Lime Soup

Yucatan Lime Soup  << click for recipe

I have been making a variation of this lime soup lately, it's delicious! I don't bother adding chicken, I use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and add all sorts of veggies including celery, carrots, green peppers, avocado, chick peas and even corn and black beans. Enjoy!

photo via

Baobab Salad

This is a salad I had last summer in Monte-Carlo at a little beach-side restaurant called Le Baobab. I am craving it right now and I think I must recreate it!

Baobab Salad

Mixed Greens

Tomato

Avocado

White Asparagus

Water Chestnut

Ham

Gouda

Boiled Egg

Toss it in a light, sweet and tangy dressing like a honey balsamic.

Pumpkin, Chorizo and Chickpea Soup

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I made a simple version of this incredible soup the other day. I had leftover pumpkin puree (left over from making pumpkin ravioli, a recipe which I will share soon) and we had some chorizo sausage in the fridge we had to use so I googled pumpkin and chorizo and this was one of the recipes that came up. I didn't follow it closely, just the idea and the part where you blend half and leave half chunky. It was sooooo good. No salt, no gluten (expect whatever may be in the sausage) and if the pumpkin is ready to go then it is really very simple. YUM!

Here's yummy stuff for you (because it's been a while...)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Have a great Robbie Burns Day and Gung Hay Fat Choy...

Yes. It has been weeks since I posted so to make it up to you (I'm talking to you Victoria) here is a delicious recipe for soup and crackers from my latest Style at Home magazine. Andrew has made the soup twice (sooo good) and the crackers once (literally as addictive as I imagine crack to be, delicious crack!).

Roasted Red Pepper and Totamto Soup:
(Serves 4-6)

3 red peppers
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 28oz can San Marzano whole tomatoes, with juices
1 cup water or veggie stock
1 tsp Maldon sea salt
1 tsp granulated sugar

Roast the red peppers. Heat evoo in large pot over med heat, add garlic, onion and rosemary and sautee for 10 min until all softened and fragrant. Add the roasted peppers, tomatoes and their juices, the water or stock and the sugar and salt. Cook for 20 min, stirring occaisionally. Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve hot with chedder crackers!


Cheddar Crisps:
(makes 4 dozen)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp each Maldon sea salt and smoked paprika
1/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
8 oz aged cheddar cheese, grated
3 tbsp cold water

Preheat oven to 375*F. Place flour salt, paprika, butter and cheese in bowl of a food processor. Pluse several times until mixture in crumbly and resembles cornmeal. Add the water and process until mixture forms a ball. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. Divide the dough in half and roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8" thick. Cut into 1" squares. Bring excess dough together and re-roll until all the dough in used. Transfer squares to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, placing about 1" apart. Bake 20-22 mins., until beginning to brown at edges. Cool completely and store in airtight container. (Eat them with the soup soooo good!!)

Andrew says to start making the cracker dough ahead of time due to the hour needed chilling, to make sure you roll the dough really thin and to cut the crackers like a grid not individual squares at a time.

Happy cooking!

Both recipies from Style at Home's Feb 2012 issue

Soup image via

Chedder Cracker image via

Pre-Christmas Diet and a Recipe

So far this year I have lost 14 lbs. However, I have not quite reached my goal for this year of being right smack dab in the middle of the normal BMI range. This requires me to lose another 3 lbs. Big woop.

No.

Not big woop.

This is hot chocolate baking cheese milk cookie gravy butter potato cider chocolate candy face stuffing season and it will be a little bit more challenging than if it were January or another boring month. So I have initiated: Diet Phase Three. (A follow up to the 7 lb loss of phase 1 in the spring and the 7 lb loss during phase two in the summer, neither of which I ever referred to as phase anything it just sounds fun to call it that now.) I will diet for about 20 days stopping on Christmas Eve so I can enjoy stew and pancakes and also allowing myself one holiday party in the middle. Woo. The rules are: No sugar or dairy, at all, no carbs after lunch and no food after 8pm (with the execption of days when I am working until 12am.) I will also try to get a bit of exercise but not worry too much about that factor. Yesterday was my first day and so far so good. I made this for dinner:

