You Put The Lemon In The Coconut and Eat It All Up

There's something about the summer months that brings out the best in seafood. For some, it's the way the sun hits the scales of a nice steak of rainbow trout. Others enjoy that it's the only time of the year warm enough to bring those containers full of feisty blue crabs out of the market and on the street. But for those at the B.L.T. Project, summer delivers on the opportunity to mix the flavours of the tropic with the flavours of the sea. Our choice this week: coconut and shrimp.

Choosing shrimp is like choosing a liberal in university: there's a lot of choice. Fresh, frozen, headless, head on, veined, deveined... and that's just dealing with only one type of shrimp. If you're planning on making this dish the day of, stick with fresh shrimp if possible. The price for fresh sea food is usually higher, but the return in flavour is well worth it. Of course, if you're short on cash and time, then the frozen, headless and deveined variety will always suffice.

The beauty of shrimp is that it cooks quickly --something worth noting if you forgot to defrost your usual Thursday-night chicken breast. This dish was originally baked but if you're feeling less virtuous, then you can always shallow fry the shrimp for a savoury (if not cholesterol laden) dish.



Lemon-Coconut Shrimp

What's In It:

-Half a pound of tiger shrimp(about 18-21), deveined and heads removed
-3/4 of a cup of panko breadcrumbs
-1/2 of a cup of shredded coconut
-1 tbsp of lemon-pepper seasoning
-1 tsp of sea salt
-1 tsp of black pepper
-1 egg

Makes 18-21 shrimps



1. In a bowl of cold water, wash the shrimp to remove any remaining debris.



2. Now, combine the bread crumbs, salt, pepper and lemon-pepper seasoning in a large bowl.



3. In another bowl, pour in the shredded coconut.



4. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg. Now, dredge the shrimp in the beaten egg and coat in the panko bread crumb mixture.



5. Re-dredge the the battered shrimp in the egg mixture and coat with the shredded coconut.



6. Place the coated shrimp on a plate and allow to settle for 10 minutes.



7. Place the shrimp on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 10 minutes, turning the shrimp at the 5 minute mark. Serve with rice and Sriracha-mayo to dip.

Off the Book and On the Grill

Pop quiz for everyone reading this post. How does one successfully celebrate the First Day of Summer? Is it:

A)With many hours relishing every cubic centimeter of air-conditioned office space?

B)In short skirts hitting downtown on a brisk night?

C)Taking a break after a much-dreaded-but-completely-necessary-otherwise-I-won't-graduate-until-2021 summer school course? Or,

D)At home, hanging out on a porch, enjoying a Fudgsicle?

Well, the answer is actually E) Breaking out the BBQ and grilling up something tasty... along with all of the above (minus the skirt wearing part. We here at The B.L.T. Project no longer have the figure necessary for skirts, nor have the proper instruments to wax our legs).

Keeping in line with the topic of school, you've probably noticed the lousy attendance record when it comes to new posts. Well that's because there's been some experimenting going on in the kitchen and you can throw out those books kids, because school's out for summer! (But don't do it for real because books are for reading, not throwing. This goes double for you rich kids with your iPads and other eBooks.)

What this really means is that the last few weeks have gone to planning, prepping and many hours of trial and error in the search for some original recipes. The Project always credits any recipe is modifies or adapts but it's been a while since we've done something off the book.

So, The Project decided to break out our grill and fire up some Pineapple-Orange Chicken Skewers. You can take all the sun screen, beach towels, water bottles and heat strokes in the GTA and it still won't even come close to how much this dish encapsulates the summer months.

These skewers are fantastic for the grill, great to share with guests and pair well with a freshly baked roll, pita or on a bed of rice. They've got a nice sweetness to them thanks to the pineapple and citrus in the marinade. The heat from the chilies is courtesy of 21 solid years of a Vietnamese upbringing. They're completely optional but if you like sweating bullets while you eat, go for four or five.



