Somethin Like a Sloppy Joe

One day I just had to cook off some ground meat and I didn't have any real recipe in mind. Nor did I have time to do anything labour intensive. So I figured out this... stew? I don't really know what to call it. But it was a pot of delicious.

My husband eats this over rice. It could also be eaten 'sloppy joe' style. I made it so you don't even really need carbs... if I have a preference I would eat this over quinoa. Whatever you prefer. It is not a fussy dish.

You can substitute out herbs and seasonings as you prefer. As long as you keep the core principle the same, you can introduce flavour changes that can pair with carbs and sides. Coming to think of it, the original principles behind this dish comes from my preparation of beef filling for tacos.

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Ingredients 

Ground Meat		2 lbs
Ginger (fresh, grated)		1 tsp
Onion (finely chopped)		1, medium
Cilantro (chopped)		1 bunch
Barley Flour		1/4 cup
Boiled Water		2-3 cups
Kafir Lime Leaves		8 leaves
Garlic (minced)		8 cloves
Canola Oil		2 tbsp
Black Pepper (ground)		1 tsp
Fish Sauce		2 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Wash and chop the cilantro
2. Mince the garlic
3. Grate the ginger
4. Chop the onion
5. Wash and bruise the lime leaves with the back of a knife
6. Heat the oil in a small pot on medium heat
7. Saute the onion, garlic, ginger and lime leaves
8. Stir and add the meat, breaking it up to brown it evenly
9. When the heat starts permeating the meat, add the black pepper and fish sauce
10. Stir occasionally for five minutes
11. Sprinkle the barley flour over the meat and stir until it is completely incorporated. It is important the flour is not lumpy.
12. Add water (to cover), stir, and bring to a simmer. Start with 2 cups and add more water if necessary.
13. Stir until mixture visibly thickens (use the 'line on the back of the spoon test' if needed).
14. Add cilantro, stir, remove from heat and cover for one minute.

This preparation would be perfect over white rice.

Office Hack: Iced Coffee

I have been made fun of today by many people. I had four coffee cups on my desk at work. Mostly because I leave them there from the prior day and rush to leave so they never get thrown out. So today there was leftover coffee in a Timmy's carafe from a meeting. It had gone cold and there was no microwave, so I thought to myself 'what is the best way to make use of this without all this good coffee going to waste?' The answer? Iced coffee.

Now I had no idea how this would turn out, but I had the theory in my head. If I had time, If I was home and tried this, I would have taken the coffee out and swirled it around every 15-20 minutes to maintain some fluidity. Like the same principles when forking through a granita. Here I would have to leave it to freeze. Why not test it out?

I mixed the coffee with milk and Splenda in a coffee cup and popped on a lid. We (I and my workmate) made four cups, his with cream and sugar. I assume that would turn out more slushee (like a icecap) and mine more icy and liquid. When I took them out the following day, this is how they appeared:

Frozen rock solid with a 'mound' in the middle. Wha......?

After a while of melting, this is how they appeared:

Yummy iced coffee with a icy ball of coffee in the middle.

Salmon with Cannellini Beans in Tomato Sauce

When I am trying to shed some unwanted weight (read: post-pregnancy pre-caribana blitz) I can't go wrong with salmon or sardines. The problem is I can't take these to work (it's really really pungent!), but on the flip side, it is the perfect low-fat low-carb dinner that is extremely satisfying. The version below is salmon, but you could substitute in sardines for a completely different texture.

Close up: notice how the cannellini have just barely split.

Now some people have an aversion to fish. Some have a prejudice against canned products. For those who hate both, this dish must bother the hell out of them. But I remind you this is born from humble roots; remove the beans and the cooking process and this is a typical Guyanese family breakfast when accompanied with roti.  A family who couldn't afford much could afford tinned fish, an onion and a pepper. All I did was remove the carbs and add back in some fiber and protein. Growing up, we ate it because it was delicious. One day, my children, I hope both of you will enjoy this as much as I do, but for now, oily fish is not what I want to give you to turn you off seafood. Simple white fish will do for now. But when you are a little older I will serve this to you. and hopefully you will be able to eat it with the pepper.

Ingredients

Salmon		2 tins, drained
Onion		1 large, finely chopped
Garlic		10 cloves, minced
Whole Tomatoes		1 tin, (tomato and juice)
Cannellini Beans		1 tin, drained and rinsed
Thai Chili		1, minced
Canola		1 tbsp
Black Pepper		1 tsp, freshly ground
Sea Salt		1/2 tsp

Preparation:

1. Open all tins
2. Drain excess liquid from salmon
3. Pour cannellini beans into a seive and rinse until water runs clear
4. Finely chop onion, set aside
5. Mince garlic set aside
6. In mid-size pot, heat oil on medium heat.
7. Saute onion and garlic
8. Add the cannellini beans and saute for five minutes, or until beans have softened
9. Add tomatoes, salmon, minced chili and black pepper
10. break up the tomatoes with the back of the spoon
11. Stir mixture together and let it come to a simmer for about five minutes
12. Add salt and stir to incorporate
13. The mixture will thicken slightly. this should take no more than 5 minutes
14. Remove from heat and serve