Inspired Edibles

~ real food, balanced living ~

Blackberry Mango Salsa Salad with Ginger Lime Vinaigrette

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I had originally intended on posting my favourite mango salsa but it was nearing noon when I began assembling this recipe and I just knew fruits and veggies alone weren’t going to cut it for lunch.  So, I mixed in some plump chickpeas for protein and fibre and was delighted with the result. 
Chickpea, an otherwise ordinary looking legume, has an outstanding nutrition profile and excellent culinary versatility.  In this salad, the chickpeas absorb the flavour of the ginger lime dressing beautifully, hitting the high notes when mixed in with cumin and cilantro.  The solid, buttery texture of chickpeas also adds depth and satisfaction to the meal.
Blackberry Mango Salsa Salad with Ginger Lime Vinaigrette:
For the Salad:
  • 1 mango, peeled and diced
  • 12 or so fresh blackberries
  • 1/2 cucumber, partially peeled and diced
  • 1/2 purple onion, chopped
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas, thoroughly rinsed if using canned
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
For the Ginger Lime Vinaigrette:
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil 
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp grated lime zest
  • 1 Tbsp minced ginger root
  • 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp sea salt

  • ½ tsp cracked pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds

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Serves 2
Assemble salad ingredients together in a serving bowl or on individual plates.
Combine vinaigrette ingredients together in a container with fitted lid. Shake well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired before drizzling over salsa salad.
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For the love of Chickpeas:
A half cup serving of cooked chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans), provides over 6 grams of dietary fibre and 7 grams high-quality vegetable protein. This same serving size also provides 35% of an adult’s daily requirement of folate and over 40% of the daily requirement of manganese.

How to cook Chickpeas:

Soak desired quantity of beans overnight. In the morning, drain the water and replace it with fresh, cold water for cooking. Place on stove and bring to a boil in a pot with a lid. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, tilting the lid slightly to allow steam to escape, and leave to cook for up to 90 minutes, or until tender.

Avocado Pear Soup with Beet Greens and Cauliflower

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I was going to say that this is the best tasting soup I’ve had this year (but realized that wouldn’t be particularly impactful).  So, let me just say that this soup is delicious – and great for you!

As promised, it uses up the beet greens leftover from the Beet and Apple Cucumber Tonic recipe, as well as some of the fresh parsley.

It has a silky smooth consistency with a gentle sweetness from the pear and a satisfying taste and texture from the avocado.

I didn’t detect any hint of bitterness from the greens and our boys gobbled it up without hesitation, both declaring they loved it. I’m quite certain anyone you serve it to will have no idea it contains two cups of beet greens (not to mention three cups of cauliflower*…).

In other irrelevant musings, and this may just be a flash in the pan, but I find myself irrepressibly attached to this song from Mads Langer (Vampire Diaries).

Avocado Pear Soup with Beet Greens and Cauliflower

  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 3 generous cups cauliflower florets
  • 2 cups loosely packed beet greens, roughly chopped
  • 2 avocados, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 large ripe and juicy pears, cored skin left on and roughly chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups (900 mL) chicken or vegetable stock
  • Handful of parsley
  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper
  • Seasonings to taste

———————–

In a large skillet set over medium-low heat, sautée onion in some olive oil until translucent (about 3 minutes).  Add cauliflower and pear to skillet, sautéing for another 5 minutes or so.  Add chicken or vegetable stock to skillet followed by beet greens and parsley, mixing ingredients to combine.  Allow mixture to come to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover – allowing fruit and vegetables to soften for approximately 12 minutes in the skillet.

Remove skillet from heat.  Working in batches, if necessary, add soup to blender along with avocado and blend until smooth.  It should have the consistency of purée – you can adjust the thickness by adding water or more stock as desired and season to taste.

The soup tastes best eaten freshly made.

Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt if you wish or on its own.

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Spotlight on Cauliflower:

Cauliflower, along with its other cruciferous friends (broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, kale, Brussels sprouts), is known for its high concentration of cancer-fighting chemicals called glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are broken down by bacteria in our digestive tract and transformed into bioactive compounds known as isothiocyanates and indole-3-carbinol.

Scientists are learning that these compounds help eliminate cancer-causing substances by regulating our body’s detoxification enzymes (more liver support). A significant body of evidence suggests that a regular intake of cruciferous vegetables, helps guard against many types of cancer.

In addition to its cancer fighting properties, cauliflower is also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and fibre.

Roasted Cauliflower, Seared Butter Mushrooms and a pretty great visit –

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I recently visited my mom in the Laurentian mountains of Quebec.  I like to deliver her Christmas treats in person and spend some time together before our nuclear family hunkers down for the holidays.

Although there wasn’t much snow to speak of, there were plenty of bright lights and decorations strewn about, and a general feeling of Christmas in our bellies. 

We ate French onion soup at our favourite crêperie in Saint-Sauveur, got our hair cut (ok, I got a hair cut and my mom graciously accompanied me), and cuddled up in our pjs to watch Christmas specials in front of the fire.

My favourite part of the visit though, was cooking dinner together.  We don’t get to do that very often and it’s pretty memorable when we do.  Not because it’s grand by any stretch, but because we’re together. I had brought some shrimp along and mom picked up some great looking produce for the visit: cauliflower, mushrooms and two huge pomegranates.  While I stir-fried the shrimp, mom looked after seeding the pomegranate (doing a mighty fine job I might add, not nearly the mess I typically create). 

 I had the cauliflower ready to go in the oven and thought I would add the mushroom to the roasting pan when I noticed mom already had them going on the stove-top.  Now I’ve probably been using olive oil in frying for at least a decade.  My mom, like many long-living French Canadian women before her, uses butter. 

