I think with this recipe it confirms that I am not a real foodie – at most I am a tourist foodie. Sometimes I go all out with expensive ingredients and do everything from scratch, but the reality is, that is exhausting to pull off every day. A real foodie would make trifle with ‘from scratch’ custard with farm fresh eggs, homemade pound cake (or at least some $10 cake from a patisserie) artisan jam and fresh raspberries. My recipe has Jello and Bird’s Custard Powder because that is how my mom makes it. I really don’t recommend substituting vanilla […]
Baked Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells
Not everything I make is a bit hit with Timothy but this sure was. He ate three and a half shells, which is pretty good for a 19 month old. Another bonus to this recipe is the quantity that you get. I used a 9″x12″ baking dish for the main meal and I was also able to fill a 5″x7″ little baking dish for the freezer. The small dish will be enough for two people, or one person and a lunch the next day. This meal is also easy to put together. I use the food processor to puree the […]
Lemon and Garlic Broccoli
This is probably one of my healthiest recipes and one that I have made so often, I could do it in my sleep. 9 times out of 10 if I’m serving broccoli, this is how I serve it. There are two steps to cooking it, boiling (or I sometimes steam it) and then sauteeing it in garlic oil and chili flakes. Just before serving, and this is key, I squeeze the juice of half a lemon over top but don’t squeeze the daylights out of it, just a good drizzle of juice is all you need. I have put too […]
Oatmeal and Milled Flaxseed Chocolate Chip Cookies
I know – this is the second recipe in week that has milled flaxseed in it, but I think we could all use a little more fibre in our diet. The double hit of high fibre ingredients in this recipe makes these cookies almost health food. I considered using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour but I probably would have ended up with little dense bricks. Despite the two healthy ingredients, this is still a treat. There is a pretty high chocolate chip to cookie ratio. Feel free to scale back on the chocolate chips. I asked my husband […]
Rapini and Whole Wheat Fettuccine with Lemon Carbonara Sauce
If you haven’t tried rapini, also called broccoli rabe, try it in this recipe. It is quite a bitter green and a lot of recipes out there are for simply sauteeing it with garlic or some other simple ingredients. The combination of pancetta, lemon, creamy sauce and Parmesan cheese really help to balance out the flavour of the rapini so you can enjoy the strong taste without it overwhelming your palate. If you really don’t want to try rapini, I have made this with lots or Italian Parsley instead of rapini. To lighten this recipe up, feel free to substitute some milk […]
Whole Wheat and Milled Flaxseed Pizza Dough
Like most people, I love pizza but the cheese covered white dough isn’t the healthiest. I don’t want to scale back on the amount of cheese that I use but I am willing to do something about the white dough. Also, my little boy, who also loves pizza, gets a bit of a system back-up if he eats too much cheese and not enough whole grains (I’m sure he will love that I shared that when he gets older). On a recent trip to the Bulk Barn (a great source for all kinds of different flours, seeds and for great […]
Sweet and Salty Smoked Paprika Popcorn
I will brag a little about this snack – a friend of ours said, “This is the best popcorn I have ever had.” Even my toddler loves it. This recipe is easy enough to make if it is just a regular night in but it is also different enough to make when you are having company over to watch “insert favourite sporting event“. It is a step up from opening a bag of chips and jar of dip – shows you went to a bit of effort. If you haven’t tried smoked paprika (sometimes called Smoked Spanish Paprika) – go […]
Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette with Crumbled Goat Cheese on Organic Baby Romaine
Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette with Crumbled Goat Cheese on Organic Baby Romaine When my husband and I lived in the U.S., I made this all the time and I only remembered the recipe last summer after taking a two year hiatus from it. I have no idea why it fell off my radar – it is easy to make and goes so well with different types of meals. I have served this with homemade burgers, pasta dishes and last night had it for supper before we went to the movies. I was planning on indulging in popcorn with extra butter […]
Kale, Pancetta, and Cheese Tortellini Soup
This is one of my favourite meals to make. It is healthy and pretty balanced. You get lots of kale, which is considered one of the super-foods in terms of nutrients, hearty cheese tortellini, beans for protein and of course pancetta. I hardly ever make a soup that doesn’t start with bacon of some sort. If you can’t find pancetta (or don’t have the inclination to look for it) you can use regular bacon. I get pancetta from the deli counter at the grocery store. I ask for thick slices but if they don’t have it at the counter I […]
Banana Bread
First of all, I have to say that I hate nuts in baked goods so this recipe is nut free. To me nuts are a textural anomaly amongst the soft bread and I often go without dessert if there are nuts in what is being offered. I like raisins in banana bread so that is what I put in – feel free to substitute walnuts if that tickles your fancy. I added some wheat germ to this recipe mainly because I wanted something a little healthy in this treat. I also substituted a bit of brown sugar because it has a […]