Is it winter yet? Oatmeal is the breakfast of Champions!

I usually think of oatmeal for breakfast when I wake up to the cold, 

wet and dark days of fall.

It is a hearty meal that can be dressed up in many ways, eaten sweet or savory with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Yes, you read correctly - there are those who prefer their oats with chicken broth instead of milk.  In fact oats were the main ingredient in my mother-in-laws turkey stuffing recipe and not a spoonful was leftover!

The basic way to cook oatmeal is a ratio of 1:2 (oats to liquid).  Once the oats are simmering you can add more liquid for a thinner porridge or let them absorb all the water and become thicker.

I like to add a variety of spices to our oats -and yes, we eat them sweet.  Consider any combination of the following:

cinnamon

nutmeg

ginger

cloves

Dehydrated fruit adds flavour and nutrition to breakfast.  Try raisins, apricots, dates or prunes.

Fresh fruit, the ideal choice, makes for an easy way to sweeten without adding maple syrup. 

Grate or cube an apple and mix it in, or slice up a banana instead.

Nuts and seeds are a tasty addition and provide essential fatty acids, protein, calcium and other vitamins and minerals.

I like to sprinkle Grains Plus on my oats as it already has a mix of 6 organic seeds ground to bite size.

Enjoy your hearty breakfast!

Eat Well

Be Well

Fried Rice

What do you do with left over rice?   

I usually make way more rice than my family eats at a meal.   Leftover rice though, is never a problem, it is a dish waiting for inspiration.

The great thing about rice is it's versatility.  You can turn it into breakfast, salad, hearty dinner or dessert.   

For breakfast I like to reheat the rice in a frying pan with a touch of oil.  Once the pan is hot I reduce the heat to medium low add a bit of water (about 1 tablespoon) and cover to fluff up the rice.   

Eggs are a great addition to rice and so are frozen peas and corn.  

Scramble an egg or two in a bowl and add to the hot rice.  Increase the heat to medium high and continue to stir the egg into the rice.  Salt and pepper (maybe a touch of paprika or cumin) are really the only 'necessary' spices - they are the basics.  

If you would like to add something green then the list is limited only by what is in your kitchen.

I have mixed in peas (frozen work well as they thaw out at the same time that the eggs cook), small pieces of broccoli, onions, spinach, rapini, kale ... you get the idea.

This is a quick and tasty way to start your day.  Also makes a nice light meal!

Eat Well

Be Well

Enjoy!

Hot Weather Food

What do you eat in the summer heat?  

Fresh fruit and smoothies go down so well in the hot summer days.  

But what about dinner?

I like to make it easy, simple, fast and delicious.  

Salad!

Greens galore - a big bowl full of fresh leafy greens are the base for dinner.

The recipe is the simplest equation:

vegetables + protein + dressing = dinner

Vegetables

The obvious choice are salad greens, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots and peppers.

Try incorporating other vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and red or green cabbage.  Parsley, cilantro and basil can be chopped and added for more intense flavours.

Your salad will look and taste slightly different if you shred vs. chop your vegetables.  By finely shredding instead of chopping the vegetables you will find that more flavour and water is released.

Protein

Look in the fridge for leftover chicken breast from last night's bbq.  

Canned tuna is a fast and tasty protein idea as are chickpeas or hard boiled eggs.  

Dressing

A simple dressing of lemon juice, olive or flax seed oil and sea salt is a great base.

If time and an abundance of ingredients is what you have, then check out the Salad Dressing recipes below.

Eat Well,

Be Well.

Shakshuka – Poached eggs on vegetables

Shakshuka is an Israeli egg and tomato dish.  

Very simple and easy to make, all you need are eggs and tomatoes.  

You can incorporate other vegetables if you like, onions and peppers are a tasty addition.  

To simplify the recipe below, use only tomatoes.  

Use one small to medium onion and 2 tomatoes for every 2-3 eggs.  The idea here is to cover the bottom of the pan with vegetables so the eggs rest on them while cooking.  Slice onions and tomatoes thinly and you may also add peppers ( red/green ).  Sautee over med high heat adding water to prevent sticking.  Add 1 tsp of cumin and hungarian paprika (the sweet kind).  Use salt, chili peppers and cayenne pepper to taste.  When vegetables have softened crack the eggs on top and cover.  Reduce heat to med-low until eggs are ready (about 5-10 min).  

To shorten the time, add the eggs into the vegetables after they have started to cook, add the seasonings and toss with a fork to scramble the lot.  When done serve with hot sauce and Grains plus sprinkled on top!

Enjoy.

Garlic Tops

What to do with all those garlic tops?

As the garlic grows it forms a long green stalk with a white flower head.  

After it has grown and curled it is usually removed to allow the garlic bulb to continue to grow. By removing the scape the energy goes to growing the bulb not the flower.

Garlic scapes are in abundance.  If you have a food processor or a sharp knife, patience and a freezer, the rewards pay off big time!

Garlic tops have the same garlic flavour with less heat/spice.

Collect the garlic tops, slice off the flower and trim the bottom off a bit (about a 1/4 inch).

Place in food processor and chop until fine (it does take longer but a sharp knife works just as well).   

Now comes the easy part.

You can simply freeze as is and then when needed break off a piece when garlic is called for.

Use the minced garlic tops in your cooking.  Simply add it to the recipe as you would garlic cloves.  

You can also blend the garlic tops with olive oil and basil, parsley or cilantro and sea salt.  Place in a container, cover and refrigerate.  This will keep for months in the fridge and can be used raw to flavour pasta, rice any grain or vegetable.  

Swiss Chard with Yam

This is the season for fresh local swiss chard and garlic.  

The two combined with yams make an exceptionally tasty, colourful and nutrient rich meal.  

A meal in itself if served with pasta.  

Swiss chard is similar to spinach and beet greens, slightly  bitter, with a good fresh flavour. Swiss chard has an exceptionally impressive list of health promoting nutrients, along with kale, mustard greens and collard greens. It is a tall leafy green vegetable with a thick, crunchy stalk that comes in white, red or yellow with wide fan-like green leaves. 

Both the leaves and stalk of chard are edible, although the stems vary in texture with the white ones being the most tender. 

Chop or tear the swiss chard into large bite size pieces.  Peel and set aside whole cloves of one head of garlic (the more the merrier, i say - so try 2 or three heads!).  Chop one large yam into big cubes and set aside.

To a hot pan add olive oil, yam and the whole garlic cloves.  Add a touch of water (about 1-2 tablespoon) and reduce heat and cover.  After the garlic and yams have softened (about 5 minutes depending on the garlic) add the chard and increase heat slightly to wilt the chard, if needed add salt to taste now.   Chard with yam and garlic is a great side dish all on it's own. Toss with pasta and you have a delicious and filing meal!

Try omitting the yams and try the chard with the garlic on it's own.  Fantastic!

Eat Well,

Be Well.

Enjoy!

Flavour your water

Yes, you read right.  

Water does not have to be simple and boring.  

Summer is finally here and it is hot.  If you are not naturally thirsty for water it may be difficult to drink enough.  How can you get water to taste great and still retain it's benefits?

You won't have to remind your kids to drink their water, simply try these easy ideas.

Slice equal amount of lime and lemon and add to your water.  The taste is refreshing and delicious. 

Love mint?   Take a generous handful of mint and place whole in a pitcher.  Add enough hot water to release the mint.   Add a whole lemon sliced and ice, cover with cold water, chill and serve.

With a touch of honey this refreshing drink won't last long!

Drink well,

Be well!

Enjoy.