Quinoa bowl recipes are some of my favorite easy meals to toss together for a healthy lunch or weeknight dinner. I love them because They’re customizable. You can change up the quinoa bowl toppings based on what you’re craving or what you h…
Quinoa bowl recipes are some of my favorite easy meals to toss together for a healthy lunch or weeknight dinner. I love them because They’re customizable. You can change up the quinoa bowl toppings based on what you’re craving or what you have on hand. They’re great for meal prep. Cook the quinoa and mix up a tasty sauce over the weekend. Then, quickly assemble quinoa bowls all week! They’re super satisfying…not to mention tasty! I fill my quinoa bowls with protein-packed quinoa, fiber-rich veggies, and big drizzles of a flavorful sauce. It’s the ultimate combination of healthy and delicious. You can […]
If you want a tart that smells like spring. Where arugula reigns, spinach, and cherry tomatoes. It is perfectly seasoned with fresh tarragon, thanks to which you can feel the freshness while eating. This quiche is juicy and aromatic. It all adds up to a Spring Onion Tart. How to choose the best ingredients for …
If you want a tart that smells like spring. Where arugula reigns, spinach, and cherry tomatoes. It is perfectly seasoned with fresh tarragon, thanks to which you can feel the freshness while eating. This quiche is juicy and aromatic. It all adds up to a Spring Onion Tart.
How to choose the best ingredients for Spring Onion Tart
Cherry Tomatoes: The best will be cherry tomatoes, but they also replace other varieties of mini tomatoes. Finally, you can also add standard tomatoes cut into pieces or slices.
Spinach: I always choose young spinach leaves, so peeling them won’t be much fun. Otherwise, you will need to cut the stem off the leaves so you don’t feel them rubbing.
Arugula: I like arugula for its expressiveness and sharpness of taste, I always choose the spicier version, and you choose the one you want.
Eggs: I recommend size L; however, add more if you have smaller ones. It only matters a little with size M, but if you have tiny eggs, it just adds 5-6 pieces.
Creme Fraiche: You can replace creme fraiche with sour cream or, finally, with Greek yogurt.
Single Cream: Single cream is nothing more than sweet cream with 18% fat, and it behaves in cooking just like the 30% fat one with a tiny exception – it cannot be whipped into a stiff foam. So, if you want to slim down your tart, add this version to the pastry. You can also replace it with a fatter version. It all depends on your preferences.
Cheddar Cheese: I like to add cheddar cheese to tarts because it has a sharp, characteristic taste, which additionally emphasizes the taste of the dishes. On the other hand, you can use any of your favorite hard cheeses with this tart, and I recommend spicy flavors so that the pastry is not too bland.
Wholegrain mustard: The mustard gently emphasizes the flavors of the tart. You can add a regular one if you don’t have whole grains. Remember that these are usually spicier; you should add half the portion.
Spring Onions: I like spring onions because later, I can put it in pots and enjoy my own, but if you don’t have them, you can add chives.
Tarragon: Tarragon will be the best fresh. You can grow it in a pot on the window in the kitchen and always have it at hand. You can also replace it dried.
Tips and TricksforSpring Onion Tart
Cover the tart with aluminum foil during the final baking to prevent it from burning too much.
You can have the shortcrust pastry frozen. I usually make 4 servings; thanks to that, I always have something quick and delicious.
Spring onion always uses the ends of the bulbs with roots to plant chives at home and always has them within reach.
If I like tarts, try my other ideas for this delicious quiche.
My other ideas for tarts/quiches are equally tasty and worth trying, and they are made very quickly, especially if you make the dough from my recipe, which is enough for two servings, and you can freeze it for another occasion.
Bacon Broccoli Quicheclassic French quiche where bacon combines with broccoli to create a creamy filling. Easy and tasty trat on your table. This is what you must try!
Fresh Herbs Quicheherbs, when you combine them perfectly and add them to the creamy sauce to fill the perfectly crispy shortcrust pastry, you will get a dish that is not only simple but also quick and tasty! You must try this incredible recipe!
Quiche Lorraine with Leeks Quiche Lorraine, a classic French recipe for a casserole with shortcrust pastry. Classic, yet proportions are very important here. This recipe is tested in every way by my partner’s taste buds to make it perfect for your table! Try it and you will make this quick and tasty dish more often.
Tart is the perfect dish for a quick and effective light dinner or lunch. It will be as quick as preparing the dough in advance, and you can keep it frozen in the fridge or use ready-made shortcrust pastry. In France, both forms are very popular. Spring Onion Tart are very juicy, smelling of spring and spring vegetables. Therefore it is perfect for spring or winter evenings because currently, young vegetables are available all year round.
Fancy a delicious, simple spring-smelling dish? Now with the ingredients available all year round, you can bring up any time with this simple crispy smashed potatoes with yogurt dip in your home. The flavors may be a bit revolutionized, but they remind me of many visits to my grandma, where baby potatoes were served with …
Fancy a delicious, simple spring-smelling dish? Now with the ingredients available all year round, you can bring up any time with this simple crispy smashed potatoes with yogurt dip in your home. The flavors may be a bit revolutionized, but they remind me of many visits to my grandma, where baby potatoes were served with curdled milk. Here we replace curdled milk with yogurt and do it as a spicy dip.
