Is there a better comfort food than a pillowy soft, cheesy lasagna? I think not. ChefKev (my husband for any newbies here) has been in the kitchen again and this time he whipped up the most amazing, moth-watering lasagna.
Yum. Yum. BBQ season baby! Here is what Chef Kev has been up to recently – and it’s a gooder.
In our ongoing quest to eat healthy, this low-fat burger solution didn’t disappoint! Packed with just as much flavour as a traditional beef burger – but with fewer calories – this amazeballs turkey burger hit the spot. And the chawesomesauce that Chef Kev made for the bun is ridiculously tasty.
Oh, and as always, I have to state the Chef Kev disclaimer: the ingredient portions are his best guesstimate as he’s one of those chefs that just adds ingredients without measuring and adjusts until it’s to his liking. Please experiment by using these measurements as a guide :).
Hey, I’m just happy I could make him pause MasterChef long enough to give me this much ‘mkay.
Ground Turkey Burgers
ingredients for burger: (makes 4)
1 lb ground turkey
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 – 1 1/2 tbs ancho chile powder
1/2 – 1 1/2 tbs chipotle powder
cilantro -1 handful, finely chopped
cilantro -1 handful, finely chopped
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 lg shallot
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp worcester sauce
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
To make the burgers, mix all the above ingredients together and form patties. A tip is to use vegetable oil on your hands to help the raw meat not stick to them. Once formed, fire up the BBQ and have at ‘er.
Sriracha Mayo spread
Combine low-fat mayonnaise and sriracha hot sauce. The amount of sriracha depends on your love of heat. if this is your first time using it, try a few drops, mix into the mayo, taste and adjust to your liking.
To assemble your burgers, spread your Sriracha Mayo on a bun (we love the heavily multi-grained variety for this burger) add your burger patty and top with the following: tomato, finely sliced red onion, sliced avocado, arugula and shaved cheddar and/or parmigiano reggiano or grana padano cheese. Chef Kev asked me to note here though that when making these again he would probably not use the cheddar. The choice is up to you though!
Enjoy!
This is hands down my favourite pizza in the whole world. Seriously. It is SO g.o.o.d. Really good. And I managed to convince Chef Kev to make it for me on Saturday evening. Yay 🙂
This pizza is right up there with finding twenty dollars in the pocket of a jacket you haven’t worn in over a year (yes!). And right up there with hitting every green light on the way to work (score!) This pizza is even as good as eating more chocolate than the Easter Bunny, yet still loosing two pounds when you step on the scale (SAWEEET!) Like I said, G.O.O.D.
Okay, let’s get to gettin’.
ingredients:
whole garlic bulb
extra virgin olive oil
pizza crust – thin
package of smoked salmon lox
red onion – thinly sliced
capers
goat cheese
fresh dill – chopped
lemon
to make:
Before assembling and making your pizza, you will first need to roast a bulb of garlic. Preheat your oven to 400°, then cut the top of the bulb so that the tips of each clove are exposed. Place your bulb on a sheet of tinfoil and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Wrap the garlic bulb in the tinfoil and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes. You will know it is ready when the cloves turn a rich caramel colour and pop out of their casings easily (to release them squeeze lightly at the base of each clove and they should come right out). Yum!
With your oven preheated at 425°, begin assembling your pizza by first brushing a layer of olive oil on to your crust. Next, cover your crust with the smoked salmon and add your thinly sliced red onion and capers. Top that with chunks of crumbled goat cheese (mmmmmmm…). Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven. Finish with the dill and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Zesty, Yummy, GOLD.
Enjoy!
Okay, so maybe it is better than eating more chocolate than the Easter Bunny, yet still loosing two pounds when you step on the scale. I stand corrected.
This post is part of the monthly link up party Our Growing Edge. This event aims to connect food bloggers and inspire us to try new things. This month is hosted by Sonja at And More Food.
Nope. I’m pulling your pork (shoulder).
Well, actually Chef Kev is…. he made Pulled Pork. What did you think I was talking about?
prep time: 10 minutes assembly
cooking time: 6-8 hours in a crock pot
sauce:
2/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp dijon mustard
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp ancho chile powder
2 tbsp worchester
3-4 peeled and crushed garlic cloves
2 tsp ground coriander seed
3 tbsp golden brown sugar
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce
1 whole chopped white onion
3 lb pork shoulder
coleslaw (store bought or homemade from your favourite recipe)
the how-to:
Mix all the ‘sauce ingredients’ together in your slow cooker.
Prepare your pork shoulder by seasoning with salt and pepper. Add to slow cooker and cook for 6 – 8 hours. Remove your pork from the slow cooker and sauce. Let it stand, covered with aluminum foil, for 5-10 mins.
While the meat is resting, pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a pot. Over med-low heat, skim off any excess fat and reduce to desired thickness.
After it’s nap, shred the well-rested pork with a few forks (hey, that rhymes!). Then, add the meat back into the sauce. Mix well.
Serve on fresh portugese bun. Top with your favourite coleslaw or (optional) shaved onion.
Redonculously good. Enjoy!
