Foodie Pen Pals - August

What an amazing pen pal package!

Another great month in Lean Green Bean's Foodie Pen Pal program! This month my pen pal is Myra from Itago Sa Bato. She's really sweet and seems like one of those people who is just do passionate about life! She lives in Alberta but has lived here in Vancouver and I think she's planning on coming back eventually  (and really who wouldn't - British Columbia is one of the most beautiful places in the world!).

Myra sent a fabulous package to me. She was thoughtful enough to include things that my whole family would enjoy. There were Angry Bird gummies and granola bites that the kids gobbled up. The hot sauce is fantastic - especially on eggs! The bison bites were a first for me. I kept the chocolate for myself - it was delicious ;) I can't wait to try the soup mix - I'm waiting for the first crisp fall day to make it. I also love the idea of the spice mixes which I've seen but haven't tried. The Yiabar and the Thinaddictives are going in my gym bag for those days I need a little extra energy.

Myra, thanks for such a great Foodie Pen Pal package!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAM - WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE CANADIAN FOODIES SO JOIN TODAY!!

PS - I forgot to post about my July Foodie Pen Pal package :( so I want to apologize to Lindsey because I absolutely loved the package! Thank you so much Lindsey.

And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Pen pals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your pen pal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your pen pal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your pen pal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Pen pals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your pen pal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Pen pals is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for September, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

You must submit your information by September 4th as pairings will be emailed on September 5th!

Swimming Pool Party and Pool Cake

Birthday Pool Party!

My daughter decided to have a swimming party at UBC pool to celebrate her 9th birthday. So we made that the theme of the party.

If you are in Vancouver, I recommend UBC pool as a place for a kid's party. The cost was just under $100 for 10 kids, a party room, and a pool leader. The leader joined them in the pool for an hour as they played games and jumped off the diving boards.

Decorations

The kids spent most of their time in the pool so we kept decorations to a minimum. I found an "under the sea" roll of bulletin board paper at Michael's that we placed on a wall. I also found these pool party cut-outs on Etsy. I printed them on card stock and taped them to wood dowels. The kids LOVED them. We took pictures in front of the poster of all the kids. We also had balloons and blow up beach balls.

We served cake and a few snacks. I put the snacks in beach pails and the kids served themselves using little shovels! I also had a few shell shaped plates for other snacks. We made a balloon bouquet by simply throwing a bunch of balloons on a stick in a bucket! We also had a container of "pool water" as a drink (raspberry Kool-Aid).

Loot Bag

For the "loot bag", I found a great deal on a beach towel that turns into a backpack - normally $22 but on sale for less than $6 at Michael's! I even kept one for myself!

I made cookies for the kids to take home. One was a wave. It's a simple sugar cookie with a design I found on Glorious Treats (see her step by step tutorial) and the other one was going to be a life preserver but I couldn't get the red right so I made them "inner tubes" lol. I cut them out with a doughnut cutter I found at a dollar store.

Cake

The cake was pretty easy compared to my son's Plants vs Zombie cake! After looking on the internet for ideas, I combined my faves for this swimming pool cake!

The figures and slide are made out of fondant. The slide is held up with two straws. The cake itself is  three Texas sheet cakes - vanilla, chocolate, and "strawberry" (ok - vanilla with pink colouring!). My plan was to make a strawberry white chocolate ganache as the filling but sadly it didn't set properly (too thin). It did however, taste amazing! I didn't want to waste it so I "painted" the ganache between the cake layers and then used a vanilla buttercream as the filling on top of the ganache. The strawberry flavour really came through and made this cake a winner. I plan on perfecting the ganache and posting the recipe as soon as I can!

I "fenced" off the cake with Kit Kats!

To work off some of the sugar, we put on the kids' favorite music and let them dance until they went home.

My daughter said it was her best party ever!

