Love Hummus !

Love homemade hummus !!   I made two for a neighbor's pool party  .. on the left is a spicy chili, roasted garlic and basil .. on the right , a roasted red onion , thyme and fresh garlic :))  MmmmMmmm just add some 9 grain crackers and your set ! Total cost for both $5 ( 20 people snacks worth ) The garlic & herbs were from my own garden too , making it extra special :)

#Simplegoodfood #GoodfoodCheap #RichsgoodFood ..
Here is one of my original recipes for hummus    :

http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.ca/2010/11/roasted-red-pepper-garlic-hummus.html
     

Bacon n Eggs Skillet Pizza

Happy New Year !!  Thank you all for a wonderful 2013  I appreciated all the comments , chats , likes and critiques ...    

After a late night, and more than a few ales :) I needed something hearty to start the day off , and one of my newest creations .. Mashed Potato Pizza came to mind , with a breakfast twist . 

Ingredients :

Mashed Potato
2 strips of bacon - rough chopped 
2 Cremini Mushrooms - Sliced1 Tablespoon Pepper Jelly 
Aged Cheddar - Grated
1/4 Red Pepper - Diced
1/2 Red Onion - Sliced
4 Grape Tomatoes
2 Eggs

Preheat your oven to 350F
Using a fork , create a 1" thick base of mashed potato in your skillet , lightly pressed
Drizzle the pepper jelly on top if your in the mood for a bit of sweet heat .
Arrange Bacon , Mushrooms , Onion and Red Pepper


Side note : This recipe is Gluten Free

 

Pop into the oven for about 20 minutes, the bacon should just starting to get crispy

 

Remove from oven , Sprinkle on the Cheddar
Crack your eggs on top
and return to the oven for 12 minutes

 

Remember...  cast iron gets HOT!!

 

Its that easy ...  after 12 minutes the eggs should be nice and runny
 Grab a tray or a trivet , and dig in , right from the skillet :)

Wishing you all a peaceful and prosperous 2014 !!
Rich

Turkey Meatball Pan Pizza

It is that time of the year when I have to start using up what's in the freezer , partially to save money , and b/c it is a good thing to do :)  Makes room for new deals , and creations.    Found some ground turkey ... and my first thought was meatballs ...  second thought was I wanted pizza ...  So ...  Hahahaha

Turkey Meatball Pan Pizza 


Ingredients : Makes (1) 12 x17 Pan Pizza

Crust - 2 cups of flour - 6 Tbsp EVOO - 1 1/3 Cup Hot Water- 4.5 Tsp Pizza Yeast - 1.5 Tsp Sea Salt - 1 Tsp Dehydrated Garlic & Basil - 1 Tbsp Sugar  ( In large bowl , mix dry ingredients well, add the wet and using two wooden spoons , mix and knead for about 6 minutes , spread out using your fingers into an oiled baking tray )

Pizza
- 3 Tbsp Sauce , I used my Spicy Smoky Sweet Ketchup ( SSS )
- Two Cups of grated cheese ( I blended mozzarella and 5yr old cheddar )
- 1 each small Red, Orange & Jalapeno pepper , sliced thin
- Good handful of cremini mushrooms , sliced 
- 2 slices good quality bacon , chopped - 1 red onion , sliced thinly -  9  Small Turkey Meatballs 


Meatballs ( Makes about 16 ) 
1 lb ground turkey -1 large egg -1 handful breadcrumbs - 4 cremini mushrooms , small diced 
1/2 onion , small diced -1/2 jalapeno - 2 cloves of garlic, minced - chili powder, s&p. l&p rosemary to taste
Mix well , form into smaller than golf ball sized balls ...  quickly fry in a pan until crispy on all edges at medium high heat, remove and drain . 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace, Love and Good Food :)
Rich

Prosciutto Mushroom & Jalapeno Pan Pizza

Just love making pizza at home, even the worst one is usually twice as good as take out :)
Finally , after being stuck on pita pizzas for about 2 years , so easy , so quick, and the price was right at 6 loaves for $1 ...   However my real passion is for from scratch pizza , there is something rewarding about making everything yourself.

So I bought myself some pizza yeast , and dove back into it .

