roll out your pizza dough into a rectangle (make it thinner than you would for a pizza).  Add a layer of pizza sauce.  Add your salami slices, your veggies, then your cheese.  Roll your dough up jelly roll style and take care not to tear the dough.  Seal all your dough seams to keep the ingredients inside when it bakes. Next take a sharp knife and cut the roll into 6 or 8 pieces - again take care here and go slowly to avoid smooshing everything out.


Arrange the rolls on a greased sheet of tin foil on a pan or on a nonstick baking sheet. Keep the rolls about 2-3" apart.  Put them in the pre-heated oven for about 20-25 minutes (ovens vary so just keep an eye on them at the 20 minute mark). Ensure the inner part is cooked through. Once browned and bubbly on top, take them out and serve with a green salad or eat them as is!  I used the leftover pizza sauce as a dip and made a quick ranch dressing to dip in as well.

Ready to eat!

Hope you enjoy it!

Weekly Meal Planning

What will you be eating this week? I'd love to get some new ideas! 

Here is what we are eating this week (or close to it):

Monday - Rowe Farm French Country Sausages, Maple Baked Beans and Apple/Carrot Coleslaw.

Tuesday - Romaine & Gala Apple Salad with Cornbread and Monday's Leftovers

Wednesday - Warm Israeli Couscous Salad with Tuna and Roast Tomatoes

Thursday - Black Bean & Corn Enchiladas, Arroz Verde (Green Rice) and Guacamole The flu hit the house again so it was homemade chicken, vegetable and orzo soup for dinner instead!

Friday - Cheese Tortellini Soup & Chewy Chocolate Brownies for Dessert!

Saturday - Out for dinner

Sunday - Creamy Mushroom Soup and Vegetable-topped Grilled Polenta. Out for dinner at a birthday party