How to choose the best ingredients for Crispy smashed potatoes with yogurt dip
Baby Potatoes: I recommend young potatoes with a low starch content (it also makes the yellow inside easier). This detail will make the potatoes soft enough after cooking and keep their shape.
Oliveoil: Olive, I recommend the one you like from the best quality olives extra virgin. I like Italian and Greek oils. When you choose an olive, check where it was produced and, most importantly, where the olives come from (there are situations where the production is in Italy and the olives come from plantations in Africa.).
Rosemary: Rosemary goes perfectly with potatoes and gives them a spring fragrance. It is not necessary, but if you have the opportunity to add fresh rosemary, I highly recommend it.
Tips and tricksfor Crispy smashed potatoes with yogurt dip
Mash the potatoes while they are warm (when they cool down). They will be less flexible and may fall apart.
Mashed potatoes can be lightly sprinkled with pizza cheese to enrich the taste. I prefer to saute versions, but you check them out. I’m waiting for your opinions.
You can sprinkle the baking potatoes with fresh thyme for flavor.
You can also try other dips based on yogurt, e.g., tzatziki. You can find my delicious tzatziki recipe here.
It hasn’t happened in so long; when an idea hits like a bolt of lightening, and a recipe is downloaded perfectly into my brain, complete and fully-baked: Umami Rice Stacks with Vegan Caviar. I was talking to a dear friend a couple weeks ago, about…
It hasn’t happened in so long; when an idea hits like a bolt of lightening, and a recipe is downloaded perfectly into my brain, complete and fully-baked: Umami Rice Stacks with Vegan Caviar. I was talking to a dear friend a couple weeks ago, about nothing related to food, and this random idea for vegan caviar popped into my head. Out of nowhere. Understanding how my creative self works, I had to say this idea out loud immediately so I wouldn’t forget. No sooner had the words chia and kelp come out of my mouth, then the rest of the recipe tumbles out, one element after the next until it was there: a crispy rice, caviar-studded, spicy, creamy, savoury, stack with carrot-kimchi salad, avocado, and sesame. If you’re familiar with “sushi pizza” you’ll get where I’m going with this!
Although the entire dish is absolutely delicious, my favourite part has to be vegan caviar. It’s so easy to make and really fun! I knew that it had to have an “ocean-y” flavour, so using a sea veggie made the most sense. Nori is widely available and is a mild seaweed that most people enjoy the taste of, so I went with that. I used a product called nori “krinkles” that are minimally-processed kelp (just dried and toasted), but if you can’t find those, use nori flakes, or a couple sheets of sushi nori instead. After soaking for a minute, the nori becomes soft and easy to blend, and with the addition of tamari, a salty, umami-bomb liquid ensues – perfect for soaking the chia in!
After 15 minutes, the chia absorbs all of that dark, delicious liquid, and swells up to resemble teeny tiny eggs…BOOM! Vegan caviar is born! I added a touch of olive oil to create a slick mouthfeel too – this is optional, but pretty effective. And the “chaviar” continues to absorb the liquid it’s in while hanging out in the fridge, so to make it the right consistency, I just drizzle in a little water before serving each time. I’m over the moon about this one, people!
Sea Vegetables
Sea vegetables, like the nori used in this recipe are abundant, incredibly nutritious, eaten world-wide, and a truly nourishing food. Sea vegetables come in all different colours: red, brown, green, blue, and more and can be grown in the sea or cultivated in tanks. They have a smaller carbon footprint than the veggies we know and love that grow on land and don’t rely on the soil which globally needs restoring and rejuvenation!
Kind of like the sprouts of the ocean, packing so many nutrients in a small amount of food — they are actually the most nutrient-dense food on the planet, how rad is that? These rainbow-coloured, unassuming, under-water plants contain protein, various vitamins, important iodine (for thyroid health!), fiber, calcium, iron, and more, often times in much higher concentrations than their land veggie or even animal-food counterparts. Shining stars of the sea, the micronutrient content is just unparalleled especially as our soil nutrients continue to decrease due to degenerative farming practices. Holistic, regenerative agriculture works to combat soil nutrient loss and I highly recommend you seek out your local farmers trying to bring life back to the soil in your area and in the meantime, try incorporating more sea veggies into your daily diet.
Some of the most common sea vegetables:
Arame A great source of calcium (more than other sea veggies) and vitamin A. Sweet and mild, perfect for beginners and because of the fiber, Arame is great for digestion!
Wakame Folate-, manganese-, and iron-rich wakame is a sweet kelp that’s often found in salad form!
Kombu Handy in a pot of beans to enhance digestibility, and as a flavour and mineral-enhancer in broths, kombu is high in magnesium and potassium.
Nori Likely the most common sea veggie because of the popularity of sushi, you can find nori in krinkles, sheets, or flakes, dried or toasted! This is an easy and accessible way to eat more seaweed!
Spirulina You’ve probably seen the brightly-blue-hued smoothies coloured by this algae. Just 1 Tbsp. of spirulina has as much protein as a small handful of almonds and an impressive amount of iron.
Dulse A beautiful red seaweed, with ample amounts of magnesium and calcium.
There are countless more but these are the ones most commonly used in my recipes and are generally readily available! There are some concerns for sensitive populations about seaweed’s ability to store heavy metals when grown in polluted water. It’s important to find brands that are conscious about their sourcing, aren’t over-harvesting or are growing responsibly, and make sure you eat in moderation. I do think we all could benefit from diversifying our diets a little more to include these incredible superstars.
