Brown Butter Quinoa Stuffed Squash

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Brown Butter Quinoa Stuffed Squash

Recipe adapted from Quinoa Revolution

I love butter. I love it on bread, I love it melted on popcorn, and I especially love it browned and used as a dressing. These acorn squash are baked and filled with warm brown butter quinoa, seasoned with an exotic spice blend of cinnamon and cardamom. It is hearty, vegetarian and packed with protein-- and at around 400 calories a serving, its not too hard on the waist either!

Makes 2 servings:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of cardamom
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup red quinoa, raw
• 3 tablespoons cashew pieces
• 2 tablespoons diced dried apricots
• 2 tsp chopped mint

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut acorn squash in half and remove seeds. 
2. Place squash halves cut side down on a shallow baking dish. Fill dish with 1/4" (5mm) of water and bake for 30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
3. Add the water and quinoa to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 17 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, fluff with fork and set aside.
4. In the meantime, melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring or swirling constantly. Watch butter as it turns a light brown color. It should smell nutty and you should be able to see small brown flecks. Remove from heat and stir in olive oil, cinnamon and cardamom.
5. Toss 1 cup of the cooked quinoa with the seasoned brown butter, cashews, apricots and mint. Divide into cooked squash halves. Serve immediately & gobble it down!

Super Green Juice

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Super Green Juice

Detox juice! This juice has tons of antioxidants and will leave you feeling healthy, cleansed and happy-- seriously. Make sure to drink it right away, as this ensures you are getting the max benefit from the fruits and veggies!

• 4 stalks celery
• 2 Bosc pears, cored and quartered
• 1 lemon, zest and pith removed
• 1" hunk of ginger root
• 2 cups baby spinach

Directions:

1. Juice ingredients in layers.
2. Tightly ball up baby spinach and push through with celery stalks.
3. Drink immediately.

Beet Apple Ginger Juice

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Beet Apple Ginger Juice

Recipe adapted from GOOP

It's Monday, and like every Monday CK and I are uncomfortable from a weekend of rich (albeit delicious) foods. We are ready to turn back to health. This juice is a great start.

For tastier juice- I store all ingredients in the fridge
and drink immediately.

• 2 medium beets, washed and trimmed
• 1 apple, cored (skin left on)
• 2 carrots, washed and trimmed
• 1" hunk of ginger root
• 2 cups of Kale (leaves only)
• 1/2 lemon (zest and pith removed)

Directions:

1. After washing all fruits & veg thoroughly, run through juicer in batches (following dry vegetables ie. kale, with juicier fruits ie. apples)
2. Stir & Enjoy.

Roasted Garlic Hummus & Desert Chips

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Roasted Garlic Hummus & Desert Chips

This recipe is so tasty-- and super cheap to make! You'll wonder why you've been buying store-bought hummus and pita chips for so long.  

• 6 pitas
• 1/2 cup olive oil + 4 tablespoons
• coarse salt (to taste)
• 2 cans chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 heads of garlic

Directions:

Hummus:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Cut the tops off heads of garlic and coat in olive oil and salt & pepper. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 1 hour (until cloves are caramel coloured)
3. After garlic has cooled, squeeze out cloves into food processor. Add rinsed and drained chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, 4 tbsp olive oil and warm water to food processor as well and blend until smooth. If mixture seems too thick add more olive oil a little at a time. 

Desert Chips:

1. Preheat oven to broil (500 degrees F)
2. Peel pitas in half, and brush olive oil on the inner side of both pieces. Cut circle in half, and then cut each half circle into triangles.
3. Place on baking sheet and bake (watching closely) for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
4. Remove from oven and promptly sprinkle with coarse salt.

Ratatouille Tart

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Ratatouille Tart

Adopted from Smitten Kitchen

This is my favourite dish to make for my vegetarian friends. They appreciate the gesture, and it's delicious enough to satisfy even the most vocal carnivores.

• 1 Package frozen puff pastry (I use Tenderflake)
• 1 eggplant
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup canned plain tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Few sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup crumbled feta

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Flour your work surface and roll out puff pastry until roughly 11x15" Lay pastry on baking sheet and prick with a fork.
2. Spoon tomato sauce evenly over pastry as you would a pizza. Leave a bit of a border around the edge.
3. Slice your vegetables in very thin round slices (A mandoline would work well-- or I use my food processors slicing disc)
4. Arrange vegetable slices alternating in rows over your tomato sauce.
5. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and season with salt and pepper. De-stem thyme leaves and sprinkle on top.
6. Bake in oven until pastry is puffed and golden brown and the vegetables look softened (approx. 25-30 minutes). Remove from oven and sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top.
7. Slice with a pizza cutter and enjoy!