Pineapple-Orange Chicken Skewers

What's In It:

- 2lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch sized chunks
- 1 small cored pineapple, cleaned and cut into bite-sized bits
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium onion, cut into eighths
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2-3 bird-eyed chili (optional)
- 4 tbsp of frozen concentrated orange juice OR 100 mL of orange juice
- 3 tbsp of pineapple juice
- 1 tbsp of honey
- 4 tbsp of soya sauce
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp of oil
- 1 tsp of grounded ginger
- 3 tbsp of water
- 10 wooden skewers

Makes 10 skewers


1. Let's start with the marinade. Whisk the pineapple and orange juice, oil, soya sauce, water, powdered ginger, honey, chilies (if using) and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside to refrigerate.



2. Next, cut the chicken breast into 3/4 inch-sized pieces like so:



3. Retrieve the marinade and pour three tablespoons of the sauce into the bottom of a shallow bowl.



4. Now, place the chicken into the bowl and pour the remaining marinade on top. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for one to two hours.



5. While the chicken in marinating you can chop the veggies if you haven't done so already. Also, now's a good time to soak your skewers into water to avoid them burning to a crisp when you start grilling.



6. When the chicken is done marinating, start layering your ingredients on the skewers. There's no particular order to this but keeping the pineapple next to the chicken imparts a wonderful flavour and tenderness to the meat.



7. Repeat until you've used up all your ingredients, returning the skewers to the refrigerator once finished. Now you can fire up your grill.



8. Once the grill has reached the 300°F temperature range, place the skewers on the grill diagonally to build some nice charbroiled marks. Keep some distance between each skewer to avoid overcrowding the grill and to make turning the food easier later on.



9. Once the skewers are in place, close the lid and grill for at least six to seven minutes per side, remembering to check on the BBQ every three minutes. The chicken should be no longer pink and juices should run clear when pierced with a fork.



10. Remove from the grill and savour with on a bowl of rice.

Bake In Case of Emergency

Being hungry serves two purposes in life: to give song writers access to awesome lyrics such as Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf ; and so Milton Bradley can make a game involving hippos (because Starving Starving Hippos would just be cruel). Otherwise, being hungry is like the other two members of the Black Eyed Peas: they're there to complete the picture but otherwise they're kinda worthless.

Tackling hunger while in university is tough regardless of whether there are classes going on or not. Summertime for many of us means the 9-5 grind and sure; you're getting paid but a 40 hour work week takes its toll faster than a week of class. Factor in those of us bold enough to take on summer school as well as a full-time job and pretty soon hunger starts looking like the biggest inconvenience since pay phones started charging 50-cents instead of a handy 25 pennies. (Seriously, who carries two quarters to make phone calls anymore?)

Well, here's the solution to your hunger: make sure you always have food.

Yes, this isn't groundbreaking information by any stretch of the imagination but it hi-lights an easy way to stave of starvation: preparation. We all cook, so if we cook just a bit more and save it for later then we'll have more food for when hunger comes knocking. Case in point: The Otiena Cookie.

This recipe is good for two dozen cookies and easily doubles if you want to make more. By freezing half of the dough you'll have access to a dozen cookies in 15 minutes. They're sweeter than your store-bought variety thanks to the added coconut and deceptively filling thanks to the oats. Be sure to pair a handful of these cookies with some milk to round out a snack so you can get back to work or school.



The Otiena Cookie

What's In It:

-1 cup of raisins
-3/4 of a cup of granulated sugar
-3/4 of a cup of packed brown sugar
-1/2 a cup of shredded sweetened coconut
-1 and 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
-2 cups of quick cooking rolled oats
-3/4 cups of butter, cubed and left at room temperature
-2 large eggs
-1 tsp of baking soda
-2 tsp of ground cinnamon

Makes two dozen cookies



1. Begin by adding the cubes of butter and sugars in a large bowl.



2. With an electric mixer, creme the the ingredients until smooth. Add one egg and mix until fully incorporated. Repeat once again for the other egg. Now mix in the raisins. Set aside.



3. In a smaller bowl, mix together the flour, oats, coconut and baking soda.



4. Here's the fun part: combine your wet ingredients with your dry and mix thoroughly with your hands until this:



Turns into this:



5. On a separate space, lie out a 12-inch sheet of cling wrap followed by a 12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Set aside. Break the dough into two mounds and place on a clean surface. Roll the dough until you have a log that's about a 12 inches in length. Repeat for the remaining dough.



6. Place your log of cookie dough onto the parchment paper and roll until completely covered. Twist one end of the parchment paper clockwise and the other end counter-clockwise to completely seal. Now, cover your roll in cling wrap. Repeat for the other roll if not baking immediately.



