Artichoke white Bean Maple Syrup spread dip

Marinated artichokes find a perfect relationship with White Navy beans.

A sweet spot was achieved with just the right touch of Quebec Maple syrup.

Still taking advantage of a necessary blanket of white snow for a walk in the woods.

We managed to avoid the early Spring's mucky, muddy trails.

Most years we seem to miss that sweet nature's spot...but not this year.

Mom was the one selected to accompany me in this yearly ritual...after all, she did introduce me to it.

Thanks Mom...my hips have been grateful ever since!

After having stuffed our tummies with Sugar shack delicacies...

I could only think of relinquishing myself with some fibre.

Artichokes, especially the marinated variety...
established themselves quite elegantly with buttery white beans.

Of course, how could I not give this spread the special kick it needed.

Maple syrup indeed!

Artichoke white Bean Maple Syrup 

spread dip

A buttery, smooth taste with a slight tang.

Delicious and satisfying.

makes about 2-1/2 cups / 625g (about 3 small jars)

Printer version

INGREDIENTS:
(American / Metric measures)

. 1 medium (7.5oz./375ml jar) marinated artichokes, lightly strained 
. 2 cups (500ml) cooked White 'Navy' beans
. 1/4 cup (50ml) e.v.Olive oil
. 1/4 cup (40g) roasted almonds
. 2 tsps. (10ml) Dijon mustard
. 2 tsps. (10ml) grain mustard
. 2 tsps. (10ml) Balsamic vinegar
. 1 Tbsp. (15ml) Maple syrup
Seasoning:
. 1/2 tsp. (2.5ml) sea salt
. 1/2 tsp. (2.5ml) granulated garlic powder
. 1/4 tsp. (1.75ml) dried basil
. 1/4 tsp. (1.75ml) dried marjoram
. 1/4 tsp. (1.75ml) dried tarragon

. some olive oil and roasted almonds for garnish









 






PREPARATION:

1. Place ALL ingredients in a food processor.

2. Pulsate a few times before continual whirling at a medium-high speed.  It should be buttery smooth at this point.  

3. Serve with toasted crusty bread or crackers.  Many raw vegetable slices lend themselves perfectly with this dip/spread.

Suggestion:

. If not planning to use it all, spoon the spread into small, glass mason jars and freeze.  Then, when ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours.  Enjoy.

Do not for one moment think I’ve forgotten about dessert.

I’ve just tried my hand at making a Maple syrup pudding cake ‘Pouding chômeur’.

Before sharing my recipe, I would like to try tweaking it one more time...stay tuned ;o)

Have a lovely week everyone,

Foodessa

Comments ... ??? ... or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at:  foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SAVOURY creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.  

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool.  Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc.  Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.

. OVENS are unfortunately not created equal.  Mine is so old that it has reached many degrees off it's norm.  It's really worth investing a few dollars to test yours with an appropriate oven thermometer.  You'd be surprised how many ovens I've heard about not being where they should have been.  Before you lose any more ingredients and much time preparing a new recipe...run to the store...you'll thank me later. 

Here are related recipes that may be of interest:
- medi Sweet Potato Yogu Chickpea Dip Spread
- Turkish inspired Feta Bean Dip Delight

EDAMAME spread on VEGETABLE SHRIMP

Layering flavours with the latest of our season's bounty.

EDAMAME spreads a Summer's farewell with

this elegant SHRIMP VEGGIE melody entrée.

Before finally transitioning into Autumn...

I wanted to pay tribute to what was so
dearly offered to us in the past month.



Longing for my once tended
home vegetable and flower garden...
I think back to how quickly years
passed during cherished momentous times.

Plenty of research...to then carefully nurture
plant seedlings to fully fledged vegetables.

However, what I certainly don't miss...

is the physical labour that went into

a very short gardening season.
I also wasn't particularly fond of getting stuck

with way too much of the same veggie.

Now, I gladly jaunt over to the market and browse
throughout the array of VARIETY and fabulous offerings.

Over the summer we were blessed with a
cornucopia of fresh and colourful vegetables.

 

We highly took pleasure in encouraging our

regional farms as well as having enjoyed

interesting interactivity with these local farmers.

Speaking of farmers, it has come to my attention that we finally grow the
edamame (a.k.a. soybean) right here on a farm found in Southern Manitoba, Canada.

This way, I win both ways.  I can now increasingly support our Canadian growers

as well as ease my mind concerning the farmed origins of a bean I love to consume. 

It's harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the "hardening" time.
The word Edamame means "Beans on Branches"

...and it grows in clusters on bushy branches.

