An Assortment of Recipes + Ideas

Here are a few of the things that have gone in our bellies over the last two weeks...

Baked Salmon with Asparagus + Beets (with an adaptation of added procuitto)
This is the ultimate kind of throw together meal. I cheated and used canned beets (I confess and don't care!) so I threw all of this on two tinfoil packets and in the oven it went. A seemingly gourmet meal in minutes (well, it took longer than the recipe said, but basically..) 

Weekend Breakfast
Breakfasts like this give you reason to get through your work week. I had some procuitto and asparagus leftover from the above recipe (it's all about no waste) so we cooked them up and plopped our egg on top. Delicious saltiness! It went perfectly with our perked coffee and tropical smoothie (fresh pineapple + banana + frozen mango + almond milk)

Egg Muffins
SO perfect for a work week for breakys and snacks. There are variations all over the place for this, but I used what I had in the fridge at the time: 9 eggs (for the above 12 muffins) + cut up red onions + spinach + tomatoes + salt and pepper + Italian spices. Grease your pan, pour them into the cups and put them in the oven for about 20 mins at 350. Breakfast for the week! 

Pork chops, veggie salad and kimchi.
Not entirely paleo, but nothing overtly "do not eat" on the menu I don't think. The pork chop was bbq'd with a mix of spices (anything!) and some lemon + oil. The salad is a simple spinach salad mixed with a little bit of quinoa cooked in broth (little as in most veg, different from how I usually make it) mixed with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. J liked this more than the pork I think. 

Bangers n' Mash
Okay - admittedly this photo is not exactly visually appealing and the idea of eating an entire head of cauliflower in one sitting (for two people) seems foreign, but we devoured this. Like: a head of cauliflower and four sausages and we devoured it in minutes. I had a bit of a hard time figuring out what to do with the cauliflower, so it took longer (and made a larger mess) than it probably should have but we were thoroughly impressed. J grew up on meat and potatoes and had an odd eye on me as I tackled this recipe. Luckily he trusts me enough to give it a go...;) A "will try again" (along with cauliflower rice!). (note: the bangers came from Sweet Williams at the market, yummers).

Shrimp Yellow Curry (on it's own)
I filled this dish with a can of coconut milk, + 2 - 3 tbsp of yellow curry + 1 tbsp of fish sauce + basil + lots of onions, broccoli, cooked shrimp and mushrooms. Top it off with almonds. Voila.

Thai Chicken Salad with Almond Dressing
Adaptations: almonds + almond butter in place of peanuts/butter + fish sauce in place of soy sauce +honey for the brown sugar + my salad ingredients: lettuce, spinach, carrots and cucumber
TWO thumbs up, for sure.

Who knew that dinners would be so good (and so fun) after removing all forms of white potatoes, rice, pasta and bread? We definitely did not. Eat your heart out (and feast) my gluten-free friends! I've been trying out a lot of the recipes I've been pinning under Paleo Possibilities and all are free of dairy, soy, gluten and sugar (among other things)....woot woot! Here's a little diagram of what eating paleo is all about. I'll share more resources in another post.

Enjoy :)

I'm Jumping Back In + Breakfast Sausage Fritatta

Hello Blogger World and Blogger Friends (hopefully you're still around...are you?!).

I have done it again. I left my poor blog hanging update-less for over a month. It started out with a little neglect during an extremely busy two weeks of work for me and job change for J, leading into our week's R n' R vacation...it, then, lead to a very long hiatus that was spent as hubby and wife...and homeowners.

I know that sounds a bit silly, but blogging takes time. Not only do the recipes have to ever be planned and researched, they have to be actually cooked. If you're trying something new out, there is generally a bigger mess. To increase your readership, you need to be participating in Twitter conversations, chatting on Facebook and partaking in blogger events. And none of those things include actually writing the post and editing the photos for the post. It's a whole lot of fun, but it was taking up just a wee too much of my evenings for a little while there. So, there it is. Blogging is such an unbelievably fun hobby to have - but I'm a true believer that everyone should only be doing these "extras" in their lives so long as they still add to your happiness. The great thing about an "extra" or a "hobby" is that you can always take a break to see how you really feel about it and jump right back in! (Note: Have you read The Happiness Project?) So here I am, making my jump.

