Your Weekend Delicious Idea for March 25

What do Mitch and Cameron have to do with this weekend's Delicious Idea?

Well, if you saw the Modern Family episode 'Two Monkeys and a Panda' a few weeks ago you might be able to guess what this week's recipe is about. It went something like this:

Mitch: "You'll never believe what the new broccoli is. Kale!"

Cam: "Kale? Kale's a garnish. It's not ready to anchor a meal!!"

Mitch: "I kno-o-o-w....!"

Cam: "Well, I guess we need to ADOPT (clap clap) a new attitude toward kale!"

(It's funnier in person .... seriously, watch it).

But back to Kale. A fantastic food that doesn't make chefs like me have to choose between healthy and tasty. As it's a bit tougher than other leaves, it's usually used in soups and stir fries rather than salads, but here's a great way to serve this nutrient-packed vegetable as a snack.

Roasted Kale

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim your kale (try folding in half first, and get rid of stalk)

Toss with a really good extra virgin olive oil and sea salt

Lay out on a cookie sheet and bake for about 7-10 minutes each side.

You'll know you're done when it goes a little brown and crispy.

GREAT alternative to chips and your body will love you for it.

Now back to Modern Family ......

Your weekend Delicious Idea from Food Fusions

One of my favourite weekend pasttimes at the moment is visiting the Winter Farmer's Market on the Plaza of Nat Bailey Stadium (Ontario and 30th).

Open every Saturday from 10am until 2pm until April 30th, the Market is full of friendly vendors selling fantastic fare - to indulge in on-site or take home.

A few of my favourites are Bean Boys for their tangy humouses, the Wild Jam man with lovely jams from Williams Lake, B.C., Creperie La Boheme for delicious crepes - sweet or savory, and the Thai Princess. There are also a number of vendors who sell a huge variety of wild mushrooms. Following is an easy way to use wild mushrooms to jazz up your weekend brunching. For more on the Farmer's Market visit http://www.eatlocal.org/

Scrambled Eggs and Wild Mushrooms

Here's an easy way to Michelin-star your Sunday scramble.

Beat your (organic, free range) eggs with a little bit of whipping cream. Pour into a small non-stick pot over a teaspoon or so of butter, and stir occasionally (but not so much they break into little pieces) on a low heat.

At the same time, fry off your wild mushrooms with rock salt or sea salt and organic olive oil.

Get yourself a stainless steel chef's circle and put it in the middle of your plate. When the eggs are cooked, press them firmly into the chef's circle, and gently remove. Lay your mushrooms around the outside of the eggs, and dribble Louisiana hot sauce over eggs and shrooms.

Add your favourite toast (mine is currently whole wheat sourdough) and there you have it - a cheffed-up scramble to start your Sunday.

And don't worry too much about the butter and cream - there's still plenty of time to jog the seawall before the weekend's over.

Enjoy!

Cooking with Halloumi

After a long hiatus, a wintry comfort recipe to make it through this rainy week.

Nothing better to beat the winter blues than grilled cheese. And no cheese better to grill than Halloumi. Grilled (or even pan fried) and served with a lemon dressing and steamed asparagus, it's a delicious, substantial cheese.

Another great way to serve Halloumi is as a stuffing for grilled peppers.

Ingredients:

4 large peppers - I prefer red or orange

250 g halloumi, cut into cubes

50g cous cous

300g chopped marinated olives, mushrooms, or artichoke hearts (or a combination of all)

100 ml veggie stock

Directions:

I rarely measure ingredients exactly, but these measurements will be a good starting point and should let you stuff four large peppers. But get stuck in there, and adjust to suit your own tastebuds!

Cut the peppers in halves through the stocks. Scoop out seeds and discard. Lay the peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle with a good virgin olive oil, then bake for 20 minutes or so on 250 degrees C until tender.

To make your cous cous, you can either cover (in a bowl) with the warm vegetable stock, or cold fruit juice. Let stand for 15-20 minutes (covered tightly with saran wrap), and fluff up.

Stuff peppers with your halloumi and olive mixture, and put them back in the oven for 15 minutes or until the halloumi has begun to melt. Delicious!

Makes a great main course for your vegetarian friends, but also delicious enough that everyone will love them.

Enjoy!