A friend recently wanted to make dinner for her boyfriend (eek, now fiance!) and asked for my help.  We got together, test-drove the recipe and she re-created it for him a few weeks later. While brainstorming what she wanted to make for him, she told me he liked spicy, peppers and seafood.  This isn’t exactly the easiest list of ingredients, but this recipe came out so well.  A spicy roasted red pepper sauce with shrimp stuffed into cannelloni, absolutely delicious.  It was a hit with everyone who got to enjoy it (CH was taste tester #1) and then when my friend made it for her boyfriend, he was very pleased.

Definitely a fun twist on a pasta dish – the roasted red pepper sauce is a must make again; it would be delicious on chicken or over pasta for a quick weeknight meal.

Ps – photo credits go to CH on this post – I was out and he couldn’t wait to eat the leftovers, so I told him he had to take pictures before he ate it (also explains the slightly crispier top!!!)

Enjoy!

Shrimp Cannelloni with Spicy Red Pepper Sauce

Yield: 6 servings (2 cannelloni each)Prep Time:  25 minuts
Cook Time:  35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, grated
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 5 large red peppers, whole
• 2 heaping TBSP sriracha or other hot sauce
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• S&P

Pasta

• 15-20 raw shrimp (tails removed and diced into 1/2 inch sized pieces)
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella
• 10-12 “ready to bake” cannelloni noodles  (be sure when you get the pasta you buy the ones that don’t require pre-boiling.  They will say “oven ready” or “no-boil” or “ready-to-bake”)
• 1 cup of Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Sauce

Preheat your broiler to high.  Wash and dry the red peppers and place directly under the broiler. Broil the peppers, rotating frequently, until all sides are black and blistered.  Remove from oven and place in a glass bowl and cover immediately with saran wrap.  Allow peppers to sit for at least 10 minutes. When cool enough to touch, remove peppers and peel off the blistered skin and remove the seeds from the inside.

While the peppers are sitting, heat 2 TBSP of olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions to the pan and sauté until translucent.  Add in garlic and sauté with the onions for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

At this point, split the onion mixture into two even portions (don’t measure, just eyeball it).  Place half of the onion mixture in a glass bowl, place the other half in a blender.

Add the peeled and de-seeded roasted red peppers to the blender, along with the onion mixture.  To the blender, also add 2 heaping TBSP hot sauce (sriracha), 2 TBSP tomato paste, 1/2 tsp chili powder), 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 cup of water and a generous dash of salt and pepper.

Puree the mixture until smooth.  Add the pureed mixture back to the pan you used to sauté the onions and warm thoroughly. Taste the sauce and adjust as you think fit…more salt, sugar etc.  *You may need to add a touch more water to make the sauce a little thinner – just depends on the size of your peppers*

Reserve the sauce until the pasta is ready to bake.

Pasta

In the bowl with the other half of the onion mixture, add the diced shrimp, goat cheese, mozzarella, parsley and S&P.

Mix the shrimp mixture and stuff the manicotti shells evenly with the mixture.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Place the stuffed shells in a 9×12 baking dish and pour the reserved sauce over pasta shells, ensuring they are evenly covered.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the pasta 25-30 minutes.

After 25 minutes, remove foil, cover the top with Parmesan cheese. Cook the dish uncovered for another 5 minutes and then turn the broiler on and broil for a few minutes to achieve the crispy top (be sure to watch it carefully – it can burn fast!)

Serve with a salad and fresh bread and ENJOY!

A JBean Cuisine Original Recipe (inspired loosely by CookingLight Shrimp Stuffed Shells recipe seen here).

Remember in this post when I said that my Spinach and Goat Cheese Dip was versatile?  Well, here is one example of that (and I have another great use for it coming soon!)

I had left-over smoked salmon after a bridesmaids brunch I hosted, so I was trying to figure out what to do with it.  Instead of simply serving it over bagels for dinner, I prepared a batch of thin-crust pizza dough, made a quick batch of the spinach and goat cheese dip and voila, an easy, quick and delicious dinner (not to mention quite healthy too!)

It’s a great way to use-up spinach that is nearing the end of its life, however it looks incredibly fancy and I would consider serving this as an appy at my next get-together.  The onions (and capers – which aren’t photographed here) are a great touch and finish it off just perfectly.

Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

Serving Size:  1 medium pizza
Prep Time:  20 minutes, excluding the pizza dough preparation
Cook Time:  10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 batch of your favourite thin-crust pizza dough, or store-bought crust
• 1 batch of Spinach and Goat Cheese Dip
• 10-15 slices of smoked salmon
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 jar capers, drained and rinsed (optional – not shown)
• Additional goat cheese for topping, if desired
• Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees (and if you have a pizza stone, preheat that as well).  It is good to allow your pizza stone to pre-heat in a 500 degree oven for at least an additional 15 minutes.

If you have a pizza peel, lay that on the counter.  Otherwise, prepare a sheet of parchment paper (either square or cut to shape of your dough).

Prepare your dough. On top of your parchment paper or your pizza peel, roll out the dough into a round pizza shape.  Leave an edge around outside for the crust. Once you’ve achieved the shape you desire, pinch the outside of the dough to create a crust. Then pierce the crust with a fork all the way around (this will prevent large air bubbles from forming in your crust while it bakes!).

Brush the dough with a light coat of olive oil.

Bake the plain crust in the oven for about 7-9 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven, spread the spinach and goat cheese sauce onto your crust and place back in over for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Remove the crust from the oven, immediately top your pizza with the smoked salmon, onions and capers.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

JBean Cuisine original recipe

What brings people together better than food?  Nothing, in my opinion.  And nothing better than my Indian Butter Chicken recipe.  I can count a few friends that I swear only became good friends because of my butter chicken recipe.  It’s my arsenal for Indian food lovers and has many fans.  I remember making it for the first time – it was in our condo in Vancouver about 7 years ago.  I’ve made it for friends before the Rascal Flats concert, for non-Indian food lovers who now like it and many times beyond that.

Is this recipe healthy? Not exactly, but everything in moderation (unless you are CH and eat more than a regular serving of this!) Nonetheless, it is an easy to prepare.  As with a lot of Indian dishes, this gets better with time – so if you are aiming for high-praise, make this the night before you want to serve it and simply re-heat over low temperature the next day.  Trust me!

Feel free to add a bit of spice by increasing the green chili (some of our friends like it Indian “hot” which basically means 10 out of 10 hot).  You can also stir-in some sriracha (which is totally un-traditional, but it adds a great kick!)

Indian Butter Chicken

Yield: 6 – 10 servings (depends on accompaniments)
Prep Time:  25 minutes (+2hrs marinating)
Cook Time:  1hr

Ingredients:

• 1.5lbs chicken pieces (I use a mixture of thighs and breasts)
• 1 tsp grated garlic
• 1 ts grated ginger
• 1 tsp grated green chilli
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp thana jeero (can be made using half cumin and half corriander)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 small onion, diced finely
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 6 TBSP butter (or ghee)
• 3/4 cup half and half cream
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 tomato sauce
• 1 cup of water (if needed)
• cilantro for garnish

Directions:

In a large glass bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, green chili, garam masala, thana jeeroo, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt with 1 TBSP of olive oil to make a spice paste.

Add the chicken to the spice paste, mix well and cover the bowl with saran wrap.  Marinate in fridge for a minimum of 2hrs (I usually try to marinade over night).

In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add-in the onions and saute until lightly browned.

Add the marinated chicken to the onions and stir.  Cover the pan and allow to cook on medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or till chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Stir frequently while cooking.

Add the cream to the pan, stir and cook on medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add yogurt and water (if you want a thicker sauce, do not add the water).  Stir well and allow to cook for a minute or two.

Add in the tomato sauce and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes over low-heat.

Keep warm until ready to serve*.  Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

Enjoy.

*If you are making this ahead for the next day, simply allow the dish to cool, cover and keep in the fridge.  When ready to serve, place it back in a sauce pan and re-heat over low heat.  I sometimes add a bit of chicken stock to the pan while re-heating if the sauce becomes too thick.

Recipe Adapted Slightly from Daksha’s Gourmet Spices

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Veggie Pizza

Yield:  One Medium Pizza
Prep Time:  20 minutes of active prep
Cook Time:  15 minutes for pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 batch of pizza dough, or your favourite pre-made
• 1 (small) can tomato paste (about 4 tbsp)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• dash of hot sauce
• S&P
• 4 cups of spinach
• 1 cup green pepper, diced
• 1 cup red pepper, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 small can of sliced black olives, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees (and if you have a pizza stone, preheat that as well).  It is good to allow your pizza stone to pre-heat in a 500 degree oven for at least an additional 15 minutes.

