Main Dishes

Enjoy the Flavour of Hunt’s Tomatoes with David Rocco’s Tomato and Lentil Soup Recipe

January 30, 2013 by Kathryn 19 Comments

I absolutely love cooking with Hunt’s canned tomatoes. They’re inexpensive, don’t spoil and can be used to create a huge variety of delicious recipes. From soups to sauces to side dishes, the possibilities are endless. And every time I cook with Hunt’s canned tomatoes, I’m adding Vitamin C, fibre and potassium to my meal too!

There’s a reason Hunt’s canned tomatoes taste so good and it all starts with freshness. Hunt’s is passionate about picking tomatoes at the peak of ripeness to ensure that the true tomato flavour comes out in every dish. That delicious flavour is one that lends itself to all kinds of great meals and so when I got the chance to try out a tasty soup recipe created by celebrity chef and Tommalier (tomato expert) David Rocco, I couldn’t wait.

Western Mozzarella Meat Loaf-Easy Winter Dinner from the Freezer #LMDConnector

November 27, 2012 by Kathryn

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With Christmas just around the corner, our little house is pretty busy as we juggle school, work, extra-curricular activities and holiday preparation. All that hustle and bustle means that I need dinner ideas that are fast and simple to prepare. So what do I do to make dinnertime easy? I turn to the freezer!

There are so many great meals that can be prepared in advance and frozen for later and to find one that appealed to me, I headed to the Life Made Delicious website. I had a great time perusing different recipes with the potential to be prepared, frozen and cooked later when needed.

Eventually I found the Tomato Basil Meat Loaves recipe. I knew at once that this was a recipe that could be easily modified to suit my family so I switched the Italian flavours out for Western ones to create a dinner that I knew my boys would enjoy.

western mozzarella meatloaf [Read more...]

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: #lmdconnector, beef, dinner, easy, freeze, freezer, freezer meals, general mills, life made delicious, lmd, meal, meat loaf, quick, quick supper, recipe, supper, western mozzarella meat loaf

It’s Time To Shake Up the Dinner Routine with VH Sauces-Giveaway #VHExcitement

September 18, 2012 by Kathryn

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After a long day of school, work and extra-curricular activities, I usually find myself planning supper at the last minute. And that means that I eventually fall into a fairly regular routine of cooking the same few quick and easy supper dishes week after week.

Well this year, VH Sauces wants to change that by providing Canadian families with some fun and time-friendly ways to excite their dinner. I received a themed travel pack from VH Sauces containing a cute travel diary, some useful and fun travel accessories, a gorgeous Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences book and VH Sauces to help me add excitement to my family’s dinner. I also received a few recipe cards with some fun and easy meal ideas so I decided to whip up the Bulgogi for our dinner. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: bulgogi, dinner, dinner recipe, excite, recipes, supper, vh canada, vh dinner, vh excite, vh excite your dinner, vh facebook, vh recipes, vh sauces, vhexcitement

Get Cooking with The Mom 100 Cookbook-The Basic Quesadilla (and Its Infinite Variations)

July 29, 2012 by Kathryn

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the mom 100 cookbook cover When I heard that The Mom 100 Cookbook by Katie Workman was being touted as the must-have cookbook for busy moms, I admit that I was a bit sceptical. When it comes to cookbooks, I have a bit of an obsession and I really couldn’t imagine any one cookbook being so essential to me that I would use it again and again for different needs. But then I received a copy of the cookbook to review and started leafing through it. After trying one of the recipes and perusing a few of the others, I was sold!

The Mom 100 Cookbook contains twenty common mealtime dilemmas moms tend to encounter with five solutions for each one. The dilemmas include everyday meals like Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks as well as some of the less common occurrences like Potlucks and Bake Sales. But the book doesn’t just provide a few recipes and leave it at that. Most of the recipes also feature a handy “Fork in the Road” option that lets a meal be customized in different ways to suit different members of the family. I decided to try The Basic Quesadilla (and Its Infinite Variations) recipe in the Vegetarian Mains section because it seemed to really exemplify the quick, easy and versatile theme of the cookbook. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lunch and Snacks, Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: cookbook, dinner, katie workman, mexican, mom 100, quesadilla, snack, tortilla, vegetarian

