A Dietitian's Kitchen

This blog has moved....

2011-06-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have decided to simplify my online life and move this blog to my website on Wordpress.

Here is the new address: Nutritioncoachedie.com - click on Edie's blog

If you are a subscriber, it will continue to be sent to your e-mail address automatically.

You can also order my creation: "The MIndful Meal Planner - A 52 Week Workbook" on that site!!

Wheat Berry Salad and The Dinner Bell

2011-05-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

My mother always rang a dinner bell to call the 6 children and Dad to the table. The bell would ring "da-ding, da-ding" , then Mom would follow it up with an operatic: "diiiinnnnnerrrrrrrr". That bell brings back more family memories for me than any other sound or smell. The nightly ritual of coming to the table at 6 P.M. was a comforting constant in our lives.

She has told me several times that she no longer has use of the bell and that I should take it down if I would like to have it. She doesn't seem to have any sentiment attached to it???

Gee....why wouldn't anyone be sentimental about cooking for 8 everyday........hmmmmm....I wonder???

The last few visits I couldn't bear to unscrew it from the wall at 6 Highland Drive - it just belonged there and I thought removing it would be depressing.
But during my last visit, she said it again..." take it, I am not calling anyone to dinner anymore." I realized that I only have a few more years to use that dinner bell before my own little chickadees start to fly away from the nest. So, I took a screwdriver from Dad's very organized tool bench and unscrewed it off of the wall.

Mike and I secured it to our wall. It really looks like it has been there forever....

Da-ding, Da-ding!
I am glad to have it.....and the memories!

Last night I put together a salad meal with one of my favourite grains: Wheat Berries.

What is a wheat berry? All wheat products originate from wheat berries. They are wheat kernels with only the inedible hull removed. Very nutritious and so delicious!

They have a chewy, chewy texture and a bit of a nutty, earthy flavor...they work in a dessert - similar to a rice pudding or even as a breakfast cereal when milk, raisins and cinnamon get involved.

This recipe is adapted from a very entertaining book about family and dinnertime....aptly called: The Family Dinner, by Laurie David.

Wheat Berry Salad

2 cups wheat berries, rinsed

6 cups water

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

juice of 2 oranges

1 cup or more frozen edamame beans, defrosted

1 cup or more dried cranberries

freshly ground salt, pepper

I used a rice cooker to cook my wheat berries which takes about 55 minutes to get them to the right consistency. All of the water will not be absorbed - drain them.

If you use a pot on the stove, cook uncovered for about 50 minutes. Check after about 45 minutes to see if they are ready. Chewy and tender is the consistency you are looking to achieve.

Mix the dressing of oil and juices and add to the cooked grain.

Add the cranberries, edamame beans and any other add-ins such as: crumbled feta, chopped fresh herbs, chopped greens, walnuts.

Store covered in the fridge until ready to eat.

Looks nice served on a bed of lettuce....

Comme ca:

Bella is very helpful in the garden...she wants to plant a hamburger tree.

Can we plant a hamburger bush Mom?

Cheater Stir Fry

2011-05-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

I had intended to post about a more impressive meal than this.

It was baked haddock with fiddleheads, carrots and rice - and it was nice....

but then, after the delicious meal that I wanted to share with you, after a few hours of digesting that delectable meal.....I came down with the stomach flu.

So, I am sorry, but I can't even think about that meal, let alone look at photographs, reminisce and write about it.

And then, you know what is like, for the next couple of days, cooking is just not something you want to do... the sights and smells of food are just too much for your sensitive system...

Mike and the boys took over the chicken dinner on Sunday, but by Monday I felt I should pull it together and get a good meal on the table. Luckily, there was leftover chicken and brown rice.

Perfect..... a stir fry!

I thought to myself, 'Do I really want to chop alllll of those veggies???"the answer was 'no', so here is:

Cheater Stir Fry.....and they all loved it!

I bought a big bag of frozen 'Stir Fry Vegetables' -all I had to chop was an onion, some garlic and the chicken.

The best part of this post is the stir fry sauce which is adapted from Mollie Katzen's book: Get Cooking.

Make the sauce first:

Orange Ginger Sauce

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (I keep mine in the freezer and grate as needed)

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp cornstarch

Combine all of the sauce ingredients EXCEPT the cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup with a spout. and whisk until blended.

Put the cornstarch into a small bowl and drizzle a little of the sauce over it. Whisk this together, then add it back to the measuring cup of sauce. This sauce is so tasty - and it can be made ahead and kept for days in the fridge.

Heat a wok over medium heat and add a glug of olive oil.

Add the chopped onion and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add a few cloves of crushed garlic.

Throw in 6 or 7 cups of the frozen stir fry veggie mix (I have to say, it is not as good as chopping the fresh veggies and putting them into the wok according to how long they cook....but anyway...)

Stir fry for about 8 - 10 minutes, add the chopped chicken and after whisking the sauce again - throw that in too.

The sauce will thicken up nicely. Stir fry for another 2 minutes or so.

Serve over rice.

Fast and Easy Black Bean Burritos

2011-04-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Fast and easy meant something entirely different in high school - but at this stage we are referring to a healthy,delicious meal; ready in under 30 minutes.

These Black Bean Burritos are perfect for those rainy days that your dog rolls herself over decaying animal remains. Yes, THOSE days...

I used leftover brown rice, store-bought salsa and canned black beans - (Eden has cans without BPA).

Heat a large pan and add a glug of olive oil.

Saute sliced onions and smashed garlic cloves. ( just peel and smash them with the side of my chef's knife - palm on knife, push down.)

Add some sweet peppers - any colour.

Saute and then stir in cooked rice, salsa and beans. Add a little hot sauce, if desired.

Heat oven to 375

When heated through. Place a large tortilla in a lightly oiled baking pan with sides. Fill it with about 3/4 cup of the bean rice mixture and roll it up tightly. Keep filling those tortillas, chicka

Fill a couple of tortillas (tucking in sides before you roll them up) and wrap them to have for lunches!!

Spread a little more salsa on top, and a little grated cheese.

Bake in oven until cheese melts

YUM!

It looked prettier in real life...

Bella enjoying the pleasant smells of Spring!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Release....Leftover Salmon and Penne Pasta

2011-04-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

I do believe Spring has sprung in Nova Scotia!

And with Earth Day coming - time to reduce, reuse and recycle!

REDUCE: Bella doesn't need all of that 'fluff for the summer:

Before

After

These shoes - honestly.... Where did I think I was going? Worn once...and I felt overdressed for the occasion. Anyway, REUSE....... by someone else.

How about the clothes Will has outgrown - cute plaid shorts and his ski jacket from two years ago - REUSE ... by a sweet little neighbour.

I wanted to 'clean out the larder' before my next grocery trip, so came up with this simple meal. Granted, it should have had more veggies or a salad for more nutrition - but we are reducing here folks!

This dish is similar to the last post, forgive me - but it is such a simple and delicious meal that follows the 'cook once, eat twice' principle...so I decided to share it.

The salmon was cooked and enjoyed with ample veggies the night before. It had been a piece too large for one meal, so the leftovers went in the fridge to be RECYCLED into a new dish.

Salmon, Peas and Penne Pasta

1. Cook the pasta until almost dente, add a lot of frozen peas to the pot for the last 3 minutes or so.

2. Drain pasta and peas

3. Add pesto, as I did, or a nice drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, freshly ground pepper and a dash or two of salt.

4. Add slivers of cooked salmon.

5. Toss gently and grate fresh parmesan on top.

After scanning the house for anything else that was neither functional nor beautiful - I looked outside to the backyard. How long has it been since the boys and neighbours have played on the swingset? Can it really be a year...or maybe even two? It seemed that those days would never end - where did the time go??

Feeling 'tres' sentimental, I remind myself that we want them to grow up and become responsible, independent adults. Wouldn't I be worried if they still wanted to hang out with me and play on the swing set? So this is good - they are 'cutting the apron strings',becoming independent and forming their own interests and opinions (opposite of mine, no matter what I say!) Lauchlin will be driving in the next couple of months. In the eyes of a parent, it just doesn't seem possible that their baby will drive away from them... on their own! - Take a look at this commercial

Neighbours down the street with two wonderfully lively little girls wanted the swing set! When the Dad came to load it onto a trailer, I try to warn him how fast this stage goes by - he tells me how busy he is keeping them fed, active and engaged - I know, I know, I remember....but it goes so fast....RELEASE....

There goes the swing set...RELEASE

Quickie Pesto Pasta for a Hairy Night

2011-03-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Now, I know when I say the word "quickie" you are automatically going to think something sexy is happening in my kitchen....may I remind you that this is the 'Dietitian's Kitchen' which upholds high standards of cleanliness and decorum. :)

Speaking of cleanliness, our sons are getting to the age where they are becoming proud of their ability to put on muscle mass. They admire their muscles in the living room mirror which can be seen from a nice vantage point in the dining room. When this happens I feel this internal surge of anxiety of an ensuing conflict - and can hear my father's voice to my teenage brother Harry, who was/is very hairy, "Harry, go get a shirt on!!" NO ONE was allowed to walk around without a shirt on, especially near the kitchen - it would not matter if you were the queen.

So even though our boys are not yet hairy like Uncle Harry - I will not accept this shirtllessness in the kitchen/dining area....

Speaking of hairy, we had a hairy night on Wednesday so I turned to one of my favourite quickie meals at 6:55 P.M.

Pesto Pasta With Broccoli and Chicken

Whole wheat Pasta

Broccoli

Pesto

Cooked chicken breast, cubed

Parmesan Cheese

Pepper

Add dry whole wheat pasta to lightly salted boiling water.

Approximately 5-6 minutes before it is done, throw some cleaned, cut broccoli florets and stems on top to steam.

To thin your pesto a little, you can use some of the pasta water. I had pesto in the freezer from last fall - You can use store-bought pesto if needed.

Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander and put back into pot. Stir in lots of pesto and some cooked, cubed chicken breast.

Top with some freshly ground pepper and parmesan and serve with a salad!

It will be on the table in about 20-25 minutes!

Watching my boys turn into men is fascinating, and sad at the same time - it goes by so fast that you want to turn back the clock and see them toddling around again asking for a cuddle- even just for an hour

I guess, in my mind, they will always be my little boys - even with muscles and....hairy chests...

" Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

-Robert Brault (writer)

"I NEED A HAIRCUT!"

Poor Little Cabbage!

2011-03-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

"You poor little image" my mother used to say to me as a child. A picture of a cabbage always came into my mind and I wondered why she called me a cabbage - and why was I 'poor' - after all, I felt pretty lucky!

I was born 8 years after the first 5 Shaws, who arrived in quick succession. So it was just by luck, and nightly prayers of sister Joey, that I made it into this family! There were many pet names for the 'baby' of the family: Edie bun-bun, Edie-belle, Eedle, little punk, and my sister Joanne's, "angel of my heart"

Now I hold all of these endearing names in my heart like precious family heirlooms.... even 'little punk' which always make me laugh inside.

Brother Harry called and left a message recently - "Hey Eeedle" it goes.............. I saved it to remind me of my great luck to have been born into such a great

patch of people!

ANGELS OF MY HEART!

Did you have a nickname at home? I would love to hear them!

Anyway, back to the poor little cabbage

This quick recipe makes a wonderful crunchy winter salad. You can alter almost any ingredient as you desire.

Citrus segments or fresh pineapple pieces

Apple cider vinegar

Other nuts and maybe a little crumbling of feta? Why not....

WINTER CABBAGE SALAD

Remove the outermost leaves. Cut the cabbage in half and take out the core.

(I just used 1/2 of a medium cabbage for this recipe -makes a lot!)

Put pieces of the cabbage into the grate blade of the food processor - or chop it finely.

