This one is so easy – just snap the woody ends off the asparagus, and steam them for a minute or two. Plate them, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top, grate a little parmesan on, and a little salt. Done – tasty, easy, delicious.
Maple Butternut Squash Soup
The sun came out today and reminded me that I only have a little more time to make winter soups! So here is a squash soup I’ve been meaning to post for a long time, one that I’ve been making for years. The baked cauliflower topping, however, is a new addition, and I’m going to make it like this again.
I know that the sticker on your squash probably tells you that the easiest way to cook it is in the microwave. This may be true, however, I find oven-baking it makes it taste sweeter, and it’s also more satisfying. Also, you can cook the cauliflower while the squash is baking.
What you need:
1 medium-sized butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
2 stalks celery
1/2 large sweet onion (I cry less over sweet onions – you can use a regular one if you wish)
1 red or yellow sweet pepper
1/4 cup white wine (I used riesling)
1/4 teaspoon dry tarragon leaves, crumbled (1/2 teaspoon fresh)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3-4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
maple syrup to taste
salt to taste, unless your stock already has salt in it
1/4 cup dry sherry – optional but amazing!
1 cauliflower, an optional topping
What you do:
1. Cut the squash in half, de-seed and lay on a baking sheet. Bake at 400F for about 30 minutes or until it pierces easily with a knife. At the same time you can cut the cauliflower into florets and bake for the same amount of time, until browned.
2. Cook the onion, celery and pepper in butter for several minutes. Add the spices, then the wine, and cook for a few more minutes. Add half of the stock and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
3. When the squash is cooked, allow it to cool enough to be handled. Puree it, along with a cup of the stock, then add it to the vegetables.
4. Heat the soup through, then add the maple syrup, sherry, and salt to taste.
5. Top with chopped roasted cauliflower to serve.
Lemon Olive Oil Coffee Cake with Cranberries and Raspberries
After browsing the recipes on Lottie and Doof I chose to make this recipe for an afternoon tea cake. I added a sprinkling of ground almonds on top, and used frozen cranberries and a few raspberries instead of the fresh fruit mentioned in the original recipe. Love this cake, even after a bit of a mistake on my part – I baked it in an 8-inch pan rather than the 9-inch pan that the recipe called for. I had to leave it in the oven a lot longer than the recipe called for, and even then it was a little soft in the middle – but still so good! The outside was a little crispy, which I actually liked – some mistakes are worth making!
What you need:
200 grams granulated sugar (about 1 cup)
zest of 2 lemons
100 grams melted butter (just less than 1/2 cup)
200 grams olive oil (just less than 1 cup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
250 grams all-purpose flour (about 2 & 1/2 cups)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
about 1-1 & 1/2 cups fruit (I used cranberries and a few raspberries, but be creative or use what you’ve got on hand!)
What you do:
1. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F. Melt the butter and allow to cool a little.
2. Mix the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips to release the oils.
3. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and mix them with the sugar and salt. Beat with an electric mixer for quite a while, until it has about doubled in volume.
4. Very gradually beat in the olive oil, butter and lemon juice.
5. Fold in the flour and baking powder, being careful not to mix too much.
6. Pour half the batter into the pan, put a layer of fruit down, then add the rest of the batter on top of the fruit.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes. You can check it by inserting a toothpick and seeing if it comes out clean. After cooling a bit you can remove it from the pan by running a knife around the edge and inverting onto a wire rack.
Chili-Lime Nuts
This my attempt to make nuts like the Trader-Joe’s Thai lime and chili nuts. These have less salt and no added oil. You can adjust the amount of cayenne, if you don’t like things to get too hot. This is really easy to make, and makes a nice treat to nibble on.
What you need:
juice of 1 lime
1 cup mixed nuts (I used red-skin peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and cashew – almonds would be great!)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 dried chili, crumbled
pinch of sugar
3 lime leaves, sliced – optional
What you do:
1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and coat all the nuts.
2. Bake at 220F for 40-60 minutes. Check them and stir every 10-15 minutes, especially near the end. They will be done when they are dry inside – check by tasting! You’ll want to scrape the dried juice and spices off the pan as you go along to combine with the nuts.
3. These will keep for a few weeks.
Oven-baked Onion Rings
I’ve been trying for a while to find the right way to do this. I tried one recipe that had cornmeal, and they were awful and cardboardy. And a lot of the recipes I googled were coated in potato chips – pretty much defeating the purpose of oven-baking. I wanted them to be delicious AND healthy – too much to ask? Apparently not!
I just did what I usually do with breaded foods, but I added some yogurt to the egg coating to make them a little more tender. And yum, it worked! And it’s easy!
What you need:
1 egg
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
1 sweet or red onion
What you do:
1. Crack the egg into a bowl and add the yogurt. Mix well with a fork.
2. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl with some salt and pepper.
3. Cut the onion into thick rings, about 2cm wide.
4. Dip each ring into the egg mixture, then coat thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture.
5. Place the breaded rings on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 400F. Flip the rings over and bake for another 10-15 minutes. They are done when they are quite browned.