While I was gone, J and I have spent A LOT of time on our home. We're slowly settling in. Unpacking. Reorganizing. Redecorating. Thrifting (but mostly making use of everything we already own). I'm thinking of doing a blog post on some of our home projects (the easy non-tool kind). Would you be interested?

We also went here for a full week of reading and relaxing together - something we have never really done together as a couple.

We're always on the go...go go go! See as much as you can kind of thing. This trip, we took books (I read Hunger Games and Day After Night) and played a whole lot of crib with our feet firmly planted in the sand, brew in hand. There's nothing quite like a true vacation.

In a nutshell, you've missed:
- J has started a new (and amazing) job
- Our nephew turned 1
- We've had a few delicious Easter Dinners
- We've BBQ'd!!! (Spring is finally coming...)
- We saw the Hunger Games
- We've had house guests from PEI and our friends have moved home from Korea (for good, yippee!)
- We've watched some really good movies, and some really bad
- Game of Thrones, Mad Men and Community all came back on TV (pretty big deals in our world)

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To get back into the groove of things, I'm posting a recipe from quite a few weeks ago: My VERY first fritatta - ever. So easy and so delicious - and helps for dinner AND breakfast!

Breakfast Sausage Fritatta
From Allie's Kitchen


1 clove of garlic, chopped
Onion (I used about 1/3 of a medium-sized onion)
1 cup of Kale, chopped (you can use spinach just as well)
1/2 pack of breakfast sausages, casing removed (you can also just chop in small pieces)
6 eggs
1/2 cup of rice milk (Rice Dream Original)
2 tbsp of flour

1. Sautee the sausage with the onion and garlic. Once sausage is just about cooked, add in the greens until properly wilted.
2. Meanwhile, mix the eggs, milk and flour in a bowl.
3. Once the sausage mixture is complete, add to bowl and stir. Pour into a greased pie plate.
4. Place in oven for 30 minutes on 350.

That's all! I served a piece of this for supper with a spinach, avocado and orange salad. For a dressing, I simply squeezed a bit of the orange + a wee bit of lemon juice over the mix. We used the rest of the fritatta for breakfasts all week (1/2 of our supper servings).

*Note: You can easily use oat flour and veggie sausages to make this vegetarian or gluten-free

I hope everyone is doing well. My last mini update is that I'm offiically a domain: www.alliechangingkitchen.com. Spread the word and feel free to email at my new blogger address: alliek@allieschangingkitchen.com! I've received a few private Facebook messages regarding how tough the transition is once you discover you have intolerances. I would love to hear from you, even if yours are different than mine. It is NOT an easy process to go through...

That's all she wrote!

Spinach {Pasta} Salad + {Slow Cooker} Chicken Wings

Happy end of the week!

I have a few good "pub" or "fast food" type meals to share with you - done the healthier + intolerance-free way. During the past week, we've had another really great pizza, some portobello mushroom burgers (which were so good, I basically went back to the store the next day to get more mushrooms...) and the above chicken wings and spinach salad.

It feels like I'm a bit of a kid all over again. Like I was just treated to a week of "junk" food (which as a kid, pizza, chicken nugget or western sandwich nights were clearly your favorite). It's an awesome feeling to know that we can have those same pleasures whenever we want - and without the expense, both literally and physically.
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I input a little break here because this is the point where my blog decided not to save my previous writing. I have just spent the last hour - yes, hour - sitting here and writing an extremely long blog post. I thought it was pretty good. Unfortunately, my wireless and blog decided to both not cooperate at the same time and now I've lost it all. After a week of having no time to blog, I could just cry but ALAS I won't. I've got a wonderful hubby who just cheered me up with a berry/cantaloupe/vanilla rice milk smoothie so I will move on. :)

