Lemon Coconut Pie

I recently found this awesome enamel pie plate at Value Village for $3 and knew I had to have it.  It's so pretty!  The only problem is that unless it's a pot pie, I never make pies.  The reason being that I suck at making pie crust.  I don't know why, I follow directions and tips, but my pie crusts never turn out.  So I decided to make a crust out of crushed Lady Fingers instead.  Way easier, and it tastes great too!  

I love everything lemony, and this pie is no exception.  I also like that it's different from lemon meringue...because you can't have too many types of lemon pies:)

Lemon Coconut Pie

1 1/4 cups crushed Lady Finger Biscuits

1/4 cup + 3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

zest and juice from one lemon

2 eggs

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix the crushed Lady Fingers with 1/4 cup of sugar, the butter, and the lemon zest.  Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of a pie pan.  Bake for 8 minutes.

Beat the eggs and remaining sugar together until well blended.  Add the flour, lemon juice, baking powder, and salt and mix well.  Pour into the cooked pie crust and then cover with the coconut.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until browned.  Chill in the fridge for a few hours before cutting.  Enjoy!

Cheesy Polenta with Spicy Shrimp

I love polenta, and I'm happy that I finally tried cooking it myself.  I usually just buy the pre-made tubes of it, which work well in some recipes, but for this recipe I wanted something creamier.  It's really easy to make too, and then you can add your own flavourings- such as the smoky paprika and old cheddar cheese in this recipe.  And when topped with fiery shrimp in a lemon sauce...mmm...devine!   

Cheesy Polenta with Spicy Shrimp

1 cup cornmeal

1 tsp salt

4 cups water

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup grated old cheddar

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 tbsp oil

1 pound peeled shrimp 

1 tsp hot pepper flakes

juice from one lemon

In a medium pot whisk the cornmeal and salt with 2 cups of water over medium heat until it begins to thicken (about 5 minutes).  Add another cup of water along with the paprika and cayenne and whisk until it begins to thicken again.  Add the last cup of water and continue to whisk until tender and thickened, about 5-8 minutes.  Stir in the cheese and cilantro.

In a frying pan heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp and pepper flakes and sautte until shrimp are pink, around 5 minutes or less.  Remove from heat and add in the lemon juice.  Scrape up any bits of chili peppers and then top the polenta with the shrimp and lemon sauce.  Enjoy!

Roasted Brussels and Barley

I have been trying to eat more whole grains lately so when I found some pearl barley at a health store I decided to pick it up.  I wasn't really sure what to do with it though, except to put it in soup.  But then I came across this recipe for wheat berries with Brussels sprouts and I figured I could just use barley instead.  It was so hearty and healthy, a great post-Christmas Season meal.  There was a lot of flavour in it, and I really liked the texture of the pearl barley.  I am excited to try it in other recipes.  I think it would be good in a lot of things that call for rice, and perhaps some salads as well.  

I really liked the roasted Brussels sprouts in this recipe too.  I will definitely be cooking them this way in the future.  Seriously, everything tastes better when it's roasted with lemon!

Roasted Brussels and Barley

1 cup Pearl Barley

3 cups Vegetable Broth

1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and quartered

1 Onion, diced

1+1 tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 cup Walnut Pieces

1 Lemon

Salt and Pepper

Cook the barley in the 3 cups of vegetable broth according to package directions. 

Preheat oven to 425F.  Toss the Brussels, onion, and 1 tbsp of oil together and place on a baking sheet.  Roast for about 15 minutes, or until browned, stirring half way through.  Remove from oven and mix in the walnut pieces.

Zest the lemon.  Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to the zest, as well as the remaining oil and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Place the Brussels sprouts and cooked barley in a large bowl and pour the lemon dressing over it.  Toss together and serve.  Enjoy!

Roasted Lemon Chicken

Roasted chicken is so easy to make, and this recipe makes such a tender chicken with a lemony taste throughout.  I know I have said it many times before, but lemon makes everything better!  I always have some sitting on my counter.  A lot of recipes for roasted chicken say to place half a lemon in the cavity, but I really like lemon so I put slices of lemon in between the breast meat and the skin, along with some butter of course!  The breast meat was so juicy and delicious, and so was the rest of this chicken.  For the spice rub on the outside I used salt, pepper, paprika, and a bit of cayenne, but you could use any spices you think would go well.  

