Organic Lime, Garlic and Thyme Chicken a la Mike- Full recipe COMING SOON!

This four-course organic meal is made for kings and queens who want to eat only the best and is therefore perfect for special occasions like holiday meals. My co-chef and the recipe designer for this culinary sensation was Mike and together we made a roasted chicken stuffed with whole cloves of fresh garlic, organic thyme and lime quarters. This mouth watering organic chicken turns out succulent and delicious thanks to the limes and tastes best accompanied by sweet potatoes and mushrooms that can be cooked along side the chicken while it is baking. We also also made a homemade stuffing made from organic 7-grain bread and the coupe de gras- a wine based gravy sauce made from the juices of this organic cooked chicken at the very end!
I suggest serving this meal with an arugula salad made with my zesty vinaigrette (see 3-cheese margherita pizza recipe), avocado, tomatoes, and finely grated grated cheddar cheese (see photo below). Use all organic ingredients and you will love the incredible freshness and tastefulness they bring!

Gourmet Mac N Cheese

I made these two kinds of gourmet Mac and Cheese with my co-chef Yelena who inspired the Mushroom Mac and Cheese which we served with fresh basil and drizzled with Truffle oil!



The truffle oil really brought out the amazing 3 cheese blend of roquefort blue, gruyere and extra old cheddar and combined perfectly with the delicate and succulent taste of the mushrooms. In the end, it was the mushrooms that made this mac n cheese taste out-of-this-world delicious! If you are a mushroom fan, buy some nice organic mushrooms of your preference to use-the more exotic the better (like portobello, oyster,shiitaki), but we used button mushrooms and it tasted amazing, so the choice is yours. If you choose to make make the Mac and Cheese with mushrooms, add them to the prepared cheese sauce for about two minutes on low heat until just heated through and then mix this final sauce with the drained pasta. After broiling the top of the Mac and cheese til browned and golden, drizzle truffle oil and eat immediately!

Here are all the ingredients you will need:

*about 100 grams EACH of coarsely GRATED extra old cheddar, gruyere and crumbled roquefort blue cheese (feel free to substitute gorgonzola, but you need a strong blue cheese of some kind to get a taste that is delicious and not too plain or strong for this dish to tase good)
*2 and a half cups of milk-organic
*1/3 cup of butter- organic
*1/4 cup flour-organic
*a small finely chopped onion- organic
peppercorns, at least a tablespoon
*350 g of organic macaroni (use about 3/4 of a 500 g package for a 4 servings of macaroni and cheese)
**optional 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms of your choice
**fresh organic basil leaves for garnish and truffle oil

Step:1: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil to cook pasta. Cook pasta for 8 minutes. Do this as you are making the sauce in step 2. Time it wisely, so you can drain right before the milk sauce is done.

NOTE: The pasta should be drained, but still WARM when it is added to the milk and cheese sauce that is already prepared.

Step 2: Saute the finely chopped onion in some olive oil, until cooked, over low to med heat. When done, put aside. At the same, in another saucepan, heat the two tablespoons of butter until melted and add HALF of the 1/4 cup flour and stir so it mixes without lumps,then keep adding flour as much as you can with what's left as long as they combine to a smooth mixture. Then, quickly add milk, cup by cup, while stirring mixture constantly over medium heat. Also, now is the time to add in the cooked onions and peppercorns, and heat over medium heat so it thickens. This should only take a few minutes. Let the sauce boil a little, then take off heat for a minute while you add the cheese. (It should look similar to my second photo (above) before adding the cheese in Step 3.

Step 3: Take the two grated cheeses (gruyere and cheddar), mix them into the warm sauce (If it has cooled down a little, heat it back up on low heat) and combine, so melted. Once they are uniformly combined in the milk sauce, add the crumbled blue cheese and stir so well combined. Adjust heat accordingly, and remember to keep stirring as long as it's on the heat or else it could burn or stick to the pot!

Step 4: Now quickly take the drained, warm macaroni, toss into a large, deep non- stick pasta pot (I put it back in the same pot I used to boil and cook the pasta) and add the cheese sauce. Stir /toss to combine well. A wooden spoon works best. Pour into LIGHTLY OILED oven safe dishes. I used to rectangular glass pyrex dishes. You can use a large lasagna pan too.

Step 5: Lastly, broil on top level of oven for as long as it takes for the mac n cheese to become golden brown and crispy on top. WATCH it as you are BROILING the top of the Mac and Cheese and leave oven ajar (open a little) so you can keep an eye on it while it is browning. It could take 5 minutes but WATCH it constantly. This browning stage is what makes the difference in taste, as the crispier it is on top, without being overdone, the better this mac and cheese will be enjoyed!

Step 6: Remove from under broiler and let cool for 5- 10 minutes. Serve and eat immediately garnish with sprigs of fresh organic basil and drizzled delicately with truffle oil. Enjoy your gourmet mac and cheese! A nice arugula salad with my zesty vinaigrette (see 3-cheese pizza margherita recipe) will also be a nice accompaniment to this comforting dish.

After making this recipe, please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments box below to give me your feedback or any experiences with any substitutions you may have tried, bon appetite!

