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Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecakes

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Adapted from an Epicurious Recipe by Katherine Sacks
Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecakes

Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecakes

Makes approx. 24 mini muffin pans and 20 mini dessert cups

Mise En Place

  • 5 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 tablespoons finely grated lime zest, divided
  • ⅓ cup fresh lime juice or key lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ cup chilled heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 package of Whip It® stabilizer or 1 Tablespoon of Non-Fat Skim milk powder
Special Equipment

Mini 12-cup muffin pans and/or 20 mini dessert/wine glasses

Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecakes

Melt butter and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave-safe bowl. Place cracker crumbs into a small bowl and drizzle in butter-honey mixture over top graham cracker crumbs stir in until well combined; set aside.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat cream cheese in a large bowl until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add condensed milk and beat until smooth. Add lime juice and lemon juice and beat to combine. Beat in 2 Tbsp. lime zest.

Using a whisk or electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream in another medium bowl to very soft peaks. Sprinkle powdered sugar over cream and Whip It® and continue to whip until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold ½ of the whipped cream into the lime mixture; cover remaining cream and chill.

Line mini muffin pans with paper liners. Pour key lime mixture into a pastry bag or plastic bag with the corner snipped off and pipe batter evenly into tins. Top each with approx. 1 ½ Tbsp. cracker crumb mixture, breaking up crumbs to completely cover, then press down gently to adhere. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until set, at least 3 hours.

Remove pies from molds, turn upside down, and remove paper liners. Spread or pipe reserved cream over pies and sprinkle the tops with evenly with the remaining key lime zest.

Please note that the desserts in this form thaw very quickly.

So for a recent “Nuit Blanche” outdoor dinner party, I made the dessert in the mini plastic wine glasses picture below. I layered the ingredients in the wine glasses and froze. In the glasses, the dessert did not thaw as quickly and was very elegant to pass around at the party. It was a HUGE hit and I would definitely make again.

Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecake in Dessert Cup

Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecake in Dessert Cup

Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecakes

Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecakes

Tip: Do Ahead the Mini Cheesecakes (without topping) can be made 2 weeks ahead; cover and freeze.

Instagram picture from Nuit Blanche of Mini Frozen Key Lime Cheesecakes

Elegant Dessert for Summer Dinner Party

Thanks to my friend and fabulous photographer @lanakanis for always being there with tips and tricks for my pictures.

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Curry Chicken Lasagna with Lentils

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Curry Chicken Lasagna with Lentils

Serves 8-10

Mise En Place

Roasted Vegetable Layer

  • 2 cups Roasted Vegetables, suggested ½ head cauliflower, 2 sweet potatoes and 4 carrots
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Seasoned Brown Lentils Layer

  • 2 cups brown lentils
  • 1 tsp. Cardamom pods
  • 2 Stars Anise
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • Cheesecloth, butchers twine or mesh tea steeper

Chicken Thigh and Curry Spice Blend for Marinade

  • 1 tsp. Tea Masala (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and black pepper)
  • 1 tbsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Black Pepper
  • 2 tbsp. Coriander (ground)
  • 1 tsp. Cumin
  • 2 tbsp. Turmeric
  • 1 tsp. Paprika (smoked mild)
  • 2 tbsp. Parsley Flakes
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1lb. Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Large Ziploc® Resealable bag

Ricotta Cheese Filling Layer

  • ½ tsp. Black Pepper
  • 150 g Boursin® shallot and chives
  • 475g Ricotta
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 tbsp. Fresh chives, finely chopped

Béchamel Sauce 

  • 3 tbsp. Coconut Flour
  • 3 tbsp. Coconut oil
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1-398 ml can coconut milk or 3 cups skim milk
  • 225g Mozzarella cheese, grated

Tomato Sauce 

  • 2 cups or 1 jar San Marzano Strained Tomatoes
  • 2 tsp. Coriander, ground
  • 1 tsp. Cumin
  • 2 tsp. Tea Marsala
  • 1 cup chicken stock or water

 

  • ¾ cup hard cheese, grated Parmigiana Reggiano or Grand Padano
  • 225g Mozzarella Cheese, grated
  • 2-360g pkge Fresh Lasagna Sheets
  • Lasagna pan 9 ½ x 14 x 3 inch

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Curry Spice Mixture
Lentils

Place cardamom pods, and star anise in a bouquet garni along with the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. In a large pot, cook the brown lentils according to package instructions with the bouquet garni. When lentils are cooked, strain. Set aside. Remove cooked garlic cloves to use in the tomato sauce.