Serve with a yogurt dip. I like to add a bit of dill, salt and pepper to some plain yogurt. Adding some curry powder to the plain yogurt is nice too.
Garlic Pea Shoots
Here’s another attempt to recreate a dish I tried and loved, this one from Legendary Noodle on Main Street in Vancouver. So quick and easy, so addictively good.
If you’re in Vancouver, you can find pea shoots at East West Market on Main at King Edward St.
What you need:
pea shoots
sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
soy sauce
water
What you do:
1. Heat a frying pan on medium heat and pour in a teaspoon or so of sesame oil.
2. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and then the pea shoots to the pan.
3. Add a tablespoon or so of soy sauce and toss the shoots a little.
4. Add a tablespoon or two of water, then cover the pan and let it cook for about a minute.
Done! Ready to eat!
Pasta with Butternut Squash, Capers and Raisins
This recipe comes from my mom – she’s been making it for years. I’ve just changed a few things – I bake the squash instead of boiling it, which makes it sweeter (I think), I use less oil to cook the onions, and for meat-eaters I serve a bit of fried chorizo on top. Oh, and a splash of wine, red or white, in the sauce, if I’ve got some on hand.
This is comfort food at its best – it tastes great, and it’s good for you. I serve it on brown rice pasta, which is better for you and tastes so good, and works better for all the people who need to have gluten-free recipes. I prefer the texture of it to whole wheat pasta, which seems grainier to me. Just make sure you don’t overcook it – I always check it a few minutes before the recommended cooking time is up.
What you need:
1 medium-sized butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 finely diced onion
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 dried chili pepper, crumbled
1 – 796mL can plum tomatoes, chopped and undrained
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon capers
salt and pepper
pasta, 3-4 cups cooked, keeping in mind that 1/2 cup or cooked pasta is one serving
chorizo sausage, optional (if you’re in Vancouver, Windsor meats on Main street makes their own amazing chorizo)
parmesan to grate on top, optional (I use lactose-free l’Ancetre)
What you do:
1. Cut squash in half, remove seeds and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-ish minutes at 350F, or until a knife pierces it very easily. Let it rest until it is cool enough to handle.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and then add the onion, cooking for a few minutes. Add the garlic and chili peppers and cook for another minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and their juice, along with the raisins, capers, salt and pepper and optional wine. Let this cook for 20-30 minutes, or until much of the liquid has evaporated. During this time you can boil the water and cook the pasta when the sauce is almost ready.
4. Cut the squash into cubes. I make cuts in it while it’s still in the peel, then scoop the squares out. Carefully stir the squash into the tomato sauce, then combine with the pasta.
Top with a few slices of chorizo and some freshly grated parmesan. So good, and fabulous as a leftover for my lunch today!
Amazing Chocolate Brownies. Truly.
These Moosewood brownies are the best. They’re an old standby – whenever I need a surefire easy recipe for chocolate lovers, this is the recipe I go to. I’ve split the recipe in half, so it can be baked in a 9×9 pan, but feel free to double it to make a large pan. Add your favourites – nuts, chocolate chips, or leave it to its pure chocolateyness.
Your house will smell heavenly if you bake this… mine does!
What you need:
2.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 medium or 2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon
What you do:
1. Melt the chocolate and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light in colour.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla.
4. Drizzle chocolate in and mix well as you pour it.
5. Mix in flour with a wooden spoon, along with salt and cinnamon, and any extras like nuts or chocolate chips.
6. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
Serve all by itself, with a dusting of icing sugar, with a dollop of whipping cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce, or with ice cream – any way you serve it, it’s gonna be good. Especially if it’s still a bit warm!
Lentil Vegetable Soup with Yogurt
This colourful soup is packed with nutritious veggies and plenty of flavour. There aren’t many seasonings, but this soup gets its flavour from the vegetables, especially the browned onions. A dollop of plain yogurt as you’re serving finishes it off perfectly!
What you need:
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves, sliced
1 leek, sliced
1 red pepper, diced finely
1 fennel bulb, diced finely
2 carrots. grated
1 parsnip, grated
1/2 jalapeno with seeds, finely diced
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup red lentils
salt and pepper, to taste
What you do:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and cook onions until slightly browned.
2. Add the garlic and leek and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the broth and lentils and cook for about 30 minutes, simmering on low.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a dollop of plain yogurt.
Easy Tortilla Pizza
Here’s a quick and easy meal for you. You can use whatever toppings you like; I’ve listed some of my favourites. Just pick a couple that you think will work together, or add your own.
What you need:
whole grain tortilla shell (I keep them in the freezer)
tomato paste
sliced mushrooms
asparagus, sliced lengthwise
cherry tomatoes, cut in half and deseeded
olives
red peppers
sun-dried tomatoes, diced
hot italian sausage
herbs/spices – fresh basil or some anise seeds
a bit of grated cheese (optional)
What you do:
1. Spread some tomato paste over the tortilla.
2. Put some toppings on.
3. Pop it in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes, then broil for the last minute or two – but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
4. Enjoy!
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