Thought I would share an easy recipe I made for my lunch last week. It heated up wonderfully and lasted all week in the fridge. It’s gluten free, dairy free, egg free and sugar free, but the biggest reason I share it is my daughter had a bowl and begged me to make more!

Brown the following in a pan:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1-1.5 lb organic, grass fed ground beef

Then add it, and everything below, to a crock-pot:

• ½ cauliflower, diced
• 1 can chick peas, drained
• ¾-1 c frozen organic peas
• 1 carton of organic vegetable stock
• ½ cup spaghetti sauce or 1 can tomato paste
• 1 heaping tbsp of Patak’s Madras curry paste
• 1 heaping tbsp of Patak’s Biriani curry paste

Cook on low overnight, or all day.

Serve with diced avocado.  Add sour cream if you like. Enjoy!

-Tara

Lia’s diabetes talk in Clarksburg / Thornbury last night was a big success – thanks to everyone who came out. For those of you looking for the recipes for the delicious goodies she brought along, here you go!

Steel Cut Oats – 6 servings (approx 40g complex carbohydrate / serving)

• 300g Steel cut oats
• 1L water
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pure organic vanilla
• 2 bananas mushed
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• 1/4 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)
• 1/4 cup Goji berries

Boil steel cut oats in water with cinnamon on medium temperature until cooked (20 min). Remove from burner and add the rest of the ingredients… Enjoy!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding – 4 servings (9g carbohydrate w maple syrup version)

• 2 small-med sized ripe avocados
• 1 banana
• 1-2 TBSP maple syrup (depends on taste) or use a packet of Stevia to get rid of 20g of sugar calories
• 3 TBSP organic cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp pure organic vanilla
• 1-2 TBSP water or almond milk

Put all things into a blender and blend on high speed, scraping down the sides in between. Should come to a creamy delicious consistency.

This is a great therapeutic food for a diabetic, especially with the Stevia conversion. Avocado and banana supply much needed potassium for the diabetic, and pure cocoa improves glucose balancing throughout the day. Also hyperallergenic!

This super-easy and inexpensive snack will have even the pickiest kid asking for more. And because black beans are high in iron, magnesium and folic acid, both parents and kids can be happy!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of black beans – drained
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped (if you are using the jarred chopped garlic use 2-3tsp)
• ½ -1 tsp sea salt

Directions:

• Gently heat oil and garlic in a pan until garlic is fragrant and slightly toasted (about 2 min).
• Place beans in a food processor, blender or a bowl that can be used with a hand-blender
• Pour oil and garlic mix over black beans
• Add sea salt
• Blend until all beans are mashed – about 1-2 min

If the mix is a little dry, you may need to add a little more oil – about 1-2 tbsp. Serve with organic corn chips or rice crackers for a gluten-free and vegan snack! - Tara

Image: Pinch My Salt

This a fast, and easy lunch in our home, and by using the organic soup stock below, you can save the trouble of making your own. Plus it’s the only stock I’ve found so far with no MSG!

Ingredients

• 1 cooking onion diced
• 1-2 tsp of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 box of PC Organics chicken stock
• 1 handful of baby carrots diced or 1 carrot diced
• 1 big potato or 2 small potatoes diced
• 1 handful of egg noodles (or corn noodles, rice noodles or rice if gluten free diet)
• Anything else you want to throw in!

Sauté the onion in oil with salt and pepper until soft (if you have leftover chicken from a meal, throw some in here, too.)  Pour in a box of broth.  Add diced vegetables.  Bring to boil and add the noodles.  Cook until veggies and noodles are soft.

Serves four small servings – and I don’t know a single picky kid who won’t eat this meal. Enjoy! -Tara

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is like rice, but a little more nutty. It was a staple in the diet of South American Indians (who considered it a sacred food) for centuries, but only arrived in North America in the last 30 years or so.

What’s powerful about it is that it’s a full protein – unlike other vegetarian proteins that do not have all the amino acids. That makes it a great choice for vegans who might be worried about their protein intake. For everyone, though, it’s delicious, and contains lots of manganese and other nutrients.

I use it where I would use rice.  Because it’s gluten free, it also makes a great substitute for couscous in a couscous salad..

As a breakfast, it’s a very yummy alternative to oatmeal.  This one’s a recipe for the crock pot.

• 1 ½ cups quinoa – rinsed well
• 4 cups water – you can use rice, soy or almond milk for a creamier texture.
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit like raisins, dates, apricots, cranberries, etc. of your liking (or leave this out if you don’t like it)
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Toss everything in the crock pot (that’s the beauty of crock pots!), and cook on low heat all night. Add honey or some maple syrup in the morning if desired, and enjoy!

-Tara

PS – The photo is from The Vivacious Vegan – a great source of info and recipes!

Kale is a very traditional winter green veggie and is one of my favourite foods.  Like broccoli, it’s part of the brassica family and is full of potent phytochemicals that help your liver neutralize toxins.  It’s also an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and the mineral manganese which, among other things, is important in bone health.