Now back to the recipe!
The first layer of this dish is the rice bottom, and that is what I cooked first (after nailing the chaviar). I tried using a couple of types of brown rice here, but I only found success was the short grain, I’m guessing because it has a more glutinous consistency than long grain and basmati, which tend to be lighter and fluffier. When I tested with the latter, I had to use an egg to bind the ingredients, but desired a vegan final product, so wound up using short grain in the end. You can absolutely use white rice if you like, but keep in mind that brown rice still has the bran intact and therefore more fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
Since my inspo was sushi pizza, I wanted a super crispy rice base. A quick sear in a hot pan was great, but without deep frying, I couldn’t get the satisfying crispiness that I desired. I’ll leave it up to you whether or not you take this extra step. I bet an air fryer would work beautifully here! The rice is still good even if it’s cold or room temperature, and a lot less fussy. Either way, make sure to cook the rice at least 4-5 hours before serving, so that it has time to cool down, so you can cut it into your desired shape. I used a jar lid for this, but a drinking glass or other circular tool would work perfectly.
The kimchi-carrot salad was inspired by the spicy salmon that often crowns a sushi pizza – it’s savoury and moreish, with a consistency walking the fine line between and al dente and tender. I steamed the carrots to achieve this texture, and you can cook them as little or as much as you like depending on your preference! The end result was so close to raw fish that my husband has a hard time believing it was carrots at all. Smothered in a creamy, brine-y, funky sauce, these humble roots become uniquely surprising and remarkably flavourful.
Don’t be intimidated by the multiple components of the Umami Rice Stacks with Vegan Caviar – once the rice is cooked and cooled, the rest comes together pretty quickly. You can even watch me make it in a live class on my wellness platform, My New Roots Grow! Perhaps bookmark this dish for a special occasion or celebration, so that you’ll set aside the time to make it. When tackling something new and different, I make sure I have ample hours so I don’t feel rushed. Cooking under pressure is the worst! Give yourself the gift of slow kitchen creation time.
Now for some notes on the Umami Rice Stacks with Vegan Caviar recipe…
I would encourage you to use short grain brown rice here (as I mentioned above) because it is the most glutinous and sticky, and it holds together well when you’re making that little base for the toppings. But! If long grain brown or brown basmati is all you have available, no worries. You may need to skip the cut-out step, and instead make a little pile on your plate. It’s all going to same place and tastes great no matter what format it takes! Haha…
If you have the the time for it, soak the rice overnight or for 8-12 hours in plenty of filtered water with a little splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice added. This improves the digestibility of the rice, and cuts back a little on cooking time too.
The amount of water you’ll use to cook the rice in depends on whether or not you’ve soaked the rice, and the size of the pot, so keep an eye on it, and add water as needed. You want the rice on the wetter side of things, since it’s the moisture in it that is going to help hold it together. Mirin, a sweet rice wine, is a tasty addition here, but it can be substituted with rice wine vinegar and a pinch of your sweetener of choice, or omitted altogether.
Start by soaking the rice (see headnotes). Drain and rinse well, then place in a cooking pot with 2 ½ + cups / 625ml + water, plus the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook covered for about 35-40 minutes if soaked, 45-60 minutes if cooked from raw. Check the water levels periodically to make sure the pot isn’t drying out, and add water to the pot if necessary. When the rice is cooked, remove the lid and let cool for a few minutes. Add the mirin, and fold to combine.
Prepare a standard brownie pan (8×8” / 20x20cm) by rubbing it with a little fat to prevent sticking (olive oil, expeller-pressed coconut oil, ghee, or butter). Press the rice firmly into the pan, making it as level and even as possible. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Make the chaviar by combining the nori with water from a recently-boiled kettle. Let soak for 1-2 minutes, then add the tamari and transfer this mix in a blender (or use an immersion blender). Blend on high until smooth. Transfer mixture to a jar, then stir in the chia seeds. Let the chia absorb the liquid, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Make the kimchi mayo by stirring the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Scrub the carrots well, and chop them into your desired size – just make sure that they are relatively similar and bite-sized so that they cook evenly. Place in a steamer basket in a pot with water and set to medium-high heat, cover, and cook for 4-8 minutes once steaming – depending on their size and your preference. While the carrots are steaming, whisk together the tamari, lemon juice, olive oil, and grated ginger in a medium bowl and set aside. The carrots are ready when they are tender. Remove from heat, and immediately add to the bowl with the marinade. Stir well to coat. Let cool.
While the carrots are cooling, cut the rice out into your desired shapes. I used a jar lid (see photo) that would create four equal-sized portions, but you can also just cut the rice slab into four squares as well (alternatively, make a bunch of small, bite-sized pieces for appetizers!).
Place the rice bases on your plates. Spread a dollop of the kimchi mayo on top of each base and spread it to the edges. Top with avocado slices, then a few spoonfuls of the chaviar on top. Fold the remaining mayo through the marinated carrots, then spoon those on top of the avocado. Sprinkle with finely sliced spring onions and sesame seeds. Say thank you and enjoy immediately.
Notes
Serves 4-5
I am so grateful to all of you that participated in naming the Umami Rice Stacks with Vegan Caviar. I was HOWLING with laughter reading your proposals on Instagram! Wow, ya’ll are creative! I’d be remiss to not share some of my favourites: “The Inspired Layered Spire”, “Mountain of Love”, “Dynamite Discs”, “Avo-Kimchi Pow Pow”, “Shizza Shazam”, “The Candlestick.”, “Hokey No-Poke”, “Mt. Abundance”, “Mystic Pizazz”, and “Rainbow Tower of 1000 Saveurs”. LOL! Love you guys so much.
