Roasted Root Vegetables

I love this recipe, because it is a one dish wonder and is packed with vitamins and fibre. Do not peel the vegetables, because that is where the main source of fibre comes from! If you are using beets, note that the colour of the beets will also colour the other vegetables. If that bothers you, cook the beets in a separate pan. I add sweet red peppers to compliment the root vegetables. I usually make this dish to go with oven grilled salmon fillets. This recipe makes enough for about 4 servings, but if you make enough for leftovers you can make a fabulous soup, which is my recipe for tomorrow!!

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsps olive oil infused with chili peppers and rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
2 medium sized beets, washed well and cut into 2 inch squares
2 medium sized carrots, washed well and cut into 2 inch rings
1 large sweet potatoe, washed well and cut into 2 inch squares
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 400F.
Place all vegetables, including onion, in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with infused olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss well to coat. Roast, uncovered, for about 35 minutes, tossing once after 20 minutes.

olive oil infused with chili peppers and rosemary

This oil makes cooking so easy and adds a delicious flavour to any meal. It is also great to just poor a tbsp on a plate and soak it up with fresh bread of your choice. You need a glass bottle with a good stopper to seal it.

Ingredients:

2 cups good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsps dried red chili peppers
1 tbsp dried rosemary

1. Combine all ingredients in glass bottle. Place stopper on top and shake well.
2. Allow to sit at room temperature, sealed, for at least one week. Depending on how intense you want the flavouring you can leave it for up to 2 weeks.
3. Strain out the chili peppers and rosemary. Return oil to bottle, seal with stopper and refrigerate to stop the oil from going rancid.

Cranberry Walnut Breakfast Cookies

These cookies are great to grab as an easy breakfast as you rush out the door, or to pack as a quick after-workout snack for the gym. They are very healthy and full of fibre.This recipe makes about 24 cookies. You can make the cookies larger if you wish, then bake for about 19 minutes and you will get about 18 cookies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsps olive or sunflower oil
3 egg whites, or 1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low fat, plain yoghurt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup 100% whole grain large flake oats
1/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup oatmeal crisp cereal, crushed
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly oil.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, oil, egg and yoghurt and whisk well. Stir in cranberries & chopped dried dates.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
4. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture a bit at a time and stir after each addition until just combined. At this point, if the mixture is too dry, you can stir in a little more yoghurt.
5. Drop by slightly heaping tablespoons full onto baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes on centre rack of oven. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 24 cookies.

sweet potato salad

This recipe is great served cold or at room temperature, along side a grilled salmon fillet and accompanied by a mixed green salad. Great for a healthy summer meal.

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potataoes, washed well and cut into 1 inch squares (leave the peel on it to add fibre to the dish!)
1 large white potatoe, washed well and cut into 1 inch squares
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of one lime
2 cap fulls of white vinegar

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add white and sweet potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes---do not overcook---potatoes should be firm, not mushy.
2. Rinse potatoes under cold running water and drain. Set aside to cool.
3. In medium bowl combine onions, red peppers, salt, pepper, garlic & basil. Add cooled potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, lime juice and white vinegar. Toss lightly and allow to sit for five minutes before serving, to allow flavours to blend.

spicy meatball and vegetable soup

This soup is delicious and the meatballs are baked in the oven, so there is no messy frying. Add some fresh crusty Italian bread and you've got a meal. If you don't want it spicy, omit the chili peppers and if you want it vegan, omit the meatballs and add some chickpeas as your protein. You can also add some baby spinach at the end of the cooking time. This makes about 6-8 servings.

Ingredients for meatballs:

1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of finely grated bread crumbs
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried hot chili peppers
1 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 lb extra-lean ground beef or chicken
1 tbsp olive oil

Ingredients for soup:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 sweet red pepper, finely diced
3 cups water
3 cups vegetable stock (low sodium)
3 thinly sliced medium carrots
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp dried hot chili peppers
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated black pepper

Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Add meat and mix well, blending ingredients with a fork. Roll into 1 inch balls. Lay out on a large non-stick baking sheet, which has been greased with one tsp olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, turning once half-way through, until browned. Place cooked meatballs on paper towels to drain. Set aside.
2. Heat two tsps olive oil in large saucepan, with heavy bottom, on medium heat. Add onion and sweet peppers. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
3. Add the next 8 ingredients to saucepan, along with the cooked meatballs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Serve in large soup bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.

