A fellow dietitian was looking to share and get some feedback on a local cookbook titled Mustard- Makeovers and More put out by the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission. I took on the challenge, as I’m always up for trying new recipes, but to be honest I was skeptical of a whole cookbook devoted to mustard. When I thought of mustard, I automatically thought burgers and hotdogs, not healthy and delicious meals that are quick to prepare. I was pleasantly surprised upon delving into this recipe book to find that there are many interesting and healthy ways to incorporate various forms of mustard into your everyday cooking.
Not only does the book provide a great amount (100 to be exact) of recipes that are easy to follow and for the most part easy to prepare, but it also offers some excellent tips about food safety, cooking with kids, and general mustard info too. For example, did you know that Canada is the world’s largest producer of pure mustard seed? Canada actually accounts for one third of the world’s mustard crops, with Saskatchewan producing greater than 70% of the country’s mustard! The hot dry summers and warm dry harvest conditions in Saskatchewan give the 1000+ mustard producers the ability to produce consistently high quality mustard seed for the global marketplace. Pretty cool right?
Mustard is used for a number of reasons in food preparation. It is most commonly used as a condiment, but can also act as an emulsifier, or added to a dish to help retain moisture. The recipes I chose to test were decided based upon the variety of mustards used between them. I wanted to get a good idea of the different flavours of various mustards and forms of mustards when used in different dishes. So, I chose to prepare the Prairie Seed Bread, the Spicy Peppery Mustard Chicken, and the Roasted Mini Spuds.
Prairie Seed Bread
Get a printable version of the recipe here.
This bread was so simple to make. Think banana bread, but more savoury. I love that this bread could be served alone as a snack or alongside a meal (which is how I served it)! This bread was very moist, and had lots of great crunch too from the seeds and walnuts. I will make this again for sure! Also, my almost 3 year old gave it a thumbs up!
Spicy Peppery Mustard Chicken
Get a printable version of the recipe here.
I always scan the chicken section of my local grocery store to scope out those $5 packages of chicken thighs (6-7 thighs per package). Then I take them home and usually don’t know what to do with them, so will end up just throwing them on the barbeque with some bbq sauce (so boring, I know)! This recipe is the answer to my chicken thigh dilemma! The spice mixture packs a flavourful punch and the chicken remains very moist, on account of the mustard baste. The mustard flavour is subtle but is definitely noticeable. I found the mustard seeds didn’t adhere too well to the chicken so I rubbed the extra seeds that were at the bottom of the spice mix bag directly onto the chicken before baking.
Roasted Mini Spuds
Get a printable version of the recipe here.
It’s pretty hard to mess up potatoes but this recipe was super quick to throw together and these potatoes would make a great side to many other entrees. They paired well with the chicken, and I’ll certainly make them again due to the ease of prepping and cooking them.
I also served up a light green salad with a mustard maple vinaigrette to complete this meal.
I’m happy I had the opportunity to test out some new recipes and learn something too. I thoroughly enjoyed each recipe I made and will be testing out more in the future. Thanks to the Saskatchewan Mustard Commodity for developing a great book and resource for beginner to experienced cooks!
