I am getting into full fall mode (lovingly referred to as “basic” by my bros), with pumpkin spice candles littered throughout the house and constant brainstorming on more ways to infiltrate pumpkin into new dishes in the kitchen. Today’s pumpkin invention is this combination of baked pumpkin with nut butter and spices. Continue Reading →
Potato Leek Soup
Potato leek soup is a classic option perfect for crisp fall afternoons and evenings. It often has cream and butter added in but using smaller, yellow potatoes which are naturally sweeter and creamier, results in a soup that tastes rich and still has a velvety texture without the heavy dairy. Continue Reading →
Vanilla Maple Roasted Pears
Fall is heavily associated with pumpkins and apples but it is also pear season. Like apples, these fruits have a subtle, fresh flavour and light sweetness that really comes through when they are roasted. From there they can be eaten on their own or served over or alongside oatmeal, granola, yogurt, chopped nuts or ice cream, and they’re even good in salads or with roasted chicken or pork. Using fruit as the anchor of a dessert keeps it light and offers some extra nutrients over pastry or cream based options. Continue Reading →
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Chili is a really versatile and easy one-pot meal to throw together. This version gets an extra dose of nutrients from added vegetables and chickpeas. It is the kind of thing I like to leave around for my brothers when their schedules get hectic and time gets tight. They can heat up in a minute then load up with sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado and/or tortilla chips- it is fast and easy enough that they will do it instead of stopping at a drive through on the way home for a different kind of fast food. It is heavy enough to be hearty and filling while also being really nutrient dense, an ideal lunch to get fuelled for a long day of studying. Continue Reading →Pepperoni Pizza Delicata Squash Boats
Delicata squash are also known as sweet potato squash because their taste and texture is quite similar to sweet potatoes. Unlike most other winter squash the skin can be eaten once cooked so it is an easy vegetable to work with- no peeling required and nothing goes to waste. There’s nothing wrong with some real pizza now and then and this swap might be sacrilegious to some but it is a good way to get the flavours of pizza with some extra nutrients. For those trying to eat healthier or cut down on simple carbs there are lots of little swaps that can modify a traditional dish to be lighter in saturated fats, free of refined sugars and flours and richer in complex carbs, fiber, lean protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Continue Reading →Chicken Tomatillo Soup
Tomatillos are a staple ingredient in Mexican cuisine and were used as far back as 800 B.C. by the Aztecs. Their more authentic name is “tomato verde”, Spanish for “green tomato”, and they make up an essential part of the famous green Mexican sauce called salsa verde. They are similar to regular red tomatoes except that their taste is less sweet and more tart and their texture is firmer and meatier. Their seeds are really tiny and their skins are very thin so they neither need to be peeled nor de-seeded like regular tomatoes often do for soups and sauces. Continue Reading →
Tomato Artichoke Frittata
I had some fresh, very flavourful cherry tomatoes from my friend’s mom’s garden so I wanted to put them in a dish that would let them shine. Mrs. Gill is one of the best cooks I have ever met so I was really excited to see her new garden and to get to try some of the fruits of her labour. For me, something homegrown, just like something homemade, has a really special quality to it that the stuff in stores just can’t compete with. Frittatas, the fancy word for egg pie or crustless quiche, are great for using up leftover odds and ends as well as showcasing an ingredient. Continue Reading →Black Rice Stuffed Pumpkins
Stuffed pumpkins are a very seasonally appropriate and healthy side dish. The best part is that the filling can be made the night before or morning of serving and the pumpkins can be hollowed out, placed in a pan, covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated. Then the mixture just needs to be spooned into the pumpkins and it all bakes for 40 minutes. This makes it ideal for serving guests because it does not require much attention at this point, so you don’t get tied down to the kitchen and have more time to visit. The pumpkins themselves have a sweet, dense flesh that goes nicely with heavy whole grains and legumes. The outer skin is inedible and acts like a bowl, keeping everything together. This is a very grounding dish, with enough fiber, healthy fats and protein to slow down digestion and leave one with a comfortably satiated feeling. As the weather gets colder we can maintain balance by choosing heavier foods and something like this offers a lot of nutrients.Honey Sesame Glazed Butternut Salad
Adding some cooked squash to a salad makes it a bit heavier, a transition between the light food of summer full of raw produce and richer, cooked fall food. Butternut squash is a good option for salads, it is really sweet, slightly nutty, vibrantly orange and when warm and dense is highly qualified as healthy comfort food. Continue Reading →
Spanish Stuffed Peppers
Halved mini bell peppers are excellent bases to stuff for two bite appetizers and snacks. They stay sturdy enough to hold heavier meat-based fillings, but once cooked they are tender enough to easily bite through. Their freshness and sweetness compliments richly flavoured chorizo but keeps the whole dish light. They are high in fiber, which makes them filling and helps the digestive process, as well as vitamin C, a nutrient necessary for strong immunity, wound healing and energy production. Continue Reading →