To retain the freshness and its natural flavour, it is parboiled and quick-frozen.
ref.: edamame.com

Therefore, this bean can easily be consumed throughout the year.

The Edamame bean is considered as one of the 'Superfoods' .
It is high in fibre and extremely high in proteins.
It contains significant Vitamins A and C as well as calcium and iron.
It is also a great source of isoflavones which is often
referenced to protect against cancer and osteoporosis.
The 'estrogenic' effects of the edamame bean is believed
to reduce symptoms associated with women’s
body discomforts as they enter the later stages of their lives.

Here's a fabulously tasty and very versatile soybean spread
recipe to accompany a casually elegant entrée:


Vegetable SHRIMP melody
on...EDAMAME yogurt spread
makes 2 big entrées

INGREDIENTS:
(American / Metric measures)



steamed Vegetables:
. 1 yellow zucchini (to make 4 cut-out crowns and 6 thin slices)
. 1 cup (200g) about 20 frozen, pre-cooked small 'Matane' shrimp
. 1 medium eggplant [graffiti (bi-color) variety was used]
. 4 artichoke hearts
. 1 roasted red bell pepper
 

Marinade:
. 2 tbsps. (30ml) olive oil
. 1 tbsp. (15ml) lemon juice
. 1 tsp. (5ml) Dijon mustard
. a pinch each of sea salt and garlic powder
. some grated fresh ginger root (optional)

***

1 recipe for...
Edamame Yogurt Spread *
Get Printer version HERE

. 2 cups (300g) Edamame (de-shelled frozen soybeans)

. 1/2 cup (125ml) plain yogurt (2%+ fat content)

. 1/8 cup (25ml) pickled ginger

. 1 tbsp. (15ml) capers

. 2 tbsp. (30ml) lemon juice

. 1 tbsp. (15ml) rice vinegar

. 1 tbsp. (15ml) Dijon mustard

. 1 tsp. (5ml) sea salt

. 1 tsp. (5ml) 'fleur d'ail' (or small crushed garlic clove)

* The Edamame yogurt spread will yield more than is truly required for this entrée...therefore, you can either refrigerate the rest up to 5 days or freeze it in an airtight glass jar for about 1 month.  This spread is great on bread and crackers...grains...meat and poultry ...or even thinned out as a salad dressing.

PREPARATION:

1. Slice the eggplant into 4 pieces at the largest part of the vegetable.  Salting it and setting it aside for 30 minutes is optional since this variety of eggplant is not bitter.

2. Steam the EDAMAME beans for about 10 minutes or until fork tender.  Have a bowl filled with cold water.  Drain and immediately dunk the cooked beans into the water to maintain its nice green color.  Cool to room temp. and set aside.

3. Continue steaming the rest of the vegetables: first the artichoke hearts...then the zucchini...and lastly the eggplant slices.  Cool everything to room temp.  Note: The peppers could have also been steamed...however, the roasted kind is preferred.

4. Meanwhile...in a medium bowl...whisk together the marinade.  Toss in a few zucchini slices and the 4 cut-out crown garnishes, the artichoke hearts and lastly with the eggplant slices.  Make sure all is well coated.  Take out veggies and use the remaining marinade for the shrimps.

5. At this time...start preparing the blender to receive all that goes into the EDAMAME spread.  Put all ingredients in at once and blitz until a smoothly coarse type texture is achieved.  At this point...have a taste and see if it's to your liking.

Plating assembly:

. Place half the roasted pepper in the center.  Opposite from each other, start decorating with the zucchini slices and crowns...the eggplants as well as the stuffed artichoke hearts with the EDAMAME spread and marinated shrimps.  In other words, use your own creativity to plate this entrée.

 Hopefully, you’ll have a chance to use some of your left over

summer vegetables as well as putting together this lovely entrée.

Buon appetito and flavourful wishes,

Foodessa

Comments or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SAVOURY creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.  

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool.  Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc.  Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.

. OVENS are unfortunately not created equal.  Mine is so old that it has reached many degrees off it's norm.  It's really worth investing a few dollars to test yours with an appropriate oven thermometer.  You'd be surprised how many ovens I've heard about not being where they should have been.  Before you lose any more ingredients and much time preparing a new recipe...run to the store...you'll thank me later. 

Here are other inspired ENTREE based recipes that may be of interest:

. SEAFOOD Splurge with ARTICHOKE Salad

. Turkish inspired Feta Bean Dip Delight

SEAFOOD Splurge with ARTICHOKE Salad

A lunch splurge on...
smoked salmon, lobster and sparkling wine.