I had written a long post about my relationship with chicken wings (admittedly, 2 paragraphs might have been too much anyway), and how my feelings on them have ebbed and flowed over the years. I wrote about my issue of eating meat off of the bone. And how we used to consume many a chicken wing on a Wednesday or Thursday evening in university without thinking twice. Even last year, I was still convincing myself that I enjoyed eating a basket of wings at a noisy bar ~ I guess we all change, right? I've come to learn that I can still embrace chicken wings, just in the comfort of my own home and if J either bakes, bbqs or slow cooks them....
~~~~~~~~~
Instead of heading out for 25 cent wings this weekend, cook at home, be healthier and save the money (because with wings, comes draught beer) - or even better: let the slow cooker do the work for you! (and hey: drink better beer with them at home, too!)

Beer + BBQ Slow Cooker Wings
From Allie's Kitchen (by J)

1/2 of a bottle of Organicville's BBQ Sauce

1/3 can of beer (the cheap stuff!)

A few pinches of your favorite hot sauce (Frank's obviously!)

Plop those chicken wings in your slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. That's it. Literally: that's all you have to do, 

Notes:

- Although the BBQ sauce is sweetened with Agave Nectar instead of sugra, I just realized it's also sweetened with molasses...sigh! Just use a 1/2 bottle of any sugar, soy, dairy free BBQ sauce. I'll update the product page soon.

- J came home for lunch and put the wings on high for 3 hours. The 6 hour time is just a guestimate for low.
- The BBQ sauce is Gluten-free

Print this recipe.

The one thing I do remember noting in my other really good post was that wing nights were filled with just that: wings. You'd rarely have a vegetable to go along with it (maybe a slice of carrot or celery?). I can't believe that used to be fun! 

Tonight, we were craving a spinach salad...so I tried to switch things up a bit by playing around with the dressing and adding pasta! LOVE. So easy, too.

Spinach {Pasta} Salad or "There's Pasta In My Spinach Salad!"

From Allie's Kitchen

Cook your pasta.

Dressing:
In a small bowl, mix together:
- 1/4 cup of Renee's 1/2 Caesar
- 1/4 cup of Helman's Mayo
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

Salad Ingredients:
In a large bowl, mix together:
- 2 cups of spinach, cut/ripped
- 1 cup of tomato, diced
- 1 cup of cucumber, cut small
- 1 cup of Fresh Gourmet Organic Seasoned Croutons, crushed

Once pasta is cooked, drain and let cool. Mix together with dressing then add in salad ingredients. Mix well and serve!

Print this recipe

Aren't these much better options for a Fast Food Friday night?  I think so! I've been cooking with a few different product names as of late and need to update the "Brands I Love" page. I haven't really done that since I "cut out" sugar. I also would like to further explain the way I handle sugar. For example, Hellman's Mayo has sugar listed as the 6th ingredient, so I want to make sure to tell you that on the other page. I'll let you know when I make those updates. I'm also going to remove brands that simply "work" with my diet, and only include truly brands that I love.

Have you liked the new Allie's Changing Kitchen Facebook page yet? It's very new, so bare with me! Go on over to visit. Happy Friday! :)

My Best (Cheese-less) Pizza So Far (Fast Food Fridays)

I have a pretty awesome line-up of songs on. It's my day off and I'm going to enjoy some blogging, pinning, music and reading (maybe a chore or two...we'll see) - all by the fire. Sounds pretty good, right?

To start this post off, you're going to get a list of the songs I'm about to listen to because sharing music is just about as awesome as sharing food:

1. You and I - Ingrid Michaelson

2. Where the Road Meets the Sun - Katie Herzig and Matthew Perryman Jones

3. Flume - Bon Iver

4. Roll Away Your Stone - Mumford and Sons

5. Rambling Man - Laura Marling

6. Be My Honeypie - The Weepies

7. Skinny Love - Bon Iver

8. Relator - Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn

If you don't know any of those songs, please introduce yourselves. 

Okay.  Moving on.

Another week is over and now it's February. How did that ever happen? January used to be the longest and most dreaded month of the year - so I thought. We didn't even do much of anything this last month, hid inside most weekends getting our house set up, watching movies and playing a whole lot of Settlers of Catan. 

*Side note: Does anyone play Settlers and have a similar obsession with the game? If so, here's a treat we found on our good 'ol friend, Google, the other day for the foodie-obsessed Catan lovers: Catan Pizza, Catan Cookies and Catan Cupcakes!

