Inspired Edibles

~ real food, balanced living ~

Warm Mushroom and Toasted Paprika Bean Salad

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toasted paprika bean salad_blog

The autumn sun is streaming full through my kitchen windows – bands of gold shifting across the floor.  My dog’s face is warm and soft in the November light.

If only it would stay.  This way.
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This is a happy mood autumn dish that pairs well with a dark ale.

And, this.  (Who’s old enough to remember trooper?)

Paprika comes in different flavours and varieties.  It is essentially derived from grinding the pods of peppers – including sweet bell peppers and chili peppers.

Depending on the variety of pepper and how it is processed, the colour can range from bright red to brown and the flavour from mild to spicy.  The sweet variety is often associated with Hungary and the hotter, smoked variety, with Spain although both regions offer a range of sweetness and pungency.

Paprika sold in grocery stores tends to be neither sweet nor hot (some might say without flavour).  It’s a shame that generic paprika is what most of us are accustomed to because the higher quality varieties are imbued with flavour and provide a completely different experience.

Regardless of what variety you use for this recipe, the surrounding ingredients will carry the flavour.

Warm Mushroom and Toasted Paprika Bean Salad

  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups white kidney beans, well rinsed if using canned
  • 6-8 shiitake mushrooms, brushed and sliced
  • 2 cups baby spinach or other mixed greens
  • 1 heaping Tbsp quality paprika (preferably Hungarian Sweet but ordinary paprika will work fine)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder
  • sprinkle cinnamon powder
  • Handful sweet pepper slices for garnish

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Note: mushrooms soak up water like a sponge.  If you soak mushrooms in water to wash them, it’s a little bit like trying to sauté a fully drenched sponge.  You will end up with a lot of water and not a very nice sear.  It’s a long, messy, frustrating experience.  Instead, use a potato/vegetable brush to gently brush dirt and debris off mushrooms.  You could also use a damp cloth if preferred but try to resist soaking or running them under water.

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Warm a large skillet over low heat with some olive oil.  Add onions to skillet, stirring until they start to soften.  Add beans to skillet, mixing gently, taking care not to mash the beans.  Once beans have begun to warm, add paprika, stirring to combine with beans and onion.  Be sure to keep heat low otherwise the paprika will blacken and burn.  Add remaining spices to mixture, stirring to combine.  Allow flavours to permeate on lowest heat for a few minutes.  Remove onion and bean mixture from skillet and set aside.

 
Using the same skillet that was used for onions and beans, add a little more olive oil and sauté sliced shiitake mushrooms over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes.  The mushrooms will take on the residual flavour and colour of the spices.

 
To serve, place about a half cup of spinach on 4 separate serving plates.  Add a half cup of onion and bean mixture over top of spinach, followed by a generous spoonful of shiitake mushrooms.  Garnish with a few slices of sweet bell pepper (I found miniatures).

Serves 4

Lemon Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

By 76 Comments

It’s amazing what can come about in the midst of a downward dog.
I spent the better part of my fitness class last Friday daydreaming about lemon and passion fruit and how I might marry the two in a refreshing, creamy dessert.

I had this at the back of my mind, and this at the front.

As far as the passion fruit goes, I’ve had the exotic in my thoughts ever since I tasted one of Jen Winter’s passion fruit truffles (oh.my.goodness.) at my favourite local spot, KoKo Chocolates.

Passion fruit is generally sold by the piece and, unless you live in the tropics, is not cheap.  This recipe only calls for one.  The two common colours of passion fruit are purple (roughly the size of a large egg) and yellow (roughly the size of a small orange).  Both varieties contain a viscous jelly-like pulp (orangey or grey coloured) that coats numerous black-pitted seeds.  The seeds are perfectly edible and very crunchy.  Passion fruit has a beautiful, naturally sweet aroma.  The riper the fruit the sweeter its taste.

    Inside the yellow passion fruit are fragrant jelly-like sacs
filled with sweet juice and multitudinous black crunchy seeds 

Lemon Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
  • 1 cup 10% cream (half and half cream)
  • 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp gelatin powder
  • 2 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 3 Tbsp passion fruit pulp and seeds
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Notes:
I particularly like Greek yogurt for this recipe because of its creamy texture (no matter what fat content you choose).  Greek yogurt also has a considerably higher protein concentration than other yogurts.
I am often asked about agave nectar.  In addition to its wonderful taste, I frequently choose agave for its very low glycemic index which has a negligible impact on blood sugar levels.
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Place fresh lemon juice in a small dish and add gelatin, mixing together.  The mixture will solidify somewhat within minutes. 
Meanwhile, in a small pot, combine agave and cream over low-medium heat until it becomes hot to the touch but not boiling.
Pour cream mixture into a medium size bowl and add lemon gelatin mixture (you may need to dig it out with a spoon).  Combine with a whisk. 
Add Greek yogurt, passion fruit pulp/seeds and grated lemon zest to the cream mixture and stir until well combined.
Divide mixture among 4 ramekins or small bowls (there should be a little over 1/2 cup each). 

