Happy Meal for Adults

For the past few months I have been getting nostalgic about the food from my childhood and recreating it. This was all brought on by a quickly approaching, milestone birthday, which of course cannot be avoided... I guess I was just trying to go back in time through food. One of my favourite birthdays from my childhood was to have a birthday party at McDonald's....Happy Meals all around with that lovely florescent orange drink. I thought I would make a grown up version of that meal from past with some adult flavours and some healthier ingredients.

Orange Creamsicle Milkshake Float

Orange Sorbet

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup water

1/4 cup honey

In a small saucepan, heat water and honey until simmering. Simmer for 20 mins stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. Add orange juice and stir. Pour into glass loaf pan and freeze for several hours or overnight. Remove from freezer and place into blender. Blend on high to incorporate air and pour back into glass loaf pan and refreeze for several hours.

Coconut Milk Vanilla Ice Cream

1 can full fat coconut milk

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tsp pure Vanilla Extract

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Pour into running ice cream machine and process for 20 mins. Remove to glass container and freeze for several hours.

In a frosted mug, place 2 scoops orange sorbet and 1 scoop coconut milk vanilla ice cream. Top with sparkling soda water and stir until smooth.

Baked Apple Hand Pies

Apple Pie Filling

2 Gala Apples, peeled and diced small

1/4 Cup Ghee

1/4 Cup Coconut Sugar

1/2 cup Water

2 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

2 tsp Apple Pie Spice or Pumpkin Pie Spice

Melt ghee in and medium saute pan over medium heat. Add coconut sugar, maple syrup and spice to ghee and stir to combine. Add apples, stir to combine. Let mixture sauté on medium heat until apples soften. If filling starts to dry out or the sugar browns too fast, add water 1/4 cup at a time. Cool completely before using in pies.

Pastry

1 cup Rice Flour

3/4 cup Tapioca Flour

1/2 cup Ghee

1/4 tsp Salt

2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 Large Egg, beaten

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

3 to 4 Tbsp Ice Cold Water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flours, xanthan gum and salt in a medium bowl. Form the ghee into 1/2 tsp sized balls and drop into flour mixture. Cover the balls well with the flour mixture. Rub between your fingers to flatten into discs. Place bowl in fridge for ghee to firm up after squishing for about 5 mins. Add the vinegar to the beaten egg, add 3 Tbsp ice water and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix well until dough comes together and is not dry. Dump out onto a rice floured surface and knead lightly. Chill for 5 to 10 mins. Cut into 4 pieces. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness, not too thin as the pastry will crack. Cut 8, 5 x 3 inch rectangles. Loosen pastry from surface with offset spatula. Place 2 Tbsp of filling on each rectangle, leaving 1/4 inch all around. Do not overfill or the pastry will crack. Dab water around the edge of the pastry. Place a second rectangle, rolled slightly larger than the first, on top of filling. Press all around the edge with your finger. Crimp the edge with a fork. Cut small vent holes in the top, center with the tip of a knife. Brush with egg wash. If the pastry cracks, dip your finger in water and rub over the cracks gently until they seal back up. Repeat with the 6 other pieces of pastry. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 20 mins and turn to broil. Broil for 2-3 mins to lightly brown tops. Do not overbroil or the pastry will dry out.

Makes 4 (5" x 3") Hand Pies

Chicken "Nuggets"

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 2" x 2" Nuggets

3/4 cup full fat Coconut Milk

1/2 cup White Rice Flour

1/4 cup Tapioca Starch

1/4 cup Arrowroot

1 tsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Smoked Spanish Paprika

2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp dried Oregano

1 tsp dried Thyme

1 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 Chili Powder

In a medium bowl add coconut milk and lemon juice. Let sit for 10 mins. Add chicken breast pieces and marinate for 1 hour. Meanwhile in a another medium bowl, add all the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine. Set up a baking pan with a rack on top. Take each piece of chicken and flour each piece thoroughly and then set on rack to dry a bit. Fry in small batches at 350 F for 6 minutes until golden brown. Remove and place on paper towel lined plate to drain. Salt immediately.

Sriracha Maple Dipping Sauce

2 Tbsp Sriracha or alternate hot sauce

3 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

Stir together thoroughly. Serve alongside chicken nuggets.

Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce

3 Tbsp Mayo

2 tsp Dijon Musard

1 Tbsp Honey

Stir together thoroughly. Serve alongside chicken nuggets.

Superbowl Sunday Snacks

It's that time of year again where we put on our team jerseys, whip up some tasty morsels and hunker down in front of the big screen to watch....the Superbowl commercials and half-time show. Ha,ha,ha....you didn't think I really watch the football did you? It's just a good excuse to make mini food and create drinks with beer as the main ingredient...it's tradition. Who am I to mess with tradition?