Pear, Butternut Squash and Chorizo Hash

1 tablespoon olive oil 3/4 cup chopped red onion 1lb peeled, diced butternut squash 1 large pear, peeled, cored and diced 6 oz soy chorizo sausage, crumbled 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon coriander poached or fried eggs for serving, optional In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Saute onions until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, place the squash in a covered, microwavable dish with 1 tablespoon of water. Cook on high for 3 minutes, until just tender. Add the squash, pears, chorizo, cinnamon and coriander to the skillet with the onions. Increase heat to medium high and cook for 5-8 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until heated through and browned. Serve hot with poached or fried eggs, if desired

Recipe from http://www.carascravings.com/

I didn't measure things out perfectly, I used turkey chorizo instead of pork, I used a little bit of granny smith apple instead of pear, I didn't have corinander and I added some chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Still it was delicious. I had it with a poached egg and some spinach.

Stay tuned!

Thanksgiving Recipes

Here are the links to the recipes I used this Thanksgiving!

Crispy Sage Potatoes (From Style at Home Magazine)
These were so delicious, we had some leftover so we ate them fried in a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with seasoning salt for breakfast the next day.

Cinnamon Spice Carrots (From Style at Home Magazine)
These had a really unique flavour, we couldn't find heirloom carrots (big surprise) so we just used regular organic carrots.

Mom's Saucy Apple Cake (A Trish Magwood recipe found in House and Home Magazine)
This made a good breakfast the next day too and it's a super easy recipe.

Rosemary Chicken "Stew"

Fall is here! The air is crisp, the leaves are turning and I am constantly craving stew! Last night I made this chicken stew by adapting a recipe from a Company's Coming cook book. It was supposed to be a slow cooker recipe but I never think far enough ahead to make those properly so I usually just end up making them on the stove as a "pseudo stew." Here's what I did...

Ingredients:
1 tsp Olive Oil
2 large chicken breasts
Salt, pepper and a pinch of rosemary
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 yellow onion (chopped)
2 chopped medium-large yellow flesh potatoes (chopped)
1.5 carrots (sliced)
1.5 celery stalks (sliced)
1 parsnip (chopped)
3 roughly diced cloves of garlic

1 can of cream of mushroom soup (10oz.)
2 cups chicken broth
approx. 1/4 cup of fresh rosemary
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup frozen peas
1 small lemon

Instructions:
Place chicken breasts in pan, spread olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary on top of them and bake in the oven until cooked through (avoid overcooking). Set aside until cool and use a fork to shred the chicken.

Place a large pot (one you might use for boiling pasta, best if it's one with a lid) on your burner and turn the burner to medium, add olive oil and diced onion, let onion cook for a moment before adding the other 5 vegetables in order listed, stir the vegetables and let them get nice and hot before adding anything else. Add the mushroom soup right out of the can and add the chicken broth, salt, pepper and rosemary, stir again. Drop the bay leaf in and place the lid on the pot. Cook over medium heat (the stew should be bubbling a bit) stirring occasionally until the potatoes and carrots are tender and cooked. (I wasn't really paying attn to the time but this could take up to an hour).

Mix the corn starch into the 2nd amount of chicken broth in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth and then add it to the pot. Add the frozen peas, the shredded chicken and the juice from the lemon, stirring again. Let the stew cook another 15-20 minutes until the sauce had thickened. Find and remove the bay leaf. This yields four huge servings or 6-8 servings if you are having it with something else.

Note: I adapted this recipe from a book and totally winged it from there. You can probably add or substitute whatever ingredients you want as long as they function in the same way as those you are replacing (eg. cornstarch thickens sauce so don`t sub it for sugar). Cooking times will also vary depending on your stove, pot and ingredients. Enjoy!

Ode to Almond Milk

Now that I know that I should avoid dairy for the sake of my skin and digestive system I have had to find some substitutes for the dairy-laden meals I used to love. I have learned that with enough gaucamole cheeseless nachos are delicious and that high quality thin crust pizza with thinly cut salami can be tasty even if there is no cheese on it. Also, I discovered that in many situations Almond Milk can be a geat replacement for milk. I had tried soy and rice milk before and never really got on board but almond milk is by far my favourite yet! It's great in cereal or by the glass and I have even successfully used it in baking once or twice. My favourite kind is Silk True Almond Original. However, I also found a recipe in Chatelaine Magazine of all places for almond milk you can make yourself...