Cooking with Hidden Valley Ranch-Kat’s Asiago Spicy Ranch Chicken with Mango Avocado Salsa

June 29, 2012 by Kathryn

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There’s no dressing I love more than Hidden Valley Ranch and now there’s even more creamy ranch goodness to love with the introduction of two brand new varieties of Ranch! To celebrate the introduction of new Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch and Hidden Valley Cheesy Ranch, Hidden Valley is hosting an incredible recipe contest with a grand prize of a KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of fifteen food-loving and recipe bloggers to create my very own recipe using Hidden Valley Ranch for the contest. The recipes will be judged by celebrity chef Ned Bell and the top recipe will even be showcased by Ned at the 2012 Calgary Stampede!

I received a recipe creation kit containing Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and a grocery gift card to help me invent my recipe. I decided to create a main dish that combined the heat of the new Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Dressing with the tropical flavours of summertime. Without further ado, here is my recipe! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: asiago, avocado, chicken, dinner, hidden valley, mango, ranch, recipes, salsa

Cooking up the Saputo Mozzarellissima Mushroom Burger-Win a $50,000 Backyard Makeover in the Saputo a la carte Summer Contest

June 6, 2012 by Kathryn

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Summer is here and when you fire up the barbeque this weekend, Saputo want to help you liven things up with a fantastic gourmet barbeque menu featuring delicious Saputo cheeses. And just for picking your favourite recipes, the company is giving Canadians the chance to win a backyard makeover worth $50,000 in the Saputo a la carte Summer Contest! So how do you get started?

saputo mozzarellissima By creating the perfect barbeque menu, of course! Just visit the contest page and choose the appetizer, main course and dessert that you think would make the most appealing backyard meal. The recipes for each dish are available on the site so you can even try one out and see how tasty it is! After completing your menu, enter your information to be entered in the draw. If your name is drawn AND your a la carte menu matches the mystery menu, you’ll win $50,000 to create your dream backyard! If your menu doesn’t match, you’ll still win a $2000 Weber BBQ and one year of Saputo cheese! And ten lucky secondary winners will win one year of Saputo cheese too!

I received a gorgeous gift basket containing some fancy barbeque supplies and coupons for Saputo Mozzarellissima cheese so that I could test out one of the scrumptious recipes for myself. When I saw the Mozzarellissima Mushroom Burger recipe on the contest site, I knew that was the one I would be creating.

mozzarellissima mushroom burgers cooking [Read more...]

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: a la carte, backyard makeover, mozzarellissima, saputo, saputo makeover, summer contest

Celebrate Summer with Mouth-Watering Dr. Pepper Ribs

May 1, 2012 by Kathryn

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Ready for the tastiest, most tender, most finger-licking ribs you’ve ever tasted? You’d better be, because this recipe gives new meaning to the term “sinful.” But despite the devilishly delicious taste, these ribs are actually pretty low on fat and calories. If you try one new recipe this barbeque season, this should be it!

Barbequed Dr. Pepper Ribs

Ingredients:

2 racks baby back ribs

1 2L bottle of Dr Pepper

1/4 cup salt

1Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil

1 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

Cut the ribs into sections containing two or three ribs each. Place the ribs in a baking dish or Ziploc freezer bag. Pour in Dr Pepper to cover them, reserving at least 1 cup for the sauce. Add the salt and soak the ribs in the fridge overnight (or at least 2 hours).

Heat the oven to 350°F. Drain and dry the ribs and then rub them with the chili powder. Place them in a single layer in a large baking dish, add a cup of water and cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours, until the meat nearly falls off the bone.

For the barbecue sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until they’re soft and fragrant, then add the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, cayenne and one cup of Dr Pepper. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Preheat the barbeque and brush the ribs with sauce. When the grill is hot, cook the ribs bone-side down on a cooler part for 10 to 15 minutes. Flip them and cook until lightly charred. Remove, brush on more sauce and serve.

Serves 4

Adapted from Men’s Health Dr. Pepper Ribs

The ribs after marinating and being rubbed with chili powder, ready to go into the oven!

