Comfort Food

14 11 2010

When life hands you lemons you can react a couple of different ways. Leave your head on the pillow or get up and put one foot in front of the other. After leaving my head on the pillow for a few days, I got up, put one foot in front of the other until I was in the kitchen doing what makes me feel better, cooking. Unfortunately for Tony and I, the past few weeks have dealt us some blows, but we are surrounded by amazing family and friends. Thank-you to those that read this and have been by our side.

I have made Borshch with my mom many times (assuming ‘made’ means drinking wine and watching). Last year and at the start of this blog, I chronicled our Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner, which includes Borshch. My mom measured out the recipes as she cooked from memory. This way I could write them down and make it all on my own one day. I’m workin’ on it.

Well I grew great beets this year, although small, and they’ve been in the fridge since October. I paired them up with some organic beets from Planet Organic to make a big pot of Borshch. I followed the recipe, consulted mom and found solace in a quiet kitchen and the comforting smell of soup simmering on the stove like the generations before me. Here is our family Borshch recipe, I hope it brings you as much comfort as it did me last night.

  • 6 large Beets, I ended up using about 12 small beets
  • 1/2 c dried Brown Mushrooms, broken and chopped up (if not dried, then saute them in a bit of olive oil before using)
  • 2-3 Chicken Bouillon cubes (I use the veggie variety)
  • 4 Bay Leaves
  • 6 Pepper Corns
  • 1 1/2 c diced Celery
  • 1 1/2 c diced Carrots
  • 1 1/2 c diced Green Beans
  • 1 1/2 c Peas (frozen okay)
  • 1 medium White Onion, diced and sautéed until golden brown
  • 3-4 c of Beet Tops, chopped small, separate the stems from the leaves
  • 1 tsp Dill (dried okay)
  • 1/2 c Italian Parsley, chopped well
  • 2 tbsp Flour
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil (choose a natural oil, stay away from processed oils, aka Canola)

Clean off the beats, no need to peel, cut the roots and tough parts off. Grate the beets using a food processor, rough chop them first, the grating attachment makes this very easy and less messy. If you don’t have a food processor, grate whatever way works for you. Makes about 12 cups.

 

In a soup pot, place the beets, diced beet stems, mushrooms, bay leaves, pepper corns and bouillon cubes and cover with water. Bring to boil, cover, simmer covered for 15 min. Add celery, parsley, simmer covered for 15 min. Add beans, carrots, simmer covered for 15 min. Add peas, chopped beet greens, sautéed onions and 1/4 to 1/2 c of water if you think it needs it. Simmer covered for 15 min, the veggies will be al-dante.

Once the soup is done, in small sauce pot, cook the flour over medium-high heat, stirring continuously for 60-90 seconds. Take the flour off the heat and add the butter and oil, continue stirring, the butter should melt and maybe froth up a bit. You’ve just made a roux and probably didn’t ruin it over the heat, good job. Add three cups of the borsch to the roux, one cup at a time, mixing well, and then add it all back into the main soup pot. The cooked flour and roux brings the flavours together and makes the soup glisten. Look at it, isn’t it pretty.

Serve with a dollop of sour creme or plain yogurt and fresh cracked pepper. It’s like a hug in a bowl.

Eat well, Be Well,

Nat


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Lunch at Work v.3

16 09 2010

This week I ate bean, cheese and corn quesadillas for lunch, well for three days anyhow. We had Mexican last Friday after work and I had opened a can of Amy’s Organic Black Bean Refried Beans so I had to use up the beans. I had one cob of corn left, so I used that too. I made three quesadillas by slathering a thick layer of beans onto whole grain tortillas, then sprinkled some cheese, corn and a little shake of dried cilantro (which is not the best, but in the absence of fresh cilantro, it does the trick, well sort of).

Fold the filled tortillas in half and on a heated non-stick skillet brown each side, melting the cheese and fillings together. To cool without sweating, place on cooling rack. When they are cool, cut into three triangles, stack and wrap up for lunch. I placed them in a container with fresh garden carrots and tomatoes. When lunch came, I didn’t worry about warming them, just dug in when the time came. Satisfying as they are or pack a little bit a salsa with you. Ole!

Eat well, Be well,

Nat


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Lunch at Work v.2

10 08 2010

mmmm I had the yummiest lunch today and yesterday. Continuing on my ‘Lunch at Work’ series, here is another version.

I wrote about a Bean and Feta Wrap awhile back. This recipe is similar, I just played with the ingredients to make a delicious spread you could put on a grainy piece of toast, rice crackers or whatever you like. Remember, at lunch you want to balance your veggies, grains and protein. Grains are important, aim for whole grains and high fibre. It will be more satisfying and keep you full longer. I really like sugar-free grainy and seedy breads. I toast a slice the night before, spread a bit of butter, let it cool and throw it in my lunch. For crackers I love Finn Crisp Original.