You can also use silicone muffin cups which make it easy to release the panna cotta once set.

Refrigerate panna cotta for a minimum of 2 hours and ideally 4 hours. The dessert will become the density of a custard.

This recipe is adapted from France’s gorgeous Honey Yogurt Panna Cotta at Beyond the Peel.

Slow-Roasted Red Peppers in Balsamic Garlic Glaze

By 71 Comments

The fields are harvested and bare,
And Winter whistles through the square.
October dresses in flame and gold
Like a woman afraid of growing old.
Anne Mary Lawler
—–

My sister greeted us with these savoury delights when we visited her in the Canadian Rockies for a ski holiday.

She served them naked, right out of the pan.  I’m glad I experienced them this way, undressed, for the first time.  They are stand alone stars that don’t need to be bettered.  (And a foodie’s tendency is to always try and better).

…

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Fig Muffins with fresh Apple and Oat-Spelt Flour

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Why so many muffins you ask?

I bake fresh muffins pretty much every week for my children.  It makes me feel good to know that they are getting some homespun goodness in their lunchboxes and it’s a treat for them (they have never had cookies, cakes or otherwise in their lunches.  So this is their ‘goodie’).

I try to vary the muffins each week, keeping things fun and introducing them to new textures, tastes and nutritive foods.

Fig Muffins with fresh Apple and Oat-Spelt Flour
  • 1 cup spelt flour
  • 1 cup whole grain oatmeal + 1 Tbsp for topping
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/3 cup demerara sugar
  • 2 apples, peeled and chopped
  • 5 fresh figs, peeled and chopped (reserving small wedges for topping)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup dilute orange juice (not from concentrate)

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Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large size bowl, combine spelt flour, 1 cup oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and sugar.  Add in chopped apples and fig, mixing gently to combine taking care not to mash fruit.

 In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together egg, olive oil and orange juice.

Add wet ingredients to dry mixing only until combined.

Divide batter among 12 oiled muffin cups, topping each with oatmeal flakes and fig wedges as desired.

Bake for 14-18 minutes or until muffins are firm to the touch.

Minted Green Pea and Spinach Soup

By 48 Comments

I’m not sure how old I was, or where I was, when I had my first taste of pea soup.  What I do remember, rather distinctly, is that it wasn’t a very good experience.  The soup was putty grey, thick, pasty and completely devoid of taste.  Gag-inducing really.  And so it came to be that I did not have a very good impression of this dish. 

Fast forward several years to a snowy December evening in Montreal.  I’m at a Girls’ Christmas party and the hostess is preparing a wonderfully fragrant, festive green soup.  How lovely I thought. I take one sip from the warm bowl and begin purring with pleasure.  “What is this??” I ask my friend fiendishly.  “Oh. It’s pea soup” she drops casually.

Pea soup??  Pas possible!

It was pea soup, alright.  Only good pea soup.  I mean really good pea soup.

Minted Green Pea and Spinach Soup as adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook:

  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 2 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 + 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 + 1/4 cup frozen baby green peas
  • 2 cups fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

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Melt butter in a large pot on the stove.  Add chopped onion and cook over low heat until onion is tender (about 8 minutes).

Meanwhile, drain spinach and squeeze out excess liquid.  Pour chicken or vegetable stock into the pot, stir in spinach and peas and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until peas are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add mint to pot, cover and simmer for another couple minutes.

Strain soup, reserving liquid, and place solids in a blender with 1 cup of reserved cooking stock.  Blend until smooth.

Return puréed soup to pot and add whole milk.  Return cooking liquid until desired consistency is achieved (usually about 1 cup).

Season, as desired, with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

By 80 Comments

Back in my teenage years in Montreal, my best friend and I would often go to a Friday afternoon fitness class together (there may have been a boy involved – I’m not sure I remember).  Following our workout, we would promptly dash to a local muffin stand and devour a giant ooey-gooey banana-chocolate chip mess (talk about eating our profits).

