Spectacular Spanakopita

With the holiday season right around the corner, I like to think about dishes that can serve multipurposes. Spanakopita, the traditional Greek spinach pie is one of those ideal dishes. Make small ones and they make great appetizers or larger ones that make great entrees especially when served with a salad. You can make these ahead of time, freeze them, and they will be ready to pull out when company comes.    

Ingredients:
2 packages (448 g each) cooked frozen spinach, thawed
2 medium onions, chopped finely
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
250 grams feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 Cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tbsp dried basil leaves
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1 package filo pastry, thawed

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375°F.

1. in a large frying pan, heat olive oil and saute onions for 5 minutes until soft and slightly browned. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.

2. Squeeze all the excess water from the spinach and then add to the pan and stir to combine. Take the pan off the heat and let cool for about 5-10 minutes.

3. To the pan add the crumbled feta, fresh dill and basil. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper as desired. (we find some feta very salty and the mixture might not require additional salt.

4. Crack eggs into a bowl and scramble lightly.  Add eggs to the mixture and stir to combine. Put this aside until you are ready to make the spanakopitas.

5. Melt the butter in a small bowl, and unroll the filo pastry carefully and cover with a slightly damp towel.

6. Take 1 phyllo sheet from stack and arrange on clean, dry, work surface with the short side nearest you (keeping remaining sheets covered) and brush lightly with some of the melted butter. Put a second sheet on top of the first and brush with more butter. Add a third sheet, but do not add more butter.
7. If making lunch sized spanakopitas, cut the stack in half lengthwise, if making appetizers, cut the stack in 3 strips. A pizza cutter or long chef knife works best.

8. For lunch sized, use approximately 2/3 of a cup of filling near 1 corner of a strip on the end nearest to you, for appetizers, use approximately 2 tablespoons of filing.
9. Fold the corner of phyllo over to enclose filling and form a triangle. Continue folding strip (like a flag), maintaining triangle shape. Don't worry about any funny ends, you can stick them down with a little butter.
10. Put triangle, seam side down, on a large baking sheet covered in parchment and brush top with butter. Make more triangles in same manner, using all of the phyllo.
11. Bake triangles in middle of oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature.

If you want to freeze them for later use, do not brush the top with butter before freezing. Freeze individually on a cookie sheet then transfer to an airtight container until needed.  Before baking, thaw and then brush with butter before baking.

Playoff Snacks - The Perfect Pretzel

It's playoff time! Now not everyone is a fan of hockey, and not everyone wants to sit around watching the playoffs all spring. Whether in front of the game or for movie night in with the girls, everyone is going to love these pretzels!

This recipe isn't a Savour Sister original, it is actually Alton Brown's recipe from his show Good Eats. It is so perfect that we just had to share it with everyone. 

It may seem complicated, but in fact it is really easy to do. it just takes a little time and patience.  These pretzels also freeze brilliantly, just throw them in a cold oven, then turn on the heat to 350 degrees. When the preheat cycle is over, the pretzels will be hot and crispy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water

1 tablespoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for pan
5 cups water

1/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Pretzel salt (or I also use cinnamon and sugar)

Directions:

1. Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl, or stand mixer bowl. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. 
2. Add the flour,butter and salt to the bowl. Mix until well combined, then knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. 
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. 
4. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 
6. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
7. Bring the 5 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a large saucepan.
8. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces.
9. Roll out each piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. 
10. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. 
11. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. 
12. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Power Muffins

Muffins are a brilliant food. They are perfect for breakfast, a great addition to a brunch spread, and a natural afternoon snack. Easy, convienient and inexpensive. The problem with most muffin recipes is that they have little nutritional value, so in fact they aren't as much muffins as they are individual portions of cake. This recipe was inspired by the classic power muffins, lots of good ingredients but far less sweet, stodgy, or heavy. Pumpkin adds great flavour, keeps the muffins moist and replaces most of the fat.  Add your favorite nuts and fruit to change up the taste to fit your palette.

Makes 12 Muffins
Nutritional Value: 160 calories each

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup bran

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk  (you can also use 1/2 cup of regular milk mixed with 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice, or plain yogurt instead)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons, sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a standard muffin tin with muffin papers.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the following: flour, bran, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, both sugars.
4. In a second large bowl, wisk together pumpkin, buttermilk, oil, and egg.
5. Add the cranberries, almonds, and pumpkin seeds into the dry ingredients.
6. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix only till combined. You need to move quickly at this point for best results. The batter will be quite thick.
7. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, they should be about 3/4 full.
8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffin bounces back when pressed or a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
10. Put immediately on a cooling rack.

Granola Bars for Grownups - Ginger, Almond and Cardamom

We have had several requests for healthy snack recipes. Well who doesn't love granola bars? Great for kids and adults who are on the go. The thing we find with them, is that the store bought varieties are always so sweet and there aren't any flavours that appeal to a more grown up palette. We have come up with several recipes and this was a huge hit amongst everyone we shared them with. These crunchy bars have the unique flavour combination of ginger, almond and cardamom. A little sweet and a little spice, makes everything nice.