Bean and Goat Cheese Spread

1 can Organic Butter Beans

1 small package of plain Goat Cheese ( 100 g size)

2-3 tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp fresh or dried Oregano

3 tbsp fresh Parsley

1 tbsp fresh finely chopped Chives

4 large Green Olives chopped (or any olives of your choice)

Pinch of Salt, lots of fresh cracked Pepper

Drain and rinse the beans. In a bowl, mash the beans using a fork. Add the oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. The beans don’t need to be smooth, add the goat cheese and all the other ingredients. If you let the cheese sit at room temp for 10 min, it is easier to mix. This makes about 4-5 lunch servings. I packed with it some cut up veggies I picked up from my new favourite market, Kingsland Farmers Market (have I mentioned that I love that market :) ) and five Finn Crisps. I put the container in my lunch bag in the morning and by lunch it was still cool and the spread was easy to smear on the crackers. Yummy yummy in my tummy.

Eat well, be well,

Nat


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Lunch at Work v.1

17 07 2010

At work, not sure what to eat? I have said before that buying lunch while working is more of a treat then a necessity, at least that is how I approach it. I am not a fan of buying lunch every day especially if the choices are less than desirable and unhealthy. I do my best to pack food to work where ever I go. I eat a lot in the day and not so much at night, and this helps with sleep, digestion and getting up to practice.

I got a comment (thanks Heather) for ideas for packing lunch to work. For this I am going to start a blog series called Lunch at Work, with new versions as they come to mind. I eat a fairly ‘mono-diet’ so it might be awhile before the next one. The recipe i’ll share today can be changed so many ways so experiment! I started a new contract assignment two weeks ago and between friends in town, yoga workshops, Stampede and adjusting everything else I was doing and adding in an additional 8 hours of work a day, lunch preparations were tough, but I made it through. Here’s the low down on surviving a crazy two weeks and an idea for lunch.

Breakfast: This stayed consistent, green smoothie packed with me. 1 banana, 1 pear+1/2 cup of ice or 3/4 cup frozen berries, 2-3 cups of raw spinach or kale. Blend together until smooth, go.

Second breakfast (lately, sometimes eaten at lunch): 1/2 cup sprouted oat groats or kamut, cooked with a bit of cinnamon. 2 tbsp toasted nuts, drizzle of agave syrup. See previous post Kamut for Breakfast. I make two portions at a time, ready in the fridge, eaten cold, no need to stop and make oatmeal.

Lunch: The best thing I brought to lunch was a rice salad. I did buy lunch a couple of times. The deli/cafe at my client is really good. They have lots of healthy selections and soup options.

Rice Salad: Cook 1 cup of whole grain, brown or mixed rice. I love this one from Planet Organic bulk, it takes about 45 min to cook. You can keep the cooked rice in the fridge and make a fresh salad each night, or even add with some dinner left overs. It’s important to eat whole grains through the day, it is long-lasting energy and high in fibre = better metabolism.

To 1/2 cup of cooked rice I added 1/3 cup mixed beans (canned or pick up your favourite mixed bean salad from a deli, planet has a few good ones), diced veggies like carrots, red/yellow pepper, cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, cilantro and sprouts. I had a few olives left over so I added those one day. Another day I added cubed goat gouda I had in the fridge. Toasted pine nuts left from a bean dish I made tasted yummy. For dressing, make it simple, olive oil and apple cider vinegar, fresh cracked pepper. Eat cold on the go.

Afternoon: Always, always, an apple. I love apples and I can’t wait to start buying delicious organic apples from BC this summer. As well I pack a ‘power cookie’. I make dozens at a time and keep in the freezer and in a jar on the counter. That recipe another time.

Eat well, be well,

Nat


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Bean Soup

17 06 2010

I {heart} legumes. This week I made my grandma’s recipe for a bean soup I remembered as a kid. In my visit last week we talked about soup, my grandpa loved soup and so do I. She makes this bean soup with a ham hock (a real thing, I just googled it, thought it was slang). So if you are a lover of ham, go ahead. I used organic chicken bouillon powder instead – or you can use the low sodium veggie ham or chicken bouillon. To serve, for some reason we seasoned this soup with a splash of white vinegar, not sure why, maybe someone out there does. That’s just the way it is and it tastes like 1979.