I haven’t had a muffin from a commercial establishment in many, many years, but I still love the combination of flavours.  This version also contains peanut butter and is a tad healthier than the ones we use to eat.  I like to think that it’s every bit as good!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate Drizzle
  • 1 egg

  • 1/3 cup turbinado sugar

  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (ie: without sugar), smooth or crunchy

  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed

  • 1 cup whole grain oatmeal

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 50 grams of 75% cocoa chocolate (about 4 large squares)
  • handful of peanuts for topping

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Preheat oven to 400 F.

Beat egg, sugar, vanilla and olive oil together in a large bowl.  Add peanut butter and banana and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl,  mix oatmeal, flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing just until combined.

Divide batter among 12 oiled muffin cups.  Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch.

Allow muffins to cool completely on a rack.

Meanwhile, heat chocolate in a sturdy pot on stove over lowest heat.  Stir to facilitate melting, then set aside to cool.  Once muffins and chocolate have cooled, take a spoon and drizzle chocolate over muffins freestyle.  Or, place chocolate, once cooled, in a small plastic bag and snip the corner – gently squeeze to apply chocolate.  There are certainly more precise ways of applying chocolate, but I’ll leave that to the cake makers.

Enjoy.

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This post is dedicated to Lynn –

Photo by Trinity Nutrition

Roasted Red Sheppard Peppers with Basmati and Wild Rice

By 48 Comments

Many of you smarties spotted a novel shaped pepper in the shot of my Orange Sesame Ginger Chicken.

Long, narrow, and frequently curved, the gorgeous Sheppard Pepper is an intensely flavourful, fall classic.  With its sweet taste and thinner flesh than bell pepper, it is also ideal for roasting and stuffing (I’m not sure why, but the word ‘stuffing’ seems entirely vulgar to me). 
Sheppard peppers are commonly grown in Ontario but their appeal has made them a popular export commodity.  If you are unable to find sheppard peppers, any sweet pepper will work just fine (including bell pepper).
You can slit the sheppard pepper lengthwise (I think that’s the conventional method), but I decided to do it a little bit differently.  The tops of the sheppard pepper are so gorgeous that I decided to clip and roast them along with the peppers.  I then filled the body of the peppers with the almond rice mixture, a bit like a stuffed pillow (or stocking out of How the Grinch Stole Christmas). 
My roasting method is also a bit unconventional, but who’s counting.

 

Roasted Red Sheppard Peppers with Basmati and Wild Rice
  • 4 red sheppard peppers
  • 1/2 cup basmati rice
  • 1/4 wild rice
  • 1 cup natural shaved almond
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt
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Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place basmati and wild rice together in a pot on stove.  Add 1.5 cups of water.  Bring mixture to a boil, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, mix and reduce heat to lowest setting.   Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until water has evaporated and rice is cooked.  Remove from heat, add a touch of seasoning and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, cut off the ends of the sheppard peppers, removing interior strings and seeds.  Place body of peppers in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

 

Bake peppers for approximately 30 minutes or until the skin of the peppers has begun to soften. Remove peppers from oven and allow to cool. 
Once rice has cooled, add almonds and mix to combine.  Stuff peppers with almond rice mixture.

 

Twenty minutes or so before serving time, place stuffed peppers and pepper tops (drizzled with olive oil/sea salt) back into the oven for final roasting.

 

Photos by Trinity Nutrition

Orange Sesame Ginger Chicken

By 67 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for low maintenance, can’t go wrong meals, particularly when we have guests over (that almost makes us sound social). 
I’m quite happy to engage in trial and error when it’s just me and the plants but less inclined to do so in the company of others.  I’m also reluctant to spend the evening poring over the stove when friends are near. 
This meal can be assembled ahead of time, requires almost no tending and is rather succulent, if I do say so myself.
You can certainly make the recipe with skin-on chicken and get spectacular results (the trick is to try and get good results without the skin!)

My husband declared this meal to be ‘delightful’ (and, as much as I have tried to cajole similar responses from him in the past – on a broad variety of topics I might add – he is not one for insincere flattery), so I take that as a good sign for this dish.  Hope you enjoy it too.
Orange Sesame Ginger Chicken
  • 24 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs

  • 1 cup pure orange marmalade, low sugar 
  • 1/2 cup orange juice (mixed/dilute not from concentrate)
  • 1 heaping Tbsp fresh grated ginger

  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil

  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce

  • 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar

  • 1 large naval orange, sliced and cut in half

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Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place chicken thighs, side-by-side, in a large roasting dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together: orange marmalade, orange juice, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce, until well combined. 

Spread the sauce over chicken thighs and bake in oven for 30 minutes. 

