Wild Rice Bean and Carrot Soup

A reminder about how important beta carotene is for human health set me on a mission to make a delicious soup today. The primary source of beta carotene is carrots, sweet potatoes and canteloupe melon. This soup has lots of carrots!

Ingredients:

1 cup (uncooked) wild rice or a combination of wild and brown rice
4 tbsps olive oil
5 medium carrots, washed, peeled and diced
1 vidalia (or sweet) onion, diced
4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsps picante hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Generally wild rice will take about 50 minutes to cook and then another 10 minutes to sit.
2. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, onions and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. In a large pot, heat the stock and water over medium high heat. Add the sauteed carrots, onions and garlic. Reduce heat to low. Gently stir in the beans, chickpeas and hot sauce. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Gently stir in the baby spinach and allow time for it to wilt, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon some of the cooked rice into soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the rice and serve.

Berry Walnut Spinach Salad

Although the weather is still cold, I served this as a side with some grilled salmon last night and it was quite delicious. You can improvise with the type of berry and nut you want to use. This is also a great stand alone salad for lunch! Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup walnuts pieces
1/2 cup of fresh rasberries
1/2 cup of fresh blueberries
4 cups of baby spinach, washed
1/2 vidalia or sweet onion, chopped
4 square inches blue cheese, crumbled into large chunks
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup cider vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large wide bowl, place all ingredients except oil and vinegar.
2. Drizzle oil and vinegar over top and toss very lightly. Use a large serving spoon to gently transfer to individual salad plates for serving.

Baked Cod

We had this tonight for dinner & I served it with roasted asparagus and slices of tomato that were lightly dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Cooking time is 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cod fillets. The asparagus can be roasted, for the final ten minutes, on the highest oven rack while the fish is baking. The asparagus is spread out on a baking sheet and lightly tossed with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Serves two.

Ingredients:

1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 cod fillets (each the size of your palm and the thickness of a deck of cards)
1/4 cup dry, finely ground whole-wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup panko crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried hot chili peppers (optional)
2 tbsps grated parmesan or romano cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425F. Brush both sides of the cod with mustard. Set aside.
2) Combine remaining ingredients in a tupperware type container and shake to combine well. Sprinkle contents out onto a dinner plate.
3) Using tongs, coat both sides of the cod in the crumbs. Place in a lightly oiled baking pan & bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Prosciutto Wrapped Baby Spinach with Parmigiano Reggiano

We had a special guest come and cook a wonderful meal at our place last week! The "salad" dish was baby spinach, lightly dress, wrapped in prosciutto (Italian ham), a slice of tomato and shaved parmigiano reggiano over top and then drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Simple, yet divine. We went out and bought the ingredients today and ended up having it as our mid-afternoon snack this afternoon. Delicious!

Ingredients:

-Thinly sliced, lean prosciutto (depending on how many you want to make, you will need that number of strips)
-baby spinach, lightly dressed with a touch of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (you do not need to add any salt as the prosciutto is quite salty and flavourful)
-ripe but firm tomatoes
-fresh block of parmigianno reggiano cheese
-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. On a large platter, lay out the strips of prosciutto. Spoon the dressed baby spinach generously at one end of the prosciutto and roll tightly enough that the spinach stays put, but don't "choke" it.

2. Slice the tomatoes and place one on top of each rolled prosciutto/spinach. Top with a couple of generous shaves of the parmesan cheese. You can add freshly ground black pepper to the finished product if you wish. You would eat these with a knife and fork. If you want a simpler version, you can skip the tomato and roll the cheese inside with the spinach. This can be eaten with your hands.

Left-over Mashed Potato Patties

A great recipe for left over mashed potatoes! What a comfort food:)

Ingredients:

Leftover mashed potatoes (about 2 cups)
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Flour or bread crumbs for coating
2 tbsps olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine mashed potatoes, onion, egg and cheese. Shape into large size balls. Roll into flour or bread crumbs and flatten into patties. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add patties and brown for about 3 minutes on each side. Salt and pepper to taste.

Maple Coconut Flax Cookies (Vegan)

This is a very simple vegan recipe and makes about 24 delicious cookies. They are great with a little marmalade spooned on top as you eat them; yummy!

Ingredients:

-1 cup whole wheat flour
-1 cup rolled oats
-1/2 cup shredded coconut
-1/4 cup ground flax seeds
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 cup maple syrup
-1/2 cup olive oil or sunflower oil
-1 tsp granulated sugar & 1 tsp cinnamon, combined, for sprinkling over-top after baking

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, coconut, flax, cinnamon and salt.
2) Add maple syrup and oil. Mix, just until the flour is absorbed.
3) Roll, by scant tablespoons, into balls.
4) Place, 1 inch apart, on parchment lined baking sheet.
5) Flatten with middle and index fingers in a "v" shape to make a little wave pattern.
6) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bottoms are golden. As soon as they are removed from the oven, sprinkle the granulated sugar/cinnamon combination over-top. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 24 cookies.

Cranberry & Olive Chicken

This is a delicious chicken dish with a middle-eastern twist. It has lots of flavour and is great served over quinoa or rice. This recipe serves 2 but can be easily doubled. I served it with a side of steamed chinese broccoli, which I tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in half cross-wise
2 Tbsp chopped almonds or walnuts
1/4 cup black olives, pitted, flattened & chopped1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp each ground dried cinnamon, garlic & cumin
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 cup roasted red peppers from jar, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp dried hot chili peppers (optional)

Directions:

1) Place chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet (or rolling pin) to flatten slightly. Marinade chicken with oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon & cumin. Add some dried hot chili peppers if you want extra heat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2) Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade & cook, 2 minutes per side; put on a plate.

3) Heat another 1 tsp oil in pan on medium. Sauté onion until softened.Add chopped garlic and saute another minute. Stir in broth, cranberries and olives. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Return chicken to pan and cook, turning occasionally, 5 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, add rinsed quinoa to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in almonds or walnuts, salt & pepper and roasted red peppers. Transfer to platter & top with chicken and cranberry & olive mixture.