The trick with Kale is in the preparation. Try this:

• Remove woody stock from leaves.
• Cut the remaining leaves in strips.
• Sauté in olive oil with garlic and sea salt to taste.  (You want to sauté it until it is bright green all the way through, and stop before it starts to dry out – about 3-5 minutes.)

You can use it in salads, soups, stews or stir fries, or try my latest favourite: top it with poached eggs, parmesan cheese and cracked pepper – yum!

-Tara

A big thank-you to everyone who attended our open house. We had some great feedback on the food, but we ran out of recipe cards during the evening so I thought I’d post them here for anyone who missed out. You can also check out Shelby’s recipe page for some others.

The green smoothies were the surprise hit of the night! We don’t have her recipes, but if you want more information on the delicious green smoothies created by Sarah Heipel of Good Energy, you can contact her here. Thanks Sarah!

Enjoy! -Tara

No-Bean Hummus

• 2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
• ¾ cup tahini
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 ½ tsp Celtic sea salt
• ½ Tbsp ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor; blend until thick and smooth.
Serve with slices of cucumber, zucchini, celery or carrots.

Source: RAWvolution, by Matt Amsden

Marinated Tofu

• 1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, chopped in to 1cm cubes
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce/ tamari, Bragg’s
• 1 tsp coriander seed, ground
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

* adjust amount of each marinade ingredient according to taste; these amounts are approximations

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over tofu so that all cubes are immersed. Store overnight in refrigerator.
Bake at 400degrees for 30 minutes, or until desired consistency.
Serve on own as a snack or as a protein topping to any salad.

Source:  Juice for Life, by Ruth Tal

Black Bean Dip

• 1 15-oz can or organic black beans
• ¼ C of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Sea salt & pepper totaste
• 1 tbs chili powder

First, sauté garlic cloves in olive oil.  Then puree all of the ingredients in a blender.  Serve with organic corn chips as a healthy, yummy snack!

This amazing salad was created by the equally amazing Thai Massage practitioner, Juliette Reynolds, of Creemore, ON.  Who knew kale and beets could taste so good!

Kale is remarkably good for you – it’s a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese, among others. You can learn more about it at World’s Healthiest Foods. According to the entry:

Like broccoli, cauliflower and collards, kale is a descendant of the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have originated in Asia Minor and to have been brought to Europe around 600 B.C. by groups of Celtic wanderers.

Celtic wanderers? Who knew? You might not be wandering that much, but this salad is just as good sitting down. It’s also an excuse to use those great pan-roasted seeds we talked about last month. Enjoy! – Tara

Ingredients

• A bowl full of mixed organic salad greens
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 bunch of beets
• 1/2 cup goat milk feta
• 1/2 cup seasoned, pan-roasted seeds

Directions

• Cut the kale thin and sautee in sesame oil, crushed garlic, and salt to taste.  Let cool.
• Cook beets in boiling water, cool and dice
• Build salad in layers as above in a large, swallow bowl
• Dizzle with any organic sesame and ginger dressing – Amy’s Goddess Dressing is very tasty.

Makes enough for a meal for one, or side salads for 2-4.

PS – Thai massage is very different from traditional massage. It’s often called “lazy person’s yoga”, and is done fully clothed, which some people prefer. You can reach Juliette in Creemore at (705) 466-5793. – T.

This recipe comes from the unlikely source of the label on a can of Unico black beans. Like Jackie’s Bean Salad, this one is surprisingly delicious considering how good it is for you.

It’s also fast – you can make enough for a week’s lunches in about 5 minutes!

-Tara

Ingredients

• 1 can (540mL/19 fl oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 sweet red pepper, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Combine the beans, mango, red peppers and green onions in a bowl
• Whisk together lime juice, vegetable oil, soy sauce and red pepper flakes
• Add the cilantro and toss lightly

Serves 4-6, or lunch for a week for just you!

These seeds are simple, delicious and great source of protein, vitamin E, zinc, copper, magnesium and lots of other good stuff. Perfect for having on hand to add to any salad, a stir fry or rice and rice dishes.

Because they’re peanut-free, they also make an excellent snack for school lunches for kids.

Total time: about 12 minutes, half of which is watching them cool off so you can eat them…

Enjoy! – Tara

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• Put everything in a pan (if you’ve got a cast iron one, all the better – they’re a good source of iron!)
• Heat gently over low heat, stirring occasionally until the seeds are heated through (about 5 minutes or so)
• Remove from heat, and leave to sit for another 5 minutes or so (stir a couple of more times if you’re using cast iron)
• Let cool, and use as needed. I often make a batch and store it in a jar in the cupboard.

Bonus trivia:

Sunflower seeds were one of the first plants ever cultivated in the U.S. They are thought to have originated in Mexico and Peru. (From The World’s Healthiest Foods by George Mateljan.)