Remove chicken from oven and add orange slices, mixing to combine with chicken.  Sprinkle brown sugar over thighs and return to oven for another 25 minutes or until chicken has cooked through.  For the last 5 minutes of cooking time, finish thighs under the broiler (watching carefully), to get a nice golden hue. 

Spoon some of the sauce over chicken when serving and add a slice or two of orange.
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Recipe adapted from Amy’s wonderful Apricot Chicken at Elephant Eats

Photos by Trinity Nutrition

Rose Hip Vanilla Bean Parfait and so long summer…

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Without descending into the depths of the maudlin Irish (which I am firmly capable of), let me just say that I will miss summer.

As a Montrealer, the beautiful beaches of Maine were our closest foot into the Atlantic ocean.  I have many extraordinary memories of this part of the world, including travelling caravan style with a gaggle of university girlfriends – sun drenched days, lobster butter covered chins, midnight dips and the Kennebunk Police knocking at our door warning us to ‘keep it down’ (I was not involved. Promise).  Then there was the summer that I stalked George H. W. Bush and his granddaughters at a video store, but I digress…

My husband and I have kept up the East Coast tradition with our family, typically heading down the week before the boys start school as our final summer hurrah.  Sigh.

 

The view we woke up to every morning from our cottage. Rough.
Our sons could dig in the sand all day
It’s just them vs. the forces of nature
They build, fortify and defend with everything they’ve got (boy thing)
More building.  This time, Chichen Itza
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Maine Food
There are many culinary delights associated with Maine, including wild blueberries, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops (my favourite) and of course, lobster – which we savoured hibachi style this year – fantastic!

Something else we just love though, are the gorgeous rose hips that grow wild all along the coast.  My sons were so taken by them, and their tart-sweet taste, that they asked me to create a post about them; so here we are.

Rose Hip Vanilla Bean Parfait ~ a sweet summer goodbye

 

  • 1 cup rose hips, seeded (if you wish) and cut in half
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla sugar (substitute brown sugar)
  • 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise (substitute 2 tsp pure vanilla extract)
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp agave nectar

Makes 2 large parfaits
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   Rose hips are an excellent source of Vitamin C

Rinse rose hips thoroughly and discard ends.  Cut rose hips in half (remove seeds if desired), and place in a pot on stove.  Add water, sugar, vanilla bean and star anise.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to lowest setting.  Simmer for about 12-15 minutes.  Discard anise and most of vanilla bean, reserving a wedge for garnish.  Using a potato masher, mash soft rose hips, mixing the pulp with the rest of the syrup.

In dessert glasses, alternate yogurt and rose hip syrup, adding a touch of agave nectar.

Note: I enjoy foods warts and all, but if you prefer, you can discard the tough seeds in the rose hips prior to cooking. 

Another Note: Followers living in Ottawa can see rose hips growing along the various Canal pathways.

Rose hips are the fruit of the rose plant
they appear in brilliant orange-red all along the seacoast
forming in the spring and ripening in late summer
Photos by Trinity Nutrition

Red Quinoa with Dates, Pine Nuts and roasted Butternut Squash

By 54 Comments

Butternut squash is my favourite autumn vegetable (oh dear, I admitted we’re moving away from summer).  The roasting process intensifies the flavour of this delicious harvest squash, making it absolutely irresistible – not to mention full of nutrients, including beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, fibre and folate.

I like serving health building quinoa alongside a meal as a substitute for the customary rice or potato.

Red Quinoa Salad with Dates, Pine Nuts and roasted Butternut Squash

  • 1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 medium size butternut squash, roasted and cubed
  • 1/3 cup dried pitted dates, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 2 green onion, chopped
For the Roasted Butternut Squash:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cut squash in half lengthwise.  Using a spoon, remove seeds and set the seeds aside for drying (you can use them another time in a different recipe – they’re delicious – or, allow them to dry and use them in this recipe instead of the pine nuts).

Cut seedless squash into smaller pieces and place in a baking dish.  Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper (I also like to add other spices from time to time, such as sweet chili powder – lovely). 

Place squash in oven for about 35 minutes or until it is just tender but not overdone.  Allow squash to cool before cutting into cubes and discarding the skin.

For the Quinoa:

Place rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water in an uncovered pot on the stove. Heat until it comes to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce heat to lowest setting for 12-15 minutes (or until most of the water has evaporated). Allow quinoa to cool and transfer to serving bowl.  Add cubed squash, dates and pine nuts to quinoa, mixing gently to combine.   Sprinkle with green onion to finish.

Serves 4-6