Here is the sugar cookie recipe - it's my grandmother's recipe. It has shortening in it which helps the cookies keep their shape as they bake.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2.5 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt

Instrutions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In bowl; whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. Set aside.
• In another large bowl beat butter and shortening
• Beat in sugars until light and fairly fluffy
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• Mix in flour mixture.
• Divide dough in half; flatten each slightly.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out dough, 1 piece at a time, to 1/4-inch (5 mm) thickness
• Using 3-inch (8 cm) cookie cutters, cut out shapes.
• Press scraps together to reroll.
• Bake in centre of oven for about 12-14 minutes or until light golden on bottom and edges.
• Let cool for 1 minute on baking sheets.
• Transfer to racks; let cool completely.
• Decorate as you like.

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice

I don't make coconut rice often but when I do I really enjoy it. The coconut flavour is very subtle but seems to pop a bit more the next day. It complements curries, seafood, and chicken dishes. 

Lots of recipes will dilute the coconut milk with water but to be honest I just use straight coconut milk because I don't want to waste the can of coconut milk when I don't need a tonne of rice! The key is to watch the rice - the coconut milk will burn! As soon as the rice/milk starts to boil turn the heat down to minimum and then take it off the heat completely to rest.

I usually use jasmine rice but any type of white rice will work.

Ingredients

1.5 cups lite coconut milk
1 cup rice
2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in medium size sauce pan over medium high heat. 
2. Bring to a boil. 
3. Immediately reduce heat to minimum and cover for 12 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat but do not remove pot cover. 
5. Let sit for 15 minutes. 
6. Fluff with fork and serve.

Mango-Fennel Salad

Mango Fennel Salad

This salad is one of my new favorites. The sweetness of the mangoes, the hint of licorice from the fennel, crunch of pistachios and the sweet/saltiness of the dressing is an explosion of flavours. It is perfect with my tandoori chicken and coconut rice (recipe coming soon).

Note:

• If you don't like fish sauce, I think you could substitute soy sauce.  
• After serving this as a salad, I will often mix the left overs with rice for lunch the next day - I reheat the mix in the microwave a completely different feeling and delicious dish.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

4 mangoes, julienned (cut in thin strips)

1 red pepper, julienned

1 medium size bulb of fennel, grated

1/2 cup toasted pistachios (I use salted ones from Trader Joe's)
2 limes, juices

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp honey

cilantro (optional)

Instructions

1. Place mangoes, peppers, and fennel in a medium sized serving dish.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together, lime juice, sugar, honey and fish sauce.
3. Add to mangoes and veggies and combine.
4. Sprinkle with cilantro and pistachios.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Let me be very clear - I am not a tandoori chicken expert...not even an amateur.  But I know chicken and I know what I like. I like this recipe. A lot.

The thickness of the Greek yogourt means the marinade will really stick to the meat. The lime juice permeates the dish. If you don't like lime juice you could use lemon for a more subtle flavour. But trust me use the lime. After you've made it once you'll be able to play with the quantity of spices. You can cut down on the chili or up it, same with the curry and cumin.

I serve this with coconut rice and a mango-fennel salad (recipes to come soon) as in the pictures.

Easy Grilled Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tsp tumeric (optional - mostly for colour)
1 tbsp curry powder (I used a medium hot curry powder)
1.5 teaspoons salt 
1/2 tsp coriander
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil - more for the grill
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 limes, juiced
1.5 cups regular or nonfat greek yogurt
boneless, skinless chicken thighs (but any cut works - thighs are hard to screw up though) - about 10 large, 12 medium or 16 small thighs)
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons chives, chopped

What to do

• Mix spices together in a medium bowl. 
• Heat the oil in a skillet over low-medium heat.
• Stir in the spices and heat until they bubble and become fragrant (30- 60 seconds). Note: You heat the spices because who knows how long your spices have been sitting there - heating them coaxes them back to life, back to reality... and it makes your kitchen smell fantastic!)
• Return the spice mix to the bowl and stir in the vinegar, lime juice and yogourt.
• Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Let them sit 1-12 hours (I usually throw them in the fridge in a zip lock overnight).
• Grill on medium-high-ish heat - 5 to 6 minutes per side for large thighs, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium and small thighs. 
• Move chicken to a platter and let rest for about 5 minutes (this is important before it lets the juices redistribute through the meat).
• Sprinkle with cilantro and chives before serving.