You can see the lemon slices under the skin.

Roasted Lemon Chicken

2-3 lb whole chicken

2 lemons

2 tbsp butter

Salt

Pepper

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp cayenne

Preheat oven to 400F.  Rinse the chicken inside and out.  Generously sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper.  Cut one lemon in half and place both halves into the cavity.  Use your fingers to make a pocket in between the skin and the breast meat over both breasts.  This is done by starting at the cavity opening and slowly sliding your finger under the skin so that it doesn't rip.  You want to make pockets big enough for the lemon slices. 

 Insert 1 tbsp of butter into each pocket, massaging it around so that it covers as much area as possible.  Cut the second lemon in half.  From one half take a few slices off and slide them into the pockets, as much as you can fit without tearing the skin.  

Use the rest of the sliced lemon half to squeeze juice over the outside of the chicken.  Rub it around and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the paprika and cayenne over the bird and rub it all in, covering as much of the skin as possible.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan.  Cut the remaining lemon half into small wedges and tuck them under the chicken.  Roast for 50-65 minutes.  When it is cooked the drumsticks will easily twist off.  

Remove from the oven and let it stand for about 10 minutes before cutting into it.  This is so that the juices can re-distribute throughout the bird resulting in a juicier chicken.

Enjoy!

Barbecued Lemon Rosemary Spuds

Barbecue season has officially started!  What an exciting time it is.  There's nothing better than being able to cook outside, especially when there's a cold beer in hand and a hot sun in the sky.  Potatoes are my go-to side dish of the summer.  I hardly ever cook them inside, but when I can just throw some on the barbecue I love to make them!  This is one of the easiest ways to make some barbecued spuds, and they are mighty tasty too!

Barbecued Lemon Rosemary Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds mini potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lemon, cut in wedges

1 tbsp fresh rosemary 

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to evenly coat potatoes.  Take 2 large sheets of tinfoil and make an 'X' with them.  Place the potatoes in the middle of the X, folding first one sheet around them, and then the other.  Fold ends to make sure it is really secure.  Barbecue the potatoes until soft, about 30-45 minutes, turning them over half way to evenly cook them.  (If you are cooking over a high flame, place the foil pouch on the upper rack so the potatoes don't burn.)

Shrimp Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

This is a rich, easy-to-make, elegant dish.  And it is so versatile!  I have made it with many different types of vegetables, the most recent being fiddleheads.  You can make it with or without shrimp also.  It's all up to you.  The important part is the butter and cream.  Yes, it is very rich, and drool-worthy.  I am just going to write the basic recipe here.  If you are making this with vegetables just add them with the garlic at the beginning to cook them a little, and then they will continue cooking in the sauce.  I like combinations of thinly sliced zucchini, carrots, peppers, and asparagus.  If you are making it without any vegetables I would throw in about a tablespoon of fresh herbs to give it some added flavour.  Rosemary would go nicely with the lemon and shrimp, as well as basil.  Don't be afraid to experiment with different tastes!  Sometimes I even add some white wine:)

*oops, no picture:( I was too excited to eat this and forgot about taking one*

Shrimp Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

400 g Pasta (fettuccine or penne work well for this sauce)
3 tablespoons of butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
350g of uncooked shrimp, peeled
1 cup vegetables of your choosing (if desired)
1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Pepper, to taste

Bring salted water to boil, add pasta and cook until al dente.  Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water and set pasta aside.
Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and vegetables, cooking for 2-3 minutes.  Add shrimp, and cook for 1 minute longer.
Lower heat to medium and add lemon juice, cream, and pasta water.  Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.  Let the sauce thicken (about 5 minutes) and then stir in the Parmesan cheese.  Add pasta and parsley, and then serve with more cheese on top along with some freshly ground black pepper.

Lemony Fish Pie

I love finding new ways to cook fish, especially recipes that are easy to re-heat so I can take them in my lunch.  This fish dish was easy to make and really tasty.  I used peas and carrots in it, since I had them on hand, but you can use whatever vegetables you like.  I think this would be a great meal to make for fussy kids who may not like fish, because with all the lemon in it you can't really taste the fish.  And there's mashed potatoes on top, what kid doesn't like mashed potatoes?:)  

When I made this I made it into 4 small pies, to make it easy to bring in my lunch, and because I love individual servings, like these Vegetable Pot Pies.  But if you want one big pie just use a deep-dish pie plate.  