1 cup Speckled Beans (might be a speckled kidney, I saw some at Planet, my grandma just gave me a cup)

3 Bay Leaves (I have some dried from grandma’s plant)

8 cups of Filtered Water (estimate)

2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes (or your equivalent, to taste though, can be too salty)

1 tbsp Flour (had to get this off grandma too, she might as well made the soup for me. you can use other thickeners like kuzu or cornstarch)

1/2 cup Sour Creme

1-2 cups Milk (or your equivalent, I am doing this old school the best I can)

White Table Vinegar for ‘garnish’

Soak the beans overnight, I did for two days because I ran out of time to make the soup the next day. I just rinsed them and replaced the water. They will turn into 2 cups of soaked beans. Put the beans into a soup pot, add enough water to cover the beans plus one inch of water above the beans. Add the bay leaves and bouillon (if you choose to go ham hock, I think you add it here), bring to low boil, cook, stirring once in a while. Get comfortable, don’t plan to leave the house, you are kitchen bound for a few hours. As the water absorbs add more, so it is one inch above the beans. After a couple of hours, start to test the beans for softness, you want them to be real soft. Keep cooking. I left the lid off, but not totally, like an inch or two open for the steam to mostly escape. Be careful adding water near the end of the cooking time (up to 5 hours depending on the beans and pre-soak success) because you don’t want to much water. You want the beans to be almost even with the water, like 1 cm of water over the beans.

When the beans are done mix together 1/2 cup sour creme and 1 tbsp flour. (You could use a bit less sour creme, I used organic thick sour creme and it might have been a bit too much. I left the soup covered and off the heat and the flavours are coming through as time goes by, like all soups, they are so much better with time.) Add the sour creme + flour mixture to the soup. Add 1-2 cups of milk (I ended up using 1/2 cup of Tony’s creme for his coffee, sorry Tony, and 1/2 cup home-made almond milk, forgot to pick up milk). Mix in one cup of milk at a time, I think 2 cups is too much, but you decide based on what you think. I heated this up and then turned the heat off, covered it and let sit. I’ll dig into it for dinner later. Remember to add a splash of vinegar. Mmmm…memories.

Eat Well, Be Well,

Nat


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Bean and Feta Wrap

14 06 2010

I am always experimenting with lunch ideas. I am getting ready to start another year-long contract, so the lunches have to get portable again. I hate eating out at work. In all the years I’ve spent in corporate Calgary I think I ate out 1-2x a month. The rest of the time I brought my own healthful meals. After all these years, I have the quick go-to’s, the weekly mono-plan made on Sunday and the tried and trues. The trick is to keep the house stocked with fresh veggies and fruit, healthy grains, tuna, beans and the like. Don’t get me wrong there are days when it’s veggies and humus, a handful of rice crackers and an apple. But this to me is way better than having to forage at the company cafeteria or head to a restaurant.

I have recently enjoyed a new wrap, adapted it from a recipe I have. The original is a bit bland, so I’ve changed it enough to call it my own and have some ideas on how to repeat this with other additives. Even though I warm this on my stove top Panini grill, you can make the filling, bring a pita, bread or rice crackers and eat it on the go.

1 can shelled Fava, Lima/Cannellini or Butter Beans (my fav) Beans

3/4 c Crumbled Feta Cheese

2-3 tbsp Lemon Juice

4 tbsp Olive Oil (I replaced half with Coconut Oil)

1 tbsp fresh Oregano (or 1/2 tbsp dried)

3 tbsp fresh Parsley (optional)

2-3 tbsp chopped Black Olives

Pinch of Salt, lots of fresh cracked Pepper

Drain and rinse the beans. In a bowl, mash the beans using a fork. Once you start mashing, add the oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. The beans don’t have to be smooth, choose a consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, taste and adjust. Spread on a whole wheat/grainy wrap, top with spinach, roll up, folding in the sides. Warm on a Panini or in a fry pan until grill marks/toasted. The sandwich isn’t hot, just warm to your liking. Serve with a salad or a stack of carrot sticks (remember this is supposed to be easy for lunch).

Eat Well, Be Well,

Nat


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More Sprouts

14 05 2010

Here is a great lunch that includes sprouts, so easy to throw on whatever you like. I had 1/2 cup of brown rice left over, warmed that up and placed into a bowl. I warmed up Lemon Tahini dip, mixed it with some chickpeas and added that to the rice bowl (can’t see them in the picture but they are under the veggies). Over the stove I steamed  carrots, broccoli and curly kale and added that to the bowl. Sliced up a few black olives and sprinkled the whole thing with sprouts (those are the Spring Salad Mix), sesame seeds and fresh ground pepper. You could give the bowl a squeeze of lemon if you’d like and Voila! Healthful lunch on the fly.

Eat well, Be well,

Nat


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Sprouting, what fun!