Adobo-Peach Salsa

Adobo-Peach Salsa

I love the peach and adobo mix of flavours in this salsa - sweet and spicy! 

I usually make this with fresh from the garden red peppers but occasionally use roasted peppers. I prefer the raw, fresh ones as it gives a better bite and fresh taste. I also sometimes add part of a chipotle that comes with the adobo sauce but this time all I had was the sauce. I think the sauce added lots of flavour and just enough heat but I know there are readers out there that love a higher heat level!

Ingredients

2 peaches
4 medium tomatoes
1 red or yellow peppers
1-2 tbsp adobo sauce with or without chipotle
1/2 red onion
1 lime, juiced
salt
pepper
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (optional)

Instructions

You have two ways of putting this together:

1. Skin the peaches as per below. Chop everything by hand, throw it in a bowl, add the juice and spice and stir it all together.

or

2. Skin the peaches by placing them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove the peaches and carefully remove the skin. Cut into sections and throw away the pit. Quarter the tomatoes. Throw the peaches, and tomatoes in a food processor and pulse them until they are the desired size. Place them in a large bowl. Then reuse the processor bowl and do the same thing for the peppers and onions. Throw them into the tomato bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine. Season with salt and pepper.

I find the food processor method easier but it does make for more dish washing. The reason I don't throw everything into the processor at once is that the harder veggies will take longer to chop to the desired size. By that time the tomatoes and peaches will be pulp and not recognizable.

Place in refrigerator for up to 12 hours so flavors can come together. Also, good as soon as it is mixed!

Farro Vegetable Salad

Farro Vegetable Salad Recipe

This is the first time I have tasted farro. Farro is a complicated grain. There is confusion and debate over what it really is - some say it is spelt ...it isn't. Others call it emmer which it is. Whatever you call this wheat grain, it is delicious as far as whole grains go. It is slightly sweet, nutty and when cooked properly, slightly chewy.

I have to admit that although super popular, quinoa has not been an ingredient I like. I now sub out quinoa and replace it with farro in salads. It is not gluten free as it is a member of the wheat family but is lower in gluten than some other wheat varieties.

This wonderful summer salad is really versatile. Throw in whatever veggies you have on hand - tomatoes, squash, cucumber, onion....you get the idea. Also, if you don't want to do the extra work of roasting peppers just throw them in raw. You could also leave out the maple syrup but I like the added hint of sweetness. It's perfect for potlucks and picnics.

If you have a Trader Joe's near you, try their 10 minute farro to cut down on prep time! 

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp maple syrup
squeeze of 1/2 a lime
10 oz uncooked farro (probably about 1-1/4 cups dry grains)
3 roasted peppers, chopped
2 cups sugar snap peas, chopped roughly
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 large carrots, shredded
1 yellow zucchini, diced

Instructions

1. Whisk together oil, vinegar, maple syrup and lime juice. Set aside.
2. Cook farro according to package directions. Cool.
3. To roast peppers

• Take washed bell peppers, and place on hot grill.
• Grill until skin blisters and peppers soften – rotate peppers so skin chars all over (7-10 minutes depending on grill). I like to basically char the top skin.
•  Remove from grill and place in bowl.
•  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place to the side so they rest for 20 minutes or so. The peppers will steam inside the bowl which will loosen the charred skin, making it easier to remove them later.)
• Remove peppers from bowl and carefully remove charred skins.
• Cut peppers into one inch pieces or long strips.
• Cool

4. Place farro and all veggies into a large bowl.
5. Gently toss in dressing.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle Parmesan on top.
8. Serve