Category: Healthy Eating

Cheeky!

20120425-205321.jpg

Earlier this week we were at Royal, picking up a chicken. But they also had these tremendous veal cheeks. So today as the heat returned, we made…cold day food. Go figure! Start some veg; in our case, orange pepper, shallot, and garlic. Then brown the cheeks and deglaze with whatever’s handy. Red wine, in our case. Add some pepper and chopped rosemary, dried chanterelles and a jar of stewed tomatoes. Pop in a 350 oven for an hour or so covered, then boil some potatoes while the pan is percolating along uncovered.

Nice.

Wait, Where's Spring?!

20120423-204504.jpg

In two days we’ve entered a deep freeze. The garden is full of tulips but you would never know it is spring by the weather. So what better than a hot spicy dinner to raise the temperature? We were over at Brian and Eric’s store yesterday, and we picked up a batch of kidney beans. Last night we cooked them up, so we had the perfect starting point. But chili seemed too obvious.

Instead, we cooked a batch of vegetables, including celery, carrot, onion pepper, and cauliflower. To this we added some beans, a chipotle, and a big handful of basil. After a good simmer, we sat down to a warming meal. Ahhh.

Greek, but not a Tragedy

20120420-093121.jpg

Since noticing we have been on an egg jag lately, today’s breakfast feature nothing of the sort. Instead, some strawberries, not local unfortunately but bought at one of our neighbourhood places, Plank Road Market, owned by a charming young couple, Roger and Julie. On top, Greek yogurt (Liberté), cinnamon, and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds from Better Bulk.

Now off to work!

Just Poachy!

20120418-090206.jpg

It looks like spring but feels like winter this morning. What a glorious burst of sun. So what better way to start the day than with a breakfast stack like this one: whole wheat English muffin, Rowe Farms ham, fresh yellow Ontario hothouse tomato, all topped with a fresh poached egg.

Secrets of the Freezer

20120416-080203.jpg

It’s the time of year when you really feel the urge to de-clutter…lots of household “sprucing up” projects. And then one day you look in the freezer.

So many things have accumulated over the winter. One of them, a bag of roasted beets, another, the remains of a package of phyllo. A few mushrooms, a bit of goat cheese, and voilà! Beet Wellingtons.

20120416-080725.jpg

Easter Eggs

20120407-090044.jpg

Today the marathon of cooking begins…hot cross buns and bunny cake for tomorrow’s Easter gathering. We’re hoping the predicted rain will hold off so we can keep it casual and barbecue. In light of all that, we made a light, simple omelette to start the day, and are about to start shopping and organizing ourselves, finishing everything in time for the Easter Vigil.

For two, we used 2 cups of chopped veg (today’s mix included celery, mushrooms, spinach). These were heated in a pan coated with a spray of olive oil, and then we tipped in 3 large brown eggs from Rowe Farms (via Better Bulk), beaten with fresh thyme and a tablespoon or so of water. A quick stir and we grated on an ounce of cheddar we picked up at Leslieville Cheese. Then we rolled the whole thing up, and split it to serve two. …and we’re off!

Vegetarian Delight

20120404-124900.jpg

In preparation of the coming onslaught of hot cross buns and bunny cake, we’ve been sticking to the straight and narrow, diet-wise. Fortunately this isn’t much of a sacrifice when we have great recipes like Kozlik’s delicious mustard chickpeas.

We made a few substitutions but it’s easy to do that with their versatile recipe. A little avocado in orange juice is a nice sidebar.

Get Grilling!

20120328-132027.jpg

Despite the recent cold snap, grilling season is ramping up once again. This weekend we picked up these delicious chops from Rowe Farms, as well as a mixed bag of organic veg.

To cook veg in a packet is foolproof! Take two layers of foil, and put sliced veg of almost any variety (we had carrots, spinach, radish, onion, sweet potato…). Toss with a little olive oil and herbs of your choice. Wrap it up tightly and put it on the grill while it’s heating. Continue to cook, turning occasionally, until chops, steaks, or burgers are done.

Change of Seasons Chicken

20120325-074813.jpg

Yesterday we had a typical Canadian spring shock to the system. After days of gloriously mild weather, it turned very chilly, gray, and windy. Since we spent the day running around (Alliance Française for French class, some lunch, then the Canada Blooms show, then errands…whew!) we wanted a warming sort of dinner.

We made this easy chicken and pasta dish, which serves 3 (leftovers for Sunday lunch, with a salad).

Cook 100g (3.5 oz) whole wheat spaghettini.

Meanwhile, in 10ml (2 t) olive oil, sauté a leek that has been sliced and rinsed (white and light green parts only) until it starts to become translucent. Add 125 ml chopped cauliflower (1/2 c) and two spears of asparagus, sliced into bite-size lengths. Put a lid on this and give it a couple of minutes to release a bit of liquid. Then stir in a diced tomato, 30ml (2T) pesto, and 60ml or 1/4 c of pasta water. Lid, turn down the heat, and let it simmer til the pasta is done.

Drain the pasta and mix into the veg. Put the lid back on and let the whole thing sit on very low heat for 3 or 4 minutes for the flavour to develop.

Enjoy!

The Leftover Trend Continues

20120322-201408.jpg

Last night’s grilled chicken was organized for three, and one dropped off the list. (When you’re semi empty nest this happens). So we used the leftovers, plus some soda bread from the weekend’s festivities, and made a sandwich:

For two…

Four slices soda bread
Chop chicken and one tomato in 1cm or 1/2″ dice. Mix with 15ml/1T fat free sour cream and the same amount of Dijon.

Enjoy!