If you have a pizza peel, lay that on the counter.  Otherwise, prepare a sheet of parchment paper (either square or cut to shape of your dough).

Prepare your dough. On top of your parchment paper or your pizza peel, roll out the dough into a round pizza shape.  Leave an edge around outside for the crust. Once you’ve achieved the shape you desire, pinch the outside of the dough to create a crust. Then pierce the crust with a fork all the way around (this will prevent large air bubbles from forming in your crust while it bakes!).

Mix together the tomato paste, sugar, oregano, hot sauce and salt and pepper. Spread evenly over the top of pizza.

Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a pan for a few minutes.  Top the pizza with the wilted spinach, mushrooms, green and red pepper, cherry tomatoes, black olives and the mozzarella and feta cheese. 

Bake in your pre-heated oven for approximately 17 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

Enjoy!

JBean Cuisine original recipe, inspired by Pizza Hut

One thing that I’ve loved over time is experiencing new foods and new regions of cuisine.  Vietnamese became one of my favourites – but I cannot remember when/where I first tried it.  I think it became a regular cuisine choice while we lived in Ontario while CH was in law school – there was a great place not too far from us and it became a date “lunch” venue – cheap, delicious and time together.  It has actually also become a comfort food to me, because nothing cures a cold, allergies or stuffy nose like Chicken Pho (at least to me!)

Making this recipe was a two time attempt – I first tried the traditional method of making pho, which involved roasting beef bones, many upon many hours of simmering and lots of little steps.  The result was fabulous, but with pho being so accessible and reasonable, making it myself like that wasn’t going to happen again.

And THEN, came this recipe.  When it popped into my reader, I was intrigued – could it really be as good as said?  One try of the recipe and we were hooked.  Yes, yes it could be.  It is everything pho should be – simple, delicious flavours, comforting and now, quick from my own kitchen!

Definitely give this soup a try – you won’t be disappointed.

Enjoy!

Quick Chicken Pho

Yield: 2 servings for us, original recipe states 4
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 – 25 minutes

Ingredients:

SOUP BASE

• 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 whole star anise
• 2 quarts chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
• 1 whole chicken breast
• 1/2 onion
• 1 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

ACCOMPANIMENTS

• 1 lb dried rice noodles
• 2 cups bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
• fresh cilantro tops
• 1/2 cup shaved red onions
• 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
• sriracha chili sauce
• hoisin sauce
• sliced fresh chili peppers

Directions:

In a large pot – add the coriander seeds, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.

Immediately add the chicken stock, chicken breast, onion, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently. Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat, discarding the bone (if you used a bone-in breast).

Taste broth and add more fish sauce or sugar if necessary. Strain the broth and discard solids.

Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package and spilt between desired serving bowls.

Ladle the broth into bowls and divide the shredded chicken breast into each bowl.

Top with bean sprouts, cilantro, red onion, and other accompaniments as desired and enjoy.

Recipe from Love and Olive Oil

You know one of those recipes that you make again and again because it is so good?  Well, this is one of them in our house.  I’ve been making these for at least a year (probably more!)  They are a great recipes to whip-up and have extra in the freezer for a quick meal and they are definitely great for company too.  They take a little time to prepare (just because of the rolling) but they are sure to impress and important to note, they are very healthy and a great option for a meatless meal.

What’s even better with these?  The cilantro yogurt dipping sauce shown here.  TOTALLY takes them over the top good, and don’t worry, the recipe is also below.

Usually I make these with black beans (as the title eludes!) but when I went to make them last week I was out of black beans and so was my local store (odd, hey?).  So, I improvised, feeling confident because I had made them so often before.  I used 1 can of chickpeas and 1 can of red kidney beans.  Verdict – same result, same texture and just as good, so feel free to switch-up the beans to your liking.

Definitely give these a shot (and be sure to make the whole recipe and freeze the rest, you’ll be thankful for a quick, delicious and healthy meal on the fly).

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Eggrolls

Yield:  About 30 rolls
Prep Time:  40 minutes or so
Cook Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

It’s been a while, eh?  Life definitely got the best of me over the past 6 months and unfortunately something had to give.  It was truly not my intention to stop blogging, but it happened, and without going on-and-on, I truly missed it.  I’ve still been cooking, not as much as I would like, but that is changing too!