How could I not label this as the splurge...

and maybe, not for the reasons you may be imagining.

We had just come off a very long morning of tasks and errands.

Our last stop was the fish specialty store where

we thought of getting some live lobsters.

Usually, we'll cook them just to our liking and even

make a tomato lobster ragout from the shells...

which we incredibly look forward to.

Now, that would be making good use from what

I consider a more than the usual pricey treat.

Instead...we both gave a gawking eye to the lobster tails

which were all cooked...de-shelled and ready to be plated.
Hubby and I had never truly felt the need to
be this lazy about preparing lobster before.

According to the fish monger...

they were cooked just perfectly with a touch of sea salt.

He did make it very difficult to resist such an offering.

Hubby and I gave each other a quick nod of approval and instantly

decided to pay the premium for not having to do the work ourselves.

Ohhh...and did we feel it at the cash register...

the hourly plumber came cheaper by weight.

Now, this is certainly way out of character for me.

Other than not making my own pasta or bread (temporarily for sure)...

I pretty much do everything else from scratch.

I do, however admit to having felt exhilarated
at the thought of a less labour intensive lunch.

Those lobster tails were soon to be on our table without

the time-consuming cooking and de-shelling mess.

Hubby was especially thrilled about this decision.

He particularly shudders when shellfish has to be cleaned...

it's really not appealing to him...how convenient...isn’t it?

In addition to the lobster...which should have been enough...

the Alaskan smoked salmon was reaching out to us as well.

So, what the heck...we went for the whole enchilada.

All there was missing was tender tiger shrimp.

We both decided to hold back on those for this specific meal.

Did I mention how reasonable we were?

When we got home...there were certainly no plans on

how we were going to eat these goodies of ours.

We had purchased a loaf of artisanal olive bread and

we were figuring a little sauce on the side...

a glass of sparkling Portuguese white wine 'Vinho Verde'

... and we had ourselves a great lunch snack.

Did I mention how fatigued we were?

Well...this is what we exhausted foodies turned out with

a little love for the food we've been blessed with.

I guess, with being grateful and all, we just can't help ourselves
when preparing our next meal...especially with seafood.

Enjoy this refreshing salad mix that we created on the spot.

It turned out surprisingly and spectacularly delicious.

Tangy Artichoke Lobster Salad platter
serves 2 persons
Printer Friendly Version

(American / Metric measures)

... Salad ingredients:
. 1 can of artichokes (separate bases apart)
. 1/8 cup (20g) lobster tails (sliced off and chopped from tail bases)
. 1/8 cup (25g) pickled ginger * (chopped)
. 1 tsp. (5ml) capers (crushed)
. 1/2 tsp. (2.5ml) Dijon mustard
. 1 tbsp. (15ml) extra virgin olive oil
. a few thinly sliced pitted black olives
. 1 small squeezed wedge of lime
* Pickled ginger: If you can manage to find this brand from ‘the Ginger people’...
it would be well worth your search.  Ever since I’ve discovered it...I can’t seem to do without.
Blend all these salad ingredients together and you’ll
have a tantalizing seafood artichoke salad in no time.
***
...the Platter consisted of:
. 2 lobster tails (split in two)
. 8 slices of smoked salmon. a lime (cut into small wedges)
. a few leaves of curly lettuce
. 4 big steamed broccoli florets
. a big handful of pitted black olives
. artichoke bases to hold some garnish

. a side of olive artisanal bread
. some 'Pindjur' (or a roasted pepper purée) to fill the artichoke bases
***

 Assemble your plate as is shown on photo or create
your way through a wonderful presentation of your own.

No matter how you put this platter together...
it will certainly be refreshing and delicious.
Especially, if your meal is accompanied by this mildly sweet
sparkling Portuguese...‘Vinho Verde’ from Aveleda Fonte.

We certainly thoroughly enjoyed our splurgy lunch.

I hope you also have a chance to experience such a delightful platter soon.

Buon appetito and flavourful wishes,

Foodessa

Comments ... ??? ... or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SAVOURY creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.  

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool.  Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc.  Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.

. OVENS are unfortunately not created equal.  Mine is so old that it has reached many degrees off it's norm.  It's really worth investing a few dollars to test yours with an appropriate oven thermometer.  You'd be surprised how many ovens I've heard about not being where they should have been.  Before you lose any more ingredients and much time preparing a new recipe...run to the store...you'll thank me later. 

Here are other inspired ENTREE based recipes that may interest you:

. EDAMAME spread on VEGETABLE SHRIMP

. Turkish inspired Feta Bean Dip Delight