Big thanks my brain for channeling this stellar dish, so that I could share with you! I hope you love it as much as I do. Such a vibrant and delicious way to celebrate life! Sending you love on this day and every day.
Most lovers of North Indian cuisine widely available in North America are familiar with Butter Chicken – the iconic dish that has captured the hearts and bellies of people the world over. In fact butter chicken is likely the most popular and recognizable Indian dish in our neck of the woods, and without a…
Most lovers of North Indian cuisine widely available in North America are familiar with Butter Chicken – the iconic dish that has captured the hearts and bellies of people the world over. In fact butter chicken is likely the most popular and recognizable Indian dish in our neck of the woods, and without a doubt my own personal gateway to the unique flavours of Indian cuisine. This dish was the inspiration for these North Indian-Inspired Butter Chickpeas!
When I was 13 or 14, my best friend’s mother, Annie (who I’ve mentioned before in my sushi post – a woman who truly opened my eyes to the world of food beyond hot dogs and hamburgers!), took the three of us to The Host, a famous, Toronto institution that has been running successfully for 24 years. I can still remember the feeling of walking into the space, the air absolutely swollen with mouthwatering scents I had never experienced before. We sat down at the table, covered in a crisp white tablecloth, and a basket of seed-flecked, paper-thin crackers was dropped off along with the menus. “Papadam” Annie said. I took one bite and the entire thing shattered into my hands, which made us all laugh, and the taste was delicious, even if completely unfamiliar. I had just tried my first cumin seed!
This primed my palette for what was to come, and Annie confidently ordered for the table. There were things I recognized, like rice, and flatbread (naan), but most of the dishes were alluringly mysterious, arriving in copper bowls, with colourful sauces and chutneys. Once she explained to put some rice on my plate as a bed for the curries, she handed me a bowl whose scent made my mouth water instantly. “Butter chicken” she told me. Well, I knew both of those ingredients very well, but not looking like this! “Is it spicy?” I asked. “Not spicy hot”, she replied. “There are plenty of spices in there, but I’d describe it flavourful”. I had trusted this woman to guide me through Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian, Greek, Macedonian, and Moroccan restaurant experiences so far, so I took a heaping spoonful of the butter chicken and spread it over the rice.
It was love at first bite. The combinations of flavours, commingling in a sauce that was beguilingly rich and creamy, with huge chunks of perfectly tender chicken throughout was absolutely divine. It was tomato-y, but not overpoweringly so, and deeply aromatic with spices that I had certainly never tasted before. I savoured every bite of that butter chicken, along with chana masala, palak paneer, aloo gobi, and dal makhni. We ate naan, and samosa, and pakora and bhaji. It was a veritable feast that began my love affair with Indian food. Little did I know every corner of the continent, every family, every household brings a diversity and a uniqueness to what we generally label Indian food — there’s so much to explore!
Butter chicken was invented in the 1950s, by a man named Kundan Lal Gurjal, who operated a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Delhi, the capital territory of India. Kundan had settled here in this Northern region of the country and started his business after escaping from political upheaval in another region of India. Moti Mahal was a success, and it served several delicious tandoori dishes, that came from their tandoor oven – a circular clay oven central to Punjabi cuisine.
As the story goes, Kundan didn’t want his leftover tandoori chicken to go to waste, but he also didn’t want it to dry out, so he mixed leftover marinade juices with tomato and butter, added the chicken to it, and let it all stew – butter chicken was born! Although necessity was the mother of this invention, he likely had no idea that he had created an internationally-loved delicacy that would stand the test of time.
I started eating a vegetarian diet when I was 16, and butter chicken was one of the foods I missed the most. I’ve cooked a lot of Indian-inspired food at home over the years, but I’d never taken a crack at a plant-based butter chicken until my mom served me a version with chickpeas…brilliant! It was a serious why-didn’t-I-think-of-that moment.
One of the things that makes butter chicken so good, is that the chicken is marinated in yogurt and spices before cooking. This step accomplishes two things: one, it tenderizes the meat, and second, it seasons it. Because I was aiming for a weeknight dinner, I decided to skip this step with the chickpeas and just make sure that they were properly cooked and well seasoned before adding to the sauce. I also smashed about half of the legumes. This helped to increase their surface area, break up their tough skins, and allow the flavourful sauce to penetrate to the inner, absorbent centers. I also appreciated having the texture variation in the dish, making it more similar to the OG version.
Chickpea Party Tricks
We all know that chickpeas are fiber all-stars, providing 50% of your RDI in just one cup, (whoa!) but they have another party trick up their sleeve that I bet you didn’t know about. Two-thirds of the fiber in chickpeas is insoluble, meaning that it doesn’t break down during digestion, but instead moves through our digestive tract unchanged until it hits the large intestine. The fun starts here, where friendly bacteria (think probiotics!) go to town on said insoluble fiber and actually break it down to create short-chain fatty acids, including acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. These short-chain fatty acids can then be absorbed by the cells that line the wall of our large intestine and used for energy! How rad is that?! Butyric acid is in fact the preferred source of energy for the cells lining our colon, and with this bonus fuel comes greater potential for optimally active and healthy cells. This translates into a reduced risk of colon problems including colon cancer. So friends, invite chickpeas to your next dinner party – they’ll feed you and your colon cells. Can your pot roast do that?
