Beef & Barley Soup

Perfect comfort food for the cool autumn days coming to us.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb stewing beef, cut into small bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 oz mushrooms
  • 14.5 oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 8 c beef broth
  • 1/2 c uncooked pot barley
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron or cooking pot. Add the stewing beef and brown. Drain excess fat off.
  2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes until softened.
  3. Add in the tomatoes, beef broth, barley, thyme, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
  4. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the barley is tender.
  5. Remove the thyme stems before serving.
Beef & Barley Soup

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 6
  • Calories per serving: 220
  • Total Fat: 7.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 16.4 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
  • Sugar: 3.2 g
  • Protein: 18.1 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Cassoulet

This is a variation on the traditional French casserole, Cassoulet, made with sausage, beans, tomatoes, kale and topped with crunchy, buttery bread crumbs. It got 2 big thumbs up from my daughter.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 12 oz Italian sausage
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 c carrot, shredded
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 14.5 oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (19 oz) white kidney beans
  • 1 c chicken broth
  • 2 c kale, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 c panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan or casserole dish.
  2. Heat butter in a small frying pan. Add bread crumbs and toast until lightly brown. Remove to a small dish to cool.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron or cooking pot. Add the sausage and brown. Drain excess fat off.
  4. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes until softened.
  5. Add in the tomatoes, kidney beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
  6. Add kale, thyme, bay leaf, salt & pepper.
  7. Turn into the prepared baking pan or casserole dish. Top with toasted bread crumbs. Cover with tin foil.
  8. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tin foil, then bake for another 10 minutes.
Cassoulet

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 6
  • Calories per serving: 422
  • Total Fat: 17 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6.1 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 47.2 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 13.6 g
  • Sugar: 10.9 g
  • Protein: 19.8 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Good Morning Muffins

I was grating carrot to make carrot cake, which is always an arm workout, and I decided to keep going while I was on a roll and make these muffins. I call these Good Morning Muffins because Carrot Apple Coconut Walnut muffins is too long. They are a bit labour-intensive and about as healthy as a commercial bakery muffin but good enough to make them worth it.

You need to make these muffins a little differently from how one would normally prepare muffins. The traditional way is to combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, mix them together and fold in your extras (like nuts, carrots, etc). But this dough is so dense that you need to combine the dry ingredients with the extras first, coating them thoroughly with the dry mix, before combining them with the wet ingredients.

You can add 1/2 c of raisins if you like, we just have a decided raisin-hater in the family so I leave them out.

Ingredients:

  • 2 c flour
  • 1 /14 c white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 c grated carrots (approx. 3 large)
  • 1/2 c chopped nuts
  • 1/2 c sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 apple, peeled and grated
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 c vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in grated carrot, nuts, coconut and grated apple, mixing well.
  3. Combine eggs, oil and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Stir into dry mixture.
  4. Spoon into a prepared muffin tin lined with paper muffin cups.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Good Morning Muffins

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 12
  • Calories per serving: 347
  • Total Fat: 19 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 41.8 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
  • Sugar: 23 g
  • Protein: 4.2 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Roasted Parmesan Zucchini Spears

My ‘cup runeth over’ with zucchini from our garden so my BIL shared this recipe with me that he made the week before.

Ingredients:

  • 1 extra-large zucchini, 3 large or several medium/small (yield: 6 cups cut up)
  • 1/4 c butter, melted
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut the zucchini length-wise in quarters. Remove the seeds by taking a knife and cutting down the middle. Cut what’s left into sticks or spears.
  3. Toss with melted butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder and parmesan cheese.
  4. Place on a large baking sheet.
  5. Cook for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 6
  • Calories per serving: 104
  • Total Fat: 8.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.9 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 5.5 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1.6 g
  • Sugar: 3.8 g
  • Protein: 2.7 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Vegetarian Chickpea Stew