I'm not going to ramble on about life too much today (other than what I've already done..sigh). I need to get straight to the point because this was A-MAZING. Every bite 'J' took was followed by a satisfied "mmm..." - the key measure of success. As it's Friday and we all love to indulge in some junk food, eat this! Do it. Make it. This pizza truly does not need cheese! Switch up the toppings... do whatever you like, but make sure to try the sauce and the chicken marinade! Also: If you're a blogger, join in on Fast Food Fridays! If you're not a blogger...why not do a guest post? My blog welcomes you.

Cheese-less Chicken Pizza

From Allie's Kitchen, Quantity: 2 pizzas with a wee bit of leftover sauce

Crust

Spinach Tortilla Wraps (I double J's up, but I just use one). Use any wrap (or pita) that your diet will allow.

Pizza Sauce

1/3 cup of olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

herbs: Lots! I used a mix of basil, marjoram and the fridge herbs we keep. :)

Mix herbs and oil together in a bowl. Fry garlic on high for a minute then add that to the bowl, as well. Let sit.

Chicken

1 piece of leftover chicken (fresh, boneless would work too), sliced very thin.

2 tbsp of Frank's Buffalo Sauce

2 tbsp of Renee's 1/2 Caesar 

Toppings

Quantities enough for what you want, really.

Mushrooms, sliced

Broccolini, cut small 

Baby spinach

Tomato, sliced

Green onions, chopped

Pepper

Optional

On J's, I added cheese and a bit of leftover bacon we had. I didn't add anything extra to mine and loved it.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven at 400. 

2. Using a pastry brush, brush sauce over each pizza (I didn't use all of the sauce).

3. Disperse chicken across each pizza, evenly.

4. Add all of the toppings, adding tomatoes on last. Sprinkle all with pepper.

5. Place both pizzas in oven for about 6 minutes, maybe a bit longer if your oven doesn't run hot. You want the tortillas to be crispy enough that you can pick it up, but not burnt! 

Note:As this is an oily sauce, it may not be super crispy... but easy enough to eat with a fork and knife.

Print this recipe

I've said it already and I'll say it again: Make this. So good. 

On The Side: Our side that went along with this pizza was a simple corn (canned) + avocado + tomato salad mixed together with 1tbsp of both lime juice + olive oil. Easy Peasy.

Any Fast Food Friday clean-er recipes to share? What do you like to make on Fridays? Have a routine? Want to submit a guest post any non-bloggers?? :0) Happy Friday!!

Oh! And last thought...I updated my Travel Page. Still missing a few things, but...check it out! 

My Very First (Dairy & Soy-free) Lasagna

The other day, my friend, Gena, posted a photo of the dinner she was cooking that night: veggie lasagna. Although it was only a photo of the goods in a pan, I haven't been able to stop thinking about lasagna ever since. I had gone on the search for a million variations and ideas (of which I absolutely CANNOT wait to try) but ended up just doing a bit of my own thing with the "typical" and "traditional" variety. 

I also wanted to try for a yummy veggie lasagna, but ended up adding pork in at the request of J. I'll try a veggie one next time when I branch out into the cheese-less lasagna options out there.

So we have had lasagna noodles sitting in our pantry since.....hmmm...I feel like our first grocery order from when we moved into our first apartment in Halifax 3 1/2 years ago. I recall making a lasagna in grade 12 home-ec with my group, but have basically avoided - what appeared to be a daunting task - ever since. Take the fun dairy-filled goodies out of the mix - I really wasn't motivated to make a big ol' pan of it.

Well, Gena made it happen. Once this cat (that's me!) starts craving something, it's over. I become obsessed with making it happen! So I went to the grocery store to get what I wanted to include. 

(Side note...speaking of cats:)

Oh the life.

This is my take on a traditional meal. I had a few "whoopsie!" moments so please make note of them below if you dare to tackle this. :)

What I learned: lasagna is WAY easier than I ever remembered. It's not at all time-consuming, with the exception of you needing to be home while the oven does all the work. This is one proper way to have leftovers!

Dairy and Soy Free Lasagna

From Allie's Kitchen

What I Used:

Lasagna noodles

Eggplant, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 lb of ground pork

1 cup of spinach, chopped

1 cup of mushrooms, chopped

1 tbsp of various fresh herbs (I buy the fridge herbs for times like this)

2 tbsp of Italian spices (your choice)

1 jar of President's Choice Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce

1 bag of Daiya Cheddar Cheese

What I did:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Cook ground pork with onions, spices and garlic until almost cooked through.

3. Add mushrooms and eggplant. Cook for a couple of minutes.

4. Add Spinach. Cook for 1 minute.

5. Add jar of sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Grease a 9x13 pan. Add a thin layer of sauce mixture. Add 4 noodles across. Add cheese. Add sauce mixture. Add noodles. Add cheese. Do this until you are at the top of the pan. Finish with cheese.

7. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for an additional 20.

Notes:

- I had to peel off the top noodles before eating the lasagna as I did not take into account another liquid to replace the ricotta/cottage cheese consistency. The top noodles didn't cook. I would either create an alfredo-type sauce to add for next time, or do as I did this time and simply remove the noodles before eating...having them on top helped the rest of the lasagna cook well!

- I would likely mix the Mozza and Cheddar Daiya cheeses together for more fun. :) And try a cashew cheese maybe, too...but that would all be more time consuming

Print this recipe

I served it with a quick spinach and tomato caesar salad (Renee's 1/2 Caesar). This was a HUGE hit. I was pretty skeptical/worried when I saw those top noodles not cooking, realizing that I missed a step in my recipe creation. Even without those top noodles, it was a major hit. J even finished his meal much before me, and he's quite a slow eater. (Read: Me patting myself on back). :P

So. I've been completely neglecting the blog...How was everyone's week and weekend? Am I the only one that falls into a lazy/tired rut during the odd week and suddenly a week is gone and nothing has been done...?! :)

Any fun lasagna variations to share? I've got one with pesto and one with butternut squash I hope to make!

Our 'Healthy Ladies' Dinner Party

The Dinner Party Crew (minus Ali..and a bit blurry...)

As just about everyone has noted in every possible way: January is about new beginnings. Well, our dear friend Becca has left us for Saskatchewan for a few months. To say our farewells and good lucks, we put together a 'feel good' dinner party. It's a good way to give our hugs, but also for everyone else to kick-start the year with a healthy meal filled with great company, vibes and conversation.  

There weren't really any rules as this was mostly as a way to send Bec off, but everyone did have to bring something to eat - with a goal of it being as healthy and clean as they could possibly make it!

Roshika hosted on her beautiful new dining table

I don't have all of the recipes, but will add them in as I get them. I wanted to showcase the great meal we had anyway! We didn't even plan the whole "you bring a main, you bring a side...and so on" so we were entirely impressed to have covered mostly all of the basis without duplication!

We typically have potlucks and fill our plates with a variety of food. This time, we sat down and enjoyed each "course" on its own. We started off with some Green Tea Pomegranate Lemonade, along with some smoked salmon with Renee's Cucumber and Dill (my fave!) on Melba Toast. (Both brought to you by Ms. Gena...)

We then moved on to some appetizers! Vegetable Spring Rolls (brought to you by Bec..) and deviled eggs (brought to you by Steph..).  The veggie rolls were done so much better than every time I try to make these puppies! I do have the recipe for the peanut sauce, but will add that in later.

The deviled eggs didn't even have mayo in them! Simply avocado and Frank's Hot Sauce mixed with the yolk. They were sooo good and creamy. I've never thought of adding avocado and skipping the mayo!

After that we moved on to....salads! Are you impressed yet with all of the great food we brought together without a big plan? I still am!

Amanda brought a very green salad that included both potatoes and apples. Interesting, right? Never thought to put those two together in a cold salad, but it totally worked. She also made her own salad dressing that was all me-friendly (with the exception of the wee bit of mustard she put in. Eep! I asked not to know whether she meant Frenchy's, powder or dijon. I don't want to know. Overcoming fears because really - who has a fear of mustard? LeSigh.)

Ms. Ali brought us a lentil salad which she said only had lemon juice and olive oil as the dressing. Easy-peasy...completely my cup-of-tea. I'm going to try this one for my workday lunches.

Now on to our main-ish dishes: African Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut Butter and Black Beans. I brought this wonderful dish to the group. I made a few changes from Joanne's original recipe over at Eats Well With Others. I've added the adaptation down below.

Then we have the biryani that Roshika whipped up. Last time I tried her version of this, she simply ground up some cashews and added coconut milk and spices for the sauce. As we have an all-nuts-except-peanuts allergy in the group, she did this same thing but with peanuts. Both were a-mazing. I've always loved biryani from that first time I tried it in Korea (I know, weird. First Indian restaurant in Korea) and I basically lived off of it during my month in India. I'm in love with how many variations there are - yum.

For dessert, we simply drizzled some pure maple syrup (Actually pure. Not all maple syrups are really pure. Check your labels!) over berries. We devoured it in minutes. Amy had worked all day and came in from out of the city, so this was the absolute perfect choice of dessert.