Now let’s get cooking! For this dish I highly recommend cooking your own chickpeas from dried (I mean, have I ever NOT recommended that?! haha). For one, if you make the entire batch, you’re looking at around 4 cans of chickpeas, which is a lot of waste produced. Second, if you cook the legumes yourself, you can control the amount of salt that you use, as high sodium levels are a concern for some people. Third, they taste way better. Trust me. And fourth, it costs a lot less – I likely don’t have to elaborate on that for you If you’re not sure how to cook beans from scratch, the full instructions are in this post, and a full video tutorial is up on my membership site, My New Roots Grow. If you’re especially interested in this dish, I’d love to invite you to the live, online cooking demo on Saturday, December 18th. Part of the Winter Radiance Retreat alongside Mikkala Marilyn Kissi, this recorded, one-day virtual retreat has so many wonderful seasonal goodies planned for you. Check it out and sign up here!
The ingredient list for this recipe may look long, but half of them are spices, and the remaining ones are primarily pantry staples, making this the perfect thing to cook up when you don’t have a ton of fresh produce around (I’m looking at you, late fall, winter, and early spring!). Cilantro is optional, but such a delicious addition if it’s available to you. And I like to serve the dish with rice or naan, or both. A simple kachumber salad, made with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and lemon juice is a great accompaniment to butter chickpeas when those ingredients are in season. Pro tip: measure out two or more portions in separate containers of the spice mix when you’re making it the first time so the next time all you have to do is grab the blend instead of all your individual spice jars!
And what about the butter?! Well, there isn’t any classic dairy butter here (although there is no shame in adding it!), instead I used cashew butter to achieve that crave-able creaminess. Some recipes for butter chicken call for whole cashews, which may in fact be easier for some of you to find than cashew butter. If that is the case, sub the cashew butter with whole, raw cashews that have been soaked for 4-8 hours, and add them to the pot with the tomatoes and coconut milk in step 3. If you’d like to know more about soaking and activating nuts, check out my article here. Get a load of that 2008 photography!
In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garam masala, smoked paprika, cinnamon, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir well to mix with the oil, and stir frequently so it doesn’t scorch.
Add the onion and salt, stir well to coat, let cook for 5-10 minutes until the onions have softened slightly. Add the garlic, stir well, and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and coconut milk, stirring well to incorporate. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, take about half of the chickpeas and smash them flat with the bottom of a drinking glass. This step is optional, but it changes the shape and texture of the chickpeas (see headnote).
Transfer the sauce to a blender, add the cashew butter and lemon juice, then blend on high until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired (if you’d like it spicier for example, add more cayenne).
Add all of the chickpeas to the sauce and fold to combine. Bring a very light simmer, and let cook for 5 minutes to bring everything together, or up to an hour to let the flavours really develop, making sure to stir every so often so the bottom doesn’t scorch.
Serve the butter chickpeas over rice with lots of fresh cilantro, and naan if desired. Say thank you and enjoy!
Notes
Serves 8-10
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do, and find the same satisfying coziness with each bite you enjoy. As we head into the darker, colder months of the year, I know I’ll be turning to these butter chickpeas to keep me warm and grounded, while picturing us at our stoves, connected in spirit over steaming pots and nourishing bowls. All love from me to you, Sarah B
Hi everyone! It has been so hard to find the right words for this post as my heart is breaking for the world right now. I hope you are all staying safe and doing well. How are you doing? I’m wishing you all love and strength to get through whatever challenges may be coming your…
Hi everyone! It has been so hard to find the right words for this post as my heart is breaking for the world right now. I hope you are all staying safe and doing well. How are you doing? I’m wishing you all love and strength to get through whatever challenges may be coming your way during this pandemic. We’re about to start our 7th week of “sheltering at home” and are all doing well & taking things one day at a time.
A gift from my heart
We’ve been trying to do our part by helping the community in various ways, but I also want to do a little something personal for some of my blog readers who are working on the frontlines and in essential services during this pandemic. This idea is a small way for me to connect with you and say thank you for all that you’re doing! So that said, I’d like to mail a signed and personalized copy of my brand new cookbook (my very first hardcover….eek!), along with an Oh She Glows Recipe App download, to 15 frontline and essential workers located in Canada or the US. These gifts will be sent out as soon as my book launches early this fall. Side note: I almost nixed this idea because I worried there would be hard feelings if I couldn’t send one to everyone who reaches out (I will likely have a lot more than 15 emails), but I hope you’ll understand that even though I can’t send you all one, I’d still like to do this to bring a smile to some of your faces during this difficult time. (And I’ll be doing more cookbook giveaways for the entire OSG community in the late summer and fall, too, so there will be other opportunities coming up.) You can nominate yourself or someone you know. Please send a brief email along with your city, and province or state (or your nominee’s story and location) to frontline@ohsheglows.com by May 1, 2020. We’ll select 15 frontline and essential heroes and I will cover all costs of shipping, the book, etc. Due to the volume of emails we anticipate receiving, we’ll only be able to reply to those who are selected, but I want to say a huge thank you in advance for sharing your story with me and to all of you out there who are making sacrifices for your communities every day.
