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Marie Breton

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Italy

Polenta (Fries, Grilled & Traditional)

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Polenta (Fries, Grilled & Traditional)

Three different ways to make Polenta (Fries, Grilled & Traditional). First, the traditional one is served with spicy & smoky pulled pork, grilled as a side dish to anything from the BBQ or the gluten-free crispy baked fries. Polenta is a fun gluten-free ingredient to play with! Here are three different ways to make Polenta (Fries, Grilled & Traditional), with three different textures going from smooth to crunchy. I always make too much polenta, so I spread the leftovers in a rectangular Pyrex, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge. The next day you can use the compacted or “cake-like” polenta and make a different meal with it by grilling it “steak style” on the BBQ or baking or air frying the sticks until the perfect crunchy polenta fries. Types of Polenta The perfect polenta is smooth and shiny, similar to the texture of a fluffy…

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Appetizers

Vietnamese Papaya Salad

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Vietnamese Papaya Salad

A wannabe Vietnamese Papaya Salad with papaya, cucumber, carrots, scallions, peanuts and crunchy lettuce served with a Vietnamese dressing made of lime, fish sauce and maple syrup. A famous salad in South-East Asia, all slightly different but made with the yummy green papaya! This version of Vietnamese Papaya Salad isn’t made with the green type of papaya, which is challenging to get your hands on in the Western world. So let’s call this salad a ‘Westernized papaya Salad’. I’ve used mature papaya; the inside was still orange even if its skin was half green. I’ve added a few crunchy lettuce pieces to bring the green papaya’s crunchiness to the salad! Green vs. Orange Payaya Is it the same fruit? Yes! It is picked up way ahead of its maturity; the flesh of the green papaya is light green, it tastes milder, and its texture is way firmer than mature papaya.…

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Main Meals

Avocado Chickpea Sandwich

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Avocado chickpea sandwich

This fresh avocado chickpea sandwich is a baked falafel that trades cilantro for mint—served with mini pita bread, low-fat yogurt and some extras toppings like avocado, tomato, lettuce, etc. A simple, fun, healthy way to eat vegetarian! This is the way to make your falafels for the fresh cilantro haters out there. I love making this avocado chickpea sandwich! So aromatic, healthy and yummy because everyone gets to choose their toppings. I love a good crispy chickpea cake, but the frying factor turns me off. If you want a healthier version, try these oven-backed chickpea fritters. Also, served this way, it’s more pleasant to combine with lovely textures like; smooth yogurt, crunchy lettuce and juicy tomatoes. The Right Texture I like to make the patties slightly chunkier, not too smooth, with bits of chickpeas showing through here and there. The size is up to you; you can do smaller sizes…

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Fish & Sea Food

Flamed Scallops Pasta

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Flamed scallops pasta

Flamed Scallops Pasta are flamed in Grand-Marnier and then served on a bed of quinoa fusilli filled with slightly cooked bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, lime zest and fresh basil for a delightful summer night meal! Flamed Scallops Pasta is an excellent, simple dish made in no time. The sauce is mainly a little butter in which the scallops are seared before flaming and caramelizing with orange-flavoured cognac/brandy (Grand Marnier). Served on a simple quinoa pasta with juicy tomatoes, basil, pepper and lime zest. Where I come from, the east part of Canada, scallops are pretty standard on our plates. Although, since I’ve been living in Spain, it got pretty difficult to find any and when I finally did, they cost so much… So I go to the freezer shop… yes, only frozen stuff of all kinds, and I get my Patagonian mini scallops occasionally. Strange… that in Spain, a seafood lover country, it’s hard…

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Drinks

Hibiscus Sangria

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hibiscus sangria

Summer is almost here… it’s time for outdoor fun, for a refreshing Hibiscus Sangria with mango, mandarin, lime and Cava (sparkling wine) to make it fizzy! I saw a recipe not long ago of “Agua de Jamaica,” a simple juice made by infusing hibiscus leaves and sugar, then cooling it and voila! The picture looked so yummy, and I thought, those flowers are so pretty… they must taste good too. Well, I found some hibiscus leaves in the market and tried them as a simple tea… without any sugar… wasn’t tasting as they looked…  I was shocked by how unpleasant that infusion was… then I had little Stevia (0 calorie sugar) and cooled it overnight. Wow! The difference it makes with a bit of sugar sometimes… It went from 0 to 1000! Same goes for this Hibiscus Sangria! Health Benefits of Hibiscus Hibiscus leaves have many health benefits; they help control your blood…

