The Gouda Life

I haven’t been taking as much time to write lately. Of course, all the normal things that life brings with it tend to stand in the way, but this time it’s something different.

Writers block. My head, knock on it as hard as I may, will not answer. Sometimes I wonder if it’s taken a vacation somewhere wonderful and left me behind to fend for myself. How terribly rude that would be. I have an arsenal of photos and recipes to share but when I sit down, excited to share them with you, I just can’t muster anything. There’s been a lot of “I like to eat…” and “This tastes good…”. And really, you deserve more than that. Especially when I’m sure, or at least semi-sure, I can provide you with something more entertaining than single syllable, unimaginative description of what graced my plate last night.



This morning, rather than laying the guilt trip I’ve been giving myself on any longer, I made a life-sized pot of peppermint tea, set up a nice comfy spot on the couch beside a sleepy black cat, and started to read anything food related that I could. While I certainly was inspired to write, it wasn’t really condusive to what I wanted to talk about. So here I sit, spilling my brainless guts out to you in hope that I’ll eventually get back onto a topic that will lead me to the recipe I want to share today.

However, since that’s not happening and I’m sure I could yammer on all day about how writing isn’t always the easiest of tasks, and how blog writing can be a lot of pressure sometimes, and how I’m sure if I listen hard enough I could hear the crickets who have inhabited my brain, I’ll jump right into the meat it. Which is not the most exact way to describe it, since today I’m talking chili. A meat-less, but still seemingly meaty, chili that’s packed with so many flavours, textures and colours that it makes the addition of meat completely unnecessary. I top mine with a dollop of cinnamon-spiked yogurt for added earthiness and something to tame the spice. 

I also just happened upon a bottle of Muskoka Brewery’s dark Harvest Ale on my way home from work last night. So intead of using the stock I had, I opted for that instead. It gave it a bit more depth and earthiness with just a touch of bitterness. I loved the way it pairs with the smokey flavours. 



Vegetarian Chili with Cinnamon Spiked Yogurt
adapted from 101cookbooks Pierce St Vegetarian Chili

This chili is so easily adaptable to both your personal tastes and whatever you happen to have in your pantry. Don’t like beer? Add stock or water. Don’t like chickpeas? Add black beans. Do what makes your mouth happiest. Afterall, if chili doesn’t make you happy, you’re not doing it right.

I thought I had a can of chipotle peppers at home but it turns out I was wrong. I’m going to call for them anyhow, but in a pinch, a tbsp or two of smoked paprika adds a nice smokey kick.

1 large yellow onion, diced
olive oil
2 shallots, diced or sliced thin
8 cloves of garlic, rough chopped
1-2 tablespoons of ginger, peeled and grated
2 jalapenos peppers, seed and ribs removed and diced fine
2 tsp ground cumin
2-4 tbsp chili power (depending on how much spice you like)
1-2 chipotle peppers (from a can with adobo or dried and rehydrated), chopped
sea salt
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 750ml (26oz) bottle of favourite dark ale
water
1 can chickpeas
2 cups lentils (I used brown, you can use your favourite or a mixture)
1/3 cup potted barley
1/3 cup bulgur
1 large sweet potato, cut into small cubes
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tsp good quality ground cinnamon

Topping options; fresh chopped cilantro, reserved jalapeno, minced red onion, feta cheese, olive oil

Sweat the onions and shallots in some olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once they’ve become translucent, add the garlic, ginger, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder and chipotle peppers. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until everything is very fragrant. Add the can of tomatoes and the beer. Give everything a good stir. At this point, have a taste of the liquid mixture. Add salt to taste and more spices if it’s not hot enough for you.





Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the chickpeas, lentils, barley and bulgur. Turn heat down to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes. At this point, carefully have another taste for seasoning. Adjust to your liking. Add the cubed sweet potato. If the mixture is becoming too thick, add water 1 cup at a time too thin it out. Cover again and let simmer for another 20-30 minutes.



While cooking, mix yogurt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Refridgerate until ready to serve.

Spoon chili into big bowls and top with yogurt and whatever else your heart desires.



Take a bite and feel your mouth turn up in a toothy grin only a big bowl of chili can provide.



That’s the bite, right there, that makes me supremely happy. Messy, unattractive, spicy and perfect. 

And of course, it tastes even better the next day. I am mowing through bowl #3 in 24 hours.  

Oh crud, is it Tuesday already? The long weekend can’t possibly be over, can it? I feel like I blinked and it went from Thursday evening to Tuesday evening. But oh, what a tremendous weekend it was.