Cheryl made this amazing guac-like dip - with avocado and white beans being the main stars. We contemplated adding this to our meal, but smartly decided to save it for our 'What's Your Number?' girly movie-watching. Beans and avocado together give you that creamy-dip-enjoyment without having to feel sorry for yourself that you're missing out on all those creamy-dairy-filled-asiago-and-artichoke-type dips that are everywhere in the grocery store.

My contribution...

African Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut Butter and Black Beans

adapted from Joanne's recipe @ Eats Well With Others

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 medium red onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, diced

1 medium sweet potato, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups of veggie broth

1/2 cup of 100% peanut butter (just peanuts!)

1/2 cup of boiling water

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

3 tsp cilantro (I used those freezer cubes of cilantro as I didn't have any fresh- have you seen them?)

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

3 tsp maple syrup

Serves 4 - 6 (or 8 small bowls like we did!)

What I Did:

1. Heat oil in a soup pot. Add curry paste and cinnamon. Stir for a minute to coat. Add in onion, garlic, sweet potato and jalapeno. Stir and cook for 5 - 7 minutes. 

2. Add beans and broth. Melt the peanut butter in your 1/2 cup of boiling water. Add that to the pot. Add red pepper flakes and cilantro.

3. Bring to a boil, cover and immer. Cook for about 25 minutes.

4. Stir in lime juice and maple syrup!

This was extremely tasty. If you want to see some visually appealing photos of the original recipe, make sure to pop over to Joanne's blog. Mine are not so great, but I promise you it's good. Peanut butter + sweet potato + beans. You can't really go wrong, can you? This WAS quite peanut-ty tasting, so make sure you're a lover of that flavour before tackling this.

Notes :

- I didn't actually put the whole jalapeno in as I've never cooked with one, myself. Next time, I'd listen to the recipe and put it all in!

- I wouldn't skimp on the cilantro, lime, maple syrup and garlic. Could definitely play around to bring these flavours out more

- My "medium" sweet potato MAY have been too small. I'd use a bigger one next time.

Print this recipe.

So - rumor has it that Blogger has made it possible for me to reply to comments. Let's try it out! Comment away and I will hopefully be able to comment back! Also - did you see my new recipe index? The updated about me page? If any blogger wants to learn how to make the index, I can teach!

A Winter Salad Break

I know I've talked about my love for kale, but I think my true favorite raw 'green' is arugula. I know not everyone likes it - and it certainly doesn't work with every dish, but every time I buy it, I throw it in almost everything (only raw, though!).

We got a panini press for my bridal shower way back in April, but have just now started using it. It's hard to remember that you've gotten new gadgets, as it welcomes new things to your already established routine. Any way. We've been eating a lot of paninis lately and arugula has found a happy home in every one of them, including our breakfast paninis.

This salad was inspired by a salad shown in the January/February 2012 Clean Eating Magazine. It's not at all the same, but it's inspiration came from the nut + winter green + onion + egg combination. I didn't have any of the ingredients that that recipe had called for for the dressing, so I made up a different one entirely on my own. If I try out the real thing, I'll make sure to blog about that one too!

Arugula Salad with Egg

Inspired by the Winter Greens Salad in Clean Eating.

Hard boil 1 egg per serving of salad. 

In the meantime, add the following to your salad bowl (quantities really depend on what you want!):

- arugula

- chopped and sliced leek

- walnuts

- parsley (I only did this because I had it on hand)

For the dressing (this is for 2 servings), mix together:

- 1/4 cup of olive oil

- 1 tbsp of lemon juice

- 1 tbsp of maple syrup

Drizzle salad with dressing.

When the eggs are done, cut each in 3 and place on top. You're done! Easy, right? That's all I have to write for now. Today is uber-organizational-day for J and I. Mini get-our-house-in-order projects each day!

PS - I have finally updated the 'About Me' section....it was a tad outdated! I've also added a Good Reads widget along the side if you care to check out some of the cookbooks I own...Enjoy!


What is your favorite greens to use for salads in the winter?? Any gems to share?

Guest Blogger: Mom!

Chickpea Salad

1 can of Chickpeas (19 oz)

Add whatever veg you have on hand.  I used a handful of snow peas, handful of grape or cherry tomatoes (halved) and chopped green pepper.  I’ve also added red onion and cucumber before as well.  For the dressing, I used lemon juice and basil.  Whisk together and toss with chickpeas.  Yummy!!!