Linking to:

I LOVE quesadillas, and this one didn’t disappoint! Thank you Chef Kev. I owe you a foot rub (don’t quote me on this but if you do I will claim my blog was hi-jacked). Okay, so, on with the show…
To make these bad boys (or girls, whatever) here is what you need to know!
cook time 15 mins. prep time 30-35 mins. makes 4 quesadillas
Ingredients:
2 shallots
2 shallots
red wine vinegar
brown sugar
2 medium ‘on the vine’ tomatoes or 12 strawberry tomatoes
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 avocados
1 lime
1-2 tbsp hot sauce
2 avocados
1 lime
1-2 tbsp hot sauce
1 small can black beans
1 small can sweet corn
fresh cilantro
2 chicken breasts
5-6 oz dry chorizo sausage
canola oil
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
small (6-8″) tortillas
cheese – shredded (a blend of your favourite cheeses)
sour cream
salt and pepper
You’ll need to prep these things first (yum):
pickled shallots: mince your shallots and place them in a small bowl. Marinate them in red wine vinegar (just enough to cover the shallots) and brown sugar. Set aside.
tomatoes: Dice your tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Add the white wine vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and set aside.
guacamole: Pit and hollow the avocados into a bowl. Juice one lime into the bowl and add add your hot sauce (Chef Kev uses sriracha). Season with salt and pepper. Use a masher and mash it up (hee hee. ‘mash’ is a funny word). Set aside.
corn ‘n beans: empty your drained cans of corn and beans into a bowl. Chop a handful of fresh cilantro and add. Set aside.
Now we’re cookin’ with gas! (or electric – whatevs)
chicken and sausage: Dice the chicken and chorizo sausage. Add some canola oil to a pan and heat. Once hot, add chicken and sausage to pan. As you are cooking add paprika, ancho chile, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper (to taste). Saute until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat.
chicken and sausage: Dice the chicken and chorizo sausage. Add some canola oil to a pan and heat. Once hot, add chicken and sausage to pan. As you are cooking add paprika, ancho chile, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper (to taste). Saute until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat.
Drain your shallots. Mix them with the corn, beans and cilantro.
Heat a non stick griddle. Place two tortillas on griddle and spoon on chicken chorizo mixture. Spread a handful of cheddar cheese on top. Finish with another tortilla on top of that. Flip quesadilla when bottom tortilla is golden brown. Brown other side.
Now the fun part!
To plate, add your quesadilla and top with guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes. Add your black beans and corn on the side.
To plate, add your quesadilla and top with guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes. Add your black beans and corn on the side.
… and enjoy!
Chef Kev was back in the kitchen last night and I found myself walking aroung quoting lines from Forest Gump. Bubba would have been so proud of the shrimp spectacular that Chef Kev made.
So let’s dive in shall we?
This salad was amazing and had just the right amount of heat. ‘A box of chocolate’ had nothing on this bad boy – although Chace did convince us to give him some for dessert. I guess life really is like a box of chocolates – when you’re a three year-old. Anyway….
Shrimp Noodle Salad
This recipe serves four. Here is what you need:
20-25 prawns – frozen tail-on
tequila lime marinade (Chef Kev used this one)
1/2 orange peppper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 red pepper
1 large shallot
1 jalepeno
1 pack (8 oz/227 g) bean sprouts
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 pack noodles – (Chef Kev used the “Mr. Noodles Chinese Style Fresh Pack Noodles” found in the chilled area of your produce section)
sesame, peanut or olive oil
2 ears of corn (or canned corn if not in season)
fresh ginger
4-5 cloves fresh garlic
2 limes
peanut sauce (Chef Kev used the one from this line)
to assemble:
A few hours ahead of time, remove the tails from prawns and marinate in a bowl of the tequila lime sauce.
In a small bowl, dice all three peppers, mince the shallot and your jalepeno. Set aside.
In a big bowl, add the bean sprouts. Then, chop up a good handful of the fresh cilantro and add it to the bowl.
Cook the noodles as per package directions. Make sure to seperate and cut your noodles as cooking so that they don’t end up as one big clump! Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Drizzle with sesame, peanut or olive oil. Toss to coat. Add to large bowl containing the bean sprouts and cilantro.
Cut corn off the cobs (or open your canned corn).
In a sauté pan, heat up some olive oil on medium heat. Grate in some fresh ginger and press in 4-5 cloves of garlic. Stir around and then add the corn and shrimp from your marinade bowl. Sauté on medium heat, stirring until the shrimp is just cooked. Scrape all into the large bowl.
In the same pan, drizzle in a bit more olive oil. Heat to medium. Add in your bowl of peppers, jalepeno and shallots. Heat for a few minutes just enough to sweat the ingredients (but so they still stay crisp). Remove from heat, add to the large bowl and mix.
Drizzle salad with tequila lime vinaigrette and finish with peanut dressing. Toss.
Squeeze the juice from your two fresh limes into the salad and season with salt and pepper
Continue seasoning to taste.
If desired, finish with dry roasted peanuts on top.
Serve and ENJOY!
Like what the chef is serving? See all of Chef Kev’s creations here.
Hello
I'm Elaine. A graphic designer, mommy, wife and blogger. I have trouble sitting still and am always looking for a project. Follow along as I post about life – in a pretty and creative way of course.