Curry Chicken Layer

In a large bowl, add the cubed chicken thighs, curry spice blend and vegetable oil. Wearing latex gloves mixture together until all the chicken is evenly coated. Place in a Ziploc® resealable bag and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

Chicken Thighs Salt, Pepper, Parsley Flakes, Cumin, Paprika, Tea Marsala, Ground Coriander and TumericIn a large nonstick skillet, place all the contents of the Ziploc® bag on medium heat. Cook the chicken until done approximately 8 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

In the same skillet, place the 2 cloves of garlic from the cooked lentils, and cumin, tea marsala, ground coriander and toast spices for 2 minutes at low to medium heat. Add the jar of strained San Marzano tomatoes and water or chicken stock. Cook sauce on medium high heat for 10 min.

Ricotta Cheese Layer

In a large bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, salt, pepper and Boursin® cheese with the 2 beaten eggs. Add finely chopped parsley.

Roasting Vegetables

Clean 1 head of cauliflower; peel the sweet potatoes and carrots. Place the sweet potatoes, cauliflower and carrots out in an even layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ground black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and just starting to brown.

Bechamel Sauce

While the vegetables are roasting, make the béchamel sauce. In a medium saucepan, cook the coconut oil over medium heat until it is melted, then add the finely chopped shallots until translucent. Add the coconut flour, and whisk to incorporate. Cook the oil and flour mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes, making sure it doesn’t brown. Slowly begin adding the coconut milk, half a cup at a time. The mixture will seize up and thicken quite a bit after the first addition, but don’t worry. Keep whisking and adding slowly until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. This should take about 10 minutes. When the sauce is cooked, add mozzarella

Once all of the components are ready, it’s time to assemble the dish.

Assemble the Curry Chicken Lasagna

Grease a 9 ½ x 14 x 3 inch loaf pan with cooking spray, then spread a quarter of the tomato sauce in the bottom. Next make one layer of lasagna sheets breaking/cutting them as necessary to fit. Spread a quarter of the béchamel sauce on top of the lasagna sheet. Top the sheet evenly with the roasted vegetable mixture, and place lasagna sheets to cover.

Next add another lasagna sheet on top, then quarter of tomato sauce to cover. Add cooked lentils over the tomato sauce. Press the ingredients down into even layers as you are assembling the lasagna. Add another lasagna sheet, and then add the ricotta cheese filling and sprinkle with quarter of the grated mozzarella cheese. Add another lasagna sheet and add the cooked curry chicken thighs and cover with the tomato sauce. Top with the last layer of pasta, the last quarter of tomato sauce and the last of the mozzarella cheese.

Spray aluminum foil sheet with cooking spray. Cover.

To cook, bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is browned and the lasagna is bubbling. Uncover the lasagna, sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until golden. Serve.

Curry Chicken Lasagna

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Moroccan Roasted Vegetable and Pork Tenderloin Stew

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If you are a regular subscriber to the 5 o’clock rush, you will know that my recipes or daily dinners are made up on the fly around the witching hour of 4pm. This Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Stew is no exception. On the Sunday night, I roasted 2 pork tenderloins with 2 different spice blends to be made into a recipe for our upcoming busy week. Not knowing what I would use them for, one tenderloin was coated with a Harissa spice blend that has red chilli flakes, garlic, cumin, caraway, coriander and spearmint. And the other tenderloin was coated with Greek or “souvlaki” style spices.

On the Monday, fall had arrived in southern Ontario and a warm home cooked comfort dinner for the crisp weather outside was in order. This is where the spicy pork tenderloin evolved into a delicious and super easy Moroccan stew.

Roasting all the vegetables in the oven separating before incorporating them into the stew will develop a rich flavourful stew. And covering the sheet pans with aluminum foil will help eliminate the dishes. 😉

For our dinner I served the Moroccan Roasted Vegetable and Pork Tenderloin Stew over organic quinoa and steamed spinach. It was a hit with the famjam even my 13 yr. old son who is extremely picky. I also sent some leftovers to a friend for her workday lunch and it received raves reviews.