The flavour of this stew is surprisingly complex with many layers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 c onion, diced
  • 1/2 c celery, diced
  • 1/2 c green pepper, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp ginger, minced
  • 3 c sweet potato, cubed
  • 3 c vegetable stock (or chicken stock if the vegetarian aspect isn’t important)
  • 1 can (789 ml) diced tomatoes, not drained
  • 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 Tbsp all-natural peanut butter
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, green pepper, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until soft.
  2. Add the sweet potato, vegetable stock, tomatoes with their juices, chickpeas, ground cumin, curry powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for 1/2 hour over simmering heat.
  3. Add peanut butter and cilantro to finish.
Vegetarian Chickpea Stew

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 6
  • Calories per serving: 247
  • Total Fat: 7.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 38.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 7.8 g
  • Sugar: 10.4 g
  • Protein: 8.7 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Thai Red Curry Chicken & Rice Soup

There’s a local grocery store near me that has an extensive take-out selection. On the day I tried their Thai Red Curry Soup I was on a mission to recreate it. Sadly, this isn’t it (I think theirs used shrimp too). But, my husband thought this was off-the-charts and gave me a speech about how much he appreciates my cooking, so I’d say it’s good enough in its own right!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 1-2 Tbsp red curry paste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp ginger, minced
  • 3 c chicken stock
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 6 oz chicken breast, cooked and shredded
  • 1 c white rice, cooked
  • 1/2 c frozen peas
  • 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add red curry paste, garlic and ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, shredded chicken, white rice and frozen peas. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Add the fresh basil and lime juice.
Thai Red Curry Chicken & Rice Soup

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 4 (approx. 1 1/2 c per serving)
  • Calories per serving: 360
  • Total Fat: 22.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 15.9 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 22 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
  • Sugar: 3.1 g
  • Protein: 17.2 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Cucumber Salad

On one of our favourite roads trips my husband and I ended up in Port Hope, Ontario at a fantastic road-side restaurant called the Shnitzel Shack. Not only was the food incredible (the eggplant parmesan sandwich was off-the-charts and enough for 3 meals), but the service was sooo sweet. We got their cucumber salad and loved it, so naturally I came home and tried to recreate it. Even though theirs was in an oil-based dressing I decided to make mine creamy. Two key to success with this salad – VERY thinly sliced cucumber, and lots of fresh dill.

Ingredients:

  • 4 c cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c light sour cream
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed with the side of the knife
  • 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp chopped dill
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Combine all the dressing ingredients then toss with the sliced cucumber. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Cucumber Salad

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 4
  • Calories per serving: 65
  • Total Fat: 2.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 7.9 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Sugar: 4.8 g
  • Protein: 2.8 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Dry Rub Chicken Wings

These sweet & savoury chicken wings got rave reviews from the family with my husband saying “you could serve these to anyone!” whatever that means, lol! I served them with Simple Creamy Coleslaw and Cucumber Salad.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg raw chicken wings
  • 5 Tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika

Directions:

  1. Combine onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, pepper and paprika in a small bowl.
  2. Place the chicken wings in a large bowl or dish and sprinkle with all the seasoning. Use your hands to rub the seasoning into the meat. Place in fridge for at least 1 hour.
  3. BBQ the wings until cooked through.
Dry Rub Chicken Wings

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 4
  • Calories per serving: 543
  • Total Fat: 32.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 19.9 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1.6 g
  • Sugar: 15.4 g
  • Protein: 46 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Simple Creamy Coleslaw

This is a simple recipe, made even simpler if you buy prepackaged coleslaw mix and just make the dressing. I like a nice kale coleslaw mix. The key to good coleslaw, though, is time. It’s always better the next day because the liquid has leached out of the cabbage, making it more tender and less bitter … so make it a day ahead if possible.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 green cabbage, sliced very thinly (approx. 4 c)
  • 1 large carrot, grated (approx. 1 c)
  • 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c olive oil mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • pinch salt
  • pinch pepper
  • 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Combine all the dressing ingredients then toss with the cabbage, carrots and onion. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Simple Creamy Coleslaw

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 4
  • Calories per serving: 259
  • Total Fat: 20.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.3 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 17.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 3.4 g
  • Sugar: 5.9 g
  • Protein: 2.1 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal