Recipes

Button mushrooms are fine to use in a cream of mushroom soup, and it’s a great way to use them up if they are starting to dry out. Try meatier portobello mushrooms and exotic varieties such as shiitake, oyster and cremini to give it more substance and an intense flavour. To make a vegetarian soup, leave out the ham and use vegetable stock.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. mushrooms (button, shiitake, cremini, oyster, portobello, or a combination)
• 1 Tbsp. Well Seasoned Olive Oil*
• 1 – 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion or 3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup diced ham (optional)
• 3 Tbsp. sherry or brandy (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 3 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock*
• 1/2 cup light sour cream, half and half or whipping cream
• Salt and pepper
• Available from Well Seasoned

Instructions:

1. Clean the mushrooms and slice half of them. Finely chop the other half. Heat the oil and butter in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, and sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms until the moisture evaporates and the mushrooms begin to turn golden.
2. Add the ham and cook for a minute. Add the sherry and cook until it evaporates, then add the flour and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the sour cream or cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 4-6. 

This yummy looking photo of Creamy Mushroom Soup is by stu_spivack, from Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Cardamom is October's SPICE OF THE MONTH! 

There are actually two types of cardamom that are differentiated by the colour of their pods: green and black. You can find these pods at Well Seasoned along with ground cardamom. Intensely aromatic, you can use the whole pods or the ground powder to scent your culinary creations. 

Cardamom Maple Roasted Salmon

Ingredients

• 1 lb. wild salmon filet, de-boned
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper

Thai Lime Leaves is September's SPICE OF THE MONTH! 

Thai Lime Leaves are probably one of the most aromatic of all herbs and a wonderful addition to many Thai and Southeast-Asian soups, curries, and stir-fries. Thai lime leaves can be purchased fresh, frozen or dried or sometimes in a paste.

Chili Lime Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 Thai lime leaves (1 finely chopped, 1 whole)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• ¼ cup very finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 small bird's eye chilli (de-seeded and finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon minced chilli
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce
• ½ teaspoon each minced garlic & grated ginger
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ½ cup water
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar

This vegan recipe will delight EVERYONE! If you haven't yet fallen in love with cashews as a substitute for cheese or cream, you're about to with this great recipe that works on sandwiches, burgers or as a chip/veggie dip!

Cashew Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw Cashews
• 1/2 cup Water
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup oil

Instructions:

1. Blend all the ingredients until liquefied except the oil.
2. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the oil a little at a time (few tablespoons at a time) as you would making regular mayonnaise.

Thai Lime Leaves is September's SPICE OF THE MONTH! 

Thai Lime Leaves are probably one of the most aromatic of all herbs and a wonderful addition to many Thai and Southeast-Asian soups, curries, and stir-fries. Kaffir lime leaves can be purchased fresh, frozen or dried or sometimes in a paste.

Thai Lime Gimlet

Ingredients

• 2 ½ ounces Thai-lime-infused gin, (recipe below)
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice
• ¾ ounce agave syrup
• Thai lime leaves

Kay, our creative director, really enjoys making snackcakes - a flatter, small pancake measured out with a 1/8 cup that is great for breakfast (maple syrup or a spoonful of brown sugar) or as a midday snack with peanut butter. They store well and taste good cold or warm.

Lately, Kay has been laying off the sugar and with #pumpkinspice season just around the corner, they decided to rework one of their favourite gingerbread recipes into another snack cake.

Enjoy this week's #tastytues snack (which you can sweeten up with Maple Syrup or Candied Ginger if you're not avoiding sugar)!

Kay's Spicy Sugar-Free Ginger Snack Cakes