Follow my Instagram @the5oclockrush to see my daily dinners photos.

Moroccan Roasted Vegetable and Pork Tenderloin Stew

Moroccan Roasted Vegetable And Pork Tenderloin Stew

Moroccan Roasted Vegetable And Pork Tenderloin Stew

Serves 5-6

Mise En Place

  • 1 pork tenderloin, cleaned
  • PC™Harissa Moroccan Spice Blend
  • Olive oil
Roasted Vegetables
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 carrots, peeled, chopped into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 red pepper, seeded, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cubanelle pepper, seeded, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • Cooking spray or olive oil or coconut oil*
  • Salt and pepper
Roux and Stew base
  • 5 tbsp. flour or coconut flour**
  • 3 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 7 cups of water
  • 2 Knorr® vegetable stock concentrates
  • 1-14oz can PC™Black label peeled yellow tomatoes
  • ¾ cup PC Memories® of Dad’s Grill***
  • 3 tbsp. grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. turmeric
  • ½ tsp. paprika
Roasting Pork Tenderloin

Cover a 3 sheet pans with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray or coconut oil.

Place cleaned pork tenderloin on the first of 3 prepared sheet pans, rub with olive oil and coat generously with PC™Harissa spice blend.

Place in a 400℉ oven for approximately 35-40min until cooked and firm to the touch.

Set aside.

Roasted Vegetables

Place the peeled and cubed sweet potatoes and carrots on the second prepared sheet pan. Uniform cubes will help the vegetables cook at the same time on the same sheet pan. Don’t overcrowd the sheet pan. The purpose is to roast the vegetables; not steam them. On the last of the 3 prepared sheet pans add the cleaned red and cubanelle peppers and apple pieces. Coat vegetables with your oil of choice*. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the garlic cloves on a small piece of aluminum foil with a little coconut oil and fold closed and place in oven.

Place the pans with the vegetables in the oven to roast for approximately 35-40 min; give them one or two stirs throughout. To check doneness you are looking a nice caramelized and crispy outside, and a just-cooked-through inside.The sheet pan with the peppers will roast in less time approximately 15-20 min. than the sweet potato and carrot sheet pan.

Making the Roux and Stew Base

While the vegetables are roasting, make the roux, in a large heavy bottom pot. Melt the coconut oil. Whisk in the flour or coconut flour if using. Cook the roux at medium high until the mixture is a golden to deep brown approximately 10-12 min. Stir the flour and coconut oil continuously. Flavour and colour of the roux will determine the richness of the stew.

Reduce to low heat. Slowly while whisking to prevent lumps add water to the pot. Add in the Knorr® vegetable stock concentrate. Whisk until the concentrate is dissolved. Add in the peeled yellow tomatoes, mustard, and PC Memories of® Dad’s Grill. Smash and chopped the roasted garlic cloves and add to stew pot.

Add turmeric, salt and paprika. Switch to spoon and stir; cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.

Cube the pork tenderloin into bite size pieces. Add to the stew pot.

Add roasted vegetables. Cook the stew for approximately 20 min. on a medium low heat to blend flavours. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

All the components are cook so you are incorporating the components into the stew for flavour. It will get even better the next day.

The longer the stew is cooked the more the vegetables will break down in the sauce.

Moroccan Roasted Vegetable And Pork Tenderloin Stew

Moroccan Roasted Vegetable And Pork Tenderloin Stew

Tips

Removing the pork tenderloin and adding more vegetables could easily transform this stew into a vegetarian version. Roasted cauliflower, mini potatoes and/or butternut squash would all be good additions to bump up the amount of vegetables. Also adding canned beans is a great option.

It would also good with other meats such as chicken thighs.

*Coconut oil adds great flavour

**Coconut flour is a great alternative for those with gluten allergies. I did not make my version with coconut flour, so I cannot determine the cooking time for this alternative at time of post.