Ingredients : Makes (1) 12 x17 Pan Pizza

Crust - 2 cups of flour - 6 Tbsp EVOO - 1 1/3 Cup Hot Water- 4.5 Tsp Pizza Yeast - 1.5 Tsp Sea Salt - 1 Tsp Dehydrated Garlic & Basil - 1 Tbsp Sugar  ( In large bowl , mix dry ingredients well, add the wet and using two wooden spoons , mix and knead for about 6 minutes , spread out using your fingers into an oiled baking tray )
Pizza - 3 Tbsp Sauce , I used my Spicy Smoky Sweet Ketchup ( SSS )
- Two Cups of grated cheese ( I blended mozzarella and 5yr old cheddar )
One Red Onion , Slivered
6 Cremini Mushrooms , Sliced
1 Jalapeno, Sliced
10 Slices of Prosciutto Salami, cut into thirds



 

After pressing the dough into the pan , cover lightly with whatever sauce your using .
Preheat Oven to 415F

Sprinkle 1/3 the cheese
Start adding the toppings , keeping in mind the proscuitto needs to be on top to get crispy .

 

Once the toppings are on , its time for the rest of the cheese :)



Straight into the preheated oven for about 12 minutes , reduce the temperature to 350 and continue baking for 8 more minutes .  ( I should note , this is for a slightly well done pizza ) You can skip the last step and just bake for 15 minutes if you prefer a normal doneness ( Is that a word ??? Hahaha ) 

 

That is it , remove from the oven , and grab a plastic or wooden spoon to avoid scratching your pan .

 

You can stop admiring your handy work now , and slice and serve !

 

MmmmMmmm Good !

 

That's it ... this should feed 4 people for dinner , and is ready in just under 30 minutes :)
Topping options are endless , This was a particularly good combination for just 5 toppings .

Peace, Love and Good Food :)
Rich

Mashed Potato Skillet Pizza

The Original Dish :)

Mexican Sausages from the butcher , Local Yukon Spuds & Cremini Mushrooms , Onion & Garlic from my garden , and some flash frozen peas ...  Oh can't forget the butter either !  Hahaha

I don't know about you , but i LOVE Bangers n Mash  :) Its more of a cool weather meal for me , as all that boiling water really heats up the kitchen .  So , earlier this week I made myself some ( See above )

I must say, it was delicious ! Such Simple, Good Food :)  As always tho , I made way more than I could eat in one sitting ...  Then I had a thought. On how to recreate the leftovers into something different , and tasty !





Ingredients :
1 Sausage ( Preferably from a butcher )
 2 Cups Garlic mashed Potatoes ( Or whatever is your fancy )
2 Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
1/2 Red Onion , Sliced
1/2 Jalapeno , Sliced
1/2 cup Mozzarella , small cubes
2 thin slices 5 yr old cheddar , diced

You will need an oven safe pan for this , I choose my 8" cast iron skillet ...

Preheat oven to 350F , pan can be preheated too if you like. 
Drizzle the pan with a bit of EVOO
Use a fork to smush the mashed potato in the pan
Start adding the toppings, Sausage, Onion, Jalapeno , Mushrooms ...

Into the oven for 20 minutes

Side note : This recipe qualifies for Gluten Free

 

Sprinkle the cheeses over the top , return to the oven for 20 minutes



Its didnt have quite enough colour for me , so I cranked it up to 400F and popped it back  in for a few more minutes ...  

 

And this was what I was rewarded with ...  Creamy Garlicky Goodness , topped with all my favourite flavours :) Yummy !!

 

No need for plates , just grab a tray ( as the pan is HOT! ) and a fork , and enjoy !


This recipe is part of my Creative Leftover series , any feedback would be greatly appreciated .

Peace , Love and Good Food !
Rich

7 Pepper Birthday Chili

Whats your favourite Birthday meal ??   Mine is a nice juicy steak, with a jacket potato ... but this year for the first time in ages , birthday dinner with Mum ( We share the same Bday ) was a few days early ...  leaving me with a big question ... What to have on my Birthday !!   It didnt take long to realize Id been craving chili all month .. so Chili it was !!    Simple, Good Food !

Basic Ingredients ( I dont cook with a recipe , or even write anything down hahaha )

2 lbs of Ground Beef from local butcher
2 large mexican sausages from local butcher
1 lb of braising steak , Crossrib - Flour for dusting
4 tins of Beans ( Unico , 3 Red Kidney , 1 Romano ) - I prefer dried , but am using up old stock
2 large sweet red peppers
2 large chili peppers
2 cayenne chili peppers
6 long green chili peppers
3 small dried red chili peppers ( Very hot ! )
8 medium onions
1 head of garlic
1/2 tin of chipolte peppers
2 green bell peppers
1 pint of dark ale
1 pint roasted tomato sauce ( Homemade )
1 quart of stewed tomatoes ( homemade )

Chili Powder, L&P, Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Start by sauteing the onions ...  transfer to slow cooker when done 

Next step, the beef , best to add flavour here , chili powder, S&P, L&P, and half the can of beer 

 In the meantime,  I rinsed and boiled the tinned beans ... rinsed again and added to the slow cooker

While the beef is browning ... add in the beans, stewed tomatoes , and roasted tomato sauce 

Once the ground beef has finished, add the sausages , and cubed and flour dusted steak ..   just need to brown these , then add to the slow cooker 

Once done with frying ...  use the other half of the beer to deglaze the pan , add to the slow cooker, this is some amazing flavour here !  

