Walk Widely. Eat Wisely. Live Gratefully.
Finally the snow is receding and the barbecue is accessible. We are working on the “use what is on sale or in the freezer” methodology, and this week we found a great deal on local ground beef. So in addition to making a batch of meatballs for later in the week, we made tomato, avocado and bacon ( salute to the lovely Marianne) burgers. Yum!
Yesterday Mother Nature gave us a peek into springtime, with bare lawns, sunshine, and temperatures above the freezing mark. We knew the forecast was for snow, so after a long walk, we wanted to take advantage of this temperate turn of events while it lasted.
On the grill: lamb burgers – topped with feta cheese, a little corn relish, and some Dijon, with a green side salad to make sure it really felt like spring!
We’re back from vacation with a distinct longing for vegetables – which seem to be in short supply when eating in many restaurants. Too much fat, salt and meat has left us hungry for fresh food. As luck would have it, our veggie garden has run rampant, so we have a surfeit of choice.
Our choice? A combo plate of golden beets roasted in balsamic and garlic, green and yellow beans, peas, and beet greens, all steamed. On the side, fish poached in white wine, lemon pepper and tarragon. Feeling full (and full of gratitude that the deer left us something to eat!)
The first winter storm threatened with its presence today. Hard, driving rain and wind, mixed with a little snow. The kind of howling night that makes you want comfort food. But after a day of work, how can slow food be not so slow?
We had some delicious white beans, pre-cooked, in the freezer. A couple of pork chops. And some San Marzano tomatoes. We put the chops in a casserole, topped with the beans and chopped rosemary. Over that, a couple of tomatoes each, and a little juice. More rosemary and pepper.
After 45 minutes in a 400F oven, covered, a delicious tender dinner was waiting. We finished the plates with a handful of greens. Pure comfort.
Healthy food! It’s all around us, but with so many tempting treats beginning to make an appearance, being able to cook up a fast feast of healthy food is essential. Today we made a veggie-packed pasta dish.
We started by putting 2 ounces or 60 grams per person of whole wheat pasta on to cook. In the meantime, we diced four skinless, boneless chicken thighs into a sauté pan with some olive oil. As the cooked, we finely diced and added a shallot and a clove of garlic. Next came a carrot, peeled and diced fine, and 1/4 head of fennel, finely diced. While it was cooking over low heat,we ground up about a teaspoon/5 ml of fennel seed, and zested a lemon. we juiced the lemon into a small bowl and got rid of any seeds.
When the pasta was al dente, we drained and tipped into the sauté pan with the lemon juice, zest, fennel seed, a small amount of pasta water if needed, and a couple of tablespoons (10 ml) of light whipped cream cheese. We left it in the pan, covered but off the heat, for about 3 minutes for the flavours to come together, and ate it up. The cooking took less than half an hour, including boiling the water…leaving more time to watch Christmas specials and make some presents.