Orange Sesame Tofu with Swiss Chard and Lime Rice

I had to post these recipes here, because they are from a great vegan cookbook that my daughter sent to my husband for Christmas, "eat, drink & be vegan" by Dreena Burton. If you have leftovers from the tofu recipe, you can try them in a wrap rolled with fresh veggies. Makes 4-5 servings.

Orange Sesame Tofu
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Ingredients:
2 tsp arrowroot powder (this is a thickening agent and you can use cornstarch instead)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
3 tbsp tamari (this is a type of soy sauce that is wheat free---it was not available at my grocery store, so I just used sodium reduced soy sauce)
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (this oil is rich in flavour and absolutely delicious)
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 pkg (12 oz/350 g) extra-firm tofu, sliced 1/2 inch thick squares and patted to remove excess moisture
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced (for garnish)
1-2 tbsp sesame seeds (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 400F. In an 8x12 inch baking dish, combine arrowroot or cornstarch with 2 tbsp orange juice and stir until fully dissolved. Add remaining juice & ingredients, except tofu, green onions & sesame seeds, and stir to combine. Add tofu and turn to coat both sides. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour or more, or bake it immediately. To bake, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Turn over tofu, gently stir to cover with sauce & bake again, uncovered, for another 6-9 minutes or until sauce is thick and bubbly (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds and serve.

Swiss Chard
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Ingredients:

1 bunch red, green or rainbow swiss chard, rinsed and dried
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2-3 pinches sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp tamari
1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Remove thick stem and spine from each chard leaf by folding leaf over and cutting stem and spine out down length of leaf. Stack the leaves; roll them up tightly in a cylinder shape , and julienne. In a large frying pan on medium-low, heat 1 tsp sesame oil. Add chard, season with salt & pepper, and toss to lightly coat. Saute for 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until chard reduces slightly, but is still vibrant green. Do not overcook. Toss in 1/2 to 1 tsp of sesame oil, tamari and lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Lime Rice
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(the recipe is actually for coconut lime basmati rice, but I'm not big on coconut milk and I always have a large supply of brown rice in my cupboard, so I used that--the recipe below is the original from the cookbook)
Ingredients:

1 cup dry brown basmati rice
1 can (13 oz/400 ml) light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2-2 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp lime zest
lime wedges (for serving)

In a saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water, lime juice and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat, stir, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 35-45 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through. Turn off heat, stir in lime zest and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze on individual portions.

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

The "secret" ingredients in this recipe are cumin and dried chili peppers. This is a variation of a recipe from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. I served it with a side of roasted vegetables--you can use whatever is on hand, but I chopped up a couple of carrots; one sweet potato, a head of broccoli, and 1/2 an onion; place all vegetables in a roasting pan and toss with a couple of tbsps of olive oil, some chopped garlic, salt & pepper and roast beside the chicken at 400F for about 30 minutes. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients for lentils:

1 can (19 oz) lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove chopped garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cap fulls red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried red chili peppers
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh coarsely ground black pepper

Ingredients for chicken:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 tbsps olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp chili peppers
2 tsps cumin

1. Combine oil, salt, pepper, chili peppers and cumin in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate, covered in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
2. Rinse lentils well under cold water in colander. Place in a medium sized bowl. In a small bowl, combine oil, cumin, chili peppers, vinegar, salt & pepper. Pour over the lentils and toss gently. In the meantime, saute onions in olive oil until carmelized, about 5 mintues. Add chopped garlic and saute another 1 minute. Toss onions and garlic into lentil mixture. Cover and keep at room temperature.
3. Place marinated chicken and an oiled roasting pan. Roast in a 400F oven for 30 minutes.
4. Spoon lentils onto a plate; place the chicken on top. Spoon roasted vegetables on the side.