Great as a quick lunch or as a side dish!

**Thanks for sharing this recipe, Mom! I can't wait to try this out for lunches.....And how nice for me to have my first "guest blogger" :)

Thank You Condiments

Coming from a person who really dislikes the pre-made sandwich - and "boring" sandwiches in general - I am so thankful that I am able to have these three condiments:

- Renee's 1/2 Caesar
- Renee's Cucumber and Dill
- Hellmans Mayonnaise 

Being able to keep these three items in my fridge allows me to still make decent salads, sandwiches, dips, and so on. And because it's "creamy", it almost feels like I'm cheating a little!  Now, a person could easily get bored of these things quickly, so I ensure that not all of my salads are caesar - and I ensure that I sometimes add a bit of curry powder to my mayo to switch it up - and so on.

So here's one that works great as a lunch or dinner salad, and leaves behind great ingredients for a work day wrap!


J's Chicken Caesar Creation

Chicken:  cut in thin strips, marinade with basil, lemon and Cajun-type flavors.
Greens:  Anything - we used romaine lettuce and spinach

My Loaded Sunday Salad

Topping Options: Tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, bacon - anything really.  J had even cooked up some onions, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes together for some "flare".  Oh - and I found a "lightly seasoned" kind of croutons at Sobeys that are free of the evil ingredients.  Will have to check to see the brand and add it to the Brands I Love Page!

I sometimes forget how easy it is to throw together a really great salad, and then use the leftovers as a wrap the next day.  EASY....EASY, I say.

Comfort Foodie Goodness

Through these winter months, I'm really growing to appreciate "comfort food".  Comfort food, to me, has always been something that your mother, father, or grandmother could achieve in their cooking - but never me.  Not that I've ever tried.  It just seemed that the "comfort" tag came from who was doing the cooking, perhaps?

After re-introducing myself into the Maritimes' meat-and-potatoes way of doing supper, I have found that I, too, have the ability to make a healthy meal that feels like home. Roasts, baked potatoes, carrots, stews.  They all feel like home to me.  Home, in the sense of family-cooking, because I am fortunate enough to only live about a half hour away from most of my family.

Anyway, back to food....This stew was so easy (the kind you can walk away from while it's on the stove) and tasty, we'll for sure add this on our Go-To List.

Italian Shrimp Stew
Clean Eating Magazine, January 2011

1. In a pot, heat oil over medium heat.
Add:
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 small peeled and chopped potatoes
- 1 tsp of dried rosemary

2.  Stir and saute for about 2 minutes.
Add in:
- 2 cups of chopped (cut in half) cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups of Organics vegetable broth

3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

4.  Uncover the pot and test the potatoes.  If they are not yet very soft, cook for another 3 - 5 minutes (I had to cook them for the full extra 5 minutes).

5.  Once potatoes are done, mash a few to thicken the sauce.

6.  Add:
- 18 oz medium uncooked shrimp (de-tailed).
7.  Cover and cook for 2 minutes.  Cook through until shrimp are pink.

Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!  Be prepared....it's tasty!  

Salad:  Spinach, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries with Renee's Cucumber and Dill

Power Crunch Your Way Through Lunch

A quick note about a recipe I received from my naturopath for good lunches...

Power Crunch Salad

This can be altered for whichever nuts, seeds, dried fruit, dressing, crunchy vegetables, etc that you would like to use but this is what I used for the week:

Cut...
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Zucchini
Orange Pepper
Carrots
Dried Cranberries
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame Seeds

Dressing:  Reness 1/2 Caesar

I made a big batch of this at the beginning of the week and have been having this with a rice cake and peanut butter for lunch.  Great filler for the middle of the day, but it gets a bit annoying to eat the same thing every day since Friday!  Note to self:  smaller batches.  Three days in a row could be the limit. :)

Pot-Lucky

September is a very busy month for birthdays and celebrations.  On Friday, we had a potluck for my friend's birthday.  One thing that I have learned in the past from potlucks with this particular group of friends is that boy can we bring together a good assortment of food - and boy can we eat.  Well, even with this change to the menu - all parties agreeing to bring food that wouldn't send me straight to bed or guilty-city - we still managed to bring together a quite sophisticated meal!

I hope the girls will comment and post their recipes here to share...hint hint hint.