Lemony Fish Pie

(Adapted from Chatelaine Magazine)

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 pound white fish fillets, such as tilapia

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil (I used coconut oil, it left a bit of coconut taste in the dish that went well with the lemon)

2 cups vegetables, cooked 'al dente' (I added a bit more)

3/4 cup whipping cream, divided

1 tbsp dried dill

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

Boil potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes.  Cut fish into bite-sized pieces and toss with flour and salt.  Preheat oil in a large saucepan over med-high.  Add fish and cook for 2 minutes, add 1/2 cup of cream, vegetables, and dill.  Cook until thickened, about 2 more minutes.  Stir in lemon juice and zest.  Transfer to baking dish.

Mash the drained potatoes with 1/4 cup of cream.  Spread over the vegetables and fish.  Broil until golden.  Enjoy!

Triple Lemon Bread

I am a big fan of lemon desserts.  Actually I prefer lemon to (gasp!) chocolate.  Lemon pie is my favourite pie, and that's what I get instead of cake on my birthday...unless my mom makes me a cheesecake, cheesecake will always win The Battle of Desserts.  Mmm, I could really go for some lemon cheesecake with chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries on top.  Why am I thinking of this?  Just torturing myself while I'm stuck at work.  Anyway, back to the lemon bread.  This is a new recipe I tried, from Kraft's "What's Cooking?" Magazine.  It was really delicious, moist, and lemony!  And so easy to make, everything mixes up in one bowl.  It takes about 4 lemons to come up with 1/4 cup of zest, but only 1 to get the juice, so you end up with a few leftover, zested lemons.  I sliced them up and put them in a jug with water and a bit of sugar so I had fresh lemonade to drink.  Yum, yum!

Triple Lemon Bread 

(Makes two loaves)

1 cup boiling water

1 pkg. lemon jelly powder

1 pkg. lemon cake mix

3/4 cup oil (I used vegetable)

1/4 cup lemon zest

4 eggs

Topping:

1 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly butter 2 loaf pans.  Pour boiling water over jelly powder in large bowl, stir until completely dissolved. Add rest of ingredients (except for sugar and juice) stir to moisten, and then beat with mixer until well-blended.  

Pour into pans and bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Pierce loaves with a fork all over, mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together, and then pour over top of loaves.  Cool the bread for 30 minutes before removing from the pans, then place on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Lemonade:

Slice 2 lemons and put in a pitcher.  Juice one lemon and add to pitcher.  Add 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 cup of boiling water.  Stir and add 3 cups cold water.  Refrigerate for a few hours, the longer the better.  Taste before completely filling up a glass, you may want to add more sugar and/or water.

Lemon and Cilantro Cappelletti

When I got home last night I realized I had nothing to take for my lunch today.  I had some leftover Spicy Red Lentil and Havarti Soup to take for my dinner, but no lunch.  So I looked in my fridge for something quick to make and found cilantro (which I love!), chicken broth, preserved lemons (which I made from this recipe), and carrots.  I basically mixed that together with some Cappelletti (Angel Hair Pasta) and that was it.  I was actually expecting to make a soup, but I put in too much Cappelletti and it sucked up all my broth so I ended up with a pasta dish.  It was so refreshing and comforting at the same time.  I think it would make a great cold combatant!

Easy Lemon and Cilantro Cappelletti

900 ml Chicken broth

1/2 pkg of Cappelletti (or less, if you want it to be more soupy)

1 carrot

Handful of Cilantro

1/4 of a preserved lemon

Pour the broth into a pot and set to med-high.  While it comes to a boil peel the carrot and cut into very thin strips.  I thinly slice my carrot lengthwise and then cut each slice into long, skinny strips.  Cut the strips in half.  Wash and dry a handful of cilantro and chop up finely.  Cut the pulp and pith off the lemon rind and discard.  Rinse the rind to get rid of some of the salt and then very finely dice.  When the stock boils add the carrots and pasta.  Once they are cooked add the lemon and cilantro.  Serve and enjoy!