***Sometimes when I’m making dinner or recipes, I scourging in the fridge looking to use up leftovers or condiments. A lot of “bottom of the jar” is incorporated into my recipes. That is why the PC Memories of Dad’s Grill and grainy mustard are used in this recipe. I did “measure” the ingredients so the recipe could be recreated in your kitchen. The Dad’s Grill is an apple based BBQ sauce and you could swap in an unsweetened applesauce or BBQ sauce. And a Dijon or yellow mustard could also work but not necessary as 3 tbsp. in a big pot of stew will not be huge factor.

Zucchini "Pasta" with Shrimp, Pancetta, Cherry Tomato served on a Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth

Zucchini ‘Pasta’ with Shrimp, Pancetta, Cherry Tomato served on a Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth

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Since I’m participating in a 6 week Transformation Challenge, my diet has been limited to a certain amount of calories and some of my favourite foods are not allowed to be eaten. 😦

Some nights for dinner I’m making two separate meals. One for Geoff and I and another for the kids.

Last night ‘Dinner Tonight’ was no exception. The kids enjoyed a Spaghettini with their favourite Egg Yolk and Parmesan Cheese sauce. And Geoff and I had a Zucchini ‘Pasta’ with Shrimp, Pancetta in a Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth. The lemony broth high acidity was a great compliment to the fatty taste from the pancetta.

KIDS DINNER

Spaghettini with Spinach and Grape Tomatoes in a Egg Yolk and Parmesan Sauce

Spaghettini with Spinach and Grape Tomatoes with an Egg Yolk and Parmesan Sauce

OUR Dinner

Zucchini "Pasta" with Shrimp, Pancetta, Cherry Tomato served on a Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth

Zucchini ‘Pasta’ with Shrimp, Pancetta, Cherry Tomato served on a Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth

The pictures from the “Dinner Tonight” on @the5oclockrush Instagram and Facebook feed received a lot of compliments and requests for the recipe.

So here it is…..

Zucchini ‘Pasta’ with Shrimp, Pancetta, Cherry Tomato served on a Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth

Serves 3-4

 Mise En Place

  • 1 pkge. President’s Choice® Large Raw Zipperback Pacific White Shrimp 31-40, thawed, and peeled, reserve shells
  • 1 pkge. Baby spinach, steamed, squeezed dry and finely chopped (½ cup)*
  • 2-3 fresh zucchini, spiralized
  • 1 pkge. President’s Choice® Italian Diced Pancetta
  • ½ cup leek, chopped
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • 3 tbsp. fresh goat cheese
  • 20 whole grape tomatoes
  • 6 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tbsp. coconut oil
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. Kosher Coarse Sea Salt
  • Water enough to poach shrimp shells
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 5 whole peppercorns
Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth

Place shrimp shells in a shallow pan with bay leaves and peppercorns cover with water until it is approx. 1 inch above the shells. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan. The broth should have a pinkish hue and slightly shrimp flavour. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the liquid into a saucepan. Press out as much liquid as possible. Throw out the used shells.

Shrimp Broth (Fume)

Poaching Shrimp Shells for Broth

Shrimp Broth

Shrimp Broth

Add the lemon juice to shrimp broth and add the goat cheese and whisk until smooth. Keep warm on very low heat. FYI The sauce may curdle from the lemon juice and if overheated.

Zucchini ‘Pasta’ with Spinach, Shrimp, Pancetta and Grape Tomatoes

In a large non-stick frying pan with a lid, place the fresh baby spinach. Cover. Turn the heat on high and steamed. The spinach will take very little time approx. 3-4 minutes and will reduce by half from the cooking process. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach finely chop and measure, and set aside a ½ cup.

* You can always substitute frozen chopped spinach; thaw, drain, squeeze and measure ½ cup.

In the same large non-stick frying pan, cook the Italian pancetta on medium-high until crispy; then add the chopped celery and leeks. Cook for 3-5 minutes until celery has coloured but still crispy. Add black pepper. Remove the pancetta and celery from the pan; set aside.

Crispy Pancetta with Celery and Leeks

Crispy Pancetta with Celery and Leeks

Toss the shrimp with kosher salt. Using the same pan and the fat from the pancetta, cook the thawed, peeled shrimp on high heat. Toss the shrimp in the pan and keeping the shrimp moving. Only cook until the shrimp is pink. Overcooked shrimp will become a chewy rubbery texture. Remove from pan and set aside with pancetta.