To Start:  Chilli/lime turkey lettuce wraps (forgot to take a picture....)
Snacks:  Hummus and nachos
Salad:  See recipe below
Side:  Quinoa (previous post)
Main:  Indian Potato curry (just potatos, spices, and water!)
Dessert:  Everyone else enjoyed what I'm sure were very perfect cupcakes, but I also made a batch of banana fritters topped wth cinnamon and pure maple syrup.

Becca's Pear Salad
Mixed Greens or Spinich
Red Onion
Slivered Almonds
Pear

Dressing:
1/4c mayo
1/2c evoo
1/4c lemon juice
1tbsp lemon pepper
1 clove garlic
1tsp sugar (use maple sugar to make sugar-free)
salt and peper to taste!  

Sigh, I wish every week ended with a pot luck-y Friday.

Recipe: Mom's Chicken Drumstick Bake

I'm always a little weird about cooking bone-in chicken, but this was so easy.  I highly recommend it.

In a bake pan, I threw 5 chicken drumsticks in with 1/4 cup of red wine and 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce (Mom said to use smoky bbq sauce - which we did not have - so I put ONE drop of this Mequite Smoke in with it).  In the oven this went on 350 for 30 minutes.  Done!

To go with, corn on the cob and an easy spinach salad:

spinach
cucumbers
bean sprouts
sliced almonds
mandarin oranges
Dressing:  Renee's Tangeringe and Lime

Recipe: Shrimp Pasta w/ Arugula Salad

I have to admit that I was tootin' my own horn during this meal. It was so fast, easy, and delicious...this is already planted in my brain for future reference.

Peeled and cooked shrimp was on sale, so I cooked some spaghetti and warmed some shrimp up in this sauce (from Clean Eating Mag) to get a great throw-together pasta:
Garlic, Oil and Herb Sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp corn starch (it called for 1tsp of arrowroot, but I didn't have any)
1/8 tsp of sea salt

Whisk these three things in a bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan, combine and cook for 2 - 3 minutes:
1/4 cup of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried marjoram, oregano, and sage (or 1 tbsp of fresh of each)

Add the above broth mixture to your sauce plan and stir it until the sauce thickens slightly.  Remove from heat and whisk mixture. 

Arugula Salad
In each bowl, I put some arugula/baby spinach (combo bought from Super Store), sliced strawberries and walnuts.  For the dressing, I mixed 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar with 2 tbsp of olive oil and used as much as I wanted on each.

Done :)

Recipe: Fresh Summer Corn Salad

The recipe for the salad below is actually from the Hellmanns Mayonnaise website.  I made about half of what it calls for and made it WAY too vinergar-y and onion-y.  We're eating it again tonight because we actually still enjoyed it -and the onions will be more mellow.  Just note when you're making it to adjust your measurements based on how much you like of each item!  Example:  Jon doesn't like sage and could taste too much of it (for Italian seasoning I mixed:  Oregano, Marjoram, Cilantro and Sage).  And I don't love raw onions. :)

Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Hellmann's (or whatever mayo you eat)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (My solution:  oregano, cilantro, marjoram, sage (half of other amounts))
8 ears corn-on-the-cob*  (I used canned corn ~~ 4 cups for this big recipe)
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 small zucchini, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Instructions 

1.  Combine vinegar, olive oil, mayo, garlic and Italian seasoning in small bowl with wire whisk. Set aside.

2.  In a larger bowl, combine corn, onion and 1/4 cup vinaigrette in medium bowl. Gently fold in tomatoes, zucchini and basil. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe: Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Today is the first Monday of giving up dairy so I thought I'd start with surrounding myself with a lot of fresh produce.  For my first recipe, I bought some quinoa (best to buy at Bulk Barn, but I bought a small box for $2.99 for now at the grocery store) to make my salad a little more filling.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups of vegetable broth
1 container of cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 yellow pepper (chopped)
1/2 cucumber (chopped)
1/4 cup of cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
1 large clove of garlic

**This makes quite a bit, so I just cut the entire recipe in half since it's just for the two of us.


Directions:
1.  Bring veg. broth to a boil in a pot and add quinoa.  Stir and place on low for 20 minutes (or until liquid has evaporated).  Quinoa will look translucent with a white ring around it when done.
2.  Meanwhile, mix EVOO, vinegar and garlic together for dressing.
3.  Once quinoa is finished, place it in a large bowl and fluff it with a fork.  Let cool.
4.  Add pepper, tomatoes, cucumber and cilantro to quinoa.  Stir and drizzle with dressing.
 

Vote:  Major thumbs up from both Jon and I!