Homemade Almond Milk (Courtesy of Chatelaine)

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup honey

Soak almonds in water overnight. In the morning puree almonds and water in blender for 3-5 minutes until very milky looking. Strain mixture into bowl through a cheesecloth-covered seive, pushing around the grounds with the back of a ladel to make sure you get all the "milk." Stir in honey and store in the fridge up to 3 days. Just make sure to give it a stir before you use it each time as it does separate a bit. Almond milk is super low in calories and carbs and doesn't have much fat in it at all. :)

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Dinner

 Tonight's dinner: Homemade turkey burgers with guacamole, mashed sweet potatoes and veggies.

Turkery Bugers:
Mix extra lean ground turkey with minced garlic, finely chopped white onion, chopped parsley and salt and pepper and form them into burger patties (or a heart like mine...) Cook burgers in a frying pan over medium/high heat about 7 minutes each side or until internal temp reaches 75'C.

Guacamole:
In a food processor blend 1 ripe avacado, 1 tbsp diced onion, 1 tbsp diced tomato, a small squirt of lemon, a generous squirt of lime, a dash of garlic powder, salt, pepper and chilli flakes and a little squirt of white vinegar.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
Wash and peel potatoes, chop into medium sized cubes, boil until tender, mash and add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Tomato-Eggplant...Thing

Image Via

I have very few dinners that I enjoy and can have on this diet and Baked Tomato-Eggplant...Thing is one of them. It's essentially Eggplant Parmesean but without the parmesean, bread crumbs, flour, oil or egg. It's just baked eggplant, layered with homemade tomato sauce and whatever else I have laying around, usually topped with pine nuts or crumbled cashews to add texture that is then baked again. Here's how I make it...(Recipe makes 2 servings)

Ingredients
1 large eggplant or two baby eggplants
5 medium tomatoes
1/4 white onion
2 cloves garlic
Pine nuts or crumbled cashews
Italian herbs and spices and salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Sauce: Start the sauce early as it needs time to boil down. Wash and dice tomatoes and put them in a large frying pan or sauce pan over medium heat add some salt if you like. Let them cook for about 5 minutes. Then add chopped onion and diced or minced garlic. Let this mixture cook/boil down until after onion and garlic are soft. Then I like to puree everything in a food processor and place back in the pan to reduce and thicken more. (Careful-hot) Add herbs, spices, salt, pepper or anything you like until the taste of the sauce is to your liking. (I use basil, oregano, salt, fresh ground black pepper and dried chilli flakes.) After 1-2 hours of cooking the sauce should be ready, but leave this to your own judgement as I am not an expert, if it tastes too tomatoey keep cooking.

Eggplant: Preheat the oven to 375 C. Wash and peel the eggplant. (The skin is toxic when un-cooked so resit the urge to gnaw on it while cooking....) Cut the eggplant into discs approximately 1 to 2cm thick. I then place eggplant into strainer and sprinkle salt on it because I once read you need to let it sweat out its bitterness... Then I rinse and dry it. Place eggplant onto non-stick cookie sheet and bake in the oven 5 minutes on each side.

Baked...Thing: I use a meatloaf pan for the next step. Layer eggplant and sauce in pan. Sometimes I add spinach or chicken. When you run out of eggplant do one last layer of sauce and then you can sprinkle pine nuts or crushed cashews on top. The nuts brown nicely in the oven and add texture and more flavour to the dish. Place in the oven (which is still at 375 C) and bake for 30-45 minutes depending on how thick the slices are and how deep the layers go.  You can serve it on a bed of fresh spinach for extra points.

WARNING: If you are not on a diet/lactose intolerant/allergic to gluten please eat regular eggplant parmesean and not this. Thankyou.

Chips!

I love chips. I haven't had real chips in over a month now. How do I cope? Yam chips. Like yam fries, but not. Andrew makes them for me which makes them taste better. They can be a snack or an appetizer.