Its starting to look like chili :))   Let simmer for 2 hours 

Once the base chili has simmered , its time to add the peppers in for the last 1 to 2 hours of cooking 

All sliced and diced, and ready for the pot!! 

Five hours after slicing the onions ...  CHILI!    Mmmm its time to eat ! 

The leftovers....  usually i portion this out and freeze it up for easy meals later , this time I decided to pressure can it ...   a future post maybe ??

MmmmMmmm  I do hope you enjoy my spicy chili , this one was quite the sweat inducing bowl of goodness !!  I wouldnt change a thing .. but if your not a big fan of spicy, i would cut back considerable of the hot peppers and add more sweet :)

Don;t forget , you can always follow the daily fun over at https://www.facebook.com/RichsGoodFood

Peace, Love and Good Food to everyone !
Rich

Eating Local,even in Winter

While working in the fields of a local organic farm last summer,  I had a lot of time to think ... One of the many bonuses to working outside with your hands :)  During harvest season life was great , fresh local veggies everyday , just picked 10 minutes before heading home :)   But what about winter ?  When I can't just simple pick something fresh, either from the field or from the grocery store.   I decided this year , I was going to challenge myself to continue to eat local thru the worst two months for fresh, local food here.  January and February ...   So i started stocking up ,  between a few farms and my own garden I managed to pack away a few hundred pounds of veggies...  lots to see me thru the two months I promised myself.    Quick numbers are 150 lbs of potatoes , 75lbs of acorn and butternut squash, 100lbs of tomatoes, jarred and frozen as a garden sauce,  50lbs of red peppers mostly all roasted and frozen , along with onion and garlic ( quick flavour adders ) ,100lbs of onions and 50 head of garlic .   I did have ambitions to put away more, but simply ran out of time and freezer space ...  It didnt help that the 20lbs of carrots went bad on me lol ..   Looks like I wont have a huge variety to choose from , but it should be fun , and best of all LOCAL :))  I'm already thinking ahead to next year ...   more frozen soups or puree's for sure , and more root vegetables carrots, parsnips, turnips etc...  More variety in canning , not just tomatoes :)

Four weeks in ,  Im really craving a nice big Caesar salad lol .... but its been fun,  Here are a few of my creations so far :)

Roasted Red Pepper n Garlic Hummus :) 

Roasted Red Pepper n Garlic Hummus, garden tomato sauce, red onions, garlic ,  ground beef , and roasted red peppers...  all local :)) Making  homemade hamburger helper :)   

I'm back, did you miss me ?? :)

I can't believe I have not posted on here since July ....  I had to make a choice between Facebook and the blog , and FB won!  At least for a while,  but the itch to write and share on here is returning .  Life has been very interesting since I last posted...    Back in July , I was working on two local farms .. working hard in the fields, and taking care of 1400 birds at one point .   Life was good, very hard work but good.   Around that time I also started working for a local caterer, catching a few extra shifts , and learning the ropes of catering.  By the time the farms ended , due to the Canadian winter creeping in.. I was offered full time , splitting my time between the kitchen , and office doing the social media and sales calls.  My how my life has changed since I started this blog lol...   Anyways , enough babbling .. I have a post planned for catching up on everything and this isn't it.   I just wanted to get a post up , and remove that writers block from my head .   Here is a few shots from the past week .  Enjoy :))  Many new recipes to follow soon

Mmmm Caramelized onions :))  

Looking South over Lake Ontario on a cold gray day 

Mmmm all local cottage pie :))  

I've been finding all sorts of new subjects to shoot 

My parking spot for hiking :) 

I woke up to this today :)  Blue skies, snow and cedars :)

Today's quick lunch , smoked breakfast sausages with caramelized onions and chips :))  

My new toy!!!   Can not wait to share with all of you .... just need the battery to finish charging hahaha :)) 

Welcome back  everyone,   the future blogs will be incorporating more nature, farms and field shots, along with lots of yummy food porn, and even a couple proper recipes lol .

Enjoy ,  feedback is appreciated !
Rich