Dice up a couple of apples and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them. Add to grated cabbage.

Throw in some dried cranberries if you wish.

Mix up a little vinaigrette: app 2:1 olive oil to balsamic vinegar, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic - taste and adjust.

Toss the vinaigrette with the cabbage

Top it off with some walnuts and sunflower seeds - particularly if you are using this as a lunch - you will want the protein.

Avocado on Rye Toast with Purple Cabbage Salad

Enjoy your poor little cabbage!

Roasted Veggies and Salmon en Papillote

2011-03-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

March is Nutrition Month - the theme this year: "Celebrate Food..... From Field to Table"

Here is an interesting piece on preserving farmland on The Current :

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/02/28/farmland-disputes/

ROASTED VEGGIES AND SALMON EN PAPILLOTE

Getting a little tired of winter veggies? Same old carrots, potatoes, parsnips,.......

have you tried roasting them?

Roasting veggies intensifies their flavours and creates some interesting textures: sweet and salty, crispy and creamy - YES! You will be turned on by root veggies once more! Not a Brussel Sprouts lover? Roast them and try them again!

Onions make you cry? Roast them and you won't shed a tear!

ROASTED VEGGIES

Preheat the oven to 400.

Peel (if necessary), and cut the veggies into similar sizes for even cooking. Don't cut them too small.

Peel some garlic cloves - but leave them whole - they will taste like creamy candy!!

Throw all of the veggies in a bowl and toss with a little olive oil.

Go ahead and season them with a little freshly ground salt and pepper.

Adding a few sprigs of rosemary is not a bad idea either....

Spread the veggies out in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the oven.

Toss them around every few minutes

Test a couple pieces after about 30 minutes to see if they are tender. Cook until tender and carmelized.

So maybe you have been roasting veggies for years and you are thinking - 'oh, I opened up this blog post for THIS....ho hum, Edie, tell me something I don't already know.'

Oh....uh...gee........tough audience...hmmmmm

Have you used parchment bags yet? Or should I say have you cooked 'en papillote' ?

SALMON EN PAPILLOTE

Rinse and pat your filets dry (salmon, trout, haddock etc).

Put a slice of lemon on top of each filet - you may want to season with herbs or just a grind of salt and pepper.

Slide them into the parchment bag - or create a bag out of parchment paper. Put this on a baking sheet. (I actually just threw my bag o' salmon right on top of the veggies!)

When the roasted veggies are about 10- 12 minutes away from being tender, put the fish in the oven. Cook until the fish flakes easily and is opaque.

Careful opening your papillote! It will be STEAMY AND HOT!

BON PAPILLOTE!

Bella making snow angels

Pretty Pity Pot Pie

2011-02-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

I had a few moments of self pity the other day as south-bound neighbours dropped off their perishables for us to enjoy while they soak up the sun in the Dominican.

With sniffles and a cough that just won't stop, I walked Bella along the frozen lake in the bitter cold wind and felt sorry for myself - thinking "Gee, why aren't we going south with the rest of Tantallon?!

But then - I realized I have leftover chicken and broth in the fridge and WE will have chicken pot pie for dinner!!

I decided to call this recipe "Pretty Pity Pot Pie".

In the movie, Waitress, the heroine played by Keri Russell is a waitress and genius pie maker who names her pies as to how she is feeling. It is a quirky, sweet film and I highly recommend it! But enjoy it with a Coconut Cream Pie instead of popcorn!

Take a look at this trailer: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/waitress/trailers/10889636

This chicken pot pie is traditional except for the pretty top of crispy golden phyllo pastry. It is sooooo pretty and better for you than a pastry top!

PRETTY PITY POT PIE

Warning Type A's: amounts of ingredients are approximate according to what you have available and your preferences.

Filling:

glug of Olive oil

2-3 stocks of celery, diced

1 onion, diced

Approximately 2-3 cups of veggies such as carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, peeled and cubed.

Approximately 2 cups Chicken broth

~ 1cup Cooked chicken, cubed

1 tsp each dried oregano, rosemary, sage (improvise with herbs that you have!)

pinch salt and lots of freshly ground pepper

~ 2 cups of quick cooking veggies you have around: chopped broccoli (florets and stalks), frozen peas

1/4 cup flour or enough to thicken the broth

Pretty Top:

4-5 sheets of phyllo pastry

1/4 cup olive oil or melted butter

1. Heat a good sized soup pot over medium heat and add a glug of olive oil

2. Add the onion and celery and saute for a couple of minutes.

3. Add the diced vegetables and stir.

4. Add a couple of cups of chicken broth, cubed chicken, herbs and salt and pepper. Let the veggies simmer until almost soft, about 10-15 minutes.

5. Take out about 1/4 cup of the broth and put in a small bowl. Whisk in the flour to thicken. Add this mixture back to the broth and stir. Do this again if it does not thicken up to your liking.

6. Add the quick cooking veggies such as broccoli and peas. Simmer for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

7. Ladle the filling into 1 or 2 pie plates or square pans.

8. Preheat the oven to 425.

9. Spread 1 Phyllo sheet out on a cutting board. Brush with butter or olive oil

10. Scrunch it up with your fingers and place it on the pie filling. Repeat this step until the whole pie is covered.

Put it in the oven for about 15 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Remove your pretty pie from the oven and give thanks for winter and all of its comforts!

"In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

Albert Camus

Bacon-Scented Vegetable Barley Stew

2011-02-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

Do I smell bacon??!

Aaaah, the smell of bacon sizzling in a pan. Does it not bring back memories of Saturday mornings...of someone in a well worn housecoat and slippers... of someone who loved you standing at the stove tending bacon, eggs and toast?


No, seriously, do I smell bacon?

Smells can evoke vivid memories and emotions. Apparently, of all of the senses, smell is the one that brings back the strongest memories. And because you are on the edge of your seats with wonder, I am going to tell you the reason for this! When the nasal receptors in your nose pick up a scent, this information is sent directly to the olfactory cortex in the brain, which is linked closely to the amygdala, the 'emotional brain', and to the hippocampus, where memory is stored. So this is why smells, feelings and memories can be so intertwined.

Now, of course bacon is not exactly a 'health' food - we all have been told to stay away from the fatty, salty stuff. But, if bacon brings back so many happy memories and a surge of stress-relieving, 'feel good' chemicals ensue, then I think the negative effect of saturated fats will be cancelled out! Don't you?

If you look in my freezer at any given time , there will be a few slices of bacon in there, waiting to be a part of a healthy dish. It is a great technique to use a little bacon to get a lot of flavour.

So, this stew starts with a few strips of bacon.

Bacon-Scented Vegetable Barley Stew

2-3 strips of bacon
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 or more cups of a variety of diced root veggies (depends how many are being served) carrots, parsnips, turnip, sweet potato, potato
1-2 cups of barley, rinsed. *
1-2 tbsp of dried herbs: rosemary, sage, oregano
App. 4-6 cups of broth or water
frozen peas
freshly ground pepper

* Hulled barley is more nutritious than pearl barley, but takes longer to cook. In this recipe I used pearl barley b/c that is the only type that was available at my grocery store that day. If you use hulled barley, cook stew for 1 1/2 - 2 hours - or cook the barley before you make the stew.

Cook the bacon in a large, heavy bottomed pot until crisp. Drain off some of the fat and give a piece of bacon to your long suffering dog. Put the bacon onto some paper towel and set aside.
Add the diced onion and garlic to the pot and saute on medium low heat 2-3 minutes.

Add the veggies, barley, herbs and broth or water. Cook on medium heat til tender- 30-40 minutes.


I hate to be a 'snot', but look at my fine pot!

Add a cup or so of frozen peas, freshly ground pepper and the crumbled crisp bacon - if there is any left!

Taste, adjust seasonings, enjoy!

A beautiful excerpt about smell, taste and memory from:
" Remembrance of Things Past" by Marcel Proust

"But when from a long-distant past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, still, alone, more fragile, but with more vitality, more unsubstantial, more persistent, more faithful, the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls, ready to remind us, waiting and hoping for their moment, amid the ruins of all the rest; and bear unfaltering, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection."

Lentil Kale Soup

2011-01-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

Do you have a bag of lentils in your cupboard because you know they are healthy and feel that you should be eating them?
Has that aforementioned bag of lentils been in there ...oooooh, for more that a year or two?
Don't worry; you can still use them!!

Lentils are a legume that are easy to cook - no soaking required - and they cook up in less than 30 minutes! They are packed with nutrition: folic acid, protein, fiber..., they are inexpensive, versatile, essentially non-perishable,... but from my own informal field research, not commonly used by Nova Scotians.

Sometimes I feel that it is my life purpose to turn Nova Scotians onto legumes.
If I could make a living doing just that, I would accept the job in a minute. Imagine the job title: Bean Queen, Queen Bean, or Lady Fartsalot - hmmmm-not exactly the title I've been dreaming about.

In actuality it is part of my job already - doing quickie cooking sessions with clients in their homes - the recipes usually star a bean or lentils.
The other day a new client called me and said that she had a bag of lentils in the cupboard for over a year now, and would love to know how to use them. I could feel my pulse quicken, my breath become shallow and a surge of adrenaline. Is it normal to become this excited about cooking lentils with someone??

This soup follows the straightforward soup formula of sauteing aromatics such as onion, and garlic in a little oil, adding vegetables, then adding a protein and/or a starch source.Simmer, taste, adjust seasonings. You can use almost any vegetables you have on hand. I really liked the Kale in this soup.
Regarding amounts of water to lentils - for this soup use a ratio of 4:1 - i.e. 4 cups water or broth to 1 cup lentils. You may need to add more water or broth to make it less thick.

Lentil Kale Soup

olive oil
onion, diced
garlic, minced
celery, diced
carrots, diced
herbes de provence - or other dried herb combinations: rosemary, oregano, etc.
water or broth
rinsed dried lentils: I used French Puy - you can use red, green or brown lentils
tomato paste (note in photo there is crushed tomatoes - I used leftover tomato paste in the fridge instead)
Kale: rinsed, tough ribs cut off and cut into pieces.
salt
pepper

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, garlic and celery, saute for a few minutes. Add the diced carrot, herbs and saute for a few minutes. Add water and the rinsed lentils, stir and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer until the lentils are tender - about 25 minutes. Add more water or broth to reach desired consistency.
Add the tomato paste and kale and cook for another few minutes.
Season with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Bella says:" Of all of the Mommies in the world, I had to end up with a lentil loving dietitian!"

Get Cozy with Curry!

2011-01-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

Brrrr!!!

If cozy was a taste, this would be it! This curry/ ginger dish warms you from the inside out. In fact, small beads of perspiration always form on MIke's forehead when he eats this ...fun to watch, unless you are out at a fine indian restaurant.

As usual, I am offering more of a formula than a recipe ...you can substitute, add, adjust, or omit. Just remember to start with the aromatics: onion, garlic, spices, then add the harder vegetables such as carrots, potato, squash. Add quick cooking vegetables near the end: cauliflower, peas, broccoli.
When we understand the formula of a dish, we can cook from our memory, intuition and senses.

a glug of olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
3 or more cloves of garlic
knob of fresh ginger
curry powder or curry paste, to taste
carrots, peeled and sliced
sweet potato, peeled and diced
vegetable broth or hot water
cauliflower, cut into flowerets
canned coconut milk
chickpeas - cooked or canned, rinsed
frozen green peas
pinch or two of salt

raisins

Add a glug of olive oil to a large, heavy pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes
Grate about an inch of peeled, fresh ginger into the pot (you can keep a knob of fresh ginger in the freezer and just peel and grate it as you need it!).
Add the curry powder or paste (if some family members like it mild and others like it hot - just add enough for the mild bunch and you can add more at the end of the recipe after you have removed the mild portion.) As far as how much curry? Add a tbsp - taste then add some more. Remember, you can always add some more, but you can't take some out!