So, I will leave it at that.  I am SO happy to be back blogging, back making amazing recipes, back taking photos (especially with my new amazing light box!) and of course, sharing recipes with you all.  Thanks for sticking with me – the best is yet to come (and I promise on a more regular basis).

This dip is a recipe that showed up many times over the holiday season.  It is an amazing appetizer, it is quick to prepare and it is actually reasonably healthy.  It came to be as a pasta sauce and then I envisioned the recipe as a dip and the rest is history!

Definitely whip-up this dip for your next appetizer party, Friday night snack or just because – you won’t be disappointed.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Dip

Yield: Appetizer for About 6 People
Prep Time:  5 minutes
Cook Time:  15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 – 3 cloves of garlic, minced/grated
• 5 – 6 cups of fresh spinach
• 3 – 4 TBSP water
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 3 TBSP parmesan cheese
• dash of lemon juice or white wine vinegar
• dash of hot-sauce
• dash of yellow mustard
• S&P

Directions:

Over medium heat, heat the olive oil.  Add the onions and sautee until soft/translucent.  Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant (30 seconds).

Add the fresh spinach to the pan and cook until spinach is soft and wilted.  Place the entire mixture into a blender and add the water to help with the puree process (or use a hand blender and puree in the pan).   Puree until smooth and no clumps remain.

Return the mixture to the pot over low heat, add the goat and parmesan cheese and remaining ingredients and whisk until incorporated and smooth. Season with S&P to taste and serve with fresh bread, crackers or whatever you please.

Recipe from the JBean Cuisine Kitchen.  Enjoy!

There’s something about summer grilling that makes me oh so happy.  After almost 3 years of having no BBQ and no location to grill (other than visiting our friends and begging for BBQ’d burgers), we finally moved to a house where we have the room for a BBQ.

Our BBQ was CH’s birthday gift from my parents just after we moved and it has been used by-weekly (or more!) ever since.   We have our standby favourites (lemon garlic grilled shrimp, roasted peppers, burgers of course!) but I recently expanded my repertoire to include this amazing recipe.

I was introduced to flank steak a couple summers ago when I helped my friend host an anniversary party for her in-laws.  It was a great cut of meat to be shared with many people, it cooked so quickly and was a crowd pleaser, so much so it has now become one of our favourites too!

I played with flavours on this marinade and have finally nailed-down the right quantities, or at least to our liking.  As you will see in the photos, I love serving this with roasted potatoes, grilled peppers and salads. But, be sure to check-back in a few days for my left-over recipe that has made its way to the top of the list for reasons to make this dish!

PS – the sauce on-top is my version of a chimichurri sauce that I hope to share soon!

Enjoy.

Marinated Flank Steak

Yield:  About 10 servings (so, a lot!)
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time:  15 minutes, plus 10 minutes to rest

Ingredients:

• 8 TBSP EVOO
• 2 TBSP Soy Sauce
• 2 TBSP White Wine Vinegar
• 2 TBSP Worcester Sauce
• 1 TBSP Sriracha
• 1 TBSP Yellow Mustard
• 1 TSBP Brown Sugar
• 3 sprigs of Parsley (about 1 TSBP), chopped
• 1 sprig Thyme, chopped
• 3 sprigs Rosemary (about 1 TSBP), chopped
• 2 cloves of Garlic, grated or minced
• S&P (generous amounts of peppper!)
• 2 flank steaks (about 2 lbs each)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the steak and whisk well to combine.  Place flank steaks in 2 separate large Ziploc bags. Divide the marinade between the bags, add it in and rub the bags to distribute the marinade. ***Alternatively, add the flank steaks to a large lasagna pan/deep dish, pour the marinade over the steaks and distribute evenly. Cover with saran-wrap***

The marinade can be left for as little as a few hours, or overnight.  Obviously the longer the better, but even after a few hours it is delicious!

Once the steak has marinated, remove from the bag and discard the liquids.  Allow the steak to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes before grilling.

Pre-heat the grill to a medium-high setting.

Place the steaks on the grill and cook for approximately 7 minutes per side, or to your liking. It’s hard to give guidelines when grilling, because BBQ’s vary so much, so trust your instinct and go with it.  I like to rotate my steak a quarter turn after 3 minutes to get the nice grill marks, but it isn’t necessary.

Remove from the BBQ and allow steaks to rest for 10-15 minutes to absorb the juices.

Cut the steaks against the grain, on an angle and be sure to slice it thin.  Serve with your favourite accompaniments!

Enjoy!

