Austrian Mushroom Stew

My good friend Renate gave me this recipe. She is from Vienna and this is a Austrian recipe. The first version is the original one from Austria, the second version is the one that Renate uses now. Sounds delicious! I will be making this one soon for sure. This recipe serves 2 people but can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped into small pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
2 cups sliced mushrooms of your choice
1 large potato, peeled and cubed

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium in a large, deep skillet. Add chopped onions and cook until onions are soft and yellow. Stir in the paprika, tomato paste, caraway seeds and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add in the small cubes of potatoes and continue to cook until the potatoes are done and the sauce is thick.

Renate's way:

Ingredients:

1 large yellow oinion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sliced portabello mushrroms
1/2 tsp dried red chili peppers
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup water
1 tsp flour


Directions:





Brown yellow small cut onions with sliced  portabello mushrooms. Add chili pepper and  black pepper & just very little salt. When you see mushrooms cooked ( very brown) add 1/2 cup water to heat and after couple minutes stir in a little flour to thicken the sauce. Serve with a small slice of rye bread.

Roasted Radicchio with Balsamic Drizzle

Pronounced "radeekeo", this was my father-in-laws favourite "lettuce" type vegetable to have in a salad. This version is roasted and then drizzled with a (good quality) balsamic vinegar at the end. Delicious! If you are making this, you might want to make my roasted asparagus at the same time, the recipe is also on this sight---both are simple recipes that bring out a wonderful flavour in these two vegetables. This recipe serves 4 but can easily be halved for two.

Ingredients:

2 large heads of radicchio, halved through the core. Then, cut each half into 3 wedges, leaving some of the core attached.
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Good quality balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Wash radicchio in cold water and allow water to drain off but don't dry completely. Place in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and basil. Toss to coat.
2. Arrange wedges on rimmed baking sheet; roast for about 12 minutes, turning half-way through cooking time. Arrange on a plate and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

tabouleh

Great middle-eastern vegetarian dish! Healthy and full of flavour.

Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

1/4 cup bulgur

1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

5 tomatoes, diced

1 large spring onion, finely diced

2 teaspoons olive oil

Juice from 1 lemon

salt to taste

Directions

1. Place the bulgur in a small mixing bowl. Add the boiling water, mix and cover with a towel; Let stand for 1 hour. Drain any excess water.
2. Combine the parsley, mint, tomatoes, onion, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Add the bulgur; mix well and serve.

 

Caprese Salad with Tomato or Beet

We have this salad a few times a week! In the summer we use fresh tomatoes and in the fall and winter we use roasted beets. Try it with the Buffalo mozzarella cheese, which is a softer, creamier mozzarella. Also, fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil make all the difference. Delicious! This recipe makes 4 appetizer size salads.

Ingredients:

-2 large ripe (but firm) tomatoes or 2 large, roasted red beets at room temperature (you can roast the beets by putting them in a roasting pan, drizzling a little olive oil over them and covering them with foil---roast in a 450F oven for about an hour, or until a knife can easily be inserted in the middle---I make a batch and keep them covered in the fridge as they last about a week). Have some fresh bread of your liking to sop up the oil and vinegar at the end:) best part!
-8 large fresh basil leaves
-8 thinly sliced pieces of Buffalo mozzarella (about 2 inches by 2 inches by 1/4 inch thick)
-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
-4 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
-freshly ground black pepper to taste
-salt to taste, if using (I don't use the salt and it really is not needed as the flavours are already fabulous)

Directions:

1. Slice the tomatoes or beets to even thickness to make 8 slices & plate 4 of them on 4 small salad plates. Top each with one slice of the cheese and one basil leaf. Pepper to taste. Drizzle each with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Repeat the layers again and voila! 
Sop up the oil and vinegar that is left on the plate with some fresh bread. 
 


 

Herb Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Peas

This is a delicious, savoury chicken dish to warm you up on a cold winter day. You do not need to add salt to this dish as the herbs and spices give it a wonderful flavour and keep the sodium content low. This recipe serves 4 but can easily be doubled. Enjoy!

Ingredients

8 Fingerling potatoes, washed but not peeled

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp picante hot sauce (low sodium)

1 tbsp dried oregano, basil and parsley

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1 inch thickness

1 cup frozen peas

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F with a rack in the highest position. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with the oil and pepper. Season the chicken with herbs and spices and pepper and brush with oil.
2. Nestle the chicken in the potatoes and roast, tossing the potatoes once, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Add the peas to the chicken and potatoes and continue to roast until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle with the lemon juice and serve with the lemon wedges.

Chickpea Vegetable Soup

This is a delicious, hearty, vegan soup (if you use the brewer's yeast instead of grated parmesan cheese). The chickpeas really give it the heartiness and it is such a great soup for a cold winter meal. The combination of chickpeas and green beans make it a complete protein meal and the other vegetables balance everything out. It is also low in sodium. Grab some of your favourite crusty bread to sop up the juices. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-one tbsp olive oil
-2 medium carrots, diced
-1/2 a vidalia onion, diced
-1 16 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
-2 cups low sodium, low fat vegetable broth
-1 cup water
-2 cups green beans, cut in half cross-wise
-1 small red bell pepper, diced
-1 tsp hot picante sauce (optional)
-1/2 cup frozen corn
-1/2 cup frozen peas
-1 tsp dried parsely
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper




Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the vegetable broth, green beans, chickpeas, and frozen peas. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Top with the freshly grated parmesan cheese (or brewer's yeast for a true vegan meal).

Savoury Steel Cut Oats

Steel cut oats are the ones with the highest fibre content. They take a little longer to cook, but are well worth it for their fibre and nutrition content. Oats are generally used as a sweet or breakfast type food in North America, but this recipe incorporates them into a savoury dish that can be used as a side at the dinner table. Spices can be added or omitted based on your liking. This makes 2 servings but can be doubled.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup steel cut oats
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock (fat and sodium free)
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 small vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped swiss chard
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring broth to a boil and stir in oats. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. In a separate, non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add chopped swiss chard and spices and saute for a few minutes.
3. Stir the onion mixture into the cooked oats. Salt and pepper to taste.