7. If baking immediately preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Slice the log of dough into inch thick rounds. Flaten the round on a clean and flat surface and place the round of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.



8. Freeze any unused dough and savour your cookie with a nice cold glass of moo moo juice.

Drink your Problems Away!

Suburbia has been pretty gloomy the past few days with more rain and dark clouds than the diary of an emo-hipster. Why, there's even talk of the world coming to an end tomorrow and I haven't even come close to reaching my goal of becoming the world's most kick-ass grandfather.

With all this melancholy looming around, it's enough to make anyone want to drink their sadness away. But there's good news folks. For one, the sun and blue skies have set aside whatever differences they once had and have got back together. Go ahead and look outside. I'll wait.

Now, if you're feeling better but are still kinda thirsty then the Project can help you out with a nice cold glass of a Banana-Berry Smoothie. Like any good smoothie, it takes less time to make than opening a can of fruit salad and has enough fruit to make said can of salad jealous. I used the last week's leftover blueberries with some extra fruit lying around to put this together but any combination of berries and half a banana will work wonders.



Banana- Berries Smoothie

What's In It:

-Half a banana
-Handful of blueberries
-Handful of blackberries
-Five-six chunks of pineapple
-Half a cup of orange juice (125 mL)
-Cup of blueberry or vanilla yogurt (175g)

Makes one smoothie



1. Start by lining the base of your blender with half of the juice, then add the yogurt, berries, remaining juice, bananas and pineapple. Secure the lid and blend for 15-30 seconds.



2. Pour into a frosted glass and garnish with a fruit skewer (Pineapple chunk + banana slice + blueberry + toothpick)

My Mother's Day Morning by the Minute

Mother's Day. What a day. Gone are the years where you could count on your elementary school classes for providing a potted petunia, macaroni art or Crayola marker and construction paper Mother's Day cards.

Now, the only cards you can get away with are the ones that have the words "gift" attached to them. But for those limited by budget or have moms that are suckers for an old school construction project, breakfast in bed will always do in a pinch.

There are as many routes on tackling breakfast in bed as there are moms in the world. Some love the traditional toast, eggs, and bacon spread. Others hearken for the smell of freshly baked goods as the sun slowly rises. Some want a little of both worlds.

The B.L.T. Project decided it's been too long since the waffle iron has had its tinny green LED light turn on. So, we prepped some Lemon-blueberry Waffles for this year's Mother's Day. Here's how it all went down.



Lemon-blueberry Waffles

What's In It:

-3 cups (750 mL) of sifted flour
-3 large eggs, separated + 1 extra egg white
-1 cup of blueberries
-2 tsp of lemon zest
-2 tsp of lemon juice
-1/2 cup (125 mL) of melted unsalted butter
-1 1/2 cups (375 mL) of 2% milk
-1/3 cups (75 mL) sugar
-1 1/2 cups (365 mL) of water
-2 1/4 tsp (11 mL) of active dry yeast
-2 tsp of oil oil
-pinch of salt

Makes 10 waffles



6:15 a.m.: Alarm rings. Wake up. Look at clock. Go back to bed.

6:45 a.m.: Oh @#$%. We're running late. Time to move.

6:50 a.m.: Set up ingredients. Take photos and prep work station. Return blueberries and egg whites to fridge.

7:23 a.m.: Sift flour into larger bowl. Add salt. Give everything a quick stir.



7:27 a.m.: Add half of water to yeast in a small bowl. Decide to play the waiting game for 10 minutes.



7:29 a.m.: Waiting game sucks. Remembers to zest the lemon.

7:37 a.m.: Add egg yolks, 1 egg white, along with sugar to yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Add lemon zest and juice.



7:45 a.m.: Add the remaining water, milk, butter and oil. Stir till smooth.

7:54 a.m.: Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well and let sit for an hour.



8:01 a.m.: Start washing the dishes.

8:13 a.m.: Finish the dishes. Give Matt Demers' post on year three of Ryerson J-Skool a read.

8:14 a.m.: Nostalgia ensues.

8:15 a.m.: Shower time.

8:25 a.m.: Finish shower. Check on batter. Give it a stir.

8:26 a.m.: No maple syrup.