Note: Want to try your own combinations? How about using dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, or peanuts. Cinnamon or allspice makes a great alternative to cardamom. Just use a total of 1 cup of your favorite dried fruits and nuts with the spice of your choice.
.
Makes 16 squares.
Calories per serving: 117 according to caloriecount.ca

Ingredients:
2 Cups rolled oats
1/4 Cup candied ginger, finely diced
3/4 Cup toasted almonds, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon ground cardamom
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons honey

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Toast almonds by placing almonds on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes
3. Line a 9" square pan with parchment and grease lightly with butter.
4. In a bowl mix oats, almonds, ginger, and cardamom. Set aside.
5. In a small saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar and honey until it starts to boil.
6. Toss the liquid into oat mixture and mix with a spatula until well coated. Put in lined pan and press the mixture down firmly.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
8. While the bars are still hot, press the mixture again firmly, this will make the bars easier to cut.
9. Remove bars from pan and slice. Store in an airtight container. 

Day 11: Spiced Mixed Nuts

Sometimes you are just looking for that special treat to bring to a party, or to give out as gifts to coworkers or friends as a hostess gifts. These nuts have a fantastic flavour; a little salty, a little sweet, and a mixture of fresh and dried spices for a little kick.  They are super quick to put together and store really well in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. For this recipe we chose our favorite combination of nuts for flavour and texture, but you can choose to add your personal favorites, or using less expensive products.

For 1 pound of finished nuts. (You will probably want to double or triple this recipe so you have lots on hand)

Ingredients:

4 cups of mixed unsalted nuts (we used, cashews, almonds and pecans) 

1 teaspoon corriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin

3 tablespoons butter3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Put the nuts on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake until nicely toasted, approximately 10 minutes. 

3. While nuts are toasting, put coriander and cumin in a large fry pan and toast over medium heat until fragrant.

4. Turn the heat to low and add the rest of the ingredients to the pan. Stir constantly until the sugar is fully melted, about 2-3 minutes.

5. Warm a large bowl by running under hot water and drying with a tea towel. Add the warm nuts to the bowl and pour over the topping mixture.

6. Stir until nuts are well coated.  Let nuts cool completely before packaging. 

Note: The warmed bowl makes the coating process easier.

Day 3: Savory Cheddar Crisps

Since when does every holiday goodie need to be sweet? Sometimes you just need something savory, cheesy, and rich. Enriched with cheese, herbs and spices, these rich buttery crackers boast an exceptional flavor and crunch that simply can’t be duplicated by store-bought varieties. (Think little yummy fishy-type crackers, but for grown ups.)

Makes 4 dozen crisps.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (preferably "cold pack" like Imperial or Black Diamond)
1 teaspoon "Franks Red Hot" or Tobasco sauce
3 tablespoons rosemary, finely diced
1 1/2 cups flour
5 cups Rice Crispies cereal

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and cheese.
3. Add tabasco and rosemary. Blend well.
4. With a spatula fold in flour and Rice Crispies until well combined.
5. Roll dough into balls 1.5" in diameter, place on ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Flatten balls slightly with a fork.
7. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes until lightly browned.

Day 2: Chocolate Bark with Fruit and Nuts

You can't have the holidays without lots of chocolate. That's just the way it is, but sometimes the store bought stuff is just lacking. This recipe is so easy, and so fast. You can be finished in under 15 minutes including the clean up. We love making batches of this bark, packaging it in pretty cellophane bags and giving it as hostess gifts, or to coworkers as presents. And the great thing about this recipe is that you can change the goodies you put in the bark to suit your personal tastes.

Makes Lots! (Trust us you will need it)


Ingredients:
20 oz chocolate (We prefer a combination of 12 oz semisweet, and 8 oz bittersweet, due to the sweetness of the fruit)
1/4 cup candied ginger, diced as small as possible
1 cup dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries, unsweetened (not Craisins)
1 cup pecans
2 cups almonds, with skins

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place pecans and almonds on the cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake for 5-8 minutes to toast. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Chop the ginger and apricots, and put in a bowl with the cranberries and cooled nuts.
4. Cut the chocolate into rough chunks, and place in a heat proof bowl.
5. Using the double boiler method, melt the chocolate until about 3/4 melted. Take the bowl off the double boiler and let the residual heat melt the rest of the chocolate.
6. Add the fruit and nuts to the chocolate, reserving about a 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top of bark.
7. Spread the chocolate mixture out onto the parchment lined cookie sheet. Bark should be about 1/4" thick. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture and press lightly into warm mixture with spatula.
8. Let the chocolate cool, for about 30 minutes then put into the refrigerator to set fully.
9. To store, break into large chunks and put in airtight container. Keep in refrigerator or freezer.

Note: As a general rule, the better the chocolate, the better the results, but to balance cost with flavour we enjoy the taste of Baker's brand.  The one thing that will not work is using chocolate chips.