A little about this soup
Today, I’m sharing a versatile, nutrient-packed, and pantry-friendly soup that I’ve been making for the past several weeks. I can’t tell you how much of a go-to recipe this has been while trying to juggle work deadlines and refereeing (oops, I mean parenting) and homeschooling. You can use virtually any veggies you have on hand as long as it totals about 8 cups (be sure to see the Tips in the recipe below for ideas). I’ve created both Instant Pot and stovetop versions for you as well. I love that I can throw everything into my Instant Pot, turn it on, and walk away! And the stovetop version is almost as simple…the only difference is that you’ll need to stir it a few times during cooking. I’m whipping this up twice weekly until the warm weather sets in. I hope it brings you some comfort during these trying days. I’d love to hear which veggie combos you use…my favourite combo so far is: broccoli, carrots, butternut squash, frozen green beans, and sliced cremini mushrooms. A nutrient powerhouse! I’m not joking when I say that I’m eating this daily for lunch…it helps balance out all the baked goods that I’ve been stuffing in my face…lol.
PS – I’ll be sure to share a lot more details about the new book (as well as the big cover reveal!) soon. If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter, as we’ll be relaunching it this spring and revealing the cover and details there first.
Sending you all love, good health wishes, and big virtual hugs,
This spicy, bursting-with-flavour soup can be made with whatever veggies you have lurking in the crisper and pantry. My favourite combination of veggies is broccoli (rich in immune-boosting vitamin C), butternut squash, carrots, and frozen green beans, and I’ve detailed the amounts I use in my recipe below. You can use any veggies you love as long as it totals 8 cups of chopped veggies (see my Tip below for ideas!). I’ve also provided two different cooking methods: a hands-free Instant Pot method and a traditional (but still very easy) stovetop method. The beauty of this soup is that it’s so simple to make—we simply add the ingredients to the pot and let it cook away! The soup’s spicy flavour comes from using a generous amount of red pepper flakes. I like 2 teaspoons for a moderate, zippy heat level, but if you aren’t a fan of a lot of heat, start with 1 teaspoon and go from there. If you want to use my Instant Pot method, you can find the directions at the bottom of the Tips section. This recipe is adapted from my 8-Minute Pantry Dal.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon (15 mL) coconut oil or olive oil
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) water
1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can light coconut milk
1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes*
2 tablespoons (30 mL) apple cider vinegar, or to taste
Herbamare, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Stovetop method: To a large pot, add the oil, water, coconut milk, diced tomatoes (with juices), broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, frozen green beans, red pepper flakes, salt (starting with 3/4 teaspoon), garlic powder, and red lentils. Stir to combine.
Set the heat to high, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and bring the mixture to a low boil. Once it comes to a boil, remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium. Stir again, scraping off any lentils stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Simmer, covered, over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and the veggies are just fork tender. The veggies should have a touch of resistance when pierced with a fork. The cook time will vary based on the type of veggies you use.
After cooking, remove the lid and stir in the apple cider vinegar, starting with one tablespoon and adding from there, to taste (we love 2 tablespoons for a lot of brightness). Sometimes, there may be a slight separation in the soup after adding the vinegar, depending on the brand of coconut milk used. This is nothing to worry about. Season with more salt, if desired (I add another 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt, plus a bit of Herbamare). I also enjoy adding a bit more apple cider vinegar to my individual serving because I adore its tanginess in this soup. Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 to 5 days.
Tip:
* I love fire-roasted diced canned tomatoes in this soup, but feel free to use regular canned diced tomatoes if that’s what you have.
** You can use practically any veggies you have on hand (most veggies should work, however, I probably wouldn’t try beets or eggplant, but maybe that’s just me). Veggies to try out: broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, yellow or red potatoes, button mushrooms, squash, sautéed onions/garlic/celery, thickly sliced zucchini (with skin), kale, frozen peas, etc. Just make sure the chopped veggies total 8 cups. If using onion, celery, or garlic, be sure to sauté them in the oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until softened, before adding the remaining ingredients. I have not tested any frozen veggies besides frozen green beans, so I can't vouch for other ones working.
*** If using French-cut frozen green beans (the thin variety), add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking to prevent them from softening too much.
**** 2 teaspoons of red chili flakes results in a zippy, moderate level of heat (my fave way to make this soup!). If serving to spice-shy folks, start with 1 teaspoon (for a mild soup) and add more after cooking, if desired.
INSTANT POT METHOD:
1.To a 6-Quart (or larger) Instant Pot, add all the ingredients, except the red lentils and apple cider vinegar. Stir until combined.
2. Now, pour the red lentils evenly overtop the mixture and gently press them into the liquid with your hands or a spoon (do not stir the lentils into the mixture as this can result in a burn notice in some machines).
3. Secure the lid in the lock position and check that the Steam Release Handle is pointing to the “Sealing” position.
4. Press the “Pressure Cook” button (or “Manual”, on some machines) and set the cook time to 1 minute on high pressure. After a few seconds you’ll hear a couple beeps and the screen will say “on”. The cooking process has begun! (Pro tip: it will take about 25 minutes for the machine to come to pressure before the 1 minute timer is triggered.)
5. You’ll hear a few beeps when the 1 minute timer is up. Immediately do a “Quick Pressure Release” to avoid overcooking the soup (simply shift the Steam Release Handle to the “Venting” position to release the pressure). Once all of the pressure has been released, the float valve will sink and you won’t hear steam anymore.