Lime Shandy

2 Beer (I used Omission gluten-free IPA)
8 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
4 cups Lime Sparkling Water
4 Lime Slices
Ice Cubes

Fill 4 frosted beer mugs with ice. Pour 1/2 bottle of beer into each mug, 2 Tbsp lime juice and 1 cup of lime sparkling water. Garnish with lime slice.

Makes 4 Cocktails

Sliders

1/2 lb Lean Ground Beef
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Chipotle Powder or Chili Powder
10 Cremini Mushrooms, stems removed
1 small Onion, halved and sliced
10 Pickle Chips (dill with no sugar added)
5 Cherry Tomatoes, cut in small slices
1/4 cup Homemade Mayonnaise
2-3 Tbsp Hot Sauce (I used Frank's) use your own discretion for how hot you like things


Preheat a pan over medium heat. In a medium bowl, add ground beef, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder & chipotle powder. Mix well to evenly combine spices. Form into golf ball sized meatballs, press into a patty and then put a thumbprint in the middle of each to allow for expansion. Fry mini burgers in olive oil until cooked through approx. 4 mins per side. Meanwhile, place 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add sliced onions and cook slowly until caramelized and golden brown, stirring frequently approx. 20 mins, set aside. Preheat oven to 400 F.  Brush the mushrooms caps with 1 Tbsp olive oil and place stem side up on a baking sheet. Roast for approx. 8 mins. until golden. Set aside.

Homemade Mayonnaise

In a glass canning jar large enough to accommodate a stick immersion blender, add in this order:

1tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice or Vinegar
1/4 tsp salt & pepper
1 Egg Yolk

Slowly pour 1/2 cup light olive oil down the side of the jar so as not to disturb the ingredients in the jar. Place immersion blender into jar and pulse until the egg yolk emulsifies into a creamy mayo. Can also be made in a blender the same way. Pulse blender for 10 to 20 seconds to emulsify.

To Assemble Slider:

On a serving tray or wooden board place mushroom cap, burger, caramelized onions, spicy mayo, pickle chip and tomato slice. Skewer with a toothpick or fancy bamboo skewers.

Makes 10 sliders

Tostones with Pulled Pork & Lime, Cilantro Coleslaw

1 large Plantain, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

Preheat oil in high sided thick bottom pot or deep fryer to 365 F. Deep fry plantain for 3 minutes. Flatten gently with a large glass. Deep fry an additional 2 minutes until crispy. Remove to metal bowl and salt & pepper immediately.

Peach Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1 Tbsp Bacon Fat

1 cup frozen Peaches, thawed

1/4 cup Shallots, diced

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 tsp Chipotle Powder

2 tsp coconut aminos or tamari

1 7 oz jar Tomato Paste

1/4 cup Water

3 Tbsp Hot Sauce

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Sauté shallots in bacon fat until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.

For the Pulled Pork

Season 1 pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Sear in sauté pan over medium heat until browned on all sides. Place in slow cooker and pour over peach chipotle BBQ sauce. Cook on high 6 hours. Remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks.

For the Coleslaw

1/4 cup Green Cabbage, shredded

1/4 cup Red Cabbage, shredded

1 small Carrot, shredded

1 Green Onion, chopped

2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped

3 Tbsp Homemade Mayonnaise

Juice of 1/2 Lime

Salt and Pepper to taste

To Assemble Tostones:

Arrange tostones on a plate. Put a Tbsp of pulled pork on each and top with a Tbsp of coleslaw for individual servings or scatter the pulled pork over tostones and then scatter coleslaw and serve family style.

Sweet Potato Tots

1 large Sweet Potato
1/8 cup Arrowroot
1/8 cup Tapioca Flour
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Salt

Preheat deep fryer to 365 F. Boil sweet potato in a large pot of boiling water 10-15 mins until tender but still firm. Let cool to room temperature. Grate on large side of box grater. Put in a large bowl. Add scrambled egg to grated sweet potato. Add spices to flours and fold into grated sweet potato. Scoop Tbsp sized balls of the mixture into the hot oil. Fry for 3-4 mins. Remove to bowl and season with salt, toss. Garnish with bacon bits, chopped green onion and a drizzle of vegan sour cream.

Vegan Sour Cream

1/2 cup Cashews, raw
1/8 cup Slivered Almonds, raw
1/8 cup Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt

Place cashews and almonds in a bowl and soak overnight. Drain, add to a blender along with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Refrigerate until needed. You can use any leftover vegan sour cream to make dip, just add chopped fresh herbs or caramelized onions or red onion, tomato and black olives or green onion and bacon or whatever combo of flavours you fancy.