Janet's 3-Cheese Organic Pizza Margherita

Taking the time to make dough yourself is worth it! I also suggest serving this mouth watering homemade organic pizza with a zesty Bocconcini & Arugula Salad.For a delicious salad dressing I use a mix of the following:

**white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar (1 tbsp),

**organic sunflower oil (1 tsp), good

**organic olive oil (1 tsp) and 1 tsp of dijon (Maille*) mustard plus salt and pepper.

( I use organic Arugula from Jean Talon or Atwater market as the base of the salad and organic or canadian greenhouse tomatoes as well).

All together this incredible, savoury pizza takes just over an hour and a half to prepare and bake before its ready! Once you make this pizza (with a PESTO glazed first layer, 3 cheeses; shredded mozzarella, a fine cheddar and pieces of Bocconcini, sun dried tomatos in olive oil and topped with sliced tomatoes and fresh basil) you'll never want to order in pizza again! I used to cheat and buy the pizza dough frozen to save time, but the extra 45 minutes (TOTAL) it takes to prepare and knead the dough are worth it!! Use organic flour to make the dough and you will flip out at how healthy and tasty this pizza turns out!

Here's the ingredients for the Dough:

1 teaspoon (1/4 ounce) dried yeast *** 1 cup hand-hot water
1 teaspoon organic raw sugar *** 3 cups of organic all purpose flour
4 tablespoons warm water *** 1 tablespoon organic sunflower or olive

Step 1: Place the yeast and the organic sugar in a glass mixing cup. Add the 4 tablespoons of water and mix together. Leave in a warm place for 15 minutes or until frothy. Cover with a towel if you like to keep he warmth in.

Step 2: Mix the organic flour with the dash of salt in a good mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture and the tbsp of oil, then the 1 cup of hand-hot water, using a WOODEN SPOON to form a SMOOTH DOUGH. If necessary use your hands right away if you find it difficult to continue mixing with the spoon. Knead it on a floured surface for 3-5 minutes until smooth.

Step 3: Return the kneaded dough to the bowl, and cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap or a ziplock bag (the enviro ones are great) and leave to RISE for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
(I got mine to triple in size the 1st time I made it because I used a tablespoon of yeast AND I left it by accident to rise over an hour - so you really have to be the judge but when you make the dough yourself, it is so fresh that no matter what it will always turn out!!

Step 4: After waiting at least 30 minutes for dough to double in size, knead it for 2-3 minutes. Surface can be slightly floured to make the kneading easier. If your dough dries out, put a little oil on your hands and pat dough to re-moisten it. Even a little water can help too if it is not pliable enough. Then place on a oiled cookie sheet; either square or a stick- free pizza pan that is round, pushing out edges until even. You can use a rolling pin as well,to roll it out and use your hands too... that is what I do to make sure the pizza gets rolled out easily.The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Step 5: Here is what I do next: I take a pre-made PESTO (you can make your own with some garlic, fresh pesto leaves and organic olive oil in a food processor or buy a pre-made organic one that is not too thick) and using a PASTRY BRUSH I spread the pesto oil evenly, all over the pizza dough. THAT IS THE FIRST LAYER. I do this instead of the TRADITIONAL TOMATO SAUCE.
Next I spread out about 1/2a cup or or more of shredded mozzarella (Atwater Fromagerie has a good one and they can shred it for you) , then the same amount of shredded cheddar cheese (I like the 14 -month old cheddar from Atwater Fromagerie personally) and I take small slivers of sun dried tomatoes in oil that I spread out as well. I cut them with scissors, which i find is the best method since they are slippery. Then I take slices of fresh Canadian GREENHOUSE tomatoes (Savoura is good option), place them around and top those with small pieces of bocconcini and fresh basil (little islands of yumminess!).

Step 6: Bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.

After making this recipe, please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments box below to give me your feedback or any experiences with any substitutions you may have tried, bon appetite!

Crispy Potato and Cheese Latkes- Janet style!

This tasty recipe is a favourite of my sweetheart and we eat these latkes for Brunch on the weekends quite often!! Two potatoes will make four latkes. Here is the ingredient list:

• 2 organic potatoes, skins on (you will boil these in a pot of salted water and cook for 10 minutes then, peel once cool)
• 1 small organic onion, grated
• 1/2 cup grated cheese, either, Gruyere or extra old Cheddar
• 2 tablespoons of parsley
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• organic sunflower oil

Step 1. Grate the boiled and peeled potatoes. Stir in the grated onion, cheese, and parsley and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2. Shape into 4 equal size cakes, or balls (as pictured in above image), then flatten with a spatula and form sides so they are even.

Step 3. Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil on griddle or frying pan. USE SPATULA TO PLACE LATKES on HEATED GRILL. Be CAREFUL so they don't fall apart and cook for 1 minute on high heat, then reduce heat a little and cook for 5 minutes on med-high so they are crispy on one side, then flip over and cook on other side until crispy, about 5 minutes.

I recommend serving these delicious latkes with scrambled eggs and a dollop of yogourt with cilantro on top and sliced tomatoes and avocado on the side. Also pictured below is watermelon juice, made with fresh watermelon from the market, a little cold water and a few ice cubes, blended up. This refreshing drink is the perfect accompaniment to serve with this delightful brunch!

Please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments box below to give me your feedback or any experiences with any substitutions you may have tried, bon appetite!