6. Carefully open the lid. My Instant Pot defaults to the “keep warm” setting, so I cancel it and turn the machine off to avoid over-cooking the veggies. Stir in the apple cider vinegar (starting with 1 tablespoon and adding more from there, to taste...we love 2 tablespoons for a nice zing). Sometimes, there may be a very slight coconut milk separation in the soup after adding the vinegar. This is natural and nothing to worry about. Season each bowl with a sprinkle of salt or Herbamare, if desired, and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Serving Size 1 cup (250 mL) | Calories 201 calories | Total Fat 7.3 grams Saturated Fat 5 grams | Sodium 270 milligrams | Total Carbohydrates 27.6 grams Fiber 5.4 grams | Sugar 5.2 grams | Protein 8.1 grams
Nutritional analysis uses 1 teaspoon sea salt. * Nutrition data is approximate and is for informational purposes only.
Greetings, friends! For fun I am resurrecting one of the blog posts I wrote back in 2010 – a warm butter bean salad bowl, garlic-roasted carrots and wild rice. Why I am re-publishing a decade-old recipe? Well, for one I thought that there are a…
Greetings, friends! For fun I am resurrecting one of the blog posts I wrote back in 2010 – a warm butter bean salad bowl, garlic-roasted carrots and wild rice. Why I am re-publishing a decade-old recipe? Well, for one I thought that there are a bunch of new followers around here who have never even seen this delight (hello, by the way)! Second, most of you who have been here since the beginning may have forgotten about it. Third, it’s the ideal pantry staple recipe. And lastly, because it’s very, very delicious. Creamy butter beans, golden garlic-y carrots coins, chewy wild rice, crisp and bright pickled onions, silky kale, and refreshing dill, all coming together with a lick-your-lips mustardy dressing that is divine on just about everything – this salad and beyond.
I’ve also re-named it the Spring Supper Salad because it’s the perfect seasonal transition meal (yea baby, it’s definitely a meal) incorporating both winter and spring produce and flavours, as we make our way into the light of the upswing! Hooray!
This recipe brings back so many memories for me. It was around this time that I had been working in restaurants in Copenhagen for about 3 years. I loved my job, and could hardly believe that someone actually paid me to spend all day in a hot, cramped kitchen, cooking a dozen new dishes every day without a menu or recipes – definitely still in the honeymoon phase. I felt confident in the food I was making, applying my deep understanding of nutrition to recipe development, and I used every day to push myself creatively, keenly aware of how fast I was learning and growing. I was certainly in the vortex, and it was a very exciting time of my life.
I started my shift around 8 am, and the majority of my dishes needed to be ready at 12 noon when we opened the doors for lunch. This is a relatively short window of time to pump out 200 servings of anything, but after some years, I developed short cuts that would deliver a lot of flavour in a hurry. One of these short cuts, was garlic oil – the first thing I would make after tying my apron strings, that would act as a marinade, a roasting medium, and a base for soups, stews, dressings and sauces for the entire day. In fact, I don’t think that there were many dishes coming off of my station that didn’t have garlic in them back then (such an easy way to make things taste good!). This oil sat on my bench and it got tossed into all the things, and all the people kept coming back for more.
One thing I loved using the garlic oil on, was winter veggies. I could toss them in said liquid gold, crank up the oven, and in half an hour, I’d have a blistered, glistening pile of roasted rainbow roots to serve, only needing a squeeze of lemon juice and a smattering of fresh herbs to make it presentable. Who wouldn’t want to dive into that?! Plus, it was cheap. Like most restaurants, we were always looking at the bottom line and how we could make even the most humble foods taste exquisite. Garlic oil was the ticket.
At the restaurant, my signature move was combining veggies, grains, and beans in exciting ways (which was very novel at the time!) so this dish emerged from a commercial oven’s worth of garlic-roasted carrots needing a home. With some tender and creamy butter beans coming off the stove, and some day-old, steamed wild rice calling out to me from the fridge, this combination came together very organically, taking the varied textures, colours, and flavours into consideration.
The secret to this dish is the consistency of the garlic in the oil. Different from mincing garlic and adding it to oil, here you must must must grate it or blend it up together so it becomes almost paste-like. This way, the garlic goes everywhere the oil does, and evenly caramelizes into the most divine, delectable gold, that’s mellow and sweet and roast-y. You will not hate it.
Stop! Fiber time.
Fiber is probably the least sexy and alluring of all the nutrients we hear about. It’s all about Protein! Fat! And if you hear about carbohydrates, it’s probably something ignorant and unfair (I really hate jerks picking on macronutrients, back off!). Fiber seems pretty boring and something only your grandmother cares about, so why do you need to?
One reason that plant-rich diets are so health-sustaining, is not only due to their high fiber content, but their potential for fiber diversity. In the past, fiber has been broken down into two main categories: soluble and insoluble. What’s new and exciting in this field of research, is that we can see that fiber can be broken down into several more categories (viscous, non-viscous, non-starch polysaccharides, resistant starches etc.) each one bringing forth the potential for diversified food sources for our gut bacteria. In short, the greater the diversity of plants we eat, the greater the diversity of our microbiome.
