Mexican Style Bean Salad

My mom is coming into town today and after the 4 hour drive from Shawville I'm sure she'll be hungry. I've decided to make one of her favorite meals, a mexican style bean salad. This salad is great in the summer or winter and can be eaten as a meal on its own or as a side. It would go great with burgers or a sandwich. So here it is...

Ingredients

1 can black beans, washed

1 can corn kernels, drained

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 green onion, sliced

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp chilli powder

3 tbsp white wine or white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

This recipe is so simple and easy, and only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. Combine all ingredients in a glass mixing bowl and stir. Let chill in the fridge for an hour so the beans can absorb the spices (optional). Makes about 4 servings. 

 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I had an acorn squash in my pantry and needed a new way to eat it. Yes, the smother in butter and brown sugar technique is delicious, but I needed something healthier, with protein and flavor! So here is my stuffed squash recipe.

Ingredients
Butternut squash
1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
4 slices of chicken bacon
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
Cooking spray
1 tsp butter or margarine
1/2 large red onion, sliced
1/2 large white onion, sliced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, diced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper
60 grams goat cheese

Preheat oven to 400C. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and place on a cooking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until a fork pierces the flesh without any effort.

In a frying pan fry the chicken bacon about 3 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, in two separate pans fry the mushrooms and onions, first spraying the pans with cooking spray. Caramelize the onions by adding 1 tsp margarine or butter and one tbsp brown sugar. The mushrooms and onions should take about 5 minutes. Chop the bacon and add it, the mushrooms and the onions to a large mixing bowl. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions and add to the mixing bowl. Stir in the cranberries, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir all the ingredients together and stuff the squash once it is cooked. Place the stuffed squash back in the oven for 5 minutes to heat. Top each half with 30 grams of goat cheese and serve.

I really liked this dish but according to Katie "it tastes like it should be fattening!"

Chicken bacon

Butternut squash

Quinoa stuffing

Purple Cabbage Side Salad

So sticking to the new diet (aka lifestyle change...) can be a little challenging but luckily vegetables are a free for all. So here is a recipe for a sweet side salad that goes great with a sandwich for lunch or with dinner. And its quick and easy to make!

Ingredients
1/2 purple cabbage, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1/3 cup raisins
2 large carrots, grated
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp low fat mayo
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey

In a large pot saute the onions in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook covered for about 5 minutes until the cabbage is slightly softened. Remove from heat and place in the fridge until cooled. Add the mayo, vinegar, carrots, honey, raisins and stir until combined. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Soup

Its that time of year again...fall (we have a love hate relationship; love the pretty colors and that I get to wear sweaters and scarves, hate the wind and rain blowing in my face and turning my umbrella inside out). Tonight I had Tiiu over for dinner and had to come up with an idea for what to serve that little princess-sexy-beast friend of mine. Pumpkin soup seemed fitting considering the windy weather outside. (Not to tease, but I served the soup with grilled squid and a marinated portobello mushroom topped with caramelized onions and sharp cheddar). So here is the recipe for the soup (so simple and quite amazing). On a side note, the recipe is from my travels to Vietnam...

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
1 medium sized pumpkin
1 cup skim or 1% milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp concentrated soup stock (I used vegetable)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Dealing with the pumpkin is the hardest part. I cut around the stem and removed the top, scooped out the pulp and seeds and then cut the pumpkin in half. I finished cleaning the inside and then sliced the pumpkin and peeled it. This took me forever and I'm sure there must be an easier way. I think cutting the pumpkin in half and baking it for an hour, then scooping out the flesh and using it in the soup would also work and may be less energy consuming.

Anyway, once I got that bad boy sliced and peeled I diced it into think pieces and added it to a soup pot.

Regarldess of how you get the pumpkin ready, once its in the pot add enough water to cover the pumpkin and cook it on high heat for about 20 minutes. Once most of the water has evaporated check to see if the pumpkin is cooked. If not, add another cup and finished cooking the pumpkin. Once the it is cooked add the milk (add more if you want the soup to be less creamy and thick). Add the condensed stock and sugar, and season with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Puree with a hand blender until it is creamy and smooth. Serve as an appetizer or add croutons and cheese and have it as a main.

Also, you can roast the seeds which are a great addition to salads. Simply toss them in a tsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake them at 400C for 3-4 minutes. Take them out, flip them and bake for a few more minutes until golden.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

I just cannot get enough of the Asian food Katie and I learned how to make while we were away. Vietnamese fresh spring rolls are probably one of my favorite things to eat. And they aren't that hard to make, once you figure out where to get rice paper (turns out its actually found in most grocery stores in the Asian food isle). So here is an authentic recipe for Vietnamese spring rolls with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.


Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls with Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients
For the spring rolls:
2 large carrots
1 cucumber
4 rice papers, large size
12 mint leaves
2 tbsp dried onion flakes
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves or green lettuce leaves
8 large shrimp, cooked (or 12 small shrimp)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar

For the dipping sauce:
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 red chili, diced (or a small spoonful of chili paste, depending on how spicy you want the sauce to be)
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1 tsp rice wine vinegar

With a cheese grater grate the carrots. Peel the cucumber and grate it until you reach the seeds. Keep turning the cucumber until it is fully grated with only the core remaining. Discard the core. In a bowl combine the grated carrot and cucumber, vinegar and sugar and stir. Set aside.

For the dipping sauce, in a small bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, lime juice and chilies and stir. Set aside to serve with the spring rolls.

Take one rice paper and wet it under very cold running water. Lay the rice paper on a flat surface and wait about 1 minute until it is fully soft. Meanwhile, take the carrot/cucumber mixture in your hands and squeeze out all the excess liquid. Put the mixture in a separate bowl once all the liquid has been squeezed out. Take about 1/4 of the mixture and arrange it at one end of the rice paper, leaving about 1 inch from the edge on all sides (see pictures). Arrange 3 mint leaves and 1/4 of the spinach or lettuce on top of the cucumber and carrots. Sprinkle with dried onion flakes. Roll the rice paper over once. Fold over each side (again, see pics) and place 2-3 shrimp on top of the roll and. Now keep rolling the rice paper until the roll is finished.  Repeat with the other 3 rice papers until all the rolls are finished. Serve 2 per person with the sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Variations:
Instead of shrimp you can also use crab or fried pork. Sometimes I add cooked vermicelli rice noodles which make the rolls more filling. You can put almost anything you want inside the rolls, so get creative!

You can find rice papers in most grocery stores in the Asian food isle

Grate cucumber until you get to the seeds

Sweet and sour dipping sauce

Add the carrot, mint, dried onion and spinach leaves

Roll the rice paper over once

Fold over both sides

Add 2 or 3 shrimp

Continue to roll until the end of the rice paper

Serve with sweet and sour dipping sauce

Roasted Tomato and Macaroni Soup

Sometimes the best addition to a meal is a delicious soup. It also helps that left overs taste even better and make the best lunches. Here is my recipe for Roasted Tomato and Macaroni Soup...

Ingredients
8 Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 large or one small cooking onion, sliced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup uncooked pasta
Cheese for topping
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºC. On a baking sheet lined with with aluminum foil arrange the tomatoes, garlic and sliced onion, season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper and bake for 30 minutes. Add the vegetables and the rosemary to a food processor (or blender if you don't have one) and puree until smooth. In a cooking pot bring the stock to a boil and add the pureed mixture. Add the macaroni and cook for 8-10 minutes. If there is a lot of caramelization from the veggies still on the pan, pour a little water onto the pan and stir, then add this juice to the soup. Serve the soup with cheese sprinkled on top and enjoy!

Fresh Roma tomatoes

Roasted Veggies

Add some strong cheddar to make this soup even better!

This soup goes great along side fish or a sandwich for dinner and with a piece of crusty bread for lunch!

Low Cal Mini Banana Breads

Sometimes I find it impossible to stick to a healthy diet and keep motivated to hit the gym. Last night I found myself faced with a container of peanut butter cookies (Thanks a lot Lolo, although they were delicious!) and I couldn't help myself. I think one of the toughest hurdles is the post-night-out cravings for anything deep fried, made with cheese or made solely out of sugar. But I have learned my lesson. In order to beat these cravings and stick to my plan of staying healthy I need to be prepared! So here is a recipe for low fat, low cal banana breads (one of my favorite desserts/snacks) that won't make you feel bad if you eat one (or two!). I didn't make them with chocolate chips this time, but adding in a cup of chocolate chips to the recipe will make them extra delish!

Low Cal Mini Banana Breads

Ingredients
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch kosher salt
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
1/4 cup Splenda
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºC. Line 12 muffin tins with muffin papers or spray lightly with cooking spray (I recommend using cooking spray because the breads tend to stick to the paper). In a bowl mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together. In a separate bowl combine the Splenda, egg, vanilla, apple sauce and bananas. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about 1/3 at a time. If you are using chocolate chips stir them in. Spoon the mixture into the muffin trays and bake for 15-18 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. Let the mini breads cool slightly, then serve!

Note: the bananas should be past a point of raw consumption if you want to get their full flavour. They should be almost fully black. You can store bananas in the freezer when they are over-ripe and you can thaw them before use. I used about 6 bananas for this recipe and I heated them on high in the microwave for 4 minutes and then cut the ends off and squeezed the banana out.