Wipe down the pan with a damp paper towel. Add coconut oil to same pan and cook the spiralized zucchini. Cook on medium high heat; continually tossing for 3-5 minutes. Keep the zucchini crisp not a soggy texture. Add in the cooked finely chopped spinach to incorporate and warm through. Then add whole grape tomatoes to warm. A couple quick tosses in the pan. 😉

Zucchini "Pasta"

Zucchini “Pasta” made with Spiralizer

Serve the zucchini ‘pasta’ in a bowl with the shrimp broth and top with shrimp, pancetta, celery and leek mixture.

**Tip: When using shellfish, such as lobsters and shrimp in other seafood dishes; reserve shells and place in a freezer bag to use at a later date for an intense flavourful broth. Or a fantastic fish soup.

Zucchini 'Pasta' with Shrimp, Pancetta, Cherry Tomato served on a Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth

Zucchini ‘Pasta’ with Shrimp, Pancetta, Cherry Tomato served on a Goat Cheese Lemon Shrimp Broth

What is a Spiralizer?

Spiralizing is turning vegetables and fruits into noodles. The spiralizer allows you to transform a healthy, low-calorie, low-carb vegetable into a giant bowl of pasta! It means that within minutes a great dinner is complete with a sauce and protein that won’t break the diet bank.

I purchased my Spiralizer for approx. $14 at Zehrs. It comes with 3 blades.

Spiralizer

Spiralizer

Blade 1 creates a thin ribbon noodle; also great for making potato chips

Blade 2 creates a thicker spaghetti noodle; great for cucumbers

Blade 3 creates the thinness spaghetti noodle; my favourite for zucchini thus far.

The vegetable/fruit that you choose cannot be hollow, seeded or have a tough core. It should be at least 1.5″ in diameter and at least 2″ long. The vegetable/fruit must have a firm, solid flesh (no squishy, juicy fruits or veggies.)

Zucchini ‘Pasta’ vs. Regular Wheat Spaghetti  The nutritional differences between regular spaghetti and a bowl of zucchini ‘pasta’. Spaghetti comes in at a whopping 221 calories and 43 grams per serving, while zucchini ‘pasta’ weigh in at 41.6 calories and 7.6 carbs.

Spelt Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash

Spelt Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash

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My dinner options for Wednesday were very slim. I had already used the “egg” option on Tuesday night with Mini Goat Cheese, Bacon and Leek Quiches. I was contemplating the grilled cheese cop-out since I need to be out the door and on the ice for 7pm.

This box of Spelt grains in my cupboard was calling to me for sometime. I have never cooked Spelt or even made a Spelt Risotto. I did know that the grains could be cooked in the same method of risotto.

I had all the ingredients for a risotto and decided to tackle it in the short time frame.

I love cooking Risotto. And I think I have pretty much mastered the process. 😉 Risotto is a great change-up from rice or pasta.

I found that the Spelt grains were much more forgiving than Arborio rice. I could actually walk away from the stove which is something you shouldn’t do. And I used a little more stock than when I cook a regular risotto. I tasted the texture of the spelt  a lot through the last part of the cooking process.

If I had planned better I would have used sage instead of the herbs listed in the recipe below; it tasted fantastic with that combination. It was a hit with the family. And an awesome vegetarian option especially since it is high in protein.

I recently hosted a birthday dinner for my friend Emma. The Menu’s theme for the Dinner Party was Spring even though the weather was NOT. I made an awesome Risotto with Roasted Shrimp, Peas and Edamame.

Birthday Dinner Pictures below:

Appetizer: Marinated Salmon Rollup

Appetizer: Marinated Salmon Roll-up

Appetizer: Brie, Figs and Pear

Appetizer: Brie, Figs and Pear

Asparagus Salad

Asparagus Salad

Risotto with Shrimp, Peas, and Edamame

Risotto with Shrimp, Peas, and Edamame

Dessert: Homemade Lemon Sorbet with Maple Syrup Blueberries

Dessert: Homemade Lemon Sorbet with Maple Syrup Blueberries

Always check out my Instagram @the5oclockrush  to see my daily dinners photos.

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