LCBO Food & Drink Early Summer 2020

OPEN-FACE SUNFLOWER HARISSA GRILLED-CHICKEN SANDWICHES Prep ahead for those nights when you don’t have much time for dinner but need to eat a decent meal. You can grill the chicken ahead and/or make the salad ahead. When you have a little more time, you can cook and enjoy it right away, plus it’s easy to double if you want leftovers as well (dinner and lunch in one? Yes, please!). Sliced cucumbers and tomatoes on the side complete the meal. 2 tbsp (30 mL) sunflower seed or other seed or nut butter, divided 3 tbsp (45 mL) white wine vinegar 3 tbsp (45 mL) sunflower or other mild oil 2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tsp (5 mL) harissa paste 1 lb (455 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 medium breasts 2 tbsp (30 mL) mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt 4 thick slices bakery-style sunflower or multigrain bread 1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped roasted (and drained) or fresh sweet red peppers Lettuce leaves Sunflower seedlings or other microgreens 1 Whisk together 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the seed butter, the vinegar, oil, mustard, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper in a medium bowl. Pour 3 tbsp (45 mL) into a shallow dish. Set bowl aside (cover if making the chicken ahead). 2 Whisk harissa paste into marinade in shallow dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. 3 Preheat barbecue grill to medium. 4 Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill. Spoon a thick layer of marinade over chicken, then discard any excess. Close lid and grill, turning once, for about 7 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of chicken reads 165°F (74°C) or until no longer pink inside. Transfer to cutting board and let cool until just warm. (Chicken can be grilled ahead, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.) 5 Tear or chop chicken into chunks. Whisk remaining seed butter and mayonnaise into reserved vinegar mixture to make dressing. Spread a thin layer of dressing on one side of each bread slice. Stir chicken and red peppers into remaining dressing and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (You can make the chicken salad a day ahead, just mix it all together, cover and refrigerate, then spoon out some of the dressing to spread on the bread before assembly.)

6 Arrange lettuce on dressing side of bread, spoon chicken salad on top and garnish with seedlings. Serves 4 WILD RICE CAKES WITH HARISSA CARROT SLAW Plan ahead and cook extra rice while pre- paring another meal. You’ll need to cook about 2/3 cup (150 mL) wild rice blend to get 2 cups (500 mL) cooked. It’s quick to shred carrots with a cheese grater but you can buy pre-shredded carrots or coleslaw mix in a bag for a shortcut. Serve the cakes on a citrus vinaigrette-dressed arugula salad. While these make a satisfying main course on their own, a piece of grilled fish is a nice pairing as well. Leftovers become a tasty cold lunch. HARISSA CARROT SLAW 1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt or mayonnaise 2 tbsp (30 mL) sunflower seed or other seed or nut butter 1/2 tsp (2 mL) harissa paste 2 carrots, shredded, about 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh cilantro Salt and freshly ground pepper RICE CAKES 1 large egg 2 tsp (10 mL) harissa paste 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground pepper 3/4 cup (175 mL) drained rinsed canned lentils 2 cups (500 mL) cooked wild rice blend, cooled 1/4 cup (60 mL) rice flour or all-purpose flour 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) canola oil 1 For the slaw, whisk together yogurt, seed butter and harissa paste in a medium bowl. Stir in carrots and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 2 For the rice cakes, whisk together egg, harissa paste, salt and pepper with a fork in a large bowl. Add about half of the lentils and mash until pasty. Stir in remaining lentils, rice and flour until evenly combined. 3 Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Form one-quarter of the rice mixture into a cake, about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick, and carefully add to pan. Repeat to make 4 cakes total, cooking them in batches. Cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes per side or until browned on both sides and hot in the centre. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Add more oil to the pan between batches as necessary. 4 Serve hot rice cakes topped with carrot slaw. Serves 4

PUMPKIN SEED BUTTER FETTUCCINE WITH SPINACH For this no-cream, creamy pasta sauce we’ve used pumpkin seed butter, though other smooth seed or nut butters such as sunflower, cashew, hazelnut or almond butter work well, too. If you prefer a stuffed pasta, use a 250-g package of fresh or frozen ravioli instead of the fettuccine. Baby kale can sub in for the spinach for a sharper taste. This recipe can easily be doubled for four servings. Salt 6 oz (170 g) fettuccine or other long pasta 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup (60 mL) pumpkin seed butter or other seed or nut butter 1/4 cup (60 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese Freshly ground pepper 3 cups (750 mL) packed baby spinach, about 3 oz (85 g) 1/2 cup (125 mL) grape tomatoes, halved Additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese Green pumpkin seeds 1 Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions just until al dente. 2 Meanwhile, combine garlic, seed butter, Parmesan and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper in a large, heatproof bowl. 3 Remove pasta from heat (but don’t drain it). Scoop out about 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the pasta cooking water and whisk into the seed butter mixture until blended. Add spinach, then use tongs or a strainer to remove pasta from pot (leaving water in the pot) and place on top of spinach. Let stand for 30 seconds to wilt spinach. 4 Toss pasta gently to coat, gradually adding more of the pasta cooking water, about another 1/2 cup (125 mL), to moisten as desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange in warmed pasta bowls, top with grape toma­ toes, more Parmesan and a sprinkle of pump- kin seeds. Serves 2

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FOOD & DRINK EARLY SUMMER 2020