Cranberry Pumpkin Loaf

This is a tasty loaf that is easy to make! 

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/8 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
2 eggs
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup canola oil
juice and zest of one lime  

Directions:


1. Whisk flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda in bowl. Stir in cranberries.
2.Whisk pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, syrup, vegetable oil, and lime juice and zest in another bowl. Stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until just combined.
3. Pour into a 9" x 5" loaf pan coated lightly with oil. Bake at 350°F until wooden pick comes out with crumbs adhering, about 1 hour. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack before slicing.

Red Wine Reduction for Pork Tenderloin

This is a great sauce to make, instead of gravy. It works really well with pork tenderloin. I made it today for our Thanksgiving dinner. My husband came up with the idea and then we tweaked it a bit.
This makes about 1 cup of sauce but can the recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped
1 cup of dry red wine (I used my favourite Merlot: Gatto Nero)
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
a few fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped (a little goes a long way)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rasberry jam
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp corn starch, mixed well in a small amount of cold water (say 1/8 of a cup) 

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a skillet. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic in the last minute and mix in with the onion. Stir in the wine, rosemary, honey and jam and cook down for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the chicken broth and salt and pepper, along with the corn starch/water mixture and cook down for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently until it thickens. Transfer to a gravy boat and drizzle over the pork tenderloin once it is plated.

Kale and Sweet Potato Salad

This is a fabulous salad that can be eaten as a meal or a side dish. Keep leftovers in the fridge for an easy lunch the next day--delicious! 


2 sweet potatoes, washed and diced (do not peel as that is where a lot of the fibre is)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions;

Preheat oven to 375F. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet, toss in olive oil and thyme. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
In a large bowl, put kale, sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds and cranberries. Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss lightly and top with crumbled feta cheese

Light Eggplant Parmesan

This is a lighter, easier version of the traditional Italian dish, Eggplant Parmesan. Delicious fresh ingredients guarantee a wonderful dish. Add a side salad and some fresh artisan bread and you've got a complete meal. This recipe makes 4 servings.



Ingredients:

2-3 smallish eggplant, cut into ¼" slices
¼ cup + 1½ tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) good quality "San Marzano" tomatoes
20 fresh basil leaves or 4 tbsp dried basil
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese





Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously oil 2 non-stick baking sheets.
2. Place eggplant slices on pans and brush tops with ¼ cup of the oil. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Bake 30 minutes or until softened.
3. Heat remaining 1½ teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute.
4. Add tomatoes, basil, pepper, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Put tomato mixture into food processor and puree until nearly smooth.
6. Coat bottom of 8" x 8" baking pan with 1/2 cup of the sauce. Add one-third of the eggplant, and top with another ½ cup of the sauce and 3 tablespoons of the cheese. Repeat twice (eggplant, sauce, cheese), ending with remaining 6 tablespoons cheese.
7. Bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Lebanese Moussaka

We bought a "to go" dish of Lebanese Moussaka from our local grocery story (Adonis) the other night, to go with a roasted chicken. The flavours were so wonderful, I had to put something together that I can make on my own. This is great to have hot as a side to a meal, or to eat at room temperature with pita bread (or even nacho chips).

Ingredients:

2 medium sized eggplants, shopped and roasted (you have to put the chopped eggplant in a strainer and salt them---let them sit over a sink and put a heavy bowl on top and leave for 20 minutes, then rinse well before roasting with a little olive oil at about 450F for 30 minutes, along with the peppers)
2 sweet bell peppers--red, yellow or orange--chopped into large pieces and roasted
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup of sweet onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large cloves of garlic, minced (or use 1 tbsp garlic powder)
1- 15 ounce can of  good quality diced tomatoes--the Italian San Marzano brand
1- 15 ounce can of chick peas, rinsed
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of dried basil---or use fresh basil if you have it---about 4 large leaves, chopped
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of ground cumin (go easy with this as it has a very dominant flavour)
A pinch of oregano
1 tablespoon of lemon
1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses (optional)
1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley
1 bag of your favorite Pita or Nacho Chips

Directions:

1. Over medium heat, add olive oil to a large saute pan. Once the oil is heated, add the onions and garlic, stir occasionally until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5-7 minutes. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the parsley and cook until the mixture starts to boil.
3. Remove from heat, add the parsley and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm with pita or nacho chips, or as a side for roasted chicken.

Tomato & Nectarine Salad with Feta

This is a great combination of flavours that is so easy to put together in no time! A light lemony dressing makes it perfect. It serves 4 people as a side salad. Pair it with grilled chicken or fish.

Ingredients:

• 2 nectarines
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 8 fresh basil leaves, coarsely torn
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp dried oregano

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp  or more of lemon juice
• Directions:
• Cut nectarines in half and remove pits; cut each half into 6 wedges. Core and halve tomatoes; cut each half into 4 wedges. Arrange nectarines and tomatoes on platter.
  
  Dressing: Whisk together oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Drizzle over salad. Sprinkle with feta, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  

Tomato Arugula Basil Pesto

This is a fabulous pesto that you can make very easily in your food processor; all fresh ingredients and a lot of flavour! You can use this as a pasta sauce or as a dip with wedges of fresh bread or veggies. Another idea would be to toast some thick slices of Italian bread, spread it over the top and broil (like bruschetta). Yum!! I made a quick batch for my son to use on his pasta tonight and he loved it. This recipe is for a small batch that would serve two over pasta, but it can easily be doubled or tripled.

Ingredients:

-2 cups cherry tomatoes (you can cook them quickly in a skillet over medium heat, just long enough to soften the skin a bit---this helps them break down in the food processor). If you can''t find fresh cherry tomatoes, a company called Aurora sells them whole in the can and they are available at most grocery stores---in this case no need to cook.
-2 cups fresh basil leaves (it is a pesto after all:)
-2 cups arugula (this is a peppery green leaf that is usually found in the spinach section at the grocery store and adds a wonderful flavour)
-1/4 cup almonds, chopped (for a nuttier flavour you can also "toast" these in a dry skillet at medium high for a couple of minutes, but it is not necessary); the almonds give a great texture to the pesto
-3 garlic cloves, chopped (or, you can use 2 tsp garlic powder)
-1/8 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
-salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Toss everything in the food processor and process for about 1 minute---that's it!! Make sure you have your favourite pasta ready to serve, so you can pour this right over it, give it a few tosses and dig in! The hot pasta will heat up the sauce. Some extra grated cheese for garnish is always great!