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Appetizers

Fig, Honey and Goat Cheese Popsicles

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figs and goat cheese popsicle

A 2 Ways recipe of Fig, Honey and Goat Cheese Popsicles for a dynamic sweet and salty bite this summer! These ice pops only use five ingredients and are a great snack for mature palates, a fun way to go back in time but in style! Looking for a different way to cool down this summer? Try those exquisitely smooth fresh Fig, Honey and Goat Cheese Popsicles. So easy to make and different. I love to mix salty and sweet, and popsicles seem to always be on the sweet side, so why not make it a touch more interesting with goat cheese? The result is simply heavenly, creamy and a touch of crunch if you add some almonds. I’ve done it two ways: one is in a normal popsicle mould, and the other is simply a fresh fig rolled into the same Greek yogurt and goat cheese mixture topped with…

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Fish & Sea Food

Salmon on Quinoa and Bean Salad

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Salmon on quinoa and bean salad

Quinoa and Bean Salad is a full-filling side dish for any fish or poultry! Its lovely ruby colour comes from balsamic vinegar and beet juice with a nice crunchy red quinoa, red pepper, arugula and aromatics. Quinoa and bean salad is a great summer side dish. It could also be used the next day with some extra crumbled feta on top for lunch or a picnic. This white bean salad is adaptable and great tasting, whether cold or lukewarm. Ensure the arugula and feta lay on top of the salad, if you bring it around, not to deteriorate them. Reinventing the Bean My husband showed me this type of bean salad… See… I have a thing with beans and lentils… the texture bothers me, and this way, when not cooked and soaking in a broth of some kind, I love them! It’s a whole other ingredient when served this way!…

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Breakfast

Avocado Toast with Poached Egg

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Avocado Toast with Poached Egg

Avocado Toast with Poached Egg contains a sparkle of spicy paprika and crumbled feta on a slice of toasted bread, tomato slice and smooth avocado for a fun upgrade to your brunch/breakfast table. If you are searching for a fresh, light bite on your next brunch or lunch, this Avocado Toast with Poached Egg is the way to go. It’s a made under 15 minutes dish, plus it’s effortless to nail a poached egg. All you need is boiling water and a drop of vinegar, and voila! Nothing more satisfying than cutting into this leaky yolk. The Spices The spicy paprika adds an extra dimension to the eggs; like deviled eggs, it jazzes up! Also, freshly cracked black pepper is the best friend of any egg. An egg without black pepper is like a plant without water; it won’t bloom. European vs American Eggs In North America, eggs are cleaned…

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Fish & Sea Food

Seafood Marinera Pasta al Cava

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SEAFOOD MARINERA PASTA

Seafood Marinera Pasta al Cava is a delicious way to welcome summer with mussels cooked in a splash of sparkling white wine, garlic, tomato, thyme and parsley. Marinera Mussels (Mejillones Marinera) is a popular dish in Spain combined with Pasta which equals Seafood Marinera Pasta al Cava! Not to mistake with the Italian Marinara sauce, a tomato sauce. This dish is the Spanish cousin of Spaghetti allo Scoglio from Italy. However, the main difference is the Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine and paprika. This touch makes the dish even more dreamy and festive! The natural sea broth from the mussels flowing down the cava-tomato sauce is disturbingly addictive. Marinera with or without Paprika? In Spain, there is a fight about: “Should Marinera sauce contains tomato or not?” Half does it with paprika and wine, the other half with tomato and wine. Both ways are acceptable, and I personally don’t want to interfere, so…

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Fish & Sea Food

Shrimp Pasta Salad Ceviche Style

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shrimp pasta salad

Shrimp Pasta Salad is made the ‘Ceviche Style’ meaning at the base it’s a lemon marinated shrimp, pepper, onion and a tad of hot pepper served on quinoa pasta and fresh cilantro. No need to cook anything; the perfect summer meal! Living in Peru for a few months, one must learn how to make a good ceviche! It’s such an easy and light meal, perfect for summer. I had to make it Peruvian by adding the Quinoa element. So I found a nice quinoa fusilli and mixed it with the shrimp ceviche. I came up with the idea of Shrimp Pasta Salad Ceviche-Style, for a friend’s 40th birthday. She loves Peru so much and had a surprise party, where everyone had to bring a meal… So… I’ve created this dish to honour her love for Peru. Different Types of Ceviches In Peru, the proud land of ceviches, the Moche civilization (the guys before the…

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