(At this point you can transfer it to a slow cooker, or keep cooking on the stovetop.)

Add the carrot and sweet potato and just enough broth to almost cover the vegetables. Cook until they are almost soft.
Add the cauliflower and enough coconut milk to make it look like a stew....but not a soup.
Add chickpeas, peas and raisins.

Season with salt, taste...season.
You may want to add some more raisins on top.
Chutney is nice on the side...yummmm!

Serve on rice - Jasmine Rice is nice!

The boys love when I take photos of them for this blog!
Lauchlin put extra raisins on top of his curry.

Bella says : "I refuse to enter this house unless there is meat cooking on that stove!"
Its going to be a cold night Bella!

Many Bad Apples Make a Really Good Crisp!!

2010-12-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

Was I happy on Boxing Day to have enough leftovers to make two Turkey Pot Pies, and to have a crisp topping in the freezer to make a humongous Apple Crisp!!
That way we could just go to the beach and hang out!

Edie and sister Margaret at Cleveland Beach

I have been working on developing a wholesome freezable fruit crisp topping over the past few months - and have come up with a great one!
During the winter and spring months when apples are kept in cold storage, they don't seem to keep well at home - so one ends up with many 'sub par' eating apples. An apple crisp is the perfect solution to using them up! And when you have unexpected dinner guests or just feel like a treat - you can whip up a wholesome dessert quickly when you have the crisp topping already prepared in the freezer.

Here is how I recommend you make it:

Take all of your 'bad apples' out of the fridge and have two 'good apples' peel and slice them into a baking dish.

Two good apples: William and his cousin Luke peeling apples.
Mom overseeing production!

Next, have the two handsome boys squeeze a fresh lemon and sprinkle the juice over apples. Add a healthy dose of cinnamon, a couple of pinches of cardamom (optional) and a sprinkling of white or brown sugar.Try to go easy on the sugar here - although you do need some to help the apples break down and become soft.

Throw in some cranberries cuz it's Christmas and they are so good for you!!

Handsome cousins putting the frozen crisp topping over the apples

Then, grab your crisp topping out of the freezer and crumble it over the top!! I used two portions of the crisp topping for this large casserolle pan. (Does anyone else have trouble spelling caserolle???)
Put in a 400 oven for about 30 minutes or until the apples pierce easily with a fork and the top is golden.
Serve warm or cold and perhaps with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!! Yummeeeeasy!!

Boxing Day Meal with Handsome Fellas - aren't you envious!!
Will, Luke, Mike, Lauchlin, tennis buddy Rory and me.
Mom and Margaret dined earlier...

Big Batch Wholesome Crisp Topping

Makes about 6 cups of crisp topping - enough for 4 average size apple crisps

1 cup butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or other flour: spelt, oat, etc)
4 cups oats (not instant)

Mix the butter, oil and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
Add the cinnamon and cardamom, mix.
Mix in the ground flaxseed and flour.
Add the oats one cup at a time while mixing.

Divide the mixture into 4 freezer bags and put in the freezer. You can also use a portion right away if desired. When you are ready to make a crisp, take out a bag from the freezer and crumble over your prepared apples or other combinations of fruit ( berries, pears, peaches, etc...). Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.

Bella says: " Christmas is exhausting...I need a break!"

When You Wish Upon a Squash.......

2010-11-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

Often life gives you just what you wish for....
I was reminded of this yesterday morning.
While driving to my clinic office I kept repeating in my head: "Remember to pick up a butternut squash on the way home", "Don't forget to buy a butternut squash". The squash was for a dish that I was going to prepare with a client coming to my home for her appointment. I walked into my office and there on my desk was a two foot long butternut squash! I was stunned by the surprise... and greedily wished I had been thinking of something a little more valuable! Hehe ! : )

But it was very valuable to me at that moment - it was really the only thing I needed at that time. And who knows, by not having had to rush into the grocery store between appointments, maybe I averted an accident of some kind. I like to think that it is bigger than just a butternut squash coincidence. It reaffirms the power of thought in our lives - think positively and positive things happen; think negatively and you may more likely have a bad day - or at least perceive it as a bad day!
That is no secret!

Now, back to the butternut squash - this is an alternative to the usual methods of preparing this 'winter veggie'. It is fresh and pretty, and would be a lovely addition to a potluck Christmas party!

This recipe is from the cooking genius, Mark Bittman. He is always coming up with simple, real and delicious ideas!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAPEE

1 small - medium butternut squash ( I grated just half of my humongous one and had enough for several days!)

generous sprinkling of dried cranberries or raisins

1/4 cup, or so, olive oil

2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (or other vinegar)

1 tbsp, or more, freshly grated ginger

dash of freshly ground salt and pepper

Be careful when cutting the butternut squash - it can be tricky! I like to cut off the bulbous end from the neck and then half the bulbous portion and seed it. Then peel it with a sharp knife or a really good peeler.
Grate it with a food processor - so easy!

Combine the grated squash, dried cranberries, oil, vinegar and ginger in a large bowl.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss, taste and adjust seasonings.

* you could add walnuts or pine nuts to make it a light lunch salad as in the photo below.

Bella says:" Oh, wow, veggies, dried fruit and nuts....my favourite.....NOT!"

Waldo's Stuffed Acorn Squash at "The Lemon Kitchen"

2010-11-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys and Gals, check out my guest post on the blog: The Lemon Kitchen : http://ottawafood.wordpress.com

Puddledock Farm Pumpkin Bars

2010-11-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

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Now that you have that pumpkin puree in the fridge / freezer you can make this snacky pumpkin bar. I received the original recipe from my sister, Margaret , who lives on Puddledock Farm in Maine. That is not a typo - I know, you think it should be PuddleDUCK, but no... it is PuddleDOCK...perhaps Margaret will comment on the significance of PuddleDOCK. Stay tuned!

The original recipe called for white flour and contained MUCH more sugar and oil. It also had a cream cheese frosting and was aptly called Pumpkin Cake. I have taken the liberty to change the recipe drastically while still producing a moist, flavourful cake-like bar. I also changed the name from cake to bar because of the healthier connotation to the word 'bar'. And to add the title 'PuddleDOCK' as a nod to its origin. So, yes, I changed the name and the ingredients of my sister's recipe - but I wouldn't change a thing about the amazing person, Margaret! Except that I wish she lived closer to me!!

These are very popular in our home and disappear remarkably fast- but that is o.k. - we have lots of pumpkin puree! Feel free to substitute all or some of the honey for maple syrup, and to increase the cinnamon or to add ginger or nutmeg to intensify flavours.

PUDDLEDOCK FARM PUMPKIN BARS

4 eggs
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups pureed pumpkin
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp (or more) cinnamon
dash salt

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the honey, olive oil and pureed pumpkin.

In a medium bowl whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Blend completely. (In the photo below, I am adding extra cinnamon.)

Pour onto a cookie sheet with sides - approx. 12 inch by 16 inch by 1 inch.

(You can use parchment paper if desired)
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Watch it disappear!!!

Pureed Pumpkin for Soups, Muffins, Custard, Smoothies, Cookies, Pies,..........

2010-11-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Carving Party!

Sing the following to the tune of the much loved East Coast bar song: "What do you do with a drunken sailor":
Mike surprised me by not knowing the tune!!! I am afraid he is not quite yet a true bluenoser! I think it was part of the music curriculum when I was in elementary school! Here is the link to the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGyPuey-1Jw

Here we go:

"What do you do with an orange pumpkin, what do you do with an orange pumpkin, what do you do with an orange pumpkin early in the mornin....."

Cut it in half and seed the pumpkin, cut it in half and seed the pumpkin, cut it in half and seed the ......o.k., o.k., I know when to stop...or do I??

I love to have pureed pumpkin in the freezer to make muffins, cookies, soups, smoothies, etc! The taste is so much purer and fresher than the canned versions. And pumpkins are a healthy addition to the diet. The bright orange colour is a giveaway of its high carotenoid content ; antioxidants that decrease the risk of certain cancers and heart disease and help delay the aging process! Bring it on!!

Pureed Pumpkin

Use the small Pie Pumpkins.
Carefully cut them in half and remove the seeds

Place them cut side down on a cookie sheet with a small rim and bake at 350 for about 45 min - 60 min. They are cooked when a fork pierces the skin and flesh easily.

Let them cool for a bit - then scoop out the flesh. Put the flesh in a food processor.
Puree until smooth.
You can use the fresh puree now; just as you would canned pumpkin in a recipe.

I like to freeze them in 2 cup portions in freezer -friendly bags. Thaw shortly before using in a recipe.

Would you like the recipes for healthy pumpkin bars and pumpkin smoothies? Leave a comment for me below and I will see what I can do!

Date Cocoa Balls and Nova Scotia Masters Men's Soccer

2010-10-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

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Nova Scotia Masters

Fans!

Mike's soccer team made it to the over 35 men's national tournament representing Nova Scotia.
I love it that Mike is so healthy and fit - he was the oldest player in the tournament!
Imagine, my Ontario boy representing Nova Scotia - ain't that special!!

Whenever this team has a tournament I like to offer them a few tips on food choices between games. Several tournaments ago they asked if beer was o.k. the night before the final game(s). They asked my opinion, so I recommended: no beer. I guess the fellas thought that I was being too prudent, so they asked me, the dietitian, whether sex was allowed - so, my final answer was: sex OR one beer, but not both! I believe they have been abiding by this 'rule' as it always comes up during tournaments.

This was an important tournament, so I decided to make some post- game snacks for optimal glycogen reloading of their muscles right after the games ended.

A good post-game snack will be carbohydrate-rich with some protein.

Dates are high in energy and potassium and the sunflower seeds lend some protein. The jalapeno peppers are there just for a kick!

DATE COCOA BALLS

1 banana

3 cups dates - soaked in water for 20-30 minutes and drained

1/2 cup oat flour (rolled oats ground in coffee grinder)

1 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 small jalapeno pepper, minced

flaxseed and / or wheat germ on a plate

Combine all ingredients- except the flax and wheat germ, in a food processor.

Process until it is a homogeneous mixture. If it is too sticky to form into balls, add a little more oat flour.

Form into balls and roll in flaxseed and wheat germ.

Put in freezer to firm

Mike looks pretty pleased about their bronze medal win!

Humbled and Crushed Tomatoes

2010-10-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

I am starting to panic!

After a summer full of fresh, local, organic greens, tomatoes, berries, I am wondering how we will make it through the winter without. The chipmunk in me is taking over and I have been filling my freezer with wild blueberries, cranberries, pureed pumpkin and now....tomatoes.

On Saturday morning I kissed hubby and doggie good-bye (boys still asleep), and headed to the market before the big crowds.

My mission: To buy 20 pounds of tomatoes to make sauce to freeze for the winter. I have decided to prepare crushed tomatoes to freeze so that I can eliminate buying the canned versions to make spaghetti and pizza sauce, stews, soups and chili.

I stopped by one of my favourite stalls, Elmridge Farms to see if they have large quantities of romas.

Here are a few of my cute neighbour buddies that work at the Elmridge Farm stall!

The next day I settled into tomato chopping while listening to my neightbour Niki Jabbour's gardening show on 95.7 fm radio.
I called in a question and subsequently won the book "Locavore", a book that I had wanted to read - so that was great!!

I've only read the first three chapters thus far - but it has deepened my awareness of the importance and the impact of our food choices. What an exciting time for food and farms - people are interested in knowing the farmers who grow their vegetables and fruits and raised the chicken on their plate.

The second chapter highlights an intimate interview with a husband and wife who farm in Annapolis Valley; Greg and Suzanne of Elmridge Farm! They share their struggles and heartbreaks of owning and operating a family farm - years of low income, 85 hour work weeks, no vacations for years, a truckload of spoiled broccoli due to a refrigerator breakdown. And they continue to farm - thank goodness!

Mike's Grandad Ernest Greenley was a farmer. In 1969 he decided to sell the farm....but only to someone who was committed to continue farming the land. He had two offers; one for $100,000 from a developer, the other for $30,000 from a family that was going to farm the land. He chose the farmer. He had the dedication to farming and the foresight to know that urban sprawl could take over arable land. That land is still farmed - but is surrounded by suburbs and developments. I never met Ernie Greenley, but he is a hero of mine.

Finally, here is the method to crushed tomato sauce:

Crushed Tomatoes (freezer-ready)

Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and cut out the stem.

Now, many tomato sauce makers will suggest that you boil and then peel the tomatoes and take out the seeds - I say, why? The skins will disintegrate with stewing and pureeing - and they add colour and flavour. I am 'all about' making it less tedious.
Dice up the tomatoes into approximately 1-inch pieces.
Chop up some onion and garlic if you wish and throw this in batches into a food processor - pulse until a chunky puree.

Add to a large heavy pot and stew on low heat for a couple of hours.

Let cool completely before you portion into freezer bags

When you pop these out of the freezer and put them into a pot to make a sauce or soup, use as you would a can of crushed or stewed tomatoes. Isn't that great?!
You could also just freeze whole or diced tomatoes.

My freezer is filling up - but I am still in a bit of a panic about the greens! Am thinking about a cold frame to grow some hardy greens. .....stay tuned!!

Back to Business and Rice Cooker Oatmeal

2010-09-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

Have you missed my blog posts these past few weeks?
You were worried about me?
You thought that I had been swept off the rocks of Peggy's Cove during Hurricane Earl?
Well, God love ya! You are as imaginative a worrier as my dear Mother!
Here is what happened: I drove Lauchlin downtown to his tennis training session. Then I went to Point Pleasant Park to walk Bella - whilst on the walk I formulated my next blog post and was giggly with excitement about typing it out at a cafe after the walk. I went back to my vehicle to find the window smashed and glass all over the back seat. My laptop, purse, camera, and briefcase (with agenda in it!) were taken. Not good.
It couldn't have been a fellow Nova Scotian that did this; must have been a 'CFA' (come from away)!

So, here we are in September..... sneakily sudden, serious September
Back to routine, schedules, school, and some hard work!
Yes! Let's all get back to business, shall we?!
But wait!
Can we just take a few minutes and think back to the glorious summer we had?

My sweetest summer 2010 memories involve saltwater and seaweed: swimming with my siblings at Ballantyne's Cove, finding a secret swimming spot at Peggy's Cove, skinny-dipping with Mike in Cape Breton....

Yes indeed, once every summer I insist that we leave the confines of our swimsuits behind and return to the waters as babes on waves! If it isn't part of your summer ritual - you must start next year - It is so freeing - nothing between you and the saltwater. Seaweed tickling your tummy (or whatever body bits are hanging lowest).
Mike and I kayaked around a point in Dunvegan, Cape Breton and found a solitary beach that begged for a skinny dipping couple. In we dove like Brooke Shields and the scraggly blonde haired boy from 'Blue Lagoon' (Mike looking more like Brooke than I!).
I felt like a mermaid and Mike was the lonely fisherman who was hoping for a good catch...

Sorry no photos - did I mention that my car was broken into and my camera was stolen??
Here is an artist's accurate rendition:

Nova Scotia is the perfect place to indulge in some skinny dipping! So many isolated little coves and lonely beaches. Just look up 'skinny dipping' in the 'Doers and Dreamers' guide! Hehe!

O.K., alright... back to business - boy, you guys are all work; no play!!

September is a great time to lay down the groundwork for a healthy, balanced, and successful new year. And we all know that a good day starts with a good breakfast. Instead of falling into the cold cereal rut (expensive and most boxed cold cereals are not nearly as nutritious as the front of the boxes would lead us to believe) - wouldn't you love to get up and have a bowl of steaming hot porridge with fruit for breakfast?
My father would always make hot cereal in the morning - alternating between porridge, Red River Cereal and Cream of Wheat.

But who has the time to stand over a pot stirring?!
Here is the answer folks:

The rice cooker! Yes, your rice cooker can make wonderful oatmeal porridge and other grains and things too!

Into the rice cooker put approximately a 2:1 ratio of cold water to large flake oats. I love the Speerville Flour Mill Oats from New Brunswick.

Set your rice cooker to about 10 minutes and go back to making lunches, blowdrying your hair, or whatever you need to do!

No stirring required until the cooker beeps at 10 minutes.

Here it is: bubbling hot porridge!

Make it a better bowl by adding ground flax, cinnamon, sunflower seeds, maybe a little brown sugar or maple syrup, a splash of milk, and lots of fruit on top!

What a beautiful breakfast! What a great way to start a day! And doesn't it make that crisp feeling in the air on a September morn a wee bit kinder?

Yes, yes, ...it certainly was a glorious summer ...

NOW, back to business!
But where am I supposed to be today??? (Did I mention that my car was broken into and my agenda was stolen?)

Proscuitto Wrapped Salmon and a Hodge Podge of Friends

2010-08-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

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When people ask me if I am travelling anywhere in the summer - I always reply that I am staying right here... in Nova Scotia! Honestly, why would I want to be anywhere else??
Now, I do love my dear province all through the year, but come February, March, weeeell, I have to admit to the occasional impure thought and exotic fantasy of palm trees, sand in my toes, and the warmth of the tropical sun. But in the summertime, hey, I am 100% faithful to this sea bound coast.
It is sooo beautiful and not only that - summer is when friends and family, who have moved away from the east coast to find their fortune, come back home. And I certainly don't want to miss them!!

Last week I was lucky to spend time with two old friends who had come home to Nova Scotia for a visit. One night, Gina and her sweet daughter Georgia, Margaret and her beau Michael, and Elaine - all came together for a meal at our table. How wonderful it was to have cherished old friends at my table!

Hmmmm.... food - can't live without it. Just like friends - I started to ponder how the parts of this meal were like dear friends.

- Friendships like an expensive red wine when properly taken care of become more precious as time goes by. And, like red wine, friends are good for the heart
- Friends are like a dose of the salmon's omega-3's for the mind -and are best if they have their own wild side (and everyone does....yes, you do too!)
-The recipe for Hodge Podge is like a mix of old and new friends. Old friends are like the root veggies, potatoes and carrots, giving us roots and the encouragement to dig deep. New friends are like the climbing vines of beans and peas asking us to reach a little higher and be open to new possibilities.

And of course dessert - cuz friends just make life sweet!! AAAaaahhhhh!

Here is a delicious and quick way to make a salmon meal different and special - it is another idea from Michael Smith's book:

Proscuitto- Wrapped Salmon
The proscuitto wraps the salmon, sealing in the juices and becomes like a thin, crispy piece of bacon with intense flavour on top.

Salmon filets or one side of salmon (preferably wild)
a little dijon mustard
a few proscuitto slices

Spread a little dijon mustard over the top of the salmon

If you have filets, you can wrap the whole filet with a slice of proscuitto, placing it skin and seam side down on the baking sheet
I used a whole side of salmon and placed the proscuitto slices slightly overlapping over the top and salmon skin side down.

Bake in a 375 oven for about 15-20 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Peach Sorbet for a Hot Summer Day

2010-08-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

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Oh, I bet you hoped to just get the recipe for Sorbet and skip all of these soppy sentimental stories - thinking to yourself: " How on earth does someone have so many memories attached to food!"..." and more importantly, why does she think we need to hear about them!!"
Wow... are you grumpy today!
When I decided to write about sorbet I fully intended to simply do the recipe. But somewhere between peeling the peaches and stirring the syrup, I remembered my first experience with sorbet. And, ooooh it brought back so many memories!! Sniff , sniff!

SIDE STORY: I was first introduced to sorbet during my magical summers working as a waitress at the Keltic Lodge in Ingonish, Nova Scotia. The Keltic sits on the tip of a narrow peninsula, with spectacular cliffs on both sides. The beauty of the location is almost unreal -I remember thinking this even as a young waitress walking up to the sunrise breakfast shifts from the staff residence.

Before every dinner shift all of the waiters would meet with the French chefs to learn about the menu. It was always a 5 course meal (different every night) and often there would be a sorbet to 'cleanse the palate' between courses. We carried the large oval trays stacked high with covered plates above our heads. Impressive! I know! Each waiter would have five or six tables of two to six people and five courses going at different times. You can imagine my panic when one night I lost track of my tray with the orders under the linen napkin and NO idea what the next course was for most of my guests! I made an attempt at guessing with a young couple on their honeymoon - giving them their second course when they were expecting their main course. The blushing bride said "in our eyes you can do no wrong, Edie"...but the groom, who was a little less sentimental about their waitress, made it clear that he wanted no more mistakes! So, I frantically ran around looking for my tray and gave up on leaving it up to my memory.

If you travel to Cape Breton - make sure to go to the Keltic Lodge for a meal! It will be a first class culinary adventure - and remember to be kind to the waitress!
Just beyond the resort is the Middlehead Hiking Trail - a short, but amazing hike - you will be moved to sing 'Climb Every Mountain' at the top of your lungs, as my mother did when I was a teenager.

Simple Sorbet Syrup
Start by making a sugar syrup - this will make more than you need, but you can store it in the fridge and will just have to make more sorbet. You can make blueberry, raspberry, strawberry ...chocolate!
I would like to say that you can omit the sugar to increase the health factor, but it is necessary to have a certain ratio of sugar to fruit in order to get the right freezing and texture that is expected in a sorbet.
I will try to experiment with stevia and sorbet soon -

2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Bring sugar and water to a boil; stir until the sugar dissolves.
Store extra in a mason jar until you make your next batch of sorbet.

Peach Sorbet
Is sorbet the same as sherbet, you ask? Sorbets and sherbets are both usually fruit - based desserts, but sherbets contain dairy; whereas sorbets do not. Now, granitas and gelato are another story....

2 cups peeled, sliced peaches
1/2 cup simple sorbet syrup
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Puree the peaches in a food processor

Add 1/2 cup of the simple sorbet syrup and the lemon juice to the puree.
Transfer to a freezer friendly container with a lid and freeze until almost firm.

Then transfer back to the processor and puree again to break up ice crystals.

Freeze until almost firm.
Remove the sorbet from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Greens with Ecstasy

2010-07-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have never been so ecstatic about greens!
Between the lettuce in our garden and the wonderful greens arriving weekly in our CSA bag from Southfield Organics, we are swimming in greens!

So tender, so tasty and oh so nutritious!!!

Even the boys notice the difference in the fresh picked, organic leaves. This past winter, as I served up the token bits of boring salad with our root veggies; night after night, William would send his greens back to the kitchen relatively untouched.

TIP: Never assume that kids will never like a certain food! Keep serving the food in small amounts. Refer to blog on Sweet Potato Success.

I sounded like a broken CD (?) -
"Eat your greens, eat your greens, elbows off the table, eat your greens!"

Well, fast forward to this summer - William is stuffing them into his mouth looking like a cow chewing grass. I am so happy that I resist the urge to insist on manners, instead, I revel in watching him enjoy his greens!

TIP: Interested in CSA boxes? go to: http://acornorganic.org/cgi-bin/acorn/search

Fresh homemade vinaigrette is a must for these greens!
Check out this list of ingredients on a typical commercial salad dressings: water, corn syrup, soybean oil, vinegar, egg yolk, salt, sugar, modified food starch, garlic juice, sodium lactate, MSG, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, artificial color, polysorbate 60, spices, parsley, lemon juice concentrate, natural flavor, Vitamin E, lactic acid, natamycin.....WOW, I don't know about you - but I do not have a lot of those ingredients in my kitchen!