(whatever guilt we had about eating and drinking to our hearts content during the weekend was quickly whisked away when we saw these stairs)

Mr. GL and I spent three days in Low, Quebec, paddle boating around Lac St Bernard, playing epically long games of Monopoly, barbecuing anything that wasn’t nailed down, watching movies and simply enjoying each other’s company without any distractions. Though we live together, we don’t often get to spend hours upon hours together. Life seems to get in the way more often than not. Getting away from the city and into the wilderness was just what we needed to rid ourselves of everyday stresses and reset for another few months until we’re able to escape again. A few photos of our weekend away in case, like us, you don’t get away often and need to live vicariously through us.


(in case it really needs to be said - these are Mr GL’s legs. I shave mine… sometimes)




(herb/citrus/honey chicken + teriyaki chicken kebabs)


(This was my gluttonous breakfast on Sunday morning. Sausage-Chicken-Potato Hash on cream cheese toast. Please don`t tell anyone how I live.)

As I may have mentioned once or 300 times before, Mr. GL is a meat and potatoes man. As such, when we eat dinner together, we often have something meat based with some sort of potato side. This is perfectly fine with me, but after three consecutive nights, I needed to step away from the chicken/steak/sausage/bacon and slip into something a little lighter. If said something happens to stuff nicely into a flour tortilla, even better.

I first had sweet potato and black bean burritos while visiting my wonderful friend Melody for dinner one night. She has this effortless elegance to her cooking. “Nothing fancy, something simple” she would say, almost exclusively, when I asked what we would be having for dinner. But time and time again, she impressed with perfectly cooked vegetarian dishes that satisfied right down to the soul. Always something she claimed to have just thrown together, but I suspect she’s holding back a culinary prowess only those lucky enough to eat at her table would ever see. Because Melody has left me for a life on the East Coast of Canada, I am unhappily forced to make her dishes on my own. And while always delicious, they never taste quite the same as when she makes them.

These burritos are certainly far from fancy, and could definitely be filed under ‘simple’ in preparation, but they pack a punch in flavour and texture. I made a few slight changes to the recipe she gave me based on things I had on hand and needed to use up, but the base is always the same. Mashed sweet potatoes, smooshed black beans, cheese, cilantro. Whatever you decide to add as an extra can only make them better. 



Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos with Mexican Rice
Makes 5-6 burritos.

6 flour or corn Tortillas
2 cups cups Mexican rice (recipe follows)
2 cups lime-black beans (recipe follows)
2 cups roasted sweet potatoes (recipe follows)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
1 cup monterey jack cheese, grated

Other optional additions:
2 avocados, diced
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400.

Lay tortillas flat, add a few spoonfuls of black beans, sweet potatoes, and rice to each. Top with some cilantro and cheese. Roll up, tucking sides in as you go to keep the filling in. 





Place burritos in a roasting pan and bake until lightly browned and crisp around the edges.



Mexican Rice
adapted from Homesick Texan

1 cup white or brown rice
1 tbsp butter
2 cups chicken stock or water

1 small onion (whatever you have), diced
2 tbsp oil
1 jalapeno (optional), diced
4 cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup of cilantro, chopped
2 tsp cumin
Salt to taste

In a medium pot, add the stock, butter and rice. Bring to a boil, stir once and cover. Turn heat down to medium-low to simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes.

While rice is cooking, add onion and oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Let onion cook for about 10 minutes or until just starting to brown. Add the garlic and jalapeno and let cook for an additional minute. Stir in tomato paste, lime juice, cilantro and cumin. Taste and season with salt. Set aside.





Lime-Spiked Black Beans
2 cans black beans, strained
juice and zest from 1 lime
salt to taste

Add beans and lime juice and zest to a pot over medium heat. Cook until warmed through. Using a fork or a potato masher, smoosh beans until they are smooth but still have some texture to them.

Sweet Potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 2” cubes
oil
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large roasting pan, add potatoes, paprika and enough oil to lightly coat everything. Roast until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 25-30 minutes. Mashed with a fork until you have a textured paste.



Since I am not, and never will be,one to waste anything that even resembles Mexican food, the leftovers are put into Tupperware and eaten, simply, like this…

I am a little neurotic. Have you noticed yet? You will.

There are days where I will be sitting at my desk, mid-conversation with a coworker, and decide I need to eat [insert food item] tonight. And if I don’t, life as I know it will cease to exist. I quickly end the conversation (because we all know that food thoughts trump real conversation), rummage through the files on my desk to find my designated ‘grocery pad’, and start scribbling down ingredients, mumbling to myself as I go.  