Well, if those mushrooms weren’t the best darn things I had ever tasted…

I’ll never forget them. Merci Maman.

Roasted Cauliflower with Seared Butter Mushrooms and Pomegranate

  • 1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 generous cup button mushrooms, sliced fairly thin
  • 1 pomegranate, seeded
  • 2 tsp butter
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Sea salt & black pepper to taste
————
Note: I wouldn’t underestimate the pomegranate in this recipe. I am always amazed by the flavourful, juicy crunch they bring to dishes despite their tiny size. So delicious! 
 
 
Heat oven to 400 F.
 
 
Spread cauliflower out on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with onion and garlic powder.
 
 
Roast in oven for 20 minutes.
 
 
Meanwhile, warm a skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium/high heat – add butter and then mushrooms – sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and toss for about two minutes or until a nice browning develops.
 
 
Combine roasted cauliflower, warm butter mushrooms and pomegranate together and enjoy as a delicious side to any meal.
 

Jamaican Plantain Soup with Persimmon – An Aromatic Delight

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Bold and aromatic, this Jamaican inspired soup is full of thermogenic spices that will warm your tummy while it nudges your metabolism.

Although it is more conventionally teamed up with lunch or supper, I ate it for breakfast this morning and can attest to its deliciousness even at that odd hour.

The persimmon has nothing to do with Jamaica – it was just staring at me with a gorgeous orange glow and I simply couldn’t resist it’s soft, juicy, sweet flesh in this dish.  Known for its many medicinal uses, this native Chinese fruit is also rich in nutrients including beta-carotene, vitamin C and fibre.  Persimmon is at its best from October through December.

Jamaican Plantain Soup with Persimmon – An Aromatic Delight

  • 1 large yellow onion (the basis of all good soups), peeled and chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 ripe plantains, peeled and roughly chopped (substitute ripe bananas)
  • 1 persimmon, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups leek (substitute celery), chopped
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock plus additional water if needed
  • 1 heaping Tbsp fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
  • 1 tsp allspice powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne powder or to taste
  • 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • Sea Salt & black pepper to taste

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Note:

There are plenty of suitable substitutions you can make in this dish and you certainly don’t have to go out and track down persimmon, unless you want to.  I have used green apple in place of persimmon in this soup and found it equally delicious.
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Warm a large skillet or pot on stove over medium-low heat adding some olive oil.  Sauté onion and ginger until onion begins to soften (about 5 minutes).  I like to add spices – or at least a portion of the spices – to the onion while it cooks.  The spices permeate the flesh of the onion well, making it an ideal flavour transporter.  Toss in some (or all) of the allspice, cinnamon and cayenne at this stage, mixing them around with the onion and ginger.

Add chicken or vegetable stock to the skillet along with sweet potato, plantain, persimmon and leek and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer with the pot covered for 10 to 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Purée ingredients in a blender until smooth and then return to skillet/pot. Stir in lime juice and adjust seasonings to taste. You can also adjust thickness of soup by adding water or more stock as desired.

Enjoy.

Smokin’ Mole Cakes with Chili-Lime Guacamole

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I came across this innocent looking bottle of chili lime sauce the other day in the grocery store and before I knew it, visions of black bean cakes were dancing in my head.

They came dressed in sweet potato, celery and onion.  Cashews too.  And, in a smouldering black cloak of confidence, cocoa appeared.  Vision complete.

I call them mole (moh-ley) cakes because they remind me of the Mexican inspired dish made with cumin, cinnamon and cocoa powder.

 

Smokin’ Mole Cakes with Chili-Lime Guacamole
For the Cakes
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cups black bean, thoroughly rinsed if using canned
  • 1 sweet potato, lightly cooked, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup cashews
  • 1 celery stick, coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 heaping Tbsp quality cocoa powder or to taste
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • sea salt & coarse black pepper to taste

For the Chili-Lime Guacamole

  • 2 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 sliver jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

———————
Note:

These delicate mole cakes are soft and creamy.  They do not have the consistency or texture of a ‘burger’ – vegetarian or otherwise.  You will want to flip them with care on not press down on them with a spatula to avoid flattening them like a pancake.

Makes 6-8 cakes

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Sauté onion in a skillet with some olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent (about 3 minutes) and set aside.

Place black beans, sweet potato, celery, cashews and olive oil together in a blender and pulse until combined but not mushy (there should still be some chunky bean and potato pieces).  Add sautéed onion, cocoa, cumin, cinnamon and salt and pepper to blender and pulse until integrated with bean mixture.  If the mixture is too dry, you can adjust by adding some olive oil.  Once mixed, assemble mole mixture into cakes with your hands – in much the same way you would with a hamburger.

Meanwhile, assemble chili-lime guacamole ingredients.  I generally hand-mix my guacamole but you can do this in a small blender or hand mixer if you prefer.  Adjust the thickness of the guacamole by adding more avocado and/or liquid ingredients as desired.

Once your guacamole is ready, heat a large skillet over medium heat.   Add some olive oil to the skillet and mole cakes.  Allow the cakes to sizzle for a minute or two before flipping.  Use a generous size spatula to flip the cakes and try to do so with one swift action to avoid crumbling and breaking apart.  Once you have flipped the cakes, simply allow them to fry on the other side without pressing down on the cake with the spatula.  If you do this, the cakes will fan out and flatten like a pancake.

Serve the mole cakes with chili-lime guacamole and warm roasted red peppers.

Enjoy!

 

 

Warm Mushroom and Toasted Paprika Bean Salad

By 68 Comments

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.
—————-

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

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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Minted Green Pea and Spinach Soup

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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

—————-

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!

Roasted Red Sheppard Peppers with Basmati and Wild Rice

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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
—————————————
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

Red Quinoa with Dates, Pine Nuts and roasted Butternut Squash

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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