Recipe from the JBean Cuisine kitchen.

JBean Cuisine readers, please meet Hudson, our adorable 10 week old Vizsla who is currently about 12lbs and is adorably wrinkly.  He’s loving, loyal, adventurous and we love him more with each day.

He is totally food-driven, so don’t be surprised if you see doggie treats posted from time to time.  Also, please excuse the lack of posting…this dog is a full-time job for both of us and there hasn’t been much cooking in the kitchen as of late.

Please leave a note below if you have any doggie-friendly recipes, or if you have any puppy tips!

xo JBean and Hudson

The first recipe was from Jen of Beantown Baker.  She challenged herself by using basil, a herb she doesn’t love, and produced these beautiful Blueberry Basil Goat Cheese Cake Bars.  She liked the idea of pairing blueberries and goat cheese with a touch of basil, and based on the amazing photos, I’d say it was a total win of a recipe.  I cannot wait to make these for CH – he will love them.

Next-up, Heather of Hezzi-d’s Books and Cooks took a little spin with the theme and made a Dijon Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs – which sounds perfect for a summer picnic.  She used parsley, tarragon, and pineapple sage which sounds like a great combo and I will have to keep my eye out for the Pineapple Sage as I’ve never heard of it.

With a budding Thyme plant on my balcony, it is only a matter of Time before I make these (sorry, I am corny!!).  These Lemon Thyme Bars by Kim of Just Baked not only look amazing (great photo!) but sound delicious too.  There is something about lemon that yells summer to me. I love that Kim went out her comfort zone to make these, and they look delicious – just wish I could go over for a cup of tea with her to enjoy.  (PS – Kim said she had a hard time getting the leaves off the stalk – next time pinch the stalk of the thyme at the top and run your fingers down, they should pull them right-off)!

If you are looking for a summer sweet treat, look no further. Jaida of Sweet Beginnings made these absolutely perfect looking  Strawberry-Basil Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream that just cry summer dessert.  I love the strawberry and basil combo, so I can’t wait to make these at my next opportunity.

Nicole of Seven Ate Nine was super lucky for this challenge – she was given a bag of her dad’s homegrown rosemary – her very favorite herb.  I love that connection to her recipe and these Baked Rosemary Sweet Potato Chips sound absolutely amazing. They would be an awesome side-dish to anything really, but I think the next burger I make will be accompanied by these.

Lemon + Basil = a heavenly combo in my books and that’s exactly what makes Eva of Eva Bakes’ recipe for Lemon Basil Cake sound irresistible, not to mention the picture of a moist and crumbly cake. She didn’t get any herbs in her biweekly CSA box, but was able to pick-up some fresh basil at the Farmers Market which lead to this cake – glad she did!

Rosemary bread would have to me one of my favourite Italian inspired flavours, so I was thrilled to see that is breadmaker friendly – I’ve been meaning to get some use outta that thing sitting on my counter. Cara of the Boys Made Me Do It  made this recipe for Rosemary Bread and it was a hit in her household, so much so they ate it before she could get a picture.  Since my rosemary plant is expanding by the day, you can be sure this will be made in the near future.

Carrie of Carrie’s Sweet Life took the savoury route and made these absolutely delicious looking Lasagna-Stuffed Portobellos which sound like a great dinner option next week.  Carrie took the opportunity to use fresh herbs in this recipe, as opposed to her usual dried, which is exactly why I love this theme. Looks great Carrie!

And finally, one of my hands-down favourites – Rosemary Focaccia courtesy of Joanna at Newlywed and Newly Cooking. She was out with her husband for dinner and got the inspiration for this amazing looking bread.  Although time consuming, it looks like it was well worth it and I love that she added grape tomatoes and onions to the top – yumm.  I am so glad someone made this recipe as I’ve been wanting to make it for a while, so I can’t wait to tackle it soon.

And finally, my contribution is Mojito Cookies - a good use for my wild-growing mint plant.

THANK YOU to everyone that contributed this month. Albeit a small month, we were definitely mighty.  Your recipes were inspiring and I can’t wait to try each of them – if only you were all nearby to cook them for me!

Jaida of Sweet Beginnings is the fabulous host for the month of July and she has chosen Bake with Summer Fruits as the theme! I have so many ideas, I cannot wait!

Enjoy!

Ps – I do apologize for the slight delay in getting this posted….we have a recent addition that arrived on Saturday…it is safe to say he is taking-up a little bit of our time !