And you thought that you were being virtuous eating greens! Well, I want to push you one step further to make your own dressing - make enough for the week and store in the fridge - you will never go back to commercial salad dressings again!!

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Put the following ingredients into a 500 ml jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake, shake, shake!

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
many crushed cloves of garlic

This is our 'house' vinaigrette, but sometimes, if we are feeling a little reckless, we will make one or two of the following adaptations:
Use apple cider vinegar instead of balsamic.
Replace some of the vinegar with a couple of tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Add some chopped fresh chives, oregano, rosemary, etc
Add a some freshly ground pepper and salt

Why not come up with your favorite house dressing!
Believe me ecstasy is just a shake away!

Salade Nicoise: Nice for Summer!

2010-07-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

I get very sentimental over Salade Nicoise - in fact, sentimental over almost anything that reminds me of 'Nizza la Bella' - the city of Nice in Southern France : rosemary bushes, pissaladiere, pain au chocolat, pan bagnat, olives .....hmmmm lots of food related memories!

In my twenties I was fortunate to spend a few months living in Nice under the guise of studying French. I actually did become quite functional at conversational french.... though not from sitting in the classroom!

My friend, Jan and I had an adorable apartment above a boulangerie. We could never resist the smells of fresh bread and pastries and would stop daily for a Pain au Chocolat or a Chausson aux Pommes! Janet and I backpacked very companionably to many countries as we both felt strongly that meeting locals and sampling the food was an integral part of our European odyssey.

Side Story: It was on the beach of Nice that I had a tussle with the sea . We had been swimming at the magnificent beach with other Nicoise through November. On December 1st we noticed that the locals were not swimming. Thinking that they couldn't handle the cooler temperatures like we Atlantic Canadians; we dove into the water on that wavy day in December.
The waves certainly were formidable, but being good swimmers we were not dissuaded. I stayed in the water longer than Jan and upon trying to get out was tossed around by the waves like a little pebble. I made several attempts to get to shore and was close to panic when finally I clawed my way up the rocky slope. Minutes after this little crisis, we saw the signs that had just been erected on December 1st: " Baignade est Interdite!" - (Swimming is Forbidden!)

Despite this misadventure, I fell in love with the city and felt very at home there. Someday I will go back with Mike .... but will not swim in December!

This is a main course salad and is a perfect meal for summer. It can be assembled like a work of art and looks gorgeous on a huge platter. It is so easy, but when asked: " What's for dinner?" You can reply:" Salade Nicoise" - Trust me, they will be impressed - Wow, she can cook and speak french!

SALADE NICOISE
(adjust amounts to the number of people that will be eating)

lettuce greens, washed, dried and torn into bite sized pieces
small new potatoes, washed, boiled and cut in half
hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half
green beans, washed, blanched and refreshed (plunged briefly in cold water to halt cooking)
red ripe tomatoes, washed and cut into wedges
chunk tuna
black olives
anchovies (evidement optionel)
vinaigrette (perhaps just a blend of olive oil and red wine vinegar - 2:1 ratio.)

TIP: the potatoes, beans and eggs can be prepared in advance and left to cool and marinate in a small amount of vinaigrette in the fridge.

Arrange lettuce on a large platter

Add tomato wedges and hard boiled egg halves.

Add blanched green beans, halved potato, and tuna...

Top it off with olives and a drizzle of vinaigrette. You may want to sprinkle chopped fresh basil or parsley on top and season with some freshly ground pepper and salt.

Serve with a nice baguette and a sprinkling of french words.
This is a comprehensive list of just about all of the french that I remember from my studies in Nice:
Bon Appetit!
S'il vous plait
Passez le poivre
Merci beaucoup
pas de quoi
Je voudrais un pain au chocolat
C'est delicieux!
Ou est la plage?
Baignade est interdite!

Bella is not excited about the Salade Nicoise - pauvre prives Bella!

Recommended Reading:

This is a wonderful summertime read:

Father's Day Celebration Strawberry Shortcakes

2010-06-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

If Receiving this by e-mail; you can go the the blog homepage by clicking on the title: A Dietitian's Kitchen.

Is there any dessert more wonderful than the classic Strawberry Shortcake?

I know what you are thinking ..... what about 'healthy food'?

Let me explain:
Today is Father's Day; a day to celebrate our Dad's.

Side Story: A group of researchers, when studying attitudes towards food, asked a group of Americans what was the first word that came to their mind when they thought of chocolate cake. They most often replied: guilt
When a group of french people were asked the same question, they replied: celebration!
Let's think about what we would respond to the word chocolate cake...how about YUM!

So my point is this: This dessert IS real food, we make it from scratch with lots of love and attention...and dirty dishes!

I make strawberry shortcake at least 3 or 4 times a year when the local strawberries come out in all of their sweet, red glory. Mike is not a 'cake man', so I make it for Father's Day and his birthday in July.

The strawberries are from a roadside stand operated by a little old lady called Myrtle.
Myrtle gets up before dawn, PICKS the strawberries in the rich soils of Annapolis valley, then DRIVES 45 minutes to our area to sell them all day!

I have attempted to make healthier sorts of strawberry shortcake - whole grain biscuits instead of white, yogurt in place of whipped cream - but alas, the traditional buttery white flour biscuit and the whipped mountain of cream win out in the flavour, texture and taste department every time.

Father's Day Celebration Strawberry Shortcake:

The Biscuit:
Oven: 425

1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk

Whisk the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder together.
If desired, you could add a little lemon zest to the flour mixture.

TIP: grate the cold butter into the flour mixture instead of cutting it up into little pieces. Then work it into a mealy consistency with your fingers.

Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and stir in the buttermilk. Stir gently, and only until the dough is moistened.

Flatten out gently with your hands and cut into shapes.

Put the biscuits onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.

The Strawberries:
Clean, hull and slice strawberries into a bowl. Add a couple of tbsp of sugar and let them 'macerate' - I know that sounds sexy, but it just means let them sit and get juicy in the sugar! Gosh, that sounds sexy too...or is it just me?? Luckily Mike comes home from a business trip tonight!

The Whipped Cream:
Whip the whipping cream until soft folds occur. Add a tablespoon of confectioners sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Do not over beat.

TIP: Have the bowl and whipping cream very cold before whipping.

The Assembly:
With great abandon, fill the biscuits with the strawberries and whipped cream and top with a good dollop of more whipped cream!
Really....do it with great abandon!!!

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He called it ... Dad

~~Author Unknown

Landlord in a Stew about Rhubarb Coloured Apartment

2010-06-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

The pink and green of rhubarb brings back wonderful memories of my first apartment.
I shared this apartment with two great girls - all three of us - 20 years old and fresh St. Francis Xavier University graduates. I had lived at home during university, so I was over the top excited about the new pad!

The connection to pink and green comes in when we asked the landlord to flip for the paint so we could 'freshen up the place'. Mr. Hayman said 'sure - just keep it neutral'.
Well...neutral to a middle aged businessman is not the same as neutral to three 20 year olds .

We skipped off to the paint store and picked up cans of bubblegum pink, pistachio green and passionate purple. Pink walls, green cupboards, pink living room, purple bedroom.......neutral, right?
Wow, it was great! And what fun we had that year!
I don't believe we got our damage deposit back though -

The Three Roommates - circa 1986, Halifax

Neutral .... one thing we should never be neutral about is our health!
Without good health - we have nothing. We need to take great care of our bodies with unprocessed, real food, physical activity, good rest, and balance.

Most people are not neutral about rhubarb - either they really like it or they can't stand it.
Rhubarb is a great vegetable - yes, botanically it is a vegetable! It is known to be a cleanser, a stimulant for the liver and digestive system, and a good source of Vitamin A, Potassium and Calcium.

Rhubarb crisps, pies, muffins - love them all - but most of all good old fashioned stewed rhubarb.

STEWED RHUBARB

Wash and cut the rhubarb stems into 1 inch pieces -
Put 6 cups of diced rhubarb into a medium saucepan.

TIP: Put the rest of the diced rhubarb into freezer bags and freeze for up to 6 months.

Add about 2 tbsp of water and about 3 tbsp of sugar to the saucepan.
(Now, I like my stewed rhubarb to be tart so that my lips pucker a little when I take a bite - you may want it a little sweeter...but wait till it has stewed, then taste it and adjust sweetening at that time.)

TIP: You can also use honey, or other fruit such as apple or strawberries as a sweetener in stewed rhubarb.

Add a little grated ginger or some grated orange peel if desired.

Stir the rhubarb occasionally as it cooks, uncovered, over medium heat until it softens - oooohhh about 10 minutes. When it has softened, cover, lower heat and let it cook a few minutes longer.

Taste and adjust sweetening to suit your taste.
Can be enjoyed warm or cold. Store covered in the fridge.

I love stewed rhubarb with plain yogurt and homemade granola for breakfast! (I have come up with a great granola recipe - would you like me to blog on that?)

I wonder if Mr. Hayman likes rhubarb?? Or perhaps the pink and greenness makes him shudder.....

Elaine and Edie 25 years later!
(Third roomie, Deirdre lives in Ontario)

Simple Saturday Supper starring Baby Bok Choy

2010-06-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

When Saturdays start with a trip to the Hubbard's Market - you know it is going to be a wonderful day!

This market is such a special place - one meets old friends and makes new ones on every visit. The vendor behind the table grows, bakes, roasts or creates the product they are selling.

All of the usual marketer vendors were out - so nice to see they made it through the winter.
Music and laughter filled the air. Happy customers lined up for coffee from The Laughing Whale Roaster and for artisanal breads at Julien's Boulangerie.

I told myself that I would stick to purchasing veggies and breads - and I did my best - HOWEVER, it was not easy! I had to pass on adorable jewellery made from buttons and handmade lotions for my poor suffering gardening hands...oh, I almost forgot - I did buy some beeswax taper candles from Mike Bienstock - perfect hand dipped taper candles with the smell of honey wax. He looked at me with these innocent big blue eyes.... what could I do??
And one needs light, right?!

My bounty included a red lettuce, baby beet greens , baby bok choy, kale and basil to plant in my garden, a loaf of pumpernickel bread from Julien's , a roll for Will from Kirstens Kitchen - my bloggy buddy that I met for the first time face-to-face!

Ooooh, those button bracelets were so cute! The perfect gift for a friend or as a conversation starter on your wrist! Maybe she will be there next week! Restraint is not my middle name!

Lucky for me, restraint is not necessary regarding enjoying the gorgeous view on the way home!

The road home winds along the shore of beautiful St. Margaret's Bay - we always stop at one of the many beaches.

Beach Baby Bella!

Will and Bella

When we returned home I grabbed my wagon and ran up the street to my neighbour buddies perennial and heirloom vegetable sale!

These ladies are incredible gardeners! I didn't realize, until Niki moved into the neighbourhood, how much we could grow in our rocky and sometimes wet St Margaret's Bay! Niki is a horticulturist with a radio show, magazine articles and a book in the making.

When I saw her garden photos in a local newspaper I couldn't .......actually didn't........ , believe that this was grown three homes away from mine until I saw it with my own eyes!
That was the end of any excuses I had for not being able to grow veggies in my backyard!!

I didn't realize how many plants I bought until I returned home and had to create a couple of new spots to plant tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Restraint....not my middle name! Do you get overzealous when shopping for plants?

Finally, onto the raison d'etre for this blog....a recipe for Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy! ( Sounds like a good name for a rap star! )

Baby Bok Choy is rich in calcium, vitamins A and C. It is best cooked lightly to keep its nice crisp texture. Alternatively to this recipe, it is also delish stir-fried with sesame oil and tossed with a little soy sauce and sesame seeds!

Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy

Trim off the ends so that leaves separate for cleaning

Cut the stems from the leaves, keeping them separate, cut into bite- size pieces.

Heat a glug of EVOO in a pan, add minced garlic and grated fresh ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

TIP: Tip the pan and pool the oil when you add the garlic and ginger...that way they will swim in the oil and release more of their gorgeous flavour.

TIP: keep a hand of ginger in the freezer. Peel off a little skin at a time and grate or slice off what you need - no more little shriveled hands of ginger at the bottom of your produce drawer!

Add the Bok Choy stems and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the leaves and cook for about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle with a little apple cider vinegar and freshly ground salt and pepper.

We had the bok choy with a couple of hard boiled eggs and the great pumpernickel bread.

A simple saturday supper on the sun porch!!

Life is good!!!

From Mush to Delicious

2010-05-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Mike and I recently celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary! The word 'wedding' may seem redundant in that sentence, but when you meet a man like Mike, you celebrate the day you met him, the day he proposed, etc. I know, I know - this is just too MUSHY....now stop putting your finger down your throat like that! Seriously, when you meet the person you want to be with forever, it is like magic, like a wonderful dream, like...like a recipe that works out just as you had hoped and will file in your 'forever and ever' recipe binder!

And believe you me, I have tried my fair share of recipes that have NOT worked out!
I aim to blog at least one new recipe a week, but was sent into a bit of a foodie funk after a disappointing encounter with a tofu burger.

Recently I have tried several recipes from a cook book that I have had for a few years, Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. Two were winners and will be added to my 'forever and ever' binder - but the tofu burgers were a complete flop.

The introduction sounded great - "popular, yummy" - so with optimism and naivete I jumped headfirst right into the recipe - even took photos to blog. To my dismay, the result was a bland and boring burger. I quickly realized this recipe was not a keeper when the boys resorted to soy sauce, ketchup and other 'flavor enhancers' to make them tolerable. What a sinking feeling when you give so much time and loving care to a recipe only to have it fail. Well, it is the past and I am over it... really.

After the recent flop I knew I had to 'get back out there' again and start trying some new recipes. Luckily my nature is to not hold back - to jump headfirst in again. Even if it turned out to be a rebound recipe, I knew I had to give it my best try!
So, I have always loved fish cakes such as crab and salmon cakes, but have not been able to reproduce the tastes that I have enjoyed in restaurants... until Moosewood's Salmon Cakes.

Everyone loved them and wanted more - no flavor enhancers requested!
Yes! I found another recipe for my 'forever and ever' binder!

SALMON BURGERS: adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
Warning: there is a lot of mush in this recipe

Put 2 cups peeled, diced potatoes, 1 cup chopped onion, and 1 cup peeled, chopped carrots in a large saucepan with water to cover them. Put the lid on and bring this to a boil. Then simmer for about 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Then add 2-3 fillets (about 1 pound) of skinned, 1 inch pieces of salmon to the pot. Cook for another 7 minutes and drain in a colander.

Transfer this to a bowl and mash it into mush. Fun!

To this mushy mixture, add 1 egg, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1-2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, some freshly ground pepper, and 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs.
Mix well - but not too well!
Heat up a small glug of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Shape the mushy mixture in your clean hands and sprinkle with a little bread crumbs before carefully placing it in the heated pan.
Fry for approximately 4 minutes on each side - until crisp and golden.
Try serving these with a nice green salad dressed with some of the leftover lemon juice and olive oil - keeping the side simple so that the cakes can take center stage!

So you see; a little MUSH can be delicious!

BTW - Mike and I celebrated by going to the Trellis Cafe in Hubbards, a little seaside village 25 minutes from here. It was a delicious meal of haddock, crab cakes, greens, wine, really fine coffee and homemade chocolate cake. Adding to the fun and ambiance were live music and a friendly crowd with many familiar faces.

Foraged Fiddleheads are Finger Food!

2010-05-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Yet another reason to love Nova Scotia - fiddleheads!
But fiddleheads as an appetizer?
Appetizers are not my forte - I usually do a no-cook item like grapes, cheese, olives, and bread. If I am hosting, I save my energies for the main events - main course and dessert - and just rely on good wine and conversation to lead up to dinner...hoping no one will notice the absence of h'ors d'oeuvres.

Last week my fun, foodie friends asked me to bring an appetizer to a dinner party so
when I saw the baskets at the Halifax Farmers' Market filled with fiddleheads - I knew we had to have them! But Fiddleheads as an appetizer?...as a finger food?

Fiddleheads are the tight little frond of an Ostrich Fern before the sun coaxes them to relax and open up. Reminds me of the fable about the wind and the sun - do you know it? Real life lesson here people! Listen up!
The wind challenges the sun to a contest: " I bet I can get that man to take off his coat faster than you". The wind starts to blow and blow -but the man just holds onto his coat tighter and tighter. Now the sun's turn - All the sun had to do is beam her sweet face down on the man and, sure enough, he takes off his coat! Just for fun - if you know the moral of the story, please write in a comment.....

Back to fiddleheads - thus named because they look like the scroll of a violin - or fiddle. They are only available for a few weeks in early spring in Atlantic Canada and the Eastern States.
They are not farmed; but foraged. If you decide to go fiddlehead foraging, make sure it is the Ostrich Fern - some ferns can be toxic!

Fiddlehead Finger Food:

Wash your Fiddleheads very well - changing the water at least 3 times to remove all of the outer filmy brown skin. It is important that they are clean, but also the rinsing will improve the taste by removing some tannins that may lend a bitter taste. Then trim off any brown on the stem.

I didn't want to bother my host for a pan, butter etc..but they needed to be made on the spot...and be served hot, hot, hot! So I took my own pan with butter in it - the fiddleheads already cleaned and prepped.

Put the fiddleheads into a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for about 7-8 minutes - until they are bright green and tender crisp. Don't be alarmed by the residue of brown that may appear - it is just some tannin and plant matter.

Drain the water off, add the butter and saute for 3-4 minutes - I was lucky that Diana (host) had some lovely Fleur de Sel directly from France to sprinkle on top.
Now, I am going bold here - serve right away!

I really feel that it is important to keep it simple with fiddleheads - no sauces or strong spices - so that you can enjoy the true taste of the new fern that just sprung up from the earth. A little garlic may enhance though.

Now... I think that the Fiddlehead can be classified in etiquette rules as a finger food in this circumstance. Similar to a whole stalk of asparagus in a casual setting. What do you think?
Here is my buddy, Brian enjoying - in fact - loving the fiddleheads. But using a fork?
Next time Brian - try it with fingers.
Hard to imagine, but they taste even better when popped into one's mouth with your fingers!

Snack Happy

2010-05-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Growing up in sweet little Antigonish in the seventies, we had a small grocery store called MacDonald Brothers on Main Street. If my mother was too busy to go out, she would call in her order: " two cans of tunafish, one can of cream of celery soup......" , and one of the brothers' sons would deliver the cardboard box full of groceries right to our kitchen table with a smile! The store had about 5 aisles and a well worn wood floor - I would have noticed that because I liked to lie on the bottom of the shopping cart. The butcher was at the back behind a glass counter full of freshly cut meats; his apron covered in blood. I am sure I heard screams coming from back there.....no wonder I tend towards vegetarian foods so often!
There was one shelf at the end of an aisle with vachon cakes, and a small selection of cookies. Snacks were usually simple, real foods - Mom always kept a bowl of fresh fruit on the table and other than that it may have been cheese or honey on a homemade biscuit. Thanks Mom!
Now, fast forward to our supermarkets these days - oh, I am not mooning about the past - just trying to make a point about what the term 'snack food' has come to mean.
There are aisles and aisles filled with snack 'food-like' items. Think of granola bars, cereal bars, mammoth muffins, chips, tortilla chips, dozens of cookie and cracker choices, yogurt tubes, pop, and on and on!!!
Now, don't get me wrong - snacking can be great to avoid that mid afternoon slump, to bridge the energy gap between meals that are more than 4 hours apart, to supply nutrients, and to prevent overeating later on - but make sure you snack on real food.
Choose snacks like fresh fruit, raw veggies, cereal and milk, or nut butter on toast.

Nuts and seeds (raw and unsalted) make a power - packed snack. Full of protein, fiber and healthy fats.
A nice handful of almonds or walnuts with an apple mid afternoon will keep you going until dinner.

MIKE'S MIX

Mike makes this mix up regularly and puts them in little bags to take to work so that he won't get tired and cranky by mid afternoon - and oh, when that man gets cranky- well.... lets just say he needs his nuts!

It is a mixture of almonds, raisins and a few chocolate chips for a little kick!

Pop 'em in...

Happy and energized - great recipe Mike!

Little Butt Patties

2010-04-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, I knew that title would catch your attention - and no, this is not a miracle diet food for the reduction of butt size!
My son, William started calling chickpeas, 'little butts', years ago and the name has stuck ever since. Seriously - look at them - they really look like little butts! That boy has such a silly sense of humour - I don't know where he gets it!

This recipe is for a good chickpea patty - I won't call it a burger, because that may make you inclined to try cooking it on the barbie and you would be very upset with me when they fall through the grills.
And they are not really meant to be put between two bums...I mean buns! O.k., o.k.... I will stop! As my brother, Harry used to say to me when I was trying to get one more laugh out of my 5 older siblings with the same joke: "Don't beat it to death, Edie" or " Don't hammer it into the ground, Edie". Hmmm I didn't know what that meant for the longest time.

This patty goes really well with salsa on the side and a big salad.

It was adapted from a recipe in Anne Lindsay's latest book:

(see how serious I am now )

I changed the name to "Little Butt Patties". I think that is what you should call them at home. Anne should change the name too - if she wants to compete with all of those sexy chefs and cooks like Nigella and Giada.

Little Butt Patties

Heat a glug of olive oil over medium heat and add about 3 chopped green onions, 3 cloves minced
garlic, 1 - 2 tsp chili powder, and a tsp of dried oregano.

Cook and stir for about 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup diced red peppers and cook another 3 minutes.

In a food processor mix the onion / pepper mixture with 1 can (drained and rinsed little butts - chickpeas) - BUT DON'T MAKE IT PERFECTLY SMOOTH - (I have to yell for those of you that do not read the recipe in it's entirety before starting to cook grrrr) - leave the mixture a little chunky.

Transfer this to a bowl and stir in 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs, some chopped fresh cilantro (if you have it) and a little salt and pepper.

Shape into patties. Heat a little olive oil in the same pan as before, and cook patties over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side

A sprinkle of grated cheddar or monterey Jack before you take them out of the pan would not be a bad idea.

Enjoy every butt .... er...bite!

Oh, look - there is my dishwasher -

Cute.....face - ----gotcha!

Let's do the Pizza Twist!

2010-04-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Almost every Friday night we do something really original here at the Ewald home - we have pizza! What? You do too?? What a crazy coincidence!
Well, my friends, this recipe may change Friday Family Pizza Night in your home forever! Never again will you be satisfied with the 2 medium delivery pizzas that are too sweet, too salty and too greasy for $30 + again! Unless it is one of those Friday nights when you just feel like flopping in front of a good movie and don't give a shhhhh...........'sugar' about making sure that everyone has their veggies, (but of course, that would never happen in a dietitian's kitchen, no, no, never......)

Make this pizza twist and you will have your friends and family exclaiming," You made that! Really?!" And you will be thinking, "Oh Edie, thank you for sharing this recipe and making our Friday Family Pizza Night so wonderful!!!"

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Dough:

This dough always works out - you can use it for a regular pizza also. I have had a Kitchen Aid Mixer for about 17 years and use it several times a week! I love it! It makes easy work of kneading dough!
KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, White

Put 1 1/2 cups warm water in a large bowl (or the bowl of your KitchenAid ). Add 1 tbsp sugar, dash of salt and 1 tbsp of yeast.