Why does this matter? Because our gut is the foundation for our overall health. If we’ve got a wide range of troops on the front lines of our immune system, the better our chances are for not just surviving, but thriving. The fiber we eat also feeds our good bacteria, and specific types of fiber feed specific types of bacteria. Enjoy eating the widest variety of plants you can, to ensure that you’re supporting the widest variety of good guys in your digestive system. They will repay you in spades I’m tellin’ ya!
The foods with the highest amounts of fiber are beans and lentils, vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts and seeds (remember that there is no fiber in animal-based foods). Different proportions of soluble, insoluble fiber, as well as viscous / non-viscous fiber, and fermentable fiber can be found in all of these food groups, it is highly recommended that you eat from each of them. And instead of focusing on grams (the minimum daily recommended intake is a measly 25g, not that we’re talking about that…), we need to focus on diversity. Enjoy as many plant-based foods as you can, and experience the terrain of your body slowly begin to change. Everything comes back to the gut, and not just what you are eating, but what your gut-bacteria are eating too.
With this dish, you’ll be feeding those good guys with fiber from six different plants! Talk about a solid mix. Beans, whole grains, 3 different veggies, plus herbs, add up to serious fiber diversity. Good, good, good fiberations!
The fun thing about revisiting this recipe, was seeing if there was anything I would change this time around. I have learned so much and grown incredibly as a cook in the past ten years, so I was surprised that I didn’t have many tweaks to make. The only two things I felt this salad needed was a dark leafy green and a pickle – classic Sarah B moves at this point! Since we still don’t have any spring greens happening yet, I decided kale was the winner, and obviously it needed to be massaged! I turned the red onions in the original recipe into a quick pickle, as this is another indispensable kitchen technique that I’ve learned since posting the first time around.
This salad-meal has everything you need and crave from a single bowl: it’s super flavourful and filling, with all of the textures in the mix to satisfy your noshing desires. The elements can all be made separately, even on separate days, if it seems like too many things to cook at once for a single dish. If you go the rollover route, boil the beans and rice a day or so before (and make extra while you’re at it, because meal prep is for winners), and pickle the onions up to a week ahead. The kale can be prepped / massaged a day or so in advance, but the carrots should be roasted right before serving.
If you don’t have butter beans, any white bean would work (navy, cannellini, Great Northern, or baby lima beans are some varieties) and if you want to switch up the grain, any kind of rice would work – even millet or quinoa would be delicious! Instead of carrots, use any root veg you have kicking around your crisper: beets, sweet potato, turnip, or winter squash would taste great in the garlic oil. And if dill isn’t the herb of your dreams, try substituting it with flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil, or tarragon.
Butter Bean, Wild Rice, and Garlic-Roasted Carrot Salad Serves 6-8
Ingredients: 1/2 cup wild rice 1 cup dried butter beans 4-5 medium carrots 4 cloves garlic 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 bunch fresh dill sea salt freshly ground black pepper a handful of quick-pickled red onion (recipe follows) 1 batch massaged kale (recipe follows)
Dressing: 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp. maple syrup 2 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil pinch of sea salt
Directions: 1. Soak beans for 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse well and cover with fresh water. Add a teaspoon of sea salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until beans are soft – about 45 minutes. 2. While the beans are cooking, rinse the wild rice well, drain, and put in a pot. Cover rice with 1.5 cups fresh water, add a couple pinches of sea salt, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Cook until rice is chewy-tender – about 45 minutes. You will know the rice is done when the grains open up to reveal their purple-gray inner portion. 3. Preheat the oven to 400F. While the rice is cooking, wash the carrots and slice them on the diagonal into ‘coins’, place on a baking sheet. Grate the garlic with a microplane and combine it with the oil. Pour over carrots and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven and roast, turning them a few times over the course of 15-20 minutes. The carrots should be cooked but not mushy – al dente! 4. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients together, shake well. 5. Now all the elements come together: Drain and rinse beans in cool water to stop the cooking process. Pour dressing over warm beans and toss. Let sit for 5 minutes or so. Drain the rice if any water remains, cool slightly. Mix with beans. Toss in the carrots, scraping the pan to add garlic oil to the remainder of the ingredients. Throw in the massaged kale, as many pickled onions as you fancy, and an explosion of dill. Cracked black pepper too, if it’s calling to you. 6. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Quick-Pickled Red Onion Ingredients: ¾ cup / 175ml raw apple cider vinegar ½ cup / 125ml water 2 tsp. fine sea salt 3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Directions: 1. Combine the vinegar, water, salt, and maple syrup in a large jar. Stir to dissolve the salt and syrup. Add the onions to the jar and put them in the fridge. Enjoy after at least 30 minutes, keeps for up to two weeks.
Massaged Kale Ingredients: 3 cups / 90g shredded curly or dino kale Juice of 1/2 lemon 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil 2 pinches of fine sea salt, plus more as needed
Directions: 1. In a large bowl, combine the shredded kale, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Using your hands, rub and squeeze the kale together as if you are giving it a massage, until the kale leaves are dark green and tender, about 2 minutes. Enjoy immediately in the salad, or store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
I really hope you enjoy this delicious and satisfying meal soon. These days are asking so much of us, and I continue to come back to the kitchen for grounding, clarity, and connection. There are no answers, just presence. And in that presence I find myself over a cutting board, being grateful for just what is front of me, slicing a carrot, then another, saying thank you for simple things.
Love to you all. Stay well and safe out there. xo, Sarah B
If you’re not sure how to cook beans from scratch, the full instructions are in 