13 05 2010

I bought a sprouting dish at Planet Organic years ago and started using it finally last year. Again, something so easy I didn’t do it. Well, now I am addicted and we have sprouts growing at all times in our kitchen. I have experimented with a bunch of different seeds, legumes and grains. I believe that Community Health sells sprouting trays and I recommend picking one up. You can buy the seeds/grains/legumes bulk or buy packages of them. Mum’s Sprouting Seeds sells a bunch of seed options on their website and has a bunch of info to sprout on your own. You can buy the packaged ones at Planet and Community. I recommend buying their Easy Sprout, which I love for sprouting quinoa. A fellow health food junkie Trina introduced me to this fantastic little sprouting buddy. I now have quinoa ready for eating in the fridge all the time.

Now, you don’t need these special tools to sprout, you can use a jar. Put cheese cloth over the opening, secure with an elastic. Add the seeds/grains/legumes to the jar, cover with filtered water, you need to soak the sprouts for 2-8 hours, depending on what they are. Just think quinoa, small, less dense 2-4 hours. You’ll see them sprout in 2 hours. Wheat berries 4-6 hours, larger and more dense. Rinse them a couple of times, draining water through cheese cloth, replace with fresh filtered water. When they are finished soaking rinse really well, leave in jar, no water, cheese cloth on top for air circulation. Leave in fridge or counter and watch them sprout, rinsing once or twice a day (not all need this though). I think they sprout faster on the counter, but then I refrigerate them. There are so many options and it is fun to experiment. When you order an Easy Sprout you can order a sprouting chart or google sprouting charts, there are lots of references. We have tried the Mum’s Wheat Berries (long greens, sweet and crunchy, pictured in the bottom tray below), Spring Salad (small, nutty-spicy sprouts), Red Daikon Radish (bright red and spicy), Crunchy Bean Mix (packed with protein rich legumes, pictured in first picture below when first placed in tray) and my favourite at the moment, Ancient Eastern Blend (mix of fenugreek, lentils, kamut and adzuki beans, pictured on top tray below).

Update to this blog: What do you do with the sprouts after you had fun growing them? (why I shouldn’t blog after 8PM)

I add them to salads, smoothies, rice, quinoa, wraps, to toast, anything really. Find ways to incorporate them. Sprouts are packed and concentrated with vitamins. Enjoy!

Eat well, Be well,

Nat



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Black Bean Brownies, huh

20 04 2010

Jack, a yoga friend of mine gave me a couple of healthful brownie recipes to try. I love an experiment and test #1 took place on Sunday. The way I like to experiment is to first follow the recipe as is (with some exception to sugar ingredients) and if we like it and there is potential then I add/delete/modify/innovate. Sometimes they are perfect just the way they are (and that depends on whose taste buds were talking about). Usually after two or three times (or more) and it’s declared a home run I add it to what I call ‘the repertoire’ and it becomes a regular in our home. I have a special recipe binder for such things, that way I can write notes on the repeaters until they are just right.

First up, Black Bean Brownies

1 3/4 C or (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup cocoa powder (none at home, all out at Planet, so I used a Dagoba Organic Mexican cocoa mix I had kicking around the house, it added a bit of spice plus a bit of sweetness)

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch sea salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup packed Brown sugar (I used home made unsweetened apple sauce)

½ a large banana or one small one

1/3 c. chopped Walnuts, optional

Mint extract to taste, optional, recommended for taste (I didn’t use this, didn’t have any)

2 Tbsp. Strong coffee (I used 1 Tbsp coffee extract + 1 Tbsp water)

1/4 cup chocolate chips, optional (I used organic dark chips from Planet, you could use carob though)

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Blend everything together in your blender (I used my food processor, but didn’t add thewalnuts till the end so they wouldn’t be pulverized), and then pour it all into a greased 8″ X 8″ pan (I misplace mine and used a 5×8 which was okay). Bake for approx. 30-40 minutes or according to your oven (until the top is dry, the center mostly set and the edges pull away from the side of the pan). ** Optional Frosting : after they are out of the oven, drop a few more chocolate chips on the top and spread when melted for a thin frosting. (I did this, it’s the perfect topping).

Verdict: “I like them!” (Nat), “They’ll alright” (Tony). Dense in the middle, no trace of beans but there was a thickness to them. I think the apple sauce may have added to that. If you were gluten intolerant, this is a great way to have a brownie fix. Tony wasn’t in love with them, he thought brownies and ‘gooey, sugary, goodness’ – didn’t stop him from eating three of them though :) . I’m intrigued however. Jack gave me another recipe and alternatives to it, I’ll test them another time and report back. They sound great too (and he says they are a fav at dinner parties). Thanks Jack!

Eat well, be well,

Nat


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