When it bubbles up after a few minutes, start adding whole wheat flour by the cup- use the dough hook on your mixer, or stir (you poor soul) after every addition.

You will end up adding 3 - 4 cups of flour. When it is no longer sticky you have just about the right amount of flour in there. Keep the dough hook going for 5 - 6 minutes, or knead for about 8-10 minutes...good upper body exercise. Form the dough into a nice ball and put a little flour on the bottom of the bowl so it won't stick. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.

When you pat the dough after it has risen it should remind you of patting your baby's little bum...sniff, sniff...where has the time gone....

Filling:
You can make the filling while the dough is rising.
The filling can be almost anything you want. Just make sure that it is not too wet, i.e. too much tomato sauce will make a soggy mess.
On this night, I put some antipasto, diced pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, lots of chopped fresh parsley and a little grated mozzarella.
Mix all of your chosen ingredients together.

Cut the dough in half with a sharp bread knife.
Sprinkle a cookie sheet with a little cornmeal or brush with a little olive oil.
Roll out the two dough balls into two rectangles on the sheet.

Place half of the filling down the middle of each.

Pinch the dough together to form a long tube and roll it so that the pinched side is face down.

Make an 'x' with the two tubes.

Then, cross the bottom half over each other, like crossing your legs, then the top.

Sprinkle some dried oregano, basil and freshly grated parmesan on top and put in a preheat oven (375) for about 30 minutes. When you tap on the dough it should sound a little hollow when it is done.

This can be a main course pizza to enjoy with a big salad or an appetizer to bring to a party!

Hey, maybe I exaggerated the bit about Friday Family Pizza Nights never being the same again because of this recipe - but would we really want them to change anyway? Not on your baby's bum!!

Sweet (Potato) Success !!!

2010-04-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

I am very proud of my sons' tastebuds! They like most foods and will usually try anything!!
But sweet potatoes have been a challenge. And AM I stubborn! I will not give up! I serve it approximately once a week, and always put a small portion on their plate.
You see... I believe that if one never assumes that a child STILL does not like a food, and continues to present it to them, then...eventually they will try it again .....and like it!
Call me a 'spudfast' optimist' - but I really and truly believe this.

Here is a tip: NEVER, EVER, say this out loud:
"______________ (your child's name) , does not like__________(the offensive food)."

nor this:

"____________(your child's name)won't eat_________________(the offensive food). "

Believe me, I have been observing this for years. When a child hears these types of statements; it just affirms the belief in their mind that, in fact , they don't like that particular food and never will.

It has been shown in research that a child may have to see a food up to ten times before they may like it. I believe it can be more than 100 times in some cases! There are many strategies to getting a child, (or adult!) to accept a food.
Here's one: try the food in different forms: mashed, baked, roasted, raw -( no i have never resorted to mini marshmallows on top of sweet potatoes!) I have had some success by mashing white and sweet potato together.

So when I saw this recipe in Lucy Waverman's book "Matter of Taste", I knew this was my next strategy...the Sweet Potato Pancake.
And by the way , I just called them potato pancakes to my sons.

Sweet Potato Pancakes (adapted from "Matter of Taste", by Lucy Waverman)

Grate enough peeled sweet potato to have 6 cups of grated potato. (This amount will make quite a few, but I toasted them the next day and they were great!)
Add 3 eggs, ~ 2 tbsp grated fresh gingerroot (optional), 3/4 cup flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, a little freshly ground salt and pepper. Mix it all up really well...

Heat a tsp of olive oil over medium high heat in a cast iron or non stick pan
Form the potato mixture into patties and pan fry until golden brown on both sides -
Add more olive oil as needed...

Now, listen closely because I am whispering and this is very important...when you serve them, don't get all nervous or excited...just casually put them in front of the child and act like everything is perfectly normal....I know this is difficult, but it is very important.

Serve the food with familiar, favourite foods, I served this with roasted pork and peas.

Remain calm,,,

So far, so good.....

There you have it folks!!! Sweet Potato Success!!

Gosh, even Bella is thrilled about it...or is it the smell of roasted pork?
I believe that we owe it to our children to offer them a wide variety - to broaden their taste buds and open up their minds and bodies to the healthy foods that the earth has to offer.

Good luck with your next food adventure and remember..... never, ever give up!!

Chicken Ragu on Polenta

2010-04-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

During a little ski getaway to Crabbe Mountain near Fredericton, New Brunswick - I had a chance to watch a Rachel Ray show on the Food network. I don't have that channel at home - which is a good thing because I would probably watch lots of cooking shows and we would starve!
She made this Turkey Ragu on Polenta and it looked so easy and delicious. So we made an adaptation of that recipe last night.

I had picked up some free range chicken at the Mariposa Market - Owners Cait and Steve know the farmer and his farm...sure makes a person feel better about eating the poor little chicken - that it had quality of life whilst living and that it is healthier meat.

Often free range, antibiotic free, hormone free, etc., meats can cost more which brings up the quality vs quantity issue. Many people can benefit from eating less meat, so if you do decide to switch to these higher quality meats - just buy less. Choose quality.

Start by heating a glug of olive oil in a large saucepan and add the ground chicken or turkey. Here is my Sous Chef Mike, doing just that. Add some freshly ground pepper, a little salt and poultry seasoning - I like Victorian Epicure (from Victoria, B.C.) Turkey Rub, or a combination of rosemary, thyme, and summer savory.

Here is Bella with a big smile; she smells animal protein cooking!

Then finely chop up vegetables:
several stalks of celery, a couple of sweet peppers, an onion, a small zucchini, and a few cloves of minced garlic. You can use almost any veggies you have on hand: carrot, cauliflower, chopped spinach...
Add these to the browned ground chicken. Add about 1/4 cup of tomato paste and 1/2 cup red wine - shoot, we have to open up a bottle of wine...oh well, make the best of it! Then add ~ 1 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth.Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Measure 3 cups of broth into a pot over medium high heat. When the broth comes to a boil, sprinkle 1 cup polenta cornmeal into the broth while whisking. Stir until it thickens, about 3-4 minutes.

Spoon the hot polenta onto the plates with a little well in the centre. Spoon the ragu into the well.

Serve!!! It was 'easy peasy!!!'

This is definitely going to go into my 'favourite recipe' file!

Red Lentil Dal

2010-04-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

You may be asking yourself,"what is with this woman and beans and lentils?? I admit it; I have a real thing for legumes...and love to try and convince 'non legume lovers' to convert.
Really... what is not to love about them??

If you are trying to slash your grocery bill, as I am always attempting to do (especially with two growing boys with growing appetites...), legumes are your answer!
They are very healthy (think: fiber and protein) , inexpensive (cents per serving), non perishable, adaptable to many recipes (soups, stews, loaves, pasta sauces etc, etc..) , environmentally friendly (less energy to produce) and delicious!

Here is a recipe that is perfect for beginner bean cooks. It is adapted from a favourite newish cookbook of mine: The Best of Chef at Home, by Michael Smith. (I am always so curious as to what chefs cook at home, aren't you?)

oooops, didn't mean to put two book links here - can't get it off!?!

Red Lentil Dal on Rice

Put 1 cup Basmati Rice and 2 cups water in the rice cooker ...or if you haven't gotten this vital kitchen tool (see past blogs) cook your rice in a pot on the stove...good luck!
For the last 10 - 12 minutes you can add cauliflower and peas on top of the rice to steam.

Dal:
Chop an onion and mince a few garlic cloves.

You may have heard the nutrition rule of thumb: don't eat anything white: not a good tip! Look at garlic, onion and cauliflower, for example: white, but verrry nutritious!

Rinse 1 cup of red lentils until the water runs clear and place the lentils, 3 cups of water, the onion, garlic and 1 tbsp Pataks mild curry paste (or curry powder) and a dash of salt in a pot. Don't you love it when a recipe says put it all in a pot?! :)

Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take the lid off and simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
Add another pinch of salt and a little more curry if you like.

Serve over rice. We served it with cantaloupe and steamed cauliflower and peas.
Done! Easy! Deeeelentilicious!

Laptop Lunches!!

2010-04-07T04:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I am thrilled to say that I have become an affiliate salesperson with Laptop Lunches!
I found these neat lunchboxes on the internet 2 years ago and bought one for William to see if it was worth the money. Well, 2 years later, we still have ALL of the pieces and William loves eating his lunch out of it! (btw, if you lose a piece, you can just order one piece to replace it).

10 REASONS WILLIAM AND EDIE LOVE LAPTOP LUNCHES:
(i will start with 10 like D. Letterman...)

10. Will says that he only has to open one container at lunchtime, instead of 3 or 4, so, he gets out to the playground faster.
9. Edie loves that he eats all of his lunch (most of the time) because as soon as he opens the laptop his lunch is all there.
8. Will thinks it is a cool lunchbox and he is the only one that has it. Edie thinks it is so cool that everyone should have one!
7. Edie loves that the investment paid off and has saved $$ on plastic containers that never make it home from school!
6. Both Will and Edie love the fact that it does not create more garbage for the landfill or litter around the schoolyard.
5. Edie loves that it is conducive to healthy, non processed lunches i.e. packaged treats, etc....Will says "yeah, sure."
4. Edie loves that it is a company owned by two moms - you know what they say: 'Necessity is the mother of invention'...or something like that.
3. Edie is thrilled that it is safe plastic and is dishwasher friendly.
2. Will loves the lunches tht fill up the colourful squares.
1. Yes, this is the big one....Edie LOVES the fact that she doesn't have to rummage through the kitchen drawer for matching tops and lids for plastic containers!!! Yeahhhh!

So, I am not much of a salesperson...but when I see a product that I believe in...I want to tell everyone about it and make sure everyone has one.

HOW TO ORDER LAPTOP LUNCHES:

go to : www.laptoplunches.com

Click: online store
click: Product Category: Bento Sets, Systems, Sleeves, Original
click: Basic Bento Original (this is the one we have, although there are more products to see!)
Pick out your purchases and put: nutritioncoach in coupon code for your 10% off.

Order with friends and share the shipping!

Call me if you have any questions about laptoplunches!!
(902) 441-6602

Sweet Potato Soup and Swiss Chard on Toast

2010-03-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Friday was such a grey, gloomy day that I had to go into our friendly neighbourhood market, Mariposa!
Just look at the sweet faces of Steve and Cait (owners) ready to greet their customers, usually by name!

This market is one of the reasons I love St. Margaret's Bay - a neighbourly natural foods store where you can buy local organic produce and products, free range meats , breads and nutritional supplements... chit chat and catch up with community goings on from the many notices on their bulletin board. And there is lots going on!! If only one could take it all in!

Being a cold, wet day I decided to pick up some ingredients to make a soup and side.
So out comes the lovely soup pot again and the menu is: Sweet Potato Peanut Soup and Swiss Chard on Olive Bread Toast.

Sweet Potato Peanut Soup
As with most soups, I started with a glug of olive oil (as Jamie Oliver says) in my most beautiful soup pot and heated this over medium heat, then added 1 chopped onion and several minced cloves of garlic and sauteed them for a few minutes.

Here is a tip: I heard somewhere from someone that lighting a candle while you chop onions will prevent the tears associated with the task. So, I tried it for the first time. It worked! Plus.... it created a romantic ambiance - just me and my onion!

Then I added 2 peeled, chopped sweet potatoes, a little ground salt and 2 tsp smoked paprika. I was dying to use this spice since I had read about it on Smitten Kitchen.

3-Pack Smoked Paprika by La Tienda
This mixture was stirred and the heat was turned up to medium high - 4-5 cups of vegetable broth or water was added and I also added about 1/2 cup of rinsed, dried red lentils to increase the protein of the meal. It was stirred occasionally until the sweet potatoes were softened.