Ingredients:
1-3 long(ish), thin(ish) yams (actually orange sweet potatoes, real yams have bark-like skin)
1 Tbsp Olive oil (or other veggie oil)
Salt, pepper and chiplotle seasoning (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to about 375-400 C. Wash and peel yams, and slice them into discs as thin and as uniform as possible so that they will cook fast and evenly. Coat a cookie sheet in a very thin layer of oil and spread yam-discs out in one even layer on the pan. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt, pepper and chipoltle powder. Place in the oven and watch closely. Cooking time will depend on how thin your yam chips are, usually less than 20 minutes will be needed. You can flip them if you want them crispy on both sides, I'm not picky. If some start to burn you can take them out and put the rest back in. Remove pan when they "look" crispy or when they have all browned just a bit. I love the burnt ones and the smushy ones. Let them "sit" for a minute to cool a bit and crisp up. Sweet potaoes have lots of carotenoids...which are good for you*...so enjoy!

*If you want to make this not-so-good for you deep fry them or have the chips with Chipoltle Mayo dip! One part mayonnaise, one part sour cream and chipoltle seasoning to taste....

Image via

Butternut Squash "Soup"

I needed a clean eating dairy and sugar free soup option for my diet. So I improvised something delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash
• 1/2 a Granny Smith Apple
• 1/4 White Onion
• 1 Clove of garlic (minced)
• 1 small to medium carrot
• 1/2 a stalk of celery
• Pinch of Cinnamon
• Nutmeg to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2-5 Tablespoons of cold water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stab uncooked squash with fork a few times and pop it in microwave for a minute. (This makes it easier to cut.) Then cut in half, length wise, and scoop out seeds and gross stringy bits. Place squash halves cut side down on cookie sheet (optionally lined w/ tin foil to prevent mess) and put in preheated oven for about 45 minutes. (This time will depend on how big your squash is.) Once cooked remove the skin from the squash and puree flesh in a blender/processor/with a fork.

Sautee sliced onion, apple, carrot, garlic and celery in a pan adding a bit of water to steam the veggies and help everything from sticking to the pan if you are not using oil. I covered my mixture with tin foil for a while and let it all singe a bit for a stronger taste. Then, puree this mixture in food processor. Combine it with the squash in a soup pot and add the salt, pepper and spices while stirring, keeping warm, and tasting. I think the nutmeg is what makes this meal but it is easy to add too much. If you find the taste too strong you can water it down or add milk or a bit of broth if you want. When it has the "right" taste you can use an immersion blender to puree further and get rid of any chunks. What you are left with is almost more like baby food than soup but I think it is delicious and it has been one of the meals that has kept me from thinking I am on a diet.

The recipe doesn't yield much soup but it's strong and concentrated so, as I said, it can be made more soupy with water/milk/cream/broth.

image of squash via and of the soup via

Brunch

Yesterday I made the yummiest brunchy meal. Spread cream cheese on a toasted whole wheat english muffin, top with fresh spinach and two buttery fried eggs...Sooo good, the cream-cheesier the better.

SMOOTHIES

I am a little bit obsessed with smoothies right now. I have one probably every other day. I make mine with a few handfulls of frozen strawberries, half a banana (frozen or not), and a big splash of orange juice. I have also made mixed berry and strawberry kiwi ones. Its super easy, just throw it all in the blender for a minute and serve. Om nom.

Picture from: http://smoothiemag.com/recipes.html

Meal Idea

One of my favourite healthy and quick meals:

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/grilled-chicken-with-spinach-and-whole-wheat-couscous

We just use olive oil instead of safflower and powdered ginger instead of fresh. Also, the yoghurt isn't important it's all so good on its own. Good thing Martha Stewart is a genius.

Pancakes for Dinner

I wanted to have pancakes for dinner last night, so I did. Now, I usually don't make pancakes because I fail miserably everytime. I can make waffles with my eyes closed but pancakes, not so much. Alas, I really wanted some I was going to try anyways. Guess what, I was successful! I think it had to do with an easy recipe, a hot griddle and a good flipper. The recipe I used was found online: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/pancakes-i/Detail.aspx It was great; simple, quick and yummy. Here it is:

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• (I also added a tiny bit of vanilla)

Directions

1. Preheat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, milk and oil. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
3. Pour or scoop the batter onto the hot griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot. (Optional, make them look like Mickey Mouse...)