This happened yesterday, on a day I had planned on having leftovers so I could tell you about the previous nights dinner, and disturbed my focus a little. It’s not the first time I’ve told myself to take a breath, relax for a night, and focus on the task at hand, which was sharing a lovely recipe for Chicken Provencal. Instead, I rushed to cram making dinner, walking the dog, doing the dishes and then sitting down to write out an entry (Oh,and seeing Mr. GL. He’s important, too. I like him.) into one night. This all resulted in an entry I wasn’t overly proud of. Which is annoying when you want to share a really nice recipe that deserves to be looked at.



But if dinner last night was the reason for a sub par entry, I had better make sure to at least tell you how good it was in hopes that it will make up for it. And it was quite good. I can attest to that.

There has been a big revival of peasant food in the last few years. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a large meal, often one-pot, made of easily accesible, inexpensive ingredients. Often making use of cheap cuts of meat, onions, garlic, vegetables and maybe a hunk of crusty bread if you’re lucky. These were the dishes often eaten out of necessity by the poor.



As someone who has lived alone plenty, I have a fondness for simple, one-pot, dishes. Especially when they are healthy. And even more when they are delicious. That is the most important part, after all. My neurotic episode yesterday came after glancing in the direction of some white beans and chipotle peppers, sitting completely impervious to each other on the counter. A match made in tastebud heaven. Especially when you stew them with a little kale, a touch of cinnamon, some sweet potatoes and a can of tomatoes.

This stew is simple, cheap, filling, healthy and delicious. And if you’re like me and often make more than you need for one, it reheats brilliantly. In case it wasn’t already delicious enough, I serve it on top of a hunk of bread with a poached egg perched on top. Then again, I would probably eat shards of glass if you topped them with a poached egg.



Chipotle White Bean Stew with Sweet Potato and Kale

If you don’t like beans, add rice or barley. If you don’t like kale, add swiss chard or spinach. If you don’t like sweet potatoes, then I can offer no help for you. Basically, feel free to change things up as much as you’d like to suit your tastes.

I used canned beans in this because, as usual, I hadn’t planned ahead. If you do have time, soak some white beans overnight until tender. They hold their shape well and have much better flavour.

Serves 1 multiple times, or 3-4 one time.



olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin or diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 900ml can plum tomatoes
2-3 (for moderate heat) chipotle peppers in adobo, diced
1 900ml can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1” cubes
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 handfuls of kale, washed, dried and cut into bite sized chunks
salt and pepper to taste
Eggs, as many as you need. (See here for poaching egg instructions from Smitten Kitchen. This method works best for me.)
Bread of your choice, sliced thick

In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, add a good layer of oil and onions. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Pour in tomatoes and break them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Add chipotle peppers, beans, sweet potatoes and cinnamon. Cover and simmer over medium-low until sweet potatoes beginning to soften, 15 minutes. Add kale and cook for another 5-10 minutes until kale softens. Taste for seasoning. Salt as needed.

Add a slice of bread to your bowl, ladle stew over bread, and gently place your poached egg on top.

Do you ever feel like some foods are meant to be eaten on a date? I don’t mean fancy things like strawberries dipped in chocolate (yawn) or oysters (these are to be eaten with girlfriends. period) or fondue. Just very normal specific things that seem like they should be eaten somewhere nice, with a handsome face looking at you from across the table, maybe a few glasses of wine… you know, date food!

I have always felt this way about Gnocchi. I don’t know what it is about these pillowy little dumplings, but I just feel like they should be eaten on a date. Possibly because, for a lot of my life, something like gnocchi seemed exotic and exciting (but in all fairness, adding cheddar cheese to my mashed potatoes was exotic in my young adult life). And what better food to eat on a date than something exotic that you haven’t had any experience with?

I’ve had one previous experience with (ricotta) gnocchi and it was more than succesful. Life changing, even. And I’ve been meaning to play around with it more for some time. And then I saw a recipe for this, that and the other and forgot about it. But since I saw the recipe for sweet potato gnocchi in the Holiday Food & Drink magazine,  I’ve been dying to try it out. The only problem was that I didn’t have the magazine with me at work today, and I couldn’t remember what sauce F&D used. So I decided I would just do a simple blue cheese-walnut cream sauce. A lovely little romantic dinner for two! Or… sort of.  