When the sweet potato softened, I took my potato masher and mashed the soup a little to make a homogeneous, chunky blend. Then the fun part, the 1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter, heated and swirled until the peanut butter was thoroughly blended.
Meanwhile, back at the other counter.......

Swiss Chard on Olive Bread Toast

What a great bunch, huh?! And available locally all year long! I have to admit, up until about two years ago, I pretty much avoided these humongous bunches of greens....maybe a little intimidated by their size! Anyway, I started experimenting with them more over this past year and how I love them now! If you are intimidated by huge bunches of leaves...then...read on!

There is a technique to chopping them up and I feel really smart when I do this in front of friends:
After washing the chard, you fold the leaf over and cut off the rib that runs up the back of the leaf.
DO NOT DISCARD THE RIBS - sorry , I don't mean to yell, but I think I saw you reaching for the compost pail.

Then roll the leaf up like a ....like a ...hmmm...like a sleeping bag and cut the leaves into ribbons.
Then, you can cut up the ribs into ~2 inch pieces. They are cut separately, because they will be cooked for different lengths of time as the ribs (stems) take longer to cook.

To cook the Swiss Chard, I added a glug of olive oil to a shallow saucepan, once this was heated, a couple of minced cloves of garlic were added and stirred for a minute, then the rib (stem) pieces of the chard went into the pan. When these were crisp tender, I added about 1 cup of leaves at a time, stirring and letting them wilt before adding the next cup. When all was wilted, I had the olive bread sliced, brushed with olive oil and broiling in the oven. added scoops of the chard to the top and voila!!

Oh no....not another meatless meal?!

One Pot Curried Lentil and Rice Dinner

2010-03-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

I have been a legume fan for a long time and love to promote them to all who will listen! As a young dietetic intern at a big hospital in Halifax, I remember being in a meeting with several food service administrative dietitians and cooks and being asked my opinion on future food trends. Surprised to be asked; I replied with a one word answer: "legumes".
It didn't go over very big at that time...but I remain loyal to that prediction and think that more people are becoming interested in adding beans and lentils to their diet for their economical, health and environmental virtues.
This is a dish that I have been making since I left home twenty five years ago, taught to me by my sister, Joanne.

One Pot Curried Lentil and Rice Dinner
Another appliance recommendation: a rice cooker! We had a student from China live with us for four months several years ago. Kim was an 11 year old with a big appetite and although he didn't appear homesick, he told me that he missed his mother's rice and that I MUST buy a rice cooker.
So, to appease him, we went out together to pick one. Looking at four choices, I was hoping that the smaller would suffice, as I was thinking about cupboard space - and really, how often would I use it!?
As I pointed to the smaller ones Kim would announce "not big enough". So we ended up coming home with what I thought was an immense appliance to 'just cook rice'.
Well, every time I take out that rice cooker to make oatmeal porridge, barley, lentils and yes.....rice, I think of the brave little boy, Kim, with the big appetite!
So, back to the recipe:

I usually make a big pot of this in order to have 'planned leftovers' for the next day - so if you don't want leftovers then reduce the recipe!

Rinse 1 1/2 cups dried green or brown lentils and 1 1/2 cups brown rice.
Put them in the rice cooker with 6 cups water
Choose the rice setting which will be about 50 minutes.
Clean and break a whole head of cauliflower into flowerets.
Measure out 1 cup frozen peas.
When there is about 12-15 minutes left on the rice cooker timer, open the lid quickly and throw in the cauliflower and peas ---no need to stir.

I use about 5 tbsp of Patak's Mild Curry Paste, mixed with ~1/2 cup coconut milk (you could also use a broth). The amount of curry paste you use, is, of course, a matter of taste.

Blend this together in a little bowl (o.k., so it is a one bowl AND a one pot dish). When the rice, lentils and veggies are cooked, pour the curry coconut sauce into the cooker and mix all of the ingredients together.

I served this dish with sliced mango. A little dollop of plain yogurt and chutney is also nice.

Everyone in our family loves this dinner....except our sweet little carnivore, Bella!
Look how disappointed she is when we have meatless meals!

Panini Party

2010-03-10T04:08:00.000-08:00

Halifax had a spectacularly sunny weekend - everyone was smiling at each other on the streets, joggers and walkers were out in full force and dogs were in a frenzy sniffing all of the fresh spring mud!

In the mood to celebrate; we asked friends over for dinner- not thinking that we really didn't have a lot of time to actually MAKE dinner due to son, William's soccer finals ( they won 'GOLD' !)

Soooo, what to make???

It turned out to be a Panini Party - I don't usually recommend an appliance that really only makes one kind of food - but this has to be the exception. I love my panini grill. There are multipurpose grills out there - but ours just does paninis .

We went to two of our favourite markets - the Halifax Brewery Market and Pete's Frootique to pick up smoked ham, roast turkey, spicy pepperoni, havarti cheese, avocados, hothouse tomatoes, breads and other fine ingredients.

To celebrate the spring- like weather we served lime cordials and put plastic bugs and daisies on the table.

The panini grill pan only makes two or three at a time so it creates an informal, fluid atmosphere of people eating at different stages.

My favourite combination was sliced avocado, roasted red pepper, pesto, turkey and a little havarti cheese. The heating of the sandwiches makes the flavours more pronounced and the bread crispy and chewy.

We served the Purple Cabbage Salad that was mentioned in a previous blog.
And a green salad of pea shoots and baby spinach leaves.

If you don't have a panini grill ..... maybe you should get one for your husband for his birthday! :)

Still Winter Veggie Stew

2010-03-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

By March everyone in Nova Scotia is starting to talk about spring - starting seeds, gardening, how we don't have to go south now b/c spring is almost here etc...
I hate to ruin the fun, but spring in Nova Scotia is sort of an extension of winter (I still love living here though!). One of the best parts about it being 'still winter' is that we can keep cooking soups and stews!

I have a beautiful new soup pot from my favourite store, Thornbloom. It is heavy, deep and everytime I put it on my stovetop to start a soup/stew I get a thrill - and I have had it for 2 months. You may think that getting excited about a pot is a little strange - but once you cook with the best, you will understand.

Here is a stew that I make frequently - with variations on the theme. Let's call this one: Still Winter Veggie Stew:

Start with diced onion, garlic and celery in a pot with a little olive oil. Saute till translucent.
Add 4-5 cups of vegetable broth and a couple of cups of boiling water.

Add chopped cabbage, turnip, carrots, and cook until tender.

Add 1-2 cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas (or cooked chickpeas), a couple of tsp of cumin, a dash of cinnamon, a little salt and freshly ground pepper.

Just before serving you can throw in some frozen peas and cook for a couple of more minutes.
Here it is on the stove...in 'the pot'. I also threw in some raw broccoli for the last few minutes of cooking...

Serve it over brown rice, quinoa or, as we did on this night, barley. A rice cooker does a fine job on barley.William is really excited about the stew in this photo. Bon Appetit!

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

2010-02-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

Oh, you are in for a treat if you have never had Red Beans and Rice!
Mmmm the earthy spicy beans are bubbling on the stove right now- bringing back lots of memories of enjoying this meal with my parents and 5 siblings many years ago. My parents lived outside of New Orleans for 15 years and Mom picked up some classic cajun and creole recipes including this one.
A little story: When we moved from Louisiana to Antigonish, Nova Scotia , my parents invited Father Andy Hogan and Father Ginevin (two Roman Catholic priests-Antigonish has also been called "little Rome") over for dinner. Mom decided to serve Red Beans and Rice as it would be new and different to them. Well, they took one bite and that was it - they asked for the ketchup and smothered their meal in it.
Mom never served it to guests again.

As are many of my recipes - this is is sort of a 'non recipe' - no precise measurements.

Lousiana Red Beans and Rice

1 1b bag of dry red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
10 cups of cold water

Put this in a big pot

Add 1 chopped onion, a bay leaf, and some chopped garlic cloves.

Bring the pot to a low boil and cook uncovered for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

When the beans become soft add a generous amount of cumin - 1-2 tbsp (or more), 1-2 tsp of cayenne pepper and some cubes of cooked ham or cooked spicy sausage. Simmer for another 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

If bean mixture becomes too thick, add a little boiling water.

Serve the beans over hot brown rice. Some may like a dash of hot sauce over their portion - hopefully not ketchup though!!!

Enjoy! I hope it becomes a family favourite!

2010-02-20T17:11:00.000-08:00

I dropped my sister, Margaret off at the airport and got a parking ticket after saying goodbye in record time of 1 minute! I just got back into the city and Margaret called to say that she was 5 minutes too late to get on the plane!...So, I returned to the airport and we came back to three hungry boys at home.
What to make ?- something delicious, fast and nutritious.
We put together a big pot of chili , a green salad and whole grain toast in record time.
Chili is a really speedy dish - and can easily be vegetarian or meaty. I love to make a veggie version with a variety of beans, but I knew the boys would like a little meat in it....sooo.
It started with sauteed onion, garlic, celery, grated carrots then a little lean ground beef. After the meat browned, in went the diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Then, my favourite part - the beans! Rinsed canned red kidney beans and chickpeas. I added cumin, cocoa, paprika, cinnamon and of course...chili powder.
Topped the bowls off with a little grated mozzarella and fresh parsley. Wow - that was fast - we were enjoying it in 30 minutes!! You can do that too, right!?

2010-02-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

Check out my website:

http://www.nutritioncoachedie.com/

Snow Day Menu Planning

2010-02-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

After an hour of snow shovelling, I am sitting in front of a fire with Bella, our Golden Doodle. Perfect time to plan the menus - just cleaned the fridge yesterday, so it is ready for several days worth of groceries.

Wednesday: Tonight we will have salmon with roasted root vegetables and a winter salad of purple cabbage and parsley.

Start with the root veggies; I am using carrots and potatoes.
Peel and cut them into cubes, toss with olive oil and put in a preheated 400 oven.
After about 20 minutes, spread them out to the edges and place your salmon in the middle - drizzled with a little olive oiland a sprinkling of freshly ground salt and pepper. Bake for another 12-15 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes easily.
Cabbage Salad: Shred the cabbage and add cleaned, chopped parsley. Toss with a little olive oil, lemon juice and red wine vinegar.

Thursday: I am going to try a new recipe: Curried Cashew Burgers, from an Eating Well cookbook, and we will probably still be enjoying the purple cabbage salad from Wednesday night!
Curried Cashew Burgers: looks a little labour intensive folks. I am going to try to simplify the recipe:
To make 6 burgers: combine 1/2 cup rinsed uncooked lentils with 1 cup peeled, died carrots and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until lentils are tender. Drain and squeeze out extra water.
Add 2 tsp curry powder to lentil mixture.
In a food processor, pulse 3.4 cup cashews until finely chopped. Add the lentil mixture, pulse until cohesive but not quite smooth.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs. Season with a little freshly ground salt and pepper.
Shape into patties and cook in a non stick pan over medium heat until browned and heated through. Serve in a pita or a bun.
Friday and Saturday we are off to my Mother's home.......

Olympic Gold Nutrition

2010-02-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

Gold Medal Nutrition

I am pretty sure that the olympic athletes don't eat regularly at McDonalds, as some of the commercials lately would lead us to believe! For an athlete to perform at his/ her best, they need high quality fuel!

Most of us certainly don't need the quantity of food that olympic athletes need, but we do need the quality to perform and feel our best everyday!

Health journalist Michael Pollan has recently written several popular books regarding nutrition. He puts it very simply and straightforward when he says" Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants. " In other words, avoid processed foods as much as possible and fill half of your plate with veggies. Good advice!

If you need help creating a healthy meal plan for you and your family contact me:

e-mail: shaw.ewald@ns.sympatico.ca