Naked Wonton Soup

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Naked Wonton Soup

Recipe adapted from Quinoa Revolution

This recipe is a keeper. It has all the goodness of Wonton soup, but subtracts the wonton wrappers, adds some quinoa and a heap of veggies. Voila, a gluten & wheat free soup, that's only 162 calories a bowl!

Makes 4 servings:

• 1/2 lbs ground chicken (lean)
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 3/4 tsp sesame oil
• Pinch of black pepper
• 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white quinoa
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cups bok choy (sliced down the spine and sliced thinly)
• 1 cup carrots thinly sliced on a bias

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix ground chicken, green onions, egg yolk, 1/4 tsp of the ginger, sesame oil and pepper. Gentle roll into balls and place on plate. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, combine stock, water, quinoa, 1 tsp ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce to simmer on medium low, cover, and let simmer for 8 minutes.
3. Add the bok choy and carrots and increase heat to medium high. Once boiling add meatballs and reduce to simmer (and cover) for 8 more minutes, or until quinoa is tender and meatballs are cooked.
4. Eat!

Raisin Spice Cookies

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Raisin Spice Cookies

Recipe adapted from Quinoa Revolution

This week I am exploring all the different ways you can incorporate Quinoa into your diet. These cookies use Quinoa flour, and it's nutty taste compliments the raisins and walnuts perfectly. You can buy Quinoa flour at Bulk Barn or Natural food stores.

Makes 24 cookies:

• 1 cup sultana raisins
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 3/4 cup organic cane sugar (or white sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup Quinoa flour
• 1 cup almond flour (ground almonds)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray baking sheets with cooking oil 
2. Place raisins in bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time and then add vanilla. 
4. In a large bowl, mix together Quinoa flour, almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves.
5. Add butter mixture to flour mixture and mix well. Drain raisins and fold in with chopped walnuts.
6. Roll dough into 1 1/2" balls, and place 2" apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
7. Allow cookies to rest for 10 minutes out of the oven until you transfer to a wire rack to cool further.

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!

Spicy Stuffed Peppers

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Spicy Stuffed Peppers

Recipe adapted from Simply Love Food 

With sincerest apologies for my lengthy hiatus, I return to you all with my latest obsession, perfectly balanced, nutritious and calorie conscious menu items. Its a new year, with new flavors and I am very excited to share them with you all!

These peppers are wonderfully spicy and super filling. To make a vegan version, just substitute the ground beef with some precooked quinoa.

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 heaping tablespoon taco seasoning
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 3-4 bell peppers, halved with seeds removed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 jar salsa (we use super hot Habanero salsa)
• sharp cheddar cheese
• fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Lightly coat peppers with olive oil and place in roasting pan for about 20 minutes until just cooked through.
3. Remove peppers from oven and allow to cool.
4. In the meantime, saute ground beef and onions in a saucepan over medium high heat. Drain any fat and place in large bowl.
5. Add taco seasoning, black beans, corn and rice to bowl and stir until combined.
6. Spoon mixture into each pepper, packing in as much as you can.
7. Place peppers back in over for an additional 15-20 minutes. Before removing from the oven sprinkle the tops with cheddar cheese and allow to melt before taking them out.
8. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Orangesicle Cookies

Pin It Orangesicle Cookies

Recipe adapted from White Chocolate & Lime Cookies

Perfect for a summer treat, these cookies are light, refreshing and tasty! We love eating these refrigerated or even frozen.

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
• zest from 1 orange
• 2 1/2 cups AP Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1- 12oz bag white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
3. In a large bowl mix sugar and butter until just combined (but not fluffy)
4. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, lime juice and lime zest. Mix just to combine.
5. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
6. Mix into created mixture until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
7. Shape dough into 1" balls and place 2" apart on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes until the edges are golden and the centres are just set.
8. Allow to sit on pan for 5 minutes before moving to cooling racks.

Granola Bars

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Granola Bars

Adapted from SmittenKitchen

 

I wanted some granola bars that didn't taste like chocolate bars, and I'm so happy I found this recipe on SmittenKitchen. It tastes like hearty breakfast in a bar, and they leave me feeling much better about my morning snack! I pull them out of the freezer in the morning, and they're thawed by my 10am morning coffee/snack break.

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup sliced raw almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup agave nectar (if you can't find, use more honey)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cup dried fruit, I used chopped apricots, cranberries and raisins
• 1/3 cup small chocolate chips (chipettes)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine oatmeal, coconut, almonds and wheat germ and pour onto baking sheet. Toast in oven, stirring periodically for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove and place in large bowl. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
3. While mixture is warm, stir in honey, agave nectar, vanilla bean paste and salt. Stir until well coated and then stir in dried fruit and chocolate chips.
4. Pour mixture into a 9x13" pan, greased and lined with parchment paper and press down as hard as you can, all over. I used a rubber spatula on its side to push with my fist. 
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 2-3 hours before removing from pan and cutting. I cut into bars and freeze in snack size bags!

Spinach Ravioli with Brown Butter & Sage Sauce

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Spinach Ravioli with Brown Butter & Sage Sauce

Made by Guest Cook (My Dad)

 

My parents came over for dinner the other night, and brought with them about 30 of these little guys, ready to cook. He provided me with his ravioli recipe and then we whipped up this impossibly delicious brown butter sauce together (read: I helped with my taste testing skills).

Raviolis

• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed
• 5 gloves minced garlic, sauteed
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 500 grams ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 eggs
• a scape (or pinch) of nutmeg
• 3 egg pasta
• 2 1/4 cups AP flour
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lukewarm water

Butter Sauce

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions: 

1. Make a well of measured flour and crack eggs into center. Break the yolks without disturbing the sides and add salt, olive oil and water.Whisk the eggs gently and incorporate some of the flour little by little. With your hands bring the flour from the outside of the well to the center and form a ball. If the ball is sticky, pick up with hands and mix further. Once dough feels soft and no longer sticky, knead for about 8-9 minutes until dough is smooth and shiny. Cover with tea towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
2. You can now roll out and create your raviolis. You may want to use a pasta machine to roll out your dough, or if you don't have one, use a rolling pin to roll out quite thin (1/8"). My dad used a press (which is why these look so annoyingly perfect) but since I don't have one, I general roll dough into long strips, lay one strip down, place tablespoons of filling(recipe to follow) about 2" apart, brush with an egg wash in a circle around filling and then top with second strip, trim and pinch to seal.
3. To create filling combine thawed frozen spinach, garlic, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs and nutmeg in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
4. Once raviolis are made (alternatively, you may decide to buy fresh raviolis- You can find them in the refrigerated pasta section of the grocery store) it's time to make the Brown Butter Sauce. Start by heating the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat.
5. Meanwhile bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add raviolis and cook for 6-7 minutes if fresh, or according to the package if store-bought.
6. Watch & stir the butter carefully as it starts to foam and then subsides. At this point it should start browning. Add your sage now and continue to stir. Once the butter reaches a caramel color you want to remove from heat. You want it to be browned not burnt. Drizzle over raviolis and top with toasted pine nuts.
7. It seems like a lot of work, but you can make the raviolis in advance and freeze, allowing you to create this meal in about 10 minutes!