8:27 a.m.: No maple syrup.

8:28 a.m.: No maple syrup.

8:29 a.m.: Panic.

8:30 a.m.: Floor it to Longos.

8:43 a.m.: Come back with maple syrup. Crisis averted.

8:45 a.m.: Check batter and stir once more. Whip egg whites with electric hand mixer on lowest setting.



8:54 a.m.: Stir in 1/3 of egg whites. Fold to incorporate. Repeat twice.

9:08 a.m.: Retrieve waffle iron. Start the sucker up.

9:09 a.m.: Add blueberries. Mix.



9:12 a.m.: Add waffle batter to iron.

9:30 a.m.: Finish with 10 waffles.

These waffles are a twist of your classic Belgian waffle recipe. They're tart but with some maple syrup they'll be sure to please any mom. They're crispy on the outside, yet light and fluffy on the inside with bursts of blueberries found with each forkful. As you pop out each waffle, let them cool on a baking rack if not serving immediately and keep warm any waffles for the late stragglers that come to the breakfast table.



New motto: Make batter. Add batter. Get waffles.

Welcome to the CBC, This is Cooking With briYAN

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! While you and your loved ones were out dining by candle light, sipping wine as you gazed ever so lovingly into each other's eyes, the B.L.T. Project was too busy witnessing a threesome.

Yeah, you read that correctly.

Some hot love making was going down here and you missed it all. All I'll say is that my passion for food got a little tispy, drunk dialed my obligation as a student journalist who brought over his friend, my inner tech geek, and well... one thing lead to another and next thing you know, a dozen C.B.C. Biscuits were born.

Not the threesome you were hoping for? Well, you're on the internet my friend. There are THOUSANDS of sites that can cater to those kinds of threesomes. But if you're hungry and not horny, be sure to check out the recipe below.

I've always thought the union of cheese, bacon and chives (C.B.C.) would meld beautifully together but I couldn't think of anything other than an omelette that would prove that. So I turned to Google, who owns my life and powers my HTC Desire Z smartphone. I downloaded a few cooking apps and stumbled across this beautiful recipe.

Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the C.B.C. Biscuit! If bringing a dozen of these to my internship interview doesn't net me a position, nothing will!



C.B.C Biscuits
Adapted from Epicurious Recipe App for Android

What's In It:
-10 slices of low-sodium bacon
-3 and 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
-1 and 1/2 Tbsp of baking powder
-1 and 1/2 tsp of baking soda
-1 and 1/4 tsp of salt
-1/2 a cup of chilled butter, diced into 1 cm thick cubes
-2 and 1/2 cups of coarsely grated old cheddar cheese
-1/2 a cup of freshly chopped chives
-2 cups of buttermilk

Makes a dozen biscuits



1. Let's begin with frying the bacon. You'll want to heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add two Tbsp of oil to coat the pan if you're not using non-stick. Add the bacon and fry until crispy and brown. Now, transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-covered plate to drain. Chop coarsely once the bacon is cool enough to handle.

Now would be a good time to center your oven rack and preheat to 425°F



2. In a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Now pulse for about 30 seconds. Add the cubes of butter and blend until you see clumps of batter sticking together. The app says this only takes 30 seconds but this took about 10 minutes for me since my butter chunks were about an inch thick each. The smaller you cube your butter, the better.



3.Transfer the flour mixture into a large bowl and add the chives, cheese and chopped bacon. With a spatula, toss the mixture to blend everything together.



4. When you're done mixing, create a small well in the middle of the mixture. When everything starts looking like this, you're ready to add the buttermilk.



5. Gradually add the buttermilk into the well and mix to ensure the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl are fully incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and mix thoroughly. The batter should be sticky once you're done pouring.



6. You'll need to scoop about a handful of the batter to form a biscuit but before you do, pour some flour onto a cutting board. Now, wet your hands with water and roll your them in the flour. This way your hands will stay relatively dry as you handle the batter. My hands were busy so I wasn't able to take any photos of this step :(

Note: Your hands WILL smell like ranch dressing .

Drop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about two inches of space between each mound of batter.



7. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden. To check if they're done on the inside, stick a toothpick into each biscuit and see if it comes clean when removed. If so, you're biscuits are done.



8. Let cool for 10 minutes and savour.