These no-bake raw date brownies are the perfect quick and healthy treat for those back-to-school needs. You can make them in all sorts of sizes and they can stay fresh in the freezer. I love prepping them to have on hand for a healthy whole foods sweet snack. There is no refined sugar in these bad boys so they’re still sweet yet full of nutrients you’d be missing in a regular treat.
I’m back with another delicious Ferme Rêveuse veal recipe just in time for holiday celebrations. This recipe was inspired by the 100+ year old cookbook Science in the Kitchen and Art of Eating Well by Pellegrino Artusi. This is a great hearty family dish full of delicious flavours. As the veal braises, it creates a delicious pasta sauce. Use your favourite pasta (I love gluten free La Veneziana pasta) or Ferme Rêveuse spaetzle to soak up the sauce.
1, 3lb Ferme Rêveuse veal blade roast
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 small carrots, peeled and rough chopped
1 stalk celery, rough chopped
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
50 g bacon, cubed, about 2-3 slices
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup flour or all purpose gluten free flour
1 1/2 cup Ferme Rêveuse chicken broth
450 g dried macaroni or 1-2 packs of Ferme Rêveuse spaetzle
parsley, for garnish
parmesan cheese (optional), for serving
roasted vegetables, for serving
Remove roast from the fridge 30 min before cooking. Season on all sides with salt and pepper.
Set an oven proof skillet that has an oven safe lid over medium high heat. Melt in olive oil with butter. Once the butter begins foaming, add the veal blade roast to the pan and sear until golden brown on all sides. Set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
Add in carrots, celery, onion and bacon to the skillet. Saute 5 minutes or until softened and bacon has begun to render. Add in tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds. Sprinkle over flour and toss to coat ingredients. Pour in broth. Bring up to a simmer and snuggle in the veal roast so the vegetables and broth come up the sides. You want the roast submerged slightly in the liquid.
Cover with the lid and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven. Carefully flip the roast. Cover with a lid and bake for another 45 minutes. You could even bake it for another hour if you want it extra tender.
While the roast is cooking, prepare your pasta according to directions about 30 minutes before the roast is done.
Remove the skillet from the oven. Remove the roast from the skillet and put onto a cutting board. Tent with foil for 10 minutes.
To serve, I like to remove the bones from the veal blade roast and slice it. Place the slices onto a serving dish. Using a slotted spoon, put remove the vegetables and bacon from the sauce and place on top of the veal.
Simmer the sauce if it is too thin for your liking until reduced slightly. Pour the pasta into the sauce and stir to reheat and get coated. Serve with the veal, parmesan and roasted vegetables and garnish with parsley.
Hello food & music lovers!
It’s been a minute since I’ve written a block post about an event. Well, here I am to talk about one of my favourite Canadian festivals - period - Beau’s Oktoberfest.
Even though Oktoberfest doesn't actually happen DURING October (no, not even in Germany!), it's a great way to ring in the new season and the harvest. Many of Ottawa's (and the region's) best restaurants get together and show their stuff.
Now you may be wondering why I'm writing about Oktoberfest in December?! To be fair, I've been going through an enormous amount of transitions career, home and personal-wise. I've been on the road with a film crew cooking for the cast and crew.
This year they called it Oktinyfest because they decided to pare the festival down. Also! This was the first year it was actually celebrated in October! All things considered, I thought it was great that they got this organized in light of ever changing restrictions in Ontario. Definitely better than cancelling it altogether.
I checked out their Saturday evening time slot. It was hard to choose which of the 4 slots to go to as they always curate really great Canadian music talent. I checked out Bambies and Grae. Thank goodness though they also featured their resident Polka band.
It was a damp chilly evening so the first thing we did was hit up the delicious food provided by Sticky Cow BBQ and, of course, German pretzels. I had the beef stew as well as the beans. The stew was definitely the star. So hearty, so flavourful and perfect for the weather.
Of course you can’t talk about Oktoberfest without talking BEER. Beau’s was the first brewery I ever visited in person. That was probably around 2007 that I first visited.. wow! They continue to grow and inspire me as a local sustainable food business.
If you’ve read this food blog, you know that I’ve struggled with dietary changes. I’ve been dabbling with drinking beer again this summer and have been feeling ok having some on occasion - YAY!
The beer staff were really patient and grateful to share little tastings of most of the beers that caught my eye. Maybe this was one benefit to having a pared down festival - beer samples! I started with the dark Halcyon Beer and finished with the Raspberry Sour.
Another benefit to the smaller version of Oktoberfest was the fact that I could sign up on time for the beer stein holding contest! During (and before) lockdown, I had been working with a personal trainer. I was hoping I would have superpowers and win but, alas, a woman VERY MUCH taller than me won! Better luck next year.
The live music was fun to enjoy although I would have rather been allowed to dance so that I could vibe (and stay warm) but I have to respect different business’s comfort levels whilst holing the event. It’s been a really really tough time, especially for food and event businesses but there have been several outdoor music events that have more open policies in the region. Let’s hope that the restrictions lift so that these businesses can run without fear of shutting down.
Overall it was awesome to discover new beers, new music and finally get a taste of real life again. Prost!
Well, it’s officially pumpkin season so it’s time to add them to one of my favourite desserts – brownies! They’re so simple to make keto in the Instant Pot. Cakes and brownies come out great in the Instant Pot as it creates even steam and heat all around the pan. It’s great for those hot days when you don’t want the oven on.