The original recipe made only half as much sauce but it is just too good to make in such small quantities. I generally use about ¾ of the doubled recipe for my ribs and then save the rest for dipping or for another meal the next day.

Because I’m a mom and I’m busy, I streamline the process as much as possible. First, I marinate the ribs in two Ziploc freezer bags rather than dirtying up a baking dish. And instead of brushing each section of ribs with sauce, I just put them in a large pot once they’ve finished baking in the oven, pour half the sauce over them and shake the pot gently with the lid on to coat the ribs in sauce.

The finished ribs! No wonder there's always a disagreement about who gets the last one!

The end result is absolutely fabulous; tender, meaty, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. My sister is the one that first turned me on to this recipe and so far everyone I’ve met that has tried it has loved it. Check it out for yourself and welcome summer with the tastiest ribs imaginable!

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: baby back ribs, back ribs, dinner, dr. pepper, dr. pepper ribs, meat, pork, ribs

Healthy and Simple Appetizers and Entrees with Wholly Guacamole and Salsa-Giveaway

April 30, 2012 by Kathryn

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Last year I was introduced to the fabulous Wholly Guacamole and Wholly Salsa products from Fresherized Foods and from my very first bite of Classic Wholly Guacamole on a multigrain tortilla chip I knew I was in love. I am a snacker, but these scrumptious dips and spreads prove that snacking doesn’t have to be unhealthy! With no additives, preservatives, gluten or trans fats, they’re a better way to munch out when a snack craving hits.

wholly salsa mild When I had the chance to feature Wholly products on my site once more, I wanted to do something a little different. So I decided to come up with a couple of easy recipes to show how Wholly Guacamole and Wholly Salsa can be used for more than just dip for chips! I received a cute lunch bag full of Wholly merchandise and product coupons, so I headed to Safeway, picked up a few of my favourite Wholly products and headed home to start cooking!

My first recipe used the Wholly Guacamole Classic flavour. I love cooking but because I don’t have much free time my focus is always on recipes that are quick and easy. So I combined a few simple ingredients into a scrumptious appetizer that could be whipped up in minutes.

Tomato Guacamole Canapes

Ingredients:

one box plain baguette chips

one tomato, sliced and cut into quarters

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced

one package Classic Wholly Guacamole

Preparation:

Arrange baguette chips in single layer on baking sheet.

Place one slice of tomato and one slice of mozzarella on each baguette chip. Place under broiler in oven or toaster oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Top each baguette chip with a dollop of classic Wholly Guacamole and serve.

Assembly was the most lengthy part of this recipe and it really only took a few minutes before I was sliding the baguette chips under the broiler. Once the cheese was nice and bubbly, a dollop of guacamole on the top of the cheese finished off each appetizer!

tomato guacamole canapes

For the salsa, I decided to take a different route and make a main dish. Creating quick and healthy meals for my family is something I really struggle with on a busy day so I wanted to create an entrée with minimal preparation and cooking time.

Salsa Cheddar Cod Fillets

Ingredients:

6 codfish fillets

one container Wholly Salsa, Medium flavour

6 oz. old cheddar cheese, grated

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place fish fillets on baking sheet.

Cover fillets with salsa and top with grated old cheddar cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and fish is cooked. Serve with rice.

I debated a bit about what type of cheese to use for this recipe, but I eventually decided on old cheddar since it’s a cheese that’s featured in some other popular Mexican dishes and so I thought it would blend nicely with the salsa. I’ll bet that Parmesan or feta would work equally well though!

cheddar salsa cod fillets

I had a blast making my own easy and healthy recipes with Wholly Guacamole and Wholly Salsa and if you want to get inventive with Wholly too, you’re in luck because Fresherized Foods is offering one lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader a Wholly Prize Pack just like the one I received containing free product coupons, a fun insulated picnic lunch kit and other fun Wholly merchandise! To enter, just leave a comment telling me about your most creative way of using salsa or guacamole.

Eating salsa and guacamole with tortilla chips is always going to be my favourite use of Wholly products, but when I want to get creative with my cooking, the fresh and natural flavours of the dips are great for that too! So pick up your favourite variety and get creative! You’ll love how Wholly products can add some extra zing to your meals!