Only one slight road block for this date night  Very minor, really. Mr. Goudalife a) wasn’t home and b) doesn’t like gnocchi, blue cheese, or cream sauce. Option number two? Date night for one. I’ve always thought myself a good conversationalist, and maybe a little bit cute. I could date me (I couldn’t date me). So if you have a friend, significant other that has a selective palate (picky eater), and you really want to try something different, treat yourself to a little date night for one.

If you haven’t tried to make gnocchi before, please don’t be intimidated by it. It’s not nearly as hard as it seems. As long as you prep everything in advance and have everything ready to go, you’ll do fine. Work quickly and with a light touch. That’s my best advice. No charge this time.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
as seen in Holiday Issue of Food & Drink

1 1/4lbs Sweet Potatoes (2 large, 3 medium)
1 egg
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)

Preheat oven to 400. Pierce sweet potatoes and place on baking sheet. Roast until fork tender, 45-60 minutes.

Remove potatoes from the oven and scoop out flesh. Press through a ricer, food mill or just mash really well making sure there aren’t too many lumps.  
 
(This is a ricer. If you prefer your mashed potatoes to be flawlessly smooth, this is your new best friend!)

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the sweet potato to a bowl. Reserve the rest for another use.
Slowly stir in the egg, salt and 1/4tsp pepper.



Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated. The dough will be a little sticky still. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead a few times until smooth. Divide into 6 sections. Roll each section out into a 1/2” log with a light touch. Cut into 1” lengths with a floured pairing knife. If you want the little ridges (great for holding a sauce) press floured fork tines into gnocchi and drag towards you. Place on floured baking sheet making sure they are not touching each other. Gnocchi can be covered and refrigerated for a day or frozen for 2 months.

If eating right away, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add gnocchi, no more than 15 at a time, to the pot. Stir constantly for 3 minutes, or until gnocchi float to the top of the water. Remove with slotted spoon.



Walnut-Blue Cheese Cream Sauce

1/3 cup toasted walnuts, rough chopped
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream

in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat, add the walnuts and butter and cook until melted. Add the white wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the cream and gorgonzola and cook until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

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Add your gnocchi to the sauce and toss to warm everything through. Serve as a side dish, on top of greens (I used arugula), or completely on it’s own!

Pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on some romantic jazz, and be sure to thank yourself for going through so much trouble and making you feel so special on your date. Thank you, self. But don’t expect any smooching.

And I’m back. It took me two weeks but I made it.

And It’s been a really busy two weeks. Not only did Hersch pass away, but Allan was gone for 11 days so I jam-packed my weeknights so as not to sit at home like a hermit, talking to myself (and the animals. and plants. and tv…).

I’ve been cooking a whole bunch, many things I’ve already posted about, some I haven’t. I just didn’t have it in me to take photos edit photos, write out a blog, try and come up with mildly witty things to make the masses (i.e: 10 of you) laugh. But I did make something noteworthy that forced me to break out the camera, though the pictures leave a lot to be desired. Hopefully you understand. You’d better if you know what’s good for you. Wait, what? Sorry. I’ve also been watching a lot of Mob movies.

If you like soup, and who doesn’t like soup, you’ll like this. If you have 15 minutes of free time and a nice big antique spoon, because soup tastes best off those, then you’ll like this EVEN more. It’s creamy. It’s spicy. It’s healthy. It’s full of flavour. It even has corn in it! CORN! (I rarely cook with corn. We don’t always get along at the dinner table.) I brought this for lunch the next day with a dollop of greek yogurt and it was even better after the flavours had a chance to mix and mingle.

Sweet Potato, Corn, Jalapeno Bisque

1 tbsp oil
1 medium sized onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-5 cups good quality stock (veg or chicken)
3 good sized jalapenos, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups corns, fresh or frozen
a few generous pinches of salt
1 tsp cayenne (if you don’t like it spicy, add 1/4 tsp to start and taste)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
pinch or two cinnamon
scallions to garnish

Add oil to your soup pot and heat over medium. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent (about 4 minutes). Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Don’t let the onions and garlic brown.



Turn heat to high. Add sweet potatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and let the potatoes simmer until fork tender (15-20 minutes).



Using a blender, an immersion blender or a food processor, blend the soup until silk smooth. Do it in batches if you need to. Return soup to pot and add the jalapenos, corn and spices. Let the corn and jalapenos cook until they are soft but still have a bit of bite to them (10 minutes). Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chopped scallions. Serve to the people you love most. and maybe even some you don’t. They’ll be good friends after this.

We served the soup with some lightly toasted crostinis to fill out the meal a little. Delicious.